Victor Dixen’s phenomenal Phobos trilogy comes to an explosive and astonishing end in the finale, Collision!
Warning: this is a review for the third and final book in a trilogy, so while I’ll try my best to keep it spoiler-free, any discussion at all will necessarily spoil the first two books a bit. If you need to catch up, come back later! (Or at least look at reviews for Ascension and Distortion!)

So, everything I had hoped for while reading the earlier books was explored really well, which goes to show that Victor Dixen is a master of subtle character hints! We get to see the controlling nature of Alexei come to the forefront, and Kris, his now-wife, gets a much more to do than just agree with him and be controlled by him. As I suspected in Distortion, Andrew and Harmony have a much larger role – it is definitely a challenge to have two plots with completely separate characters who never meet, but here their goals align with the Mars characters more fully, and Harmony in particular really grows as a character and has a huge impact on the plot!

Léonor continues to be a wonderful, believable anchor for the reader, and it’s amazing to watch her try to cope in the immediate aftermath of Marcus’s actions in the previous book. She rekindles her relationship with Mozart (remember back when things were simple, and a love triangle was the worst she had to deal with?!), and hers is not the only marriage breaking down. It’s almost as if asking 12 volatile teens in a super-stressful situation to make a group decision on how to pair up isn’t the best way to create everlasting love! It’s utterly fascinating to watch as the group dynamics break down, shift, and reform – even without the other factors, this would be really compelling.

The reality-TV/control of the masses plotline really ramps up too, with Serena, the woman behind everything, going into full moustache-twirling villainhood and manipulating her way into the Presidency. The US becomes a dystopian mess under her rule, complete with rebel factions, and though the Mars crew can only watch in horror, it serves to perfectly underscore the urgency of their plotlines. It’s really well-crafted, and works beautifully to have the huge scale issues (sending people to Mars, gaining control of a country) reflected down into individual pinpoints as the characters suffer. There are more twists and turns than ever before, and once you get about 200 pages from the end, make sure you won’t be interrupted, because you’ll race through, utterly captivated! Things get, well, explosive. Will Léonor and the group survive, maybe even make it home?

I think ‘compelling’, really, is the word to sum up this book and the whole series. They’re enormously good fun – really pacey, totally original, and compulsively readable. They’re perfect for reading when you don’t have much focus, because you get completely dragged into the high drama and excitement! Collision is just so much fun, and a fantastic close to the trilogy. Five out of five stars!

If you’ve been listening to me the last 18 months, I’ve been enjoying Victor Dixen’s series immensely and highly anticipating COLLISION. I feel satisfied with the culmination but it was one crazy ride! I have felt angst, suspense and desperation for answers.

So many unexpected events occurred in COLLISION despite the cliff that DISTORTION left us with. I felt pretty shocked in particular, at the turns in some of the characters’ behaviours. Everything you think you knew about the couples and individuals were thrown up in the air and came down in a different way; I gasped. I didn’t care for the Marcus storyline as much as the others.

Leonor remained the most solid, reliable character and protagonist. Mozart grew on me more. Serena McBee, well she surpassed the scale of devious and evil with some revelations no one could see coming. I felt frustrated with Earth politics at times, wanting to get back to Mars. Andrew and Harmonie were in the forefront a lot which brought some exciting developments.

Victor Dixon knows how to keep readers on the edge of their seats and in some ways, I still am left in suspense with some elements left unanswered but acknowledged as such. This is a series that is memorable and I do hope he will write more in the world of sci-fi. Thank you, it’s been a ride!

I voluntarily read an early copy of this book.

I personally feel that the beauty of these books is in their superficial setting that gives way to much more difficult issues. If you're pitching this series the first thing you might say is 'Oh it's a speed dating show but they're on their way to Mars' and you all laugh at where the world has come to. But, the thing is, not only is that premise entirely plausible in a world where nigh on everything is a reality TV show anyway (if you've never watched The Great Pottery Throw Down do yourself a favour and look it up), but equally this series genuinely tackles with some really difficult themes and ideas within the framework of this fairly vapid TV show. Now that we're at book three the romantic side of the story is almost relegated to being a subplot, while the real story is about trying to survive and maintain your humanity, whether you're on Mars facing the elements or on Earth facing an equally dangerous threat of a far more human nature. 

This book, I believe, is a bit longer than the previous books in this series, certainly, there's a lot to pack in and a number of different perspectives. I will say that it is gripping throughout, I never felt like I was dying to get to the end as I was genuinely interested in or invested in all of the viewpoints. Having that view of both sides of the...galaxy(?) definitely helps to bring all the viewpoints into a broader perspective and helps to take this away from the romantic teen-angst novel I might have originally expected.

There are some moments where I personally felt like some of the dialogue felt a little overwrought. Times when I thought the characters might be deemed a little too dramatic - but you know, they're the ones stuck on an alien planet facing the continuous prospect of death, perhaps I can allow them the right to be a bit more poetic than normal? 

This also feels like a book with a good amount of science behind it. It isn't like some science fiction, the kind that tries to give you a physics lesson while you go. I have no idea how accurate or implausible the science in this book might have been, it certainly seemed believable while reading it and the diagrams and illustrations are a fun addition, making the whole thing have more of a realistic feel - helping with that whole 'unrealistic premise' issue. So, physics whizzes feel free to correct me if this is, in fact, the most ludicrous pseudo-science that has ever been, but I wouldn't have said this was a book you read for the science...?

My one criticism is something of a spoiler...which I don't want to go into here as I want this review to be spoiler-free. Let's just say that a character reveals something and the reaction from the characters is less than wonderful and then I didn't feel like that was addressed or challenged particularly well. I would have liked to see some better representation and it was a big part of why this wasn't a five star read for me. 

This was a wonderfully varied and still punchy finish to a series that truly surpassed any and all of my expectations. If you read the synopsis for book one and thought 'well that sounds silly' then you'd be totally right, but this book does a wonderful job of spinning a slightly ridiculous story into something beyond global, something that is simultaneously a comment on humanity as a whole and also a deeply personal look at the stories of several individuals and the choices they take throughout these four books. Yes it is silly, yes it is incredibly YA, but there's something at the core of it that really hits home. 

My rating: 4/5 stars

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher, all opinions are my own.

Collision is the third and final book in the Phobos Trilogy, and boy is it an exceptional conclusion to an original and exciting series. This is one of those books you are compelled to race through at speed whilst also wishing to read it more slowly in order to savour it. As in the previous books, Dixen commits to continuing the superb worldbuilding and characterisation which grabs a hold of you and refuses to let go. You are immersed in the world and the characters feel like friends you really care for by the end of their fun but often dangerous journey.

As always there are ample twists and turns and all come at you from nowhere time after time completely blindsiding the reader, and the translation, which can often make or break a book in terms of success, is so perfectly done that you simply can't tell that it was originally written in French. I found the denouement both fitting and satisfying but was ultimately sad that this journey and epic adventure was over. A fully deserved five stars from me. I can't wait to see exactly what Mr Dixen comes up with next.

Many thanks to Hot Key Books for an ARC.

Collision by Victor Dixen

This is quite possibly the best conclusion to a trilogy I’ve ever read. It retains it’s blockbuster feel throughout and you won’t want to come up for breath.
I did find myself reading this much more slowly than the others as I was conflicted. Part of me wanted, needed, to know what happened but there was a part of me that wasn’t ready to say goodbye to this world, or Leo.

There are two new frames of reference for me with this final enstallment. Since reading Distortion, I’ve watched Capricorn One, which is this amazing American Consiparcy Thriller. Wow, the tone from the movie was pitch perfect for this final book and it has be itching to see this trilogy on the silver screen even more.
The other was Brexit. I know it’s been around oin the UK since 2016, but it’s Collision that holds a lot of the political vibe and characterisations of those in power.

There is amazing resolves for all of our favourite characters and while I’m left feeling satisfied by the plot resolutions, Victor doesn’t hide away from adding new elements in during this final act.
The establishment of rules and laws is a particular highlight and does raise a number of ethical questions about creating an isolated society.

The writing, as always, is perfect and flawlessly translated. I’m hoping the end of this trilogy will mark the start of more translated work of Victor Dixen.