OUT NOW: Skyward Inn by Aliya Whiteley
16th March 2021
We’re over-the-moon to wish a very happy publication day to Skyward Inn! A thoughtful, literary novel about conflict, identity and community, it offers a fresh new perspective in speculative fiction from critically-acclaimed writer Aliya Whiteley.
Jamaica Inn by way of Jeff Vandermeer, Ursula Le Guin, Angela Carter and Michel Faber, Skyward Inn is a beautiful story of belonging, identity and regret.
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?
“Skyward Inn feels like an instant classic of the genre.” — The Guardian
“Intense and consuming writing, constantly challenging expectations.” — Adrian Tchaikovsky, Arthur C. Clarke Award-winning author of Children of Time
“The absolute best kind of philosophical SF, & indisputable inheritor of Le Guin. Aliya Whiteley forces us to confront difficult ideas, but they are important, and will become even more so. Exactly what SF should do.” — Marion Womack, author of The Golden Key
“A powerful and surprising examination of colonialism and its unintended consequences. Highly recommended.” — Helen Marshall, author of The Migration