Book Review: Exodus

First of all, may I say that this book is flat out weird. It was chosen as the Read and Rant Book Group's book of the month for March. Sadly, I was unable to make it. (Sorry again Gretchen!) Anyway, this book is about a future where all the polar ice caps are melting and there is no where left to go. It's sort of like the movie The Day After Tomorrow with Jake Gylennhal and Dennis Quaid. Only in this movie, the only place to go is these New World Cities in the sky. And if you ask me, those residents are kind of like the people who live in the Capitol in The Hunger Games. The whole premise is just abnormal. And on top of that, this book is written in present tense, which I absolutely DETEST! If you like funky futuristic books, be my guest and read this book! For me though, it was not one of my favorites.

Book Review: Exodus

Exodus by Julie Bertagna

Click on the cover to see which libraries own it.

SUMMARY: By 2099, global warming has taken its toll on the earth. Most of the world is underwater--mountaintops are now islands, and people are struggling to survive as the water rises. There is no mass communication, and no map of the known world. Fifteen-year-old Mara, using old technology to surf the remains of the Weave, finds out about sky cities that were built to rise above the water. She convinces the remaining population of her island, Wing, to venture into the unknown. But when the boats from her village arrive, they are kept out by a giant wall and gun-happy police. With nowhere else to go and nothing to lose, Mara sneaks inside the wall, and later the city, in a desperate attempt to save her friends.

OPINION: I started this book in the morning and finished it by lunchtime. The premise is completely plausible, the characters are excellently imagined, and their desperation is palpable. The story is told in the third-person present tense, which is an unusual style that adds to the sense of urgency. I haven't felt so compelled to finish a book in a while! The author created a believable future world in which environmental destruction is an issue, rather than an issue book about the environment that just happens to take place in the future. The message is subtle, but the story makes it clear. This is a great choice for fans of dystopian future survival fantasy such as The Hungry City Chronicles by Philip Reeve or Life As We Knew It and The Dead and the Gone by Susan Beth Pfeffer. I loved it so much that I ordered the sequel, Zenith, which is already available in England!