Above the Star

“Though reminiscent of beloved fantasies―think A Wrinkle in Time meets The Princess Bride―Above the Star is a magical rendition of a wholly creative tale. Chute imagines unheard of lands, mythical characters, and irresistible folklore, weaving all the magic together with what we know to be true: everyone is searching for something. Her sympathy for the characters―both human and not―is palpable, leaving even the most despicable anti-heroes with room for redemption. And while the story is relentless in its conflict, there are enough moments of tenderness to keep the reader from being overwhelmed. Above the Star is as fanciful as it is grounded, and as gritty as it is fantastic. Chute's visual, visceral storytelling will pull you into a reality you never saw coming and a world you'll be sad to leave behind.”
―Lee Lee Thompson, publisher of The Perpetual You magazine

“Above the Star is one weird and wild ride full of memorable characters created by an imaginative writer. A mesmerizing and other-worldly read that kept me off-balance from beginning to end. Think of Star Wars, The Lord of The Rings and Homer’s Odyssey all wrapped up together in a gift box called Above the Star. A spellbinding tale of a hero’s quest to save his daughter from the clutches of illness and evil.”
―Raymond Gariepy, editor of WestWord magazine

“Above the Star is a creative tour de force from the wildly talented author/artist Alexis Marie Chute. Part adventure, part fantasy, part family saga, part quest, the novel leads its heroines and heroes―some human, some extra-human―into peril and redemption, love and loss, and terrors generated by both illness and magic until they finally emerge into a world where courage makes everything possible. The first in the 8th Island Trilogy, Above the Star ingenuously incorporates Chute’s own drawings as important clues that keep the tale racing forward. Her images help to create a strange new world so thoroughly real that when you put the book down―if you do―you won’t remember where you are.”
―Pamela Petro, author of Sitting up with the Dead and the artist’s book AfterShadows

“Infused with the mysterious and the fantastical, Above the Star is both a page-turning story of a young girl's coming-of-age and a gripping tale of a family's journey through illness, grief, aAbove the Star will leave readers reluctant to leave this magical world and breathlessly awaiting more.” 
―Laurie Foos, author of Ex Utero and The Blue Girl

“In this endlessly inventive fantasy, Alexis Marie Chute handles a prismatic but utterly compelling plot with the skill of an expert storyteller, effortlessly blending the magical and the matter-of-fact. Chute’s imagination evokes a dazzling, sometimes scary, world―a world both enchanted and cursed―but her deepest strength may be her gift for creating indelible characters. The more we get to know the book’s three intrepid heroes, the more time we want to spend with them. Above the Star is a wild ride indeed, and we gratefully go along for the ride, not just for the adventures, but also for the company we keep." 
―Steven Cramer, author of Clangings and Goodbye to the Orchard

“Above the Star is a fantastical fast-paced quest, anchored in the familial–in this case, a father’s desire to find his missing son and to care for his teenaged granddaughter. It is parental love to the extreme, beyond all bounds, even into the next dimension. Chute’s experience as an award-winning artist brings Above the Starto life with her visual storytelling, clearly crafting an entirely new world, and through the thought-provoking ink illustrations. Above the Star shows readers that there is a power within all of us to change the world, right where we are.”
―Jessica Kluthe, author of Rosina, The Midwife

“Get ready to be lost and then found in a world of intrigue, suspense, and love. Time will stand still as you travel through dimensions to the far-off land of Jarr-Wya and engage in a battle between good and evil. You may just discover Naiu inside of yourself as you fight alongside the heroes of Above the Star to find a cure and a way back home.”
―Donloree Hoffman, author of If I Die, Please Bring Cheesecake to My Funeral

“Fasten your seat belts and break out the life preservers. Above the Star, the first book in Alexis Marie Chute's The 8th Island Trilogy sucks the reader, as well as a cruise ship, through a dimensional portal into a world filled with compulsive stony beings, fiery philosophers, and deliciously dangerous and horrifyingly sentient crushed shell people. Propelled by a grandfather's determination to save the life of his dying teenaged granddaughter, Chute’s exquisite prose powers a rollicking roller coaster of a tale filled with the kinds of twists and turns that will leave even the most stalwart of armchair adventurers breathless.” 
―Mindy Tarquini, award-winning author of The Infinite Now and Hindsight