Now this was a fun, fast-paced adventure that I found incredibly entertaining.

I was immediately pulled in by the premise of this book and I'm happy to say that I felt it was executed really well. I've recently found that although I'm not always a huge sci-fi fan, I do really enjoy a good space novel, so One Way really fit that bill for me. I've been thinking of this book as a 'And Then There Were None in space,' and that in itself is a good enough description to hook me. The author, S.J. Morden, is a "bone fide rocket scientist" and for me that really gave this book an additional sense of authenticity that made it all the more enjoyable for me.

One Way kicks off when a small crew of ex-cons are recruited to be the first men to set up base on Mars. When a few of the crew members begin dying at random, the deaths that initially appear to be accidents soon start adding up to look a bit more suspicious than initially thought. As you can imagine, the number of suspects is limited and tensions start to rise.

The beginning of this book was a little on the slow side, but that's only because of the setup that had to be done to really get the foundation settled and the story and going. It was never boring, but it did leave me wondering if it would pick up--and fortunately it did. By the time I reached the midway point of this book, it was a complete page-turner and I was having a hard time putting this book down at all. There were a few times when the technical aspects of things took over a bit too much for me and I would sort of skim over the more intricate aspects, but that didn't happen too much to really be a problem. At the end of the day, I'd probably rather have too many details than not enough, anyway.

I really liked the cast of characters that was collected for the crew. They weren't all entirely likable, but they all had a certain authenticity that worked really for the story and helped to tell their own personal backstories. It was hard to keep track of who was who initially, but eventually the personalities of each began to show through and things got smoother. Our main protagonist, Frank, often came across as a fairly generic sort of figure, but I actually thought this worked well in coordination with the other characters, as it basically made him the de facto leader, as it seemed it was most natural and that he was the most clear-headed at all times. Despite his murder conviction, Frank seems to be a fairly decent guy (who ever thought those words would be typed?) One Way has a theme of 'second chance' running through it that I think every character could relate to in some way, and that I'm sure many of us reader could also relate to. I did want a little bit more from each of the characters in terms of fully developing the into three dimensional figures, particularly when it comes to a man named Brack. The characters were still well done, but I just felt like the development wasn't quite there.

One Way wasn't perfect and there were more than a few things that I could have done without, such as placing some sort of classified document at the beginning of each chapter that documents conversations and dialogue between the creators of the company that sends the crew to Mars. Some of these were really interesting and did add a lot to the story, but more than a few felt a bit unneeded and were overall uninteresting.

One Way ends on a bit of a cliffhanger in the sense we find out what's been going and why people have been dying, but it still leaves off right at a point where I cannot way to find out what happens next. I really can't wait to read the sequel!

Overall, I've given One Way four stars. This isn't some phenomenal, ground-breaking book, but it is incredibly fascinating and highly entertaining nonetheless. I simply did not want to put it down. Morden himself is a retired rocket scientist, which lends quite a lot of credibility to the technical aspects within this book.

One Way is a chilling near future sci fi novel that is believable in the way that human life means little when compared to corporate profit.  Frank and other cons with special skills and a lack of family or other outside contacts are recruited for what may be a great adventure or simply another way to die.  The promises seem attractive - rewarding work, better food, respect. The cost of failure, less so, but it is enough for Frank to volunteer to become part of the crew intended to build a habitat and research station on mars.


Things are not quite as expected. Supplies are short and crew members are dying in what appears to be tragic accidents. The mission overseer is a cruel tyrant and there are things that just don’t add up.  If Frank is to survive he will have to find out just what is going on, and what the real plans of the company contracted to build the mars base are.


Part scifi thriller , part And Then There Were None, One Way is an engrossing novel that shows just how little humanity is of concern when profit is on the line.  I’m eager to read the next novel in the series - No Way.


5 / 5


I received a copy of One Way from the publisher and Netgalley.com in exchange for an honest review.


— Crittermom

The idea of private exploration and colonization is not a new one. Will it be cheaper and quicker or more dangerous that a government expedition. Only time and experience will tell. 'One Way' gives a realistic portrayal of how this might transpire with a private firm under government contract. It is presented very realistically without spending too much time explaining technical details that would not add to the narrative.

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.

One Way by S.J. Morden is satisfying hard science fiction with a twist. The novel opens with the appropriation of convicts by a private entity to build a base for NASA on Mars. The narrative follows Frank Kitterage, a prisoner who is recruited for his knowledge of construction, as he trains to become a pseudo-astronaut and learns to work with the others in the team. The squad is tested and tested, and finally allowed to travel to the red planet. Once they get there, many obstacles are put in their path while trying to assemble systems to produce air, water, and food, but what they didn’t bargain for is a possible killer in their midst.
While a layman like me wouldn’t have a clue if Morden’s fictional science would work, through Frank’s voice it is credible. That being said, a little more development would have definitely helped to flesh out the characters. For example, their lives before lock-up are only slightly detailed which makes them somewhat two-dimensional and without sources of motivation.
Overall, the novel should hold up to the inevitable comparisons to The Martian, and do well as a murder mystery in space.
Thank you to NetGalley, Orbit Books, and Mr. Morden for an advanced copy of the book to review.