I quite enjoyed the author’s Skyward Inn, so I figured I’d check out her short fiction. Granted, quite enjoyed isn’t exactly a ringing endorsement, but it’s…accurate, for there’s something about her writing that just doesn’t’ grab me as much as, say, pancakes, but it is, objectively very good.
This author seems to get slotted into the sci fi genre, but one can argue she’s more of a New Weird, some kind of weird anyway. These aren’t conventional science fiction stories, they consistently veer into the realm of surrealism. It’s good, it’s interesting, it’s genre busting…but it also stands to reason that it won’t be the right fit for fans of more conventional science fiction.
And because these tales spin so dreamily, so deliberately strange, so trippy at times, it’s difficult to know what to expect or how to describe them. They are conventional enough structurally, but thematically and tonally they are more of an experience, if you will. Meaning you have to be in the right mood for them and I was, mostly.
I didn’t like them all evenly, but then again they weren’t even enough to invite that kind of blanket adoration. But there’s magic within these pages. There were at least three stories I really loved…Many Eyed Monsters, Into Glass, Tears of a Building Surveyor. Actually, thinking of it now, those were the ones that were mostly metaphors on relationships, albeit exceptionally creative ones. There were other good ones the titles of which elude me presently, the first and longest story was an interesting read of agricultural sci fi. Is that a thing? Agri sci fi? There are so many subgenres out there.
Agriculture in general is heavily featured in this collection. Or…this collection, like all good diets, is heavily plant based. Literally. Gives it an interesting green angle.
Overall, this is an imaginative, original and intelligent collection and it’s certainly worth a read. Even if your personal emotional connection to these stories might vary or take its time establishing or just not show up, there’s still within these pages to appreciate on a purely intellectual level. Stimulate your brain, it is, after all, a muscle, and muscles should be exercised. Recommended for fans of something different and infinitely strange. Thanks Netgalley.

Can I just say that I love it when authors release short story collections? Especially semi-disturbing speculative collections like this one?

Was every story included perfect? No, some were definitely better than others, as is the way with these sorts of things. But everything included was intelligent, atmospheric, and well-written. The collection as a whole deals with overarching themes of time, and I loved that many of the MCs were older. Why is it fiction always seems to focus on the young?

I'm not even going to attempt describing the plots of the tales included because it would be a travesty of spoilers, BUT here are some of my faves:

- Brushwork
- Corwick Grows
- Into Glass
- Chantress
- Blessings Erupt
- From the Neck Up

So why not a five-star? Unfortunately, some of the writing was so meta as to be a bit vague. This could just be personal preference, but it was recurring enough that I had to include it.

4/5 stars

Aliya Whiteley explores our the horrors (large and small) of our modern day lives through 16 mesmerizing tales that warp the ordinary into the uncanny.
Combining elements of science fiction, speculative surrealism and horror, the author covers a variety of themes about the world we live in; ranging from environmental apocalypse to the nature of the bodies we inhabit. Varying in length and topic, all stories share the unifying atmosphere of unnerving strangeness, combined with hypnotic beauty that is accentuated by the authors lyrical writing.

I personally had a wonderful time with this collection: if you know me, this is the exact brand of horror that I love. Combined with Whiteley’s creativity and talent for painting a picture with her words, this was a match made in heaven. In fact, it made me even more enthusiastic to read her full length novels that are still on my TBR (particularly Skyward Inn and Greensmith), as I tend to personally prefer those over short stories.

For me, the biggest challenge when reviewing collections or anthologies is that you will inevitably like some parts of it more than others. The same rang true for From the Neck Up for me personally. Some stories were so engaging and fascinating that I was left wishing for a full length novel on the topic, only to realize that the story already encapsulated everything it needed to perfectly. That’s the art of a good short story to me: being able to condense an idea down to its core without losing substance. My personal favourites were “Many-Eyed Monsters”, “Into Glass” and “Reflection, Refraction and Dispersion”.
A few stories however, had me wishing for more in a different way: leaving me feeling like there was an original idea, yet little more to it explored.

Overall, this collection delivered a coherent and fascinating experience, that will at times get under your skin and linger there. Perfect for fans of Kirsty Logans Things We Say in the Dark, Samanta Schweblins Mouthful of Birds or the works of Jeff VanderMeer.

From the Neck Up is available from September 14th in online and physical stores. Many thanks to the publisher Titan Books and Netgalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

What a surprise, this is a very different book. I will re-read it because I feel I need more to comprehend.

The stories are so different one from another, which is good because is like having many books in one.

The author's creativity surprised me, she is capable of writing many genres that's awesome.

As with all selections of short stories, there are some you get on with and others not so much. ‘Many-Eyed Monsters’ with its hidden sub-text was my personal favourite.
Overall, a little too surreal for my taste, but there’s no denying that it’s beautifully written and others will love it.
Thanks to NetGalley and Titan Books for providing me with an Advance Reader's Copy in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.

This was one very enjoyable, yet strange journey.

I have received this book in exchange of an honest review, thank you to NetGalley and Titan Books for the opportunity.

I have my own blog now (Daysinotherworlds.com), so please do give it a visit if you're interested in my other reviews :)

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I haven't read that many anthologies in my lifetime just yet, however, from the ones I did read and given the amount of stories in it, I would like to think that this anthology is one of the best. There are 16 different stories in the collection, varying in both length and topic, while strangeness seems to be the most prominent vibe I got from them. Despite that however, I found it very admirable that Aliya Whiteley managed to write them all without making them feel too similar to each other, and actually managing to make it enjoyable for the majority of them.

Obviously, there will always be some more enjoyable than others given it's a collection, but I can safely say that all of them were enjoyable, with the exception of two stories. One of those needed a little bit more tell than show for it to make bigger sense to me personally, while the other was just not an enjoyable read, which in turn makes it a great ratio to me and more than worth my time investment.

The writing and creativity is for sure the best parts of reading through this work, as the author is truly ambitious and capable of making their writing be enjoyable while pushing the boundaries of normal storytelling. Given that they aren't exactly broken apart in stories of the same length, going through each and every one of them is not wise to me. However, I will be talking briefly about the ones that I enjoyed the most from the 16.

The first one of those was the opening story, if you will, Brushwork. I personally appreciate a story a lot more when it's told from an older perspective these days and this one being so, while also being set in a somewhat post-apocalyptic world made it a delight to read. I especially enjoyed the need to protect and preserve the small area the characters can still call their own, the desperation that comes with it, how it differs from one character to the next and of course seeing snippets of the world at that time. Very fun, very sad and it's just so incredibly easy to get attached enough to want to see what else the author has in store.

Into Glass was the second story to really grip me, and it's easily because of how somewhat horrific it actually is. There is this strange mood to that story from page one, something really creepy as well and it was interesting to see how the characters dealt with it while also making the most of the situation. Blessings Erupt was also another story that made me super interested to see what is going on exactly in yet another application of a post-apocalyptic world although, in this story, it was much easier to see how something of this type will be more on the beneficial side than not.

I may have chosen only three to talk about, but that doesn't mean that the others aren't as enjoyable. Stories like Chantress, The Spoils and Loves of the Long Dead are also powerful candidates. Each of the stories, especially ones like Three Love Letters from an Unrepeatable Garden and The Tears of a Building Surveyor, and Other Stories discuss some harsher realities and how different some humans can be to others which I thought was an enjoyable read.

Anthologies in particular, especially given how short some stories are, need to be experienced. Especially if they're as atmospheric as this one. The way she combined this strange world of hers, and the ugliness of humanity at times made it a gripping read and I'll most likely be reading any other anthology she puts out after this one if I'm just as lucky. As a first impression, I'm very impressed.