When the XO corporation, trying to work out how to satisfy their contract with NASA to get a Mars base up and running, is having a hard time figuring out the automation of base construction and rules out robots, they figure human workers are the way to go. How about pulling some convicts from among the prisoners in their private prison subsidiary? Makes perfect sense.
In S.J. Morden's One Way, the work crew to build and prepare the Mars base for NASA's astronauts and scientists is "a high-tech chain gang." "They might be wearing spacesuits rather than shackles, but that didn't fundamentally alter what their relationship was." Given the choice of completing their life sentences in dreary prisons or serving out their terms on Mars, this motley crew takes a chance with life on the red planet. Little did they know that a life sentence would become a death sentence.
One by one the prisoners begin to die, each death looking less and less like an accident. They don't know who they can trust, and have no recourse for getting out of their extraterrestrial prison. Morden's descriptions of life and work on Mars rings true. The construction of the base, the transport of materials, the requirements for day-to-day existence, all seem very realistic and well-researched and thought out. His academic and scientific background certainly have informed his story telling.
One Way is realistic, suspenseful, and irresistible. Sci-fi lovers who enjoy near-future stories which are a small technological step from present reality will love the set up and authenticity of One Way. In this setting, Morden sets a gripping whodunit that will keep you reading and has me eager for a sequel.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the complimentary electronic review copy!
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