Exodus: Mike's Thread

by James Kemp

"World War Z meets 24 in Book Form!" - amazon.co.uk reviewer An action packed military sci-fi novella centring around an army officer telling the story of a military coup occasioned by a religious US president who has maniacal plans for the country's nuclear weapons. Set in the mid 21st Century. People that vote are alienating themselves from science, and voting for the more religious right candidates. This has lead to some strange and unhelpful policies being adopted. As this trend continues some of the more rational and evidence based in government start to look for ways to reverse the trend. When the US President loses it and threatens to nuke the space ports, the US Military activate their preparations to stop this. Colonel Mike Duff is the commander of the US Space Command‘s spaceborne soldiers and orbital HQs and the story tells it from his point of view. This novella is part of a longer work written as part of National Novel Writing Month 2012 (AKA NaNoWriMo). Part 1 (Perfects) was released in April 2013 and Part 2 (Imperfect) in July 2013.

Genres: Science Fiction, Fiction

88 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 15, 2013

About the author

I'm a Glaswegian, after decades living in Surrey, I am now back in Scotland, but in the East. I have always written stories, since I was a boy, and I've managed to carry that on even though I did a science degree and then work for the UK government. More recently I finished a degree with the Open University, which included creative writing.

Most of what I write is science fiction, and fantasy. The pandemic slowed me down, for two reasons, One is that I usually wrote on my commute. The walk to the station gave me the time and space to think about the next bit of the story and rehearse it in my head. The train journey was an opportunity to type that up. The second reason is that I've moved 500 miles north of the urban sprawl that was greater London into the green belt of Surrey. Now I'm in proper farming country that edges onto wilderness. There's a rugged landscape with traces of a rich history overlaid on a now de-populated space. I'm sure some of that is bleeding into what I write now.

Reviews

[Norman · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would like to thank James Kemp and Goodreads for sending me a copy of 'Exodus: Mike's Thread'

A conspiracy is born within the government to maintain the integrity of the Constitution of the United States as the separation of Church and State crumbles.

The action kept me reading on till the end. It is an interesting take on a scenario where religious fundamentalism reaches the highest office. I, for one, look forward to how other characters will be interwoven into the plot.

[Alexander S........... · Rating 5 out of 5]

interesting book, in the future it could become reality, I could not stop reading until the end... US Space Command is interesting place to work... I love the way story presented... a must read book for 2013...I like it...

[Paul Blake · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very engaging read. It reminded me of Tom Clancy, both in the way it was written and by how much I enjoyed it. It hooked me from the beginning and was over too quickly. I look forward to a sequel.

[James Kemp]

Crisis Point tells part of the story from the point of view of one of the characters, it isn’t his whole story, but tells a large chunk of it and ends on an appropriate point.

The gist of the story is that Mike Duff is an officer in the US Space Command, and one of the insiders in a conspiracy within the US military to circumvent the inconvenient parts of civilian control. He tells his story in the first person. It is set in the same universe as Perfects, and there are also a couple of other novellas written but unpublished.

[James Kemp · Rating 5 out of 5]

Exodus: Mike’s Thread tells the story from the point of view of Colonel Mike Duff, who is an officer in the US Space Command, and one of the insiders in a conspiracy within the US military to circumvent the inconvenient parts of civilian control. He tells his story in the first person.

This is a thriller in the guise of military science fiction, set in the mid-21st century against a backdrop where politics has turned against science and the rational folk that makes things work are finder it harder to get by.

[Caroline · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was lucky enough to be a first read on this one. It was a hard book to get into at first with the hubby always interrupting my reading. Once I settled down to read, it became hard to put the book down. The author had me feeling I was right there hoovering in the story. That's why I can only rate this as a three star. Unfortunately I was disappointed how the book ended. Or perhaps I just missed the authors message. Sorry.

[James Kemp · Rating 5 out of 5]

A complete re-write of the original short story excerpt from Exodus. Now placed to follow on from Perfects & Imperfect where it widens the world and tells how the US Military create a nuclear crisis that has a world-wide impact and de-rails the plans of Pandora & Charlie at the end of Imperfect.