This book started off in a very intriguing way. You as the reader are thrown into this strange world of the inn owners and their customers. You are aware right from the start that there is more to every conversation you hear, but you just need to be patient and wait to find out more. The characters carry with them scars form their past, their experiences and their prejudices and hatrereds. This was depicted really well here.
What I did not like was the writing style overall. There was a lot of jumping around and strangeness. And this might sound strange, but the same thing that attracted me initially - the vagueness and the "I'm not going to deliver answers on a platter for you" approach of the author - is what made it 3 stars for me in the end. I was left with an overall sense of confusion.
Perhaps on a future re-read...

A few weeks ago I read, enjoyed, and reviewed Aliya Whiteley’s ‘The Secret Life of Fungi’, so when I was caught in the throes of a late-night @netgalley binge, spotted this striking cover and recognised the name (and after a quick Google, confirmed that they were the same person and that Aliya is a fairly prolific author of Sci-Fi and speculative fiction), I was really intrigued.

The synopsis is sparse and, having now finished it, I’m similarly stumped on how to describe this book. It’s the kind of story that leaves you feeling strangely sluggish and foggy-headed when you turn the final (in this case, electronic) page. My head is still whirring with the utter strangeness and unsettling nature of this book, still unpacking the various layers of meaning and turning over the various, complex character relationships that I think really made this unusual story so compelling.

I loved the evocative prose, the stark contrasts between the utterly alien world of Qita, and the familiarity of The Protectorate (once known as Devon) back on Earth. The world-building is almost as sparse as the synopsis, leaving plenty of gaping holes for the reader to fill with imagination and speculation, and what is explained is unraveled at a sleepy, tantalising pace. This is very much a character-driven narrative and it was the interactions between those characters that really captured my imagination, particularly the strange nature of the relationship between Jem and Isley, proprietors of the Skyward Inn.

It seems to be receiving mixed feedback so far which doesn’t surprise me in the least. This won’t be for everyone, it’s languidly paced and when it does really hit its stride, distinctly strange and unsettling but I really enjoyed it. It’s certainly not often that I feel this level of urgency to scribble down my thoughts before they lose their sharpness.

Described as ‘Jamaica Inn by way of Vandermeer, Le Guin, Carter and Michel Faber’, I’d like to speak to the validity of the comparisons but I haven’t read any of them!

Huge thanks to @netgalley and @rebellionpublishing for my early copy. Out on the 18th March.

The book started out a bit slow, but gradually got my attention. It kept my attention by painting a vivid picture of a future time and the people inhabiting it. As the story unfolds, a number of details mentioned earlier suddenly begin to make sense. I enjoyed reading the book and recommend it to science fiction fans.

The gist: Skyward Inn is a beautiful, unsettling, dreamlike book. It’s a fusion of ideas surrounding love, family, coexistence and colonisation. It’s modern science fiction that sits well with the traditional classics of the genre.
It’s a quiet book, a sense of unease and uncertainty bringing tension to the slow reveal of the past and the potential future. Whiteley gradually builds a picture of what’s happening in a future Devon and the wider planet(s), slowly filling in the gaps and the changes so the picture builds for you as much as it does for the characters.
And although it’s quiet, it also has scenes prepared to horrify and disturb. There’s violence and body horror, and a sense of danger that may or may not be manifested. And, ultimately, the question of whether in fact some of these things are horrific at all. Whitely uses alien contact and coexistence to place humanity under a magnifying glass and see what it does.
Whiteley’s writing is thoughtful with every word placed carefully, and Skyward Inn is a joy to fall in to.
Favourite line: Alone is not a place I can go to, but the place that’s left behind after everyone else has gone.
Read if: You want beautiful, thoughtful science fiction.
Read with: Your favourite brew.
Get it: Skyward Inn by Aliya Whiteley
ARC gratefully received from Rebellion, Solaris, and Netgalley

Review to be posted on release date at www.thedustlounge.com

In the aftermath of an interplanetary war that appears to have been resolved peacefully, Jem, a human woman, and Isley, a Qitan from the planet attacked by humankind, run the Skyward Inn, a social hub for the local community. Serving the mysterious and renowned "brew" provided by Isley, the Skyward is situated in the Protectorate - actually a part of Devon which appears to have broken away from the UK to form a kind of cooperative paradise, with many of the trappings we might imagine of that setting, including boring meetings and people going without certain things.

Despite the bucolic setting, it's clear from the outset that not all is well. Isley the Qitan knows to stay out of people's way, and Jem is also shunned apart when she isn't playing the friendly barmaid role at the Skyward.

Meanwhile, Fosse, Jem's son, is kicking against the constraints of the Protectorate - and when he discovers a family squatting in an empty farm, they offer him the potential for escape.

But what is the strange spell that comes over Jem when she drinks Isley's brew? Why has a Qitan known to Isley appeared in the Skyward's cellar, and what is their relationship? Rumours of a new plague spreading outside the Protectorate only heighten the sense of paranoia and growing horror - especially when unsettling things start happening at home, too.

This is a short, compelling novel with evocative, absorbing prose. Whiteley slowly builds the growing sense of a world that is not what we believe - see for example her description of Fosse's panic attack early on: "...panic had set in and the wheezing started soon after, just like it used to when he had been small and scared all the time, with his mother gone away. It was not just the land that hated him then - the air itself had turned against him."

The novel raises questions about colonialism, personal autonomy, connection and violence, without necessarily posing definite answers (my favourite kind of questions) - although the ending sounds out a vital note of hope.

Thank you to Rebellion Publishing for allowing me to read an advance copy of Skyward Inn. This is the first longer piece of fiction I've read by Aliya Whiteley, and I will be seeking out more of her work now. It's also the first time since I was a child that I finished a story and turned immediately back to the beginning - finding it even more absorbing and interesting the second time through. I really, really recommend it if you like strong, evocative prose and thoughtful writing alongside compelling characters and fascinating world-building.

Skyward Inn Hardcover – March 16, 2021

by Aliya Whiteley  (Author)

Thank you the Author, publisher and NetGalley for the complimentary eARC. I am choosing to leave an honest and fair review.

***This book will release on March 16, 2021.

Skyward Inn is a bright, dark, intricate, vast, complex and beautiful. The text itself is carefully worded to feel like a disjointed but wonderous story told by Jem and her son Fosse.

With a recent apocalyptic event looms in the background as Jem winds the story into the reader's mind like the yarn on a spinning wheel. But even with that woven in beauty, the book suffers from a lack of a true plot. There is a vague plot with hat tips to Daphne Du Maurier's Gothic mystery, Jamaica Inn, with referenced Skyward Inn. This more of an experience book than a tear through because the plot won't let you stop. Which, in this case, is not a bad thing. Themes of what makes society, what influences that, separation due to Quarantines because of a mystery plague. Clearly, 2020, the year that should not be named, had a great deal to do with the atmosphere that haunts Skyward Inn. In fact, I would wager a dollar or two that the book was aimed in one direction and then Covid-19 in its glorious destructive spread came a long and rerouted the story to examine what together means and what separation means.

Jem begins the story with her soft, pastel memories of Qita, a planet humans found and intended to mine and settle. But things went a bit pear-shape and they ended up sharing the planet with the Qitan.

Character development doesn't really happen. The humans seem to be cut into definite groups, all good and all bad. Even Fosse doesn't really evolve, even with years under his belt.

Some of the word paintings – because there is no other phrase does these passages – are horrifying and strikingly sumptuous. Things that sit just out of our skill set to understand.

The only drawbacks for this novel are that there is very little plot and the characters don't stand out as individual. This a book about idea not a real page turner filled with action

The ideas that are presented are broad and many. Some of it seems to reflect the experience of cultures that have with colonization. Some is about what it means to be a part of something while maintaining self. Some of it about how 'dieseases' can change us.

Beautiful writing, at this high level, makes reading worth it.

4 stars out of 5


https://www.amazon.com/Skyward-Inn-Aliya-Whiteley-ebook/dp/B08QNHJR63

A mix of dystopia and alien first contact there were themes of consciousness, identity, self-doubt, loss mixed into what firstly appeared to be a light-hearted scifi novel but became something more… it felt experimental in places with the speculative literary themes mixed into the genre tropes and I liked it. It worked really well.

This wasn’t a quick page turner for me. I found myself picking it up and putting it down, but it was still one I found myself going back to.

I recommend this to anyone who enjoys great writing and novels that explore the emotional human spectrum and psychological mindset.

4/5

Thank you Netgalley/Rebellion/Aliya Whiteley

Although this book appears to be a work of science fiction, combining as it does a dystopian future with a first contact story, the reality is that it is a curiously dreamlike tale of human self doubt, loss. and bewilderment. The world has suffered some kind of disaster and is divided into two factions. One is a technologically advanced state which has made contact with a strange new planet , and the other consists of communites where technology has collapsed. No explanation is given for this state of affaires and it is only a backdrop for the history of eventswhich are divided between the rural pub, the Skyward Inn, run by the main character, Jem and her alien companion, and her son's journey of discovery on the second planet. To begin with the Inn is an island of sanity and welcome in the rural community, but Jem's life unravels as it becomes complicated, and her son, Fosse, confused. and erratic. When Fosse joins the army and journeys to the new planet the story becomes increasingly surreal. This novel is both off beat in a science fiction way, and disturbing as the story of a woman coming to terms with extraordinary events. One thing is for sure, it is a work of unusual originality.

I liked the sound of this book and was looking forward to reading it. Unfortunately, I struggled to get in to it and didn't really warm to any of the characters.

There was a lot I enjoyed about Skyward Inn, but ultimately this was a bit too surreal and philosophical for me. I'm left with a lot of questions after finishing this book, so I will probably be thinking about it over the next few weeks. Perhaps I will change my opinion of it too.

This was a fascinating read. A touch of whimsical and beautifully written. Like nothing I've ever read before but I am glad I did. A delve into humanity and alien absurdity as they comingle and develop meaningful relationships along the way. A slow burn.

Thank you netgalley for this arc

Review also available on shortskirtsandsarcasm.com

> Earth was far from perfect, and Qita was far from perfect. Nobody was perfect, not from the beginning. There wasn't a place in the universe that was unchangeably perfect.

The premise of *Skyward Inn* is that Earth invaded and conquered another planet, Qita, in the recent past. Jem and Isley decide to open a pub together, Skyward Inn, to attempt to create an oasis away from the havoc the interplanetary war has wreaked. As the story unfolds, the character and the reader begin to question the way the war really unfolded.

Previously, I have read Aliyah Whiteley's *The Beauty* and was what you might call "weirded out" by it. "Thoroughly disturbed" is another phrase that comes to mind. Whiteley's newest, *Skyward Inn*, is another probing insight into what makes us human. The first half of *Skyward In*n was not all I hoped it would be. I had a hard time following and did not really enjoy it. The second half, however, blew me away.

I especially enjoy Whiteley's focus on language, something with which she has previously played in her novella *Peace, Pipe*. The Qitan use a music-based language. A Qitan character and a human character trade thoughts on language, and the exchange is both funny and esoteric. As their conversation continues, they essentially meditate on what makes humans humans. What we all think makes us human might not be the whole story.

> Where do babies come from?... Somebody told me that was the most difficult question you can ask a human. Is that true? I heard you squeeze them out of yourselves and cut them free...I think that's the worst thing I ever heard about humans.

This title is published on 16 March 2021. I originally was going to give it three stars out of five because of how much I did not enjoy the beginning, but I have thought about it non-stop since I finished it, so I am upgrading it to four stars. The second half – the final quarter, in particular – was so well-written and so thought-provoking that I had to amend my rating.

Not really my thing. I got sucked in by the pretty cover. I’m still not even sure what planet the Skyward was on? The story was interesting enough, but when you’re creating another world, you need to develop it. I was confused for a lot of it.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC.

Skyward Inn is a story that’s brimming with potential, and it is a technically good story with one exception—though that came down to personal taste in the end. There were a number of aspects that were notable about the story, which I thought deserved praise.

Skyward Inn is the type of speculative fiction that has those big science fiction concepts woven into a story that explores the human element as well as colonialism—though it uses a fictional alien race as the vehicle to do this. At times, it reminded me of The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet, because much of the story was about the characters. The line on the book cover, “This is a place we can be alone, together,” is often repeated throughout the book. Whiteley does do a good job hammering this point home, and the overall execution of it was good.

Another notable aspect of Skyward Inn was the speculative elements, which ties in to the ending of the book. The twist was fantastic, and my overall impression of the story was on the higher end because of it. The imagery it invoked was eerie and surreal at some points.

Where I ran into a problem was with one particular character's perspective. Fosse, the son of one of the main characters, ended up having a role that was integral. However, while the later instances in his POV were fine, his introduction wasn’t my thing, and some of his internal monologue got to be unsettling. At one point I considered skipping over his sections, but I didn’t end up doing that because as I mentioned his side of the story was integral. It just wasn’t my favorite part.

Skyward Inn was good, and I would consider reading more books by Whiteley.

Disclaimer: this copy of the book was provided by the publisher (Solaris) via Netgalley for this review, thank you!

Honestly it's a relief to have a quick flick through some other reviews to see that other people have struggled to rate and absorb this book. It was NOT what I was expecting at all, which doesn't mean I didn't enjoy it, but I can honestly say I have never read anything like it which makes reviewing it a challenge. I thought I was going to read a bit of a space opera romp set in an inn on some far away planet where humans thought they were in control but were actually being manipulated into thinking so. And in a way part of that assumption that is true, but but's also absolutely not what happens here.

So what did I read? We are at some point in the future and humanity has discovered a wormhole that takes them to another planet. Not everyone is happy with this high tech future and so some live in the Protectorate, a rural, broadly trading economy in the South West of England. Here Jem runs the titular inn with her partner. Trade is good because they serve Jarrowbrew, a drink common to Qita, the planet at the other end of the wormhole, a planet Earth has visited and occupied with a colonial mindset. Jem, unusually for an inhabitant of the Protectorate, has spent time on Qita. It's where she met Isley, who is one of the few Qitans on earth and especially in the Protectorate where the alien race are regarded with suspicion and hostility.

I can't really say any more because part of what makes this book so special is its absolute unpredictability. What I can say is it's thoughtful, unusual and beautifully written and definitely worth reading.

A dash of alien absurdity (think the Lonely Planet cartoons), a splash of post-apocalyptic Earth, and a pinch of how we define what it means to be human.

I felt like it was a little light on the sci-fi and a little heavy on relationship development compared to my expectations (the summary I feel did a poor job on setting the scene for potential readers), and the timeline got a little funky and I wanted a little more clarity on what was happening at the end.

Skyward Inn // by Aliya Whiteley

I have been somewhat dreading writing this review because days after finishing this book, I am still not entirely sure what to think about it. It seems that every time I go back to contemplating it, I figure out something new. I usually do not read other people's reviews of a book either until mine is written so that their opinions cannot influence mine but I even broke that self-imposed rule this time. And again, every time I read one, I find out something new about this book that I didn't realize before. So it obviously isn't a story that is just not that great. It is a story that has multiple hidden layers that are slowly peeled back the more you think about it. I am not used to reading books like that so it has been an interesting experience for me. I've never been a fan of star ratings but I am forced to choose one but please do not pay too much attention to that because I just did not know which to go with.

At its very surface, this is the story of a mother and son, first contact with an alien species, the relationship between humans and that species, and a disease that forces much of Earth to go into quarantine. Peel it back a little though and you will see in more detail the struggle of fitting in for several people and how that affects their lives differently. Rather than seeing a weird inter-species emotional relationship, you'll understand the reason for the physical distance between the characters. And what about the peaceful meeting of two species that surprised everyone? It took me until the very end of the book to understand this things just weren't what they seemed.

I am used to much more detail in the SFF books that I read so at first I was pretty underwhelmed by this book. Nonetheless, the weirdness and relative short length compelled me to read it relatively quickly, which then allowed plenty of time for me to sit there stunned. Whiteley impressed me with the way she incorporated community, belonging, individuality, colonialism, othering, fear, adventurism, and so much more into this short book with language that makes you feel as if you are reading a philosophical book. I don't have much experience with experimental sci-fi but if that is what this book is, then I at least know that I want more of it because I love a book that makes me think about it longer after I finish it.

But despite this uniqueness and thought-provoking writing, I was also surprised that an author that for the most part seemed to be so intentional with their writing would spend time on scenes that just to me felt unnecessary. We know that sex is on many teenagers' minds but the detail of masturbation just felt very out of place to me personally. Is this just another one of those things that I'll learn to understand later on? Maybe during a reread even? I don't know. But it did throw me off and kept me at a distance emotionally for a long time because I wasn't sure anymore if this was the kind of book I really wanted to be reading at that time. It just felt like it was there more for the shock factor than character development or anything else.

Also, despite reading the synopsis beforehand, I wasn't 100% of the location at the start either. Was there another planet aside from Quita and Earth where the inn was located? Were there more species than Quitans and humans that we needed to know about? Is the appearance of Quitans much different to that of humans and could that affect relationships between the species? As I said above, I am used to much more detail in my usual books and while I can see how the lack of it can be very thought-provoking, which for the most part has been very well done in this book, I still think that adding a little bit more detail in certain areas would have helped me get more invested in the story overall.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for providing me with a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

3.5✨
In the world of Skyward Inn, earth has discovered the peaceful planet of Qita which it eagerly colonises for its resources with a very peaceful and amicable reception from the existing inhabitants. In this version of reality, a small area of the UK around Devon has isolated itself from the modern and technologically advanced world for a simpler life. We experience this world from the perspective of Jem and her son Fosse who are both living separately in this Protectorate and wrestling with very similar issues unbeknown to the other. As we progress through the story we come to know more about the Qitan people and the darker side of their peaceful assimilation often with the aid of Qitan brew served at the Skyward Inn.
 
This is a beautifully written speculative fiction and fully held my attention - such that I devoured it in less than 24hrs. Overall I think it was my yearning for understanding that sent me racing through this book rather than an amazing plot - as whilst the concept was great, I think the ultimate twist and overall explanation of what was happening with the Qitans could have been a bit tighter. There was also a massive shift in pace at the end where we move from slowly meandering through the experiences of our cast to rapid-fire coming to the climax with minimal detail. I just would have liked a bit more (as I always do!)
 
What Skyward Inn might lack in tightness of plot, it more than makes up for in exploration of themes. This is a beautiful musing over ideas of belonging, selfhood and individuality within the context of colonisation and freedom. It also raises the complexities of difference and how we understand it - is an emphasis on the difference between people just as harmful as becoming blind to difference?
 
I also would have liked a bit more development of the romantic relationship between Jem and Isley (her Qitan partner) in the Inn scenes before we get moving with the plot but this is a great book nonetheless and has done nothing to quell my current addiction with eerie speculative fiction!

This is good, but won't appeal to those seeking high action. It has a literary feel and is well written. It's certainly strange at times, and a little uneven in places. I enjoyed many of the ideas and situations as well. Recommended to those seeking an odd tale bordering on Fantasy.

Thanks very much for the ARC for review!!

A surreal, speculative story unlike anything I've read before. We follow a woman and her son in a post-apocalyptic world where humans have peace with an alien planet and the aliens that reside there, the Qitans. Our main characters live in a place in what was a rural part of Great Britain called the Protectorate that has shunned all of the technology that this world lives off of and instead chooses the embrace the traditional ways of life. Our main character works at the Skyward Inn, where a Qitan serves this addictive brew from Qita.

What I liked: The writing absolutely blew me away. Whiteley weaves commentary on humanity, community, and belonging so perfectly into the story of these two. Even as someone who has never used the highlight function on my Kindle, I had to pause to just absorb her words, and yes, I broke out the highlighter. Even though the setting could not be more foreign, I felt so seen in Whiteley's observations on human nature. I have never been able to put into words the idea that as you grow up, you discover that all of your feelings and struggles and ideas are not unique. You're just repeating the past and yet still rejecting the wisdom of those who have already experienced it. Skyward Inn put that into words for me, while exploring even further into aspects of human nature and belonging in communities. I think several reads would be required to fully take in the brilliance of this work.

"How do you tell someone that the thing they think is special is nothing but humanity being its usual self?"

What I didn't like: I don't like to read synopses, so I didn't, but this left me so confused for the first quarter of the book that I had to just go back and read the synopsis to understand where we were and what was going on. The surreal style of writing not only contributed to the confusion, but also led to me feel detached from the story at times. Both of these could arguably be positives for this type of speculative fiction, but I felt they were worth mentioning.

"Part of him, the boy of him, would always be in that moment of the worst thing he would ever do, feeling it, screaming to make a better decision."

Overall: 4.25/5
I highly recommend this to anyone who enjoys experimental sci-fi and beautiful, intelligent writing.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing a review copy in exchange for an honest review.


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