Narrated by Kristin Atherton

Genre: Sci-Fi

Age: Adult

Format: Audiobook

Jem is just trying to make a life for herself in the Western Protectorate, running the Skyward Inn with Isley, following the war with Qita. Qita surrendered, but when a Qitan arrives who Isley knows, Jem’s safe, simple world is thrown out of balance. A retelling of Jamaica Inn, Skyward Inn gives us a community that rejects the technological progress of the world around them and focus on a more simplistic, rural life.

All is not well, not even within the Protectorate, and alongside Isley’s visitor, a group arrive and set up in a farm not designated for them, though that doesn’t stop Jem’s son – raised by his uncle – from wanting to know them better.

I want to emphasize that there are some truly, wonderfully funny moments contained within the book, that hit all the harder because of what they’re surrounded by. With the language differences between Earth’s humans and the Qitan’s, Whiteley draws out some excellent humour in the way they communicate. There are moments that teeter between comedy and horror, peppered in with some really heartfelt ones. There’s an idea, threaded throughout the novel, of what togetherness and loneliness really mean – the loneliest place might be a crowded room, but that doesn’t stop us from seeking out people to be alone with, together.

There’s a strangeness to this. It veers almost towards a literary kind of sci-fi, but courts the weird in such a delightful way that pulls it back from ‘literary’. Jem – bless her – isn’t the smartest, and unfortunately her son inherited her intelligence – err, lack of. But both are curious and driven by that curiosity; it’s the reason Jem ended up travelling to Quita. Fosse, Jem’s son, is tasked with taking the minutes at local meetings run by his uncle, and these bring in such a great slice-of-life humour, it’s hard not to feel something towards Fosse. When he meets the squatters at the farm, he falls easily for what they tell him, introducing a new set of complications for all involved.

It’s a strange, surreal book with very relatable characters at its core, and the plot points are so tightly woven together, it’s hard not to get caught up in it all. Parts feel completely and utterly normal, until there’s a subtle mention of something otherworldly, and the way things play out make you feel like someone has your hand and is guiding you along a weird journey, similar to the way the characters are experiencing things. If you’re looking for something that can fall into a weird sci-fi genre, with dashes of horror along the way and an ending that’ll have you riveted, look no further than this strange, slightly messed up but definitely entertaining book.

Amazon UK

Bookshop UK

Review by Elle Turpitt

Twitter: @elleturpitt

Bluesky: @elleturpitt.bsky.social

www.elleturpittediting.com

I purchased this audiobook.