Book Description Review “This post-apocalyptic novel will have wide appeal amongst gamers and fans of this genre….Caught in a tangle of strangely surreal settings, readers will find themselves questioning what is real and what is a simulation.” ―School Library Connection“The tension increases with each layer of reality Lake peels away. Compulsively readable.” ―Booklist, starred review “Strange Exit is an exciting entrée into science-fiction, a beautifully-written story sure to please the Trekkie, the X-Phile, or the most ardent of realists. Peevyhouse has invented a new genre: the VR space-romp. And I am very much here for it.” ―David Arnold, New York Times bestselling author of The Strange Fascinations of Noah Hypnotik”The latest wildly imaginative novel from Parker Peevyhouse showcases her ability to create multiple alternate realities that ring true.” ―April Henry, New York Times bestselling author of The Girl I Used to BePraise for Parker Peevyhouse: “A one-of-a-kind talent.” ―Traci Chee, New York Times bestselling author of The Reader“Peevyhouse is a master storyteller.” ―Brittany Cavallaro, New York Times bestselling author of A Study in Charlotte“Peevyhouse is a puzzle master.” ―Aaron Starmer, author of The Riverman Read more About the Author PARKER PEEVYHOUSE lives in the San Francisco Bay Area and works at Hicklebee’s Children’s Bookstore. Parker is the author of The Echo Room and a critically acclaimed collection of novellas for young adults, Where Futures End, which was named a best book for teens by the New York Public Library, Chicago Public Library, and Bank Street. Parker is likely trying to solve a puzzle at this very moment while enjoying In-N-Out fries, admiring redwood trees, and quoting movies about sentient robots. Read more Customers Review: I’ve been a fan of Parker Peevyhouse since I read her first book (and then her second book, and now her third). If you love YA post-apocalyptic science fiction, I don’t think you can do much better than her (maybe Paolo Bacigalupi’s SHIP BREAKER series is better). STRANGE EXIT is another strong effort, possibly her best story of the three (and definitely her best writing).Earth has been destroyed in nuclear war, and teens aboard a spaceship are waiting for the planet to heal before they can return. While in space, they’re in cryo-stasis, linked to a simulation (“the sim”) of their former home. But the ship is breaking down, and if the teens don’t awaken from the sim, they’ll all die in space. Lake, who’s haunted by the loss of her sister back on Earth, spends her time trying to wake people from the sim–which is hard to do, since she needs to convince them that it’s not real. The other risk is that she herself will forget she’s in a simulation when she enters it to find the remaining sleepers–and that would mean disaster for everyone.Yes, the concept is a bit Matrix-y, but Peevyhouse makes it feel fresh (and thankfully, she leaves out bullet time and CGI martial-arts moves). Lake’s interactions with Taren, a boy whom she wakes from the sim and who then joins her in her quest to wake others, is tension-filled in a way that’s far too uncommon in YA, where the tension typically arises from romantic relationships. The writing is spare and gritty, perfect for the empty spaces of the sim and the post-apocalyptic landscape of Earth. And as is common in Peevyhouse’s work, there are more mind-bending twists in the storyline than you can count, each of them leading the reader deeper into doubt.It’s a masterful performance, and it all operates in the service of a story of yearning and loss that will stay with you long after you’ve put the book down.
If it’s one thing I can count on from Parker Peevyhouse is that once I open one of her books, it will be impossible to put down. Somehow she manages to take mind-bending scenarios and turn them into gripping thrillers. This is especially true in Strange Exit. I loved the world she has created here, one that tests the characters’ (and this reader’s) ability to distinguish fantasy from reality. At the start of the novel, earth has been destroyed by nuclear war, leaving only a spaceship of mostly young people in stasis as they wait for the planet to heal itself. While in stasis, the characters spend their time in a simulated reality (the sim) that is way more appealing than the bleak reality they face on the ship. But the ship is starting to break down and the sim may be the cause. Now Lake, a teenage girl orphaned by earth’s destruction, must convince the ship’s inhabitants to leave the sim and come back to reality before supplies run out and their ship falls apart. This gets progressively harder for her as the more time she spends the sim, the harder it is for her to leave. Her little sister is there, as are two boys who may be the secret to saving everyone. Or destroying everything.
Inception meets The 100 in this fast-paced thriller, set in an a virtual reality simulation. With a strong female-lead at its helm, Strange Exit is a sci-fi take on the mythology of the Labyrinth and the Minotaur with a psychological twist. Reader who love VR games won’t be disappointed by the author’s take on their world and its stunning Labyrinth of possible outcomes that will keep you guessing until the very end.
Strange Exit is the latest speculative science fiction novel from the mind of Parker Peevyhouse, and it is a unique reading experience. This novel blends post-apocalyptic fiction with simulations, debates about human nature, and so much more. Lake is a determined and driven girl. Every day she goes out there and she searches for survivors in a shredded and desolate space known as earth. And every day she tries to talk them into going home. For you see, Lake is aware of a secret they’ve locked away in their minds; they’re all in a simulation. The problem is; Lake needs everyone to leave the simulation before they can go home. She, along with dozens of other children, are on board a spaceship – their life raft, so to speak. But the spaceship won’t head back to earth until each and every one of them have left this simulation. That’s where Lake’s job begins. “You were in the simulation. Now you’re out.” Strange Exit was a thrilling and unique reading experience. One that blended lots of expectations and tropes into something completely new and different. It was a whirlwind of a read – the sort of novel I just couldn’t put down until I finished it. Strange Exit caught my attention with that unique and interesting name. But it was the description that sold me. I’ve always loved the concept of joined simulations for people in cryosleep, and this novel had such a unique take on the experience. How could I say no? There was a lot to enjoy about this novel, from Lake’s perspective and challenge, to the multiple layers of writing and plots. Picture Inception, but in book format, and with simulations instead of dreams. And now you’ve got a solid understanding of what you’re about to dive into here. And yes, it is worth reading. Lake’s character was an interesting one. She was determined and stubborn, yet lonely and vulnerable. And then there’s Taren, who’s basically the polar opposite of her in every way. It was interesting to see these two in such stark contrast. Two different characters, with different ways of thinking, trying to solve the same problem. I loved it. What really blew me away was the level of intricacy that Peevyhouse wove into his novel here. It was brilliant. And it really earned the title of speculative fiction in my mind. Add in the post-apocalyptic feeling, and this was one complex situation. This was the first novel I’ve read by Peevyhouse, but I can honestly and safely say that I was impressed by what I read here. I’m absolutely going to do my best to keep his future works on my radar, especially if they’re anything like Strange Exit. |
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