Author: Kim Van Kramer
Genre: Science Fiction
Year Published: 2015
Nerdection Rating:
“Nerdection Worth to read”
Escape To Phobos by K. Van Kramer is a futuristic sci-fi that tells the story of a botanist Lirren Lamaar and her life on an ever-deteriorating Earth. Escape to Phobos is a book that is realistic in its own way.
Spoiler-Free Plot:
The year is 2205. Earth is on its way to doom due to disastrous climate changes, global warming, and earthquakes. Earthquakes have become so common that people no longer change their schedules when an earthquake hits. Some people have started to move to Mars to settle there.
Lirren Lamaar is an agricultural scientist who has developed genetically altered seeds that can grow in drought conditions. Lirren believes that although the conditions on Earth are becoming bad, they will eventually find a way to stabilize Earth and her seeds will guarantee people on it to have a source of food.
Lirren’s son, Logan, is an intelligent teenager and has developed seeds that can mutate and develop on their own in a high gamma radiation environment. Now he suspects that someone has misused his research for their gains.
In the mean time Xanders, Lirren’s boyfriend and XWing’s Chief Technology Officer want to tell Lirren that they will soon go to Mars. But Lirren does not know that and she has optimistic thoughts for Earth.
Unfortunately, Lirren lands into the bad books of some powerful people due to her beliefs and ideas. Now, these people are adamant to make her life hell.
What will happen to Lirren? Will she be able to go to Mars? Who is misusing Logan’s research? Read Escape To Phobos to find out more!
My Take on Escape To Phobos:
What I like about Escape to Phobos is its futuristic yet realistic plot. In hindsight, we all know that Earth is going slowly toward its doom. Climate changes, global warming, and earthquakes, though natural, are increasing day by day. By using problems that are already becoming prominent in real life, the writer did an amazing job of creating fiction that seems relatable.
I loved the future world-building. The way the houses are shown to be automated, the irises, body odor, and other scans all seemed to come straight out of a movie.
Lirren Lamaar was a brilliant character. She was optimistic, full of humanity, and emphatic. How she stood up against the bad is exemplary and she is a model to follow.
Her son, Logan, was a smart and relatable character too. His behavior and personality complimented him nicely. The way Logan wanted to reach the core of any problem, and solve it was what made his character likable. He was different from other teenagers as he seemed attached to his mother which I really adored.
The action in this book was quite easy to imagine due to the writer’s detailed narratives. The suspense and how the story unfolds was keeping me hooked to the book.
The twists, how some people wanted to mess with the seeds for their own small gains, the way Xanders was there to handle things, Lirren’s role for Earth, and Logan’s research, all made this book an absolute delight to read.
I also loved the unpredictability of the story. I look forward to reading the sequel of the book.
However, the sequence of the writing and the excessive details throw me off a bit while reading. It seemed one paragraph was narrating something about Lirren and the next told something about Logan which got me a bit confused at times. Nevertheless, the extraordinary plot, the predictableness, the living characters, and the uniqueness make up for it, and you become hooked!
About The Author Of Escape To Phobos
K. V A N K R A M E R Was Born and raised in Wisconsin, Kim Van Kramer’s lifelong interest in art and science was fueled at a young age by her father and grandfather, both soil
science experts. As she began writing her first book, Escape To Phobos, her knowledge of agriculture formed the basis for her novels about human survival for future colonists on Mars. The next two novelettes followed making the story a
trilogy. Her most recent publication is Modified.
Kim received her Bachelor’s degree from The University Of Florida, after which she worked as a graphic designer in St. Petersburg Florida for many years. She earned several Addy Awards but much later refocused her talents to writing.
Aside from an accomplished career in graphic design, and a published writer, she’s also worked on a variety of other formats, including comics, games, and children’s book illustrations. Kim has also published two books for younger readers. Kim lives in Raleigh, North Carolina with family. Her publisher is Clifford Bowyer, of Silver Leaf Books, Boston Massachusetts.
Every Word Counts is her blog. Here she rambles on about unveiling the mysteries of the universe, writing, “Kick—Ass Heroines,” science fiction and the mundane life of not emigrating to other planets.
