TWO 5 Stars for Pathfinder (Exodus: Book Two) by Gun Brooke #FF #SciFi

Pathfinder is the story of a group of 2 million Oconodians who are on a journey to a new planet two years travel away.  They are escaping violence and mayhem on their own planet, which has been caused by the rise of changelings, genetically different citizens living among them.  They are the mothers and fathers, brothers and sisters of those fleeing, but the government will not tolerate them as they have differing powers, some dangerous, some benign.

Adina, chief engineer on board becomes drawn to a neo-natal nurse, Briar, after meeting her when the NICU is sabotaged.  Explosions on the ship bring them together more and more as they deal with the aftermath.  Briar is responsible for her sister, Caya, who is a changeling.  They have managed to hide her status by doctoring the DA results required to get on boards.  But it’s only a matter of time before someone finds out.

The tension Briar feels while trying to keep her sister’s secret is brilliantly written.  The growing attraction to Adina makes it all the more difficult to deal with and she has her own issues , which become more apparent as the books progresses. I liked both Briar and Adina very much and wanted them to find a way to be together.  Adina’s character is well fleshed out and the story of her huge family unbelievably over-bearing mother goes a long way to explain her personality.  There are some great auxiliary characters, especially Meija, Korrian and the female President Thea. They make a great ensemble.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and would love to read more about the characters as they reach their final destination.

Kitty Kat

Wow. I love Gun Brooke. She has successfully merged two of my reading loves: lesfic and sci-fi. This is the second volume of her second sci-fi series, and I will only say again, wow. This series has not only sci-fi, but also genetic mutation that has resulted in paranormal abilities manifested by those who have been “changed.” This is the basis for the population of the home world leaving to find a new world, one where stability and lives aren’t threatened by these “changers.” The first book in the series deals a lot less with this aspect of the world building, but book two has it as a central theme, as one of the main characters has slipped her changer sister aboard the changer-free vessel.

The world building is impressive, the characters drag you into their world, making you care about them and the problems they face. There is a saboteur aboard the ship, and he’s trying to destabilize the government. Our two main characters are initially thrown together by one of these incidents, and become friends because of it. Each has problems in their lives that preclude them from entering a romantic relationship, until secrets are revealed and suddenly their feelings for each other are exposed.

While I loved the story, Brooke has left a lot of unanswered questions at the end of the book, that I, for one, would love to see answered in subsequent novels. Who is the saboteur, and can he be stopped before he endangers the colonists and their mission? What is really going on with Adina’s family? How will the populace react to Briar and her sister? And please, what is going on between Caya and the President? Can’t wait for the next book in the series.

Amy P.