Exodus
By Author / Illustrator
Julie Bertagna
Genre
Science Fiction
Publisher
Pan Macmillan
ISBN
9780330399081
Format
Paperback / softback
Published
04-02-2011
Synopsis
It is 2099 - and the world is gradually drowning, as mighty Arctic ice floes melt, the seas rise, and land disappears forever beneath storm-tossed waves. For 15-year-old Mara, her family and community, huddled on the fast-disappearing island of Wing, the new century brings flight. Packed into tiny boats, a terrifying journey begins to a bizarre city that rises into the sky, built on the drowned remains of the ancient city of Glasgow. But even here there is no safety and, shut out of the city, Mara realizes they are asylum-seekers in a world torn between high-tech wizardry and the most primitive injustice. To save her people, Mara must not only find a way into the city but also search for a new land and a new home...
Reviews
Iffath
- Age
14
The start was quite slow for me, and I have to admit that before I actually sat down properly to read it yesterday, I'd read the first page on several occasions and could not get into it. Since I got the book about a month ago, I was pretty excited to read it because it sounded different from anything I'd read before and I'd heard that it was something really special. But about one hundred pages in.. I was wondering if this was the same book everybody was talking about. However, I had to continue reading, because I was determined to find the best in Exodus. Come the second half of the book, things started to get a little exciting.. it was like somebody had waved a magic wand, because there was this.. spark in the atmosphere and I found I couldn't take my eyes away from the page. I have to give credit to Bertagna where credit is due, because she presents us with some of the most extraordinary settings and descriptions, even though some of it it at the beginning might have been what put me off. Her depiction of the world that is struggling to survive in such extreme conditions is fascinating, it made me think about what could quite possibly be us in a number of years, you never actually know. Mara is confident and clever, but she doesn't notice these qualities in herself, instead believing that she is a bit self-centred because it was her actions that caused some of the horrible events to occur in the book. There was a lot hanging on her shoulders, but it it took was her to have faith in herself and her actions to relieve that tension; and I'm happy to say that Mara became stronger throughout the course of the book and it really showed. The characters were all very well-developed, and extremely likeable, especially Gorbal! He was a funny one! And Fox..hmm..I would have liked to get to know him a little better though, since Mara and him were in love with each other. Exodus is a brilliant self-discovery story; imaginative and thought-provoking, a truly riveting read. Looking forward to reading Zenith!
Suggested Reading Age 11+
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