'What Lies Above' by Caitlin Lambert Is a Riveting Dystopian Debut Novel

Author Sophia Alexander holding her copy of What Lies Above

What Lies Above, by Blue Ridge Mountains dystopian author Caitlin Lambert, tells of Eva, a teenager who lives underground and works for a society that she’s always trusted—until she discovers that they are only pretending her friend’s father has died. After he disappears, more worrisome events occur. She soon realizes that all is not as it seems—and, unfortunately, she has to conclude that her society is not at all to be trusted.  On a mission to save her best friend, she clambers into the electrical grid to make her way to the Government Sector, where only the elite—and her best friend—are allowed.

Meanwhile, Eli is a government worker tasked with disciplining runaways, among other things. He justifies his position by telling himself that he is protecting his family at home, drawing suspicion away from them.  He also knows that he is not punishing runaways with the force that many loyal government zealots would inflict.  Unfortunately, Eli’s diligence is recognized, and he is recruited for special military purposes.

The story flips back and forth between Eva and Eli, who do not meet up as soon as I expected they would.  Ms. Lambert leaves many questions unanswered, which I’m assuming is because there will be a sequel.  For instance, I still don’t know what happened to Eva’s friend’s father, nor to her best friend—not for sure.  However, the author does throw a plot twist in at the end that for some reason I had not foreseen (hats off to any author who manages that without inciting my gall at its randomness—but this wasn’t random and was quite well done).

Caitlin Lambert piqued my interest with her laser intuition regarding next-level warfare. My blood quickened with her emotional intensity and intense action scenes.  She had amazing descriptions. And I loved her characters’ ethical predicaments.

At the same time, by the end of the story, I couldn’t think straight for worrying about her characters not eating!  Breatharians?  It went on too long, so long that I didn’t buy it when they were worrying about ethics, pivotal choices, or anything else that didn’t meet their survival needs.  I needed them to have a bit of respite here or there simply so that I could sink back into the action!

Then… her young adult characters—most often opposite sexes together—were so chaste and physically unaffected by each other so as to seem fairly sex-hormone-less.  I do like a clean story, and I believe Caitlin is a Christian author, but this was baffling to me as a reader. It’s as if such thoughts never crossed their minds!  If I were freezing to death, I’d bundle up with just about anyone, I do believe—but her chaste young people huddled on their own, ensuring that we don’t see any Jacob/Bella (Twilight series) heat going on!  I was unsure of any romance even to the end, despite a few possibilities, though there were intense emotional connections in many directions. Romance was surely going on, though… maybe?… but those strongly forged relationships could all have been platonic, every one of them!

That said, I am excited for the next book, and I hope it comes out soon.  Unfortunately, the author’s social media seems to have been loaded with wonderful posts and videos around the release of this novel in 2021, and there was some mention of having completed another book (I assume the sequel), but then it’s as if she dropped off the face of the planet…  Let’s hope she’s simply hard at work on the sequels... or getting distracted like me... but I can't help but worry, given the content of her novel, especially!

Jujuwrimo Rough Draft

I'm in the midst of 'Jujuwrimo' with some writing friends: July Just Write Month, so styled by fellow author Kellyn McClarry. It's a Nanowrimo-style effort to get out a fresh new rough draft, and it's magical to see the progress! We're basically accountability buddies reporting word counts, whining, and encouraging each other. We'll be at this for the rest of July, so if you're wondering where I'm at... it's probably at my writing desk!

August 1st update:

Jujuwrimo complete!

Rough draft #3 done!

My YA Fantasy Trilogy now exists (but needs a lotta lotta work)

ASPCA Adventures in 'Fifty Years in the Doghouse' by Lloyd Alexander

 

Author Sophia Alexander with Lloyd Alexander's 'Fifty Years in the Doghouse'

Fifty Years in the Doghouse (1963) by Lloyd Alexander professes to be a book about William Michael Ryan, one of its most active and valiant ASPCA agents for over a half-century, but his anecdotes probably make up less than half of the book.  This work would have been more accurately and appealingly marketed as a history of the ASPCA, especially its New York City division.

As a history of the ASPCA, I can see how the book would hold immense charm for people who have been involved with the organization or wish to know more about it before becoming involved.  Of course, as the book is over sixty years old, it’s more of an early history of the ASPCA, but that holds its own value for such a venerable institution, and they’d do well to republish it simply to distribute to their facilities and employees and benefactors.

While there are countless fun anecdotes about animal rescues, I particularly enjoyed hearing about the ASPCA’s founding by an aging dandy who suddenly found profound meaning in life in his old age.  He was outraged by the mistreatment of horses on the streets, among other problems, and his early organization even found itself taking up the cause of abused children, who weren’t as legally protected in New York, it seemed, as pets and horses soon were, thanks to all those fighting for animal welfare.

It’s unfortunate that this book was marketed as a biography of William Michael Ryan, a hard-working, worthy man relatively few knew or will ever know.  I suppose it was a last minute change to give the book a more personal flavor and popular appeal, but this seems to have required reorganizing the chapters as well.  The reader is immersed at once in anecdotes about Ryan saving critters, for sure.  But when the unsuspecting reader then comes upon numerous inner chapters on drier ASPCA history and its structural organization, they’ll be disconcerted and feel a bit upside-down, since the old switcheroo has been pulled. Certain other chapters feature anecdotes of other ASPCA agents and officers. There’s a bit of celebrity name-dropping.  Lloyd Alexander even repeats himself on occasion.

That said, I had no idea the extent of the society’s work, nor of their authority.  They had facilities for air-traveling animals and hosted all sorts of exotic species. William Michael Ryan was particularly good at adapting facilities to accommodate as necessary. From horses, dogs, and cats to monkeys, elephants, lions, and pythons, this book is full of heroic and compassionate anecdotes.

Fifty Years in the Doghouse is the second of the last four unread-by-me, published books that I’ve collected by Lloyd Alexander. I’m reading them this year, on what would have been my favorite author’s centennial birthday.  He’s an incredible wordsmith and later won the Newberry Medal for his children’s fantasy novels, but my favorite work is his charming 1959 novel about his wife, called Janine Is French.  It’s out-of-print, as are many of his early books.

I’m affirmed in why I never got around to these lingering four books, however, as I do believe this and the one I began with—Park Avenue Vet—were commissioned projects that do not convey Lloyd’s full measure of inspiration and passion.  Nevertheless, Lloyd’s wordsmithing is apparent, his humor is often there, and he still does his best to give beautiful meaning to the stories he tells.  He was born the 30^th of January in 1924, a hundred years ago this year.

The Silk Trilogy & 'Homespun' Finalists with Chanticleer International

Yay!  The Silk Trilogy has now been honored as a Finalist for Best Series by Chanticleer International, and Homespun as a Finalist for their Laramie Americana Awards, too! (Yes, these are the awards that have been progressing from a longlist to shortlist to semifinalist to finalist!)

https://www.chantireviews.com/2024/02/29/the-2023-laramie-book-awards-finalists-for-americana-fiction/?fbclid=IwAR3PWxlD1mZg0hUJXh68tlHiOlw1gmAu0Smw5_uYBP3KggU-ZYQFyEXVzkA

https://www.chantireviews.com/2024/03/04/the-2023-ciba-series-award-finalists-for-genre-fiction/?fbclid=IwAR2zcs1ckSfKur87pyLARM2_vVX2bzL5f9DL84i3Nh-jjzzcn8STtV5wIIs

The Silk Trilogy Progresses to the Chanticleer Short List!

Not only is Homespun a semifinalist, still in the running for the Laramie Award by Chanticleer International, but the entire Silk Trilogy is in a separate Chanticleer contest for complete book series of any genre.  I was pleased to be informed that The Silk Trilogy has now made the Short List for this contest. 

 

https://www.chantireviews.com/2024/02/11/the-2023-ciba-series-award-short-list-for-genre-fiction/

'Homespun' a semi-finalist for the Laramie Awards!

 

Chanticleer International likes to draw out the suspense, and it works! Homespun is now a semi-finalist for the Laramie Awards.

Here's the link for the semi-finalists:

https://www.chantireviews.com/2024/01/14/the-2023-laramie-book-awards-semi-finalists-for-americana-fiction/?fbclid=IwAR1wn1Vu-W7wL47c-cKfI2xdzzqt-bZFU4q3u0gFxgLgZTMjHZUR6Zzl7W4

October's original post:

Homespun just longlisted for the Laramie Award for Americana Fiction. Much obliged if you'd cross your fingers for it making it to the next round, too!

Here's the link for the longlist: 
https://www.chantireviews.com/2023/10/09/the-2023-laramie-book-awards-long-list-for-americana-fiction/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=the-2023-laramie-book-awards-long-list-for-americana-fiction&mc_cid=1755091776&mc_eid=59ee6074f9 

November edit: Yay! Homespun made the Shortlist, too!

https://www.chantireviews.com/2023/11/16/the-2023-laramie-book-awards-short-list-for-americana-fiction/?fbclid=IwAR15gz48j9ZMa538A7qCCKphGzWMSsA6bTnAkFHIltZpbKnRvLzT8FPAQkE

Cats Galore in 'Park Avenue Vet' by Dr. Camuti and Lloyd Alexander

 

Author Lloyd Alexander with one of his cats.

One hundred years ago this month, my all-time favorite author was born.  I’m not saying Lloyd Alexander was truly the best author in the world, only that that’s been my decided opinion ever since I was in the third grade. My teacher read the Chronicles of Prydain to us at the excruciatingly slow rate of one short, perfect chapter per day, emblazoning his words and artistry upon my mind. I’d ponder the daily chapters and couldn’t bear to miss a day of school.  Lloyd Alexander was born the 30^th of January in 1924, leaving not only an array of award-winning fantasy novels but also his prior nonfiction works—sprinkled with tongue-in-cheek, self-effacing humor, always polished. Here I am reviewing an early work entitled Park Avenue Vet (1962).

Author Sophia Alexander with
Lloyd Alexander's Park Avenue Vet (1962)

For this year of Lloyd’s 100^th birthday, I am at last reading the four remaining books that I’ve never gotten around to reading (or didn’t finish, in one case). I do believe three of the four are now out of print. I collected these volumes long ago but never felt drawn to them, in particular, tending to instead go back to my favorites time and again. This first was written in collusion with Dr. Louis J. Camuti, a veterinarian who at the time (1962) had already been making house calls exclusively for cats for forty long years.

Dr. Camuti certainly lucked into getting Lloyd Alexander to work with him on his cat tales.  Lloyd had already written My Five Tigers, a charming book about the stray cats who adopted Lloyd and his wife, Janine. Park Avenue Vet did not turn out to be quite so delightful as its predecessor, for all that Lloyd’s style pervades the writing.  It starts out well enough and is full of interesting cat anecdotes from beginning to end—cute enough that I contemplated trying to order another copy for my cat-loving daughter. Soon, however, one realizes that although Dr. Camuti has a certain understanding about cat sociology and a decided affection for cats, he’s not particularly broad-minded and is nowhere near the intellect that Lloyd is. It seems obvious in the passages where Camuti insisted on keeping something in the book, as it’s suddenly less tasteful and falls flat, as if even Lloyd simply couldn’t muster the charm to make it flow as well as the rest of the writing. After all, it can be literally impossible to transform puffed-up insularity into ‘charming’. Besides, I do believe Lloyd himself was in some way offended by the old-fashioned perspective. Camuti comes off as a pompous, name-dropping know-it-all, and this happens increasingly towards the end of the book.  Camuti co-authored another book a few years later, but he had to use another author to polish it for him, as by that time Lloyd Alexander was working on his more successful fantasy novels (Newberry Award-winning!)—but also, I suspect that Lloyd Alexander had already had more than enough of Dr. Louis J. Camuti in the writing of Park Avenue Vet.

Still, for all that, it’s not the absolute worst (so far) of Lloyd Alexander’s books. That dubious soubriquet goes to another commissioned biographical work: August Bondi: Border Hawk, so dull as to seem to be written by someone else, quite devoid of Lloyd’s trademark wit.  It’s truly as if Lloyd Alexander were pinned down and forced to write lines!  Mind you, I read that book well over a decade ago, and I’m almost curious enough to give it another go, to see if it really was that bad.  But clearly I don’t recommend it.

My all-time favorite Lloyd Alexander work is Janine Is French, which is about his beloved Parisian wife and is utter charm from beginning to end. I’m quite sorry it’s out of print.  For most people, and definitely for the underage crowd, The Chronicles of Prydain is where to begin. These five novels are inspired by Welsh legend. Not only does Lloyd’s wit and polished style enchant the reader, but his characters wrestle with ethics and lofty ideals about truthfulness and finding their purpose; these come through in his novels in a way that his nonfiction anecdotes simply don’t do.

Park Avenue Vet may not inspire the reader with idealism, but it will make the reader love cats all the more. Even non-cat-lovers will find themselves enchanted with felines, at least for a while.  As for the devoted and now-disparaged cat veterinarian, Dr. Camuti—I’m sure I’d have enjoyed meeting him and hearing his stories first-hand.  He loved cats very much and never stopped attending them. He continued to work as a cat vet until he dropped dead at the age of eighty-seven, on his way to a house call.  Now that’s devotion.