Author: S.J. Morden
Series: Frank Kittridge #1
First published February 15, 2018
Book description: It's the dawn of a new era - and we're ready to colonize Mars. But the company that's been contracted to construct a new Mars base, has made promises they can't fulfill and is desperate enough to cut corners. The first thing to go is the automation . . . the next thing they'll have to deal with is the eight astronauts they'll send to Mars, when there aren't supposed to be any at all.
Frank - father, architect, murderer - is recruited for the mission to Mars with the promise of a better life, along with seven of his most notorious fellow inmates. But as his crew sets to work on the red wasteland of Mars, the accidents mount up, and Frank begins to suspect they might not be accidents at all. As the list of suspect grows shorter, it's up to Frank to uncover the terrible truth before it's too late.
Review:
This is an engaging, science-heavy book. So right up my alley. It still is not something too difficult to read. It's hard to ignore the fact that throughout history, colonization has always been driven by greed and a desire for power. Countless people have suffered and lost their lives in the process. So, it's hard to imagine that colonizing Mars would be any different. One Way, a book that takes a cynical view of the idea, highlights the profit-driven society we live in and the potential for exploitation in such an endeavor. It's important to approach this idea with caution and consider the consequences for all involved.
We follow Frank, who is serving a life sentence in prison after killing his son's drug dealer. At the get-go, a representative of a huge corporation known as Xenosystems Operation (XO for short) shows up as a visitor and proposes a very intriguing prison transfer.
Frank was willing to do whatever it took to get a better life. He knew that XO was looking for cheap labor to help build their Mars base, and he was willing to take the job. It wasn't glamorous work, but it was a chance to earn better food and a bit more freedom. Plus, there was something exciting about being a part of the first-ever base on Mars. Frank didn't care that he was a convict, he just wanted to make a better life for himself. And if that meant working for XO, then so be it. The main underlying reason for him was that his son would find out about his work on the Mars mission and be proud. At least know that his father was more than just a murderer, he was doing something meaningful and helpful for humanity.
The picked team is of 8 prisoners, with varying backgrounds with the intent of being useful for the construction project. The training they endure of only a few months could not be enough to provide them the same amount of knowledge as real astronauts but still, XO pushes their launch timeline even against the prisoners' protests (we only see Frank, so he's the only one we see complain that they still need to train for longer before they're ready to launch for Mars).
Frank's team is made up of some interesting characters. Alice, a doctor, has a dark past with over thirty illegal mercy killings on her conscience. Zeus, an ex-Neo-Nazi who has turned to religion, is another member of the team. There are five more members, each with their own past and demons. However, despite the characters being intriguing, the heart of the book is the concept of space colonization in a capitalist society. It's the exploration of this idea that makes One Way such a compelling read. One particular scene sees the prisoners having to choose between their air, food, or water, which really captures my attention.
Personally, I picked the book because of The Martian. Just to make things clear, we do not have a funny witty main character, this story has a much more serious, down-to-Earth feeling to it.
There's little sense of wonder in the book because the characters are focused on surviving and getting things done. And as the story progresses, you will be faced with a murder mystery, it feels very realistic and yet it irks you. Frank and the other prisoners are blinded by their handler and XO's promises, they are working alongside toward their survival and yet they are unable to trust on one another.
There are no romances or found family, among the prisoners, so be aware of it if you look for that specifically. I am eager to get to the next installment.
This book took me longer than I initially expected to get through but it was so worth it. This book was used to cover the challenges:
-Series
-Orilium: Demonology-Books compared to a favorite. In this case, I picked one similar to The Martian by Andy Weir.
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