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Mars One
ONE SMALL STEP. ONE FATAL MISTAKE.
On the barren plains of the Kazakh Steppe, Alyssa Wright stands on the brink of the most ambitious space flight in a one-way mission to Mars. But when disaster strikes, she begins to uncover a conspiracy that threatens her life - and the lives of everyone on board.
In Hong Kong, a coder vanishes from his home, leaving nothing behind but a cryptic warning and his cat. Pursued by violent forces, his sister finds herself on the run, in possession of the one thing capable of saving him.
Amidst a dark vacuum of nothingness, as the Argo spaceship hurtles toward Mars, the crew realise that someone is sabotaging the mission from the inside. Every second brings them closer to catastrophe, and time is running out.
Across Earth and space, three stories collide in a breathless thriller that what is the price of progress, and who must pay it?
On the barren plains of the Kazakh Steppe, Alyssa Wright stands on the brink of the most ambitious space flight in a one-way mission to Mars. But when disaster strikes, she begins to uncover a conspiracy that threatens her life - and the lives of everyone on board.
In Hong Kong, a coder vanishes from his home, leaving nothing behind but a cryptic warning and his cat. Pursued by violent forces, his sister finds herself on the run, in possession of the one thing capable of saving him.
Amidst a dark vacuum of nothingness, as the Argo spaceship hurtles toward Mars, the crew realise that someone is sabotaging the mission from the inside. Every second brings them closer to catastrophe, and time is running out.
Across Earth and space, three stories collide in a breathless thriller that what is the price of progress, and who must pay it?
- GenresScience Fiction
523 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 23, 2026
12 people are currently reading
234 people want to read
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May 7, 2026terrible cover
January 3, 2026
I don’t usually give a full five stars for any book but I really enjoyed this well written sci-fi thriller. The story involved many questions about space flight, is going to Mars worth the risk, worth the insane amounts of money involved? It questions the ethics and priorities of multi billionaires (Musk?) and the corruption and amorality of the media. It involves environmental questions and the legality of some eco protesters. Despite all this it is not a novel that preaches or tries to persuade the reader but we are left to make up our own minds as these issues are skilfully woven into the story.
This is an exciting read. There’s Alyssa Wright, the protagonist who is about to take command of Mars One, one of the 6 astronauts about to make history by establishing a colony on Mars. Of course nothing goes smoothly and after an inexplicable accident Alyssa is taken off the crew to be replaced by a woman Ana, beautiful and seemingly wholly unsuited for the mission. Henceforward Alyssa becomes more and more suspicious. Is Ana a plant to sabotage the mission? If so why? Or is she just there as ‘eye candy’ as the whole mission will be broadcast live to the world, in exchange for the funding needed for the whole private enterprise.
Then in parallel there’s Kai, a coder in Hong Kong who goes missing and leaves instructions for his sister, Jia, to deliver a piece of code he’s hidden in an ingenious way, to someone who can read the content. Nothing about this is straight forward and why is Jia being persued by several groups of people seemingly willing to kill to get hold of this code?
The story unfolds from several individual points of view which, to my surprise, works really well. As a reader I felt I was getting the inside story and that made me fully engaged as the various strands unfolded. All the characters in the story are well rounded, even the characterisation of the cat, who plays an important role. I suspect the author herself has a cat! The science and scenes aboard the spaceship are written wholly realistically to my mind (I am not a scientist or technically minded) and has obviously done her research.
I recommend this book to readers who like a well-written, exciting thriller with added sci-fi which seems very contemporary.
Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC for my kindle. This is my honest review after a full read of the book.
This is an exciting read. There’s Alyssa Wright, the protagonist who is about to take command of Mars One, one of the 6 astronauts about to make history by establishing a colony on Mars. Of course nothing goes smoothly and after an inexplicable accident Alyssa is taken off the crew to be replaced by a woman Ana, beautiful and seemingly wholly unsuited for the mission. Henceforward Alyssa becomes more and more suspicious. Is Ana a plant to sabotage the mission? If so why? Or is she just there as ‘eye candy’ as the whole mission will be broadcast live to the world, in exchange for the funding needed for the whole private enterprise.
Then in parallel there’s Kai, a coder in Hong Kong who goes missing and leaves instructions for his sister, Jia, to deliver a piece of code he’s hidden in an ingenious way, to someone who can read the content. Nothing about this is straight forward and why is Jia being persued by several groups of people seemingly willing to kill to get hold of this code?
The story unfolds from several individual points of view which, to my surprise, works really well. As a reader I felt I was getting the inside story and that made me fully engaged as the various strands unfolded. All the characters in the story are well rounded, even the characterisation of the cat, who plays an important role. I suspect the author herself has a cat! The science and scenes aboard the spaceship are written wholly realistically to my mind (I am not a scientist or technically minded) and has obviously done her research.
I recommend this book to readers who like a well-written, exciting thriller with added sci-fi which seems very contemporary.
Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC for my kindle. This is my honest review after a full read of the book.
December 28, 2025
The premise is interesting and some of the political and philosophical arguments - the power of the media, the priorities of the billionaire class, the eco crisis - do strike an echo. But, and it’s a large BUT, the storyline is weak.
I was expecting sci-fi but instead was treated to a thriller with leaps of location and logic akin to the worst excesses of Dan Brown. The passages from onboard Mars One, with a possible saboteur on board, are by far the more interesting and entertaining.
The pursuit on land to save the mission goes from the unlikely to the ridiculous - a twin engine private aeroplane flying illegally from the US to Kazakhstan - and undermines any tension. Even the uncovering of the saboteur on board Mars One is overblown.
If the author could rein in some of the excesses, there may be some potential.
(I was given an advance copy in exchange for an honest review)
I was expecting sci-fi but instead was treated to a thriller with leaps of location and logic akin to the worst excesses of Dan Brown. The passages from onboard Mars One, with a possible saboteur on board, are by far the more interesting and entertaining.
The pursuit on land to save the mission goes from the unlikely to the ridiculous - a twin engine private aeroplane flying illegally from the US to Kazakhstan - and undermines any tension. Even the uncovering of the saboteur on board Mars One is overblown.
If the author could rein in some of the excesses, there may be some potential.
(I was given an advance copy in exchange for an honest review)
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
Review edited from a longer version for www.sffworld.com
...Charlotte’s story involves three basic plot strands. We begin with Alyssa Wright, who is an astronaut involved in the most ambitious space flight in history: a one-way mission to Mars. Her story is the main focus of the novel pretty much from the start. When disaster strikes, she begins to uncover a conspiracy that threatens her life - and the lives of everyone on board.
On Earth, in Hong Kong, Kai, a coder, vanishes from his home, leaving nothing behind but a cryptic warning and his cat. Pursued by violent forces, his sister Jai finds herself on the run, in possession of the one thing capable of saving him.
Thirdly, what creates further plot tension is that some of the crew of the Argo spaceship, heading toward Mars, realise that someone may be sabotaging the mission from the inside.
All of this is pretty typical techno – thriller. The telling of the tale is well done on the whole and at times quite exciting. It rather goes without saying that it felt like it would make a good film or TV series – Charlotte is also a television producer, and it shows in the characterisation, as well as in the book’s pacing. Even the first chapter reads like a pre-credit scene. I expect to see this on a screen soon!
But what is most interesting is that this book reflects those changes in SF I’ve already been writing about. Mars One is less about the science, less about the explaining of things, and more about just telling a story. It is a fairly big book, at nearly 600 pages, and as a result there were plot elements that seemed extraneous, but generally it does that writing trick of giving the reader just enough detail to make the story work without giving copious details of the nuts and bolts of the things.
Interestingly, whilst Mars ONE has, like The Martian, an accessible tone that probably makes it readable to non-genre readers, unlike The Martian it shows that humans that can let us down. Whilst Andy’s story was a positive one – about how by working together, an astronaut’s life can be saved - Charlotte’s story suggests that humans do not always perform as positively as we would like them to. The Martian shows the reader that when a group works together, problems can be solved. By contrast, Mars ONE has treachery, skullduggery and betrayal, not to mention a side-swipe at corporate business and the media.
Whilst the general plot of Mars ONE isn’t particularly new – I’m thinking that writers such as Ben Bova, Stephen Baxter and Pamela Sergeant were writing similar ideas decades ago - it’s done with enough verve and energy to make this an entertaining and contemporary read. Unlike those that have dated, this one feels like ‘now.’
Having said that, it’s not perfect. I felt that towards the end there were perhaps too many plates spinning, with some of those all too-common coincidences for the sake of a plot. Most problematical was that the main villain of the novel, once uncovered near the end of the book (no spoilers here!) , just didn’t work for me. This meant that the ending, in comparison with the rest of the book, felt disappointingly weak, although it may work for you if you don’t think about it too much.
In short, Mars ONE has definite Andy Weir-type vibes; it is accessible and reads fast and well, all those things that new readers to SF relate to. I would not go as far to say that Mars ONE is better than The Martian, although fans of that may like this as a more contemporary upgrade. (The Martian is, after all, 12 years old now!) Mars ONE is a more straightforward action-centred novel set in a space-centred setting.
With all of the general uptake in interest at the moment in space travel, perhaps due to the success of books like Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid and Orbital by Samantha Harvey, not to mention in the launch of the Artemis spaceship, this one couldn’t have been released at a better time. Despite my niggles, I think that this should mean that Mars ONE will do very well.
...Charlotte’s story involves three basic plot strands. We begin with Alyssa Wright, who is an astronaut involved in the most ambitious space flight in history: a one-way mission to Mars. Her story is the main focus of the novel pretty much from the start. When disaster strikes, she begins to uncover a conspiracy that threatens her life - and the lives of everyone on board.
On Earth, in Hong Kong, Kai, a coder, vanishes from his home, leaving nothing behind but a cryptic warning and his cat. Pursued by violent forces, his sister Jai finds herself on the run, in possession of the one thing capable of saving him.
Thirdly, what creates further plot tension is that some of the crew of the Argo spaceship, heading toward Mars, realise that someone may be sabotaging the mission from the inside.
All of this is pretty typical techno – thriller. The telling of the tale is well done on the whole and at times quite exciting. It rather goes without saying that it felt like it would make a good film or TV series – Charlotte is also a television producer, and it shows in the characterisation, as well as in the book’s pacing. Even the first chapter reads like a pre-credit scene. I expect to see this on a screen soon!
But what is most interesting is that this book reflects those changes in SF I’ve already been writing about. Mars One is less about the science, less about the explaining of things, and more about just telling a story. It is a fairly big book, at nearly 600 pages, and as a result there were plot elements that seemed extraneous, but generally it does that writing trick of giving the reader just enough detail to make the story work without giving copious details of the nuts and bolts of the things.
Interestingly, whilst Mars ONE has, like The Martian, an accessible tone that probably makes it readable to non-genre readers, unlike The Martian it shows that humans that can let us down. Whilst Andy’s story was a positive one – about how by working together, an astronaut’s life can be saved - Charlotte’s story suggests that humans do not always perform as positively as we would like them to. The Martian shows the reader that when a group works together, problems can be solved. By contrast, Mars ONE has treachery, skullduggery and betrayal, not to mention a side-swipe at corporate business and the media.
Whilst the general plot of Mars ONE isn’t particularly new – I’m thinking that writers such as Ben Bova, Stephen Baxter and Pamela Sergeant were writing similar ideas decades ago - it’s done with enough verve and energy to make this an entertaining and contemporary read. Unlike those that have dated, this one feels like ‘now.’
Having said that, it’s not perfect. I felt that towards the end there were perhaps too many plates spinning, with some of those all too-common coincidences for the sake of a plot. Most problematical was that the main villain of the novel, once uncovered near the end of the book (no spoilers here!) , just didn’t work for me. This meant that the ending, in comparison with the rest of the book, felt disappointingly weak, although it may work for you if you don’t think about it too much.
In short, Mars ONE has definite Andy Weir-type vibes; it is accessible and reads fast and well, all those things that new readers to SF relate to. I would not go as far to say that Mars ONE is better than The Martian, although fans of that may like this as a more contemporary upgrade. (The Martian is, after all, 12 years old now!) Mars ONE is a more straightforward action-centred novel set in a space-centred setting.
With all of the general uptake in interest at the moment in space travel, perhaps due to the success of books like Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid and Orbital by Samantha Harvey, not to mention in the launch of the Artemis spaceship, this one couldn’t have been released at a better time. Despite my niggles, I think that this should mean that Mars ONE will do very well.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
What a great time to read this book as the Artemis II has just travelled further than anyone has ever gone into space - pretty much as I type this review...! Anyway, apart from that event bringing this to life a bit more for me, that has nothing to do with the story being told herein.
We begin in the past with a tragedy Alyssa Wright is CapCom on a failed mission where everyone perished. An event that has shadowed everything she has done since. But it is her time to shine now as she is heading up Mars One - six astronauts (including her) who's mission is to travel to Mars and form a colony there. Only problem is that the mission is mostly funded by a tv production company who insist on filming everything and broadcasting most of it LIVE.
Sadly though, Alyssa has an accident and is grounded, replaced by someone who probably shouldn't be there, which then starts rumours as to why they were selected. Especially when things start to go wrong for the six astronauts shortly after launch. Are these simply glitches or teething trouble, or is there some kind of sinister sabotage going on - anything to up the ratings eh?!
Meanwhile we also follow Jia as she is desperately trying to find her brother Kai who has vanished. She learns that he was a coder and that he has hidden a clue to what is going on in a rather special place. Long story short and she has to follow the clues to try and get to him, all the time also evading capture...
There's definitely a lot going on. It's not a short book but don't let the page count put you off. It's definitely not a slow burn and is also action packed throughout so it really does get on with itself very well indeed. And the characters are all well crafted, the main ones easy to connect to / emote with and I did find myself getting a tad over emotionally involved at times.
Ok, so there were also a few eye roll moments - but all of the events and actions that I have issue with were included to progress the narrative and the whole was so much more than a few weak parts that I am well able to forgive, accept and move on.
It's not strictly speaking what I would call a pure sci-fi book - rather, it's more of a thriller set partly in space. There is no taxing science to try and figure out - rather we do have elements of media intrusion, greed, environmental issues, all of which add to the story rather than being preachy for it's sake.
And the ending when it came, when the two threads eventually came together and the truth about the shenanigans around Mars One were finally exposed left me feeling wholly satisfied.
Although the author has written, edited, and produced for tv, this is her debut book - and what a debut it is - leaving me just wondering what in the heck she will deliver for next time. My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.
We begin in the past with a tragedy Alyssa Wright is CapCom on a failed mission where everyone perished. An event that has shadowed everything she has done since. But it is her time to shine now as she is heading up Mars One - six astronauts (including her) who's mission is to travel to Mars and form a colony there. Only problem is that the mission is mostly funded by a tv production company who insist on filming everything and broadcasting most of it LIVE.
Sadly though, Alyssa has an accident and is grounded, replaced by someone who probably shouldn't be there, which then starts rumours as to why they were selected. Especially when things start to go wrong for the six astronauts shortly after launch. Are these simply glitches or teething trouble, or is there some kind of sinister sabotage going on - anything to up the ratings eh?!
Meanwhile we also follow Jia as she is desperately trying to find her brother Kai who has vanished. She learns that he was a coder and that he has hidden a clue to what is going on in a rather special place. Long story short and she has to follow the clues to try and get to him, all the time also evading capture...
There's definitely a lot going on. It's not a short book but don't let the page count put you off. It's definitely not a slow burn and is also action packed throughout so it really does get on with itself very well indeed. And the characters are all well crafted, the main ones easy to connect to / emote with and I did find myself getting a tad over emotionally involved at times.
Ok, so there were also a few eye roll moments - but all of the events and actions that I have issue with were included to progress the narrative and the whole was so much more than a few weak parts that I am well able to forgive, accept and move on.
It's not strictly speaking what I would call a pure sci-fi book - rather, it's more of a thriller set partly in space. There is no taxing science to try and figure out - rather we do have elements of media intrusion, greed, environmental issues, all of which add to the story rather than being preachy for it's sake.
And the ending when it came, when the two threads eventually came together and the truth about the shenanigans around Mars One were finally exposed left me feeling wholly satisfied.
Although the author has written, edited, and produced for tv, this is her debut book - and what a debut it is - leaving me just wondering what in the heck she will deliver for next time. My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
I love reading standalone sci-fi and Mars One had a compelling blurb, so I was excited to get started.
An ambitious mission to Mars funded by a TV company who seem to thrive on the drama – what could possibly go wrong?
Mars One was actually very different from what I assumed it would be – it’s less of a sci-fi and more of a thriller. I saw a comparison to a Dan Brown book in another review, and I think this is quite accurate. The narrative splits between Alyssa - a comms expert and commander of the mission, Jia – a woman on the hunt for her missing coder brother who has disappeared without a trace and Rubio – an astronaut on the mission with a secret. The chapters alternate but we do stay with one perspective for a few chapters if the action warrants it, which I think is a great way to do this technique, so we don’t feel like we are rushing over chapters to get back to an interesting bit!
The story is very action packed and there is a certain amount that you have to suspend your disbelief for. It did have me hooked though and I finished it in just a few sittings. I was initially excited about the tv show element of the story, but this did take a bit of a step back to a more political storyline. I enjoyed Rubio’s perspective which deals with addiction and even though he was in space, his point of view felt the most realistic of the three. Possibly because of the action-packed nature of the other narrators, I did feel like some of his storyline felt repetitive and dragged in places, but the payoff was worth it. The conclusion may divide readers as it was deliberately left very open and ambiguous. I think a few more chapters would have been appreciated though, as it did feel like it ended rather abruptly.
Overall, Mars One is more a thriller than a straight sci-fi, but it’s a gripping, action-packed and fast paced read. Thank you to NetGalley & Random House UK – Transworld Publishers – Bantam for the chance to read the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
For more of my reviews check out Kindig Blog
An ambitious mission to Mars funded by a TV company who seem to thrive on the drama – what could possibly go wrong?
Mars One was actually very different from what I assumed it would be – it’s less of a sci-fi and more of a thriller. I saw a comparison to a Dan Brown book in another review, and I think this is quite accurate. The narrative splits between Alyssa - a comms expert and commander of the mission, Jia – a woman on the hunt for her missing coder brother who has disappeared without a trace and Rubio – an astronaut on the mission with a secret. The chapters alternate but we do stay with one perspective for a few chapters if the action warrants it, which I think is a great way to do this technique, so we don’t feel like we are rushing over chapters to get back to an interesting bit!
The story is very action packed and there is a certain amount that you have to suspend your disbelief for. It did have me hooked though and I finished it in just a few sittings. I was initially excited about the tv show element of the story, but this did take a bit of a step back to a more political storyline. I enjoyed Rubio’s perspective which deals with addiction and even though he was in space, his point of view felt the most realistic of the three. Possibly because of the action-packed nature of the other narrators, I did feel like some of his storyline felt repetitive and dragged in places, but the payoff was worth it. The conclusion may divide readers as it was deliberately left very open and ambiguous. I think a few more chapters would have been appreciated though, as it did feel like it ended rather abruptly.
Overall, Mars One is more a thriller than a straight sci-fi, but it’s a gripping, action-packed and fast paced read. Thank you to NetGalley & Random House UK – Transworld Publishers – Bantam for the chance to read the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
For more of my reviews check out Kindig Blog
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Thank you Netgalley and Random House UK for an early copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
I think this might be the fastest I’ve ever read a 500 page book, and not because it was speedy to get through, because I just couldn’t put the damned thing down.
Jia, Alyssa, Rubio, ORION - so many amazing and well-rounded characters (and cat!). They all had a distinct voice that made sure I didn’t need to keep skipping back to the start of the chapter to see who was taking the lead, and I always appreciate that.
Also, who doesn’t love a cat in a good book?? (Though now I have my own cat I do feel a lot more emotional when Orion gets into danger and risks his little life…)
The scope of this book was epic. Betrayal in space, thriller suspense, environmental issues, corruption, so much to fit in! But it does it well.
I also enjoyed that Jake wasn’t “the guy in the wheelchair” and they covered the issue of how infantilising it can be to have someone push you around without your consent. He was awesome, and I’m rooting for him and Lyssa 💜💜
I worried for a bit that this book would be more existential and less scientific, kind of like Temi Oh’s I Dream of Terra Two (actually similar concept) - like they’d just focus on the introspections of the crew and less on the logistics of getting to Mars, so more like a contemporary book that happens to be set partially in space. But this book is much more epic than that.
Yes, there were interpersonal dramas, and yes a thriller IS kind of about your mind playing tricks on you so those themes fit, but ALSO there was a space mission and dangerous glitchy code to give it the stakes and “space-ness” it needed. I think the combo really sold it for me.
If you like Becky chambers and Temi Oh, but also The 100 and epic Sci fi, give this a go!
I think this might be the fastest I’ve ever read a 500 page book, and not because it was speedy to get through, because I just couldn’t put the damned thing down.
Jia, Alyssa, Rubio, ORION - so many amazing and well-rounded characters (and cat!). They all had a distinct voice that made sure I didn’t need to keep skipping back to the start of the chapter to see who was taking the lead, and I always appreciate that.
Also, who doesn’t love a cat in a good book?? (Though now I have my own cat I do feel a lot more emotional when Orion gets into danger and risks his little life…)
The scope of this book was epic. Betrayal in space, thriller suspense, environmental issues, corruption, so much to fit in! But it does it well.
I also enjoyed that Jake wasn’t “the guy in the wheelchair” and they covered the issue of how infantilising it can be to have someone push you around without your consent. He was awesome, and I’m rooting for him and Lyssa 💜💜
I worried for a bit that this book would be more existential and less scientific, kind of like Temi Oh’s I Dream of Terra Two (actually similar concept) - like they’d just focus on the introspections of the crew and less on the logistics of getting to Mars, so more like a contemporary book that happens to be set partially in space. But this book is much more epic than that.
Yes, there were interpersonal dramas, and yes a thriller IS kind of about your mind playing tricks on you so those themes fit, but ALSO there was a space mission and dangerous glitchy code to give it the stakes and “space-ness” it needed. I think the combo really sold it for me.
If you like Becky chambers and Temi Oh, but also The 100 and epic Sci fi, give this a go!
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
The world is dying, and instead of trying to fix it, the rich are taking the first step in an exodus to a new planet: sending the first humans to colonise Mars. Alyssa Wright, commander of the mission, stands ready to lead her crew of six to the lonely red planet. Funded by a millionaire, things start to go wrong when more power over the project is given to a Production company, which is recording everything and broadcasting it live.
A young woman in Hong Kong has returned home to find her brother is gone, blood left in his room, and his computers gone too. She begins looking into his disappearance, but that puts her in the crosshairs of Homeland Security, though she has no idea why. After fleeing the country, she has to look for a diner in America, hoping to find a coder.
On the Argo, the Ship going to Mars, there are cameras recording and broadcasting all the time, but things still seem to be going wrong. Glitches, small acts of personal sabotage, are there greater threats aboard trying to stop the ship?
How are all three connected? And what does it mean for humanity and the crew in the deep black os space?
This was a great book to read, one that is so relevant to today's events.
A young woman in Hong Kong has returned home to find her brother is gone, blood left in his room, and his computers gone too. She begins looking into his disappearance, but that puts her in the crosshairs of Homeland Security, though she has no idea why. After fleeing the country, she has to look for a diner in America, hoping to find a coder.
On the Argo, the Ship going to Mars, there are cameras recording and broadcasting all the time, but things still seem to be going wrong. Glitches, small acts of personal sabotage, are there greater threats aboard trying to stop the ship?
How are all three connected? And what does it mean for humanity and the crew in the deep black os space?
This was a great book to read, one that is so relevant to today's events.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Not a classic sci fi set in the far future with bold ideas, rather it is about a planned trip to Mars to establish a small outpost in the near future and all the political machinations that go with such a grand project that is being privately funded.
The book starts with two distinct threads that eventually come together. In Hong Kong we have Jia and her brother Kai living in the same house but having rather different lives and in Kazakhstan Alyssa the very driven commander of the impending mission to Mars trying to make up for mishaps in the past.
It was an interesting idea having the space mission set in the near future with the conflict between the safety at all costs approach to NASA style space flight and the intrusive needs of the streaming companies who are partly funding the mission. To reinforce the fact that the book is set in the very near future ,Environmental activists also play a big part in influencing events.
The escapades of Jia escaping her pursuers is a bit far fetched as are the later ones when the threads of the story come together.
However if the novel is viewed mainly as an easy to read thriller then it won’t disappoint scifi diehards too much.
The book starts with two distinct threads that eventually come together. In Hong Kong we have Jia and her brother Kai living in the same house but having rather different lives and in Kazakhstan Alyssa the very driven commander of the impending mission to Mars trying to make up for mishaps in the past.
It was an interesting idea having the space mission set in the near future with the conflict between the safety at all costs approach to NASA style space flight and the intrusive needs of the streaming companies who are partly funding the mission. To reinforce the fact that the book is set in the very near future ,Environmental activists also play a big part in influencing events.
The escapades of Jia escaping her pursuers is a bit far fetched as are the later ones when the threads of the story come together.
However if the novel is viewed mainly as an easy to read thriller then it won’t disappoint scifi diehards too much.
January 14, 2026
This is a ripping good space Odyssey it follows a story of Alyssa who was supposed to be in the five Man crew travelling from earth to Mars on the first ever manned expedition to Mars. Unfortunately, she has an accident in the last stages of training and therefore has to stay on Earth and watch from the control tower.
Things seem to be going wrong with the Mars expedition from the beginning and it becomes clear that there are further issues as the story progresses. We meet the sister of a computer coda who has discovered abnormal coding within the Mars module and has hidden his findings on a chip which is placed inside his pet cat. We follow her as she travels to America in attempt to influence the outcome of the space expedition.
There’s a little bit of suspension of disbelief that you have to go to through to enjoy this book the kill switch in the cat for example is so far-fetched that I find it hard to believe it nevertheless I’m enjoying the book so much that I’ll forgive it
This is a fast paced exciting thriller of a novel. The space element adds novelty to what is effectively a journey story.
The author has clear flowing writing style. This is an easy book to read and I enjoyed being immersed in it for a few days.
I can’t help but think that this would make a great film and I wonder if the film nights will be taken up. I can see it appearing on my screens in due course.
I’d recommend this novel for lovers off fast paced thrillers. The sci-fi element is additional to the main thriller elements and adds novelty.
I read an early copy of the novel on NetGalley UK in return for an unbiased review
The book is published in the UK on the 23rd of April 2026 by random house UK Transworld publishers
This review will appear on NetGalley UK, Goodreads, StoryGraph, and my book blog bionicSarahSbooks.wordpress.com after publication will also appear on Amazon and Waterstones online
Things seem to be going wrong with the Mars expedition from the beginning and it becomes clear that there are further issues as the story progresses. We meet the sister of a computer coda who has discovered abnormal coding within the Mars module and has hidden his findings on a chip which is placed inside his pet cat. We follow her as she travels to America in attempt to influence the outcome of the space expedition.
There’s a little bit of suspension of disbelief that you have to go to through to enjoy this book the kill switch in the cat for example is so far-fetched that I find it hard to believe it nevertheless I’m enjoying the book so much that I’ll forgive it
This is a fast paced exciting thriller of a novel. The space element adds novelty to what is effectively a journey story.
The author has clear flowing writing style. This is an easy book to read and I enjoyed being immersed in it for a few days.
I can’t help but think that this would make a great film and I wonder if the film nights will be taken up. I can see it appearing on my screens in due course.
I’d recommend this novel for lovers off fast paced thrillers. The sci-fi element is additional to the main thriller elements and adds novelty.
I read an early copy of the novel on NetGalley UK in return for an unbiased review
The book is published in the UK on the 23rd of April 2026 by random house UK Transworld publishers
This review will appear on NetGalley UK, Goodreads, StoryGraph, and my book blog bionicSarahSbooks.wordpress.com after publication will also appear on Amazon and Waterstones online
April 24, 2026
A fairly long book, but well worth the time!
I have to say I was gutted by what happened to Alyssa, and as I love scifi, found Jia's part of this split story very slow burning. However, things gradually came together, and the story ended up being engrossing, and quite unputdownable!
I thought Jake was handled well, and I was glad the story of the last astronaut on the last flight was eventually given to us.
The further into this book, the more scifi/thriller it became, and the tension really ramped up! There had obviously been a lot of research - always very good - and I found the story quite compelling. Great twists!!
I have to say I was gutted by what happened to Alyssa, and as I love scifi, found Jia's part of this split story very slow burning. However, things gradually came together, and the story ended up being engrossing, and quite unputdownable!
I thought Jake was handled well, and I was glad the story of the last astronaut on the last flight was eventually given to us.
The further into this book, the more scifi/thriller it became, and the tension really ramped up! There had obviously been a lot of research - always very good - and I found the story quite compelling. Great twists!!
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Quite simply, I loved it. My perfect space story. A terrific start that captures the tension and drama while introducing us to our main character Alyssa.
What follows is the story of Mars One and expedition of the first six astronauts to attempt to get to Mars and establish a colony. Corporate greed, ridiculous media coverage, treachery, environmentalism, mistrust, lies and lots of sci fi that give me a story that I tore through. I’ll be waiting for a TV series adaptation of this and since the author has experience in this area, I hope it follows soon.
What follows is the story of Mars One and expedition of the first six astronauts to attempt to get to Mars and establish a colony. Corporate greed, ridiculous media coverage, treachery, environmentalism, mistrust, lies and lots of sci fi that give me a story that I tore through. I’ll be waiting for a TV series adaptation of this and since the author has experience in this area, I hope it follows soon.
May 3, 2026
What a great read. Sabotage, kidnapping, hacking and murder. Multiple povs which all comes together. Space exploration that been turned into a reality tv show that goes wrong first the commander gets hurt and is replaced by someone else just for viewing rates. One the other side of the world a coder is kidnapped and his sister and his cat go on a mission to find him but her life is in danger as someone is after her.
The ship crew dont know their ship is compromised until its too late and someone who on the ship is sabotaging them from the inside
The ship crew dont know their ship is compromised until its too late and someone who on the ship is sabotaging them from the inside
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Thank you to NetGalley, the author and publisher for the ARC!
Mars One was straight away interesting to me — I’m getting more into sci‑fi, and adding a thriller element made it even better. The setup is intense: a one‑way mission to Mars where there seems to be sabotage on board and two storylines that eventually collide in a really satisfying way.
I’ll admit Jia’s chapters felt slower for me at first, but that was mostly because I was just more interested in Alyssa’s story. I loved how badly she really just wanted to protect her crew. I knew the two storylines were going to join up and I really enjoyed when they did.
I will say I was hoping for a bit more space‑side sabotage, but there was plenty of drama with Jia to keep things going.
Mars One was straight away interesting to me — I’m getting more into sci‑fi, and adding a thriller element made it even better. The setup is intense: a one‑way mission to Mars where there seems to be sabotage on board and two storylines that eventually collide in a really satisfying way.
I’ll admit Jia’s chapters felt slower for me at first, but that was mostly because I was just more interested in Alyssa’s story. I loved how badly she really just wanted to protect her crew. I knew the two storylines were going to join up and I really enjoyed when they did.
I will say I was hoping for a bit more space‑side sabotage, but there was plenty of drama with Jia to keep things going.
April 25, 2026
I devoured Mars One and highly recommend it. This book truly has everything: space exploration, reality TV gone wrong, romance, a healthy dose of peril and a gut punch of an ending. The outer-space setting is totally immersive and I found myself holding my breath as the Argo crew hurtled towards catastrophe. A tense thriller like nothing I've read before!
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
An enjoyable thriller with some intriguing characters and a clever dual story that holds the attention.
A trip to Mars, politics, sabotage, mystery, all elements here that are managed well by the author and very well written.
Should do very well. An addictive story that you sink into.
A trip to Mars, politics, sabotage, mystery, all elements here that are managed well by the author and very well written.
Should do very well. An addictive story that you sink into.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Thankyou @netgalley for this opportunity to read this amazing book.
This was such a fun, fast paced book. Mix of technology, mystery, hope and of course a daring mission to Mars.
I can only hope she writes a few more.
This was such a fun, fast paced book. Mix of technology, mystery, hope and of course a daring mission to Mars.
I can only hope she writes a few more.
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
3.5 rounded up.
An interesting and thought provoking sci-fi thriller.
I'd definitely say this leans more towards a thriller than sci-fi and at time the pacing and characters didn't quote work for me. But overall it was enjoyable and thought provoking.
An interesting and thought provoking sci-fi thriller.
I'd definitely say this leans more towards a thriller than sci-fi and at time the pacing and characters didn't quote work for me. But overall it was enjoyable and thought provoking.
May 4, 2026
A brilliant adventure told across the galaxy mostly from the perspective of two protagonists and one lost souls floating in space. All from different worlds, hurled together to solve a crisis alongside a rather brave feline.
I was hooked.
I was hooked.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.
This is a high-stakes, "rocket-fuelled" thriller that blends corporate conspiracy with a "locked-room" mystery in deep space.
It is fast-paced and immersive, with plenty of plot twists. It obviously personally involves the main characters, but also the whole planet, due to global warming effects.
It is a nail biting story, as it is literally a race against time. Every page turn heightens the claustrophobic dread as the crew hurtles toward a planet that might not welcome them, while the characters on Earth face violent forces trying to keep the mission's secrets buried.
This is a high-stakes, "rocket-fuelled" thriller that blends corporate conspiracy with a "locked-room" mystery in deep space.
It is fast-paced and immersive, with plenty of plot twists. It obviously personally involves the main characters, but also the whole planet, due to global warming effects.
It is a nail biting story, as it is literally a race against time. Every page turn heightens the claustrophobic dread as the crew hurtles toward a planet that might not welcome them, while the characters on Earth face violent forces trying to keep the mission's secrets buried.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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