Book Review: Exodus 2022 by Kenneth G. Bennett

Exodus 2022

By Kenneth G. Bennett

Publisher: Booktrope

Published: May 20, 2014

ASIN: B00IRL8O2U

Amazon Synopsis:

Joe Stanton is in agony. Out of his mind over the death of his young daughter. 

Unable to contain his grief, Joe loses control in public, screaming his daughter’s name and causing a huge scene at a hotel on San Juan Island in Washington State. Thing is, Joe Stanton doesn’t have a daughter. Never did. And when the authorities arrive they blame the 28-year-old’s outburst on drugs. 

What they don’t yet know is that others up and down the Pacific coast—from the Bering Sea to the Puget Sound—are suffering identical, always fatal mental breakdowns. 

With the help of his girlfriend—the woman he loves and dreams of marrying—Joe struggles to 

unravel the meaning of the hallucination destroying his mind. As the couple begins to perceive its significance—and Joe’s role in a looming global calamity—they must also outwit a billionaire weapons contractor bent on exploiting Joe’s newfound understanding of the cosmos, and outlast the time bomb ticking in Joe’s brain.

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My Thoughts:

This review was difficult to write without giving spoilers. I have done my best to give nothing away.

There were three others before Joe who had crazy visions of their missing daughters. None of them had daughters. All of them died.

Now Joe is having the same hallucinations. The cause of Joe Stanton’s hallucinations were totally unexpected. That was the first twist in the book. It went nowhere near where I thought it might have gone. After that it was a rollercoaster ride of surprises.

A billionaire weapons contractor wants the information from the hallucinations and thoughts in Joe’s head. He has an idiosyncratic method for collecting Joe’s thoughts.

Exodus 2022 is part thriller/suspense and part fantasy. Joe and his girlfriend become caught up in something much bigger than themselves. Soon Joe is able to communicate with creatures only he (and then to a lesser extent his girlfriend) can communicate with.

There was a fair bit of profanity in this novel and the Joe, who is an Episcopal priest was having premarital relations with his girlfriend

I would have to say that this book just did not appeal to me. The writing was fine. It was simply the story-line that was just a little too far-fetched for my liking. I had no problem finishing the book, so it wasn’t boring. Even as a fantasy book, it’s believability hit on the low side of a 0 to 10 scale, let’s say around a 1 or 2. That’s probably being generous. Remember, this review is my opinion only, I’m sure others will think very differently.

I gave Exodus 2022 a rating of 2 out of 5 because some of the book was quite good (the earlier parts leading up to the cause of the hallucinations) while I found the remainder of the book too far-fetched for my personal taste.

Thank you to the author who provided a copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review. A positive review was not required. All thoughts are my own.

About the Author:

Kenneth G. Bennett is the author of the young adult novels, THE GAIA WARS and BATTLE FOR CASCADIA, and the new sci-fi thriller, EXODUS 2022. A wilderness enthusiast who loves backpacking, skiing and kayaking, Ken enjoys mysteries, science fiction, action adventure stories and, most especially, novels that explore the relationship between humans and the wild. He lives on an island in the Pacific Northwest with his wife and son and two hyperactive Australian Shepherds.

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