Revenant X by David Wellington was an enjoyable read, but it didn’t quite hit the same heights as the previous book in the series. While the premise and world-building remain intriguing, this installment felt less gripping overall. The pacing dragged in parts, and I didn’t feel as connected to the characters or plot as I did before.

That said, there were still elements I enjoyed, particularly Wellington’s ability to craft vivid, eerie atmospheres and his knack for intense action scenes. It wasn’t a standout for me, but fans of the series might still appreciate the continuation of the story.

For me, it was more of an average read compared to the previous book, but I’m still curious to see where the series goes from here.

3.75

An absolutely fantastic sequel to Paradise 1, a cracking scifi novel chock full of action, intrigue and horror.

Definitely makes you fear the dark.

Short snappy chapters, clever plot, utterly insane goings on and our favourite disparate, ragtag band of characters back to fight another day.

I loved it. I really wish book 3 was available already.

Revenant X is a great, unnerving Sci-Fi horror with a fast paced and tense story, though personally it doesn’t quite live up to the high bar set by the first book in the series. I won’t include any spoilers for either book here, but the story of Revenant X is a direct follow-on from Paradise-1, and I feel the first book is necessary for understanding the storyline and character motivations.

The story of Revenant X revolves around a team crash landing on a planet, and finding the local colony abandoned under suspicious circumstances. Finding out what happened to the colonists is the order of the day here, and the result is a tense and compelling narrative that maintains its fast pace throughout. Description of the enemies certainly helps this - despite some hostiles being quite ‘abstract’, I thought their nature built a ton of tension in the novel by itself.

The characters carried over from Paradise-1 are developed in this sequel with more emotional depth, and it’s good to see the psychological weight of the events of both books taking a toll on the protagonists; it gives the narrative a bit more depth, and provides the book with greater stakes.