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Frank Kitteridge #1
One Way
Stranded on Mars with seven other convicts, one man must fight for survival on a planet where everyone's a killer in this edge-of-your-seat science fiction thriller for fans of The Martian.Former architect Frank Kittridge is serving life for murdering his son's drug dealer, so when he's offered a deal by the corporation that owns the prison -- he takes it. He's been selected to help build the first permanent base on Mars. Unfortunately, his crewmates are just as guilty of their crimes as he is. As the convicts set to work on the frozen wastes of Mars, the accidents multiply. Until Frank begins to suspect they might not be accidents at all . . .Dr. S. J. Morden trained as a rocket scientist before becoming the author of razor-sharp, award-winning science fiction. Perfect for fans of Andy Weir's The Martian and Richard Morgan, One Way takes off like a rocket, pulling us along on a terrifying, epic ride with only one way out.
358 pages, Kindle Edition
First published February 15, 2018
517 people are currently reading
5275 people want to read
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February 25, 2019
oh, man - here i am, trying to review this book a) months after i read it and b) days after i finished reading the second part, No Way. will i mix the two plots up in my head, like some outer space cocktail? will i leak book 2 spoilers like an outer space cocktail served in a cracked brandy snifter? why am i serving a cocktail, outer space or otherwise, in a brandy snifter, cracked or otherwise? what a social blunder - have i no sophistication? am i babbling on and on like this to avoid the leaking of the spoilers and my likely defeat by my memory lapses or just being the kind of lazy sod who thinks this smoke and mirrors nonsense is cute or welcome or even an effective gaslighting tactic?
long story short
criminals in spaaaaaaace!
it’s a great premise:
seven convicts are offered an opportunity by panopticon, the not-at-all diabolical corporation who owns many private prisons, has fingers in many other business pies, and is interested in colonizing mars: would you prefer to stay in prison here on earth, or would you rather do this thing for us on mars and live out your remaining years in freedom, albeit a very specific freedom, because where ya gonna go? the criteria for recruitment is very specific and again - not at all diabolical:
so - these particular criminals were selected because of their specific individual skill sets, handpicked from the intel in their prisoner dossiers, which also included very useful psychological data. third time's the charm: not at all diabolical.
these ladies and gentlemen were chosen, given a very intensive six-month training period (because that’s plenty of time to be physically and psychologically prepared and learn everything you’d need to know to go LIVE ON MARS, yeah?), and then sent up on their merry ways - expendable bodies, cheaply bought - off to mars to construct a base for NASA to live.
frank kittridge, serving 120 years for shooting his son’s drug dealer (i.e. - a criminal but still sympathetic-to-readers because WHO CAN BLAME HIM?) is our POV for this story, and he is a special case - frank is told, conspiratorially, that after they finish building, instead of spending the rest of his life on mars, like the rest of the criminals, HE can go back home, sentence commuted, to possibly try to build a relationship with his son, if not his reasonably-estranged wife.
not a bad deal.
but mars is a harsh planet, and accidents will happen, even to fake-astronauts (IS THAT REDUNDANT?) who have had six whole months of training. but as the accidents and accidental deaths increase, frank begins to doubt they are accidents at all!
oh noooooo!!!
it’s technically the very opposite of a locked-room mystery while still performing the same function as one, and EVERYONE IS SUSPECT IN SPAAAAAAACE!!
it's a fun murder mystery/conspiracy/outer space adventure, but i have a few reservations about the rationale of sending co-ed criminals off into space together, and even more reservations about how the book treated this situation, not even mentioning the likelihood of what would happen when men and women who had been removed from the charms of the opposite sex for so long, regardless of attraction, regardless of the nature of their crimes, were suddenly put in a “what’s it like to boink in space?” setting, with or without consent. not that i want to read spacerape, but it’s something that needs to be addressed, even if it’s only the absence that’s being addressed, ya know? it’s the same issue i had with the otherwise-spectacular FantasticLand - i know it’s a drag to write, and no one wants to do it, particularly if you’re a male writer, leaving yourself open to accusations of being gratuitous or misogynistic or whatever, but as a lady-reader, putting myself into this scenario as one of the female cons and the “now i am living in a verysmall space with many male convicts and very little supervision, and… they are giving me my own sleeping area? and i am remaining unmolested throughout the night? this seems unrealistic and now i am even MORE suspicious.” it’s a thing that needs to at least be acknowledged as a factor in this scenario, which is already wildly unrealistic, so i’m probably just being silly here, but i’ve been trained to SEE SOMETHING, SAY SOMETHING by the MTA, so.
anyway, this book is criminals in space, with murder.
when i review No Way, you will learn what that one is about.
come to my blog!
long story short
criminals in spaaaaaaace!
it’s a great premise:
seven convicts are offered an opportunity by panopticon, the not-at-all diabolical corporation who owns many private prisons, has fingers in many other business pies, and is interested in colonizing mars: would you prefer to stay in prison here on earth, or would you rather do this thing for us on mars and live out your remaining years in freedom, albeit a very specific freedom, because where ya gonna go? the criteria for recruitment is very specific and again - not at all diabolical:
We are seeking inmates who fit the following profile:
— serving either an indeterminate life sentence(s) or a fixed-term sentence(s) that extend beyond the inmate’s natural life-span.
— has had a prolonged period (5 years +) of no contact with anyone on the outside: this includes, but is not exclusive to, family, friends, previous employers and/or employees, lawyers, journalists and authors, advocacy groups, external law enforcement, FBI, CIA, other federal organizations including immigration services.
— has professional qualifications, previous employment, or transferable skills in one of the following areas: transportation, construction (all trades), computer science/information technology, applied science, medicine, horticulture.
— is not suffering from a degenerative or chronic physical or mental condition that would cause death or debilitation in the immediate (5 years +) future.
— is currently in reasonable physical and mental health, between the ages of 21 and 60.
so - these particular criminals were selected because of their specific individual skill sets, handpicked from the intel in their prisoner dossiers, which also included very useful psychological data. third time's the charm: not at all diabolical.
these ladies and gentlemen were chosen, given a very intensive six-month training period (because that’s plenty of time to be physically and psychologically prepared and learn everything you’d need to know to go LIVE ON MARS, yeah?), and then sent up on their merry ways - expendable bodies, cheaply bought - off to mars to construct a base for NASA to live.
frank kittridge, serving 120 years for shooting his son’s drug dealer (i.e. - a criminal but still sympathetic-to-readers because WHO CAN BLAME HIM?) is our POV for this story, and he is a special case - frank is told, conspiratorially, that after they finish building, instead of spending the rest of his life on mars, like the rest of the criminals, HE can go back home, sentence commuted, to possibly try to build a relationship with his son, if not his reasonably-estranged wife.
not a bad deal.
but mars is a harsh planet, and accidents will happen, even to fake-astronauts (IS THAT REDUNDANT?) who have had six whole months of training. but as the accidents and accidental deaths increase, frank begins to doubt they are accidents at all!
oh noooooo!!!
it’s technically the very opposite of a locked-room mystery while still performing the same function as one, and EVERYONE IS SUSPECT IN SPAAAAAAACE!!
it's a fun murder mystery/conspiracy/outer space adventure, but i have a few reservations about the rationale of sending co-ed criminals off into space together, and even more reservations about how the book treated this situation, not even mentioning the likelihood of what would happen when men and women who had been removed from the charms of the opposite sex for so long, regardless of attraction, regardless of the nature of their crimes, were suddenly put in a “what’s it like to boink in space?” setting, with or without consent. not that i want to read spacerape, but it’s something that needs to be addressed, even if it’s only the absence that’s being addressed, ya know? it’s the same issue i had with the otherwise-spectacular FantasticLand - i know it’s a drag to write, and no one wants to do it, particularly if you’re a male writer, leaving yourself open to accusations of being gratuitous or misogynistic or whatever, but as a lady-reader, putting myself into this scenario as one of the female cons and the “now i am living in a verysmall space with many male convicts and very little supervision, and… they are giving me my own sleeping area? and i am remaining unmolested throughout the night? this seems unrealistic and now i am even MORE suspicious.” it’s a thing that needs to at least be acknowledged as a factor in this scenario, which is already wildly unrealistic, so i’m probably just being silly here, but i’ve been trained to SEE SOMETHING, SAY SOMETHING by the MTA, so.
anyway, this book is criminals in space, with murder.
when i review No Way, you will learn what that one is about.
come to my blog!
April 9, 2018
One Way is one of those books that will make you think about the way that the world works.
This is a hard sci-fi book, and for those unfamiliar with that term, it means that the science in this science fiction leans more towards the plausible than the fantastical. In this context the word “hard” could also allude to the hard look that One Way takes at the concept of colonising Mars
Let’s be completely honest with ourselves here. Nobody who has tried to colonise anything in the past has ever done so with completely selfless motives. No colonisation has ever taken place without excessive pain, cruelty, and suffering. Colonisation has, historically, been motivated by greed.
So why, when we think of colonising Mars, do we think that things will be any different?
One Way explores this concept with a cynical eye; the book is painfully aware of the brutal, profit-driven society that we currently live in.
Our main character, whom we follow through a third person perspective, is Frank. At the very beginning of our story, Frank is serving a life sentence for the murder of his son’s drug dealer. In the first chapter, a representative of the conglomerate known as Xenosystems Operations (or XO for short) offers Frank what is essentially a prison transfer. In exchange for better food, a meaningful job, and a bit more freedom, Frank would help construct the first ever base on Mars.
Why would XO want a convict to build their ridiculously expensive space base? Well… because convicts are cheap. In fact, this ridiculously expensive space base isn’t anywhere near as expensive as it should be. XO have cut corners at every opportunity to decrease their costs, and this is the source of a lot of the conflict in this story.
Frank is one of eight prisoners who will be part of the first construction team on Mars. Their job is to construct the base, and get everything ready for the arrival of the Very Important NASA astronauts — including the growing of food, and the set-up of very fancy science equipment.
Quite a bit of the sciencey stuff is explained, but if you’re looking for something akin to Mark Watney’s witty and hilarious analogies from The Martian, you might be a bit disappointed. The stuff is interesting enough, if you’re a nerd like me, but it’s described in a much more serious tone.
🎵 The tube is connected to the… Air-lock 🎵
Some of the members of Frank’s team are pretty interesting characters. There’s Alice, a doctor with over thirty illegal mercy killings on her conscience. There’s Zeus, an apologetic ex-Neo-Nazi who was recently found religion. Then there’s 5 more, all with their own pasts and demons.
It should be noted that this isn’t really a character-driven story. Nor is it a story defined by its plot. The concept of space colonisation in a capitalist society is at the heart of what One Way is, and it’s the exploration of that concept which is — in my opinion — the best part of the book.
At one point the prisoners have to make the decision to prioritize their air, their food, or their water. It’s little touches like that which really caught my imagination. There is very little sense of wonder because our characters are too busy trying to Get Shit Done, and more importantly, survive.
The following (paraphrased) quote sums up the book for me:
“We’re not tourists, and we’ve got deadlines.”
And oh yeah… on top of all the above, there’s also a murder mystery.
If you’re looking for a high-action adventure-filled romp in space with explosions and laser beams and romance… this isn’t the book for you. But if you like books that offer interesting and insightful commentary on society, then One Way might be something you’d enjoy.
This is a hard sci-fi book, and for those unfamiliar with that term, it means that the science in this science fiction leans more towards the plausible than the fantastical. In this context the word “hard” could also allude to the hard look that One Way takes at the concept of colonising Mars
Let’s be completely honest with ourselves here. Nobody who has tried to colonise anything in the past has ever done so with completely selfless motives. No colonisation has ever taken place without excessive pain, cruelty, and suffering. Colonisation has, historically, been motivated by greed.
So why, when we think of colonising Mars, do we think that things will be any different?
One Way explores this concept with a cynical eye; the book is painfully aware of the brutal, profit-driven society that we currently live in.
Our main character, whom we follow through a third person perspective, is Frank. At the very beginning of our story, Frank is serving a life sentence for the murder of his son’s drug dealer. In the first chapter, a representative of the conglomerate known as Xenosystems Operations (or XO for short) offers Frank what is essentially a prison transfer. In exchange for better food, a meaningful job, and a bit more freedom, Frank would help construct the first ever base on Mars.
Why would XO want a convict to build their ridiculously expensive space base? Well… because convicts are cheap. In fact, this ridiculously expensive space base isn’t anywhere near as expensive as it should be. XO have cut corners at every opportunity to decrease their costs, and this is the source of a lot of the conflict in this story.
Frank is one of eight prisoners who will be part of the first construction team on Mars. Their job is to construct the base, and get everything ready for the arrival of the Very Important NASA astronauts — including the growing of food, and the set-up of very fancy science equipment.
Quite a bit of the sciencey stuff is explained, but if you’re looking for something akin to Mark Watney’s witty and hilarious analogies from The Martian, you might be a bit disappointed. The stuff is interesting enough, if you’re a nerd like me, but it’s described in a much more serious tone.
🎵 The tube is connected to the… Air-lock 🎵
Some of the members of Frank’s team are pretty interesting characters. There’s Alice, a doctor with over thirty illegal mercy killings on her conscience. There’s Zeus, an apologetic ex-Neo-Nazi who was recently found religion. Then there’s 5 more, all with their own pasts and demons.
It should be noted that this isn’t really a character-driven story. Nor is it a story defined by its plot. The concept of space colonisation in a capitalist society is at the heart of what One Way is, and it’s the exploration of that concept which is — in my opinion — the best part of the book.
At one point the prisoners have to make the decision to prioritize their air, their food, or their water. It’s little touches like that which really caught my imagination. There is very little sense of wonder because our characters are too busy trying to Get Shit Done, and more importantly, survive.
The following (paraphrased) quote sums up the book for me:
“We’re not tourists, and we’ve got deadlines.”
And oh yeah… on top of all the above, there’s also a murder mystery.
If you’re looking for a high-action adventure-filled romp in space with explosions and laser beams and romance… this isn’t the book for you. But if you like books that offer interesting and insightful commentary on society, then One Way might be something you’d enjoy.
October 16, 2025
Авторът все пак се оказа същия Саймън Мордън, познат на българските читатели с поредицата си за Самуил Петрович и Метрозоната.
В "Еднопосочен билет", безскрупулна международна компания решава да използва осъдени на доживотен затвор престъпници като космически пионери, които да започнат овладяването на Червената планета.
Далеч по-евтино и надеждно е от стандартното решение (изцяло роботи или роботи, надзиравани от учени) - престъпниците са съгласни да изградят марсианска база, която в последствие ще бъде използвана от НАСА. В замяна на това, те биха се оказали заточени в един по-голям затвор, но с чувството, че допринасят с нещо за човешкия напредък (то е доволно стара идея, да заселиш нови и негостоприемни простори с каторжници и престъпници - Австралия и Сибир са само два скорошни примера). И ако някои от тях загинат в течение на реализацията на проекта, то отзвукът на Земята няма да е същият, както ако загине някой надарен млад учен или изследовател - те се явяват просто дубльори на истинските астронавти, за които всичко това се прави.
Франк Китиридж е осъден на 120 години за убийството на наркодилър, тровил живота на единствения му син. На 51 години, той очаква да умре в затвора и когато му предлагат тази възможност, никак не се колебае.
Когато екипът затворници пристига на Марс, те още не знаят, какъв взривоопасен коктейл от лудост, корпоративна алчност и предателства ги очакват!
Добра фантастика, родее се с "Марсианецът" на Анди Уеър, но е по-брутална, някак дори по-реална, ако погледнем как се държат интернационалните компании и част от висшия им мениджмънт и в момента на Земята. Обречени сме да носим качествата и недостатъците си като вид, където и да отидем.
Продължавам с втората част - "Без изход".
P.S. Написана е на много достъпен английски.
В "Еднопосочен билет", безскрупулна международна компания решава да използва осъдени на доживотен затвор престъпници като космически пионери, които да започнат овладяването на Червената планета.
Далеч по-евтино и надеждно е от стандартното решение (изцяло роботи или роботи, надзиравани от учени) - престъпниците са съгласни да изградят марсианска база, която в последствие ще бъде използвана от НАСА. В замяна на това, те биха се оказали заточени в един по-голям затвор, но с чувството, че допринасят с нещо за човешкия напредък (то е доволно стара идея, да заселиш нови и негостоприемни простори с каторжници и престъпници - Австралия и Сибир са само два скорошни примера). И ако някои от тях загинат в течение на реализацията на проекта, то отзвукът на Земята няма да е същият, както ако загине някой надарен млад учен или изследовател - те се явяват просто дубльори на истинските астронавти, за които всичко това се прави.
Франк Китиридж е осъден на 120 години за убийството на наркодилър, тровил живота на единствения му син. На 51 години, той очаква да умре в затвора и когато му предлагат тази възможност, никак не се колебае.
Когато екипът затворници пристига на Марс, те още не знаят, какъв взривоопасен коктейл от лудост, корпоративна алчност и предателства ги очакват!
Добра фантастика, родее се с "Марсианецът" на Анди Уеър, но е по-брутална, някак дори по-реална, ако погледнем как се държат интернационалните компании и част от висшия им мениджмънт и в момента на Земята. Обречени сме да носим качествата и недостатъците си като вид, където и да отидем.
Продължавам с втората част - "Без изход".
P.S. Написана е на много достъпен английски.
Want to read
July 6, 2018Woo hoo, I won this on a GR Giveaway, seriously I really did 😬
April 10, 2018
3.5 of 5 stars at The BiblioSanctum https://bibliosanctum.com/2018/04/10/...
Given the choice between a one-way trip to Mars and life imprisonment, what would you choose? For Frank, who committed murder in order to save his son, he knows that whatever happens he will be getting a raw deal. But rather than rot in jail for the rest of his life, he figures that maybe, just maybe, he can accomplish something before he dies that will help him be remembered, something that will make his kid be proud of his old man. So, when the representatives of a company contracted to build a new Martian base approaches Frank with the offer to send him to space, he said yes.
But just because he’s an astronaut, doesn’t mean he’s not still a prisoner. Frank had known that he and his fellow inmates recruited for the mission would be watched and guarded at all times, but the situation turns out to be much worse than he thought. The construction company in charge of the project has been cutting corners, and using convicts to build their Martian base is just one of a number of shady practices they don’t want anyone to find out about. Mars is already dangerous enough without having to worry about faulty equipment and strained resources or supplies, and it’s just a matter of time before the accidents begin to mount up, resulting in the crew’s first death. But as more of the inmates start dying, Frank begins to suspect foul play. Signs point to a killer among them, and finding out who it is becomes Frank’s only chance for a ticket home.
I enjoyed One Way for the most part. The first half including the introduction was perhaps my favorite section, in which we got to meet Frank, a former architect serving a life sentence for shooting a man in the face in broad daylight. Far from being a cold-blooded killer, however, we discover that our protagonist did what felt he had to do for the sake of his son. While nothing changes the fact that Frank committed a terrible act, the narrative eventually reveals why he felt he had no other choice. Whether or not I felt Frank’s crime was justified, the author did an admirable job helping readers connect with his character and provided a convincing reason why he would agree to sign up for a mission that’s insanely dangerous and possibly fatal.
The novel then segues into the next phase of the story, in which Frank finds himself in a training program to prepare for life on Mars. This section also serves as a reminder of all the things on the Red Planet that can kill you, ensuring readers understand how high the stakes are. Inevitably, there’s going to be a lot of techno-speak as well, going through the science and process of building a state-of-the-art facility on harsh and uninhabitable planet, giving me some serious flashbacks to my time with The Martian. In fact, if you enjoyed the hard sci-fi aspect in Andy Weir’s novel, there’s a good chance you’ll like it here as well in One Way, especially since as an actual rocket scientist, author S.J. Morden knows what he’s talking about.
Where the novel started to falter was when we were introduced to the supporting cast, made up of the other convicts who were offered the same deal to go to Mars, as well as their handler. While Frank was well developed and written, the other team members felt more lightly sketched and stereotypical. I also felt there was a missed opportunity to explore their backstories, as the story seldom went beyond a glossed over description of what each person was in for. As a result, none of the other characters felt all that fleshed out, so when the prisoners started dying, the impact was muted.
Ironically, for a mystery-thriller, the “mystery” and “thrills” part of the equation also felt a bit lacking. The book struggled to build atmosphere and suspense, and while this may have been a side effect of my inability to connect with any of characters other than Frank, I think Morden also made a few missteps in timing. There were several examples of scenes where the plot would be moving along nicely, only to be sidetracked moments later by a bout of techno-jargon. I can appreciate the author wanting to keep his readers abreast of the logistics and complex operations behind the building a Martian base, but at times it would wreak havoc with the pacing.
That said, I ultimately found One Way to be an entertaining read. Could it have been better? Yes, though the book’s issues didn’t take much away from my enjoyment. I understand a sequel will be forthcoming, and I look forward to what’s next in store for Frank.
Audiobook Comments: William Hope’s narration was satisfactory, though there were times when his reading would be fairly bland and I would find myself wishing for more emotion in his performance. It could have helped add more tension to the story, though his dialogue delivery was decent and he was also able to make the more technical sections sound fascinating and thus easy to listen to.
Given the choice between a one-way trip to Mars and life imprisonment, what would you choose? For Frank, who committed murder in order to save his son, he knows that whatever happens he will be getting a raw deal. But rather than rot in jail for the rest of his life, he figures that maybe, just maybe, he can accomplish something before he dies that will help him be remembered, something that will make his kid be proud of his old man. So, when the representatives of a company contracted to build a new Martian base approaches Frank with the offer to send him to space, he said yes.
But just because he’s an astronaut, doesn’t mean he’s not still a prisoner. Frank had known that he and his fellow inmates recruited for the mission would be watched and guarded at all times, but the situation turns out to be much worse than he thought. The construction company in charge of the project has been cutting corners, and using convicts to build their Martian base is just one of a number of shady practices they don’t want anyone to find out about. Mars is already dangerous enough without having to worry about faulty equipment and strained resources or supplies, and it’s just a matter of time before the accidents begin to mount up, resulting in the crew’s first death. But as more of the inmates start dying, Frank begins to suspect foul play. Signs point to a killer among them, and finding out who it is becomes Frank’s only chance for a ticket home.
I enjoyed One Way for the most part. The first half including the introduction was perhaps my favorite section, in which we got to meet Frank, a former architect serving a life sentence for shooting a man in the face in broad daylight. Far from being a cold-blooded killer, however, we discover that our protagonist did what felt he had to do for the sake of his son. While nothing changes the fact that Frank committed a terrible act, the narrative eventually reveals why he felt he had no other choice. Whether or not I felt Frank’s crime was justified, the author did an admirable job helping readers connect with his character and provided a convincing reason why he would agree to sign up for a mission that’s insanely dangerous and possibly fatal.
The novel then segues into the next phase of the story, in which Frank finds himself in a training program to prepare for life on Mars. This section also serves as a reminder of all the things on the Red Planet that can kill you, ensuring readers understand how high the stakes are. Inevitably, there’s going to be a lot of techno-speak as well, going through the science and process of building a state-of-the-art facility on harsh and uninhabitable planet, giving me some serious flashbacks to my time with The Martian. In fact, if you enjoyed the hard sci-fi aspect in Andy Weir’s novel, there’s a good chance you’ll like it here as well in One Way, especially since as an actual rocket scientist, author S.J. Morden knows what he’s talking about.
Where the novel started to falter was when we were introduced to the supporting cast, made up of the other convicts who were offered the same deal to go to Mars, as well as their handler. While Frank was well developed and written, the other team members felt more lightly sketched and stereotypical. I also felt there was a missed opportunity to explore their backstories, as the story seldom went beyond a glossed over description of what each person was in for. As a result, none of the other characters felt all that fleshed out, so when the prisoners started dying, the impact was muted.
Ironically, for a mystery-thriller, the “mystery” and “thrills” part of the equation also felt a bit lacking. The book struggled to build atmosphere and suspense, and while this may have been a side effect of my inability to connect with any of characters other than Frank, I think Morden also made a few missteps in timing. There were several examples of scenes where the plot would be moving along nicely, only to be sidetracked moments later by a bout of techno-jargon. I can appreciate the author wanting to keep his readers abreast of the logistics and complex operations behind the building a Martian base, but at times it would wreak havoc with the pacing.
That said, I ultimately found One Way to be an entertaining read. Could it have been better? Yes, though the book’s issues didn’t take much away from my enjoyment. I understand a sequel will be forthcoming, and I look forward to what’s next in store for Frank.
Audiobook Comments: William Hope’s narration was satisfactory, though there were times when his reading would be fairly bland and I would find myself wishing for more emotion in his performance. It could have helped add more tension to the story, though his dialogue delivery was decent and he was also able to make the more technical sections sound fascinating and thus easy to listen to.
May 5, 2022
Written by a rocket scientist so I believe the facts pertaining to building a Mars Base are technically correct. There is much labour involved in setting it up and having it ready for the first NASA astronauts. They need construction workers for the domes, electricians, people to construct and assemble Mars rovers, people knowledgeable in computers, plumbing, and growing food and medical personnel. To cut costs they have decided to forego robots and remote automatic systems. It is their plan to send one person with a background in each speciality to get the space station built and operable. They have selected a small crew of prisoners serving life sentences, unknown to the public. Each person they believe has enough experience prior to their imprisonment to carry out this backbreaking labour if they can work as a team.
The trip to Mars has them in suspended animation and there is no return. They will spend their rest of their lives on Mars, rather than dying in prison. They have been promised better food and sleeping quarters, a gym and freedom to leave their main living area. Of course there is no place in which to escape.
The main character is Frank, who shot his son’s drug dealer in daylight with witnesses. Frank hopes that it will make his son proud to know that he is making a contribution to the space effort. He is to be in charge of construction. As the mission is secret he soon discovers no one will know where he is. Unfortunately the other convicts are not as well fleshed out and we only get hints of their personalities and past crimes. This dilutes the suspense, and much of the book focuses on the mechanics and tedious work of getting everything built and functional.
I think I must have felt as bored and tired as the workers who chose this over being in solitary in prison for the rest of their lives. To add to the drudgery they have not been provided with enough food, medicine and some essential tools. Their own small packages of personal goods have gone missing.
The team begins to cooperate fairly well, but are controlled by a cruel civilian handler. Soon members of the workforce start dying. It looks like unfortunate accidents. Frank gradually comes to believe they are being murdered and everyone is suspect, including Frank himself. He is determined to learn why people are dying.
Told without the humour which made the Martian enjoyable, and without the suspense and action regarding a possible murder mystery picking up until near the end of the book, I found this a slow read. I wish I had been more engaged with the various characters. I do want to see what happens to Frank next. Hopefully we will learn the outcome in the upcoming sequel No Way.
The trip to Mars has them in suspended animation and there is no return. They will spend their rest of their lives on Mars, rather than dying in prison. They have been promised better food and sleeping quarters, a gym and freedom to leave their main living area. Of course there is no place in which to escape.
The main character is Frank, who shot his son’s drug dealer in daylight with witnesses. Frank hopes that it will make his son proud to know that he is making a contribution to the space effort. He is to be in charge of construction. As the mission is secret he soon discovers no one will know where he is. Unfortunately the other convicts are not as well fleshed out and we only get hints of their personalities and past crimes. This dilutes the suspense, and much of the book focuses on the mechanics and tedious work of getting everything built and functional.
I think I must have felt as bored and tired as the workers who chose this over being in solitary in prison for the rest of their lives. To add to the drudgery they have not been provided with enough food, medicine and some essential tools. Their own small packages of personal goods have gone missing.
The team begins to cooperate fairly well, but are controlled by a cruel civilian handler. Soon members of the workforce start dying. It looks like unfortunate accidents. Frank gradually comes to believe they are being murdered and everyone is suspect, including Frank himself. He is determined to learn why people are dying.
Told without the humour which made the Martian enjoyable, and without the suspense and action regarding a possible murder mystery picking up until near the end of the book, I found this a slow read. I wish I had been more engaged with the various characters. I do want to see what happens to Frank next. Hopefully we will learn the outcome in the upcoming sequel No Way.
December 9, 2017
I really enjoyed this one as was shown by the speed at which I read it - One Way is basically a bit of an adventurous murder mystery set on Mars, or mostly so anyway, a tense and claustrophobic tale which benefited from some scientific geekery and a main character who was easy to get along with.
Frank is offered the chance to leave prison behind and be part of a mission to prepare a Mars base for the scientists who will be going to live and work there - it isn't a get out of jail free card - he agrees that he will live and die there. Only he realises that dying there is likely to come a bit faster than expected.
I really got into it - it is both fast paced and often considered - as Frank arrives on the Red Planet, starts losing his "colleagues" and realises there is a saboteur among them. Then it goes all Agatha Christie "And then there were None" as the small compact team starts dropping like flies and Frank becomes determined that he will be the one left standing...
The author does a great job of making it both fascinating and thrilling, the characters are all larger than life (in fact if I had one small bugbear it was that Brack descended into caricature more often than was necessary) and despite them all having a murky past, easy to engage with and root for. The imagined Mars is well described and the fact that even the environment is more likely to kill them than not keeps things interesting throughout.
Overall a great, fun and easily addictive read, I have no problem recommending this one. One to hunker down with on a chilly winter's day.
Frank is offered the chance to leave prison behind and be part of a mission to prepare a Mars base for the scientists who will be going to live and work there - it isn't a get out of jail free card - he agrees that he will live and die there. Only he realises that dying there is likely to come a bit faster than expected.
I really got into it - it is both fast paced and often considered - as Frank arrives on the Red Planet, starts losing his "colleagues" and realises there is a saboteur among them. Then it goes all Agatha Christie "And then there were None" as the small compact team starts dropping like flies and Frank becomes determined that he will be the one left standing...
The author does a great job of making it both fascinating and thrilling, the characters are all larger than life (in fact if I had one small bugbear it was that Brack descended into caricature more often than was necessary) and despite them all having a murky past, easy to engage with and root for. The imagined Mars is well described and the fact that even the environment is more likely to kill them than not keeps things interesting throughout.
Overall a great, fun and easily addictive read, I have no problem recommending this one. One to hunker down with on a chilly winter's day.
November 12, 2023
3.5 Stars
As someone who loves a good sci fi thriller with a mystery element so this book has been on my radar for a while. Overall, it was a good pageturner with an intriguing premise. I liked this one, but I didn't find the characters and plot as compelling as in other thriller books. I liked it but it wasn't necessarily a new favourite.
As someone who loves a good sci fi thriller with a mystery element so this book has been on my radar for a while. Overall, it was a good pageturner with an intriguing premise. I liked this one, but I didn't find the characters and plot as compelling as in other thriller books. I liked it but it wasn't necessarily a new favourite.
December 29, 2018
Sometimes, despite everything we know about what is good for us, humans just want to eat a cheeseburger over a salad, binge reality baking shows on Netflix over going for a run, have that second piece of cake rather than restrain ourselves. One Way, by S.J. Morden, is a cheeseburger of a book - it's not going to do anything unexpected, it'll let you indulge your lazy side, and you'll be left vaguely unsatisfied even though you might be full to bursting.
It's not a terrible book by any means - I can never bring myself to finish those - and it will absolutely work if you're looking for an easy, entertaining read. After all, a cadre of criminals sent to Mars to ready a space-base for NASA, who start dying off one by one, is a great start. But despite the author's scientific credentials, the science side of things is either not quite taken far enough or glossed over via recap. The backgrounds of our criminal buddies are explained just enough to make it noticeable that there wasn't quite enough information given, and the motivations of our eventual killer are really the only ones that fully make sense.
On the other hand - it's been a long, hard, 2018, this does manage to be entertaining despite it's flaws, and everyone could use a break for their brain once in a while. For fun escapism, you could do a lot worse.
It's not a terrible book by any means - I can never bring myself to finish those - and it will absolutely work if you're looking for an easy, entertaining read. After all, a cadre of criminals sent to Mars to ready a space-base for NASA, who start dying off one by one, is a great start. But despite the author's scientific credentials, the science side of things is either not quite taken far enough or glossed over via recap. The backgrounds of our criminal buddies are explained just enough to make it noticeable that there wasn't quite enough information given, and the motivations of our eventual killer are really the only ones that fully make sense.
On the other hand - it's been a long, hard, 2018, this does manage to be entertaining despite it's flaws, and everyone could use a break for their brain once in a while. For fun escapism, you could do a lot worse.
August 15, 2018
Morden’s debut has some serious vibes that call The Martian to mind, complete with having to make long treks across Mars to gather resources that they need to survive, with some murder mystery and corporate conspiracy thrown into the mix for good measure.
Though certain big events and twists might be predictable for readers familiar with the genres, the writing itself and the reveals of said twists make for an enjoyable and engaging read.
Despite the serious events (life sentences and people being killed off on Mars) the book doesn’t take itself too seriously, with some great one-liners, observations, and friendships developing between the members of our Martian chain gang.
The rest of this review can be found HERE!
Also... THERE'S A SECOND BOOK PLANNED FOR NEXT YEAR.
I can't even right now.
------------
- Pre-read -
------------
OMG YES YES YES YES YEEEEESSSSSS!
I am SO excited to read this one!
Here's hoping it fares better than some of my other most anticipateds so far this year... but... come on. Criminal astronauts on Mars, and someone's killing them off???
DUUUUUUUUUDE.
Though certain big events and twists might be predictable for readers familiar with the genres, the writing itself and the reveals of said twists make for an enjoyable and engaging read.
Despite the serious events (life sentences and people being killed off on Mars) the book doesn’t take itself too seriously, with some great one-liners, observations, and friendships developing between the members of our Martian chain gang.
The rest of this review can be found HERE!
Also... THERE'S A SECOND BOOK PLANNED FOR NEXT YEAR.
I can't even right now.
------------
- Pre-read -
------------
OMG YES YES YES YES YEEEEESSSSSS!
I am SO excited to read this one!
Here's hoping it fares better than some of my other most anticipateds so far this year... but... come on. Criminal astronauts on Mars, and someone's killing them off???
DUUUUUUUUUDE.
April 10, 2018
Ahoy there me mateys! I received this sci-fi eARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. So here be me honest musings . . .
This book was a fun and entertaining read. To save money, a corporation decides to train convicts to be the first exploratory crew on Mars. It is a one way trip. Their purpose is to build and set-up the living quarters for the NASA scientists that follow and then be the maintenance crew for the station. Except that once they get to Mars, they start to die one by one and it doesn’t seem to be an accident.
The good:
- Frank – I very much enjoyed Frank as the primary perspective. He does not always make the best decisions (i.e. why he went to jail) but he is intelligent and likeable. I was certainly rooting for him.
- Concepts- I loved the idea that the subcontractors are trying to save money and use the convicts and other horrible ideas to stay under budget.
- Characters – In general, I liked all the other convicts. They are not really fleshed out at all but I enjoyed all of them in various ways.
- Mars – I liked the descriptions of the planet and the science of the set up of for the dwelling fabrications. It makes me realize, yet again, that I am not meant to ever be a space explorer. I will stick to the sea!
- Build-Up – this is a slow build-up book with a lot of training and introduction. It takes a decent amount of time to even get to Mars. Now I love this kinda start but others may not. It was a fast read even with the slow build-up.
- Writing Style – I enjoyed the author’s writing and manner of speech.
The not as good:
- Mystery – The book claims to have one. It is no mystery. Even though I didn’t know it was supposed to be a who-dun-it tale, the bad guy and the set-up were obvious from the start.
- Bad-Guy – A boring cookie cutter two-dimensional figure. So very stereotypical.
- Characters – I would have liked more insight into each of the characters rather than just seeing them as generic “types.” But as they are only seen through Frank’s eyes, it wasn’t a major problem.
- Mars – There is not much description of the planet itself or really what it feels like to live there. The danger of oxygen loss is the most prevalent danger. Besides murder of course!
- Epistolary Prologues to the Chapters – These were short segments like transcripts, documents, etc. from the XO Corporation that were interspersed between chapters. I enjoyed some of them but they didn’t appear to be in order and were such small snippets. Many were just confusing. I did want the information about why and how XO made its choices but don’t know if it would have been better served in their own chapters or as an appendix or short story or something.
- Ending – an abrupt set-up for the sequel. It annoyed me that it stopped there but I still want to know what happens next!
This is a light thriller read with very little mystery but is fluffy good entertainment. A very quick, likeable read but nothing earth-shattering (Hardy har har!). I will likely pick up the sequel.
So lastly . . .
Thank you Orbit!
Check out me other reviews at https://thecaptainsquartersblog.wordp...
This book was a fun and entertaining read. To save money, a corporation decides to train convicts to be the first exploratory crew on Mars. It is a one way trip. Their purpose is to build and set-up the living quarters for the NASA scientists that follow and then be the maintenance crew for the station. Except that once they get to Mars, they start to die one by one and it doesn’t seem to be an accident.
The good:
- Frank – I very much enjoyed Frank as the primary perspective. He does not always make the best decisions (i.e. why he went to jail) but he is intelligent and likeable. I was certainly rooting for him.
- Concepts- I loved the idea that the subcontractors are trying to save money and use the convicts and other horrible ideas to stay under budget.
- Characters – In general, I liked all the other convicts. They are not really fleshed out at all but I enjoyed all of them in various ways.
- Mars – I liked the descriptions of the planet and the science of the set up of for the dwelling fabrications. It makes me realize, yet again, that I am not meant to ever be a space explorer. I will stick to the sea!
- Build-Up – this is a slow build-up book with a lot of training and introduction. It takes a decent amount of time to even get to Mars. Now I love this kinda start but others may not. It was a fast read even with the slow build-up.
- Writing Style – I enjoyed the author’s writing and manner of speech.
The not as good:
- Mystery – The book claims to have one. It is no mystery. Even though I didn’t know it was supposed to be a who-dun-it tale, the bad guy and the set-up were obvious from the start.
- Bad-Guy – A boring cookie cutter two-dimensional figure. So very stereotypical.
- Characters – I would have liked more insight into each of the characters rather than just seeing them as generic “types.” But as they are only seen through Frank’s eyes, it wasn’t a major problem.
- Mars – There is not much description of the planet itself or really what it feels like to live there. The danger of oxygen loss is the most prevalent danger. Besides murder of course!
- Epistolary Prologues to the Chapters – These were short segments like transcripts, documents, etc. from the XO Corporation that were interspersed between chapters. I enjoyed some of them but they didn’t appear to be in order and were such small snippets. Many were just confusing. I did want the information about why and how XO made its choices but don’t know if it would have been better served in their own chapters or as an appendix or short story or something.
- Ending – an abrupt set-up for the sequel. It annoyed me that it stopped there but I still want to know what happens next!
This is a light thriller read with very little mystery but is fluffy good entertainment. A very quick, likeable read but nothing earth-shattering (Hardy har har!). I will likely pick up the sequel.
So lastly . . .
Thank you Orbit!
Check out me other reviews at https://thecaptainsquartersblog.wordp...
June 17, 2025
After being immersed in The Wheel of Time books for a few weeks, I initially struggled to get into One Way at first.
The writing style was totally different, more stripped back with bone dry characterisations.
However, once our protagonists were on Mars, the plot and the action picked up nicely.
The author certainly succeeded in creating tension and paranoia with the characters as one by one, they're bumped off.
A favourable comparison with John Carpenters The Thing ,minus the alien 👽, might give you some idea of what to expect.
Ultimately, despite the hard Sci-Fi setting, One Way is a straightforward murder mystery that's worth a look.
The writing style was totally different, more stripped back with bone dry characterisations.
However, once our protagonists were on Mars, the plot and the action picked up nicely.
The author certainly succeeded in creating tension and paranoia with the characters as one by one, they're bumped off.
A favourable comparison with John Carpenters The Thing ,minus the alien 👽, might give you some idea of what to expect.
Ultimately, despite the hard Sci-Fi setting, One Way is a straightforward murder mystery that's worth a look.
May 7, 2018
7/10
It’s “The Martian” meets “And Then There Were None” in this sci-fi thriller that hits a number of right notes but not quite enough of them to merit being compared to either of those two novels. There are plenty of good ideas here and it’s well written but it never hit the heavy heights it could have done and I can’t put my finger on why.
There are plenty of character’s to introduce but only a handful feel fleshed out but the main character is one of those and you get a sense of him being a criminal but a good guy too. Who wouldn’t shoot someone in the face if they were a good guy… The novel is split into two really; the setting up of what is to come with all the training and the reason why it’s happening, then the happening. Everyone in space and “accidents” happening along the way.
I liked the titbits that were interspersed at the beginning of chapters which documented the company and owners viewpoints on the mission and what was required. It put what the astrocriminals were going through in another perspective.
This was an enjoyable ride without ever been totally memorable. I’d recommend it though to anyone looking for something a little bit different in the sci-fi genre.
Thanks to NetGalley for a copy for review, this was my review
It’s “The Martian” meets “And Then There Were None” in this sci-fi thriller that hits a number of right notes but not quite enough of them to merit being compared to either of those two novels. There are plenty of good ideas here and it’s well written but it never hit the heavy heights it could have done and I can’t put my finger on why.
There are plenty of character’s to introduce but only a handful feel fleshed out but the main character is one of those and you get a sense of him being a criminal but a good guy too. Who wouldn’t shoot someone in the face if they were a good guy… The novel is split into two really; the setting up of what is to come with all the training and the reason why it’s happening, then the happening. Everyone in space and “accidents” happening along the way.
I liked the titbits that were interspersed at the beginning of chapters which documented the company and owners viewpoints on the mission and what was required. It put what the astrocriminals were going through in another perspective.
This was an enjoyable ride without ever been totally memorable. I’d recommend it though to anyone looking for something a little bit different in the sci-fi genre.
Thanks to NetGalley for a copy for review, this was my review
December 17, 2018
Many will compare One Way to The Martian; and they would be right to compare a space book to another space book. Both are set on Mars, both include initial phases of scientific set-up or colonization, and both are focused on a guy who is hyper sensitive about all the dangers of Mars and just wants to survive. But past the obvious Mars, space, survival plot points these two books couldn't be more different.
Plot
Given the choice between life in prison and a trip to Mars (from which you will never return), what would you do? For our lead man and his fellow inmates the choice is simply Mars. What S.J. Morden is clearly trying to portray in One Way is a few key things:
1) It costs a lot of time and money to get to Mars and someone has to pay for it. The capitalistic approach to sending inmates to Mars is very, very interesting,
2) When you seemingly have nothing to loose do you really loose anything? Is dying on Mars (presumably for a good cause) better than rotting away and dying in a cell on Earth? This question and the concept of morality is heavily debated in One Way, and
3) Strong men are important men. Yeah men! Bring on the sausage fest...
The Sausage Fest *minor spoilers below*
You may laugh that a space book like this has annoyed me with a gender bias. And normally I would too; but the bias in One Way is sooo bad that I knew (without looking) that S.J. Morden was a man. Because no woman would casually discard EVERY single woman in this book the way Morden does. Whether he likes it or not it's super obvious that this is a sausage fest and he wastes no time in getting us to the penis party.
While it may be considered a spoiler; we know lots of people die based on the blurb, so I'm not tagging it, but the 'murder mystery' component of this book (which is weak at best) is so weak and so poorly done that the order of deaths makes no sense whatsoever. Morden attempts to rationalize it and bring up the exact thoughts I had about why it makes no sense, but we never get the explanation of why that order or why those people. Instead it's as though Morden thinks stating what the reader is thinking is enough acknowledgement to be okay with the plot, even if he can't explain the rationale... for the record it's not enough.
Murder Mystery
To call this a mystery is really, really stretching the truth. For me it was obvious from before they even get to Mars what was going to happen. I may not have known all the hows, who and what order but there was really only one outcome that made sense. Unfortunately that means there was no big twist or moment of wow for me. One Way played out exactly as I expected it to.
However, there was one thing that made up for this...
The Lead Guy
Our lead man, that we experience the story through (Frank), is superbly written. I cannot possibly express how well written he is. He's flawed, he's blind at times, he's sympathetic and he's easy to relate to. Frank 'solves' problems the way many of us wish we could; with a nonchalant, screw you attitude. And yet somehow he still has compassion and isn't a total jerk. Frank is written in such a way that you feel he's been wronged or was even justified for most of his actions. And this happens AFTER you know why he was sentenced to life imprisonment. It's difficult to make clear offenders f the law so relatable and likable; so full props to Morden for creating a character I want to revisit and see more of.
Overall
The first 100 pages of this book are fantastic! The next 100 pages start to wane and annoy (enter sausage fest). The last 100 or so pages are redundant as probably everyone has figured out what is happening and why by then.
The other important thing to note is that while there is a wrap-up ending to this book; there are major things not resolved. One Way is part of a series and you are unlikely to be satisfied by the ending without carrying on with the series. So of course the magical question is: will I read the next books in the series?
The answer: I'm not sure. I need to sit on it a bit and decide if my desire to experience Frank and his rough personality again overrides my annoyance behind the obvious gender-bias that Morden writes with. I think the answer is yes I would. Because One Way is written in a really fast-paced interesting way. I'd like to see Morden understand a little why some female readers (like myself) might be frustrated; and I'd like to see him be a little less obvious in his 'mystery' or disband the illusion of a mystery at all.
But, overall this is a decent read if you like the space cowboy type book. It's not as scientific as the Martian which some people may prefer. It's really a middle of the road read at the end of the day.
For this and more of my reviews please visit my blog at: Epic Reading
Please note: I received an eARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. This is an honest and unbiased review.
May 12, 2018
Part murder mystery, part scifi, part thriller and part prison cell drama on Mars. It was a very easy and flowable read. The thrills were well placed and timed, although the story was a little cliched. The murderer was predictable and you pretty much knew who it was before the big reveal. I really enjoyed Frank as the main character, I think hes someone that a reader can cheer for and really engage with. The science was well handled, although not very overly technical. I read this over a few sittings but never really got that addictive feeling. So overall, plotting was pretty simple, characterisation was solid even if the murderer was a little simple, simple world buidling if any with good popcorn writing style.
October 29, 2018
Mars. One of my all time favorite travel destinations which for practical reasons is currently undertaken strictly in fictional (and occasionally) nonfictional form. I was very excited to see this book come up on Netgalley and read it almost as soon as my request was approved. Sadly, this trip to Mars turned out to be not exactly excitement worthy. Although still infinitely more pleasant than it did for the book’s characters, seven convicts who exchange one prison for another as they sign up to serve out their sentence building a space camp on the red planet. Turns out life expectancy on Mars is considerably lower than in Earth’s prison and soon the bodies start hitting the floor as it were. Frank, the book’s main protagonist decides to figure out why. So far a decent premise, right? And it is, really, it’s the execution that leaves a lot to be desired. The author is a real deal scientist, with degrees in geology and planetary geophysics, so presumably the science specs are right on the money here, it’s just that the book gets buried under them. I mean, if you’re after finding out what it would take to set up a space colony, this might be an informative read, the details are exhaustive and meticulous. But then again I’ve read nonfiction on the subject that was far more exhilarating…and educational. This is meant to be a work of fiction, with all the concomitant things like character development and so on and it’s just nonexistent. Somehow you’re supposed to care about a bunch of convicts you barely get to know. Frank is the only one you sort of do, but he’s pretty difficult to like…serving a life sentence for murder, he shot his kid’s dealer, another kid, in broad daylight with witnesses. Seriously, what sort of an idiotic crime is that? Why not admit one’s failure as a parent and try something productive instead? And if, inexplicably, murder does seem to be the only solution (because sure there can’t be another dealer around, right? because surely what young junkie’s life wouldn’t improve by his father becoming a murderer and being put away for life? Because what greater example to set for one’s child?) why not do a proper murder, smartly, and at least try to get away with it? And that’s Frank, the moral compass of the story. And then, of course, it’s also a murder suspense, which is, all things considered, possibly the best thing here, it’s a locked planet mystery, how neat, but then again execution doesn’t do the concept justice. The sweater of logic here will definitely unravel if you start playing with the threads. So it’s basically an underwhelming science fiction book, heavy (oh so heavy) on the technical details and very light on the actual story. The writing was serviceable enough, this would have been solidly mediocre, but insult to injury, the ending is just sort of to be continued and (surprise, surprise) sequel ready. Another one? Why? Mars deserves more. So do the readers. The next one is titled No Way, appropriately as in no way you should be reading it. One Way disappointed enough. Thanks Netgalley.
March 27, 2018
Murder in space! Well, on Mars. A very entertaining mix of science fiction and crime with a slight feel of The Martian about it. Review to follow shortly.
January 2, 2019
3.5 rounded up. A murder mystery on Mars. Pure adventure.
April 29, 2018
I loved The Martian, but I loved One Way even more. The author knows a lot about what could be done to live on Mars and what could go wrong. And the crime novel inside this SF is intriguing too. I didn't like much the uncaring Frank, who didn't want to know if the deaths were accidental or not until it was almost too late, even for himself. In French, « Braque » (pronounce it "Brack") means: dazed, a little crazy, whimsical. This was a good name for the sadistic character of this novel.
And it would make a good movie.
And it would make a good movie.
December 31, 2020
I was thinking the book was a mix of The Martian with Mindhunters. It has so much potential but feel flat. The pacing could have been better to move the story along.
Read
August 31, 2019Meh. Wasn't bad. The Britishisms that sneaked in were a bit jarring. I get that the author is from the UK, but all of the book's characters were American, so using "queue" in stead of "line" and the like threw me out of the story.
I also found Frank to be too passive. This could have been an interesting mystery but, and this is even mentioned by one of the other characters, Frank is so incurious that it makes the story a bit boring.
I liked the attention to scientific detail for the most part, though it often got in the way of the story. A solid read. I'd pick up the sequel if I had nothing better to read.
I also found Frank to be too passive. This could have been an interesting mystery but, and this is even mentioned by one of the other characters, Frank is so incurious that it makes the story a bit boring.
I liked the attention to scientific detail for the most part, though it often got in the way of the story. A solid read. I'd pick up the sequel if I had nothing better to read.
October 1, 2020
- 66% – „occupational novel“, kitaip tariant, tokio butinio-gamybinio romano (ok, buitis nelabai buitiška, bet esmę pagavot gi);
- 25% – detektyvo ir neblogiausio, tokio „Dešimties negriukų“ tipo, tik negriukų – mažiau;
- 9% – trilerio, ausyse skambant Glorios Gaynor „I will survive“.
Receptas neatrodo blogas. Bet.
- 150 ml – tonikas;
- 60 ml – džinas;
- 1-2 skiltelės laimo.
Irgi skamba gerai. Nebent iš pradžių išgeri toniką, paskui susiverti džiną ir galiausiai užkandi laimu. Kažkaip ne taip, ane? Nes net Bondas ir tas prašo sumaišyti, bet nesuplakti. Raktinis žodis čia – sumaišyti. O pas Mordeną – viskas atskirai. Ir būtent ta tvarka, kuria surašiau.
Frankas sėdi ir sėdės. Nušovė narkotikų dilerį, pardavinėjusį kvaišalus jo sūnui. Tai ir sėdės dabar iki gyvos galvos. Nebent... Ir štai sykį tas kostiumuotas „nebent“ ateina į pasimatymų kambarį ir pateikia pasiūlymą, kurio neįmanoma atsisakyti. Žiūrėkit, mes čia jums truputį pakeisim kalėjimą. Aname reiks dirbt. Sunkiai. Bet sąlyginės laisvės bus daugiau. Tiesa, pabėgt, jei kartais apie tai svaičiojat – dar sunkiau. Mat kalėjimas atokiai taip. Kiek atokiai? Na, šitą, Marse. Frankas gi statybininkas? Tai galės statyti. Bazę. Marse. O iš paskos jau paskui atskris tikri astronautai ir ten gyvens.
Ir Frankas sutinka. Nes kas jis dabar? Žudikas, kalinys. O bus – kolonistas, astronautas, šalies didvyris, nu. Šeima galės didžiuotis!
Negalės. Nes niekas apie jo ir jo likimo draugų žygius nesužinos. Šitą verbuotojas nutylėjo. O sykiu ir dar nemažai kitų niuansų.
Žodžiu, septyni zekai praeina alinančius parengimo kursus, tada juos ir dar vieną – prižiūrėtoją (nes kas septynis žmogžudžius paleis vienus?) užšaldo ir nuskraidina į raudonąją planetą. O ten laukia darbas. Ir, kaip ir galima buvo tikėtis, ne tik darbas, bet ir numatyti bei nenumatyti sunkumai. Septynioms poroms rankų – darbo per akis. O dar ir tų rankų ima mažėti...
Šiaip sukalta neblogai. Netgi tie pirmi du trečdaliai, kur tarsi neturime nieko kito, tik kolonistams kylančias problemas ir jų sprendimo ieškojimus. Bet Weiras „Marsietyje“ su tuo susitvarkė puikiai. Čia kiek silpniau, bet vis dar, vis dar. Kitos dvi kokteilio dedamosios irgi – gerai. Bet kiek labiau išmaišytas būtų patikęs labiau.
Gaunasi taip, kad už ingredientus – tvirti keturi. O va, už visumą tiek negaliu. Bet tada labai labai tvirti trys.
- 25% – detektyvo ir neblogiausio, tokio „Dešimties negriukų“ tipo, tik negriukų – mažiau;
- 9% – trilerio, ausyse skambant Glorios Gaynor „I will survive“.
Receptas neatrodo blogas. Bet.
- 150 ml – tonikas;
- 60 ml – džinas;
- 1-2 skiltelės laimo.
Irgi skamba gerai. Nebent iš pradžių išgeri toniką, paskui susiverti džiną ir galiausiai užkandi laimu. Kažkaip ne taip, ane? Nes net Bondas ir tas prašo sumaišyti, bet nesuplakti. Raktinis žodis čia – sumaišyti. O pas Mordeną – viskas atskirai. Ir būtent ta tvarka, kuria surašiau.
Frankas sėdi ir sėdės. Nušovė narkotikų dilerį, pardavinėjusį kvaišalus jo sūnui. Tai ir sėdės dabar iki gyvos galvos. Nebent... Ir štai sykį tas kostiumuotas „nebent“ ateina į pasimatymų kambarį ir pateikia pasiūlymą, kurio neįmanoma atsisakyti. Žiūrėkit, mes čia jums truputį pakeisim kalėjimą. Aname reiks dirbt. Sunkiai. Bet sąlyginės laisvės bus daugiau. Tiesa, pabėgt, jei kartais apie tai svaičiojat – dar sunkiau. Mat kalėjimas atokiai taip. Kiek atokiai? Na, šitą, Marse. Frankas gi statybininkas? Tai galės statyti. Bazę. Marse. O iš paskos jau paskui atskris tikri astronautai ir ten gyvens.
Ir Frankas sutinka. Nes kas jis dabar? Žudikas, kalinys. O bus – kolonistas, astronautas, šalies didvyris, nu. Šeima galės didžiuotis!
Negalės. Nes niekas apie jo ir jo likimo draugų žygius nesužinos. Šitą verbuotojas nutylėjo. O sykiu ir dar nemažai kitų niuansų.
Žodžiu, septyni zekai praeina alinančius parengimo kursus, tada juos ir dar vieną – prižiūrėtoją (nes kas septynis žmogžudžius paleis vienus?) užšaldo ir nuskraidina į raudonąją planetą. O ten laukia darbas. Ir, kaip ir galima buvo tikėtis, ne tik darbas, bet ir numatyti bei nenumatyti sunkumai. Septynioms poroms rankų – darbo per akis. O dar ir tų rankų ima mažėti...
Šiaip sukalta neblogai. Netgi tie pirmi du trečdaliai, kur tarsi neturime nieko kito, tik kolonistams kylančias problemas ir jų sprendimo ieškojimus. Bet Weiras „Marsietyje“ su tuo susitvarkė puikiai. Čia kiek silpniau, bet vis dar, vis dar. Kitos dvi kokteilio dedamosios irgi – gerai. Bet kiek labiau išmaišytas būtų patikęs labiau.
Gaunasi taip, kad už ingredientus – tvirti keturi. O va, už visumą tiek negaliu. Bet tada labai labai tvirti trys.
November 18, 2020
This book is not "The Martian". 🙁 I have mixed feelings from reading it. I really liked the idea of the plot, but there were few technical details and the characters (in my opinion) were not fully revealed. However, there is a continuation of the story. Maybe I'll like the sequel better. 🤔
September 27, 2020
I really enjoyed the premise of this story. Convicts being sent to Mars to build the first base station, and then someone starts killing them. A Mars Murder Mystery! We follow Frank, who, while being a convicted murderer, is a pretty okay guy. I mostly enjoyed myself while reading this.
This book was very science heavy science fiction. I tend to enjoy more fiction in my science fiction. That's mostly because the science part is going to go right over my head. There was a lot of focus on the science. There were long sections all about putting the base pieces together. Why this part goes here and the other part goes there. I mean, it was interesting, but it was also a little dull. I probably would have been more into it if I had understood it. The author is a scientist, which you could totally tell. I would trust him to build a Mars base.
There was a weird sort of time jump in the story. All this focus had been on the beginning of building the base, and then I turn a page to find it all done. It jumped ahead a couple of months, which threw me a little.
I enjoyed the mystery part, although it was fairly obvious who was behind it. There was a good amount of tension though. All alone on a planet and your team members are dying one by one. There were some good action scenes.
I also enjoyed S.J. Morden's writing style.
I'm definitely interested to see how the story will continue in the sequel. I'm definitely going to read it. One Way was a good time.
BOOKCITEMENT LEVEL 3.5/5
Mars and Murder!
December 14, 2017
Totally awesome! Morden came up with a great premise and absolutely delivered. It was a solid fun read from end to end. It isn't as sophisticated as Martian but I think Martian fans will still find it to be a great read.
March 20, 2018
I want to thank the folks at Netgalley for giving me an ARC of this book, I will be posting the review of this book as the release date gets closer in the US. I will say that this is more a thriller rather than a technical book,I enjoyed the whodunnit sense of it .
July 15, 2019
3-3.5 stars. Interesting ideas, and I found the treatment of the convicts deplorable, but the plot and characters kept slipping away from me. Not because there was anything inherently wrong with this story, but my attention kept being engaged by other things than this book.
November 5, 2020
DNF @ 70%
A group of criminals is sent to build a base on Mars for NASA. Everything is going well until a series of suspicious accidents occur. Sounds interesting right?
Well I'm disappointed that I didn't like this more. The beginning was actually quite enjoyable, and then the novel faded into flat characters, emotionless death scenes, and general boringness. I'm surprised I made it as far as I did.
A group of criminals is sent to build a base on Mars for NASA. Everything is going well until a series of suspicious accidents occur. Sounds interesting right?
Well I'm disappointed that I didn't like this more. The beginning was actually quite enjoyable, and then the novel faded into flat characters, emotionless death scenes, and general boringness. I'm surprised I made it as far as I did.
April 7, 2018
One Way is a futuristic, science fiction novel, it’s not a genre I would normally read but I'm glad I did and thought it was pretty good with a unique concept. Set in 2047, NASA contracted a company called Xenosystems Operations (XO) to construct a base in Mars for their NASA astronauts. But with budget being an issue, XO decided to use prisoners serving a life sentence, who have a certain specialized skill set and knowledge that XO could use for work on Mars – which would ultimately cut costs.
Combining killers, sociopaths, and thieves all in one place, using tools and machinery is a dangerous mix. Even though they seem to be getting the job done and working well together, but at the back of your mind you’re skeptical; wondering if or when someone will snap. Yet I don’t believe the characters – prisoners - were fully developed. We got to know the narrators life story up front. The narrator is the leader of the crew, Frank Kittridge, a former builder and architect who’s serving a life sentence for murder. We hear details of family life, job, and what made him commit murder. I trusted and liked Frank but the details of other prisoner’s were touch upon briefly, so I hardly knew them nor didn’t feel anything for them when something major happened.
The vigorous training in the first half of the book was interesting. You get to see the dynamics with the prisoner, how they worked together and in Franks POV who he didn’t trust. I kind of expected something more in the second part when they landed on Mars. It went slightly overboard with the technical details and I felt that the pacing was slow. And I didn’t feel suspicious about any of the incidences that took place so I was generally laid back for most of the book waiting for a surprise twist to occur. It was only in the last couple of chapters where it lifted its game and was touch and go for one of them.
I thought it was a good read. The ending does make you want to find out what happens next, so more then likely I will be reading the book 2 when it’s released.
Thanks to Hachette Australia for my review copy.
Combining killers, sociopaths, and thieves all in one place, using tools and machinery is a dangerous mix. Even though they seem to be getting the job done and working well together, but at the back of your mind you’re skeptical; wondering if or when someone will snap. Yet I don’t believe the characters – prisoners - were fully developed. We got to know the narrators life story up front. The narrator is the leader of the crew, Frank Kittridge, a former builder and architect who’s serving a life sentence for murder. We hear details of family life, job, and what made him commit murder. I trusted and liked Frank but the details of other prisoner’s were touch upon briefly, so I hardly knew them nor didn’t feel anything for them when something major happened.
The vigorous training in the first half of the book was interesting. You get to see the dynamics with the prisoner, how they worked together and in Franks POV who he didn’t trust. I kind of expected something more in the second part when they landed on Mars. It went slightly overboard with the technical details and I felt that the pacing was slow. And I didn’t feel suspicious about any of the incidences that took place so I was generally laid back for most of the book waiting for a surprise twist to occur. It was only in the last couple of chapters where it lifted its game and was touch and go for one of them.
I thought it was a good read. The ending does make you want to find out what happens next, so more then likely I will be reading the book 2 when it’s released.
Thanks to Hachette Australia for my review copy.
October 28, 2018
Very good, and looking forward to the sequel. Hope we won't need to wait too long. I like character of Frank and got attached to him enough to want to read more about him.
But I didn't get that "hole" threat quite right. Why did they threat them with it, again? What's the logic behind putting the guy into the hole for stupid reason out of his control like not passing his blood test? How the very medievality of it didn't fire up a few warning lights in what should be a bunch of savvy criminals?
But I didn't get that "hole" threat quite right. Why did they threat them with it, again? What's the logic behind putting the guy into the hole for stupid reason out of his control like not passing his blood test? How the very medievality of it didn't fire up a few warning lights in what should be a bunch of savvy criminals?
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