3 out of 4 stars
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Exiles’ Escape, by W. Clark Boutwell, is the second book in the sci-fi series Old Men and Infidels. The book deals with a complex and intricate storyline with a diverse cast of characters. While it is the continuation of a series, I read it without having read the first book and was largely able to follow along.
The central story in the book is the clash between the Unity and the Restructured States of America. The Unity’s entire population is young and the government tells its civilians that after the age of forty they are moved to a secluded utopia. The reality is that they are Sapped (turned into mindless zombie soldiers). The story of the Unity’s side is shown to us through the eyes Malila Chiu and her friend Hecate Jones who are both slated for Sapping and are fleeing the Unity. On the other side of the Rampart, the huge defensive structure that separates the Unity from America, we meet Jesse. Jesse is a soldier who is tied to the creation of Ageplay, a substance that prolongs youthful existence. He is back in civilisation after years in the wilderness and finds that he has enemies. The enemies are among the very people he has protected for decades. There are even shadowy factions like the Syntopians who are trying to kill him to discredit Ageplay. As the two sides plot and scheme to dominate, they are also rife with conflict from within. There are a variety of complex interrelationships between these characters and a whole host of other characters as well. However, to say more would spoil the joy of reading it as a great deal of what the book promises is an intricate storyline.
While it may already be apparent, it still needs to be said. My favourite part of this book was the intricate and complex storyline that was being woven. With so many different parties, each with their own vested interests, the book kept me on my toes. I was eager to discover how the plot would move forward. The truly impressive part is that while the narrative was elaborate, at no point was I confused by it. It is a fine line between reading a puzzler and just being puzzled but this book managed to keep my interest throughout.
In addition, I was also very impressed with the novelty of the sci-fi elements of this story. My favourite was the CORE, a physical representation of a futuristic internet. The people can interact with the CORE via interfaces which have a physical existence in the CORE. Their personalities and the descriptions of one of the characters attempting to navigate through this dimension were novel ideas to me. To navigate here, he and his interface have to turn off certain dimensions of objects and use the reduced shadows to orient themselves in the bizarreness of the CORE. This way of representing the world of information as well as the manner in which it is described was extremely entertaining and thought-provoking.
However, while the plot was complex, the characters are another question. I found them all to be rather one-dimensional and simple. Moreover, there was little to no character development for even the major characters. This meant that I was curious about the plot but had no emotional investment in any of the characters. For example, Jesse is just an old soldier who is tough, intelligent and a bit of a romantic. We don’t really get to see him change or see his inner conflict, although there is ample scope for that to happen. This is probably a result of telling a story of this scale in such a relatively short book. I hope that the transformation is just slow and will happen over the course of the series.
I would recommend this book to people who love a good sci-fi story that is set in an interesting world. Even though it is possible to follow the series by starting with this book, I would recommend reading the series in order. The additional context would be helpful in following along and enjoying the plot. In conclusion, although I enjoyed the plot, the lack of character development does make the book as a whole less engaging than it could be. As a result, I give this book 3 out of 4 stars.
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Exiles' Escape
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