Skyward Inn

The characters have no agency (or recognisable humanity) and the story is repetitive & boring. Avoid.

An odd piece - very retro SF style - bar keeping in a dilapidated future with alien beer - love the ideas mix - two main characters well drawn - somewhat of a downer, however...

The Skyward Inn is about a pub in the Western Protectorate (set in England), where Jem and Isley serve a drink called the Brew, which comes from Qita, the nation that they had the war with, and from which Isley hails. Jem and Isley are from different sides of the war, but neither has any regrets or scars from the war. In the end, people come together in the Skyward Inn to tell stories of the times before the war with Qita. Jem was away for 10 years and returned to run the Inn, and she has with her a son named Foss, but we don't know much about his parentage. What was patently clear in the novel was that Foss goes off on his own, but it was not clear exactly why he left. I wanted to like this book, but I couldn't. I really tried hard. There is great world building bu slow development of what is going on, which made is difficult to stay with. I found it very slow to read. I committed to read the book until I finished. And, well, I'm glad that I did, but I have to say that I really don't understand what the point was. I recently read. Though the unfolding of the story was just too slow for me, it might be okay for others. The fact that it tries to explore themes of identity relationships (especially with Jem and Foss) could make this truly wonderful, however, it unfolded too slow for me. I was very disappointed in the book and I can't recommend this highly. I would like to thank the author, Solaris Publishers and NetGalley for the copy. I am voluntarily leaving this review.

Skyward Inn by Aliya Whiteley is a really trippy science fiction novel about the aftermath of a war on another planet, called Qita. The Inn serves as a gathering place for residents: a place where they can imbibe and connect with others; that is, until a new face disturbs the peace. I have to say, Skyward Inn is one of the trippiest books I have ever read. I may just be dense, but I was probably halfway through the book before I realized where the story was heading. And I am not complaining about that fact, as I attribute it to Whiteley’s phenomenal writing that the author was able to keep me in the dark for so long. I do not want to say too much about the plot, because it is something you want to EXPERIENCE. I just really loved the writing style. Even when I was not sure about the narrative track, I was still engaged with the plot. It is really atmospheric, as one might expect a story about an inn on another planet to be. The author sets the stage by using very moody language that is really tonal. The way the story unfolds slowly, deliberately grabbing ahold of the reader piece by piece is a phenomenal approach. I really appreciated the measured manner in which the book was written. Weirdly, the individual characters were not very important to me. And I am okay with that, for the most part. Due to the way the plot develops, I think that was purposeful on the part of the author, at least later in the book. The beginning does rely on Jem to carry the load a little, which I did not think was all that successful. There is a lot of talk about her relationship with Isley, but it is really unclear what happened and why that is important for a long time. So, focusing on this in the beginning was not really impactful for me, as a reader; and, to be honest, it did not matter to me in the end. Again, I am not sure if this is purposeful or not on the author’s part. If Whiteley was trying to unfold relationships the way the author did the plot, I would say it was a miss. If the plan was always to have the characters be secondary to the narrative, then I tip my hat to the author. I like to think it was the latter, because that is how I experienced the book. Others may not feel the same. In the end, I really enjoyed reading Skyward Inn. Its slow-paced story that gently revealed itself may seem underwhelming at first, but the direction of of the plot took the narrative to a surprising and satisfying place. This book is not for everyone, though. If you are looking for a book that does not fit into any tropes or boxes and are willing to keep an open mind, I recommend it.

What Whiteley does here straddles the line between speculative fiction and fabulism as well as anything I’ve seen. Its achingly emotional and also philosophically thought-provoking.