Into the Outside

Into the Outside #1

by Lynda Engler

Fifty years ago the Earth died. In its place emerges a dangerous jungle world with oddly altered wildlife and a handful of short-lived mutated humans. Below ground, survivors wait. 16-year-old Isabella has grown up believing mutants are sub-human, stupid and would eat every shelter person if they had the chance until a chance encounter with 17-year-old mutant tribe leader Malcolm. His ebony skin, straw-colored hair, rippling muscles, 4 fingers on one hand and 6 on the other captivate her. Night after night she sneaks out in her grandfather’s safety suit until he locks it up. Isabella must choose between the safety of the shelter that is her entire world and facing the dangers Outside if she is to save the mutants and the man she loves from extermination.

"Into the Outside" is a short story, and the basis for the author's upcoming novel, coming in 2014.

Genres: Young Adult, Science Fiction, Dystopia, Audiobook, Amazon, Science Fiction Fantasy, Romance

Audible Audio

First published November 20, 2013

About the author

When not reading or writing, I enjoy being outdoors, either walking, cycling, kayaking, or skiing; or indoors binge-watching sci-fi series. I came to writing late in life and still regret that none of my teachers in middle- or high-school ever told me to do some creative writing.

My first book, The Forgotten Isle (Middle Grade fantasy) came about as a project that my son, Colin, and I thought up while he was in middle school. My second book, Into the Outside, is a YA dystopian sci-fi. Into the Yellow Zone, and Under the Mountain (Books 2 and 3 in the trilogy) came out in 2017.

My time travel short story "Time's Anchor" (2016, Kindle and Audible) is a story of love, friendship and life’s joys and sorrows, set against the backdrop of a mystery that ranges from modern day Boston to Civil War Virginia to the casino building boom of Las Vegas.

I’m currently working on a post-apocalyptic thriller about a new ice age [working title: Ring of Fire: Volcanic Winter]; and an eco-disaster SF novel [working title: Antarctica: Ice Crash].

Reviews

[Mark · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty good read!

I enjoyed reading this book. This post-apocalyptic world is intriguing and so are the survivors. I look forward to reading the next installment!

[Francesca · Rating 3 out of 5]

For an indie book I got for free this was pretty solid. A bit clumsily written, insta-love and terrible descriptive choices for the dark-skinned characters.

But the plot was fine, the world-building was interesting and the characters was tolerable.

I won't be continuing with the series but it was fine for a quick read.

[Danielle Evans · Rating 5 out of 5]

This review is also posted on my blog: http://theshortreviewer.blogspot.com/...

Although I don't read a lot of YA fiction, I loved the concept of this story so I was very excited to read it. It certainly did not disappoint. The themes were also more mature than a typical YA story so I didn't feel as if I needed to be younger in order to enjoy it.

Fifty years after the world was destroyed by nuclear, biological, and chemical weapons, there are now two classes of humans: "normal" humans who live in underground shelters and "mutants" who live above ground. The toxic environment has caused abnormalities in the genes of those who live in the outside world. They have severely shortened life spans, yet they still want to continue their species so they reproduce at extremely young ages.

Isabella is a sixteen-year-old girl who has lived in an underground shelter with her family all her life. When she sees a mutant tribe in the outside world, she becomes fascinated with them, especially the tribe leader, Malcolm. After making the frightening decision to sneak out of her shelter to watch them, she continues to do so and ends up meeting Malcolm and befriending him. They eventually fall in love, and she now has an even bigger decision to make: should she live in the dangerous outside world so she can be with him, or should she stay with her family in the shelter where she is safe?

This is a thought provoking story that really got me thinking. What would I do if I were in her situation? I can understand why she would want to leave. She feels as if she's imprisoned, and there isn't much to look forward to. Her life feels somewhat meaningless and empty in the shelter. She isn't really living. But in the shelter, she is safe. She has plenty to eat, and she is surrounded by her family. If she leaves, she will never see them again. It will be a harsh life living out in the elements, and the poisons will probably kill her at a young age. Yet, she will be with the man she loves, and she will get to experience so much more, even if a lot of it is terrifying and difficult. I'm still not sure what I would do. I'm not even sure that I would have been brave enough to leave the shelter in the first place. I would like to think that I would be, but I wouldn't know unless I were in her shoes. It's easy to say that you would be courageous enough to leave, while speaking hypothetically, when you have a warm bed to sleep in and a fridge full of food.

The other interesting theme is that the shelter people see the mutants as sub-human. It is human nature, after all, to be afraid of or dislike others who are different. That has been shown throughout history, so it's not surprising that they would feel this way. And I have to admit, when I hear the word mutant, I think of The Hills Have Eyes kind of mutants, who are portrayed as vicious cannibals. So, I loved seeing life through Malcolm's perspective; he was not a scary, evil mutant. I really liked his character, and I empathized with him. Being that I'm such a sucker for romance, I was definitely enthralled by the relationship between Malcolm and Isabella.

This was a quick and easy read, and I'm so glad that it is the basis for a novel that will be coming out soon. The ending definitely left me wanting to read more. I look forward to seeing how this story will progress. Highly recommended.

Updated review: This story is now a full length novel! I read the entire book, so I re-read the original story, which is now just the beginning. It was great to re-enter this world and to then see what Isabella encounters in her new life. Some of it was terrifying (the cannibals!), some of it was sad, and some of it was uplifting. It was also interesting to read about her brother, Luke, as he ventures out to find her. What he finds out and is desperate to tell her is appalling. And now I'm hoping for a sequel...

[Gillian · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh Isabella, Isabella what will you do? This book is excellent, it really gets you thinking, could this really happen; it makes you think it could. The authors, have done their research, on a post nuclear attack and get you thinking to the point that it is so believable in a post-apocalyptic world. Some sci-fi books are too unbelievable for me, but I really enjoyed reading this book and had a hard time putting it down, I even went back to bed for another 30 minutes with a cup of tea to read more, as I didn’t want to stop reading. I would find myself throughout the day thinking of the characters and wondering what’s going to happen next. The authors are very descriptive with the scenes, you think you are there. Isabella is the typical headstrong teenager, wanting to find herself and do what she wants to do, she is at that age of having her first love, and lets her heart take her where she wants to be, not really listening to the adults in her life., who try to explain how dangerous life can be Outside. It is a great romantic post-apocalyptic YA novel. I didn’t want the book to end; I’m excited for the full edition to be released to find out what does Isabella actually do. I would highly recommend this book to young adults and adults.

[Philip Rutherford · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed reading Into the Outside. This YA post-apocalyptic science fiction adventure kept me totally immersed in its poisoned and radioactive world full of ruined cities and hidden dangers. What I enjoyed most were the characters and their relationships as they tried to negotiate this strange and challenging world.

Isabelle is a teenager who has lived in an underground shelter safe from danger with her extended family all her life. Malcolm is a 17-year-old mutant who has always lived in the Outside. Though he is a similar age to Isabelle he is leader of a tribe and already has a daughter due to the mutants’ accelerated development and shorter life span. Isabelle’s fascination with Malcolm and his tribe lead to a journey of discovery, adventure and danger for them both.

I really liked the main character of Isabelle, her desire for adventure, curiosity, sense of justice and courage to do the right thing were truly inspiring. Malcolm with his quiet strength, optimism, tenderness and unshakable courage was also an awesome character. There were many other young characters and I marvelled at the skill with which the book described all their relationships and interactions. It was really interesting to see how these young people reacted to the joys, sorrows and challenges of the ruined landscape and their own mutated biology. There was a sense of urgency but also a zest for life as they raced against the radiation and poisons that were killing them every minute they were in the Outside.

Another interesting aspect of the story was the relationship between the mutants and most of the shelter dwellers who consider them sub-human. The politics and attitudes reminded me of the great classic science fiction story The Chrysalids by John Wyndham. As in The Chrysalids this story humanises the mutants and shows the true and terrible nature of the injustice with which they are treated.

Into the Outside was a very interesting, emotional and exciting read. The book shows a lot of heart and really cares about its characters and the future of their world. I look forward to reading the sequels.

[BookLoversLife · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was so looking forward to listening to this!! The reviews are all mostly positive so I dived in eagerly, but oh my word, the narrator was awful. Maybe it was this fact that had me disliking the book too, I don't know for sure!!

The world is separated into two different factions as such, the below ground dwellers who are waiting till the world is habitable again, and the mutations, people who live on the surface but have some form of mutation. Isabella is a below ground dweller and has never been outside in her 16 years. Her grandfather tells her that the mutants are dangerous, not really human and would kill and eat you if they had the chance. But Isabella is curious and when she sees some mutants swimming in a pool above their shelter (don't ask me why they have a see through pool above them anyway) she needs to investigate. Night after night she puts on her grandfathers safety suit until she is caught by one of the mutants, Malcolm. She soon learns that he isn't like her grandfather said and she decides to leave with Malcolm and his tribe and step into the outside!

Sounds good, right?? It kind of was, but also wasn't. Isabella was annoying at times and I couldn't connect with her. She literally falls in love with the first guy she has every seen, (that wasn't related to her) and is completely focused on him. I really wish she would have experienced some of the outside first and then met Malcolm and fallen in love. I think it would have made it more real, instead she wants to marry a boy she only just met and knows next to nothing about. Plus she has no problem leaving her family behind, she didn't realy hesitate!! It felt too unreal.

The overall plot was slow. Not much happens for ages, only Isabella fawning over Malcolm, and I felt like giving up then, but I kept listening because I had to give it a fair chance. And while I finished it, I really don't think I'll keep on with the series. I didn't connect with the characters or care what happens to them unfortunately.

Now onto Carlo Libertini. I rarely give a one star to any narrator because they put a lot of effort into their work, but this narrator read the whole book as if he was reading it to a young child, He read it in a happy, uplifting tone the whole way through and it really, really grated on my nerves and I had to speed up the narration to make it any bit bearable. He made the story extra hard to get into or like.

I was given this free audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review. This in no way affected nor influenced my thoughts.

[Rabid Reader · Rating 4 out of 5]

An intriguing post-apocalyptic story that highlights well the prejudices, heartlessness and aggression that mankind can be capable of. The government/shelter people believe they are superior to the mutated human descendants that survived outside after the radioactive terrorist attacks that decimated the world. They see them as less than human, but shelter girl Isabella recognizes their intelligence and humanity. The harshness of life outside is heart wrenching and you easily become attached to the Malcolm and the other mutants. The authors descriptive writing and the emotion filled narration make you feel as if you are there as they characters experience problems, love, heartache and danger. An exciting, thought provoking start to the series that leaves you wanting the next book.

[Joselyn Moreno · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a review copy of this book for an honest review.

It was pretty interesting actually, i liked the plot of what could happen to us if we actually were to al most destroy our planet or our way of life.

Isabella is true to her nature and age that's for sure but it's okay she is pretty young and just discovering a world she didn't knew existed.

Other thing that was brought to my attention was the religions and stuff since the mutants that actually try to outlive everything outside have merge into everything since most of them doesn't live longer they learn whatever the can in their short lives, but it was a good message of coexisting.

Will see were do this journey will come to and end.

[Jeremy Beitz · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story is okay, but there doesn't seem to be enough character development to really care about the characters. They are all kind of one dimensional.

[Desiree reilly · Rating 5 out of 5]

The story is the second one of the book about the radio active poison,You now i am looking for my sister cousin Isabel she is with Malcolm and his tribe. now that Isabel left they are looking for people to tell them that the government will kill them or take hem hostage.

You see in the bunker before things happen people would stock up toilet paper and house household thing for up to 50 years they do not get destroyed the government would give you can food and coffee and sugar and tea and other r things.

Well Isabel and her group came upon another group that live in the hill and they let them stay with them to have food and then they went to the woods to look for food they found a deer but they traded the deer for jerky and other food so they can make it on the rest of the trip the kid got squirrel and other small animal they can skin and use on the trip

But thing did not go as they were going on there trip because they got caught and now you have to see were the government took to them and then it will be no good.

You will in joy both books and then they are good audio bookd

[Mike Siedschlag · Rating 4 out of 5]

Author Lynda Engler sent me an e-version of her book Into the Outside for review.

Into the Outside is a post-apocalyptic story (one of my very favorite genres). Engler has written a new twist (at least for me, but then I don't get out much) on the genre. Without giving away the whole story, the mutated descendants of the big war are presented as intelligent, caring, and peaceful people (for the most part anyway). A pretty refreshing way to tell a survivalist type story.

Into the Outside is a fairly short (160 some pages in my version, although other sites list it as 276 pages hmm), quick read. Still, the main characters are pretty well developed.

Like most entries in the genre, the government is bad (well they are usually responsible for the apocalypse in the first place), but the real difference is between the two types of survivors; shelter dwellers and those who didn't have that luxury.

The negative for me (and it is very, very, slight) is, the good guys are a little too good, if you know what I mean, almost Pollyana-ish, but again only slightly so. That said, there is stark reality, hardship, and tough choices to be made.

Into the Outside is at times heartbreaking, uplifting and thought provoking. It does make the reader think more about post-apocalyptic survival long-term than many of its genre-mates.

Oh yeah, Into the Outside is the first in a series, it did end in a bit of a cliffhanger, but not so much as to draw my cliffhanger ire.

Into the Outside by Lynda Engler is probably directed a little younger audience than other books of this genre, but was still an enjoyable read for a cynical old coot like me. If your in the mood for a thought provoking, stark, yet clean, story with action, adventure, young love, idealism and suspense; Into the Outside works well. Enjoy!

Mike

[Zora Marie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lynda Engler hooks you from the very beginning with her tales of Malcolm and the other mutants of the outside. These mutants are the descendents of those caught out in the open when the world fell to shambles in massive terrorist attack that left the world without electronics and radiation that mutated many of the land’s inhabitants.

Lynda brings the troubles of both the shelter people and outsiders to life in such a way that it truly makes you wondered if this could really happen. She combines the action/adventure of the outside with an uncanny love story that truly melts the heart.

If you’re looking for your next post apocalyptic story that hits home then I full heartedly suggest checking Into the Outside out!

[Melody · Rating 5 out of 5]

I won this in a Goodreads giveaway. My opinion is just that...mine...and completely unbiased.

First let me say that although this is supposed to be a YA book, I am far from young and I thoroughly enjoyed it. It will definitely be going on my "keep-for-grandkids-when-older" shelf. This post-Apocalyptic tale will have you thinking of the real possibilities of life like this and wanting more of Belle's story to unfold. A keeper for sure!

[Paperbacks · Rating 3 out of 5]

Into the Outside is set in a post-apocalyptic world, some 50 years after the event which poisoned the earths atmosphere.  16 year old Isabella is one of the lucky ones who's family had a shelter to retreat to. 17 year old Malcolm is the leader of his mutant tribe on the surface, searching for a place to set up home; which just happens to be above Isabella's shelter.   The very first section of the book is great, I liked how the event which changed the earth was woven into a bedtime story of sorts told by Isabella's grandmother - whilst a bit of an infodump, it doesn't feel like one because of the ways it's told. The set up in the shelter is an odd one but one which I suppose stands as a stark reminder as to how the world will need to be repopulated.  Isabella's mother is one of 4 sisters, all of whom were impregnated by the same travelling soldier during his brief visit.  Yup, it's got an ick factor but breeding has to happen somehow and I liked how the writers didn't shy away from that issue.

However that's where is started to go a little downhill for me, i'm not a huge fan of instalove at all and the relationship between Isabella and Malcolm seemed a little forced in order to get the story moving.  Getting past the eye rolling "rippling muscles" and "tingling" moments, she basically abandons her family to be with a mutant on the basis of a kiss. In a baffling moment her grandmother seems to be ok with this and puts it down to "love is love" and helps her leave with the tribe. Yes, she is a sheltered girl seeing a boy her own age for the first time, but really?  I think that the authors must have struggled with this too, in my view there is a definite difference in writing style between this section and the later parts of the story when everything gets settled.

The above makes it sound like I hated this book, which isn't the case.  As the story progresses it becomes more entrenched in survival and the harsh realities of life above ground.  Life expectancy for the mutants isn't much past their 20's due to the level of toxins in the air, many children are stillborn or die young and the mutants themselves have to procreate around the age of 13-14 to ensure fertility (I did struggle with accepting that bit, but that's just my sensibilities.) Diseases such as TB are rife, as are the Day 1 mutants who have become canibalistic and roam the lands.  It's sometimes a hard sell as a YA book because of the issues it deals with and it also rightly moves away from the "swoonfest" of the first part, as Isabella struggles to reconcile the world she has entered with the one she left behind. 

The story itself is told from 2 POV's  within the same chapter, detailing life above and below ground, with Isabella's cousin/brother, Luke, taking over the underground when she leaves with the tribe.  Setting off to find his missing sibling with only knowledge gained from reading survival books he soon finds himself on a very different journey and one which shows that there is much more to some shelters lives than meets the eye.

As the story draws to a close the writers have found their footing with one another, the story flows and has lost that initial fumbling feeling.  It delves into wider issues around society and religion and how they shape civilisation, bits of both paganism and Christianity are combined with an almost medieval approach to things like healing. It really does feel like a dawn of a new age. It also neatly junctures in with the set up for the next book in the series.  

[Aurora · Rating 5 out of 5]

Years after the war has laid waste to the whole of the United States, a young woman lives with her extended family in a very sophisticated but none the less restrictive underground "bomb shelter" When a small tribe of mutant survivors literally passes over top of her hide away, the girl becomes fascinated by the outsiders and determines to meet them.
As might be expected of a young girl of "a certain age" who's never had an opportunity to fraternize with men outside her own family, she becomes fascinated by the small tribe's leader and ... well, things take their normal course and she slips off into the wilderness with her newfound family.
This story is the first of the series, so you'll have to stay with it to find out how both extended family groups and many of those they encounter fare in this hard, new world. If love your books tied off with a bow and a heartfelt "THE END", this probably isn't one for you, but I was aware off what I was taking on, and this one's well enough written that I don't find coming back to these characters for another go-round any kind of detraction. They are a fascinating combination of resolute toughness and naive vulnerability and as they battle mutant monstrosities, deal with the perils of life in the wild, lose tribe members and meet other survivors along the way, I found myself, again and again, sticking around for "just one more chapter".
This writing team has, with a seemingly effortless style, found that happy medium between dry "real science" fiction and frivolous "it works that way because I said so" pseudo-science.
All in all, this one was well worth the time and I look forward to the next stage of the adventure.

[Cmoore · Rating 2 out of 5]

  I really had trouble deciding whether or not I liked this post-apocalyptic tale...  The story was probably OK, but it's really hard to tell because the narrator was just, well... Awful.
In this case the narration overshadows the story, making it almost impossible for me to disassociate the prose from it's performance!  Carlo Libertini narrates as if he were talking down to a small child, and that's not a good thing...
  I was only able to finish this one with a little magic provided from Audible... By speeding up the playback, I was able to knock over an hour off the time, and that helped by lessening the irritation I felt at the pregnant pauses that seemingly happened at the end of every sentence.

Story = Not quite sure...
Narration = Not so good!

With that said I see that book 2 Into the Yellow Zone has a different narrator so I will give the series another chance...

[Thomas Trimble · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lynda Engler has created an interesting view of what would be left after the major destruction of the earth as we know it. Nuclear and chemical weapons killed, destroyed, or mutated most humans and animals. Creating several groups of beings all looking for their own way to survive. I am not a fan of most post-apocalypse books. To me, this was better than most. One short section addressed the more traditional zombie-type mutant survivors, the part I am not fond of. The whole book makes you think about how you would survive something like this destruction. Generally, an interesting book worth your time.

[Todd Oliver · Rating 5 out of 5]

Into the Outside was a great post apocalyptic book about a family living in an underground shelter after a nuclear war had destroyed most of humanity. The people who did manage to survive outside of a shelter mutated. The mutants mature much faster and have shorter life spans due to all the toxins left from the war. Isabella is part of a shelter family. She sees a family of mutants on their land and gets curious enough to sneak out and meet them. After realizing that they aren't much different from her, she decides to leave her sheltered life and venture out into the world. Not only have people mutated, but the animals have as well. Some of the people mutated into something much worse, eaters! Excellent performance by Carlo Libertini. Looking forward to book 2!

[Deedra · Rating 4 out of 5]

This wasn't exactly what I expected,but it was a good book.I am up for book 2. A half century has passed since the earth was bombarded and 995 of the population died.Those that survived suffered deformaties as did their children.Some saw it coming and went underground...literally.Now that the air may be clean enough to venture out,the pure are ready to rid the world of the mutants. Carlo Libertini was a good narrator.I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

[Tori · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really wanted to enjoy this book and give it all the stars because the ideas of it were awesome. Being stuck inside and wanting freedom? Totally get it and girl, same. Just trying to exist and keep the young strong and alive as long as possible? Again totally get it. But the way it was written was just too jumpy and all over the place. Time moved odd throughout the story. But I did finish and enjoyed it. Just wish there might of been 50 more pages so things didn’t skip around so much.

[Ashley Hedden · Rating 5 out of 5]

Into the Outside (Into the Outside #1) was a good read by Lynda Engler. This book is a post-apocalyptic science fiction romance. The earth died fifty years ago and the land has become a dangerous world. The survivors live in underground shelters and find themselves waiting generations for the environment to be safe enough to emerge from the shelters. The radiation poison has mutated the humans that were left. I enjoyed reading this book and can't wait to read more by the author.

[Arthur Weissmann · Rating 5 out of 5]

This would make a great movie and it reminded me of The 100. A girl living in a shelter after a world wide nuclear war finds a tribe of people who have been living in the polluted environment on the surface and has mutated genes to survive the hostile environment. She escapes her shelters and joins the mutants and finds out the government has plans to exterminate the mutants in 50 years when the environment becomes healthy again.

[Shannon · Rating 3 out of 5]

I hate leaving crappy reviews. However, I am not sure what age group this is for, but I would guess 9-13 minus some aspects. The writing is repetitive. I am listening to this, and the poor narrator, is reading it as if a young child would. Even in this post apocalyptic world, some things just don't make sense. Some people may love this. But it is not for me

[Scarlet · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received this book via a promo code and this is my honest voluntary review. The concept of this story was so promising but the narration left a lot to be desired. Carlo Libertini did this book like he was reading to preschooler's and the performance was very wooden. Which is a shame because the story itself is very good.

[Roger · Rating 4 out of 5]

My first read from authors Lynda Engler & Henry Dixon. Into the Outside was a wonderfully written work with engaging characters set in a not to distant believable future. I look forward to reading the sequel.

[Ciayrra The Scorpion Flower · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great listen from beginning to end. I felt a lot of empathy for the characters and in general the story is very good and believable. I would recommend this book 100%, the narrator did a great job!

[wendi c duncan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Into the outside

Into the outside is one of the best apocalyptic books I have ever read I love the fact that there are mutations and no real zombies I was stoked to get the second book and can't read it fast enough ready for the third one

[Frank Nemecek · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wanted to like this book. I really did.

I just didn't feel any connection to any of the characters. I didn't like them, hate them, or even care about them. That really makes it hard to keep reading.

[Vicki · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really liked it I am going to buy the next ones .

[Vicki · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was different but good.