I am forever a fan of Drayden's weird, messy imagination. She's so good at characters and builds worlds like none I have seen. My critique here is that the pacing felt like it was all over the place.

Do not read this series, by the way, if you're squeamish. Body horror abounds. But if you don't mind getting a little weird and can handle a lot of grotesqueries, this is the Afrofuturist space opera series you're looking for.

I loved this book, and I have to say, I just really love Nicky Drayden. Her writing is so delightfully weird and unique - I will read anything by her.

This sequel to Escaping Exodus was a satisfying continuation of the story, introduced new and interesting world-building elements, and offered character development that was true to the first book and yet really did allow the characters to grow up (which they needed to do.) I’d absolutely recommend this to any fans of the genre! You probably do need to start with book 1, FYI.

This was such an amazing sequel. I totally loved it. I liked how the author expanded the world. I also liked it was multi-layered.
I also loved the way the author developed the characters. The pacing was perfect- neither too fast or slow. If you liked the first book than you should give this a try.
Also I really loved that cover

Nicky Drayden knows how to write descriptions. I also love that the men of the story were the total eye-candy and that the world is kind of woman-powered. Feminist fantasy at it's finest.

Hello, another gorgeous cover! This is the second in the Escaping Exodus series and absolutely cannot be read without reading the first. Trust me, the book is confusing enough without it!

The book picks up three years later with Doka and the rest of his people having made great strides in approaching a less harmful – a less parasitical – living situation with their Zenzee. It also means that a lot of sacrifices have had to be made, including leaving a chunk of the population still in stasis, not to mention numerous quality of life changes. Adalla and Seske remain part of the family unit, with Doka having taken two additional members, including Kallum, a trans man and childhood friend, in another break from tradition. A male Matris and all the changes are hard enough for their people to swallow, and all isn’t well on the other Zenzees, either, especially when it becomes clear that the Klang’s Zenzee is dying, spurring calls to allow a new hunt. Beset on all sides, Seske and Doka must decide who to trust, as the wrong choice will cost them – and their Zenzee – their lives.

“I admire his unrestrained passion for creating change. I vaguely remember what such optimism felt like.”


While this definitely took care of one of my main criticisms of the first book (how easily everyone seemingly accepted Doka as Matris and his reforms), I also found the ending of this book… interesting. The whole book, honestly, is a bit sad to me, though, I think, ultimately hopeful. The relationships between our main characters are cracking, there are enemies at every turn, and it’s becoming clear to them that there are even more dark secrets that underpin their society. As one of the premier heart workers, Adalla is constantly working, while Seske feels hollowed out, removed from the fiery woman who fought for her love and defied tradition. There’s something still between Doka and Seske, though a liaison between them is forbidden due to the structure of their family unit. And while Doka loves Kallum, Kallum has aspirations to become the first male senator, aspirations which are put on hold to keep from further eroding Doka’s tenuous control of the senate.

“Trust is such a fragile thing. It’s grown and sown, not commanded and demanded.”


The story is told from Doka and Seske’s alternating points of view, and while I found Seske much more bearable than in the last book, I still strongly preferred Doka. There’s several new characters introduced, including Bakti, son of one of the Klang leaders, and Cherelle, Doka’s wife, but my absolute favorite was Baradonna, Doka’s knife-happy accountancy guard. The Zenzee and all its bits are pieces are truly amazing worldbuilding, even with all the extended references to bile ducts and anuses (there’s three, as far as I can tell). It’s immersive and original, though at times a victim of its own success, as some of the more complicated societal structures and their taboos (or breaking of them, given we’re talking about Seske here) remained incomprehensible to me. Why is it such a big deal that the three triads that form a family not interact sexually? There’s no explanation given, but then again, I suppose it would be hard explaining some of my own culture’s taboos. The Klang civilization and all its contrasts to Doka and Seske’s daily lives was fascinating as well.

“Even the most heroic among us are still parasites—mouths always open, minds never so.”


In terms of cons, the pacing felt a bit jumpy, and there are a few time skips of several months that left me trying to figure out exactly what happened between one chapter and the next. And this was a bit of a big deal, because I desperately needed to know what was going on. The plot was compelling (the throttle fish plot alone was truly terrifying nightmare material, and let’s not even talk about the tentacles) and fascinating. The book is divided into four sections: “Parasitism,” “Commensalism,” “Mutualism,” and “Surviving Symbiosis.” In case you (like me) have forgotten high school biology, the basic Google definitions are that parasitism is where one organism lives off another, causing it harm; commensalism is when one organism benefits while the other is neither harmed nor helped; mutualism is a mutually beneficial relationship for both; and symbiosis refers to the relationship between two organisms. On the surface, these states refer to the society and their relationship with their Zenzee, but as the book progresses, it’s clear it refers also to them and the Klang, and even the relationship between Doka and Seske.

Overall, another 3.5 stars. I’d recommend this series to anyone looking for unusual and complex worldbuilding, especially with an environmentalist focus.

I received an advance review copy of this book from NetGalley. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

This is the second book of the Escaping Exodus series. I thought this book went into great depth explaining the strange world of Exodus. I enjoyed the conclusion of the series.

Thank you NetGalley and Harper Voyager of Escaping Exodus: Symbiosis by Nicky Drayden. I read the first book in the series about a year ago. I enjoyed the book but I had trouble following the narrative given my difficulty getting wrapped up in trying to understand the social structures Drayden put forward. Escaping Exodus: Symbiosis improved on book one in many ways and left me wanting so much more.

Drayden does a very good job of reintroducing the societal structure, and flashing back to the previous narrative without getting bogged down in rehashing details. Doka and Seske have alternating viewpoints in this story. The characters play off each other well. One brings the political intrigue while the other brings the emotional excitement that will keep you turning pages. The best part of Drayden's writing is that the mistakes her characters make have real consequences. Well that is one great thing of many most of all not excluding Barondetta and the Zenzee.

The Zenzee is just a fascinating ideal. Many have written about spacefaring creatures, but Drayden does not let you forget what it is like to live inside a giant spacefaring intelligent being. And she most importantly leaves you with a sense of how it smells in the third ass.

The second book of Escaping Exodus series follows Doka and Seske in the aftermath of discovering the Zenzee are sentient beings with lives of their own and not the mindless creatures culled and used by their ancestors. The goal of the people has been to create symbiosis with them. It has been difficult to transition and some of the people harbor ill will toward Doka and Seske's lines as a result. Therefore, this book takes an even closer look at the politics within their Zenzee and between the space colonies.

This story is just as compelling as the first. We get to explore the consciousness of the Zenzee further as well as the species as a whole. The focus changes from survival of each individual colony to working together to the survival of the human race. My favorite part is the integration of a different culture.

I was nervous about a plot device using cheating. However, I think the consequences made that plot device worthwhile. They didn't get away with anything and there were real, meaningful consequences to the action.

Last year I was invited to review Escaping Exodus: Symbiosis - a sequel to Nicky Drayden’s Escaping Exodus. But there was a problem: I hadn’t read the first book! That was remedied quickly, and while a review of Escaping Exodus at the time would have been a little on the late side, I regret not writing it anyway.

Escaping Exodus is an amazing read, and was my first foray into afrofuturism. My return to the series and genre in Symbiosis was nothing short of spectacular.

WHAT IS AFROFUTURISM?

"“The term ‘Afrofuturism’ was coined in 1990s by, cultural critic, Mark Dery in his edited collection Flame Wars: The Discourse of Cyberculture. Dery uses the term Afrofuturism to define “speculative fiction that treats African-American themes and addresses African-American concerns in the context of 20th century technoculture — and more generally, African-American signification that appropriates images of technology and a prosthetically enhanced future.”

To put it a little more simply: it is where science fiction and African pride meet and blossom into something beautiful and, in many ways, challenging.

Marvel’s Black Panther, I’d argue, would qualify as an example of the genre. It isn’t just about black casts and futuristic technology; it’s about heavy cultural influences - the kind you can neither miss nor remove from what is presented without destroying what it is.

The same goes for both Escaping Exodus and Symbiosis. Are they science fiction works featuring black people? Yes. But they are so much more than that, and it is that more that establishes them as excellent examples of the genre and sets the series apart in both obvious and meaningful ways.

THE PLOT SO FAR

Disclaimer: I’m going to breeze through this a bit for the sake of brevity; particularly the information contained within Escaping Exodus. No major spoilers below.

Humanity has fled earth and taken up residence in gigantic space-faring aliens whose interiors are habitable. Humans are largely parasitic on these beasts, and while they work to maintain the creatures to a degree for their own sake, they routinely have to leave one for another as their host dies.

Events of the first book lead Seske, a member of the ruling class, to fight for major reforms with regards to the care of their vessels - what are revealed to be called Zenzee.

In the time between the first and second books, something closer to symbiosis is established with the Zenzee, but all is not well with or within them still. As old horrors are remediated, new horrors are unearthed. Last time it was their relationship with the Zenzee that required reform. This time, it is their very culture. And they’ll receive help from some very unlikely and unexpected sources.

THEMES IN ESCAPING EXODUS

Author Nicky Drayden does some absolutely incredible work around the concepts of environmentalism, tradition, religion, gender, sexuality, class structure, family structure, love, eugenics, censorship and more. And maybe the most amazing thing about it is the interconnectedness of those themes. There are all rooted deeply within the culture and traditions of the people, but what has been is not always what should be.

And there’s more than a little relevant modern culture commentary at work here.

It is not often that I read a work of fiction and think, “Now this would make for an excellent book club book.” Book club selections, particularly works of fiction, should be capable of generating more than plot summaries and favorite moments when discussed. They should inspire good and even important discussions around their themes. Escaping Exodus has tremendous power within its pages to be that book series.

The world and characters and story Drayden imagines and invites you into are all excellent, but it is the themes that she tackles and writes of and around that give each of those things their clearest and strongest qualities.

And they way Drayden rolls each of these themes out through different types of conflict is really well done. It’s kind of like how once you address one pain in your body and it is alleviated you may become suddenly aware of another pain that was previously overshadowed but no less present. The problems of the world of Escaping Exodus cascade, and by the end of Symbiosis there’s the promise of a powerful remedy for at least some of them. But are they being sold snake oil?

VERDICT

Escaping Exodus: Symbiosis is a stellar sequel. You’re absolutely going to want to read both - along with any future installments. Drayden is working straight magic in this series. It features some of my favorite world building in recent memory, and her character work with Seske and Doka in Symbiosis is top shelf.

This series has cast quite the spell on me. I honestly worry that I'd never have heard of it apart from the invitation to review Symbiosis, so I’m extremely grateful for the introduction and hope this review serves a similar purpose for you.

Both novels weigh in around an easily (and eagerly) consumed 330ish pages, so they’re not daunting undertakings. I could put neither one down. Escaping Exodus: Symbiosis releases on February 23rd - just sneaking in on the tail end of Black History Month. Befitting.

This sequel hasn’t even officially released yet, and I’m already desperate for the next installment of the series. I don’t know that there’s higher praise to bestow upon Drayden and the world, characters, and narrative of Escaping Exodus.

Like the prior volume, Escaping Exodus: Symbiosis is a feast for the senses. For me, the best part of the book were the descriptions of alien creatures and settings within the space whale— the throttle fish with human eyes, canoes made of bone, and so on. It's quite often grotesque ("the third anus") and always mesmerizing.

The gender dynamics are worth note. Leadership is matrilineal, with men functioning primarily as sperm donors and eye candy. At the beginning of the book, Doka has assumed the title of Matris, leader of the ship, but he's constantly at odds with the Senate because of his gender. This set-up reminds me of Ruth Bader Ginsberg's impact on 1970s laws about purchasing beer in Oklahoma. Stay with me for a sec. In the 70s, women could purchase beer at age 18, but men had to wait until 21. RBG, being the razer-sharp ACLU lawyer she was, shepherded the case to the Supreme Court because she believed that a case where men saw gender discrimination would be an effective hook for a court of all male Supreme Court justices. And it was! The law was overturned, and Craig v. Boren is still used as precedent today. All that to say, I hope that everyone reading this sees the ridiculousness of leadership linked to a particular gender.

Hopefully I've indicated the book is well worth reading, because it is. On the downside, the plot itself felt rather episodic and disjointed, in part because we rarely see the build-up of tension that cause dramatic actions from many of the characters, like Baradonna's disproportionate response in the Senate or Doka and Seske's relationship. It gives the book a sense of jumping from point to point instead of a dramatic arc. There are also some complex social structures at play, a bit like joined polycules, and I didn't feel like I knew nearly enough as a reader to understand why characters were upset or empathize with them when taboos occurred. I'd rate the book 3.5, rounded to 4.

A quick note on the ending without spoilers. Given I'm reading this at the beginning of 2021 with a second impeachment for Trump underway and catastrophic climate change edging ever closer, I found the ending's solution to resolve political and environmental issues an incredibly tragic and clever commentary on what a mess we're in now and the likelihood of it resolving well. As the first novel does, this provides an immersive yet alien experience with characters struggling with some of the same issues we do.

I wanted to love this as much as the first, but I just couldn't. It didn't have the same strange mystery and unique voice as Escaping Exodus. Instead of feeling like a sequel, this feels more like a whole new series in itself. Maybe further revisions will give it the magic of the first? I'm willing to wait and see, because I loved the first book so much.