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Otherworldly
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Expected 1 Mar 26From award-winning writer, producer, and filmmaker Dwain Worrell comes a poignant and thrilling science fiction adventure about a young astronaut navigating addiction and loss who finds herself stranded on a mysterious planet where members of her crew go missing one by one.
Cleo Xavier is a renowned astronaut and explorer—not an addict. At least, that’s what she tells herself. She’s always been able to navigate the isolation and loneliness that come with space exploration, which makes her a perfect candidate to join four other astronauts on a mission to Orbis Alius, the farthest planet in the solar system, to test its terraforming viability.
But when Cleo and her crew arrive on Orbis Alius, its surrounding wasteland reveals mysteries and horrors that none of them could ever imagine. Here, the tortured atmosphere changes as dramatically as the landscape. The sky itself seems to be descending. And something sinister lurks in the unknown. One by one, the crew goes missing and Cleo must venture deeper into the planet to save them—even while she finds herself falling to old vices as the isolation she once so craved becomes as oppressive as the shifting black fog.
The farther Cleo ventures and the more she uncovers about the secrets Orbis Alius holds, the more she starts to realize that maybe she isn’t alone at all.
Cleo Xavier is a renowned astronaut and explorer—not an addict. At least, that’s what she tells herself. She’s always been able to navigate the isolation and loneliness that come with space exploration, which makes her a perfect candidate to join four other astronauts on a mission to Orbis Alius, the farthest planet in the solar system, to test its terraforming viability.
But when Cleo and her crew arrive on Orbis Alius, its surrounding wasteland reveals mysteries and horrors that none of them could ever imagine. Here, the tortured atmosphere changes as dramatically as the landscape. The sky itself seems to be descending. And something sinister lurks in the unknown. One by one, the crew goes missing and Cleo must venture deeper into the planet to save them—even while she finds herself falling to old vices as the isolation she once so craved becomes as oppressive as the shifting black fog.
The farther Cleo ventures and the more she uncovers about the secrets Orbis Alius holds, the more she starts to realize that maybe she isn’t alone at all.
290 pages, Kindle Edition
Expected publication March 1, 2026
21 people want to read
About the author
Dwain Worrell
3 books70 followersDwain Worrell is a filmmaker, Chinese interpreter, and novelist.
The Barbadian native now works as a film and television writer and producer in Los Angeles. His writing credits include Marvel’s Iron Fist, CBS’s Fire Country, and the Disney+ series National Treasure, among others.
For more information please visit www.dwainworrell.com
The Barbadian native now works as a film and television writer and producer in Los Angeles. His writing credits include Marvel’s Iron Fist, CBS’s Fire Country, and the Disney+ series National Treasure, among others.
For more information please visit www.dwainworrell.com
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
July 27, 2025
This was one strange book. It kept my interest the whole way through. It's written from one person's POV and she's a strange one. When we first meet her she's tripping out on an audio drug (legal, all drugs are legal in this book) so I wasn't sure if she was going to be a reliable POV or not but she cleans up later and thinks clearly.
The main character's father, a brilliant mathematician, has found proof that there are no aliens out there in the universe, that humans are alone. I had trouble with that because it's really hard to prove a negative, like the premise "there is no gold in Alaska". You'd have to dig up every inch of Alaska to prove that. So to prove there are no aliens in the universe you'd have to go to every solar system out there, visit each planet to see if there are aliens or not. But whatever, it's kind of a firm statement that everybody in this book believes because supposedly this guy proved it.
The MC is part of a crew chosen because they are good at certain things. The MC was chosen because she has been tested and declared immune to loneliness. But she doesn't has the super smarts or technical skills that some of the other crew members have and is kind of treated as an inferior. One of the crew stays on board the mothership and 3 of the crew go down to this planet's surface in a large box (I imagine a wider box thing that semi trucks pull) but each one is in their own box and touches down in a different spot on the planet.
At first their readings when they gear up in spaceman suits and go outside their boxes are that the planet is toxic, the soil irradiated. In other words not a good place to try to terraform, which is what they are determining. But then after several days or a couple weeks the conditions seem to be changing. One of them reports seeing plants growing. The MC doesn't understand how that could be possible. Oh, each of them has a robot companion that takes the samples and analyzes them. The MC's robot is kind of like a giant dog.
When she gets a strange message from one of her fellow crewmates on the planet she and her robot go out to explore. She has a signal of where her crewmate is and heads in that direction. Thus starts the strange part of the book. I won't spoil it by going further but I will say that if you want to read about unique unusual alien life then you might want to check this out and oops I guess that is a little spoiler.
The writing is decent but I didn't care for what I thought was excessive focus on the MC's emotions all the time. But that's just me, I'm not an emotional type of person, more of a cold logic type. So I don't fault the author for that I'm just explaining what's in the book and you can decide for yourself to read or not to read.
The main character's father, a brilliant mathematician, has found proof that there are no aliens out there in the universe, that humans are alone. I had trouble with that because it's really hard to prove a negative, like the premise "there is no gold in Alaska". You'd have to dig up every inch of Alaska to prove that. So to prove there are no aliens in the universe you'd have to go to every solar system out there, visit each planet to see if there are aliens or not. But whatever, it's kind of a firm statement that everybody in this book believes because supposedly this guy proved it.
The MC is part of a crew chosen because they are good at certain things. The MC was chosen because she has been tested and declared immune to loneliness. But she doesn't has the super smarts or technical skills that some of the other crew members have and is kind of treated as an inferior. One of the crew stays on board the mothership and 3 of the crew go down to this planet's surface in a large box (I imagine a wider box thing that semi trucks pull) but each one is in their own box and touches down in a different spot on the planet.
At first their readings when they gear up in spaceman suits and go outside their boxes are that the planet is toxic, the soil irradiated. In other words not a good place to try to terraform, which is what they are determining. But then after several days or a couple weeks the conditions seem to be changing. One of them reports seeing plants growing. The MC doesn't understand how that could be possible. Oh, each of them has a robot companion that takes the samples and analyzes them. The MC's robot is kind of like a giant dog.
When she gets a strange message from one of her fellow crewmates on the planet she and her robot go out to explore. She has a signal of where her crewmate is and heads in that direction. Thus starts the strange part of the book. I won't spoil it by going further but I will say that if you want to read about unique unusual alien life then you might want to check this out and oops I guess that is a little spoiler.
The writing is decent but I didn't care for what I thought was excessive focus on the MC's emotions all the time. But that's just me, I'm not an emotional type of person, more of a cold logic type. So I don't fault the author for that I'm just explaining what's in the book and you can decide for yourself to read or not to read.
June 26, 2025
This action-packed story takes the reader on a perilous adventure to a mysterious planet. It follows a small team of astronauts as they embark on a dangerous journey to a new planet. Corporate greed from their sponsors and excitement over the possibility of terraforming cause the team to stay on the planet longer than anticipated. As they begin acclimating to their new home, the astronauts experience baffling conditions and profound loneliness, leaving them vulnerable to many unknown terrors. This book tells a phenomenal story centered around the age-old question of whether we are alone in the universe. A striking and thought-provoking tale, you can't help but put yourself in the place of the astronauts and feel their fear of the unknown. The crew fend for themselves and question the nature of their dark and puzzling new home.
This fascinating story has refreshing cosmic horror elements that really gets your mind thinking nonstop about the vastness of space and time. As a cosmic and Lovecraftian horror fan, I really enjoyed this story! I appreciated the vividness and imagery throughout the entire book, which made many of the terrors exceptionally frightening. The author was able to make Orbis Alius a terrifying yet fascinating planet. There were many memorable scenes, the story's atmosphere and mood reflect the astronaut's dire situation. There was some comic relief from one of the astronaut's rovers which helped break the tension momentarily. The characters were each complex in their own way, but still likeable enough that you care about them. I enjoyed the uniqueness of the unknown terrors the astronauts face and the focus on how loneliness affects their psyche.
This well-paced page-turner will make you want to rewatch some classic space horror movies. It immediately draws you in from the beginning and doesn't have filler chapters that slow your reading. If you are a fan of space, sci-fi, captivating places full of secrets, and thrills, this story will engross you!
Final notes, this story is for fans who enjoy cosmic and Lovecraftian elements, vivid storytelling, and thrilling scenes!
I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. This is an advance reader copy (ARC) and may contain errors or changes before final publication. My review is voluntary and reflects my personal thoughts.
This fascinating story has refreshing cosmic horror elements that really gets your mind thinking nonstop about the vastness of space and time. As a cosmic and Lovecraftian horror fan, I really enjoyed this story! I appreciated the vividness and imagery throughout the entire book, which made many of the terrors exceptionally frightening. The author was able to make Orbis Alius a terrifying yet fascinating planet. There were many memorable scenes, the story's atmosphere and mood reflect the astronaut's dire situation. There was some comic relief from one of the astronaut's rovers which helped break the tension momentarily. The characters were each complex in their own way, but still likeable enough that you care about them. I enjoyed the uniqueness of the unknown terrors the astronauts face and the focus on how loneliness affects their psyche.
This well-paced page-turner will make you want to rewatch some classic space horror movies. It immediately draws you in from the beginning and doesn't have filler chapters that slow your reading. If you are a fan of space, sci-fi, captivating places full of secrets, and thrills, this story will engross you!
Final notes, this story is for fans who enjoy cosmic and Lovecraftian elements, vivid storytelling, and thrilling scenes!
I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. This is an advance reader copy (ARC) and may contain errors or changes before final publication. My review is voluntary and reflects my personal thoughts.
July 21, 2025
Thanks so much to netgalley and 47north for the ARC and a chance to review this wonderful book before its release.
This book evoked three very specific emotions in me during each of the three parts of the book
Part one: confusion
Part two: fascination
Part three: terror
So, I'm just starting out my journey as a sci-fi reader, so I'm not sure if my confusion is due to poor awareness of the cerebral natures of sci fi or if I just have poor reading comprehension or the writing style of the author. The beginning, in general, discusses the MC and goes into a lot of detail about her as a person and her addiction and her loneliness immunity and I'll be honest, I was very confused. I decided to trust the process and keep going and I'm SO GLAD that I did. It took a little while for things to go off the rails but when they did, boy did they.
The world building (literally the planet they're on) is phantasmagorical. Reading descriptions of it was like a fever dream and I honestly couldn't get enough of it.
The book took a decided turn into horror territory at the end, and it was genuinely terrifying.
My instinct was to give this four stars due to the confusing nature of some of the writing, however, that's probably just a reflection of me and not the writer 😂 so five stars it is!
I wholeheartedly recommend this to veteran sci fi readers and newbies like myself.
This book evoked three very specific emotions in me during each of the three parts of the book
Part one: confusion
Part two: fascination
Part three: terror
So, I'm just starting out my journey as a sci-fi reader, so I'm not sure if my confusion is due to poor awareness of the cerebral natures of sci fi or if I just have poor reading comprehension or the writing style of the author. The beginning, in general, discusses the MC and goes into a lot of detail about her as a person and her addiction and her loneliness immunity and I'll be honest, I was very confused. I decided to trust the process and keep going and I'm SO GLAD that I did. It took a little while for things to go off the rails but when they did, boy did they.
The world building (literally the planet they're on) is phantasmagorical. Reading descriptions of it was like a fever dream and I honestly couldn't get enough of it.
The book took a decided turn into horror territory at the end, and it was genuinely terrifying.
My instinct was to give this four stars due to the confusing nature of some of the writing, however, that's probably just a reflection of me and not the writer 😂 so five stars it is!
I wholeheartedly recommend this to veteran sci fi readers and newbies like myself.
July 5, 2025
Thank you to 47North and NetGalley for providing me with an eARC of Otherworldly by Dwain Worrell!
First and foremost, this book had me HOOKED. Isolation-resistant, drug-addicted Cleo is chosen to be part of an astronautical crew traveling to the farthest planet in our solar system with the goal of terraforming it so that humans may inhabit it.
The planet is adaptable and the landscape is ever changing. Cleo must come to terms with her isolation, addiction, and past all while trying to determine if they’re alone out there.
This was creepy and intriguing. Worrell does a phenomenal job at drawing his audience in and winding words together to create visuals. I had a blast reading it, and I can’t wait for release day!
First and foremost, this book had me HOOKED. Isolation-resistant, drug-addicted Cleo is chosen to be part of an astronautical crew traveling to the farthest planet in our solar system with the goal of terraforming it so that humans may inhabit it.
The planet is adaptable and the landscape is ever changing. Cleo must come to terms with her isolation, addiction, and past all while trying to determine if they’re alone out there.
This was creepy and intriguing. Worrell does a phenomenal job at drawing his audience in and winding words together to create visuals. I had a blast reading it, and I can’t wait for release day!
July 2, 2025
First off, I would like to say that this book captured my attention from the get-go, which is a tough thing to do. The action starts right off the bat, and you dive into the space world that Dwain Worrell has created. I loved the use of music in everything, from Shakes to the drugs that Cleo is totally not addicted to. Reading Shakes lines out loud always gave me a chuckle; he was easily my favorite part of the book. Cleo was such a relatable character because of the trauma that she has endured and the lengths that she goes through to face it. Great twists and turns and I highly recommend this book to anybody who loves Sci-Fi and characters who you come to love.
August 3, 2025
Otherworldly centers around Cleo, the next generation of space explorers looking to terraform and expand mankind’s reach into space. Cleo comes from a long line of scientists and finds herself on a mission to evaluate a Orbis Alius, a new planet for possible civilization.
But once on planet, Cleo quickly realizes there is more to Orbis Alius than originally thought. When she receives cryptic messages from a crew mate stationed on another section of the planet, Cleo begins dreaming of a god-like figure who needs her to find them. And so begins her journey of discovery, coping with past traumas, and healing from addiction.
I’m not quite sure how to feel about this. I enjoy horror and space thrillers but this one missed the mark for me. While I enjoyed the middle half, the big reveal fell flat. The premise is extremely interesting and begs the question if we are truly alone, in the universe and within ourselves. The highlight of the book was Cleo’s rapping (yes, there is an actual rap battle in this book) intelligence unit named Shakes. The whole book had an ethereal, uncanny valley feel to it.
This book is perfect for fans of the Southern Reach trilogy by Jeff VanderMeer.
Thank you to NetGalley, Dwain Worrell, and 47North for an e-ARC of this novel in exchange for my honest review. All views and opinions are my own.
But once on planet, Cleo quickly realizes there is more to Orbis Alius than originally thought. When she receives cryptic messages from a crew mate stationed on another section of the planet, Cleo begins dreaming of a god-like figure who needs her to find them. And so begins her journey of discovery, coping with past traumas, and healing from addiction.
I’m not quite sure how to feel about this. I enjoy horror and space thrillers but this one missed the mark for me. While I enjoyed the middle half, the big reveal fell flat. The premise is extremely interesting and begs the question if we are truly alone, in the universe and within ourselves. The highlight of the book was Cleo’s rapping (yes, there is an actual rap battle in this book) intelligence unit named Shakes. The whole book had an ethereal, uncanny valley feel to it.
This book is perfect for fans of the Southern Reach trilogy by Jeff VanderMeer.
Thank you to NetGalley, Dwain Worrell, and 47North for an e-ARC of this novel in exchange for my honest review. All views and opinions are my own.
November 17, 2025
Cleo is proven to be immune to loneliness; an introvert at heart, she gets sent on a space mission where she will be in isolation for a long time. When her and her crew (all separated), land on Orbis Alius, they decide its not suitable for life, until that assessment changes unexpectedly in only a matter of days. When one of Cleo's crewmates goes missing, she sets off to find her and finds a dark, thick gas that separates drastically different biospheres. She also notices something is lurking... and following her.
The writing in this book was clear, but it was also twisty. I was questioning whether the narrator was unreliable, whether everything was a delusion, and a lot of the twists came unexpectedly. I also think the author did a good job of describing all the different biospheres. Some of the settings were so outlandish that they were hard to picture at first, but the descriptions were vivid and well done. I thought the pacing was perfect. It didn't drag or rush through events.
I really liked the character development in this book. In the beginning we're introduced to Cleo as the "float girl." She's described as a loner who does drugs called auditives (apparently non-addictive, but they clearly mess her up at points). But as the book goes on, she starts helping Yasmin with her theory, she gives a pep talk to Daniel when he's struggling with isolation, and all-around becomes a team player.
I found this book to be really entertaining. I wanted to know what was going to happen next, in the next biosphere or in general what the heck was happening. I really enjoyed Shakes and his rapping. I thought that was a cool touch, except I will mention that once he was introduced, my brain tried reading every single line in the book as a rhyme.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book! I would recommend this book to anyone who wants a thrilling sci-fi or a book about a space mission gone-wrong.
The writing in this book was clear, but it was also twisty. I was questioning whether the narrator was unreliable, whether everything was a delusion, and a lot of the twists came unexpectedly. I also think the author did a good job of describing all the different biospheres. Some of the settings were so outlandish that they were hard to picture at first, but the descriptions were vivid and well done. I thought the pacing was perfect. It didn't drag or rush through events.
I really liked the character development in this book. In the beginning we're introduced to Cleo as the "float girl." She's described as a loner who does drugs called auditives (apparently non-addictive, but they clearly mess her up at points). But as the book goes on, she starts helping Yasmin with her theory, she gives a pep talk to Daniel when he's struggling with isolation, and all-around becomes a team player.
I found this book to be really entertaining. I wanted to know what was going to happen next, in the next biosphere or in general what the heck was happening. I really enjoyed Shakes and his rapping. I thought that was a cool touch, except I will mention that once he was introduced, my brain tried reading every single line in the book as a rhyme.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book! I would recommend this book to anyone who wants a thrilling sci-fi or a book about a space mission gone-wrong.
August 4, 2025
I would first like to thank NetGalley and 47North for the opportunity to read this book before it's official release date. All of the following thoughts are 100% my own opinions after reading the entirety of this book.
This book really hooks you from the start! The book starts with the FMC and the rest of her crew in space heading towards a mysterious planet. It is revealed that the FMC was chosen because she was declared "immune to loneliness" thus making her a perfect candidate for the 3 year trip to Orbus Alius. Throughout the book the FMC struggles with her propensity for loneliness along with her potential drug addiction and childhood trauma. All of this adds incredible layers to the plot of this book as they all play a part in the decisions that she makes while on Orbus Alius.
Once landed on Orbus Alius, the crew areshocked by the strangeness of the planet. Slowly, members start to go missing and our FMC (along with her robot companion) decides to take a journey across the planet to find her crewmates. Along this journey, the MC uncovers many secrets about the inner workings of this planet and whether or not life can exist on the planet. Can this strange planet be terraformed to support human life? Will she find her crewmates and make it off the planet alive? You'll have to read to find out!
*Sci-Fi is a very hit or miss genre for me, so my rating might be lower than most as this wasn't my favorite sci-fi that I've read. However, if you love sci-fi, especially stories about alien life and space missions, then you should definitely read this book!
This book really hooks you from the start! The book starts with the FMC and the rest of her crew in space heading towards a mysterious planet. It is revealed that the FMC was chosen because she was declared "immune to loneliness" thus making her a perfect candidate for the 3 year trip to Orbus Alius. Throughout the book the FMC struggles with her propensity for loneliness along with her potential drug addiction and childhood trauma. All of this adds incredible layers to the plot of this book as they all play a part in the decisions that she makes while on Orbus Alius.
Once landed on Orbus Alius, the crew areshocked by the strangeness of the planet. Slowly, members start to go missing and our FMC (along with her robot companion) decides to take a journey across the planet to find her crewmates. Along this journey, the MC uncovers many secrets about the inner workings of this planet and whether or not life can exist on the planet. Can this strange planet be terraformed to support human life? Will she find her crewmates and make it off the planet alive? You'll have to read to find out!
*Sci-Fi is a very hit or miss genre for me, so my rating might be lower than most as this wasn't my favorite sci-fi that I've read. However, if you love sci-fi, especially stories about alien life and space missions, then you should definitely read this book!
July 1, 2025
No spoilers here. Reminders of The Martian, a mind warping story here, and in the best way. Really enjoyed the read overall. A group of terraformers explore a new planet, and the premise is there is no life in the universe and human beings are alone. That's all I'm giving away. The opening chapters were amazing. And the mystery that came after kept me engaged. It was the first part of the middle act that felt a little wonky, but there was a payoff for it, just wish those few chapters moved at a better pace. That last act was insane. IN-SANE!! Two thumbs up. I'd say 4 to 4.5, but what the hell! 5-star!!
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
This novel grabbed my attention immediately Space and Sci fi. Cleo Xavier, a deeply flawed woman is selected for a mission to the most distant planet in our solar system an ambitious attempt to reshape it for human life. As the planet shifts and transforms around her, Cleo is forced to confront not only an Alien world, but her own battles with isolation, addiction, and unresolved trauma. Thank you to 47North and NetGalley for the advanced reader copy all opinions are my own.
The atmosphere is tense, eerie, and constantly unsettling. Worrell has a remarkable talent for creating vivid, immersive scenes that make the unfamiliar feel real. This will release March 1st 2026.
The atmosphere is tense, eerie, and constantly unsettling. Worrell has a remarkable talent for creating vivid, immersive scenes that make the unfamiliar feel real. This will release March 1st 2026.
July 1, 2025
ARC Review: Great mystery and build up. Good character work, can't say great. Very imaginative. So much creatvity on display. Lot's to say about loneliness. "We are alone in the universe." Sort of the fermi's paradox with an answer to why. A lot of fun twists and turns, especially near the end. The rapping from the AI is fun sometimes and sometimes awkward. I like stories in space--5/5!
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