Gollancz acquires science fiction murder mystery set on Mars

Gollancz is delighted to announce the acquisition of World Rights to science fiction thriller ONE WAY and its sequel by S.J. Morden. Perfect for fans of Andy Weir’s The Martian and Richard Morgan, ONE WAY is a murder mystery set on the frozen wastes of Mars. Eight astronauts, one Killer, no way home.

Gollancz Senior Editor, Rachel Winterbottom, bought the rights to the two-book deal from Antony Harwood at Antony Harwood Ltd.

Author, S. J. Morden said: ‘It’s not often a writer gets the opportunity to both let their geek flag fly high, and slaughter their way through a cast of ne’er-do-wells and reprobates at the same time. I’m looking forward to this.’

Acquiring editor, Rachel Winterbottom said: ‘ONE WAY takes off like a rocket and pulls the reader along on a terrifying, epic ride along with a wonderfully nuanced cast of characters. This is what happens when you put a group of morally dubious people together in one of the harshest environments and ask them to survive against all the odds. I am so delighted to be working with Simon on this gripping duology.’

Agent, Ant Harwood said: ‘I’m over the moon – make that Mars – to see S.J. Morden, a brilliant, natural-born storyteller, getting together with Gollancz, the uber-publisher for SFF, to produce this exciting two-part thriller.’

ONE WAY opens at the dawn of a new era – one in which we’re ready to colonise Mars. But the contract to build the first ever Martian base has been won by the lowest bidder, so they need to cut a lot of corners. The first thing to go is the automatic construction… the next thing they’ll have to deal with is the eight astronauts they’ll sent up to build it, when there aren’t supposed to be any at all.

Frank – father, architect, murderer – is recruited for the mission with the promise of a better life, along with seven of his most notorious fellow inmates. As his crew sets to work, the accidents mount up, and Frank begins to suspect they might not be accidents at all. As the list of suspects grows shorter, it’s up to Frank to uncover the terrible truth before it’s too late.

ONE WAY will be available in trade paperback, ebook and audio on 15 February 2018.