Stephanie Jane reviewed Way Out by Gordon Thomas
Interestingly plotted
4 stars
The Way Out is an interestingly plotted science fiction story which explores a number of present-day political and cultural issues by having an astronaut crew from the year 2025 vanish into a black hole and unexpectedly return some forty years in the future. I loved the interview format that the authors chose as a way to present their multi-viewpoint narrative and felt this worked brilliantly, especially over the first two-thirds of the book. We readers get different perspectives from each character with the switches nicely timed to heighten tension.
Despite outer space travel being such an essential element of the story, there isn't much deep physics theory to contend with (for which I was grateful!) as The Way Out focuses more strongly on a mixed bunch of philosophical issues - gender roles, racism, GMO crops, personal autonomy, and 'the greater good' concept to name just a few. I did …
The Way Out is an interestingly plotted science fiction story which explores a number of present-day political and cultural issues by having an astronaut crew from the year 2025 vanish into a black hole and unexpectedly return some forty years in the future. I loved the interview format that the authors chose as a way to present their multi-viewpoint narrative and felt this worked brilliantly, especially over the first two-thirds of the book. We readers get different perspectives from each character with the switches nicely timed to heighten tension.
Despite outer space travel being such an essential element of the story, there isn't much deep physics theory to contend with (for which I was grateful!) as The Way Out focuses more strongly on a mixed bunch of philosophical issues - gender roles, racism, GMO crops, personal autonomy, and 'the greater good' concept to name just a few. I did sometimes find all the philosophising got a bit much, but this was mostly in the later chapters when the earlier exciting pace slowed. Jensen references current and recent preoccupations such as #MeToo and the Covid pandemic in his historical timeline which made The Way Out feel particularly timely now, however I'm not sure how well that aspect might date in the coming years. The overturning of Roe vs Wade, for example, already jars with one chapter. The Way Out is very much the first part of a duology too so I was a little disappointed not to have more of a self-contained novel. There is a sense of closure, but with lots of threads left open in a 'to be continued' kind of way.
I did enjoy The Way Out. I feel it's more of a science fiction adventure tale than a sciencey scifi story and, while being an entertaining read, it raises some thought-provoking questions about Western society today and how future generations might view us.