Saturation Point is a science fiction novella by Adrian Tchaikovsky about a female scientist who returns to a dangerous rainforest to rescue survivors.
I liked the bulk of the science in the book a great deal-- especially the environmental physics of The Zone. I found the narrative format of the audio recording both imaginative and annoying at the same time. This book is the equivalent of the Blair Witch Project. I understand the idea of "found footage" in a movie, but this is the first time I've ever seen it in a book. Much as found footage format annoyed me at times for being rather limiting, it actually helps Tchaikovsky to create an oppressive atmosphere tainted with paranoia,. Also, his characters are well-defined and interesting. I guess I should have been more angry at the twist ending (endings? There were at least three endings at the end), but the protagonist was not a sympathetic one. She was selfish and really did not care for anyone but herself. Her fate bothered me more than it should have.

Tchaikovsky always hits! This one was more climate science focused, and I enjoyed the thought experiment of the novella a lot. I think the main character was slightly undercooked, but still felt the novella had a lot to say.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing a review copy.

Saturation Point is another great work from the novella master Tchaikovsky. In this cli-fi novella, we delve into a future where there is a place on Earth where the wet-bulb temperatures have risen to deadly levels for humans all of the time.

Our protagonist is pulled back into the zone by a private company a few years after having been in the zone for academic reasons, but things aren't quite as they should be.

As usual, Tchaikovsky flips the script on its head a few times, pulling the reader in with exquisite world building, rising tension, and the payoff of that tension with twists or big developments. You can feel the rising action before the big beats, and it's quite a good ride. I'd say the novella actually borrows from horror a good bit. If this were to be made into a movie, it'd likely be an action horror.

Now, is it perfect? No. And I wouldn't recommend reading this immediately after Ogres, as that book will win the comparison on every level, but Saturation Point is still quite the read.

Saturation Point immerses readers in a climate thriller where scientists and soldiers grapple with a terrifying rainforest - the Hygrometric Dehabitation Region, or the “Zone.” Heat and humidity render it lethal for warm-blooded creatures. Doctor Jasmine Marks, sent back into this hellish realm, faces a plane crash, rescue mission, and corporate secrets. Tchaikovsky’s mastery lies in blending horror, thriller, and action within a concise narrative. Yet, beyond pacing, the book leaves us yearning for deeper character impact. 4 out of 5 stars.

Tchaikovsky's newest novella, Saturation Point, reads like an ode to HG Wells. There are some elements of both The Time Machine and The Island of Dr. Moreau, though it's especially like a modern retelling of Island.

But it's not just like a retelling of the classic. This feels like the brain child of the isolation, fear, and pain we experienced through our recent cov!d pandemic. Working remotely, wearing masks, feeling dehumanized as the weeks became months of limited human interaction, corporations changing the economic landscape before our eyes, and all on top of the fear of a very real virus and death.

While we saw beauty rebloom around us as we were kept home instead of on the streets, this novel lets nature be monstrous in its retaking of the globe. All the scifi aspects of the climate of the story are gorrrrgeous! Immersive, suffocating, terrifying, and *eerily possible*......

I absolutely loved how he wrote an adventurous science fiction climate thriller, but he also thoroughly explores very similar ethical and philosophical themes that we get in The Island of Dr Moreau. This would make an excellent bookclub read, all the better to read it with Wells *chef's kiss.*

I received the audiobook from NetGalley and Tantor Audio to read and review voluntarily. I have mixed feelings about the narrator, Emma Newman. She kind of has that quiet breathy voice that isn't as easy to listen to, and sounds very dainty, quiet, and too feminine for this story; even though the main POV is a woman, it's also ruthless and kind of scary. I would have preferred a stronger voice that was less emotional and breathy.

"I've gone so far beyond what I know now that what I believe has become a matter of personal whim, not external evidence."

#gifted

🎧 Audiobook 🎧

This was such an enjoyable novella. The story follows Dr. Jasmine Marks, a scientist sent into "The Zone," a dangerous rainforest on a dystopian Earth that's been wrecked by climate change just a few years into the future. The setting is eerie, and the suspense kept me on the edge of my seat.

Emma Newman did a fantastic job narrating. She really captured Dr. Marks' emotions, and her performance added a lot to the experience. Dr. Marks has several moments in the story where she doubts herself and struggles with imposter syndrome, and I felt that Emma did a great job translating that emotion from the page to the listener.

If you're into dystopian sci-fi and enjoy short, punchy stories, Saturation Point is definitely worth checking out.

What a fantastic gem! This store was not only immersive but so much fun. Engaging characters amazing world a great prose all around Adrian did it again great read.

This book reminded me a lot of the movie Annihilation (I didn~t read the book so I don't know how closely the movie is to the book). I felt the same sense of unease when Jasmine got in the Zone. Adrian Tchaikovsky is incredibly able to create a tense atmosphere in a short amount of time and even if I don't care that much about his characters.

Until the ending of this book, I liked the book fine. I was thinking about 3 stars. But the ending really got me. I can never predict what's going to happen on his books. But the ending was amazing.

The audiobook was really well done. The narrator really acts when reading the lines; I could feel her desperation so well in certain points. She really became the characters.

Thank you Netgalley, author, and publisher for the ARC.

What a delicious little nugget of a book.

There’s something extra impressive when an author can paint an entire world in less than 200 pages.

While spare, the author “shows” throughout, vs “tells”. We know everything we need to know without a tonne of exposition disguised as dialogue.

The characters are fleshy and engaging (at least, the ones that aren’t immediately killed off) and the plot is fantastical, yet believable. Belief-suspension not necessary.

The ending wasn’t what I expected, but it was weirdly satisfying.

Can’t wait for this author’s next offering.

Thanks to NetGalley and Tantor Audio for this unsettling ARC.

NetGalley ARC Review

Star Rating: ★★★☆☆

I clearly didn't like this book as much as everyone else. Wish I could have given 2.5 stars, almost gave it 2 stars, but rounded up to 3 stars. The last review I wrote was rough so I'm being nice in this one to make up for it.

This has an interesting concept, It's written well. It has a lot of things that are just answered by skimming lightly over the top that probably could have had a much deeper answer. The Zone itself, the research they did the first time, the 3d printed arrow, the superhuman's, the random aliens, the millions of dollars put into make faulty equipment. The pace was relatively quick and engaging. Then you get to the end. This is where my least favorite thing for an author to do happened. You have all the pieces that you've been given up to this point all lined up and you think you know what's about to happen and then WHAM! Out of almost nowhere, you have a couple hints throughout, and I knew something was up, but I didn't expect super soldiers. Then you are like okay, I can deal with that, then WHAM! You are hit with; Are we aliens? Were we created a long time ago? Does anyone really know anything about us? No one knows. Okay this is weird, but they (The aliens) are all gonna die so it's okay. WHAM! The big boss in charge of the mission is actually an alien too and tricked the middle boss to go out there and die. Good thing the main character survived and can go home. WHAM! The aliens hate humans because of global warming and are going to impersonate the main character and keep infiltrating humanity so that one day they can rule the world! Muhahahahahahaha! Then End.

Like always read it and decide for yourself!

"Saturation Point" by Adrian Tchaikovsky is a sci-fi, eco-thriller. It's a novella that clocks in at 4 hrs and 44 minutes at 1.0 speed. I listened at 2.0 speed.

Dr. Jasmine Marks, a biologist, is recruited to go back into the Zone, a part of the Earth that is so hot and humid that it is uninhabitable by warm-blooded creatures. Even a few minutes there would kill a human unless special outfits and gear were used. The scientists with her are not telling her the true purpose of the journey. She is told it's a rescue mission. I can't tell you more without spoiling it.

Narrator Emma Newman is a great voice actor who brings all the tension needed to this text.

Characters - 4/5
Writing - 5/5
Plot - 5/5
Pacing - 5/5
Unputdownability - 4/5
Enjoyment - 4/5
Narration - 5/5
Cover - 2/5
Overall - 34/8 = 4 2/8
Rounded to 4 stars

If you like sci-fi and eco-thrillers, this is a short one that packs a big punch. I'm very impressed with this author. Highly recommended!

Thank you to Netgalley, Tantor Audio, and Adrian Tchaikovsky for providing this audiobook in exchange for my honest review.

3.25
A pretty good Tchaikovsky novella but definitely not my favorite. I also may have just been in the wrong mood and I was sick when I read this.

Things I liked:
-I love any book with biology and I enjoyed learning something new about heat and humidity.
-The setting was written to feel very realistic and it created a good atmosphere for the book.
-The ending was great, it enhanced the rest of the story in retrospect.
-Pacing was solid.
-I liked the main character, who was flawed and interesting.

Things I didn't like:
-too many characters, I really had trouble keeping track of all of them.
-the tension building didn't work for me as much as I expected it.

Audiobook
I enjoyed the narrator and she did a good job expressing varied emotions. I did struggle during certain sections when they said something like "distant" or "fight?" and that was a little confusing via audio. Overall, I recommend the audiobook.

Saturation Point is a gripping climate thriller set in the Hygrometric Dehabitation Region, also known as the “Zone.” This equatorial rainforest is so hot and humid that it is uninhabitable for warm-blooded animals, including humans. The story follows Dr. Jasmine Marks, who is sent back into the Zone after a disastrous expedition 20 years earlier led by Dr. Elaine Fell. The mission aims to rescue survivors of a plane crash, but Marks soon discovers that the Zone and her corporate masters hold many secrets Adrian Tchaikovsky masterfully combines elements of science fiction and thriller genres to create a tense, fast-paced narrative. The setting of the Zone is vividly described, making the reader feel the oppressive heat and danger. The characters are well-developed, with Dr. Marks serving as a compelling and relatable protagonist. The plot is filled with twists and turns, keeping the reader engaged until the very end Saturation Point is a thought-provoking read that raises important questions about humanity’s impact on the environment and the ethical implications of scientific exploration. Tchaikovsky’s storytelling is both entertaining and enlightening, making this book a must-read for fans of science fiction and climate thrillers.

Imagine being part of an astronaut crew being sent to a planet so hot that you would die minutes after removing your suit. Imagine making your second trip there years later under the direction of a leader who wants to complete the mission at all costs. This isn't another planet though, this is earth at the equator, and the mission is deadly. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC/audiobook with a sweet narrator.

He did it again!

Every time I tell myself Aah, I know what's going on, Adrian Tchaikovsky will do it again!

This is the story of Doctor Jasmine Marks who after 20 years has been asked to join another research team to back into hell, some place called ZONE, where the heat and humidity make it impossible for warm-blooded animals to survive.

A perfect horror-science fiction novella that is complete and whole in just 4 hours and 43 minutes.

Thank you so much Tantor Audio via NetGalley for ARC.

Saturation Point to me is Area X but much more rooted in reality. It is a fast paced, to the point book that uses its format of "listening" to a recording of events well. There is a lot of real world science worked into how this new eco system known as The Zone most of the book is thriving and how we cannot survive within but it feels more natural to the story and not just like a science research info dump. Hits all the boxes of a solid thriller/eco-thriller. Shady companies, shady people, mysteries, twists and turns, all with the fate of humanity (as we know it) on the line. This is my first voyage into the works of Adrian Tchaikovsky. He has been on my list for awhile now but a short, one off, Sci-Fi Eco-Thriller seemed perfect to jump in and see what his style is like and I was not disappointed. The action was action-y, the science felt real, and so did the consequences of said science. A solid quick read about humanities quest for survival and our hubris in thinking we can control everything natural or otherwise. Will most certainly jump into more Adrian Tchaikovsky soon. Thanks to NetGalley and Tantor for this ARC.

I usually like Adrian Tchaikovsky’s books, so when I saw this new novella, I jumped at the chance to listen to it. The main character is a scientist on a team returning to The Zone, an area of the Earth that has become so hot and humid that people can’t live there anymore. It’s a rescue mission, but the leaders aren’t sharing everything and things start to go wrong quickly.

It’s a thriller, it’s sci-fi, it’s good! I liked it a lot. It’s a fast-paced story with some twists. The author packs a lot into a novella. The narrator did a good job, too. I recommend it! It’s out now. Thank you to Tantor Audio and NetGalley for the ARC of the audiobook.

In this dystopian vision of a climate altered Earth, Dr. Jasmine Marks is hired to serve as a local guide to the Hygrometric Dehabitation Region, or the “Zone,” where she worked fresh from school twenty years earlier. That first expedition was formed with the goal of testing and developing foods adapted to the climate changed world, but funding ran out and members of the party died. Humanity is struggling to have enough food and lives more and more in isolation as sickness and diseases threaten. Most people live alone and work and socialize through technology. Marks is stuck in a dead end job when she has the offer to relive her past by assisting a wealthy businessman in tracking down survivors of a plane crash in the Zone.

Alongside a party of mercenaries and experts in technologies such as advanced communications or extreme survival gear, Marks quickly learns she’s been misled about their reasons for being there and that something seems to have adapted to life in the Zone and is shadowing the expedition as it searches the traces and infrastructure left behind. With technology they can survive, but how long will they last if things go wrong?

As with other Tchaikovsky works, there is a strong science fiction influenced world building. This shorter work narrates a memoir into horror. The chapters unfurl as Marks’s oral journal captured as they delve deeper and deeper into the Zone.

Recommended to fans of survival horror, climate fiction or sci-fi set mysteries.

I would like to thank NetGalley for giving me an audio-arc in exchange for an honest review.

This was a messed up sci-fi thriller/horror that kept me on my toes. We follow Dr Jasmine Marks as she travels back into the "zone" -- an uninhabitable area where humans can't survive -- for the first time after a disaster 20 years prior. Told in an epistolary style, with the help of a great narrator, we feel her discomfort as she begins to feel like she's being watched. It gave Predator vibes that left me feeling like someone was watching me and I kept glancing over my shoulder as I listened. This take on climate change and the way corporations have taken over was fantastic, and for a novella, it felt like a completed story.

I can't wait to dive into other books by this author.

"Cold bloodedness is the best diet."

I am not a big SF reader, but had heard Adrian Tchaikovsky is something special. This is slightly more 'S' than 'F', but I had fun!

In this novel a scientist is asked to go back to 'the Zone', an unlivable area where she did research under a famous doctor decades earlier. It quickly becomes clear the zone is not as abandoned as suspected and of course 'everything is not as it seems' :)

I liked the plot twists until the end, and also enjoyed the original thinking on humans as highly imperfect animals.