Review: One Way (#1) by S.J. Morden

Title: One Way (#1)

Author: S.J. Morden

Published by: Orbit

Released: April 2018

Source: e-arc from publisher/physical copy from library

Synopsis: It's the dawn of a new era - and we're ready to colonize Mars. But the company that's been contracted to construct a new Mars base, has made promises they can't fulfill and is desperate enough to cut corners. The first thing to go is the automation . . . the next thing they'll have to deal with is the eight astronauts they'll send to Mars, when there aren't supposed to be any at all.

Frank - father, architect, murderer - is recruited for the mission to Mars with the promise of a better life, along with seven of his most notorious fellow inmates. But as his crew sets to work on the red wasteland of Mars, the accidents mount up, and Frank begins to suspect they might not be accidents at all. As the list of suspect grows shorter, it's up to Frank to uncover the terrible truth before it's too late.

Dr. S. J. Morden trained as a rocket scientist before becoming the author of razor-sharp, award-winning science fiction. Perfect for fans of Andy Weir's The Martian and Richard Morgan, One Way takes off like a rocket, pulling us along on a terrifying, epic ride with only one way out. (Synopsis from Goodreads)

My Thoughts: I really enjoyed the premise of this story. Convicts being sent to Mars to build the first base station, and then someone starts killing them. A Mars Murder Mystery! We follow Frank, who, while being a convicted murderer, is a pretty okay guy. I mostly enjoyed myself while reading this.

This book was very science heavy science fiction. I tend to enjoy more fiction in my science fiction. That's mostly because the science part is going to go right over my head. There was a lot of focus on the science. There were long sections all about putting the base pieces together. Why this part goes here and the other part goes there. I mean, it was interesting, but it was also a little dull. I probably would have been more into it if I had understood it. The author is a scientist, which you could totally tell. I would trust him to build a Mars base.

There was a weird sort of time jump in the story. All this focus had been on the beginning of building the base, and then I turn a page to find it all done. It jumped ahead a couple of months, which threw me a little.

I enjoyed the mystery part, although it was fairly obvious who was behind it. There was a good amount of tension though. All alone on a planet and your team members are dying one by one. There were some good action scenes.

I also enjoyed S.J. Morden's writing style.

I'm definitely interested to see how the story will continue in the sequel. I'm definitely going to read it. One Way was a good time.

BOOKCITEMENT LEVEL 3.5/5

Mars and Murder!