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Pallas
For Kylan Bence, hauling freight through the Belt is lonely work, and when his ship malfunctions that loneliness might kill him. Stranded on the asteroid Pallas, in view of a concrete dome long thought abandoned, he chances a distress signal—and gets a response.
As he enters the settlement, a secret paradise greets him. Lush and vibrant plants, real food, clean water—and a population desperate to keep him inside . . . with everything else they've kept hidden in the soil, the air, and under the skin.
As he enters the settlement, a secret paradise greets him. Lush and vibrant plants, real food, clean water—and a population desperate to keep him inside . . . with everything else they've kept hidden in the soil, the air, and under the skin.
- GenresScience Fiction
250 pages, Paperback
Published July 18, 2023
2 people are currently reading
31 people want to read
About the author
Lisa Kuznak
5 books27 followersLisa Kuznak is an author of fantasy, science fiction, and literary works from Thunder Bay, Canada. Alongside her published novels, she also posts her short stories and poetry on her Substack, Mechanical Pulp.
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
November 10, 2023
Lisa Kuznak’s debut novel Pallas is a traditional bit of science fiction that takes its inspiration from the weird and horror strains found in classic pulp sci-fi and 80’s science horror films. It pleasantly reminded me of the vibes out of the more classic Star Trek episodes which pushed the line between straight sci-fi and Twilight Zone weirdness, yet Pallas never crosses the line into supernatural horror, it remains firmly planted in the scientific. One way I described it to myself was that I was reading one of the Away Mission Star Trek episodes, the ones set on a strange planet where nothing is as it seems but set in a world more akin to William Gibson’s Neuromancer.
Pallas, in case you didn’t know is the name of 2 Pallas the second-largest protoplanet asteroid in the belt. Discovered in the 19th century and is difficult to study due to its eccentric orbit making it hard to approach by spacecraft. And of course, it’s on Pallas that the main character, Kylan Bence, a long-haul corporate space trucker, has to land his malfunctioning ship.
When the novel starts, Kylan has accepted his fate. The corporation he works for will not come to his rescue. His life, the old ship, and his cargo are worth less than a rescue and salvage operation would cost. So, he sets his distress signal to be monitored by his AI copilot and awaits his imminent death due to thirst and starvation once his supplies run out. But, someone on Pallas responds to the signal. A strange response from the abandoned mining colony that hasn’t been in contact for over one hundred years.
Now he has a chance at surviving, so Kylan suits up and makes his way to the massive dome of the abandoned mining colony. He expects it to be a derelict station, an abandoned place where he might be able to salvage equipment or supplies to keep him alive for a while longer and maybe entice the corporation to come to rescue him. Instead, he finds himself walking into an ecological paradise. Not only is Pallas not abandoned but it’s thriving. The mining colony is now a strange biodome with grass, houses, plants, fields, fruit, and a population of humans that must be the descendants of the original colonists from over a hundred years ago.
At this point Pallas turns from a straight sci-fi novel and embraces the influence of Folk Horror, it becomes a sort of Midsommer in space. Kylan goes from imminent starvation and death in his stranded space truck to a bucolic fertile paradise of beautiful women, friendly men, and plenty of great food. He is escorted around the colony by the beautiful Thalie, wined and dined by the jubilant colonists eager to learn about the outside world, and intrigued by the meek and mysterious Sarah, the woman who first responded to his distress call.
Of course, it doesn’t take long for things to start falling apart. In genre tradition, not everything is as it seems, there is more to Pallas than a sort of asteroid Amish paradise. The machinations of the council, strange, hooded figures whose bodies seem to be decaying, begin to affect the colonists, who themselves it quickly becomes clear to the reader aren’t exactly what they seem, maybe not even human at all. Pallas descends into a chaotic catastrophe of violence, murder, terror, disease, and alien biology, which leads Kaylan and his only ally Sarah down to the depths of the asteroid colonies' abandoned mines, where the truth of what happened to the original colonist is revealed.
Pallas is a great bit of Friday evening science fiction. Kuznak nails this debut, tackling traditional genre tropes by writing a tight novel using contemporary middle-brow prose that is often elevated by her experimentation with style and perspective. This is intelligent, well-written, independent pulp science fiction, updated and done well. She has earned her place on my bookshelf next to a few other great Indy writers like Schuyler Hernstrom who take their love of classical science fiction and fantasy and transmute it into relevant contemporary fiction. It was Hernstrom’s novella Mortu and Kyrus in the White City that came to mind while reading Pallas. It’s clear that Lisa Kuznak is well educated in Vance, Wolfe, and PKD, but also well-read when it comes to literary works such as Pynchon, Delillo, and McCarthy.
Pick up Pallas, a debut worth reading, one that makes me excited and hopeful that Lisa continues to write and hopefully push the literary envelope away from genre tropes and expand her work into original territories.
Pallas, in case you didn’t know is the name of 2 Pallas the second-largest protoplanet asteroid in the belt. Discovered in the 19th century and is difficult to study due to its eccentric orbit making it hard to approach by spacecraft. And of course, it’s on Pallas that the main character, Kylan Bence, a long-haul corporate space trucker, has to land his malfunctioning ship.
When the novel starts, Kylan has accepted his fate. The corporation he works for will not come to his rescue. His life, the old ship, and his cargo are worth less than a rescue and salvage operation would cost. So, he sets his distress signal to be monitored by his AI copilot and awaits his imminent death due to thirst and starvation once his supplies run out. But, someone on Pallas responds to the signal. A strange response from the abandoned mining colony that hasn’t been in contact for over one hundred years.
Now he has a chance at surviving, so Kylan suits up and makes his way to the massive dome of the abandoned mining colony. He expects it to be a derelict station, an abandoned place where he might be able to salvage equipment or supplies to keep him alive for a while longer and maybe entice the corporation to come to rescue him. Instead, he finds himself walking into an ecological paradise. Not only is Pallas not abandoned but it’s thriving. The mining colony is now a strange biodome with grass, houses, plants, fields, fruit, and a population of humans that must be the descendants of the original colonists from over a hundred years ago.
At this point Pallas turns from a straight sci-fi novel and embraces the influence of Folk Horror, it becomes a sort of Midsommer in space. Kylan goes from imminent starvation and death in his stranded space truck to a bucolic fertile paradise of beautiful women, friendly men, and plenty of great food. He is escorted around the colony by the beautiful Thalie, wined and dined by the jubilant colonists eager to learn about the outside world, and intrigued by the meek and mysterious Sarah, the woman who first responded to his distress call.
Of course, it doesn’t take long for things to start falling apart. In genre tradition, not everything is as it seems, there is more to Pallas than a sort of asteroid Amish paradise. The machinations of the council, strange, hooded figures whose bodies seem to be decaying, begin to affect the colonists, who themselves it quickly becomes clear to the reader aren’t exactly what they seem, maybe not even human at all. Pallas descends into a chaotic catastrophe of violence, murder, terror, disease, and alien biology, which leads Kaylan and his only ally Sarah down to the depths of the asteroid colonies' abandoned mines, where the truth of what happened to the original colonist is revealed.
Pallas is a great bit of Friday evening science fiction. Kuznak nails this debut, tackling traditional genre tropes by writing a tight novel using contemporary middle-brow prose that is often elevated by her experimentation with style and perspective. This is intelligent, well-written, independent pulp science fiction, updated and done well. She has earned her place on my bookshelf next to a few other great Indy writers like Schuyler Hernstrom who take their love of classical science fiction and fantasy and transmute it into relevant contemporary fiction. It was Hernstrom’s novella Mortu and Kyrus in the White City that came to mind while reading Pallas. It’s clear that Lisa Kuznak is well educated in Vance, Wolfe, and PKD, but also well-read when it comes to literary works such as Pynchon, Delillo, and McCarthy.
Pick up Pallas, a debut worth reading, one that makes me excited and hopeful that Lisa continues to write and hopefully push the literary envelope away from genre tropes and expand her work into original territories.
July 1, 2023
Kylan Bence is a company man, a lone long-hauler shuttling cargo loads between the numerous colonies and outposts of man in his local system. When his ship breaks down and lands on an asteroid, he realizes he is in even bigger trouble. Not only does he surmise that perhaps the company might just abandon him and the crappy ship they sent him out on, but he's landed on a lost-abandoned post.
What he discovers changes his world and that of what he finds on Pallas, a former mining colony... turned paradise?
I was hooked from the book blurb. I love abandoned places in real life and long-lost, and as I read to lose myself in fantastic places and spaces, abandoned space colonies are right up my alley. I love the mystery and the weirdness, the puzzles and the devious plots, the monsters and the creepy vibes. Pallas has all these in spades, building upon each other for an enjoyable experience.
Kuznak's prose is otherworldly as well. Told from the perspectives of a wide cast of characters, the reader is delved the pieces of strangeness like candy to enjoy just long enough before something else creeps up and changes the scene. Her words flow with ease -- which was perhaps one of the greatest reasons I loved this novel as it moved quickly. I felt a kind of Cormac McCarthy channeling, where action and thought and the swirl of the surrounding scene were one and indistinguishable. A living thing. Oh, she's dotted all her t's and crossed all her i's, so if you're put off by the way McCarthy writes, fear not, you'll have no trouble with Kuznak. Her muse is damned grand.
Pallas is a standalone novel. To be sure, it is Kuznak's debut novel, but while there is certainly room for a sequel, everything wraps up very nicely in this book. Another BIG POINT in my opinion. I don't like having to read what is essentially one story via three books. I feel the term "trilogy" is grossly misused these days. Give me a 1000 pages in one novel, I'm good with that. Don't make me purchase three books to read the entire story.
What he discovers changes his world and that of what he finds on Pallas, a former mining colony... turned paradise?
I was hooked from the book blurb. I love abandoned places in real life and long-lost, and as I read to lose myself in fantastic places and spaces, abandoned space colonies are right up my alley. I love the mystery and the weirdness, the puzzles and the devious plots, the monsters and the creepy vibes. Pallas has all these in spades, building upon each other for an enjoyable experience.
Kuznak's prose is otherworldly as well. Told from the perspectives of a wide cast of characters, the reader is delved the pieces of strangeness like candy to enjoy just long enough before something else creeps up and changes the scene. Her words flow with ease -- which was perhaps one of the greatest reasons I loved this novel as it moved quickly. I felt a kind of Cormac McCarthy channeling, where action and thought and the swirl of the surrounding scene were one and indistinguishable. A living thing. Oh, she's dotted all her t's and crossed all her i's, so if you're put off by the way McCarthy writes, fear not, you'll have no trouble with Kuznak. Her muse is damned grand.
Pallas is a standalone novel. To be sure, it is Kuznak's debut novel, but while there is certainly room for a sequel, everything wraps up very nicely in this book. Another BIG POINT in my opinion. I don't like having to read what is essentially one story via three books. I feel the term "trilogy" is grossly misused these days. Give me a 1000 pages in one novel, I'm good with that. Don't make me purchase three books to read the entire story.
August 10, 2023
Thanks to BookSirens, I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
This is a solid 3.5/5 sci-fi novel that at times was a thrilling story about escaping a fauxtopia in an abandoned mining colony. Kuznak has fun creating a fascinating setting beneath a concrete dome on an asteroid that was initially mined for its resources. Although the details get a bit sketchy at times, I was able to piece together the details of what happened and why - Kuznak peppers just enough hints into the narrative to entice readers onward to learn the mysteries of Pallas. The scenes in the mines are easily the best, where we're slowly fed the backstory in a clever way as the characters explore the area, room-by-room, and experiment with old (to them) technology that reveals what the seeming-utopia of Pallas is really built on.
It is a heavily plot-driven book, and it didn't feel as though the characters developed as the narrative continued - there wasn't enough time for that to happen, which was a weakness of the story for me. There was barely time to see Pallas as a paradise before it was already falling apart, while, later in the novel, slower moments describing characters' thoughts weren't very compelling because the characters were too caught-up in the fast pace of the action. I wanted to see the story take more time with its characters - there are interesting people in this story, and the narrative needed to do more with them to give the whole story a richer depth. This includes making the antagonists less stock figures and more human (in personality rather than appearance) - they're served to us as corrupt ancients in too stereotypical a way as corpulent, bloated, and wasteful. As a result, the story never explains why they created Pallas in this way - their motivations are completely lost and it leaves too many unanswered questions. I almost wished for the "villain speech" that many traditional sci-fi narratives offer to audiences - it would have fit in here, too, considering how many other tropes Kuznak successfully builds into the story.
Overall, it's an interesting story and a solid debut. Kuznak takes intriguing risks with her narrative style by merging first-person with third-person narrative - it unexpectedly works in many instances and was a unique way of presenting multiple points of view in a story. I'm looking forward to seeing what she writes next.
This is a solid 3.5/5 sci-fi novel that at times was a thrilling story about escaping a fauxtopia in an abandoned mining colony. Kuznak has fun creating a fascinating setting beneath a concrete dome on an asteroid that was initially mined for its resources. Although the details get a bit sketchy at times, I was able to piece together the details of what happened and why - Kuznak peppers just enough hints into the narrative to entice readers onward to learn the mysteries of Pallas. The scenes in the mines are easily the best, where we're slowly fed the backstory in a clever way as the characters explore the area, room-by-room, and experiment with old (to them) technology that reveals what the seeming-utopia of Pallas is really built on.
It is a heavily plot-driven book, and it didn't feel as though the characters developed as the narrative continued - there wasn't enough time for that to happen, which was a weakness of the story for me. There was barely time to see Pallas as a paradise before it was already falling apart, while, later in the novel, slower moments describing characters' thoughts weren't very compelling because the characters were too caught-up in the fast pace of the action. I wanted to see the story take more time with its characters - there are interesting people in this story, and the narrative needed to do more with them to give the whole story a richer depth. This includes making the antagonists less stock figures and more human (in personality rather than appearance) - they're served to us as corrupt ancients in too stereotypical a way as corpulent, bloated, and wasteful. As a result, the story never explains why they created Pallas in this way - their motivations are completely lost and it leaves too many unanswered questions. I almost wished for the "villain speech" that many traditional sci-fi narratives offer to audiences - it would have fit in here, too, considering how many other tropes Kuznak successfully builds into the story.
Overall, it's an interesting story and a solid debut. Kuznak takes intriguing risks with her narrative style by merging first-person with third-person narrative - it unexpectedly works in many instances and was a unique way of presenting multiple points of view in a story. I'm looking forward to seeing what she writes next.
July 12, 2023
This book really wasn't what I expected. It started like 'Alien', but quickly moved into the territory of old-school pulp scifi - more like Ray Bradbury, or even 'Barbarella'.
We follow a space-truck who intercepts a signal from an apparently deserted moon (see what I meant?), but then discovers a society of free-living, hippy-like humans who've rejected the space technology to live naturally. Or so it seems at first.
Very quickly, we see the cracks starting to show, and it's interesting to note what the reader sees versus the protagonist. Dramatic irony and all that.
I did enjoy it for the most part, but the sticking point I had was just how stupid the main character seemed to be. Naive perhaps, but so very 'bloke'-styled that I found it hard to believe he could even be a space-trucker! So much was hand-waved away that it became difficult to suspend disbelief. Plus I was familiar with the tropes, which made things less surprising than they might otherwise have been.
I think your mileage may vary with this one. It's fine, but if you've read tighter, short-story versions of the same, it may seem frustrating.
I was kindly sent an advance copy of this book by the publisher, but the above opinions are my own.
We follow a space-truck who intercepts a signal from an apparently deserted moon (see what I meant?), but then discovers a society of free-living, hippy-like humans who've rejected the space technology to live naturally. Or so it seems at first.
Very quickly, we see the cracks starting to show, and it's interesting to note what the reader sees versus the protagonist. Dramatic irony and all that.
I did enjoy it for the most part, but the sticking point I had was just how stupid the main character seemed to be. Naive perhaps, but so very 'bloke'-styled that I found it hard to believe he could even be a space-trucker! So much was hand-waved away that it became difficult to suspend disbelief. Plus I was familiar with the tropes, which made things less surprising than they might otherwise have been.
I think your mileage may vary with this one. It's fine, but if you've read tighter, short-story versions of the same, it may seem frustrating.
I was kindly sent an advance copy of this book by the publisher, but the above opinions are my own.
July 1, 2023
Ohhhh I love creepy mycelium stories! I love space horror also, so this was an awesome combination.
Pallas is a paradise, using organic science and eco technology to sustain itself. However, there’s more going on than meets the eye.
Kylan, a stranded space transport pilot is shocked to discover the Pallas mining colony, long thought abandoned, seems to be a veritable Garden of Eden. He’s invited inside and soon develops an insidious cough.
What do the people of this place want from him? Who are the sinister, black robes councillors? What monstrous secrets are hidden in the abandoned mining shafts?
I would’ve liked this book to be a bit shorter actually, some of the fluff parts could be trimmed so the story has a more consistent fast pace.
I also found the shifting POVs were odd and off putting. I didn’t like how there was no discernible change a lot of the time between which character is narrating. There were also mid page shifts from 1st person to 3rd person as well as some internal monologuing that causes the reader to have to back up and clarify what is going on.
Thank you to BookSirens & the author for a copy to review!
Pallas is a paradise, using organic science and eco technology to sustain itself. However, there’s more going on than meets the eye.
Kylan, a stranded space transport pilot is shocked to discover the Pallas mining colony, long thought abandoned, seems to be a veritable Garden of Eden. He’s invited inside and soon develops an insidious cough.
What do the people of this place want from him? Who are the sinister, black robes councillors? What monstrous secrets are hidden in the abandoned mining shafts?
I would’ve liked this book to be a bit shorter actually, some of the fluff parts could be trimmed so the story has a more consistent fast pace.
I also found the shifting POVs were odd and off putting. I didn’t like how there was no discernible change a lot of the time between which character is narrating. There were also mid page shifts from 1st person to 3rd person as well as some internal monologuing that causes the reader to have to back up and clarify what is going on.
Thank you to BookSirens & the author for a copy to review!
December 8, 2024
I just found Pallas really, really interesting. Firstly, the introduction of the space trucker and this reclusive community had me intrigued, then we have their civilisation. It took me back to the golden era of Star Trek and I really loved that classic sci-fi vibe. Kylan is such a dude. You'll see what I mean when you read the book.
Lisa's writing is a style that I'm not used to, but I enjoyed it. I found Kylan Bence very human, and not the ideal hero of the story, which made it all the more compelling. He was an exhausted space trucker who needed some time off. It was refreshing to have this kind of main character, as I feel that scientists or some other kind of 'expert' characters wouldn't have been travelling alone, where they're vulnerable to the offers of comfort and companionship.
The limited roles of the women in Pallas reminded me slightly of Atwood's Handmaid's Tale but they went off in their own direction. This, again, takes me back to themes covered in classic Star Trek, which I loved!
It's just straight up classic sci-fi. I enjoyed it.
Lisa's writing is a style that I'm not used to, but I enjoyed it. I found Kylan Bence very human, and not the ideal hero of the story, which made it all the more compelling. He was an exhausted space trucker who needed some time off. It was refreshing to have this kind of main character, as I feel that scientists or some other kind of 'expert' characters wouldn't have been travelling alone, where they're vulnerable to the offers of comfort and companionship.
The limited roles of the women in Pallas reminded me slightly of Atwood's Handmaid's Tale but they went off in their own direction. This, again, takes me back to themes covered in classic Star Trek, which I loved!
It's just straight up classic sci-fi. I enjoyed it.
July 16, 2023
This was an enjoyable read; however, I expected it to turn into genuine sci-fi horror, which is my cup of tea when it comes to science fiction, not a futuristic eco-sociological mystery, which isn't. There was too much of those old-fashioned sf vibes, remisniscent of those pulpy utopian short stories, combined with a twist that proves more is going on, a sinister undercurrent that makes this asteroid-utopia a nightmarish take on those old sci-fi planned social projects. The ending was a bit too much out there for me, and I'm still unsure if the protagonist, Kylan, was the right vehicle to tell this story. The writing, though, is excellent and contributed immensely to my finishing the book.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
July 20, 2023
This was a solid science fiction / horror read with a plot driven story line. As a lover of strong character driven narratives, this one did challenge me at first and the first half of the story was a little slow. The second half really picked up the pace and I flew through it, completely invested in the outcome. Upon reflection, the writing style of the book seemed very choppy and felt awkward, but it was the perfect way to create a feeling of unease and otherness that served the story very well. Overall a novel that I will be recommending to others.
Thank you to BookSirens and the author for providing me with an ARC of this book free of charge. I'm leaving an honest review voluntarily.
Thank you to BookSirens and the author for providing me with an ARC of this book free of charge. I'm leaving an honest review voluntarily.
July 23, 2023
It's a nice little si-fi story that can squeezed in beween books on a weekend.
It has old Star Trek episodes-vibes or si-fi movies from the late 80s. Not fault in that as it is a fun, clichée riddled story about a colony where nothing is right.
Two sympatic MC: our rescued space trucker Kylan who stumbles into trouble and Serra who in her quest to get Kylan out of the colony becomes an unwittingly and smart hero.
You can see plotlines coming a mile away but the good and solid writing does it's job in glueing you to the page.
If you're in the mood for some old fashioned si-fi fun this would be your book.
Thanks go to Lisa Kuznak fot giving me the chance to read an ARC.
It has old Star Trek episodes-vibes or si-fi movies from the late 80s. Not fault in that as it is a fun, clichée riddled story about a colony where nothing is right.
Two sympatic MC: our rescued space trucker Kylan who stumbles into trouble and Serra who in her quest to get Kylan out of the colony becomes an unwittingly and smart hero.
You can see plotlines coming a mile away but the good and solid writing does it's job in glueing you to the page.
If you're in the mood for some old fashioned si-fi fun this would be your book.
Thanks go to Lisa Kuznak fot giving me the chance to read an ARC.
May 13, 2025
Pallas by Lisa Kuznak is an excellent science fiction novel. Ms. Kuznak published Pallas in 2023. Despite its recent publication, it has the feel of an older work, in a good way, from the 1960s or 1970s, when science fiction was open to character development and sexual themes, but still had clear prose and a coherent narrative line. Pallas is hard science fiction, in the sense that the plot turns on the interaction between the characters and the plausible technology which underlies the story. Pallas also has horror themes, which made me think that the ideal director of a film version of Pallas would be Ms. Kuznak’s fellow Canadian David Cronenberg. Heartily recommended.
June 29, 2023
Received as a review copy from Booksirens, this is an honest review. A unique visual world where Kylan Pence life changes when he becomes stranded upon Pallas and when he is rescued by its people of the settlement; he's welcomed into a luscious place that is almost dreamlike to Kylan. But beneath the wild beauty, there's something leaves him wondering if what these kind souls are holding into the darkness secrets that would rattle a peaceful world despite it all.
July 8, 2023
Pallas was an immersive, suspenseful story which thoroughly explored the lengths that people would go to in order to explore the longevity of life nomatter what the cost.
It was fast paced, thought provoking and reminded me in some ways character wise of Dune and the big bad Baron Harkonnen (in terms of the head Councilman) and his treatment of his underlings and people as a whole.
This was an enjoyable read and I would gladly read future works by this author.
It was fast paced, thought provoking and reminded me in some ways character wise of Dune and the big bad Baron Harkonnen (in terms of the head Councilman) and his treatment of his underlings and people as a whole.
This was an enjoyable read and I would gladly read future works by this author.
August 11, 2023
I found this book a very compelling read, with vivid characters and a dynamic story that keeps you reading to find out what happens next. The main characters are very human in that they have transcend their limits in ways they didn’t think possible, and they do so in fine style.
My only criticism is that sometimes the shifts in perspective can be a little jarring, but even so I really enjoyed it.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
My only criticism is that sometimes the shifts in perspective can be a little jarring, but even so I really enjoyed it.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
June 16, 2023
One of the most effortlessly executed natural feeling science fiction novels I've read in a long time. World building akin to the likes of "the expanse" series but with more skilled use of the cosmic horror twists. Loved the character personality explorations and the visuals the writer conjures in the mind of the reader with artful and eloquent prose.
July 29, 2023
Pallas is a wild ride through a utopian paradise that strains to survive when Kylan Bence arrives. What follows is a literary, dreamy, and horror-filled sci-fi trip that will keep you turning pages as you navigate cramped quarters where mycelium threaten your escape. An excellent debut novel, and I look forward to the next one!
July 5, 2023
A fun tale of sci-fi horror that’s quite effective in what it attempts, I wish there was more sci-fi horror, and it is short. The downfalls being pacing and rather goofy villains but overall a good time.
July 22, 2023
Nothing is at it seems. Great read ! Something was off , wrong, But Kylan would probably not make it anyway. Rescue was too far away. No spoilers /. this is a good read . I enjoyed it and recommend it .
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
December 31, 2025
What a wild ride! Brilliant worldbuilding, dense science fiction, ballsy stylistic writing, and extremely visceral horror bits that kept my jaw dropping. I was blown away so many times by this book, can’t recommend it enough!
October 5, 2023
The writing style of this novel is just too wonky for me to stay invested in the story. It just seems like the author is trying to explain something but in the most difficult way possible.
June 27, 2025
Pallas walks a line between classic pulp fiction and folk horror; the novel starts with the typical sci-fi elements of advanced technology and the alien weirdness of life found out in the depths of space, the hints that something is inherently wrong with the settlement. The community on Pallas has a somewhat cultish vibe to it that begins as subtly unsettling before ramping into startling moments of body horror and general creepiness as the story moves below the surface level.
Following the misadventures of Kylan Bence; a true blue collar guy who is a former miner and current space trucker that runs a route through the Belt for the faceless Ceres Mining Company. The story begins with his ship malfunctioning far from home, drifting around the titular asteroid of Pallas. The former mining settlement is supposed to be abandoned, but while Kylan waits for the Company to decide whether his cargo is worth mounting a rescue mission for, he receives a reply to his SOS from the allegedly abandoned settlement and is welcomed inside.
Under the concrete dome of Pallas, he finds that the settlement has thrived in isolation. Lush vegetation and strange customs accompany stranger people who live beneath the oppression of the cloaked and foreboding Council, who seem determined to keep Kylan inside the settlement at all costs. After the cramped days in his truck with only the Com AI for company, the tempting offers of clean water, real food, a comfortable place to rest, and the beguiling exotic beauty of his escort Thalie are too much to pass up and Kylan thinks he has found a paradise. But when the beautiful façade of Pallas begins to rot away, Kylan turns to the withdrawn Sarra, the one who had contacted him in the first place. As our hero is stricken with a mysterious illness and the motivations of the Council begin to become clear, Kylan must find a way to escape Pallas as the settlement’s secrets begin to (quite literally) crawl under his skin...
For the fans of classic science fiction in the same vein as vintage Star Trek, Barbarella, Buck Rogers, or anything else out of an old Heavy Metal magazine, Pallas is not one you want to miss out on.
Following the misadventures of Kylan Bence; a true blue collar guy who is a former miner and current space trucker that runs a route through the Belt for the faceless Ceres Mining Company. The story begins with his ship malfunctioning far from home, drifting around the titular asteroid of Pallas. The former mining settlement is supposed to be abandoned, but while Kylan waits for the Company to decide whether his cargo is worth mounting a rescue mission for, he receives a reply to his SOS from the allegedly abandoned settlement and is welcomed inside.
Under the concrete dome of Pallas, he finds that the settlement has thrived in isolation. Lush vegetation and strange customs accompany stranger people who live beneath the oppression of the cloaked and foreboding Council, who seem determined to keep Kylan inside the settlement at all costs. After the cramped days in his truck with only the Com AI for company, the tempting offers of clean water, real food, a comfortable place to rest, and the beguiling exotic beauty of his escort Thalie are too much to pass up and Kylan thinks he has found a paradise. But when the beautiful façade of Pallas begins to rot away, Kylan turns to the withdrawn Sarra, the one who had contacted him in the first place. As our hero is stricken with a mysterious illness and the motivations of the Council begin to become clear, Kylan must find a way to escape Pallas as the settlement’s secrets begin to (quite literally) crawl under his skin...
For the fans of classic science fiction in the same vein as vintage Star Trek, Barbarella, Buck Rogers, or anything else out of an old Heavy Metal magazine, Pallas is not one you want to miss out on.
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews