Ian Fydell
Breathing Space
Exodus Trilogy, Book #1
Review Brought to you by OBS staff member Angie
Summary from back of book:
The year is 2095. It has been decades since World war III has ended. The Earth is in severe ecological decline, the result of several centuries of mistreatment by it’s human progeny. Within a few decades, a century at most, Earth will no longer be habitable. Pollutants, wars, deep mantle mining and everyday disregard for our planet have finally taken their toll, and now earthquakes, droughts volcanic eruptions, and plagues are regular occurrences. Colonies have been established on all the larger bodies of the solar system, but these are small and hardly self-sufficient; it is widely recognized that , in order to save the majority of the species, humanity must find a new homeworld, ready-made for its existence.
My Review:
I enjoyed this story from beginning to end. Fydell uses such beautiful imagery that you can easily picture what he’s describing. From the sterile, efficient commander’s quarters to the unique colorful landscape of Exodus, I felt like I was sitting in a theatre watching this story unfold.
The opening scene finds us in Africa where a deadly virus has nearly wiped out an entire village. The events that occur give you a taste of what type of reactive, controlled panic the world is in at this point in time.
Breathing Space is a great blend of science reality and science fiction. If you have even a basic knowledge of ecology, sociology, biology and astronomy you’ll be able to understand exactly what’s going on. And if you’re a little more educated in the field then there’s plenty of stuff going on to keep you interested as well. I loved the idea of literally starting over and meeting a new species and working through the language and cultural barriers. But I think most importantly, there’s just enough of a love story to keep the romantics interested as well.
My father is a sci-fi fan. One of the things he frequently complains about is how they “ruin a perfectly good story with all that kissin’!” I think I can confidently say that my dad would enjoy this story.
The twist at the end of the story was just enough to not feel forced or “hokey” and was a PERFECT way make me say out loud “NO!!!!!! Not fair!!!!” 
Breathing Space is the first part of The Exodus Trilogy. I can’t wait to see how this twist is resolved.
