Book Review: Escape from Mathebos by Sarah Rodecker

Every story, no matter how simple or short, carries a piece of its author with it. Reading is a way of getting to know people I would most likely never otherwise meet—and I don’t mean just the characters, but the author, too. Escape from Mathebos was one of those stories where I felt I was learning as much about the (young, talented) author as I was about the world and characters she created—but I won’t go into that here—because this is a book review, not an author review, after all.

Escape from Mathebos tells the story of Eriska, a young pilot, and Yuri, a scientist, who are both trapped on the planet of Mathebos while a mysterious illness called the Blue Death is slowly decimating the population. Through a series of unexpected events, they are brought together and begin a desperate search for a cure—or an escape.

I liked the story, but I didn’t love it. It interested me, but didn’t grab my attention. I think this is partly because I like my Sci-Fi fairly heavy on the “Sci,” and this story only touched lightly on the nitty-gritty, technical aspects of the various problems the characters encountered. I still don’t understand how Yuri and his coworkers figured out what was causing the plague, or how exactly the cure that was being developed would supposedly work.

Besides that, I struggled to suspend disbelief over several key plot points, including how a large, technologically-advanced society could be built from scratch in less than a generation, why the government seemed bent on self-destruction, and why, despite the futuristic technology, nobody was able to fix/build a basic radio.

Despite well-planned pacing, relatable characters, and good editing (which is not always the case with independently-published works) Escape from Mathebos didn’t quite nail it for me. That’s not to say someone else won’t thoroughly enjoy the story, and it certainly wouldn’t deter me from picking up another of this author’s books.

Best scene? Eriska flying through the mountains. I’ve done that (not while being pursued by government gunships, thankfully) and the author really captured the adrenaline rush of the experience.

Worst scene? Well, there really were no completely lame scenes, but I was a little frustrated that near the end, Yuri just…disappears. Did he even survive his bout with the Blue Death?

First books are hard, and first books in a new genre are almost equally hard, so I applaud this young author for her effort and look forward to reading more of her work in future when she’s had more time to find her Sci-Fi feet.

To learn more about Sarah and check out her other books, visit her website HERE.