Friday Friyay: 'Skyward Inn' by Aliya Whiteley

 First off, thank so many of you for your lovely comments on Monday about my Uncle, it was much appreciated! I have used this week to slowly prepare for my last semester at university and finally get to some books I have had waiting for me. One of those is Skyward Inn by the incomparable Aliya Whiteley. I first read Whiteley's The Beauty in 2014 and it completely blew my mind. Since then, including her 2016 novel The Arrival of Missives, I have been consistently impressed by how inventive and human her science fiction is, with a solid thread of horror and dread throughout. So today I'm sharing quotes from Skyward Inn which came out in early March. Also, how beautiful is that cover? It pops even more in real life.

Drink down the brew and dream of a better Earth.

Skyward Inn, within the high walls of the Western Protectorate, is a place of safety, where people come together to tell stories of the time before the war with Qita.

But safety from what? Qita surrendered without complaint when Earth invaded; Innkeepers Jem and Isley, veterans from either side, have regrets but few scars.

Their peace is disturbed when a visitor known to Isley comes to the Inn asking for help, bringing reminders of an unnerving past and triggering an uncertain future.

Did humanity really win the war?

This is Jamaica Inn by way of Jeff Vandermeer, Ursula Le Guin, Angela Carter and Michel Faber, a beautiful story of belonging, identity and regret.

Book Beginnings is at home on Rose City Reader, hosted by Gilion Dumas, and Friday 56 at Freda's Voice, hosted by Freda. I'll also be joining the Book Blog Hop, hosted by Charlie over at Ramblings of a Coffee Addicted Writer.

BB:

'They've drunk their drinks and sung their songs, and it's time for them to head for home. I wave them off, turn my back on the first streaks of light in the sky, and clos the door to the inn.
Isley says, his voice soft and self-mocking, 'Alone at last.' He says it every time we've got the place to ourselves. He practiced his English on Tung Base, millions of miles away, by watching old films, and sometimes I can imagine the kind of drama he thinks we're in. The lamps on the walls are burning low. I love this time, time between times. It's a soft grey bleed from night into morning.' p.9 (first page)

I, like always, quoted at length because openings say so much but also gives you such a good taste for Whiteley's writing. I love the warmth and sense of tradition you get from the first sentence. And then the slight oddness and alienation with Isley and his history, finished off with those two stunning sentences about night bleeding into morning.

F56:

'But what of the man at the farm? Imagine being a traveller, a conqueror. To simply turn up on soil and stamp it as property. There was something very human about it. That was why he did not hate the man, he realised. They had recognised each other as human in that moment, and it was right for Fosse to be mocked and demoted, at least for now. For now.' p.56

Science fiction is honestly a great genre to lay out humanity's issues, but also its redeeming qualities. Fosse is a teenage boy growing up questioning humanity to its core and I've been very intrigued by him so far.

Book Blogger Hop:

This week's question was submitted by Elizabeth over at Complex Chaos:

Do you do most of your blog work on a computer, iPad or phone?

I had the Blogger app on my phone for a while but I simply cannot do serious work on my phone. So I'm solidly a computer person when it comes to blogging. I always use my laptop when writing reviews, but I also prefer browsing through NetGalley or reaching out to publishers etc. on my laptop. That way I can all shut it down as well and let everything else be about the joy of reading. I also think that even if I had a tablet I would still use my laptop to blog. I don't think I can actually type quickly and accurately if I don't have a proper keyboard. When I write on my phone, even if it's just casual messages, I am relying on my spell checker whereas that's hardly ever an issue for me on my laptop.

I do have the NetGalley app on my phone so I occasionally do some reading on my phone, but I'm getting old despite my 27 years and I don't really enjoy the bright screen while reading.

What do you think of Skyward Inn? I would wholeheartedly recommend Aliya Whiteley's writing so if SciFi is in any way to your liking, give it a go!