Mixed feelings about this.

It was a long slog over 700 pages and at times it got bogged down.

The characters were a mixed bag and I did enjoy there interaction.

Overall though it was an enjoyable read, spoilt by the cliff hanger ending.

I was intrigued by the premise and I enjoy the plot. However, I think we have enough of cop protagonists and I cannot get over the light-hearted "they tried to kill us (3 people) so we kill them (an entire colony of civilians sleeping)".
I am at 30% right now and need to give up for a bit. I hope to return to the book, but this held me up long enough that I will not be able to give a meaningful arc review. Sorry.

The book is a good read. But it doesn't excced my expectation of scifi novels. Very generic concept of alien contact.

Paradise 1

After seeing reviews for this, I was reluctant to pick it up, but I did, and I actually enjoyed reading it. It would have been a solid 4 star, but that ending just lost it for me. I get it's a cliffhanger, and there will be more books, but that didn't feel like a cliffhanger, just like he just stopped writing far to abrupt. I will be picking up the next book to see how the story continues as overall I did enjoy it.

Thank you to Netgalley, Little Brown Book Group  and David Wellington for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review

A brilliant science fiction novel.
The story is enthralling, keeps you guessing and has some great surprises in store.
It is the opening salvo in something that deserves to continue going forward.
Excellent read!

I'm sitting here trying to think of a smart word to use to sum up my feelings for this book but the only word my head keeps shouting is EPIC! I love sci-fi horror anything; games, books, movies etc. This had everything I wanted it to have and more.

Its really long and usually I believe that horror books are best kept short because it tends to water down the scare-factor if it's too long but this book managed to do it so well. It was a perfect balance because when the horror died down you got these really interesting chunks of sci-fi where you were really immersed into what you were reading, learnt more about the characters and the plot of the book and then it would bring you right back again into the horror.

The writing was brilliant and I remember being so impressed right at the beginning of the book when it described them gradually coming out of their cryogenic sleep and how detailed it was, it was so cool!

I loved the whole crew, I thought every character was really interesting in their own way but my personal favourite was the robot Rapscallion with his sound clips that he uses to emote.

The horror in this book hits you very suddenly and in unexpected ways. (That scene with the deer!! That was terrifying and SO COOL.)

I can't wait for the next book!

"Paradise-1" by David Wellington is a fast-paced and action-packed science fiction novel with a promising start. The mystery of the Paradis-One colony disappearance and the crew's mission is intriguing and well-crafted, and the tension remains high throughout the book. The inclusion of a snarky robot as comedic relief adds a lighter touch to the story.

However, the characters' development is lacking, and the atmosphere of the deep space setting could have been built up more to enhance the reading experience. The plot progression takes precedence over the characters' depth, leading to some disconnect from the story in my case.

Overall, "Paradise-1" is an entertaining read for fans of space exploration and fast-paced, high-stakes plots, but it falls short of reaching its full potential for me due to the underdeveloped characters and breakneck speed. With that being said, the book still deserves a rating of 3.5 stars for its engaging plot and creative ideas in worldbuilding.

4.75 ⭐️

I love a good sci-fi book sometimes don’t you? They are the epitome of escaping to another world, another time. They indulge my love of space and allow me to wonder what the future could be for humans.

Paradise-1 is Earth’s first deep space colony but it has gone dark. So far, so intriguing. This is a book that will draw you in and keep you trying to guess about what is coming next and how all the characters will survive. It is a great book but at 700 pages it is long! At times it felt like a slog but it kept drawing me back to it. I just wish it had more pace to allow you to get through the 700 pages quicker.

Be warned this comes with a bit of horror attached. Nothing too sinister or dark but if you hate any form of horror maybe steer clear.

The book was provided to me by NetGalley and Little, Brown Book Group UK

Paradise-1 by David Wellington.
WELCOME TO PARADISE
Paradise-1. Earth's first deep space colony. For thousands of colonists, it was an opportunity for a new life. Until it went dark. No communication has been received from the colony for months. It falls to Firewatch Agent Alexandra Petrova and the crew of the Artemis to investigate. What they find is more horrifying than they could have imagined.
A good read. I did find this slow. 3*.

I found this book a diificult read - the premise is good, Rapscallion quite an amusing reboot (sorry for the pun) of Marvin the paranoid Android, and there;s plenty of action.

However, i found it too gory - didn't expect/want the horror side of the story and it was a slog

Sorry David Wellington - feels like a negative review - I never do these - I think perhaps I should have read the description, more carefully

"Paradise-1" was a fun read, but it was also exhausting. It's a long book (over 700 pages) and did feel like a bit of a slog to get through despite shortish chapters, nice writing, and constant action. I wasn't a huge fan of any of the characters, but that didn't bother me too much. I'm hoping there will be a follow-up book soon.

My thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley. This review was written voluntarily and is entirely my own, unbiased, opinion.

Thanks to David and NetGalley for allowing me to read Paradise-1.
Lt. Inspector Alexandra Petrova works for Firewatch, the Military Police. Keen to apprehend Jason Schmidt, a serial killer, she ignores Firewatch Director Lang’s orders with unexpected consequences.
Expecting to be dismissed, she finds herself being allocated to a task where she must travel to Paradise-1, a new colony, to check on the inhabitants.

She will travel on the Fast Transport Ship, Artemis with Dr. Zhang Lei, a very secretive man who avoids physical contact with anyone. Sam Parker will be the human pilot on Artemis.

The humans on board will enter cryosleep for the journey with the onboard AI, Actaeon, taking over the responsibility for the ship.

They are suddenly shaken out of their cryosleep pods to find the ship damaged and Actaeon failing to respond.

Can the crew carry out their mission as they find themselves in a world of holograms, avatars, zombies and cannibals .

Paradise 1 is sci-fi with a side of horror. It is quite, quite long and really only tells part of the story. I couldn’t decide if I’m completely satisfied with the ending, but I suppose it does make me curious for what will happen next. The last 80 pages or so were a slog to get through as well, I won’t lie. Overall, it was well written and intuiting and the characters were interesting and easy to like.

A compelling science fiction action thriller, with elements of space-horror, exploring the mystery of a planet that has caused a plague like infection in anyone who goes near it. Enter our intrepid pilot, a detective / cop whose been sent out of the way for screwing up, a broken doctor, and a plucky sentient AI robot. Each of the characters is fully fleshed out and completely believable, their back stories woven into their personalities and the story. Although this is a science fiction set in the future, all of the technological advancements seem both plausible, and natural, without information dumps that would detract from the story.

It's a fast paced driven story, with very high stakes, right from the beginning. The mystery of what is controlling and killing both AI's and people is compelling, and the story arc satisfying. It would make an incredible TV series as it hits all the right spots - it has action, horror, atmosphere, emotion, friendship, even a cheeky bit of possible romance, but most of all it has real people (and a real robot) trying to survive and potentially, to save the human race.

It doesn't get five stars from me because I don't like cliffhanger endings - and this is a solid cliff. It's half a story. I will definitely read the next novel in the series when it's published, and if it's anything like the first, but has an actual ending, then it'll be a five star read.