Skyward Inn
By. Aliya Whiteley
P. 336
Format: eArc
Rating: ****
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I received an e-arc from @Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
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Skyward Inn is both science fiction and speculative fiction. The book is a look at a futuristic earth that has made contact with an alien planet. The two cultures must now learn how to interact with each other. The main characters live in a small town that shuns technology. The gathering center of this town is Skyward Inn, now owned by Jem who had left to go wage a war on the far away planet and Isley her alien friend she met along the way.

Although the story is not that concrete. From the start Whiteley takes a meandering tone that carries the cadence of small town living. Yet, the reader is left knowing that all is not as it seems.

The journey is unlike anything I have read before, and makes me think about humanity in a new way. It was both disappointing, disjointed, and perfect.

Skyward Inn is more focused on characters than action. While there is a plot, an excellent one at that, it is a slow burn. Do not come expecting fast paced action or you will be disappointed. Instead expect a nice meandering walk that will leave you thinking.

The ending of the book comes in stages. I went from curious, too slightly disappointed, too satisfied. It is not a book that is going to leave things closed up in a nice package, but it also does not leave the reader hanging.

This one is going to be hard one because I think I’m still processing. Regardless, I think I would still find myself somewhere in the middle; I didn’t love it, but I definitely didn’t hate it. I found the story to be slow starting, but once I got to about 30%, things felt faster and more intriguing.

I think Skyward Inn is one of those wonderfully weird and surreal books. As I was reading this book I kept being reminded of Annihilation because reading Skyward evoked the same feeling and reading experience. While similarities were there for me, Skyward isn’t quite the same caliber. While I really enjoyed Whiteley’s writing, I felt that there was something missing, especially when it came to descriptive language. I also found that in some places, there was a flow and transition problem. We mostly get two POV, Jem’s first person and her son Fosse’s third person POV. Some sections of each are in the same chapter but without a concrete transition, which left me confused for a few sentences and throwing off my reading rhythm.

This book is definitely more about the characters, their relationships, and experiences – with themselves and with each other. While this new planet, Qita, plays a big role in the overall story, it’s very subtle to me. I saw Qita and its people as just another character with a role to play. I loved how with these characters, Whiteley played with ideas of identity; how humans might compare to other planets or planetary races. Through this book she presented this idea that while we humans cherish our differences across the globe, we are still similar to each other. Humans are unique yet not that different. I will say that I found the characters a little flat; they weren’t completely flat characters, but I definitely felt that something was missing with them.

Overall, Whitely’s did a fine job weaving this story together. And even though it wasn’t a big plot driven story, she was to keep me engrossed and turning the pages. I still found myself thinking ‘What did I just read?’

Skyward Inn is a philosophical and existential sci-fi. It continuously questions the human existence and what it means to keep hold of an old comfort versus advance to the new, while exploring family and community connections and loyalty. There are several elements of conflict between humans and aliens, and much of the surrealism feels metaphoric in many ways. I think that abstractness slightly takes away from more concrete worldbuilding and immersion into the story's setting, but it still worked. Overall a quick and thoughtful read, I really appreciated the unique view that Skyward Inn provides to the science fiction genre. Thank you to Netgally and Rebellion for a copy of this arc in exchange for an honest review!

I should have been clued in by the psychedelic cover and the Jeff Vandermeer comparison in the blurb, but I still wasn’t quite prepared for what this book had in store for me.

It starts off almost like a space western. The story takes place in a post-apocalyptic area of England called the Western Protectorate that shuns technology and has reverted back to an agricultural society. Everything feels natural, down-to-earth. However, the story begins to slowly creep into a delirious, Lovecraftian descent of body and cosmic horror that continued to haunt me even after I finished the final pages.

Ultimately, Skyward Inn is a profound and beautifully grotesque tale about loneliness and our innate desire to belong—truly a sci-fi classic in the making.

Skyward Inn. I found this to be a really amazing and unique read. While it started out a little bit slow, once you start to get more into it you find yourself drawn to the underlying horror of the story. This Sci fi was different then others i’ve read in the past, it dealt more with the realism and inner context of a community, but I overall enjoyed it. Thank you Netgalley for the ARC!

Skyward Inn is a ponderous, melancholy exploration into memory, community, and colonialism.

The story follows two perspectives, that of Jem and her semi-estranged son, Fosse, who live in an area of England that has annexed itself from the rest of the world. Jem operates a bar with Isley, an alien from Qita, a planet Earth had conquered without a battle. A visitor arrives at their bar, bringing with them change and revelations about the war and humanity.

This is definitely on the slower, more speculative side of science fiction. It somehow manages to be both deeply interesting and somewhat dry at the same time. I don’t mean it was boring, but it’s more about style than substance until the last quarter.

That being said, I very much enjoyed it. I give the prose and readability of the novel 5 / 5. There were some beautifully-wrought sentences, and I found the story very easy to follow and understand, despite the non-linear way it was sometimes told. I liked that we had two perspectives and that Fosse’s journey mimicked his mother’s in many ways. I liked how information was revealed in a backwards manner, with assumptions countered or solidified later.

That being said, I found the characters a little lacking. Fosse was interesting in how he’s developed some complexes from having a semi-absent mother and a domineering adopted father (his uncle); his motivations and actions made sense to me. His wrestling with his mortality and sexuality was understandable.

Jem, unfortunately, was very bland. I found her perspective on her relationship (or lack thereof) with Fosse to be too simplistic and somewhat contradictory. Her relationship with Isley was nowhere near as torturous as an unrequited love theme could have been. Yes, it all makes sense, but a little less logic and more emotion would have made her character more interesting to me. Even at the end, I didn’t understand why she’ was attracted to him, nor did I really care about her fate.

I give the plot a similar lesser ranking, as there were times when I wondered where the story was going. I really enjoyed the twist, as it was a revelation with fascinating implications surrounding human aggression and colonialism. Still, I also didn’t understand one aspect of it (in spoiler tags in my Goodreads review).

That being said, Skyward Inn is a thought-provoking, calm story about assimilation and choice.

Aliya Whiteley is one of my favorite authors. Her imagination and her writing style are gorgeous and unique. I read Skyward Inn last month and thinking back now to write the review, so many of the scenes remain vivid in my mind. The feelings the book evoked come flooding back in. Whiteley has a way of drawing you into her work and taking you on delightfully wild rides. Skyward Inn is likely to be like nothing you’ve read. I can’t write much detail without giving away the parts of the book that I loved and those that surprised me. Suffice it to say, my review could never express how amazingly inventive, ethereal, and evocative this book is. It’s so unique even for a work of speculative fiction.

Thank you to Aliya Whiteley, Rebellion Solaris, and #NetGallery for an eARC of #SkywardInn in return for an honest review. Review will be shared on NetGallery, Instagram, Goodreads, and Facebook.

Skyward Inn, as a science fiction novel, seems ordinary at first. Off-worlders and Earthers living together in a post-apocalyptic idyllic low-technology-by-choice agrarian society. What it becomes is a surreal horrorshow, or is it a beautiful evolution into the unity of life? A parallel novel that tracks the story of a mother and son, separated early in life by choice and circumstance. The novel poses questions about identity, peace, aggression, colonialism, community, conformity, individualism, and choice. The brew, brought to Earth by the Qitans and available at Skyward Inn, makes the inn a place of collaboration, competition, and community. But what exactly is it? And what does it have to do with the strange "liquid earth" in the graveyard and the magic trick of the squatters on the neighboring farm?

Skyward Inn follows Jem and her son, in a near-future Earth, where humanity has made contact with alien life. Jem's community has reacted to the changing world by shutting itself off from most of humanity, forgoing advancement and integration with the larger universe in favour of clinging desperately to the nostalgic version of life they've long embraced.

Skyward Inn was unlike much of the science fiction I've read to date, skewing more towards the speculative than pure sci-fi. The narrative wasn't always linear, and the story was more concerned with exploring the human condition than getting from point A to point B.

The characters felt more like symbols and collections of ideas than distinct characters, eschewing individual characteristics in favour of archetypes. The strangers represent danger, the patriarch represents protectionism, and so on. Personally, I'm more prone to enjoying a book that features characters that feels more concrete, with more fleshed-out characteristics and relatable motivations, but those figures perhaps would not have felt at home in a narrative like Skyward Inn.

Skyward Inn will appeal to readers who enjoy less straightforward, more experimental stories. While it does feature classic sci-fi elements like aliens and space travel, the book is ultimately much more interested in exploring what it means to be human than anything outside of earth's borders.

3.5 stars (coming out March 16, 2021!!!)

**ARC provided by NetGalley for an honest review.**
#SkywardInn #NetGalley

Pros: Whiteley's stunning prose and turns of phrase, excellent *chef's kiss* body horror, light sci-fi setting, really freaking cool concepts which I can't talk about because ~spoilers~, this is a read that will STICK WITH ME for a long time

Cons: unfortunate in media res opening (felt like I needed the book to start 10 years back), not enough "bonding time" with characters through current day actions (so wasn't attached to their fates), frustrating relationships all around, some scenes dragged due to overt philosophizing, an oddly high number of barnyard masturbation scenes (why???)

TW: masturbation, murder

Video link: Jan WU (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cRCG2b-QLxg&t=11s)

I thought the concept behind this novel was really interesting, but I had a difficult time staying engaged with what was happening. The prose was excellent and Whiteley is clearly a talented writer, but this book was just not for me.

Ok well that was...a thing. Not sure how I feel about this one, I actively hated the first parts of it, especially Fosse’s POV; he only became bearable around part five. Fortunately for me the book was short enough to read in one sitting, because this was very weird.

The summary for the book REALLY doesn’t do the contents justice. I mean they avoided spoilers but think I would have appreciated knowing just a tad more what I was about to read. Since I myself don’t want to give spoilers that does make things very difficult. 😣

Part five needless to say saved the book for me and upped it from a base two star “I finished this thing” up to three stars because it became more interesting if still trippy. The guide was cool.

Instead I will list some content warnings. If you want to go into this book blind like I did, you can skip reading this part:



🔺abandonment 🔺one too many masturbation scenes🔺a plague of sorts (I am a bit sensitive about that this year in 2021. I avoid plagues in books if I can.) 🔺metaphysical dreamlike mumbojumbo weirdness with a heavy sprinkling of suicide ideation 🔺alcoholism 🔺language

“...and this is where the confusion begins, the business of wanting to be other together.”
Skyward in is set in a not-so-distant future Devon, UK, which is a part of the Protectorate, an section of the countryside that has declared itself separate from the much larger Coalition, rejecting the Coalition’s embrace of space travel and advanced technology in favour of rural life and preserving old ways. The story is alternately told from the perspective of Jem, keeper of the titular Inn, and her son, Fosse. Living with Jem is Isley, a Qitan – a member of an alien species discovered by Earth/Coalition, from whose planet – Qita – the Coalition is extracting resources. It is hard to say too much about the plot without giving spoilers, but suffice to say that the Qitan/human relationship is not at all what it seems to be.
The story provides much to think about in terms of colonialism, language, communication, the ability (or not) to understand others, individuality and collectivity. As a university instructor I can imagine this text being at home on a course syllabus, certainly, but beyond that it is an engrossing read that drew me in from the beginning. The characters and their relationships feel real and complex despite the novel’s relatively short length, and the contrasts between Protectorate, Coalition (of which we only get glimpses), and Qitan cultures are well developed. The only thing about it that didn’t entirely work for me was the incorporation of some non-linear time – while it wasn’t necessarily confusing, it did feel added on and unnecessary. A unique novel certainly, the strongest influence I can pinpoint is LeGuin – in many ways the book feels quite anthropological, in the same sense as several of LeGuin’s works – though the end of the book veers into very weird territory.
Thank you NetGalley and Solaris (Rebellion) for providing me with an ARC.
Content warning: some violence, spectre of disease/quarantine, homicidal ideation

I was sent an advanced reading copy via the Publisher though all thoughts are my own.

This was such a fascinating, weird, sad and a touch hopeful book. Not sure if I have the words adequate enough to describe this book but if you enjoy books that are weird, revolve around relations with people from another planet and a bit of traveling then this may be your kind of book.

Looking forward to what Aliya might write in the future and hopefully there will be a continuation of this world though it does end in a way that leaves a lot unanswered but open to interpretation so the potential to be a standalone is certainly there!

Trigger warnings: death, some violence, bodies fusing together

the less said the better with this one, the reader is better of not havinig any expectations for it.

Written in a mannered style reminiscent of 1950s British writers, this SFF novel is a turns engaging and fresh and at others slow and dragging. The unevenness keeps me from recommending it strongly, although readers who are interested in the philosophical questions of space exploration and the uses of SFF to investigate the same regarding colonialism will like it.

This book was really interesting...and surprising! There isn't some obvious "gotcha!" plot twist, but I don't think anyone could possibly anticipate the ending. The book starts out as a slow build colony sci-fi, focusing much of the world building and character setup in the local pub called Skyward Inn, run by Jem (human) and Isley (Qitan), and surrounding village. It's not quite clear what about Isley is so odd until the action abruptly begins with the final climax of the book. It is super weird, super delightful, and super unexpected. It felt a bit like a larger metaphor for motherhood (wrapped up in the more blatant plot point of Jem's actual motherhood over Fosse). I think the closest analogue (for me) would be Sheri Tepper's novel Grass.

First off, I have to give this book props on account of it being set in my home county of Devon (even if it is *spit* North Devon). The story and setting have clear antecedents in classic SF. The post technological rural lifestyle is reminiscent of the sort of thing that happens in the home stretch of John Wyndham novels, and it has other British doom guys like John Christopher and Richard Cowper in its DNA. Probably the biggest single influence is Ursula LeGuin, whose fingerprints are all over the human / alien contact and coexistence posited here.
It’s no retro exercise though - it’s quite easy to read it as a Brexit parable, and the final quarter goes on and outwards into deeply strange territory that recalls Jeff Vandermeer and a certain cult classic horror movie. Neither is it just the sum of the influences cited - Whiteley has her own ideas, and expresses them in some lovely prose, as well as crafting characters whose relationships, frustrations and temptations all ring true. It’s quiet, thoughtful and very very good.

In England's rural Southwest, the Protectorate has annexed itself from the Coalition of world powers. The Protectorate’s community hub, The Skyward Inn, is run by Jem, a veteran of the interplanetary war with the Qitans.

The novel contemplates belonging, othering (domestic and galactic), and how we process uncomfortable truths. Reference or metaphor is made also to conspiracy theories, resistance to change, language use(s), the living world, evolution and primordial soup.

Whiteley's characters are real, and affecting. She adroitly handles non-linear time, and melds the humdrum with the perilous: the minutes of weekly Council meetings record decisions taken on the use of surplus apples in schools, alongside quarantine regulations against an unidentified disease.

The author's previous works include ‘The Secret Life of Fungi: Discoveries from A Hidden World’ (non-fiction) and ‘The Beauty’ (fiction), and here she shows her interest in the collective remains unabated.

Original and thought-provoking.

My thanks to NetGalley and Solaris for the ARC.

An intriguing story of connections between family, community, and how they effect one another. Good storytelling with an unexpected ending!