Skyward Inn

“Its triumph lies in the way Whiteley uses the metaphor to examine the tortured process of love and attachment.” -- The Guardian * The Guardian *
“A murky delirium of sinuous language and unnerving storytelling that will delight both experienced genre fanatics and literary fiction lovers alike.” * Kirkus *
“Whiteley has a penchant for describing the disturbing… a surreal and disquieting post-apocalyptic consideration of the roles we place ourselves in.” -- The Barnes and Noble SF&F Blog * The Barnes and Noble SF&F Blog *
"A story of the future that is an appeal to the present. The best kind of science fiction. A novel of its time, confronting current and terrible misjudgements with which humanity assures its own demise. All made startling by a typical Whiteley strangeness." -- Adam Nevill, author of The Reddening and Wyrd and Other Derelictions
"Whiteley [is] one of the most original and provocative voices in contemporary science fiction." -- Nina Allen, author of The Rift
“Visceral and unsettling - I loved it” -- G. V. Anderson, award-winning speculative fiction author
"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
"Clever and touching: a book of cosmic scope but with real characters and a human heart." -- Chris Beckett, author of the award-winning Dark Eden series
"A powerful and surprising examination of colonialism and its unintended consequences. Highly recommended." -- Helen Marshall, author of The Migration
“Skyward Inn is an experience. Whiteley is a strong voice in speculative fiction and readers will be delighted and unsettled by her novels for years to come.” -- The Nerd Daily -- Kibby Robinson * The Nerd Daily *
"Whiteley takes the reader on a cryptic journey of trust, identity and knowing your place in the world." -- Starburst Magazine -- Fred McNamara * Starburst Magazine *
"A moving and thought provoking tale, completely unlike anything I’ve read before." -- The Bibliophile Chronicles * The Bibliophile Chronicles *
"There are some books that are simply beautiful. And Skyward Inn by Aliya Whiteley is one of those." -- Libri Draconis * Libri Draconis *
"Whiteley's trademark subtle surrealism shines." -- Publishers Weekly * Publishers Weekly *
"A melancholy and compellingly weird tale of identity in crisis." -- SFX -- Will Salmon * SFX *
“Skyward Inn feels like an instant classic of the genre.” -- The Guardian -- Lisa Tuttle * The Guardian *
"A beautifully realised story, with achingly engaging prose." -- The British Fantasy Society * The British Fantasy Society *
"Rarely has a writer who is not Philip K. Dick had so much fun building a world only to take it apart." -- LA Times -- Noah Berlatsky * LA Times *
"A vital contribution to modern speculative fiction and a novel to be read and reread and pondered at length.” -- The Fantasy Hive -- Jonathan Thornton * The Fantasy Hive *
"A unique work of literary and speculative excellence." -- SciFiNow -- Bert Peterson * SciFiNow *
"When it comes to misdirection, Aliya Whiteley is the very devil." --The Times -- Simon Ings * The Times *
The Times SF Book of the Month * The Times *
"Whiteley explores questions of identification, attachment and belonging, tying everything together in a wonderfully surreal and weirdly uplifting denouement." -- The FT -- James Lovegrove * The FT *
"Skyward Inn is a quietly disarming and beautiful book that masterfully blends literary conventions with science fiction." -- Dark Matter Magazine -- Alexander Pyles * Dark Matter Magazine *
"A book to take solace in." * Locus Magazine *