Review: A Good Beginning
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 11 13, 2011
Exodus of The Phoenix is an interesting take on man seeking to go beyond its solar system.  For unexplained reason, an alien species dubbed "Screen" has taken upon itself to force humanity to remain close to Earth.  Any vessel that goes beyond Mars is attacked and destroyed.  Yet, humanity continues to dream of reaching for the stars, and a dedicated group of humans try to make this a reality through Project Exodus.Two cadets fresh from the academy are given the chance of a lifetime: take command of experimental ship Exodus, and go through the apparent Screen embargo in space.  And a substantial portion of the book is devoted towards preparations for launch, and what happens thereafter.Interestingly, the author complicates matters by having a corrupt military in control, and unwilling to do anything to upset the Screen further, by trying to break the embargo, for example.  Hence, you have the Exodus kept a secret from both the military and civilian authorities.  Furthermore, the author throws an interesting wrench at the end, setting up book 2.Exodus of The Phoenix is a good beginning of a journey of man going into outer space, and explore the universe.