The Exiles Trilogy

Exiles #1-3

by Ben Bova, Chris Moore (Illustrator)

Exiles Trilogy Bova, Ben

Genres: Science Fiction, Fiction, Space Opera, Science Fiction Fantasy, Ebooks, Reference, Speculative Fiction

441 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1986

About the author

Ben Bova was born on November 8, 1932 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. In 1953, while attending Temple University, he married Rosa Cucinotta, they had a son and a daughter. He would later divorce Rosa in 1974. In that same year he married Barbara Berson Rose.

Bova was an avid fencer and organized Avco Everett's fencing club. He was an environmentalist, but rejected Luddism.

Bova was a technical writer for Project Vanguard and later for Avco Everett in the 1960s when they did research in lasers and fluid dynamics. It was there that he met Arthur R. Kantrowitz later of the Foresight Institute.

In 1971 he became editor of Analog Science Fiction after John W. Campbell's death. After leaving Analog, he went on to edit Omni during 1978-1982.

In 1974 he wrote the screenplay for an episode of the children's science fiction television series Land of the Lost entitled "The Search".

Bova was the science advisor for the failed television series The Starlost, leaving in disgust after the airing of the first episode. His novel The Starcrossed was loosely based on his experiences and featured a thinly veiled characterization of his friend and colleague Harlan Ellison. He dedicated the novel to "Cordwainer Bird", the pen name Harlan Ellison uses when he does not want to be associated with a television or film project.

Bova was the President Emeritus of the National Space Society and a past President of Science-fiction and Fantasy Writers of America (SFWA).

Bova went back to school in the 1980s, earning an M.A. in communications in 1987 and a Ph.D. in 1996.

Bova has drawn on these meetings and experiences to create fact and fiction writings rich with references to spaceflight, lasers, artificial hearts, nanotechnology, environmentalism, fencing and martial arts, photography and artists.

Bova was the author of over a hundred and fifteen books, non-fiction as well as science fiction. In 2000, he was the Author Guest of Honor at the 58th World Science Fiction Convention (Chicon 2000).

Hollywood has started to take an interest in Bova's works once again, in addition to his wealth of knowledge about science and what the future may look like. In 2007, he was hired as a consultant by both Stuber/Parent Productions to provide insight into what the world is to look like in the near future for their upcoming film "Repossession Mambo" (released as "Repo Men") starring Jude Law and Forest Whitaker and by Silver Pictures in which he provided consulting services on the feature adaptation of Richard Morgan's "Altered Carbon".

http://us.macmillan.com/author/benbova

Reviews

[Anissa · Rating 2 out of 5]

I picked this up because it was in a box of old books that we inherited and it featured scientists exiled on a space station because they're on the cusp of completing the human genome project and the World Government is worried that this knowledge will be too much for society to handle. It sounds silly of course because real life didn't proceed that way at all but it may have been more plausible when this was written in the 70s. Anyway, the blurb had me at "space station". This compendium has all three novels in the Exiles Trilogy and they were quick reads.

The only character I found interesting in the first story (Exiled from Earth) was the genetically engineered talking gorilla Big George. The main character, Lou was roundly irritating and I couldn't figure out why anyone listened to him nor did I care about his love life, such as it was. The plot was fairly thin and the space station portion was just a backdrop to what is mostly an angst tale. The second story (Flight of Exiles) is centered around the progeny of Lou and the other exiles from book one. The love story angst is even worse and the only one who is half-interesting is pretty much a raving lunatic. That this very much wants to be a murder mystery and still didn't captivate me was disappointing. The space station is now a generation ship and other than technical specs, repair, and the like, there's not much here to dazzle. There was a decent chase scene outside the ship but that didn't save the whole. The final book (End of Exile) is even further into the future and feels completely removed from the prior two. Here, the ship is in very poor shape and the awake colony is teens who've been forbidden to touch the machines. This presents a problem when they appear to be a bit off course and someone will need to fix things so they don't all die. The third may well be the best of the bunch.

Ultimately this was just not for me. It was written in the 70s and hasn't aged well. There are more books by Bova in that box and I can only hope they're better than this trio. Anyway, I'll always fondly recall Big George.

[Veronica Lakewood · Rating 4 out of 5]

it is important to understand that this book was written some years ago. I was just a teenage girl in high school when I read it. We didn't have cell phones, internet, or 500 channel telivision. But the work on this book was indeed visionary. I love to read Ben Bova sci fi because it is imersive. There may never be a Ben Bova movie, but that does not matter-His books are such that your imagination doesn't have to work hard to draw you into his world. I highly recomend this book. ..it would be great if Mr Bova saw fit to update it a bit and republish it.

[K. Axel · Rating 5 out of 5]

As most of my books, this one has travelled all around my apartment, from my shelves, to several boxes and even gathered a bit of dust in the basement at one point. Yes, I've even tried to read it two times but couldn't get into it and if you ask me why... I have no sane answer for you!

The Story...
Lou Christopher is an ordinary man, a programmer who works on a big gene project. He is no geneticist, yet finds himself a part of a grand plot to exile all the geneticists of the world. Apparently these are the most feared men of the world as they have within their grasp, the power to create a race of super-humans. The World Government fear how people will react to this news when it is released and instead captures all the geneticists, a couple of rocket scientists and then, of course, Lou Christopher.

To begin with, Lou manages to escape the police force trying to arrest him, but is in the end betrayed by his girlfriend. For a while, Lou finds a way out of exile, working on the gene project for a renegade politician. He tries to make one more escape, this time from the grasp of the politician, but finds himself aboard the space station that works as a prison.

Life aboard the space station is a dull life indeed. There is nothing here and the future looks very bleak. But then a thought surfaces... what if they could manage to make the space station into a spacecraft? What if they could leave Earth for a faraway planet? Would it even be possible to execute such a dream? They manage to convince the World Government that this is a good idea and when the second book starts, we are 50 years into the future where we meet Dan, the child of Lou Christopher and Larry, the son of Greg, one of Lou's friends.

Will the scientists find a planet that is inhabitable or will the spacecraft break down before then? There are many questions to be answered and I won't spoil your experience by revealing what happens afterwards!

My Judgment...
This book captivated me early on by revealing a world much darker than I had anticipated. It is a bleak future that Ben Bova has imagined for our Earth... a future where the big cities have been abandoned by the wealthy, leaving the streets open for the gangs to roam. It is a future with a World Government that fears the future and want only to keep the people down. It is a future without a future.

I find it hard to read books that has the label "hardcore science fiction", and while I thought this book might be one of those, I was pleasantly surprised to find that it... isn't. This is a very human story. Sure, the book introduces lots of new technology... but it isn't the focus of the story.

I can also tell you that the third book blew me away! It is much different from the two that came before it, but certainly couldn't stand on its own. The ending leaves you hanging on the edge and only on the very last page does it release you. I did not see this ending coming, and I am really glad that I didn't.

The Exile Trilogy is one of the best books that I've read in years... worth every minute!

[Clint the Cool Guy · Rating 5 out of 5]

These books were written in 1971, 1972, and 1975. I first read them as a young teen in the 80’s. I remember pulling dusty old copies off the shelf in the Texarkana Public Library. They only had the first book and the last. They were missing the second. It was only years later that I finally got to read them all.

Exiled From Earth is pretty cheesy, but memorable. My favorite is Big George, the genetically engineered talking gorilla. The book isn’t great, but I do like it.

Flight of Exiles is the weakest of the three to me. It’s a murder mystery of sorts, and the characters are all pretty bland. Still it’s nice to have a “while the ship is on its way” story.

End of Exile stands out to me as one of the best stories I ever read. I love that book! Sure, it doesn’t make a lot of sense in parts but it is just a really cool story. Highly memorable! A group of primitive teens stranded on a derelict starship, not knowing who they are or where they came from... What a great idea! And it pays off, too.

One of the most interesting things about End of Exile is how disconnected it feels from the other two books, even though it makes sense. Between the first and second books, only a generation or two passed. But between the second and last books, it seems hundreds of years have passed, maybe even a thousand. It’s very interesting to think about.

And hey, yes some of this story feels dated now. But that hardly seems worth complaining about. This stuff was written nearly 50 years ago. What do you expect? It’s certainly better than a lot of other sci fi from its day.

Highly recommended!

[Zac · Rating 3 out of 5]

There's different levels of willing-suspension-of-disbelief; for example, there's giving yourself over to the rules of the universe laid out by the author and only judging the content based on those, and then there's yet the far other extreme which can only be defined as getting through this trilogy without openly laughing at times.

Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed this. It was fun. Pretty entertaining though without particularly strong characters or new in concepts.

Some of it did not age at all well - the male protagonists are pretty stagnantly and notably old school, I'd say 50s era gruff misogynist.

Anyway - it was a pretty empty but entertaining little read. Not much to it and if you take issue with openly ridiculous improbabilities, nay IMPOSSIBILITIES (book 3 ought to simply be titled 'Ex Nihilo'), then you might want to just put it down now.

[Glen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Scientists threaten the World Government and are exiled to space.

It didn't do much for me.

[Bruce · Rating 3 out of 5]

Exiled from Earth is written in the form of a thriller. The protagonist is arrested by the government but he’s not told why, whisked off to the wilds of New York City, where vicious teen gangs rule the night. He escapes to return to his desert laboratory with its giant computer, only to be recaptured because the computer turns him in, then he escapes to his girlfriend’s apartment, only to be recaptured because she turns him in. Then he’s whisked off to World Government Headquarters. There he learns that he and the geneticists he’s been working with are all being sent into exile on an Earth orbiting space station without any computer because genetic engineering will be just too unsettling to society.

Reading this this 1971 story in 2018 shows—remember this was six years before rapid DNA sequencing techniques were discovered, and almost two decades before the Human Genome Project began—both the foresight of its author, and how things didn’t turn out that way. Nobody, not the UN or a projected World Government stopped the completion of Human Genome Project in 2003. However, the ethics of gene tinkering to produce “perfect” children, or to breed naturally subservient slaves, two possibilities presented in the novel, still remain open questions in 2018.

Unfortunately, the story’s weaknesses are its cardboard characters, and the fact that the thrills were so predictable that they just weren’t thrilling. Readers are advised to skip this volume, skip hours of boredom, and start with the second book in the series which is actually interesting.

Exiled from Earth begins with a disaster. A fire has broken out in an area where fifty crew members are in cyrosleep, awaiting reanimation when the ship enters the Alpha Centauri triple star system. All fifty die in the fire, including the fathers of Larry Belsen and Dan Christopher. Those deceased fathers were the leaders that masterminded this journey to the stars, and now they were both gone.

The the reactions of their sons could not be more different. While Larry quietly grieved the loss of a parent that he'd never known, Dan screamed wildly and collapsed. He was taken to the infirmary, and kept under observation. While Dan was confined to the infirmary, Larry was appointed Chair of the ship's ruling committee, a position that would have been Dan's if he were not incapacitated. When he is discharged he learns that not only had Larry assumed leadership of the ship. He also has announced that he plans to marry Valery, the young woman who had been engaged to Dan.

The stage is set for a bitter rivalry between the two former best friends. Especially now when the end of the mission was near. Should they land on the first planet that they encountered, or press on in an aging ship with failing systems to find one more like Earth? Larry wants to press on. Dan does not, and when deadly accidents begin to occur, he accuses Larry of sabotage. Larry accuses Dan of madness. Valery won't have anything to do with them. One of the accidents killed her father.

This is a science fiction thriller that succeeds in thrilling. The author keeps the identity of the madman and saboteur as well as the fate of the ship until the final chapters. It keeps the suspense going by fueling it with dangers of both interstellar travel and human malfeasance varieties.

End of Exile is a story where several men have boldly gone before. Much like Robert Heinlein’s stories collected as Orphans of the Sky” (1953), and Clifford D. Simak’s “Spacebred Generations” (1953) it deals with the decedents of an original crew that have devolved into a primitive superstitious society ignorant of their origin, and the fact that they are on a starship. And, as in Simak’s story, the starship is nearing its destination, and somebody needs to do some course correction real soon or there’ll be big toasty trouble with no survivors.

This time it’s Linc who disobeys Magda the Priestess, the recorded wisdom of Jerlet, and Monel the enforcer and his goons. Linc repairs a damaged pump in the farm area. For this heresy he could be sentenced to be “pushed through the deadlock into the outer darkness.” Instead, he decides to climb the “endless” tube tunnel to seek Jerlet, as the Priestess had seen in a vision. After a long and arduous climb, with a fall, pursued by ravenous rats he is shocked to discover and be admitted to Jerlet’s realm. Here he will learn the secrets of salvation.

[Blunt Jackson · Rating 2 out of 5]

I picked up this trilogy out of nostalgia and sentiment. The third book of the trilogy was the first science fiction book I can recall reading, and I can remember the mystery of the scenario: children, along in a strange underground environment, gradually discovering that they are in fact on a space ship between the stars. With time running out before the plunge into the star at their destination, they have to overcome superstition, internecine bickering, and their total ignorance of how the ship works in order to save themselves and rescue the mission-gone-wrong.

The Exiles Trilogy is by no means the first generation-ship story in science fiction, and honestly, it doesn't hold a candle to the truly great ones.

Re-reading this is painfully awkward.

In each of the three short novels, intelligence is pitted against ignorance; honor against insane grasping at power; and emotional cluelessness against clever, sinister machinations. The heros are uninspiring and one-dimensional. The villains are so over-the-top, one finds it hard to believe they manage to survive at all. (In the middle book, the villain is, actually, insane, but in the other two, the villains are simply egomaniacal schemers.)

In addition to not being particularly original or well crafted when they were written, very little ages well in this text.

Each of the three novels includes what might charitably be called a romance as part of the story. But the women are if anything even less three dimensional than the other characters. They are not just simpering sidekicks, thank goodness (although the third book has a particularly egregious example of this), but nonetheless, they are only foils for the male characters to prove themselves.

Race relations fare even more poorly. The first book has a scene in the collapsed ruins of New York that is wholly unredeemable, without actually being racist. It's the kind of well-intentioned portrayal of race and class inequity that comes across like nails on chalkboard.

In short: without demonstrating any offensive motives on the part of the author, the actual portrayal of anything other than white males is agonizing, and the white dudes themselves are utterly tiresome.

I scouted around the internet and found a few other readers who picked this trilogy up in a moment of sentimental weakness, and had similar reactions.

Tip: don't do it.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

An older SciFi, but the tech they discuss still had a futuristic quality to it. The language of the characters, was old fashioned..like the 50's or 60's...He used the word 'sore' about 20 times, when talking about people being mad with each other. I can hear Beaver Cleaver using the word 'sore'...ha..but, let me continue with the review: It was written so all ages can enjoy it (YA to Adult). It had an interesting premise and each of the 3 books in the trilogy, were separate stories, but still definitely a part of a trilogy. I loved the 1st book, liked the 2nd book a lot, and had a hard time with the 3rd, at first. It seemed at first to come out of left field, but then of course, was a perfect last book of the whole story arc. It was an easy read, and was very enjoyable. 12 year olds, to 90 year olds will love it. I liked it so much, that I am going to read many more of his books. He has written a lot!

[Paul Willman · Rating 5 out of 5]

I believe I was in the 3rd grade when the librarian suggested "End of Exile". Too young to probably understand the concepts of trilogies and spoiler alerts (which had not even been invented yet), I started - and devoured - the story of Linc, Magda, and the other children. It grabbed as to what happened to get them to where they were.

It wasn't until a year or so later that I "discovered" my librarian had played a horrible trick on me by "making" me read the end of the story first and that there were two books before that! I read them and found many of my questions answered - but many more still remained, asking with new ones. I reread them multiple times in the library before I managed to pick up my own paperback copy of the trilogy. I still have that dog-eared book and have reread it just last year.

It is one of my all-time favorite science fiction stories and I wish there were more stars to award!

[Bill · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this trilogy sometime between 1975 and 1984. I’m sure my home town library long ago shredded my records so it shall remain a mystery. I remembered the third book a few days ago - but not that title or author. Just the story lingered in my mind. I began to search. I knew it was part of a trilogy. Along the searchsome path, littered with insults to algorithms, I managed to find many books that I had forgotten that I had read. Then I found the reference tonight. And there it was. I gave the trilogy only three stars overall. It has issues. The third book however I would give five stars. This is almost worth reading standalone. It was amazing as a youth to read a book where the hero used his brain, fixed ancient things, and tried to save everyone.

[Brad Martin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story, thankfully, does not hold up as well as some science fiction, but for me it came at the right time.
When I was in middle school our library was selling off some of their older books, and the third book in this series was there (End of Exile). I picked it up on a whim and was in love with it instantly. The mystery of what happened to the ship, the discovery of seeming ancient technology and an exciting finale, mixed with a bit of mildly disturbing elements had me in love. I quickly went back and bought the other two as well.
I am a sucker for a story that leads to discovering ancient secrets that lead to a slow rebuilding, or rediscovery of purpose.
The City and the Stars, City of Ember, this series, and Battlefield Earth all fit this bill and they're all great reads.

[Trevor Tipton · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this back in 2003 (I don't remember the dates but had to pick one so made it three weeks in May, one for each book), but I still remember it in detail to this day. The three books in this trilogy are part of the same continuing narrative, but each one is it's own unique story with its own characters. Even though I haven't read it in fifteen years, I still highly recommend it!

[Mark · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is one of those odd little books that isn't very good yet still fun enough to finish.
The first novella requires a big dose of suspension of disbelief but is weird enough to continue.
The second is a silly love triangle.
I felt the third was the best of three but still requires the dismissal of logic.
Lots of angst, so it might appeal to teens.

[James]

Computer engineer Lou Christopher's life falls apart when the World Government decrees that the project he is working on is too dangerous to continue. Thus, he and thousands of other scientists and their families are sentenced to permanent exile from Earth on a space station. But Lou and several others decide to escape--by converting the space station into a starship.

[Neil O'Rourke · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bova’s work often feels like it was written 5-10 years ago. When the publishing date doesn’t line up, that’s the reminder of how ahead of his time he really was. Exiles is a great read. Highly recommend.

[Todd · Rating 4 out of 5]

I want more! An interesting journey over a century that held my interest from page one. I do want to know what happened to everyone in the end, this series leaves me wanting more.

[john · Rating 4 out of 5]

A younger read . .

But well paced and interesting characters. Basically 3 novellas tieing closley together . Teenage sci fi fans this is a great starting point

[Norbert F Striepe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Simple Plot but Riveting

I have read many of his books and they all make good reading.
Now I have to find the follow up novel!

[David Blocker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Classic Sci-fi goodness

Technology has changed, but this Grand Master has a fantastic and timeless understanding of human nature. Entertaining read! Enjoy the book

[Lambert · Rating 3 out of 5]

Escapist cheesy sci-fi.

[Andrew Brooks · Rating 2 out of 5]

The first book was just ok. The second less so. Didn't attempt the third, as it looked like it was going to be really dumb

[Nick Razer · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this first when I was about 16. It is still my favorite series of all.

[Metaphorosis · Rating 3 out of 5]

reviews.metaphorosis.com

3 stars

I usually break omnibus e-books into parts to read and review. But the total size of this trilogy is only 450 or so pages, so I read them all together. That has pluses in that it's easy to follow the path of the story, but minuses in that the stories are somewhat distinct (and can be read independently).

Exiled from Earth While all three books were written in the early to mid 70s, the first is the one that reads most like it (or even earlier). The hero is strong and capable, the woman is delicate. There's a very nice touch regarding a gorilla, but overall it's a fairly standard adventure story. There's nothing wrong with it, but there's also nothing in particular to recommend it. The writing is smooth (allowing for the change in times), and the plot is thin but adequate - the world government decides to preserve stability by imprisoning (in an orbital habitat) all geneticists , because some have discovered a way to extend life.

Flight of Exiles This is a love-triangle mystery set around the arrival of the habitat (now implausibly converted to a spaceship) at a new world. The science fictional elements here are really just backdrop for the personal drama. The story is decent, fuller than the first, and the characters more rounded (and less trapped in their era). Still, I'd either read this book before, or read one just like it by someone else; it had a very familiar feel to it.

End of Exile Clearly the best book in the trilogy. It's a variation on Heinlein's Orphans of the Sky, about a generation ship that has forgotten its purpose. It's not as involved as Heinlein's story, but is more hopeful and approachable. It's weaker on personal relationships and credibility than book 2, but manages to be the most moving and involving of the set. If you're buying the books individually, I can safely recommend starting with this one, and reading the others for background if you want to. If you buy the full trilogy, rest easy that they get better as you go.

All in all, a decent trilogy, but only the last book is really strong. If you find the trilogy for a low cost, that one is worth the price of entry. The others are a good way to pass some time, but won't change your life in any way.

[Matt · Rating 4 out of 5]

This trilogy is great in its simplicity. Separate, they could be called novellas, but together they make a very entertaining read. They are together in one volume because they should be read back-to-back(-to-back). What makes the volume so interesting is that between each story, about 50 years have passed so the setting/atmosphere of each piece is completely different (as are the characters). Each story is great, but there is never any overlap to make the stories boring. The characters in each story are just complicated enough to make the story compelling, yet not cumbersome. The stories are straightforward, but gripping and suspenseful at the same time. I read this book when I was about thirteen and it got me into the genre. This is a book even for those who aren’t fans of the genre, as this is an entertaining book you won’t be able to put down.

[Christopher · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read the third and final book about 24 years ago, when I was 12 and I enjoyed it. When I saw the collected trilogy and had to pick it up.

Now that I'm older, reading the first two left me wondering if maybe the third would be a let down when I re-read the end again. But WOW, I absolutely loved the "End of Exile". Far, far superior than the first two books. And I loved it even more having finally read the two before it.

While books 1 and 2 are enjoyable, sometimes unintentionally amusing by how outdated they are, sometimes the characters and plot devices feel a little weak. But finally reading the history of what lead to book 3 and providing the overall context, really made me enjoy the final book even more than the first time I read it all those years before.

As a whole I'm just giving 2 stars, but on it's own, I'd give book three even more.

[Neal · Rating 2 out of 5]

Warning, spoiler alert!!

I gave the first book four stars. The second and third two stars. The first book flows wonderfully and is a great story. The second and third books have gaping holes in the logic... such as why Jerlet left the children to themselves for fifteen years without checking on them. Additionally, the stories were very predictable... that is until the ending of the trilogy. What What?? Needless to say, I was very disappointed in the final outcome.

However, considering the first book is thirty-plus years old, I would say it is a good, easy read.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Recommended to me by my husband, The Exiles Trilogy is good, old-fashioned scifi. It's amusing in places because the 1970s in it comes out from time to time, but overall, the storyline remains plausible. Though at times I found some of the characters' justifications for their actions to be a bit thin (such as the reason for exiling the scientists in the first place) the book is a page turner that should keep any scifi fan engaged.

[Bruce McNair · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book reminded me of why I liked Science Fiction when growing up during the 60s and 70s. Although the science may be a little dated, there is still plenty of adventure, rockets, space travel and new worlds. The 3 stories although connected by theme are quite different in that the time and the characters are totally different. The third story has an almost post-apocalyptic feel to it. I've read a few Ben Bova stories before and this is certainly one of his better ones.

[Daniel Howard · Rating 4 out of 5]

A satisfying scifi romp, I enjoyed these books. No, they didn't always make sense. And there was the sexism rampant in science fiction generally, though clearly no malice was intended. Mostly they were emotionally engaging, well-written "what if" stories. I enjoyed them, and recommend anyone with a slightly pulp-sf sensibility to give them a read too. The Exiles Trilogy is very readable and entertaining, with some interesting ideas to explore.