From the Neck Up by Aliya Whiteley

I would like to thank Titan for an advance copy of this collection in exchange for a fair and honest review

Publisher - Titan

Published - Out Now

Price - £8.99 paperback £6.64 Kindle eBook

The new collection of humane, beautiful and disarming short stories from the award-winning author of The Beauty, Clarke Award nominee The Loosening Skin and The Arrival of Missives, Aliya Whiteley. In 16 stories Whiteley deftly unpeels the strangeness of everyday life through beguiling gardens, rebellious bodies and journeys across familiar worlds, with her trademark wit and compassion. 

Witness the future of farming in a new Ice Age, or the artist bringing life to glass; the many-eyed monsters we carry and the secret cities inside our bodies; the alien invasion through our language to the Chantress and her twists on the fairy tale. Fascinating and always unexpected, Whiteley is unlike any other writer working today.

For me the delight of the short story is how very quickly the reader can be sent on a journey very different to what the first page suggests. Aliya Whiteley I’ve long been a fan of for providing tales that are memorable and unique and in From the Neck Up we have a collection of their short stories and one novella length tale that provide plenty of surprises and insights on humanity to ponder. Whiteley can create tales of beauty that should be treated with suspicion, joy and grief that made this a rather delicious reading experience.

Among the stories I enjoyed were

Brushwork - an old woman in a greenhouse is painting pollen onto planets. This unusual image starts the longest tale in the story that explores a near future earth where environmental collapse has made the U.K. a frozen tundra but some corporations still have area from grow food. Our narrator is prickly and the delight of this tale as she sees an attempted revolution by those who live outside is both the character study of someone who really just wants to keep their head down and the life they may be keeping their thoughts away from. Filled with snapshots to explain why she acts in this way made this a fascinating read and really will suck you into the collection from the off.

Many Eyed Monsters - a woman coughs up a fatty living ball of tissue with very very human eyes. And then another and then another. Sounds like a horror story but this story examines growing old, relationships and embracing change despite some body horror. Pretty unique , beautiful and it will stick in your mind long afterwards

Three Love Letters From An Unrepeatable Garden - a Gardner writes to his beloved from a garden he will never return from. Beautiful flowers, a boxer and pressing crowds make this tale feel slightly unnerving as we see the change in our narrator. Objects can make people a lot more obsessive than you’d think.

Loves of the Long Dead - this tale keeps taking amazing rights turns from An isn’t Egyptian Murders to the Mariana Trench and the present day. Unnerving and an absolutely terrifying final paragraph. I will let you discover why alone…

Into Glass - a dark family secret, art, love and a tale that is both disturbing and heartwarming. One of my favourites in the collection

Compel - an alien invasion tale with a difference. You can’t mention the aliens. A cranky elderly man diarises the tale but there is a sting in the tale exploring our own society and our lack of holding power to account. A sobering thoughtful tale.

Blessings Erupt - a far future tale of a world destroyed and in recovery. Our narrator though has reason to hate this new shiny world they see exploitation and pain. A newly healing world contested with body horror makes this an eerie readThis tale covers environmental collapse, sacrifice and I can’t still work out on whose side I stood.

From the Neck Up - a woman whose life has imploded reads a news story about a veteran beheaded by a crashing helicopter and then she finds the head in her bed…alive. This is brilliant story despite the gruesome situation because it’s about growth and learning to adapt. Mysteriously heartwarming.

The Tears of a Building Surveyor, And Other Stories - my absolute favourite tale thanks to a very skilled use of character voice. An elderly woman recounts her life but warning contains Clowns, spies and nuns and a lot of truth and untruths. A collection of tall stories are used to cover a tale of love, grief and most of all loving your life. Absolutely beautiful to read

This is a wonderful collection and there is even more to discover. Thank such story takes you in for a surprise as if you can see a figure coming to your front doors and you’ve no idea if you’re going to be delighted or scared when you open it. Whiteley is one of speculative fiction’s best writers and this is a very rewarding read. Strongly recommended