Flight of Exiles

The Exiles Series, Book 2

By: Ben Bova

Narrated by: Stefan Rudnicki

A group of scientists and other space travelers face life-or-death decisions after their spacecraft is damaged by fire.

©1972 Ben Bova (P)2018 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

All's fair in love and chairmanships

Ben Bova Flight of Exiles is the second installment in his Exiles trilogy. The giant space station turn interstellar generation ship is nearing its destination. Limping along, a fire causes the death of multiple sleepers. In the midst of these issues a new chairman is scheduled to take over as they can begin to assess possible colony worlds. What ensues is a duel between the two contenders for both the chairmanship as well as the hand of a young woman. Staying will require genetically engineering the next generation to survive on the only barely habitable world, while moving on to another star will require much needed repairs and a lot of luck. When accidents begin to occur something or someone much more sinister seems afoot and the woman gambles to flush out the genocidal maniac.

Bova blends a number of classic themes of small group dynamics including diametrically opposed vision of the future as well as societal pressure colliding with a heart’s passion. At the same time, he crafts a planet different enough from Earth (much heavier gravity, sulfurous atmosphere, etc.) as to require some genetic tweaking for human adaptation, although this aspect is downplayed relative to the first book.

The narration is excellent with solid character distinction. Pacing is brisk making for fast listen.

This reader is great

I enjoyed this story. Has that old sci fi feel to it. The reader has an outstanding voice for this genre. And the price was right. 😉

Instead of 3 Novellas, Why Not One Major Novel?

Since the plots of the Exile novellas span multi-generational decades, all with the same singular focus & inter-related characters, I would have much preferred one longer novel instead of three shorter, separate novellas. This could be Space Opera with a much grander sweep! Just as we begin to understand the main characters in each of the episodes, the story ends and we are back to a repeat exposition of who the Exiles are, and what they hope for. The writing could be tighter, the characterizations deeper, and with Stefan Rudnicki narrating, this would be one superb SF adventure!

I'm sorry, this is the least of the books

For a short story I felt there was way too much melodrama and not enough basic action

Not a Sci Fi master

An okay story filled with tropes. The author was definitely a product of his time. There are multiple dated and cringe worthy moments. The author obviously thought plastic was the way of the future as his favorite adjective seems to be "plastic". Don't bother if you're looking for a great scientific mind.