Adam Flynn is still only 17 years old, the first human born on Mars—and one of the few colonists still alive after an assault by insect-like aliens that swarmed out of the ground. Adam and his fellow survivors have had little energy to deal with their trauma (Adam lost his father, but no one emerged emotionally unscathed) as they work to make Hellas Station secure and livable again. A documentary team that left Earth before the disaster arrives, bringing a group of people who aren’t entirely convinced of the danger they’re in. Slowly, poor decisions and unexpected changes to the threats they’re facing drive the colonists to desperate measures.
Ron Wolff's RISE: Colony, Book 2 is fast-paced in the best way, efficiently moving the characters through a plausible series of small disasters that coalesce into a pulse-pounding race for survival. Wolff builds tension and dread mainly through Adam, a kid wise beyond his years due to the terror and responsibility thrust upon him. Adam can often sense that the people around him aren’t entirely reliable, and he can see when his elders—who should be protecting them—are making the grave mistake of dismissing his direct experience. It all leads to a well-constructed plot with a high body count that slowly spins up to an explosive climax.
However, the story suffers from a familiar premise: an isolated space colony, a devious alien creature that can infest the walls and ceilings, and bad decisions from panicked people are tropes that have been explored many times before. When the aliens also have acidic blood, echoes of films like Alien are hard to ignore and make predicting some of the plot turns relatively easy.
The story also suffers because many of the characters aren’t developed particularly deeply, which ensures that their fates (whether they be death or survival) don't land with much emotional impact. The teen characters are also not perceptibly different from the adults; it’s easy to forget everyone’s age, since everyone has approximately the same level of emotional intelligence, maturity, and skill. The only character who comes alive here is Adam, as the reader gets so much of his inner life.
Still, RISE is an enjoyable sci-fi thriller. It’s a fast read that delivers plenty of thrills, and the writing is sleek and peppered with fun lines. Readers looking for exciting sci-fi horror that doesn’t insult their intelligence will enjoy this, despite its flaws.
Despite paper-thin characters and a familiar story, Ron Wolff's RISE: Colony, Book 2 uses its fast pace to good effect.
—Jeff Somers for IndieReader