I received an advance review
copy free; I am leaving this review voluntarily.
The Exodus Betrayal is a sci-fi
thriller/cyber punk novel that is well written, exciting, and difficult to put
down. I especially enjoyed the strong female principal character, Alvera
Renata. The story is told from her first-person perspective revealed with the
first line of the book, "Welcome to my head." What follows is a
fast-moving story of betrayal and intrigue. The story is not overly long and
there is no filler. There are lots of unexpected twists and turns to add to the
suspense contained within. I just think it is a splendid book, and it is well
worth looking at.
Warrant Hunter (bounty hunter)
Alvera Renata lives on the planet New Pallas. It is a dismal place where
corporations pay low wages to do very dangerous jobs. The "sletes"
(short for Obsoletes) work in mines extracting various materials for the
corporations on an upper level of the planet called the Spire. The sletes slave
away without adequate food and no access to medicine, they have no other
choice. Over everything is a mysterious space station orbiting above the
planet. No one really knows what it is doing there, or who occupies it because
anytime someone tried to travel to it, they are killed before they can even get
close.
Alvera doesn't care for the way
the common folk of the planet are treated and feels an urge to make changes.
But she is only one person. It's going to be an arduous task, if not
impossible.
As is mentioned in the book's
prologue, Alvera wishes she had a mind of her own. She has cybernetic implants
that enhance her abilities, but she is also monitored and receives messages
through her tech. The sad thing about Alvera is she really doesn't have an
identity she can call her own, and even worse, she doesn't know it. She is
tough and determined and has made a few enemies during her time on the job.
Even though she is tough, she also has compassion. She cares about the people
on the planet's surface wand believes everyone should have an equal opportunity
to reach their potential. Unfortunately, her ambitions are controlled by a man
who is the embodiment of evil. His name is Ryce.
Ryce has no redeeming
qualities. He is controlling, manipulative, and knows just how to make Alvera
do things he wants her to do, and things she doesn't want to. He sees no value
in the lives of the sletes. Ryce is the ultimate user and doesn't care who is
hurt. He is a brilliantly written villain, and I disliked him from the first
time he was introduced in the story.
My favorite point of the plot
is how Alvera grows as she learns more about herself. She is secure in who she
is until she learns a key point about her past. It throws her into a lot of self-doubt,
but she copes with it. With the story told in the first-person point of view,
we get a lot of insight into her putting pieces together, but she never loses
sight of her goal. A victim of deception and betrayal are only obstacles for
her to remove.
My major takeaway from Betrayal
is the good versus evil trope in this book. Ryce is the epitome of evil in this
story, while Alvera is the good. The only problem is, sometimes even good must
revert to evil tactics to be successful. Alvera is not beyond stooping as low
as Ryce to advance her cause, the only difference is Alvera frequently has
regrets for what she is forced to do.
The blurb from the back cover
mentions a comparison with Blade Runner. AI read I had that noir kind of
feeling all the way through. It just seems like Alvera had way too many things
against her to succeed. Other things I appreciated was the world building the
author presented. She does a great job of showing a story that unfolds like a
film in one's mind with visuals and descriptions that are vivid, but not
overstated.
I recommend The Exodus Betrayal
as a finely crafted Sci-Fi story with a strong female lead to rival any I have
seen so far.
After completing her Masters in
English Literature, she went on to work in journalism and marketing and
communications while pursuing her passion for writing.
When she’s not working on her
books, she enjoys playing story-driven RPGs, watching and reading all things
science fiction and fantasy, and getting outdoors with the dog for a good walk!
Well, there it is...
Qapla
No comments:
Post a Comment