Otherworldly

by Dwain Worrell

From 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.

Genres: Science Fiction, Fiction, Ebooks, Space, Audiobook, Horror, Science Fiction Fantasy

290 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 1, 2026

About the author

Dwain 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

Reviews

[Julie · Rating 3 out of 5]

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.

[Kayla · Rating 5 out of 5]

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.

[RedRedtheycallmeRed · Rating 2 out of 5]

I don't usually gravitate toward this genre, but it sounded interesting. Unfortunately I did not enjoy it at all. I found it confusing and much too long. Cleo should have probably died a dozen times, I kept wondering how she could possible still be alive? The rapping intelligence unit called Shakes was kind of amusing at first, but quickly devolved into annoying territory. The end was kind of satisfying, but it was too long of a slog for me to get there.

[Suki Book Goose · Rating 4 out of 5]

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.

[Hannah · Rating 4 out of 5]

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!

[Cameren Fetzer · Rating 5 out of 5]

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.

[Liz Fisher · Rating 5 out of 5]

So, so fascinating. Worrell's mastery of language is smart and stunning. This felt so creative, yet grounded in scientific law and theory. I loved the humor, the empathy, the musings on isolation vs community, and the total surrealness of it all. If we ever discover the ever-elusive Planet X, let's pray it is NOT like this

[Becky Kohl · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m not typically drawn to science fiction, but this book was nearly impossible to put down. From start to finish, I had no idea what was coming next, and that unpredictability made the experience all the more compelling. The author builds a futuristic world (worlds) with such artistry and intention that it feels vivid and immersive rather than overwhelming.

What truly stood out to me was the creativity woven throughout the story. The detailed and imaginative exploration of narcotics and drugs added depth to the reading experience, and the inclusion of literal poetry (even a rap battle) gave the narrative a rhythm and energy that felt fresh and original. It’s rare to find a book that blends science fiction, cultural commentary, and lyrical expression so seamlessly.

The entire time I was reading, I kept thinking what an incredible movie or television series this would make. Learning that the author is also a filmmaker and producer made perfect sense; the storytelling feels cinematic, dynamic, and visually rich. Even as someone who doesn’t usually gravitate toward sci-fi, I found this book captivating and unforgettable.

[A J HOOPER · Rating 2 out of 5]

A space explorer Cleo, walks through the puzzling layers of a new planet. For most of her journey she is racked with pain And she appears to die several times. She is accompanied by a personal space follower, Shakes, a cross between a friendly dog, a computer, a first aid assistant and an extremely annoying method of speech.
It rhymes, rather like an irritating rap artist and crazily enough it has been programmed by Cleo to do so.

[Shannon O'Flynn · Rating 4 out of 5]

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.

[M$fortune · Rating 1 out of 5]

I just wanted it to end. I should've dnf'd it, but I was hoping for a grand twist or some saving grace. Nothing. Thankfully it finally ended.

It may have been the most pointless book I've ever read. Cleo died at the end of every chapter it seems, or should have died. I hated the rapping rover. I can't think of a single redeeming quality about this book except that it eventually ended.

With that said, I feel like it would make a better movie than it did a novel.

[Elizabeth Moore · Rating 2 out of 5]

The story had potential, yet the constant rhyming from one of the “characters” quickly became distracting and, honestly, irritating. What might have been quirky at first turned repetitive and pulled me out of the narrative instead of adding to it. Unfortunately, the gimmick overshadowed the plot and made it hard to stay fully engaged.

[Thom Woolverton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Starts out with an interesting premise. It develops it at a leisurely pace, not a bad thing. As the action rises flirts with predictability, then steers away from predictability by opening some interesting doors. A good quick read.
tww

[Alwyn Mothershed · Rating 4 out of 5]

interesting problem, disagreed with the solution but reading through it all was satisfying. makes a nice counter to the ending of the hyperion cantos

[Will Caskey · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is basically the Revelation Space series by Alistair Reynolds except it actually gets to the point and is fun to read.

[Mic Jackson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rap SclFi

A different type of read: a rapper robot dog in the midst of the heroine’s fever dream. Creative & Fun.

[kevin lancaster · Rating 5 out of 5]

A page turner, once you get into it.

The central character keeps you locked into the story, as you try to figure out how it will end.
Recommended if you like thrillers and sort-of Who Donnit's, with Scientific/Alien twists.

[Diane Carabeo · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the second science fiction book that I have read about space, planets, and the unknown. I never thought I would enjoy that genre.
The book starts with the main character dealing with a drug addiction. To be honest, after dealing with her quirks and addiction, I thought this book was not for me.
But I continued reading, and it drew me in, to the point that I couldn't put it down, and I finished it in 2 days.
I highly recommend this book.

[Ryan · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was a very interesting read. It started slow but as the story progressed the action picked up and the end was a frantic and exciting conclusion.

[Janelle G Moore · Rating 2 out of 5]

never ending

I thought this book would never end. Got caught up in it at first, then, well, it seemed like it would never end. So it’s a no for me.

[Michael Ward · Rating 5 out of 5]

fresh and creative

Really enjoyed reading otherworldly. Characters were interesting and the construct of the planet was incredibly creative, as well as the worlds and alien life forms. I enjoyed the math and physics tied into the plot. Looking forward to reading more books by Worrell.

[Joe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well written but extremely grim

I don’t give spoilers but I do feel compelled to say that while the story has internal logic that rings true, it’s not a sunny day, everyone is happy kind of story. It starts off fairly normal for a Sci-Fi story with humans involved. In other words, as the story moves along we get better acquainted with the all too familiar human frailties that are a package deal with humanity. Since perfection is unreachable we learn of the various idiosyncrasies that exist within our protagonist & the crew she lives with.
Cleo Xavier is constantly being reminded by various people who are either in her past or in the crew she’s in now that she isn’t the smartest person nor the most social, powerful, beautiful or (fill in the blank). But I think that we do find that she’s the best generalist who can recognize patterns & intuit in a way that is best suited for the highly unique situations that beset her and the rest of the crew.
The story reaches a finale that I can’t exactly call satisfying, but it makes sense within the internal scope of the story.
I may try other books by this author (if any-I can’t check without wasting the time spent reviewing it). However this book isn’t going to be in my library of things that I want to read again as other authors works are categorized. As I began, the quality of the book is definitely there, just too grim for me to enjoy. Others may feel quite differently judging from the huge number of dystopian novels that I avoid reading but can’t help but be aware that they are popular…

[Molly G · Rating 3 out of 5]

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.

[Paul · Rating 3 out of 5]

The narrative feels fairly choppy and chaotic. The main character is established enough, but the supporting cast is underdeveloped and shallow. The line at the opening is: “In 2091, NASA discovers that every globe, star, and galaxy beyond Earth is devoid of any sentient life. Thus the human race is alone in the universe.”
So well proven everyone takes it as a fact even when presented with proof of the opposite. But there’s no rationale or explanation of the proof other than something mathematical. I don’t think this is much of a spoiler alert to say that making that the first statement in the book, you know what will happen - there will be aliens. Duh. Even the blurb says, “And something sinister lurks in the unknown.” It was a little disappointing the story doesn’t explore how we would be or evolve if that was the case of us being alone in the universe, or even explain how NASA made the ‘discovery.’
A major player, Cleo’s AI unit speaks in rhymes all the times, and I ain’t toying, it really gets annoying. It seems it would make communication with the unit difficult in a pinch where clear communication needs to happen. But mainly, a little cute at the beginning, it gets tedious and less cute by the end.
The descriptions of the landscapes get to be a bit much and Cleo seems to get injured beyond belief over and over and over. Tedious again. There are some good ideas in this and the ending was worthwhile, but it could have been done much better.

[Kile Jarnagin]

The Amazon First Reads program is one that I look forward to every month, which is strange because I almost never end up reading the free books I collect (in fact, there’s only one other First Reads novel I’ve read until now). Nevertheless, I decided to take a brief respite from my Freida McFadden read-through and give Dwain Worrell’s February selection a shot.

And I must say, I’ve clearly been missing out.

Recency bias may be at play here, but I feel comfortable making the claim that “Otherworldy” is the best novel I’ve read in many months. Maybe it’s just due to almost exclusively reading Freida McFadden’s simplistic, barebones, and description-and-character-lacking prose for the past few months, but Worrell’s eloquent vernacular, unexpectedly intellectual speculative fiction, and thorough descriptors were an absolute breath of fresh air. Although the entirety of the novel takes place on a single planet—Orbis Alius—the diversity of the biospheres, gravity, etc. somehow manages to make the scope feel nearly limitless.

Beautiful, adventurous, thought-provoking, moving…one of the most truly original pieces of science fiction storytelling I’ve encountered in years.

[Kimberly Wiedemeier · Rating 4 out of 5]

Screenplay worthy

If The Martian and Stranger Things had a baby Otherworldy would be their name. Fantastic, eerie, psychologically complex, and a decidedly violent romp, Otherworldy explores the purpose and meaning of life, PsiFi problem solving, and interspersed with exciting human-alien fight scenes. Will make a great movie someday.

[Whitney Campbell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quite a read

This was my first book by this author and I'm not sure how I feel. It was hard for me to connect with Cleo because I could not understand her reasoning. However, as the story unfolded and you get to learn more about her, something shifts. Maybe I liked this more than I thought.

[Caitlin Jones · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very weird book. Gave my ears anxiety

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

Definitely kept your attention. The world building was intense but once you get going it starts to make more sense. I had no idea what to expect but I really liked it.

[Mars Girl · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this. It was a page turner that really had you hooked from the beginning and I blasted through it really quickly because I wanted answers. People get too hung up on science fiction being "realistic." It's fiction, yo. Just read and enjoy. This was very high on the enjoyable adventure scale and I'd recommend it highly.