105 Ways to Give a Book

Exodus

ExodusI probably should have started this book by reading on the back jacketflap that the author, Julie Bertagna, lives in Scotland. It would have saved me a lot of energy in figuring out where in the world this story was taking place.

Exodus is a science fiction story, and as such would not usually be on my radar screen, but it looked interesting with the whole global warming theme — and Sheila liked it, so I gave it a go. It was out of my comfort zone — especially the whole cyberspace aspect — but I enjoyed it.

It’s the year 2100 and the melting ice caps have raised the ocean level so that all but the highest areas of land are underwater. No one on the island of Wing even knows where other civilizations may be, or if there are any. From her solitary ventures into the ghosts of the Internet, a teenage girl, Mara, learns about New World cities built high above the water. As the ocean finally creeps up on their island sanctuary, her people take to the sea to seek out a new life, only to find themselves shut out as useless refugees. Only Mara’s continued determination and vision can offer any hope as she moves through hidden worlds and a high-tech society.

I have to say, Exodus isn’t easy to put into a quick review, because so much keeps happening in the book. Where to stop explaining before you give too much away? There’s definitely a strong climate crisis message in the book, along with a brutal look at refugees. The book was darker than I expected, and I never really got the whole Weave thing, where the remains of the Internet exist with bits of information and monsters and cyber-adventures. Over my head. Overall though, I liked the book. It certainly kept my interest, and I had no idea what was going to happen next.

Head to Wands and Worlds for a much better and more detailed review. I’ve got to get back to reading.

5 comments:

Doret said...

I picked this up because of the cover and enjoyed it. I loved the owl people. I thought the Weave was a virtual reality world.

Becky said...

I've got this one in the tbr pile, but for some reason I keep getting intimidated by it. I'll have to give it a try though.

MotherReader said...

Doret, the Weave does seem to be a virtual reality world - that's the phrase I was looking for - but with elements of the Internet (long-lost news files, articles, etc) blended in. That's where I can't wrap my head around it. But then again, I still sort of believe that tiny little wizards are what make my computer work, so I may not be the best person to judge.

Becky, the sci-fi aspect was intimidating to me, but it is one jam-packed book.

Melissa said...

My main problem with this was not the premise or the story -- both of which were interesting -- but the way it was written. I just couldn't get past the present tense to enjoy the rest of it. I hate it when personal hangups get in the way of a good story.

tanita✿davis said...

Ooh, ooh- - where in Scotland!? I'm so excited to find that Elizabeth Wein lives an hour from me! Not like I'm going to stalk her or anything.
*cough*