Escaping Exodus audiobook

This was a hell of a ride. I don't even truly know where to begin with my review because honestly this was my first dive into this intense of a sci-fi book. I wasn't sure what to expect, but I definitely thought that this was a great read. Trigger Warnings: body horror, violence, death, slavery .Escaping Exodus focuses on this matriarchal alien (this is the best way I know how to describe them without really giving away too much) society that inhabits a beast/huge creature that travels through space. It's written in dual perspective and the reader gets the perspective of Seska (the heir to the throne) as well as Adalla (beast worker). Each travels on this journey of self-discovery/identity all in hopes of providing the best for their community. Two of my favorite aspects of this book were the plot development and the writing. Seska and Adalla were fascinating characters that were so distinctively different (this book has a sapphic romance as well as representation of polyamourous relationships). I have trouble with books with multiple perspectives some times because the voices end up blending together and sounding similar; however, in the case of this book I must admit that Drayden did a fabulous job fleshing out these two characters and their journeys and experiences. It was so amazing to watch two women who were so close and had essentially built this bond and relationship go in two different directions based on their experiences in the community. Seska was blind to the true intentions of the society while Adalla learned the gruesome facts and treatment that some individuals continued to experience at the expense of making the upper class feel comfortable. In fact, Drayden utilizes these two characters to discuss a few social issues that impact our world. And while (as stated by other reviewers) some of the social issues were too transparent to be set in a SF world, I do think that Drayden still created a unique story while still addressing modern social issues. In addition, Drayden's writing was phenomenal. I've read a few SF things before but most of them have been small. Quite honestly, I find myself intimidated by the genre because I never feel like I would get the technicalities of the worlds in which these stories exist. However, to me, Escaping Exodus felt accessible. I wasn't intimated by the language or the world building or the intricacies of how this society functioned. It all made sense. Drayden wrote with such descriptive language that I literally felt immersed in every scene that I read. There was also this sense of humor that Drayden was able to incorporate in the text that literally made me laugh out loud during certain scenes. It was so good that I anticipated even checking out some of her other works. One thing that did prevent me from giving this book a full five stars was the ending. The time jumps just seemed a little rushed. The beginning of the book felt evenly paced, but when we got the end of the book it felt like Drayden felt the need to wrap things up too quickly. It left one specific character one-dimensional which was so unfortunate because I wanted to know more about them. Other than that, I enjoyed this book and I'm really looking forward to seeing what exactly is going to happen with the second book in the series.

4.5 starsThis was so, so amazing! And so close to being a full 5 stars for me. This is an incredible, unique, queer, sci-fi story that I could not get enough of. Which is why I was a little sad that the ending was so rushed. There was so much going on throughout the book and it did such a good job building everything up to the very end, just for it to wrap up way too quickly. It really dropped the ball on one of my favorite characters and overall was just not a satisfying ending. But I still loved this book so much and am looking forward to more from Nicky Drayden.

4.5 StarsThis was one of those wonderful reading experiences when I picked up a book on a whim, with very few preconceived ideas, and absolutely fell in love with the story. The premise reminded me of the novel, The Stars are Legion, but this was honestly so much better executed.Given the biological nature of the world, there were some rather gross scenes that I personally enjoyed, but might turn off more squeemish readers. The ending wrapped up the story a little too quickly for my tastes, but otherwise I loved everything else about this novel. The story focuses heavily around politics and interpersonal relationships with the inclusion of several forms of diverse representation. Within this novel, there are people of colour with queer sexual orientations living with plural family structures. I loved that the story addressed so many powerful themes, from life issues to gender equality, in complex and thoughtful ways. This was my first time reading Nicky Drayden’s work, but it certainly won’t be the last! I’m very interested to check out her backlist novels. I suspect this novel won’t be for everyone, but it certainly was for me. I would highly recommend it to anyone looking for a weird, diverse space opera with an engaging plot and well developed characters. 

4.5 starsWow, this is one of the weirdest sci-fi books I've read, but it's also fantastic. The main characters are part of matriarchal, polyamorous society that travels through space inside of an enormous, sentient creature. Seske is heir to the seat of leadership and her best friend and first love is from a lower caste and not an option as one of the people she will be expected to court and marry. Meanwhile, their people are struggling to survive, there are political conspiracies, the beast who is their home is not well, and dark secrets lurk beneath the surface of society.There are a lot of bizarre things that happen in Escaping Exodus, but it's woven into really well-executed world-building and social commentary. Society is run by women and group marriages of 10 people are the norm. But rather than some kind of utopia, we get a world that is heavily stratified by class and gender, and one where there is plenty of oppression to go around. Men have less decision-making power, are often the victims of sexual harassment, and are kept out of activities viewed as unsuitable for them, such as policy making. There is very little opportunity for upward mobility and the lowest castes are even denied names, their only identity being tied to their status or job. It's a really interesting book and I definitely would continue with the series. Heads up that there are a lot of scenes involving various fluids, either from the creature they live inside or from people. And there are some kind of creepy scenes involving tentacles. But it's really quite innovative!

Video review here: https://youtu.be/rwf7zK9bl1cI got an ARC in exchange for a review. Opinions are my own. Drayden has created an imaginative playground of a world that allows her to showcase her strengths: her creativity and her humor. I was fascinated by the social orders and mechanics of the beast described within the book. The chemistry between Seske/ Adalla and their rival love interests was believable, and I became heavily invested in certain relationships working out. While the narrators Seske and Adalla felt like fully fleshed out, distinct human beings, some of the side characters felt flat or trope-y. There was one antagonist and a side character in particular who I felt like could have easily been given more depth, and I wanted to know more about but didn't. Book includes some social commentary, and while the basics of this alternate society (polyamorous, matriarchal, utilitarian) were believable to me, some of the commentary felt forced or heavy handed because it seemed too based in our world and not the one Drayden had created. The ending felt a bit muddled and rushed to me, but on the whole, an immersing, highly enjoyable read.

4.5 out of 5 starsThis was an *exceptionally* enjoyable, delightful, engaging book. It was the first time I had read something by this author however I was so impressed by it that I plan on checking out her other works. The story line is well thought out, the characters have depth and you find yourself almost instantly drawn in to their lives, the drama and the inner workings of living out in space. The author has done a fine job of creating her own "fantasy" world, complete with it's own universe/atmosphere and even some of it's own language which is beautifully and creatively detailed. The chapters - which average around 15 pages (however some are significantly smaller and a few are a bit larger) - switch between the viewpoints of the 2 main characters, Seske and Adalla. For anyone who is looking for a well written book with a sci-fi feel and it's own background which is supporting a very original story, you may find that you really enjoy this book.In closing, I wish to say that I won this book during a GoodReads giveaway. While a review is requested, it is not required. I give this honest review of my own accord. I also wish to thank the author and publisher for allowing me this opportunity to read this book - I am both appreciative and grateful.

Video Review (Spoiler Free): https://youtu.be/iLswE3eJpyQ Actual Rating: 4.5/5I knew the minute I started this book during online reading sprints that it would be another Nicky Drayden that I would love it, and I was right. I was prepared for the cool world building based on reviews but I was not ready to be so invested in the plights of the main characters and the mysteries they would uncover. Throw in some forbidden love tropes and even more cool world building and it was a fantastic time. My only complaint is I think the ending wrapped up a bit too quickly, I would have been happy stretching that out a bit but otherwise I loved the themes, the story ad characters which is really all I ever want from a reading experience!

This review and others can be read on my blog, Black Forest Basilisks.I love weird, squishy, biological scifi, and I was impressed by how perfectly Escaping Exodus delivered on this front. When I originally read the premise on Goodreads – “a city-size starship carved up from the insides of a space-faring beast” – I knew I had to get my hands on this book. I’ll admit that I came in feeling a hint of trepidation: what if the beast is relegated to being in the background? What if it’s a normal spaceship that’s only “alive” when it’s plot convenient? Etc., etc. Fortunately, we were wading through ichor and entrails from the very first page. My worries were utterly baseless. Nicky Drayden embraced every bit of icky organic goodness right from the start.The novel opens on one of our protagonists, Seske, cutting herself free from a cocoon filled with stasis fluid, and we only get squishier and more organic from there. Seske is the daughter of the Matris – the matriarch and leader of her culture and nation aboard the space beast. Her love interest and our other point of view character, Adala, comes from a long line of heart workers – literally, the families in charge of maintaining the beast’s heart by cutting away sores, lesions, and pests from the beast’s flesh to keep it healthy for its inhabitants. Adala has been trained from birth for this position, and her family’s legacy is braided into her hair to show the generations that came before her. However, she’s not guaranteed a position in the heart; the standards are both high and harsh, due to the great dangers involved in working in that particular organ. Every time the heart beats, the beast’s vein flood with ichor… washing away anyone who did not properly count the time between beats and who didn’t manage to cut a slit into the sides of the beast’s innards to anchor themselves against the flow. ‘Instinctually, I hold my breath, as we had done so many times during practice, though from the gasping all around me, not everyone has been so thoughtful. The oily flow grips at me, bids me to get washed away. I hug that little strip of flesh like it’s my closest friend, hoping my cut holds just a few seconds longer. But in all my fear, all my dread, something springs forth in my heart… a feeling that I’m in a place I’ve belonged all my life.’Despite these careful ministrations, acting as a host to a full civilization is incredibly stressful on the beast’s internal systems. Typically, the beasts begin to die after around 7-10 years, at which point they must move to a new one. The beast herds do not reproduce quickly enough to keep up with the demand for Seske’s ship and the other nations inhabiting them, which results in strife amongst the various space-beast-faring civilizations. The political and familial structures on the beast are fascinating, and the reader is shoved into them with little explanation. The social order is structured as a matriarchy, with Seske’s mother, the Matris, being in charge… with Seske in line to inherit, but at odds with her illegitimate and nameless sister, who has her own goals and plans to capture the throne. Sisterkin is not allowed to be a part of the family, but she’s Matris’ own biological child. Matris favors her given this blood connection, even if Seske is her heir by law. Sisterkin, as she is called, plots and schemes to take what she views as her rightful place within the ship’s hierarchy. ‘Sisterkin steps between us. “I can guide you, Seske. I know all the ways of the Matriarchy, all the Lines.” She smiles, though the gesture is more like the baring of teeth, the too-white teeth that haunt children’s dreams. Though she was born of Matris’s blood, she is not a part of our family and has no claim to our lines. As per the tenets of our ancestors, she cannot partake of our family teas, so she sips hot water from her dainty cups instead. Our head-father is not permitted to teach her, so Matris hires private tutors. Sisterkin is not allowed at our table, so Mother had an archipelago built where Sisterkin can dine with us without dining with us. Her hair grows freely upon her head, like a boundless sunburst, not the carefully braided knots of our line. Sisterkin has been given nothing, not even a true name. Sisterkin was Matris’s first abomination, and now there’s this surly beast she’s chosen.’Due to population concerns, the family units are large; each child has ten people considered their parents/family unit. Many terms, often left unexplained, are thrown at the reader. Even after finishing, I’m not entirely clear on what constitutes a heart mother, a will mother, or a tin uncle. It’s a little too opaque at times and the roles are not fully explained, though it certainly adds great flavor to the story. Science fiction and fantasy provide so many opportunities for authors to play with social structure, and far too few authors take advantage of that flexibility; it’s not an idea that can be explored to nearly the same degree in contemporary or historical fiction. It’s unique to SFF, and it brings me joy every time I see it. Given the matriarchal structure of the society, the narrative surrounding feminism is flipped. It is the men in this society who lack for power and political clout. They are expected to paint their faces, stay quiet, be seen but not heard. They cannot appear to have any power over the women in their lives, who are expected to know better and be the dominant personality. At one point, Seske is performing a bit of political espionage dressed up as a man; she notes how she’s culturally invisible, isn’t allowed into the same spaces as a woman, and discovers constraints on male behavior she didn’t even know existed. ‘I blink. My eyelids are so heavy, holding up to a dozen tiny gemstones each. My whole body feels like I’ve been dunked in slime, but my, how I glisten. I’ve never felt so bold, so beautiful. Doka made me practice my walk while mimicking his gestures. He spoke of calling upon the honor of my patriline, and now I am enjoying the fruits of my toil, no longer Seske Kaleigh, but Sesken Pmalamar, son of fathers.’There are many small touches in the prose that created a distinct voice for each of the different castes aboard the ship. The prose is neither purple nor workmanlike, but instead focuses on reflecting the social order of each character. The vernacular of the boneworkers is separate from the jargon of the heartworkers, and the speech of the Contour Class citizens at the top is refined and somewhat archaic-sounding in comparison. These details pull in the reader and highlight the differences between each social echelon – at the lowest level, the disposable grisette workers aren’t even allowed to speak with individuals outside their own class. As Adala is forced between these different groups, she encounters not only these linguistic differences, but also differences in how touch, privacy, and personal space are viewed. ‘I’m pulled into their rough huddle, laughing, joking, trying to seem like I’m relaxing, while studying their body cues and posture so I can learn to speak and act and think like they do.’The primary issue in this book is not that any plot line or cultural aspect was uninteresting, but rather that I felt none of them quite got the attention they deserved. A few key plot points felt a little half-baked, requiring some convoluted and out of character decisions to bring them about. Oftentimes, the situations Seske or Adala found themselves in or the decisions they made didn’t make much sense to me – it seemed like their decisions were driven by the plot rather than the plot being driven by their decisions. The precise point of the book was ambiguous, with too many aspects competing for attention. Was this a book about diminishing resources for generation ships? Was this a book about sexism? Was this a book about conservation? Or perhaps this was a book about political machinations? It was hard to tell what the author cared about most. If each aspect had been fully fleshed out, the novel would have felt significantly more cohesive and engaging. Many plot threads were left dangling or were hand-waved away as “solved!” in the conclusion without adequate supporting narrative. That said, the overall setting and structure of the book was more than enough to compensate for these issues, and the book as a whole was incredibly enjoyable and touched on many great ideas I haven’t seen presented in quite this way before.This book is an excellent choice for anyone hankering for a thoughtful look at discrimination in our own society wrapped up in a wonderfully biological package. Fans of Kameron Hurley’s Bel Dame Apocrypha or Wildbow’s Twig web serial will find much to love in this exciting new afrofuturism addition to the biopunk genre.If you enjoyed this review, please consider reading others like it on my blog, Black Forest Basilisks.

"How many fingers am I holding up behind my back now?" I say."One," he says with a sigh. "And it's most inappropriate."—p.21I'm going to tell you right up front that I was already a big Nicky Drayden fan, well before I picked up Escaping Exodus. Her prose is always fluid, breezy and intimate, with a fresh and exotic feel infused by Drayden's experiences in South Africa. And the stories she likes to tell are the kind of sf I like to read: speculative fictions, as opposed to "hard" SF—internally consistent, but not terribly hung up on scientific plausibility.Our histories lie in rubble, buried upon a deadrock spinning under a forgotten sky. Our futureslie in waiting, buried within this magnificent beasttraversing the stars we now call home.—Matris Otoasa, 438 years after ExodusEscaping Exodus begins with the epigram above. Earth has long been lost... but humanity perseveres. We've taken to the stars, no longer bound to a single planetary surface... but we haven't done it alone. People—the only people who are left, anyway—now ride through space as hitchhikers inside gigantic star-traveling beasts, exotic biosystems each capable of supporting thousands of people. (In my own—unfinished, unpublished—efforts along these lines, I called 'em "starwhales".)In a word: human beings are parasites... and not especially benign ones, either. Being infested by humans isn't all that good for an organism's health, as it turns out—the "Exodus" in Escaping Exodus refers not just to humanity's long-ago departure from Earth, but more urgently to the all-too-frequent need for these clans to leave one dying beast and capture a fresh one from the herd.Like I said: parasites.Escaping Exodus remains true to its setting; it's relentlessly biological. Squishy. Moist. If you enjoyed the rot, decay, filth and bodily fluids in Kameron Hurley's The Stars Are Legion, for example, then this book (and its sequel Symbiosis) will be right up your... erm, you'll like these, too. (The phrase (view spoiler)["tentacle-cooch" (hide spoiler)] appears on p.263. Don't say I didn't warn you!)*What do you do when you discover that, for centuries, your whole society has been profiting from ancient atrocities that no one wants to acknowledge? It's hard to believe that the folks who dwell in the belly (and organs, ducts, and interstices) of these beasts don't know... but when you do find out—when the reality slaps you unmistakably in the face—don't you think you'd try to stop the atrocities that are still going on?I mean, seriously... how stupid could a species be, to trash its entire world for short-term gain?It strikes me that Escaping Exodus as a whole is nothing less than an allegory—and if Nicky Drayden doesn't know exactly what she's doing here, I'll eat my "Keep Portland Weird" bumper sticker.*All that subtext takes place in the background, though. In the foreground are two vivid viewpoint characters: Seske Kaleigh, the Matriling (and Matris-to-be) of an intricately-constructed matrilineal society whose pieces fit together plausibly even when they diverge significantly from Earthbound examples, and Beastworker Adalla, who is absolutely, positively, nothing more than Seske's childhood friend. Adalla has no plans to become Seske's wife—her great ambition is to serve the beast's heart, helping it maintain its rhythmic beat, once every three minutes and forty-seven seconds.Despite their social differences, though—or perhaps because of them—Seske and Adalla become catalysts for change to a system that's persisted for centuries...*This review has been woefully delayed, I must admit, but not by any lack of appreciation for the work. Nicky Drayden's lively SF doesn't play by the usual rules. I enjoy it immensely. And I think Escaping Exodus is my favorite Drayden book to date.

The ending?! I'm screaming

I think this is the first time I'm saying this this year - since I normally use CAWPILE to decide my ratings for books, but there is one rating (for characters) that I'm not sure if its a 9 or an 8 and this is apparently the difference between a 4 or 5 star rating, so I guess this is my first 4.5 star read of the year? Anyway....This book is unlike anything I've read before. Mind you I'm not a huge SF reader so I don't have a lot of things to compare it too, and I didn't really have any expectations going in other than that I hoped this books insides were are pretty as its outsides and that it would provide for an interesting diverse read. It pretty much delivered on all of this and more. Everything about the world Drayden created felt so unique and foreign to me, I loved it. I loved the society that she created and the way these were used to make some very interesting, although maybe slightly on the nose, points about class and socio-economic issues. To be honest I kind of liked the "on the nose" ness of these things - sometimes I just need to be told the point in order to truly understand the perspective of people who are very much unlike me. I do think maybe the story ended a bit to quickly, I could've used one or two extra chapters just to wrap up what happens in the last chapter a bit more? Maybe this will all be covered in the next book (which I will gladly pick up as soon as I can) but reading the synopsis I think that's set a few years after this book so maybe none of that will be relevant. I think this book might be a new favorite and Nicky Drayden is for sure an author I'm going to be keeping my eyes on and most likely devouring whatever she publishes.

What a weird book. I never thought I would enjoy something like this so much. People living inside a space beast. With everything that entails. There is talk about the anus, the womb and all sorts of places you would likely never want to find yourself. On top of this is a rich class system and so many emotional moments.While I can't say that this book is a favorite, I can definitely say that the obscurity of this book will stick with me for a while. If weird is what you are looking for, I'd definitely say give this book a shot.

Lesbian space adventure was all I knew going into this novel and I can honestly say that it ended up being SO much more than that. I didn't realise until I opened it up that this was going to be a novel where the matriarchy is set up to be as toxic as many ways as the patriarchy (absolute power corrupts absolutely). There is also class distinction in a really toxic way. And this is highlighted particularly between the main characters of Seske--the Matris' daughter--and the young woman she's in love with, Adala, a bodyworker who she's not going to be allowed to spend much time with after she becomes an adult and gets married. There was a lot to love about this novel. Particularly I loved the idea of polyamorous unions of 9 individuals who all brought up a single child into the colony (which is floating through space on the inside of a space beast). Maybe polyamory wasn't on the page, but there was talk of marriage between multiple people and people falling in love with the other members of their not-a-polycule, so I read it how I read it. Body horror and really weird space hijinks are big themes in this standalone novel, but not so much I think that it alienated the reader. There were bits at the end that I couldn't particularly conceive of in my imagination, but for the most part just pausing and considering how something was meant to work was definitely enough to interpret what was coming across. The main romance is between Seske and Adala, although they are at odds for a great deal of the novel. I was surprised by how much I ended up adoring Whyett given how awful he was in the opening chapter, but he honestly gets redeemed. Not sure how I felt about reversing the reversed power imbalance between the genders at the end of this novel, left me with a kind of sour taste in the mouth, though I did like that it delivered Seske into a place where she could have her happily ever after with Adala.