4 out of 4 stars
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Exiles’ Escape: Book Two of “Old Men and Infidels” by W. Clark Boutwell takes place in the dystopian future of America. In this novel, the USA is divided into three areas; the Unity on the East Coast, the RSA, the Restructured States of America, on the West Coast, and the Scorch which is located between the Unity and the RSA.
The Unity is a socialist country lead by the Solons. RSA continues to adopt the democratic way of living, yet are constantly waiting for an invasion lead by the Unity due to the RSA being less technologically developed.
The Unity suffers a great decline in which food production decreases, forcing them to invade the RSA. This drives the political war plotline in this novel. Five characters are at the heart of this novel, Dr. Jesse Johnstone, the old man, Malila Chiu, a hero from the RSA, and a Unity’s soldier.
A plan is construed to trick the entire Unity and General Jourdaine (who is orchestrating a coup détat) by faking eighteen-year-old Malila’s death in order to escape the Unity. Working with the workers of the beltways, Malila and her friend, Hecate, fight their way to the Scorch, meeting other young warriors along the way. They band together to stand up against the repressive government, plunging the reader into a high-stakes war between the Unity and the RSA.
I love everything about this novel, the intense fear of not knowing how the story will play out until you finish reading it coupled with the beautiful, transporting language Boutwell stitches into this masterpiece creates a world in which you will become lost in, spending hours eagerly absorbing every word. “Sharp-clawed feet scampered up her arms before pain- wet pain- radiated from her ears.” Reading this in context will feel like a million rats crawling all over you. Many more goose-bump-inducing descriptions await in this literary wonder.
Boutwell is a skilled worldbuilder, rivaling George R.R. Martin. This gripping tale is saturated with creative details that will impress genre fans, from the unknown Solons who rule the Unity, to tunnel dwellers who have rituals where they recite poetry.
The only possible negative is that you will not understand most of what’s happening if you haven’t read the first installment of this series. This all seems confusing, which it is. I highly suggest reading the first novel to be able to comprehend the events taking place.
Exiles’ Escape is a vivid dream littered with literary references, engineered to entertain science fiction enthusiasts.
I would recommend this novel to those who enjoy young adult science fiction, dystopian novels, and political warfare. This novel cannot be anything but a whopping 4 out of 4.
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Exiles' Escape
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