A cinematic, action-packed, deep-space horror that explores familiar sci-fi and AI tropes in a unique way, and with striking imagery.

The scene was set here quickly and intriguingly. While a little slow at the start, it picks up a little more than halfway through. The slow build of the psych horror elements balanced by the light-hearted camaraderie between crew-members, of both organic and artificial intelligence, gives off a Wolf-359 feel. There's some things going wrong, but it's manageable and things don't seem too hopeless... yet.

Then it picks up and it's suddenly giving Dead Space, only with hard-light holograms, AI avatars, and robots instead of your usual fleshy mutations. (There were also a few instances that made me think of StarCraft, like when it was described how construction vehicles could be 3D-printed in 15 minutes to help get a colony going. Ummmm, we require additional pylons!)

The writing style here was excessively detailed in its description, but that's not to say the descriptive elements weren't beautiful. It's what made this thing so cinematic and easy to visualize in the first place. There are many memorable images throughout, like early on when we get the first hint that there's something up with the AIs and we see the spooky blue light of an avatar as it walks through an otherwise dark and deserted spaceship.

Actually, there was a pretty good range representing the ways artificial intelligence might manifest: holograms, 3D printed robots, voices or text just part of a machine. There's even little devices that fit around the wrist like inconspicuous accessories. Add to these your usual existential/philosophical considerations of what it is to be human and feel emotions. How might an AI develop emotions or experience sensations like hunger? How might it deal with those feelings? (And it was this part that reminded me of The Orphans podcast.)

Finally, the memetic virus the characters are up against, spreading through consciousness, AI or not, reminds me of The Raw Shark Texts by Steven Hall. Though not quite as meta, the plot has some heavy existentialism that gets close.

When Special Agent Petrova defies orders, the Firewatch military force punishes her by putting her on a ship for about three months and she is put into cryogenic sleep to monitor Earth's first deep space colony called Paradise-1. Petrova, the pilot Sam Parker, Dr. Zhang Lei, and a robot named Rapscallion inhabit the ship Artemis and as they are on it, they are woken up and to their horror they learn of their ship being attacked and that the vessel that is coming from Paradise-One is actually empty as well as no communication has been received from the colony for months. Petrova and Zhang end up investigating what, how, and why the colony just randomly disappeared. They will discover some truths they were not ready to face due to how horrifying it all is.


I typically do not read much science fiction even though when you think about the fantasy genre, you think of science fiction since these two genres are grouped together. One thing I want to do this year is to actually read more science fiction.

First, I want to thank NetGalley and Hachette Audio for the audiobook arc (ALC).

As I started the audiobook, I was instantly engrossed into the story. David Wellington does a great job setting the scene and making you immersed to where you feel like you are in space with Petrov and Zhang. On top of that, Wellington does a great job at making you constantly guess and wonder at what is happening and what is behind everything.

Paradise-One is marketed as a sci-fi, thriller, and horror novel and the first in a series (which I did not know when I was reading this book) and it definitely lives up to its advertised genres. In Paradise-One you will be greeted with good and bad AI robots. space zombies, space crime that has galaxy military forces, and of course some cool space travel. Basically, you have all these cool things to make the elements of sci fi and horror put together, which makes a fun time.

I do need to preference that this book is a door stopper of about 700 pages. Does it actually feel like it is about a 700-page read? No, not really. The plot moves quick and practically does not let you go. With the reference to the practically, I mean that there is a time where the plot loses you for a bit because I feel like the story moves so fast that it can make you not really know what exactly is happening, which in the end creates a lull in the story. But, once that hurtle is crossed, then the story hooks you again.

All in all, I really enjoyed Paradise-One and cannot wait to read the sequel, which I believe will be fast, fun, and action packed just like this one.

I tried, I really did. I love science fiction, and space operas, with a dash of horror on top, are a particular favorite of mine.

But this. This was the book equivalent of a kung-fu movie marathon: all action and hardly any story.

Plus the narration in the audiobook could have used some help in production. "kah-PILL-uh-reez"? There were some grievous mispronunciations that should never have made it into the final cut.

I'm so upset!!!! How did I not know this wasn't a stand alone book? The cliffhanger at the end of the end of the book......I'm dying. A scream and then to be continued!!!!!!!!!

I never thought I was a deep space horror sci fi girl but I guess I am. I loved absolutely everything about this book. From the characters to the storyline and the evil they encounter. Every chapter forced me to continue listening to see how Patrov, Sam, Zhang, and Rapscallion were going to survive. This book also addresses a very real conversation about AI's and what would happen if we gave them our complete trust.

The narrator that was chosen made each character come alive.

This is my first David Wellington book but if all of his books are like this it definitely won't be my last.

If you are looking for a race as fast as you can no breaks straight for a wall hoping you will turn in time. This is the book for you

3.5

The start to a pretty epic SciFi/Horror space epic! While less highbrow and political that the Expanse, it certainly is reminiscent of the feel of the first ARC of that series. With a good mixture of worldbuilding, character growth, action-oriented suspense, and dashes of humor and mystery. This really was a blast to read!

So why a 3.5? Wellington MAAAY have given it a bad case of the bloats...

Look, I'm no slouch. I do NOT cringe from a 600+ book. "Bring it on," I say! But a skilled editor could have shaved off 75-100 pages easily, keeping the story tight and trim, zipping along. Not even an "eviscerate your darlings" editor. Just trimming the fat. Since that didn't happen, there are stretches if the book that drag, and odd exchanges... sometimes a chapter long... that just feel like a bad deleted scene added back into the movie.

All that being said, I was a fan and very happy to experience this ahead of the general public. So READ IT!

My thanks to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

#Rapscallionforpresident

This is a story about contagious ideas.

I loved this book so much, I would trade secrets to get the sequel immediately. This was fantastic- it walked the perfect line between humor & terror, all set in the scariest place imaginable because in space who is going to hear you scream for help? This was a book that made me so incredibly anxious that I both wanted to read the entire thing & also throw it across the room. Five stars!

Thank you so much @hachetteaudio & @orbitbooks for the audio copy.

I've read science fiction and space exploration novels; this one is somewhat repetitive. But I liked the pace horror genre with this book. The thrill of the mystery and horror partly make this novel likable and enjoyable.


A good read!

When Special Agent Petrova and Dr. Lei Zhang are woken up from cryogenic sleep by their ship's alarms blaring in the background, they know something is very wrong. They find out that they're under attack: they've been met by another vessel, coming from Paradise-One, Earth's first deep-space colony and their final destination. But the vessel is empty and no communication has been received from the colony for months. Petrova and Zhang decide to investigate further: what they find is more horrifying than anything they could have imagined.

I love sci-fi novels set in space and Paradise-1 by David Wellington did not disappoint! The blurb intrigued me and the very first chapter convinced me this was going to be a fun read. Packed with action, tension, horrific moments and unknown dangers, Paradise-1 is the first instalment of the Red Space series that takes us into a world where it's basically impossible to relax and breathe. This book is incredibly fast paced, leaving the reader the time to be familiar with the main two characters but not enough to explore more. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed the action a lot, but this book is around 700 pages (the audiobook is 21 hours long) and around 60% in I felt breathless - not sure if this makes sense, but for me it needed some slower chapters, maybe a bit more introspection.
I appreciated the short chapters and the original take on the classic infection-in-space trope, I found it interesting, fresh and gripping.

The audiobook narrator did a really good job, though I found her voice a bit funny when she was impersonating male characters. Overall a really good book that I would recommend to sci-fi lovers (this novel is also labeled as horror, but I don't particularly agree on this). I'm curious to see how the story will continue!

* I'd like to thank David Wellington, Hachette Audio and NetGalley for providing this ALC in exchange for my honest review.

Disclaimer: I received an audio e-ARC of this book. I chose to review it and this in no way impacts my opinion of it.

When I read the synopsis of this book I was instantly interested. I've been getting into Sci-Fi more lately and I've been really enjoying my dive into the genre and this novel was perfect to read next. 

The story begins with Agent Petrova disobeying a direct order and getting herself into a lot of trouble with FireWatch and getting herself put on a ship to spend three months in cryogenic sleep to check on Paradise- 1, Earth's first deep-space colony. When Petrova and the rest of the crew, Sam Parker (pilot), Zhang Lei (Doctor), and a robot named Rapscallion are abruptly awoken, they begin to realize this mission they've been sent on is not a routine check up. 

This novel was incredibly fast paced and action packed. I really enjoyed the action and slight horror aspect to this novel and found it to be creepy at times which I loved. It wasn't really scary at all for a novel packaged as horror first and Sci-Fi next,  but that could be due to my inability to be scared. 

I wasn't aware when I began this book that it was going to be a series so I was quite shocked when I was finally nearing the end of this massive novel only to realize that there couldn't be a conclusion in the short time left. I was right. This novel leaves off on a huge cliffhanger with no sort of conclusion to any of the questions that were left open. 

Lastly, I just want to mention how incredible the narrator of this audio book was. I was hooked instantly and found her voice to be very fitting for the role and was downright creepy at the right times when it needed to be. I'm very glad I had the audiobook of this novel because it was thrilling. 

I believe if you're into Sci-Fi and like things to be a little bit creepy, you'll enjoy this novel! I know I'm definitely going to have to check out more work by Wellington myself.

Paradise 1

For me, this book was like taking a walk in a different part of town… at night… with no directions. Sure, the general structure and feeling was familiar, but the turns and side-streets were unfamiliar.

As of lover of sci-fi, the description had me hooked so I jumped in head first. This book presents a fresh take on the zombie infection model and really imparted a sense of urgency and dread throughout the read. There are rewarding moments sprinkled throughout and the humorous aspects of characters help to break up the rather dark and depressing situation the main cast finds themselves thrust into.

The book was definitely action packed but the ending was somewhat lackluster and left me feeling unfulfilled. The narrator does an okay job, nothing special.

“Out here in the endless night you couldn’t forget how small you were, or how much you could never know.”

Action packed, interesting, gripping and sometimes horrific! This is a true Sci-Fi Horror that I could not put it down.

“When Special Agent Petrov and Dr. Lei Zhang are woken up from cryogenic sleep, dragged freezing and dripping wet out of their pods with the ship's alarms blaring in the background, they know something is very wrong. Warned by the Captain that they're under attack, they have no choice but to investigate.”

I can’t believe this ended on a cliffhanger, I need to know what’s going to happen next. I’m so excited for the next two books to come out in this trilogy I definitely will be reading them, whenever they come out!
This was my first book by David Wellington and I couldn’t wait to read more by him, his writing is absolutely phenomenal with the most interesting and unique storyline! I need to read more like this amazing book!

I highly recommend this brilliant book, to anyone who wants to read a full action Sci-Fi Horror story!

🤖 Self-Aware Robots
👩🏽‍🚀 Space Travel
✨ Cryosleep
👽 Aliens

Thank you to @netgalley and the publisher for providing an AudioARC of this title in exchange for my honest review.

At first, I downloaded only an excerpt, but later I received complete audiobook.

Edited review:
----------------
Format: audiobook ~ Narrator: Laurel Lefkow
Content: 4 stars ~ Narration: 5 stars

A robot named Rapscallion and three people (Alexandra Petrova, a FireWatch officer, Zhang Lei, a doctor, and Sam Parker, a pilot) travel to Paradise-1, Earth’s first deep space colony. None of them suspects what awaits them there.

The novel Paradise-1 is set in space. It is a gripping and fast-paced science fiction thriller with some elements of horror, and it is the first part of the trilogy (Red Space). The audiobook version is over 21 hours long. But even though it’s so long, the story is fast-paced, and you probably won’t feel like it drags. This was not my favorite type of sci-fi novel, but I enjoyed it anyway.

I recommend this to sci-fi readers, especially those who like fast-paced space operas.

Thanks to Hachette Audio for the ALC and this opportunity! This is a voluntary review and all opinions are my own.

Interesting premise,good characters but it was a little too long and in the last part the movement between the memories of the characters was somewhat confusing.
The cliffhanger was a huge surprise

Paradise-1 is Earth's first deep-space colony, where some have journeyed to start new lives and others see it as the perfect retirement destination. However, something has gone amiss, the colony has not communicated and is not responding to inquiries. After botching an investigation, Special Agent Petrov is assigned the task of finding out the status of the colony alongside a traumatized Dr. Lei Zhang who was the sole survivor after a medical emergency at his colony. They join the crew of the ship Artemis, a past fling of Petrov's captains, a robot and an AI round out the personnel. On arrival to the Paradise-1 system, they're immediately attacked. Who is attacking them and why?

A blend of science fiction and horror, Paradise-1 is the first book in the Red Space trilogy. Unfortunately, it suffers from its overlong length and repetitious format not alleviated by short chapters (around 170? I lost count). The crew of the Artemis continually faces the same challenge of dealing with another ship with only minor variations in the details. (At first they're attacked, next a ship is going to ram them, once that is dealt with oh no! there is another ship coming close!). The accumulation of these encounters shows character growth as they adapt and change to their situations, but falls under the sway of common tropes. The daughter held under the shadow of a powerful mother, a machine learning how to be more human or a doctor haunted by those he couldn't cure. If not for the middle one of the robot, I don't think I'd have found any character to like.

The audiobook is well narrated by Laurel Lefkow, with the stresses of the situations clearly reflected in the dialogue. It is never difficult to tell who is speaking and the volume consistent throughout.

See eBook review. The audio was well done, but it couldn't make up for the lack of plot and characters. There was too much action and the speed made everything else suffer. I did like the narration though.

Petrov is mostly interesting to follow- her dark connection with her powerful mother, her frequent recklessness and headstrong nature makes it fun to see how she works her way out of these difficult situations.

Dr. Zhang steals the show, and intense and analytical character who struggles with social cues and is being controlled by the government for the safety of those around him? A fascinating character that makes. His inner monologue is golden to listen to, especially on audiobook, and it sort of makes me wish it was all from his perspective.

The setting is pretty standard, which makes it generally easy to follow as far as Sci Fi goes. Firewatch is the interstellar police system for which Petrov is a special agent. Much of the storyline revolves around AI which gives it a cool, more realistic aspect, along with some robots with ✨personality✨ The horror elements are well encased in it, it's giving Dead Silence mixed with The Troop, so I'm definitely digging it from the beginning!

As it continues we do get more insight into the motivations of Petrov and Zhang through their backstory, but I feel the writing gets more painfully bland the longer it goes on. There are interesting bits throughout with high action and complex philosophy contemplated by characters, but it also felt really repetitive and not engaging after a while. Even being left on a cliff hanger did not make me excited to continue the series, as it wasn't for me. The beginning had a great blend of horror and sci-fi though!

I wasn't sure what to expect out of Paradise-1 going into it, but David Wellington writes a fantastic space opera/horror. The characters felt real, the tension was high, the comic relief occurred when most needed without taking away from the suspense. Excellent narrator. The sudden cliffhanger ending normally puts me off, but I can't wait for the sequel!

This audiobook captured me from the beginning. The narrator did a wonderful job keeping me engaged and wanting more.

I am a sucker for a good space horror! The story itself was more sci-fi than actual horror, but was well thought out. You are taken on a journey that is on hyper speed and the story never lets up. The audio ARC I was given was only a sampler so I am unable to review the whole book, but what I heard so far I liked.

I want to thank NetGalley, David Wellington and Hachette Audio, Orbit for this audiobook. Opinions expressed in this review are honest, my own and left voluntarily.

It's not like the writing is horrendous, but I was just straight up not having a good time so I dnfed after 300 pages (which isn't even 50 percent of this too long fucking book). I wanted sci fi horror and got the absolute lamest version of both things. The start was fairly promising despite the sparse worldbuilding, but things went down hill when they were supposed to be kicking off.

When the horror element was revealed is when I became really disappointed with this book. It's incredibly unoriginal and one of my least favorite horror conventions (zombie-esque virus) just in a space setting. It's made even dumber by the AIs being infected and somehow mixing with the protagonist's mommy issues which makes 0 sense. There's 0 tension and 0 feeling of existential dread that every horror book should deliver. Instead it's just kind of fast pacing with 0 breathing room. The sci fi elements are also a letdown. There really aren't any interesting ideas explored nor really any cool tech other than generic space stuff and AIs on ships. But at least there's good characters right? Right?

Wrong. These characters have 0 development and aren't interesting in the least. It makes it impossible for to be invested in anything they do or might happen to them. I know it's hard to believe in an almost 700 page book no time was spent on character development but that seems to be the case. Example: The MC is space detective just like her mom, and we're told she's trying to get put of her mom's shadow but is she actually a good detective or is she just a fuck up who got the job via nepotism? It acts like this might be a point for character development but this is never really explored over the first several hundred pages. So two of the characters have a prior relationship but that dynamic also isn't explored and doesn't seem to matter. Instead what we get is page after page of very mid action scenes and other hammy over the top robots and AI characters. What a waste of pages.

I was considering dnfing but was undecided because I'm a completionist, but then I read reviews here saying the book ends on a cliffhanger with no conclusion at all. Fuck. That. Happy to be done and it's a strong DO NOT recommend.

Also the audiobook narration was poor. No real performance adding any emotional weight and her male voice for the ship's robot sounded like a bad cartoon voice.

I absolutely loved this book. I found the characters relatable, the story was well-written and captured my attention and my interest. I wanted to know what was going to happen next. I wanted to know what was going on with the characters. The flow of the story was excellent, with the exception of one part that felt a little slow but that didn't really detract from the story overall. I'm also not really a "horror" fan, and although there are definite horror elements to the story it's written so well that it's accessible even for folks like me. I can very easily see this being made into a movie. I cannot wait for the next book! I need to know what happens next!
I listened to the audio book and the narrator was absolutely fantastic, in a get-inside-your-head kind of way. As in I found myself hearing the voice in my head when I was thinking through things. If I ever do anything in my life that warrants a story being written about it, I want that narrator for it.