“Exodus 2022” by Kenneth G. Bennett – The Human Brain: A Playground

Our memories are something that we take for granted; they are always going to be there, more or less, and they are always going to be accurate to a certain extent.

But what if one day you discover that your most important memory is nothing but a fabrication to the whole world around you? How could you trust anything out of your own mind afterward? Such is the situation Joe Stanton finds himself in, in the book Exodus 2022 by Kenneth G. Bennett.

For a quick peek into the book, it delves into the life of the afore-mentioned Joe, whose most important memory is the life and death of his young daughter. As one day he loses control in public out of pure grief, he discovers the hard way that not only did his daughter never die, but he never had one in the first place.

With his girlfriend he discovers that such cases have become alarmingly common in the recent past across the Pacific coast, with the consequences always being deadly. And so, our protagonist embarks on a race against time to solve the whole meaning of his hallucinations, where he fits in, who is behind it all, why, and of course, how he can save himself.

Before anything, this novel is of course a science-fiction story, and as such it owes it to its audience to have a thought-provoking plot which also delivers in the entertainment category.

Let me tell you, as far as the latter goes, I only wish Bennett had started writing sooner. He always delves deep into the characters, their environments, and the connections shared between the two; he seeks to impart meaning through his words, rather than provide us with mere descriptions.

His writing prowess is certainly something to behold and it turns this novel into a full-length exploration of an entirely new and yet familiar universe, amongst other things of course.

Besides being one heck of a page-turner, this novel is also ripe with various studies and criticisms, mostly revolving around society, human nature, violence, greed and the corruption those two bring along with them.

It is not a pretty world, and it serves as a vehicle for the exploration of the many dark, and often unexplained thoughts, ideas and urges the human race experiences as a whole. There certainly enough in here to leave you deep in thought for days afterwards.

All in all, Exodus 2022 is, in my opinion, one of the greatest recent science-fiction novels out there, succeeding in offering us something new, exciting and thought-provoking all while remaining loyal to the genre.

I can do nothing but recommend this book to those who prefer slower-paced science-fiction stories where ideas are put on the spotlight.

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Kenneth G. Bennett Personal site Kenneth G. Bennett is a young and budding author whose three publications, so far at least, have been science-fiction stories, ones which managed to capture the interests of countless fans around the world and give birth to a cult following. Those novels include Exodus 2022, The Gaia Wars and Battle for Cascadia.