SKYWARD INN

Skyward Inn by Aliya Whiteley.

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Skyward Inn takes place after two planets—Earth and Qita—encounter one another through a “star gate,” The Kissing Gate. The Skyward Inn of the story exists within the Western Protectorate, which is located in what was once Britain, but the Protectorate has cut itself off from the rest of world. They are Luddites longing for a return to an earlier, simpler life before meeting the Qitans.

Jem and her Qitan partner Isley run the Inn, providing Qitan Jarrowbrew to those who gather. Jarrowbrew is an intoxicating drink that seems to affect space-time and bring forth stories from those who imbibe. A parallel story follows Jem’s son Fosse and his wanderings through the Protectorate countryside.

Skyward Inn delves into some of the same issues that Whiteley tackled in her earlier novel The Beauty—longing for a past that perhaps never really existed in the way that everyone remembers, the encounter with the Other, navigating the difference between cultures, and the importance of language and story. And, then, as expected the elements of contagion, contamination, and body horror arrive.

Whiteley doesn’t leave it there, however. She throws in a couple of plot twists that I did not see coming.

This is compelling, intriguing, thought-provoking writing that reflects many of the problems of our own age. Highly recommended weird fiction!