Im confused ... I didn't realize Paradise-1 is 688 pages long !

After reading The Last Astronaut and highly enjoying it, I jumped at a chance to read Paradise-1. Paradise-1 is a plot driven, fast paced sci-fi thriller set in space. I did listen to this book via audio and I can honestly say that I had no idea how long this book was. I was so engrossed with the action packed story that I didn't realize I spent hours reading it.

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Plot summary:

Three people are sent on a a somewhat punitive mission to Paradise-1, Earth's first long-range colony on a faraway planet, where communication with the colony has ceased.

On board the Artemis are:

Sasha Petrov- a member of the Firewatch military force with familial ties to Paradise-1

Dr. Lei Zhang - the lone survivor of a bizarre plague on a station on Saturn's Titan moon

Sam Parker - the pilot with whom Petrova was previously entangled

Rapscallion - a funny, self-aware robot

As they get closer to Paradise, Artemis and everyone on board is attacked by an unknown entity flinging yams at them. Running out of time, space and air ; the ship's crew needs to find a way to survive.

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I really enjoyed the time I spent reading this book. It was fast-spaced and filled with tons of action. The chapters are short and keep you engaged. I felt like I was just starting to get into the story when it JUST ENDED. It felt like the author wrote a much longer novel and the publisher decided to split the book in half. I can't even call it a cliffhanger because it ends in the most bizarre way.

Paradise-1 will be published April 4, 2023.

Thank you to Netgalley and Hatchett Audio for an audio ARC of Paradise-1 in exchange for an honest review.

I accessed a digital review copy of this book from the publisher.
With only a sampler I can only say that the beginning is full of action, draws the reader in, and has enough mystery to make me want to finish the book.

First I want to say that I really this author books, I have read “monster island” and “monster nation” still trying to get hold of other books of him, so when I saw that there was this new tittle from him in NetGalley in audiobook, I just had to request it. And my first opinion listening to the story and to the person reading this audio book was amazing, the story sounds really interesting, but my main problem with it, is that I didn’t know I would only be having a sample of the book, in total I had 4 hours to listen of the whole book, I imagine this book would be around 18 to25 hours, because the whole book is around 700 pages, I only got a teaser, 26 chapters and that’s around 20% of the book, and it ends in a really dire situation, we don’t know what is happening.

So far, I was loving the book, the person reading it was doing a good job, I do think that she could have tried to do different voices (this is a bit of a personal view on audibooks, I like knowing who is talking even if it is only one person reading the whole book, giving some quirks to differentiate the characters), and I got a bit confused when we had 3 different people being important (the different voices help memorize the different names). So I did like the start of the book, but I can’t promise what comes next is as good as what I had until here… well I cant wait to get this book as soon as he gets out, because the story really promises a lot.

Thank you NetGalley and Hachette Audio, Orbit for the free AAC and this is my honest opinion.

I don't feel like I can give this a proper review since I was under the assumption that this was the full audio. Publisher--if you're going to post a sample of something, make sure to mention that! It saves us reviewers a lot of grief and frustration.

As for the story, I love what I was actually able to read. Nice and spooky, but also giving me Leviathan Wakes vibes with the space opera. Looking forward to hopefully getting to the rest of this.

since this is only the smallest sample of the audio version the full book i want to read very badly!!! 3 stars with the assumption it goes to 4.5 from the stellar start of the book.
thanks for the advanced audio copy

I enjoyed what was available to listen to but unfortunately, as others have mentioned in their reviews, only about one quarter of the book has been made available. This is the very first audiobook on NetGalley that I had hoped to read/review, so I don't know if that is standard practice with audiobooks. I do hope to be able to finish the book, as Special Agent Petrov seems a tough and engaging character supported within a complex but intriguing plot premise. My four star review is based on the assumption and hope that the other three fourths of the book will be equally well written.

Thank you NetGalley for a free copy in exchange for an honest review. This felt rushed and unfinished, I'm not sure of that's what the author intended or not. This was good for a sci-fi adventure.

This was not the whole book. According to Audible, this book is to be approximately 21 hours and the audio file I was given was only 4 hours. No where in the details, here on NetGalley, states this is a sample audio. I am going to assume there was a problem with the file. With that said…

A crew of 3 people and a robot are headed to Paradise-1 to check in on the colony established there. As they approach, all hell breaks loose and they are trying to survive with a majorly damaged ship while an enemy ship is shooting cargo (of something I would have never guessed) at them.
I couldn’t put this book down. I needed to know what was going on and was incredibly frustrated when the audiobook abruptly stopped. Because of how quickly it drew me in, I’ll give it a 4 star here but will need to wait until I have the completed book before I rate this anywhere else.

Paradise by David Wellington

Paradise-1 echos themes and elements from both murderbot and the expanse series. It has a strong start and intriguing characters with unique backstories. I plan to continue with the series as it progresses. But either I got a messed up copy, or Paradise-1 ends in a really odd place.

Thank you David Wellington, Hachette Audio, and Netgalley for my audio advanced review copy. My opinions are my own.

Plot -2 (for the really strange ending point)
Writing and Editing - 4
Character Development - 3
Narration -5
Personal Bias -3
Final Score - 3.4

David Wellington’s Paradise-1 is an epic sci-fi adventure. I know this because a month or so ago I had the privilege of reading an eARC. I enjoyed so much that when the the opportunity to experience it again, this time in its audiobook format came about, I downloaded it and immediately began listening. And I have to say I actually think I was enjoying the book in audio even more than when I’d read the eARC. Laurel Lefkow’s narration is excellent. Unfortunately the audio file I was able to download wasn’t the entire book. It contained only about 20% of the story and while I’m sure the rest of the book’s narration maintain’s that same high quality I’m not entirely sure how I supposed to fairly review what is essentially a sampler of the audiobook.

If the audio file is updated I’ll be sure to adjust my rating and submit a full review.

I was really enjoying this, but it wasn't the complete audiobook, so it's hard to give a review. It started out nice and creepy (I love a good mix of scifi and horror) and definitely hooked me, then unfortunately ended abruptly 4 hours into the audiobook.

Quick Summary: A deep space Twilight Zone experience

My Review: Paradise-1 by David Wellington was disturbingly chaotic in a most thrilling sci-fi way.

I loved that this book had action, drama, familial dysfunction, imperfect characters, power struggles, a hint of coupling from the past, AI, and more. The writing was such that I could imagine witnessing the events firsthand. There was tension throughout the pages and organized confusion was not too far behind.

My Final Say: The audio made for great "reading." Readers who enjoy stories that cause them to question everything and wonder what's really happening will go for this without hesitation.

Other: I look forward to exploring more from this author's work.

Rating: 4.5/5
Recommend: Yes
Audience: A
Status/Level: 💬
Series: Yes

I voluntarily read this story. Thanks to the author, to Hachette Audio, and to NetGalley, who provided access to an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

* A Goodreads review has been posted.

So I’m a little disappointed because I was only able to actually listen to a portion of this novel as an early reviewer of the audio book on netgalley. Little upset it abruptly ended right when it was getting to the “why” of everything. What I heard was great, but I would have liked to know it wasn’t the whole audiobook prior to getting excited about this.

I'm not sure what I'm supposed to review - the audiobook is incomplete and contains only the first 26 chapters of the book. Now, If I knew it was the case, I wouldn't have an issue with it (actually, I wouldn't download the book). Sadly, it wasn't mentioned anywhere on the audiobook galley page. What I listened to was solid but I feel tricked, hence 1*.

Paradise-1 by David Wellington was a fine read. I have to say it was more of scifi adventure than scifi horror. The story is told from the perspectives of two main characters, one a fail-daughter police officer and the other a doctor who seems to be suffering from autism. As punishment for workplace failures, they are sent to check up on a deep space colony only to have everything go wrong in-transit and find themselves in a fight for survival.

The book is well enough written and there is decent character development. The story was interesting and a quick read. If you are bored and looking for a distraction, this book is well worth a read.