Review of Exodus of Evil by James Flynn.Want a story that is set in a dystopian future, space travel, Sci-Fi, horror and mystery? Exodus of Evil could be up your alley. If a little gore doesn’t offend you. But before I go in depth about the story, I would like to talk about the author.
Who is James Flynn?
James Flynn is an extraordinary individual. I had the chance to interview him on my podcast. Born in England, James now resides in Vietnam. He’s a veteran of HMS. From what I discern from this caring and complex man, he finds inspiration in life’s struggles and even its tragedies.
When I interviewed him, it was obvious that he writes from his heart; as Stephen King once said, he has a heart of a small child, in his desk…. But in all seriousness, writers like James Flynn do not simply write to market or for a quick paycheck. He writes for the love of it and because it’s his passion. Although he is a published author, he still offers many of his books for free.
Even though he writes horror and some gory scenes, I did not find him to be a dark individual. On the contrary, he’s very caring and empathetic. I first came aware of that by his emails from his newsletter. He puts out a very thought-provoking newsletter with writing updates and ebook deals.
I have the heart of a child… in my desk. -Stephen King.
That’s dark humor. And not to be taken literally. But I am not an author of horror, so I find the whole genre fascinating. It takes a unique imagination to come up with this stuff.
“James Flynn has a very disturbing imagination.”—Clark Young, Goodreads Reviewer.
Exodus of evil is a trilogy.
The first book is primarily about the launch of a generation ship “Conservation”. Conservation is a spaceship built to transport a colony of humans to deep space where several generations of humans would have to live and die and be born on the ship with the hopes of re-setting on a distant inhabitable planet.
Non-spoiler review—this is more horror than Sci-Fi.
This trilogy is not for anyone who is offended by gory scenes. There were scenes in both Book One, Two and Three that I found unsettling. But that is what horror and gory stories offer. Because this story has elements of Science Fiction, I could see how a pure Sci-Fi reader may pick up this book and be offended by the gruesome scenes.
Is there such a thing as hard Sci-Fi?
I read one reviewer that said and I quote:
“The idea of lifting a ten mile wide spaceship from the ground on Earth? A 50,000 year journey that no closed system could survive? The story itself has some serious weirdness to it that also would never happen.”
Personally, it’s science fiction folks, not reality. I have a hard time detaching from reality when I watch the Avengers movies sometime. But it’s fiction.
Bloody, Gory, and full of cruelty.
Part One is all about how evil some humans can be. What could happen if the ship was led by a sadistic psychopath? It’s got a dark, pessimistic vision of the future, especially when many of the elite are in a secret cult that thrives on cruelty.
From legendary storyteller and master of short fiction Stephen King comes an extraordinary new collection of twelve short stories, many never-before-published, and some of his best EVER.
“You like it darker? Fine, so do I,” writes Stephen King in the afterword to this magnificent new collection of twelve stories that delve into the darker part of life—both metaphorical and literal. King has, for half a century, been a master of the form, and these stories, about fate, mortality, luck, and the folds in reality where anything can happen, are as rich and riveting as his novels, both weighty in theme and a huge pleasure to read. King writes to feel “the exhilaration of leaving ordinary day-to-day life behind,” and in You Like It Darker, readers will feel that exhilaration too, again and again.
Book Two and Three.
The second and third book shifts gears to that of a mystery. What has happened to the Conservation, the deep space generation ship? If you made it to book two, you are past much of the initial gore, but not completely.
The story focuses on Paul Tringley, the CEO who has inherited all the problems of the Conservation. Tringley’s lack of humanity or care for human suffering is a perfect indictment of our corporate elite of today and rings true.
Only Professor David Kingston seems to care or even be concerned as to what happened to the people or the animals on board the huge ten mile wide spaceship.
Curiosity Killed the Cat.
I found book three and the ending surprising. The mystery of what happened to the Conservation? Who was Dolf Veale and who or what was behind the incriminating photograph? David Kingston appears to be playing with fire because powerful people who own the police and everything else do not want any more questions raised.
In Conclusion.
My conclusion is that Exodus of Evil is an entertaining read. Horror and Dystopian reads have one calming effect on me. It stops me from thinking about the day-to-day dystopia of my own life and think about one that is not my problem, it’s fiction. I believe you will get much more out of the books if you read all three. Reading one will just give you a dis-settled feeling of “WHY?”
Not for the faint or prudish. There are scenes depicting animal cruelty, human castration and torture. But if you can get past the initial gore, it makes you think about humanity. Why do we allow cruelty done to others? Will we end up like the society of Exodus of Evil? Or will we do unto others as we would like it done unto us?
