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Outsider Project #1
Beneath the Surface
When a change in collective conscious sends the Outsiders, a group of aliens, to the shadows below the city, humans reason that the demonization of their peers is simply more “humane.” There’s no question, nor doubt. Just acceptance.
Lydia had embraced that sense of “truth” for as long as she can remember. The daughter of a powerful governor, she has been able to live her life with more comforts than most. Comforts can be suffocating, though, and when the opportunity to teach Outsider children in their private, “humane” community becomes available, she takes it.
What she finds beneath the city is far from the truth she had grown to know. There she meets Alessia, an Outsider with the knowledge and will to shake the foundation of all those who walk above ground. The two find a new and unexpected connection despite a complete disconnect from the technological world. Or perhaps in spite of it.
Still, it takes a lot more than an immutable connection to change the world. Lydia, Alessia, and a small group of Outsiders must navigate a system of corruption, falsehoods, and twists none of them ever saw coming, all while holding on to the hope to come out alive in the end. But it’s a risk worth taking, and a future worth fighting for.
Lydia had embraced that sense of “truth” for as long as she can remember. The daughter of a powerful governor, she has been able to live her life with more comforts than most. Comforts can be suffocating, though, and when the opportunity to teach Outsider children in their private, “humane” community becomes available, she takes it.
What she finds beneath the city is far from the truth she had grown to know. There she meets Alessia, an Outsider with the knowledge and will to shake the foundation of all those who walk above ground. The two find a new and unexpected connection despite a complete disconnect from the technological world. Or perhaps in spite of it.
Still, it takes a lot more than an immutable connection to change the world. Lydia, Alessia, and a small group of Outsiders must navigate a system of corruption, falsehoods, and twists none of them ever saw coming, all while holding on to the hope to come out alive in the end. But it’s a risk worth taking, and a future worth fighting for.
255 pages, ebook
First published January 15, 2018
3 people are currently reading
240 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 43 reviews
January 11, 2018
3.5 Stars. This is a futuristic/dystopian/sci-fi read. It is Langham’s first book and I must admit I was impressed that this was a debut novel. I thought the writing was better than expected. I do have to say this book slowed down a little too much, in certain places, for my personal tastes. I like my sci-fi to have a bit more action. But the quality of the writing/story was well done.
Aliens have finally landed on Earth. But instead of embracing them, humans turn their backs on them. The aliens are eventually rounded up and forced to live underground in detainment centers. Humans are their oppressors and most of the aliens still living have never even seen the sky. Lydia, is the daughter of a powerful governor. When she takes a position to teach the alien children, in one of the containment centers, she never expected them to be so human. Everything Lydia thought she knew is about to be tested, and her life will never be the same.
I enjoyed the premise of the book. It hooked you in fast and there was nothing too scientific or too hard to understand. The book flowed well, but like I mentioned, it did slow down too much for my personal tastes. The last 1/3 really picked back up and I enjoyed the read again.
There is a romance. It is not a huge part of the book, but it is really sweet. I liked the two main characters as a couple quite a bit.
The way the book ended, it wrapped up enough storylines that it could be the end, or a book 2 might be coming. If there is a book 2, I will absolutely read it. I think sci-fi or dystopian fans will enjoy this. As long as you can get past some of the slower parts, it is a good read.
I just have to mention, it wasn’t until last year that I started noticing NineStar Press as a publishing house. While they publish all types of LGBT fiction, they have been releasing more and more lesfic fantasy and sci-fi, which just makes my heart happy. While I have not loved all of the books I have read from them, they have all been well edited and quality reads. On top of that the prices for their books are less than we normally pay. My point, I’m going to be keeping my eye out for what they put out in 2018.
An ARC was given to me by Netgalley, for a honest review.
Aliens have finally landed on Earth. But instead of embracing them, humans turn their backs on them. The aliens are eventually rounded up and forced to live underground in detainment centers. Humans are their oppressors and most of the aliens still living have never even seen the sky. Lydia, is the daughter of a powerful governor. When she takes a position to teach the alien children, in one of the containment centers, she never expected them to be so human. Everything Lydia thought she knew is about to be tested, and her life will never be the same.
I enjoyed the premise of the book. It hooked you in fast and there was nothing too scientific or too hard to understand. The book flowed well, but like I mentioned, it did slow down too much for my personal tastes. The last 1/3 really picked back up and I enjoyed the read again.
There is a romance. It is not a huge part of the book, but it is really sweet. I liked the two main characters as a couple quite a bit.
The way the book ended, it wrapped up enough storylines that it could be the end, or a book 2 might be coming. If there is a book 2, I will absolutely read it. I think sci-fi or dystopian fans will enjoy this. As long as you can get past some of the slower parts, it is a good read.
I just have to mention, it wasn’t until last year that I started noticing NineStar Press as a publishing house. While they publish all types of LGBT fiction, they have been releasing more and more lesfic fantasy and sci-fi, which just makes my heart happy. While I have not loved all of the books I have read from them, they have all been well edited and quality reads. On top of that the prices for their books are less than we normally pay. My point, I’m going to be keeping my eye out for what they put out in 2018.
An ARC was given to me by Netgalley, for a honest review.
June 2, 2018
3.5 stars
There's no doubt about it, this story is a labour of love. It was clear to me the author worked her arse off to get this story told, so it pains me to say, I didn't love it.
There was just too much going on. It started strong, I loved the set up, but then the story took off in so many directions and addressed so many topics (gender as a choice, synthetic beings, politics, dead people who weren't dead, etc, etc) that the story became a long, slow slog.
It's told from a number of POV's which added depth, but also made me question whose story it was?
The writing, while solid, had its fair share of similes. Some great, and some so jarring they tossed me out of the story.
The possibility made her feel sick, like a paddle boat had started navigating its way through her oesophagus.
AND
Petra was sobbing, as though a tree had taken root in her chest, competing with her lungs for oxygen.
I requested a review copy of this story after reading Riding the Track by Kara Ripley, which I highly recommend.
I now understand why she choose a different pen name. I can't wait or read more by Kara, but judging by this book I won't be reading more by Rebecca.
Thank you to NineStar Press for accepting my request for a review copy.
There's no doubt about it, this story is a labour of love. It was clear to me the author worked her arse off to get this story told, so it pains me to say, I didn't love it.
There was just too much going on. It started strong, I loved the set up, but then the story took off in so many directions and addressed so many topics (gender as a choice, synthetic beings, politics, dead people who weren't dead, etc, etc) that the story became a long, slow slog.
It's told from a number of POV's which added depth, but also made me question whose story it was?
The writing, while solid, had its fair share of similes. Some great, and some so jarring they tossed me out of the story.
The possibility made her feel sick, like a paddle boat had started navigating its way through her oesophagus.
AND
Petra was sobbing, as though a tree had taken root in her chest, competing with her lungs for oxygen.
I requested a review copy of this story after reading Riding the Track by Kara Ripley, which I highly recommend.
I now understand why she choose a different pen name. I can't wait or read more by Kara, but judging by this book I won't be reading more by Rebecca.
Thank you to NineStar Press for accepting my request for a review copy.
August 5, 2018
4.25
Started slow for me then it grabbed me and wouldn't let go. Glad I read this!
The undercurrent of Beneath the surface is a future dystopian Earth novel about what happens when humans destroy the environment and let technology advance too fast. But the main story is how humans treated the Outsiders, a strange race that was similar but not the same. Forced into internment camps below ground, the Outsiders are given the minimum needed to survive and assuage Humanity's sense of duty to what amounts to an immigrant population. The political and social here undertones are hard to miss. But the story isn't just about the treatment of the Outsiders, it's about the connection formed between a human teacher and a special Outsider named Alessia, and they lengths they will both go to see justice done and a people free.
At first I thought Lydia was too meek, too pliable. She seemed like a tenderhearted sort, but just kind of went along with everything she saw. Becoming a teacher was her way of rebelling somewhat from her father’s expectations. Alessia was quiet and meek as well but not in the same way and not for the same reasons. She was born to lead the outsiders, a secret that few knew. She was stronger, faster, and smarter than humans and other Outsiders but she kept all those traits a secret. Alessia was well aware that true freedom had to come from the patience involved with changing the hearts of the people above, and not in changing their minds through violence. The developing romance between the two women was slow and subtle, but the author did a good job writing the way they affected each other.
All the characters were written with depth and a variety of motivations. Clearly there were no props in this book to carry the story line, each one had a unique insight and tale to tell within the tale. I really enjoyed the amount of thought Langham put into the Outsider’s biology. She didn’t just write their physical bodies, she wrote about the emotional differences from human as well. And between those two things, she swung the narrative around to describe the cultural mindset that evolved to allow the Outsiders to function as a society with their strange sort of bodies and minds. It was almost like she wrote people as people were meant to be.
The characters are well done, the plot is involving and unique, and over all Beneath the Surface was a really good dystopian science fiction piece.
This ARC was given to me in exchange for an honest review.
Started slow for me then it grabbed me and wouldn't let go. Glad I read this!
The undercurrent of Beneath the surface is a future dystopian Earth novel about what happens when humans destroy the environment and let technology advance too fast. But the main story is how humans treated the Outsiders, a strange race that was similar but not the same. Forced into internment camps below ground, the Outsiders are given the minimum needed to survive and assuage Humanity's sense of duty to what amounts to an immigrant population. The political and social here undertones are hard to miss. But the story isn't just about the treatment of the Outsiders, it's about the connection formed between a human teacher and a special Outsider named Alessia, and they lengths they will both go to see justice done and a people free.
At first I thought Lydia was too meek, too pliable. She seemed like a tenderhearted sort, but just kind of went along with everything she saw. Becoming a teacher was her way of rebelling somewhat from her father’s expectations. Alessia was quiet and meek as well but not in the same way and not for the same reasons. She was born to lead the outsiders, a secret that few knew. She was stronger, faster, and smarter than humans and other Outsiders but she kept all those traits a secret. Alessia was well aware that true freedom had to come from the patience involved with changing the hearts of the people above, and not in changing their minds through violence. The developing romance between the two women was slow and subtle, but the author did a good job writing the way they affected each other.
All the characters were written with depth and a variety of motivations. Clearly there were no props in this book to carry the story line, each one had a unique insight and tale to tell within the tale. I really enjoyed the amount of thought Langham put into the Outsider’s biology. She didn’t just write their physical bodies, she wrote about the emotional differences from human as well. And between those two things, she swung the narrative around to describe the cultural mindset that evolved to allow the Outsiders to function as a society with their strange sort of bodies and minds. It was almost like she wrote people as people were meant to be.
The characters are well done, the plot is involving and unique, and over all Beneath the Surface was a really good dystopian science fiction piece.
This ARC was given to me in exchange for an honest review.
Read
December 24, 2017Romance is more of a side dish for this lovely little dystopian tale. As you read, you get a sense of the world as it is now, and at times it feels as if a mirror has crept up. The author uses a lot of prose, but it fits the feel of the story for me. Lovely and I am itching for the second.
February 6, 2018
actual rating 4.5
I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley
This was such a fantastic and interesting sci fi read! The world building was so unique and I found many of the characters, especially Jez, to be really great. I thought the main romance, while being pure and Fem/Fem was one of the least interesting things about this story. For a debut this was especially impressive. The politics were well thought out and intriguing and I am certainly going to be picking up the second book as soon as it is released :)
Video review - https://youtu.be/Aa2h7Ywzwqw
I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley
This was such a fantastic and interesting sci fi read! The world building was so unique and I found many of the characters, especially Jez, to be really great. I thought the main romance, while being pure and Fem/Fem was one of the least interesting things about this story. For a debut this was especially impressive. The politics were well thought out and intriguing and I am certainly going to be picking up the second book as soon as it is released :)
Video review - https://youtu.be/Aa2h7Ywzwqw
August 3, 2018
(( more of a 4.5 / 5 stars, not because there was anything specific I didn't enjoy about it, but it just didn't make my favorites list ))
Would totally recommend this book to science fiction fans - aliens, to be more specific -, as well as to people who are looking for a fantastically-done LGBT+ representation and romances and all that fun stuff. I also need to say, for a debut novel, it was totally amazing and I can't wait to see what else Rebecca Langham surprises us with next!
I went into this book not knowing too much, as well as not being the biggest fan of science fiction. For this matter, I feel like I need to mention that the book is not confusing whatsoever, you can go into it blindly and still enjoy it a lot.
Now, one thing that I really liked about this book, besides the cover, which instantly caught my attention and I feel that it suits the theme perfectly, is that there are warnings at the beginning of it. So I shall also warn you that it contains depictions of violence, death, racism/racist ideology and imprisonment, just in case some of you reading this might be triggered by any of the things listed.
Quick mention: I felt like every little aspect from the warning was done right.
So basically we have these colonies of aliens, who we call "the Outsiders", that once came on Earth to seek political asylum of some sort, running away from a civil war happening on their planet. Our government agreed to take them in, but being as hard as it is for someone so different to blend into the human society, a compromise was made: they still got to live on our planet, but sectioned up into these colonies, and in harsher conditions than a human could support. Well, given the fact that they are stronger beings than humans, this shouldn't have been too much of a problem. However, this life that they live is not what they were promised. They end up working like slaves and every single move of theirs is monitored. The ones that are supposed to keep them safe, living a peaceful life, are treating them as criminals most of the time. As if they were inferior to the human race, not worthy of at least medium living conditions. And this is where all of the warnings come into play.
Another very well-done aspect of the book was the LGBTQ+ rep. Not only do we have a main girl x girl romance (which melted my own little heart to its core the whole time), but the Outsiders are the most supportive community I have ever read about. The way they treat gender and sexuality fluidity - as something normal, not uncommon - spreads just so much love and positivity. There was also one boy x boy romance which I loved loved loved loved!
As far as characters go, we have some pretty strong personalities here. Some of them, it seemed to me, start pretty low on the... character development scale, let's say, in comparison with the other ones with who they mostly interact. For example, let's take Lydia and Alessia, human and Outsider. Without spoiling anything, my personal opinion is that Lydia was kind of low-ish at the beginning, but she managed to gain a lot from Alessia while they interacted. Was this the purpose of the book, achievement unlocked! If this wasn't, though... Still achievement unlocked, one more thing done great!
I managed to find myself in many, many passages from the book. The author did a very good job at portraying our society as well, with all its political intrigue and how the media kind of controls important people's lives - not as much in the fact that they are told what to do, but that they most of the times can't just be themselves because everything they do is put out there and can be turned into a bad thing.
Overall, I really, really enjoyed this book. It left on such a cliffhanger (at least for me) that I am dying for the next one and can't wait to pick it up once it's out!
Would totally recommend this book to science fiction fans - aliens, to be more specific -, as well as to people who are looking for a fantastically-done LGBT+ representation and romances and all that fun stuff. I also need to say, for a debut novel, it was totally amazing and I can't wait to see what else Rebecca Langham surprises us with next!
I went into this book not knowing too much, as well as not being the biggest fan of science fiction. For this matter, I feel like I need to mention that the book is not confusing whatsoever, you can go into it blindly and still enjoy it a lot.
Now, one thing that I really liked about this book, besides the cover, which instantly caught my attention and I feel that it suits the theme perfectly, is that there are warnings at the beginning of it. So I shall also warn you that it contains depictions of violence, death, racism/racist ideology and imprisonment, just in case some of you reading this might be triggered by any of the things listed.
Quick mention: I felt like every little aspect from the warning was done right.
So basically we have these colonies of aliens, who we call "the Outsiders", that once came on Earth to seek political asylum of some sort, running away from a civil war happening on their planet. Our government agreed to take them in, but being as hard as it is for someone so different to blend into the human society, a compromise was made: they still got to live on our planet, but sectioned up into these colonies, and in harsher conditions than a human could support. Well, given the fact that they are stronger beings than humans, this shouldn't have been too much of a problem. However, this life that they live is not what they were promised. They end up working like slaves and every single move of theirs is monitored. The ones that are supposed to keep them safe, living a peaceful life, are treating them as criminals most of the time. As if they were inferior to the human race, not worthy of at least medium living conditions. And this is where all of the warnings come into play.
Another very well-done aspect of the book was the LGBTQ+ rep. Not only do we have a main girl x girl romance (which melted my own little heart to its core the whole time), but the Outsiders are the most supportive community I have ever read about. The way they treat gender and sexuality fluidity - as something normal, not uncommon - spreads just so much love and positivity. There was also one boy x boy romance which I loved loved loved loved!
As far as characters go, we have some pretty strong personalities here. Some of them, it seemed to me, start pretty low on the... character development scale, let's say, in comparison with the other ones with who they mostly interact. For example, let's take Lydia and Alessia, human and Outsider. Without spoiling anything, my personal opinion is that Lydia was kind of low-ish at the beginning, but she managed to gain a lot from Alessia while they interacted. Was this the purpose of the book, achievement unlocked! If this wasn't, though... Still achievement unlocked, one more thing done great!
I managed to find myself in many, many passages from the book. The author did a very good job at portraying our society as well, with all its political intrigue and how the media kind of controls important people's lives - not as much in the fact that they are told what to do, but that they most of the times can't just be themselves because everything they do is put out there and can be turned into a bad thing.
Overall, I really, really enjoyed this book. It left on such a cliffhanger (at least for me) that I am dying for the next one and can't wait to pick it up once it's out!
November 27, 2019
This started off really slow, the middle got interesting and bam right at the end there’s so much to take in. It was entertaining start to finish though!
January 8, 2018
I received a copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
4.25 ⭐️
I really, REALLY liked this book. It is quite slow-paced and there's not actually that much action happening (or when it does, it's mostly in the background), but it raises questions about genetics, technology, the environment, etc.
There's a lot to process with this novel. Aliens are kept in facilities, hidden from the public. Technological advances are subjected to incredibly hard laws about development and limits. Earth is this close to being completely hostile to humans. The government and a technology business seem too close. These are only few of the many themes seen in this story. And the more you read, the more you discover what you first thought this book was about might not be right. That's one of the aspects I loved the most about it.
My favourite aspect, though, was THE DIVERSITY!!!! With the exception of one tiny acephobic sentence, this was a masterpiece of sexual and gender diversity. And the author didn't write it so that only the aliens would be diverse (which is a trap a lot of authors fall into), but so that humans would accept people as they are and not try to invalid them and their feelings.
I look forward to reading more of that author (and hoping for a sequel soon).
4.25 ⭐️
I really, REALLY liked this book. It is quite slow-paced and there's not actually that much action happening (or when it does, it's mostly in the background), but it raises questions about genetics, technology, the environment, etc.
There's a lot to process with this novel. Aliens are kept in facilities, hidden from the public. Technological advances are subjected to incredibly hard laws about development and limits. Earth is this close to being completely hostile to humans. The government and a technology business seem too close. These are only few of the many themes seen in this story. And the more you read, the more you discover what you first thought this book was about might not be right. That's one of the aspects I loved the most about it.
My favourite aspect, though, was THE DIVERSITY!!!! With the exception of one tiny acephobic sentence, this was a masterpiece of sexual and gender diversity. And the author didn't write it so that only the aliens would be diverse (which is a trap a lot of authors fall into), but so that humans would accept people as they are and not try to invalid them and their feelings.
I look forward to reading more of that author (and hoping for a sequel soon).
dnf
January 8, 2018dnf @ 28% because i can't even skim read it
huge chunks of info dump, unnatural dialogues, several POVs and slow pace. it's not working for me, im bored and lowkey annoyed, so im dnfing it
huge chunks of info dump, unnatural dialogues, several POVs and slow pace. it's not working for me, im bored and lowkey annoyed, so im dnfing it
December 21, 2019
BENEATH THE SURFACE is a book I first saw at Supanova earlier this year, and just had to get simply because of the beautiful cover. And the blurb promised a sci-fi story featuring aliens, corruption and deceit, and an explosive truth buried beneath it all. I was sold.
The story is about Lydia, the governor’s daughter who seeks seclusion from the public eye by teaching at the Outsider facility, and it’s about Alessia, a reclusive leader of the Outsiders, the alien race who sought refuge on Earth and were hidden away from humanity.
Lydia is surprised to see for herself the conditions in which Alessia’s people are kept, and the longer she spends under the surface with them, the more her heart is awakened to their plight, and to their leader.
The tension that grows, the secrets that are uncovered, and the shifting relationships between the characters make for compelling reading. This book has genuinely exciting and unexpected twists and turns, and my main issue is that I waited so bloody long to read it! Having said that, there were some things that did raise a few questions as I was reading it (how the aliens had lost the knowledge of their language in just a few generations & the apparent lack of scientific investigation into their similarities and differences with humans) but these were all resolved towards the end of the book.
Of course, there are strong political elements in this piece, which can be divisive - some people don't like to see politics so overt in fiction, others like it. Personally, I believe that every book is political, and I love to see it. BENEATH THE SURFACE reads as a critique, a condemnation, of Australia’s offshore detention of asylum seekers. The inhumanity of placing innocent people fleeing war - people who only want a safe home and the basic human rights afforded to everybody else - in a prison where they are neglected, abused and given no hope of a future is very powerfully portrayed. One great touch of BENEATH THE SURFACE was the ability of the aliens to manipulate their body between feminine, androgynous and masculine depending on which gender they felt suited them. This – as the ambisexuality of the Gethenians in Le Guin’s ‘The Left Hand Of Darkness’ did in the ‘70s – explores and discusses gender and sexual identity in a new way. Additionally, Langham’s book also explores the issues of humanity’s survival in a scarily possible future earth, with humanity’s population living in domes, protecting us from a dangerous and uninhabitable environment.
I really enjoyed this book, it’s an engrossing piece which tackles issues relevant in today’s world, and I have no hesitation in giving it a 5-star rating. I believe the sequel BREAKING THE SURFACE is coming out in January, so I'm definitely going to grab a copy!
The story is about Lydia, the governor’s daughter who seeks seclusion from the public eye by teaching at the Outsider facility, and it’s about Alessia, a reclusive leader of the Outsiders, the alien race who sought refuge on Earth and were hidden away from humanity.
Lydia is surprised to see for herself the conditions in which Alessia’s people are kept, and the longer she spends under the surface with them, the more her heart is awakened to their plight, and to their leader.
The tension that grows, the secrets that are uncovered, and the shifting relationships between the characters make for compelling reading. This book has genuinely exciting and unexpected twists and turns, and my main issue is that I waited so bloody long to read it! Having said that, there were some things that did raise a few questions as I was reading it (how the aliens had lost the knowledge of their language in just a few generations & the apparent lack of scientific investigation into their similarities and differences with humans) but these were all resolved towards the end of the book.
Of course, there are strong political elements in this piece, which can be divisive - some people don't like to see politics so overt in fiction, others like it. Personally, I believe that every book is political, and I love to see it. BENEATH THE SURFACE reads as a critique, a condemnation, of Australia’s offshore detention of asylum seekers. The inhumanity of placing innocent people fleeing war - people who only want a safe home and the basic human rights afforded to everybody else - in a prison where they are neglected, abused and given no hope of a future is very powerfully portrayed. One great touch of BENEATH THE SURFACE was the ability of the aliens to manipulate their body between feminine, androgynous and masculine depending on which gender they felt suited them. This – as the ambisexuality of the Gethenians in Le Guin’s ‘The Left Hand Of Darkness’ did in the ‘70s – explores and discusses gender and sexual identity in a new way. Additionally, Langham’s book also explores the issues of humanity’s survival in a scarily possible future earth, with humanity’s population living in domes, protecting us from a dangerous and uninhabitable environment.
I really enjoyed this book, it’s an engrossing piece which tackles issues relevant in today’s world, and I have no hesitation in giving it a 5-star rating. I believe the sequel BREAKING THE SURFACE is coming out in January, so I'm definitely going to grab a copy!
December 30, 2019
Review originally posted on A Keyboard and an Open Mind December 31, 2019:
This is kind of a slow book, but I don’t mean that in a bad way. It has a lot going on in terms of themes, characters and plot, and explores a lot of it really well. Unfortunately I didn’t engage quite enough with it to bump my rating any higher.
Lydia is a politician’s daughter and has grown up believing that segregation of the alien race they call Outsiders is only natural. But when she takes a teaching contract at the Outside colony, she realises all is not as it seems. And there’s one particular Outsider, Alessia, to whom she feels particularly drawn…
Often I find that I am interested in the development of a relationship up until the point where the characters get together, at which point it gets boring. I actually found the opposite with Lydia and Alessia. I didn’t actually feel there was much build-up or reason for them to feel so strongly about each other, but I loved reading about them together! Once that happened, I really felt the depth of feeling between them.
I mentioned before that there a lot of themes, and a lot of them are talked about. Literally, the characters have a lot of conversations. There is a lot of talking. I’m sure many readers might find this irritating, and it is slow-moving for that reason. There are some dramatic scenes, but I wouldn’t say there’s any action to speak of.
Still, I was interested enough in the world-building and characters to continue reading. There are some pretty big reveals dropped towards the end that pave the way nicely for the conclusion of the story in the second book, and I defintiely want to see the fallout from the events in this one.
This review is part of my 2019 Australian Women Writers Challenge. Click here for more information.
This is kind of a slow book, but I don’t mean that in a bad way. It has a lot going on in terms of themes, characters and plot, and explores a lot of it really well. Unfortunately I didn’t engage quite enough with it to bump my rating any higher.
Lydia is a politician’s daughter and has grown up believing that segregation of the alien race they call Outsiders is only natural. But when she takes a teaching contract at the Outside colony, she realises all is not as it seems. And there’s one particular Outsider, Alessia, to whom she feels particularly drawn…
Often I find that I am interested in the development of a relationship up until the point where the characters get together, at which point it gets boring. I actually found the opposite with Lydia and Alessia. I didn’t actually feel there was much build-up or reason for them to feel so strongly about each other, but I loved reading about them together! Once that happened, I really felt the depth of feeling between them.
I mentioned before that there a lot of themes, and a lot of them are talked about. Literally, the characters have a lot of conversations. There is a lot of talking. I’m sure many readers might find this irritating, and it is slow-moving for that reason. There are some dramatic scenes, but I wouldn’t say there’s any action to speak of.
Still, I was interested enough in the world-building and characters to continue reading. There are some pretty big reveals dropped towards the end that pave the way nicely for the conclusion of the story in the second book, and I defintiely want to see the fallout from the events in this one.
This review is part of my 2019 Australian Women Writers Challenge. Click here for more information.
September 27, 2020
A fantastic Aussie scifi with a twist. It’s set beneath the surface of Earth.
The Outsiders – an alien race who arrived on Earth escaping a war on their own world – are taken in by humans at first but very quickly the humans turn on their visitors and the Outsiders are rounded up and placed in facilities underground where they are “contained and protected” code for “prisoners.”
But the humans don’t know the full truth. Neither do the Outsiders. This story is beautiful blending of a scifi, a mystery and a romance. Lydia is a human teacher who has volunteered for a stint in one of the facilities to teach the Outsider children. She is the daughter of the Governor and fully believes the history she has been taught of the Outsider arrival. Once underground she meets Alessia, an Outsider who captivates and intrigues Lydia. Alessia is just as drawn to Lydia. Their relationship is fraught with danger both for Alessia and for Lydia because of who and what they are. Events from within the facility and without reveal hidden truths to Lydia that could change her world and the world for everyone.
This is a fabulous Aussie scifi. The worldbuilding is clever and unique with a few twists I didn’t see coming. Set below ground and within the facility’s constricting walls at no point does the scene setting seem dull and uninteresting which is kudos to Rebecca Langham’s writing style. The pace is swift but this does not take anything away from the characterisations and emotional journeys of her characters. A very enjoyable read.
The Outsiders – an alien race who arrived on Earth escaping a war on their own world – are taken in by humans at first but very quickly the humans turn on their visitors and the Outsiders are rounded up and placed in facilities underground where they are “contained and protected” code for “prisoners.”
But the humans don’t know the full truth. Neither do the Outsiders. This story is beautiful blending of a scifi, a mystery and a romance. Lydia is a human teacher who has volunteered for a stint in one of the facilities to teach the Outsider children. She is the daughter of the Governor and fully believes the history she has been taught of the Outsider arrival. Once underground she meets Alessia, an Outsider who captivates and intrigues Lydia. Alessia is just as drawn to Lydia. Their relationship is fraught with danger both for Alessia and for Lydia because of who and what they are. Events from within the facility and without reveal hidden truths to Lydia that could change her world and the world for everyone.
This is a fabulous Aussie scifi. The worldbuilding is clever and unique with a few twists I didn’t see coming. Set below ground and within the facility’s constricting walls at no point does the scene setting seem dull and uninteresting which is kudos to Rebecca Langham’s writing style. The pace is swift but this does not take anything away from the characterisations and emotional journeys of her characters. A very enjoyable read.
March 17, 2018
This book was provided for free by the author via IndiGo Marketing & Design in exchange for an honest review.
This was a really hard book to rate and review. It took me a long time to read it; I ended up stopping and picking it back up again a lot. It's a pretty long, involved read with a lot of characters, backstory, and world-building. Some of it was really decent and kept me invested. And the romances between the characters were sweet and believable. But I also feel like this is an ambitious first book that needed to be thinned out a lot and needed a tighter focus.
This book takes place in an underground urban sci-fi world where the "Outsiders," a group of human-like extraterrestrials, are basically concentrated in a locked-away world after they lost a world war. Lydia, the daughter of a powerful governor, took on a teaching position with young Outsiders, and she ends up meeting the beautiful Alessia, a popular and influential Outsider. They begin a forbidden romance alongside Outsiders Fermi and Peleus but things get harder when Peleus' sister Petra commits an act of violence against their captor government and incites Outsider dissension.
That's a very basic plot outline, but there's a ton packed into this book. It took me about a quarter of the way through the book to realize this pretty much serves as an allegory for all of today's issues. Topics of police brutality, colonialism, missionary ethics, gender/transitioning politics, gang activity, and forced deportation all make brief appearances in different ways, but none of them land heavily--it feels like Langham tossed a lot of legitimate social issues at the wall to see what stuck.
I'm struggling to explain exactly why these themes bothered me so much in this book. Literature is supposed to expose all of those hard topics, and I often seek out books that do just that. But I think story and plot was sacrificed for a platform here. If Langham wanted to write about colonialism or gender politics, why not write a story that takes place anywhere in the real world today? It feels mildly insulting to readers, as if she's saying "I'm going to trick you into learning about today's injustices through stories about aliens and ancient civilizations." I know it sounds harsh, but her writing is very heavy handed, and it rarely served the story or the characters.
I know Langham has a sequel planned, but I just don't think I'm invested enough to check it out. She says it won't be an "action packed" book and will continue on the vein of world-building, which sounds like it means it won't be much different than this one. Langham is a capable writer--the words flowed easily and she has a knack for making even the most unlikable side characters (like Jez) easy to sympathize with. But this just isn't the series for me.
This was a really hard book to rate and review. It took me a long time to read it; I ended up stopping and picking it back up again a lot. It's a pretty long, involved read with a lot of characters, backstory, and world-building. Some of it was really decent and kept me invested. And the romances between the characters were sweet and believable. But I also feel like this is an ambitious first book that needed to be thinned out a lot and needed a tighter focus.
This book takes place in an underground urban sci-fi world where the "Outsiders," a group of human-like extraterrestrials, are basically concentrated in a locked-away world after they lost a world war. Lydia, the daughter of a powerful governor, took on a teaching position with young Outsiders, and she ends up meeting the beautiful Alessia, a popular and influential Outsider. They begin a forbidden romance alongside Outsiders Fermi and Peleus but things get harder when Peleus' sister Petra commits an act of violence against their captor government and incites Outsider dissension.
That's a very basic plot outline, but there's a ton packed into this book. It took me about a quarter of the way through the book to realize this pretty much serves as an allegory for all of today's issues. Topics of police brutality, colonialism, missionary ethics, gender/transitioning politics, gang activity, and forced deportation all make brief appearances in different ways, but none of them land heavily--it feels like Langham tossed a lot of legitimate social issues at the wall to see what stuck.
I'm struggling to explain exactly why these themes bothered me so much in this book. Literature is supposed to expose all of those hard topics, and I often seek out books that do just that. But I think story and plot was sacrificed for a platform here. If Langham wanted to write about colonialism or gender politics, why not write a story that takes place anywhere in the real world today? It feels mildly insulting to readers, as if she's saying "I'm going to trick you into learning about today's injustices through stories about aliens and ancient civilizations." I know it sounds harsh, but her writing is very heavy handed, and it rarely served the story or the characters.
I know Langham has a sequel planned, but I just don't think I'm invested enough to check it out. She says it won't be an "action packed" book and will continue on the vein of world-building, which sounds like it means it won't be much different than this one. Langham is a capable writer--the words flowed easily and she has a knack for making even the most unlikable side characters (like Jez) easy to sympathize with. But this just isn't the series for me.
August 5, 2019
Loved this book completely, Rebecca Langham did an extraordinary job with this sci-fi story.
We got to learn so much about this world the author crated, the past and present between aliens and humans. It is slow paced, but is perfect. I loved the development, the display of technology and the intricate genetics, as well as diversity shown all along the book.
The characters are very interesting, I loved them so much. Alessia and Lydia are great. There’s a romance in the mix, but isn’t the main topic, although seems like this will spice things up in the sequel.
I loved how well written and descriptive it is, you can live it all as if you were inside the mind of the characters and could see and feel what they living and going through. It is a very enthralling and engaging story.
It’s a fascinating read, surprised me in the best way. There were a lot of things I didn’t see coming, but I enjoyed very much to discover all the secrets involved.
I’d love to recommend this book, mostly to those who enjoy a good sci-fi story, intriguing, wonderful characters and captivating stories.
I’m so ready for the sequel, because that ending left me wanting more. November won’t be here soon enough.
We got to learn so much about this world the author crated, the past and present between aliens and humans. It is slow paced, but is perfect. I loved the development, the display of technology and the intricate genetics, as well as diversity shown all along the book.
The characters are very interesting, I loved them so much. Alessia and Lydia are great. There’s a romance in the mix, but isn’t the main topic, although seems like this will spice things up in the sequel.
I loved how well written and descriptive it is, you can live it all as if you were inside the mind of the characters and could see and feel what they living and going through. It is a very enthralling and engaging story.
It’s a fascinating read, surprised me in the best way. There were a lot of things I didn’t see coming, but I enjoyed very much to discover all the secrets involved.
I’d love to recommend this book, mostly to those who enjoy a good sci-fi story, intriguing, wonderful characters and captivating stories.
I’m so ready for the sequel, because that ending left me wanting more. November won’t be here soon enough.
January 17, 2018
Actual rating: 3.5 star
I received this ARC from the author in exchange for an honest review. A big thank you to Rebecca Langham and NineStar Press!
This is one of those books that makes you stop and think about life and humanity and where the heck we are going as a species.
Beneath the Surface, while still holding onto a lot of traditional sci-fi concepts, delves into so many big, big themes of racism, segregation, detainment, and sexuality and gender, in a way that I really enjoyed.
Okay, the big thing that I loved – and actually don’t want to say too much about because I want you guys to experience this for yourself! – was the aliens.
Okay, of course, I liked the aliens?!
But hold on. I swear by the end of the book I basically just wanted to forego all my humanity and become an Outsider, because what the heck, I wanna just join their society thank you very much.
I refuse to give any sort of spoiler. But. If you are a part of the LGBTQIA+ community you will agree with me after reading this book.
I also super loved the world-building in this book.
I loved the inclusion of futuristic technology, as well as the new and developed government system, government and corporation overlap, and the evolution (but also the limitations of this evolution) of modern societal norms.
And then there are the Outsiders and how humanity decided to deal with the issue.
I truly enjoyed the concept and investigation of aliens coming to Earth and being treated as asylum seekers and refugees, rather than the typical B-rate movie alien invasion. While it is not completely unique, I much prefer this line of plot and thought it was the foundation of some excellent insight into the human society featured in the story.
It also made the book so relatable in a modern sense. I just sat there the entire time nodding my head thinking “yep that is exactly the same stupid governments that run the world now”.
I did experience some minor drawbacks with the writing style.
For the first half of the story, I found the pacing was a little slow for me personally. There is a lot of world-building and character introduction implemented throughout the first half of the book, and while there wasn’t a great deal of info-dumping, it did slow the pace a fair bit. While the story was more engaging afterwards, I felt the pacing was still inconsistent.
I was also left wanting more character development. While the character personalities are set pretty early on, I wanted more feeling and emotion and personal dissonance, particularly considering the social climate and the circumstances the characters are facing.
But really guys. The ending absolutely cemented me in the decision that I want to see how this series progresses. Just the enormity of the discussion that can stem from this debut makes me excited (and may possibly result in me coercing someone into a buddy read).
Full review | More reviews | Twitter | Pinterest | You can never get a cup of tea large enough or a book long enough to suit me (C.S. Lewis)
I received this ARC from the author in exchange for an honest review. A big thank you to Rebecca Langham and NineStar Press!
“The Outsiders had arrived as pacifists escaping a civil war…humans expressed a great deal of empathy at first. Within months, however, words like ‘asylum’ and ‘refugee’ were replaced by ‘interlopers’ and ‘intruders'”
This is one of those books that makes you stop and think about life and humanity and where the heck we are going as a species.
Beneath the Surface, while still holding onto a lot of traditional sci-fi concepts, delves into so many big, big themes of racism, segregation, detainment, and sexuality and gender, in a way that I really enjoyed.
Okay, the big thing that I loved – and actually don’t want to say too much about because I want you guys to experience this for yourself! – was the aliens.
Okay, of course, I liked the aliens?!
But hold on. I swear by the end of the book I basically just wanted to forego all my humanity and become an Outsider, because what the heck, I wanna just join their society thank you very much.
I refuse to give any sort of spoiler. But. If you are a part of the LGBTQIA+ community you will agree with me after reading this book.
"The truth usually lies beneath the surface of things"
I also super loved the world-building in this book.
I loved the inclusion of futuristic technology, as well as the new and developed government system, government and corporation overlap, and the evolution (but also the limitations of this evolution) of modern societal norms.
And then there are the Outsiders and how humanity decided to deal with the issue.
I truly enjoyed the concept and investigation of aliens coming to Earth and being treated as asylum seekers and refugees, rather than the typical B-rate movie alien invasion. While it is not completely unique, I much prefer this line of plot and thought it was the foundation of some excellent insight into the human society featured in the story.
It also made the book so relatable in a modern sense. I just sat there the entire time nodding my head thinking “yep that is exactly the same stupid governments that run the world now”.
"'The world is full of possibilities,' Lydia said. ' You are not a bad person just because you're not the same as everyone else. In fact, it's what makes you spectacular. You deserve to be seen. To be happy. To be loved. To love yourself.'"
I did experience some minor drawbacks with the writing style.
For the first half of the story, I found the pacing was a little slow for me personally. There is a lot of world-building and character introduction implemented throughout the first half of the book, and while there wasn’t a great deal of info-dumping, it did slow the pace a fair bit. While the story was more engaging afterwards, I felt the pacing was still inconsistent.
I was also left wanting more character development. While the character personalities are set pretty early on, I wanted more feeling and emotion and personal dissonance, particularly considering the social climate and the circumstances the characters are facing.
But really guys. The ending absolutely cemented me in the decision that I want to see how this series progresses. Just the enormity of the discussion that can stem from this debut makes me excited (and may possibly result in me coercing someone into a buddy read).
"You have a rare light inside of you. It's why I haven't been able to look away"
Full review | More reviews | Twitter | Pinterest | You can never get a cup of tea large enough or a book long enough to suit me (C.S. Lewis)
February 3, 2018
Beneath the Surface, Rebecca Langham’s debut novel, nicely falls into what I would call Soft Sci-Fi, in that the nitty-gritty aspects of science aren’t explored, rather the social sciences are. As someone who studied Anthropology for several years in University, I was pleasantly surprised to see that this entire novel is a reflection of exactly that: a social experiment gone horrendously wrong.
The story unfolds slowly, eloquently, almost softly if I could put texture to it. The main character, Lydia, the daughter of a powerful politician, is a teacher in a society where being constantly connected to the “Hive” is a direct equivalent to our current modern day reliance on the internet and social media. Lydia, who could have chosen to do or be just about anything given her privileged family, selects a most unusual contract of going into the underground community where an alien race has been placed; a sought-after refuge and sanctuary. She teaches the alien children a very sterile and prescriptive curriculum all under the guise of protecting them. But security and shelter equate to nothing less than ensuring Earth’s human population maintains its own cultural standing as the prominent species.
There are some not-so-subtle comparisons that can be made throughout this story to the many refugee crises that have occurred in recent years in our own timeline. Not to mention how we as a society treat those we might consider ‘Outsiders’. Who belongs and who doesn’t? How do we identify those who are different than us? How do we treat anyone else who doesn’t resonate with exactly what we are? What are those differences? Skin tone? Sexuality? Gender? Nationality?
The number of times I read passages from this book and then thought about the news I had seen the night before often sent shivers down my spine.
We as a species simply need to do better – and this story amplifies that.
I still haven’t captured all the complex and underlying themes that were covered in this novel, and I’m sure that I could read it again and uncover more terrifying parallels. Of course, there’s a hook at the end of the book, setting up the story for a sequel. I can’t tell you what that is, but I would be lying if I didn’t tell you that I had it figured out about halfway through the story – and yet, when it is revealed, it still comes off as shocking and abhorrent.
Langham has told this story in a crafty way. None of the themes explored in this novel point out where our own humanity is desperately failing, nor does it come off as abrupt or in-your-face. Instead, they are hinted at, even glossed over, and I found myself thinking about them pages later.
Shameful things we do to each other are like that though, aren’t they? We so often see the blunt and horrifying stories told on the Ten O’clock news. Stories that shake us, repulse us and draw immediate reactions. However, I think it’s the casualness of our faults, be it racism, homophobia, sexism (and certainly this is not an exhaustive list), that are our most hideous stains upon humanity. And that’s exactly how I felt as this story progressed. How easily we are manipulated as a society by media, how numb we become to bad behaviour and accepting what everyone else considers ‘the norm.’
I would be remiss if I didn’t say that I wanted more. More details about the alien race, how they were different, where they came from, how the technology in this world worked, but then it would have altered the flavour of this book. This is really an insidious exploration of how terrible we are at being human. It truly is a glimpse beneath our own surfaces.
The story unfolds slowly, eloquently, almost softly if I could put texture to it. The main character, Lydia, the daughter of a powerful politician, is a teacher in a society where being constantly connected to the “Hive” is a direct equivalent to our current modern day reliance on the internet and social media. Lydia, who could have chosen to do or be just about anything given her privileged family, selects a most unusual contract of going into the underground community where an alien race has been placed; a sought-after refuge and sanctuary. She teaches the alien children a very sterile and prescriptive curriculum all under the guise of protecting them. But security and shelter equate to nothing less than ensuring Earth’s human population maintains its own cultural standing as the prominent species.
There are some not-so-subtle comparisons that can be made throughout this story to the many refugee crises that have occurred in recent years in our own timeline. Not to mention how we as a society treat those we might consider ‘Outsiders’. Who belongs and who doesn’t? How do we identify those who are different than us? How do we treat anyone else who doesn’t resonate with exactly what we are? What are those differences? Skin tone? Sexuality? Gender? Nationality?
The number of times I read passages from this book and then thought about the news I had seen the night before often sent shivers down my spine.
We as a species simply need to do better – and this story amplifies that.
I still haven’t captured all the complex and underlying themes that were covered in this novel, and I’m sure that I could read it again and uncover more terrifying parallels. Of course, there’s a hook at the end of the book, setting up the story for a sequel. I can’t tell you what that is, but I would be lying if I didn’t tell you that I had it figured out about halfway through the story – and yet, when it is revealed, it still comes off as shocking and abhorrent.
Langham has told this story in a crafty way. None of the themes explored in this novel point out where our own humanity is desperately failing, nor does it come off as abrupt or in-your-face. Instead, they are hinted at, even glossed over, and I found myself thinking about them pages later.
Shameful things we do to each other are like that though, aren’t they? We so often see the blunt and horrifying stories told on the Ten O’clock news. Stories that shake us, repulse us and draw immediate reactions. However, I think it’s the casualness of our faults, be it racism, homophobia, sexism (and certainly this is not an exhaustive list), that are our most hideous stains upon humanity. And that’s exactly how I felt as this story progressed. How easily we are manipulated as a society by media, how numb we become to bad behaviour and accepting what everyone else considers ‘the norm.’
I would be remiss if I didn’t say that I wanted more. More details about the alien race, how they were different, where they came from, how the technology in this world worked, but then it would have altered the flavour of this book. This is really an insidious exploration of how terrible we are at being human. It truly is a glimpse beneath our own surfaces.
October 5, 2019
This tale starts off interesting. It has that dystopian feel to it as the world is rather polluted and overcrowded. Lydia Barrett comes from a powerful & privileged family. But she wants to teach children and volunteering to go teach the Outsiders in their underground city gives her a chance to get away from her dad’s famousness and the paparazzi. There she gets to know some of the Aliens (aka Outsiders) quite well. Not all is as it seems. That’s a great set up and I was sucked into the story.
But then things really slow down for me… and stayed slow for the middle third of the book. It was the teen age angsty romance that didn’t work for me. There’s a little more going on there – like we learn about the gender fluidity and inclusiveness of the Outsiders, the lousy conditions the Outsiders are forced to live in, etc. But most of it is the teens trying to figure out who likes who and if they want to do anything about it.
While I loved the LGBTQ+ inclusiveness of this story, there was a lot of time spent on it. After a while, it felt like the author had a drum to beat. Anyways, the last third of the novel picks up again (yay!). There’s more conspiracy stuff, a big reveal about where the Outsiders might have come from, and betrayal! Yes! The story ends on a strong note for me, tho I would have to think about whether or not I want to continue on to the next in the series as I think I’m allergic to angsty romance. 4/5 stars.
The Narration: Kate Roth was fun to listen to. She brought this story to life with her various accents. I think her Australian accent was the best. Her male character voices could use a little more masculinity. Roth did quite well with the romantic scenes. The pacing was perfect and there were no tech issues with the recording. 4.5/5 stars.
I received this audiobook as part of my participation in a blog tour with Audiobookworm Promotions. The tour is being sponsored by Rebecca Langham. The gifting of this audiobook did not affect my opinion of it.
But then things really slow down for me… and stayed slow for the middle third of the book. It was the teen age angsty romance that didn’t work for me. There’s a little more going on there – like we learn about the gender fluidity and inclusiveness of the Outsiders, the lousy conditions the Outsiders are forced to live in, etc. But most of it is the teens trying to figure out who likes who and if they want to do anything about it.
While I loved the LGBTQ+ inclusiveness of this story, there was a lot of time spent on it. After a while, it felt like the author had a drum to beat. Anyways, the last third of the novel picks up again (yay!). There’s more conspiracy stuff, a big reveal about where the Outsiders might have come from, and betrayal! Yes! The story ends on a strong note for me, tho I would have to think about whether or not I want to continue on to the next in the series as I think I’m allergic to angsty romance. 4/5 stars.
The Narration: Kate Roth was fun to listen to. She brought this story to life with her various accents. I think her Australian accent was the best. Her male character voices could use a little more masculinity. Roth did quite well with the romantic scenes. The pacing was perfect and there were no tech issues with the recording. 4.5/5 stars.
I received this audiobook as part of my participation in a blog tour with Audiobookworm Promotions. The tour is being sponsored by Rebecca Langham. The gifting of this audiobook did not affect my opinion of it.
September 27, 2020
A nicely written book that mirrors some of today’s issues (refugees, acceptance, the impact of technology on society) in the story of an alien race kept in isolation by a government intent on learning their genetic secrets. Human/alien relationships, betrayal, and secrets abound. And when every truth revealed is twisted on its head during the last few pages, you’ll be reaching for the sequel.
January 5, 2018
Beneath the surface is about several main characters, Lydia, Alessia, Fermi and Damon (Lydia's father).
It's about a community were aliens and humans live together. This story takes place at the colony where Lydia (human) teaches and Alessia and Fermi (both aliens) live and work.
Humans and aliens are supposed to be equals, but of course that doesn't happen.
''Nothing, I've just - ah, I've never seen anyone get beaten up before. Not in real life, I mean' 'Oh. Of course. Fair enough. it's okay, though. she's just an alien.''
This book consists of a lot of diversity, the aliens can choose their gender but could also stay genderless if they prefer. There is also a lesbian relationship.
But unfortunately this book was a bit boring for me, to slow paced. around 2/3 of the way through I started skimming the story more than actually reading it.
It's about a community were aliens and humans live together. This story takes place at the colony where Lydia (human) teaches and Alessia and Fermi (both aliens) live and work.
Humans and aliens are supposed to be equals, but of course that doesn't happen.
''Nothing, I've just - ah, I've never seen anyone get beaten up before. Not in real life, I mean' 'Oh. Of course. Fair enough. it's okay, though. she's just an alien.''
This book consists of a lot of diversity, the aliens can choose their gender but could also stay genderless if they prefer. There is also a lesbian relationship.
But unfortunately this book was a bit boring for me, to slow paced. around 2/3 of the way through I started skimming the story more than actually reading it.
January 21, 2018
Beneath the Surface brings readers into the plight of a refugee group of humanoid aliens, segregated from humanity in underground facilities. Lydia Barrett is quick to empathize with the Outsiders and cannot resist the pull she feels toward Alessia, the de facto leader of the group. The very title of the book is multilayered: there is so much more going on beneath the surface of the conflict than is readily apparent.
I have always been a huge fan of "Alien Nation", and this book attracted me because of the passing similarity. It's definitely not a lightning paced adventure but character-driven. It was a very enjoyable read. I will be the first to admit that if a book does not grab me, I won't finish it. This had no problems keeping my attention, and I absolutely adored the building relationship between Lydia and Alessia. If there was a problem with the book, it wasn't in the writing but the pacing. Plenty of things are happening to keep interest, but the last third of the book holds so many revelations that built and built and had me going "OMG" every five pages or so, that it just felt uneven.
That being said, it's well written, the characters are fully formed and I developed a fondness for many of them. I'm looking forward to reading what happens next.
I have always been a huge fan of "Alien Nation", and this book attracted me because of the passing similarity. It's definitely not a lightning paced adventure but character-driven. It was a very enjoyable read. I will be the first to admit that if a book does not grab me, I won't finish it. This had no problems keeping my attention, and I absolutely adored the building relationship between Lydia and Alessia. If there was a problem with the book, it wasn't in the writing but the pacing. Plenty of things are happening to keep interest, but the last third of the book holds so many revelations that built and built and had me going "OMG" every five pages or so, that it just felt uneven.
That being said, it's well written, the characters are fully formed and I developed a fondness for many of them. I'm looking forward to reading what happens next.
February 26, 2018
Beneath the Surface is a political sci-fi novel, with dystopian tones. Lydia a sheltered governor’s daughter is desperate to have some peace in her life 'get away' after the loss of her mother. she signs on as a teacher in an underground facility for alien refugees. The underground facility has some similarities to Australian refugee detention centres.
The facility, management and aliens are not as Lydia expected. She becomes 'close' to certain aliens, with a revolution against the current oppression and a blossoming romance. Lydia quickly loses her innocence.
While there is some action, sci-fi fans who want to immerse themselves in the political and social aspects of a alien society will love this book.
BTS is in my top 3 for science fiction novels/series.
5.5/5
The facility, management and aliens are not as Lydia expected. She becomes 'close' to certain aliens, with a revolution against the current oppression and a blossoming romance. Lydia quickly loses her innocence.
While there is some action, sci-fi fans who want to immerse themselves in the political and social aspects of a alien society will love this book.
BTS is in my top 3 for science fiction novels/series.
5.5/5
February 20, 2018
Background: Australia’s Rebecca Langham is a self-confessed nerd, a Whovian, a Xenite, and a lover of coffee, comics and sci-fi.
Beneath The Surface is Rebecca’s debut novel, and was released on January 15th 2018 by NineStar Press. Here, aliens known as Outsiders have landed on Earth. Rather than welcome our new arrivals though, humanity has decided that demonizing them and relegating them to monitored dwellings below ground is more humane. Lydia, the daughter of a powerful governor, takes up a position teaching Outsider children in one of the camps, but a meeting with an Outsider named Alessia shakes the foundations of the ‘truth’ she thought she knew.
The Good: Right off the bat, I want to say that BTS does a great job of creating a balance between two things: layers and clarity. Not only the characters but the world itself has clearly been meticulously thought out and comes across as very three-dimensional as a result. Despite this though, the book never crosses into the sometimes over-technical realms of hard sci-fi. This is an intelligent book presented as an accessible piece of literature.
As species, we are at times prone to certain behaviours; namely the apparent need to judge, and the unshaking ability to view ourselves as being at the top of the food chain. Of course, this doesn’t apply to all people or even all of the time, but it is often something that we see presented to us. Here, this has spilled over in the sense that humans are essentially detaining a race and confining them to a world away from the public eye. While not pushing things so far as extermination, the fact is that the society presented has reached a point where imprisonment on the grounds of birth is seen as a reasonable step. In this regard, the book does a good job of reminding us of how far things could go if we lose compassion and reason. The tale of a species’ fight for freedom and desire for coexistence even after all that has been done to them is thoroughly engrossing to read, and one that remains timely in a world where discrimination is still a regular occurrence.
The romance between Lydia and Alessia was a definite plus point for the book. Even if we put aside the LGBT+ representation it provides, it’s still a sweet relationship to watch grow. Yes, it may be a little quick for some readers, but you get a real sense of closeness between the characters, and that’s a real pleasure to read. Not a romance fan though? That’s fine too. While it does form part of the plot, the romance is secondary to the main story arc, so you won’t find it too intrusive. On top of that, it manages to never feels tacked on, which is not an easy thing to achieve.
I would also say that, despite the actions of humanity as a whole, there aren’t any true villains here. Misguided decisions, yes, but no outright detestable types. As a fan of grey areas, I really enjoyed this approach.
The Bad: There isn’t anything specific that I would list as a bad point for myself here. However, there are a few things to note that may affect other people’s enjoyment of the story. First is that the book is not heavy on action. If you prefer a military bent to your futuristic adventures, for example, this will no doubt disappoint. BTS is not a book about flashy space battles or alien hunting, after all. The same can be said if you want to see all loose ends tied up by the end of the book. While this is part of a series, and I don’t doubt that Rebecca will cover all points going forward, some may find the lack of closure on some points off-putting.
Final View: A futuristic book that deals with modern day discrimination politics in an accessible manner. Rebecca Langham has created a debut novel that doesn’t feel like a debut, but rather something more seasoned. If you’re fine with low levels of action and a leaning towards softer sci-fi, this is a great recommendation.
Final Score: 4.5 / 5
Beneath The Surface is Rebecca’s debut novel, and was released on January 15th 2018 by NineStar Press. Here, aliens known as Outsiders have landed on Earth. Rather than welcome our new arrivals though, humanity has decided that demonizing them and relegating them to monitored dwellings below ground is more humane. Lydia, the daughter of a powerful governor, takes up a position teaching Outsider children in one of the camps, but a meeting with an Outsider named Alessia shakes the foundations of the ‘truth’ she thought she knew.
The Good: Right off the bat, I want to say that BTS does a great job of creating a balance between two things: layers and clarity. Not only the characters but the world itself has clearly been meticulously thought out and comes across as very three-dimensional as a result. Despite this though, the book never crosses into the sometimes over-technical realms of hard sci-fi. This is an intelligent book presented as an accessible piece of literature.
As species, we are at times prone to certain behaviours; namely the apparent need to judge, and the unshaking ability to view ourselves as being at the top of the food chain. Of course, this doesn’t apply to all people or even all of the time, but it is often something that we see presented to us. Here, this has spilled over in the sense that humans are essentially detaining a race and confining them to a world away from the public eye. While not pushing things so far as extermination, the fact is that the society presented has reached a point where imprisonment on the grounds of birth is seen as a reasonable step. In this regard, the book does a good job of reminding us of how far things could go if we lose compassion and reason. The tale of a species’ fight for freedom and desire for coexistence even after all that has been done to them is thoroughly engrossing to read, and one that remains timely in a world where discrimination is still a regular occurrence.
The romance between Lydia and Alessia was a definite plus point for the book. Even if we put aside the LGBT+ representation it provides, it’s still a sweet relationship to watch grow. Yes, it may be a little quick for some readers, but you get a real sense of closeness between the characters, and that’s a real pleasure to read. Not a romance fan though? That’s fine too. While it does form part of the plot, the romance is secondary to the main story arc, so you won’t find it too intrusive. On top of that, it manages to never feels tacked on, which is not an easy thing to achieve.
I would also say that, despite the actions of humanity as a whole, there aren’t any true villains here. Misguided decisions, yes, but no outright detestable types. As a fan of grey areas, I really enjoyed this approach.
The Bad: There isn’t anything specific that I would list as a bad point for myself here. However, there are a few things to note that may affect other people’s enjoyment of the story. First is that the book is not heavy on action. If you prefer a military bent to your futuristic adventures, for example, this will no doubt disappoint. BTS is not a book about flashy space battles or alien hunting, after all. The same can be said if you want to see all loose ends tied up by the end of the book. While this is part of a series, and I don’t doubt that Rebecca will cover all points going forward, some may find the lack of closure on some points off-putting.
Final View: A futuristic book that deals with modern day discrimination politics in an accessible manner. Rebecca Langham has created a debut novel that doesn’t feel like a debut, but rather something more seasoned. If you’re fine with low levels of action and a leaning towards softer sci-fi, this is a great recommendation.
Final Score: 4.5 / 5
January 3, 2021
Beneath the Surface is the perfect title for this book. On the outside a dystopian tale of a pandemic, technology and aliens, but beneath the surface - relationships, corruption, politics, and racism. The world building is clear and the characters are the best combination of relatable, both positive and negative. The slow burn for the main characters is handled beautifully and the final twists and turns makes it clear that book two is on the TBR list!
A great dystopian tale.
A great dystopian tale.
February 4, 2019
Somewhere between 3 and 3.5 stars. It was good to read but the more I think about it the more I'm left shuddering by how messed up this was.
Content warnings include:
Beneath The Surface plays in a future where after a virus and steadily worsening climate conditions no nations exist anymore and the earth is parted into four quadrants ruled by one big government. A few generations ago first contact with aliens happened - a group of pacific refugees fleeing from a war on their home planet. Humanity offered to take them in, just to then break the promise of a new home: a hundred years down the line the aliens, called Outsiders, live in controlled underground colonies where they have no autonomy over their lives whatsoever, cut off from the rest of the world and exploited to produce technology for the humans living on the surface.
Born into this setting is main protagonist Lydia. She's the daughter of the Governor of Quadrant Four (which seems to be mainly Australia.) Tired of a life in the spotlight due to who her father is, she decided to become a teacher - the book starts as she begins her first job as a substitude teacher for Outsider children in the local Outsider colony.
From the very start it's clear that something is off. The heavy atmosphere of the book is so overpowering it felt almost suffocating, made worse by how every single (human) side character seems to be antagonistic or just plain creepy.
Things quickly turn disturbing as Lydia sees how the Outsiders are treated and begins researching how they even came to be in these colonies. This is where things begin to turn weird and stop lining up.
Lydia is one of four main characters from whose POVs the book is told. The second and most important one after Lydia is Alessia, an Outsider who grew up on the surface and not in the colony. She's a well respected member of the Outsider community, not just within her peers but among the human staff of the colony as well. It's clear that there's something more going on in the background with her, but it's never really brought up until the very end.
I said Alessia is one of the more important POV characters, but I guess I just wanted that to be true - in fact, barely anything important happens from her POV, but that is true for the other two POV characters as well.
The third is Fermi, another Outsider who is mostly content with his life. He doesn't like to heard of Alessia's life on the surface but other than that considers her his closest friend.
The fourth POV character is Damon, Lydia's father and leader of 25% of the planet. He's.... I don't even really know what to say about him. Let me phrase it this way: I didn't really understand why his POV was needed. The information conveyed through him could have been implemented into the other POVs. He seems to be what comes closest to being an antagonist in this book, which brings me to one of the downsides.
The book lacks a clear antagonist. The plot is obviously focused on freeing the Outsiders, but even that feels sort of aimless. So much is going on in the background, from terrorist attacks to technology addicts,big companies controlling 99% of the market to political activists making trouble, contracts and charters being ignored behind the scenes and corrupt people.... Yet there is no action, the protagonist are never really doing anything, and there is no real climax to the whole plot either. Most of the big revelations and plot twists happen in long monologues, words instead of actions.
Luckily the words were good. This book was very well written. Even when the POV character was someone I didn't like (aka Damon) I never skimmed any of the paragraphs or had trouble focussing on the book. Despite the seeming lack of anything much happening, I was never actually bored while reading.
The atmosphere was masterfully done, though the book made me uncomfortable in a lot of ways. Not only is the scenario with aliens turning up and excitement quickly turning into ignorance and oppression painfully realistic, a lot of the characters are simply despicable with creepy comments, which combined with the almost clinical way of how anyone's appearance was described was very chilling and unsettling.
That fits with the themes of the book: there's manipulation, oppression and exploitation everywhere, which left me questioning what was even real and what really happened a lot of the time.
This would have been good and should have created suspension - instead it just felt like the book was riddled with plot holes. So many things just didn't make sense in the moment, and while a lot of if was later explained in a side sentence the exact HOW of it all was left open and just left me confused and upset.
The big reveal at the end to explain it all felt extremely weird because it was a conversation between two perceived antagonists to who the reader has barely any emotional connection, which removed it from the actual protagonists and didn't feel triumphant or happy at all.
Even the supposed happy epilogue had a very unsettling and upsetting turn due to more big reveals that seemed to just turn the earlier revelation around and made the entire plot vaguely nonsensical to me.
Overall this book definitely touched me - I couldn't stop thinking about it since I finished it, but it's leaving me disturbed instead of with positive feelings which makes it hard to paint this book in a good light.
One good thing the book has speaking for itself is the lack of queerphobia. Not everything is perfect, but most of the main characters are queer, the main couple is f/f and the secondary is m/m, though romance is definitely not the focus here. I also really liked the Outsiders approach to gender: their children (called younglings) are raised gender neutrally and there is a ceremony (the only thing coming close to culture they have) where a person can share and declare their gender with the community. It seems to be hinted that most Outsiders are intersex, but they can also change their physical traits when their identity changes, though this isn't explained in depth.
Ultimately I guess I did enjoy reading this book. It had many great concepts and touched a lot of important topics, but it frequently left me very unsettled and I'm confused by many of the turns so it seems to me that there are tons of plot holes and unrealized potential.
Content warnings include:
Beneath The Surface plays in a future where after a virus and steadily worsening climate conditions no nations exist anymore and the earth is parted into four quadrants ruled by one big government. A few generations ago first contact with aliens happened - a group of pacific refugees fleeing from a war on their home planet. Humanity offered to take them in, just to then break the promise of a new home: a hundred years down the line the aliens, called Outsiders, live in controlled underground colonies where they have no autonomy over their lives whatsoever, cut off from the rest of the world and exploited to produce technology for the humans living on the surface.
Born into this setting is main protagonist Lydia. She's the daughter of the Governor of Quadrant Four (which seems to be mainly Australia.) Tired of a life in the spotlight due to who her father is, she decided to become a teacher - the book starts as she begins her first job as a substitude teacher for Outsider children in the local Outsider colony.
From the very start it's clear that something is off. The heavy atmosphere of the book is so overpowering it felt almost suffocating, made worse by how every single (human) side character seems to be antagonistic or just plain creepy.
Things quickly turn disturbing as Lydia sees how the Outsiders are treated and begins researching how they even came to be in these colonies. This is where things begin to turn weird and stop lining up.
Lydia is one of four main characters from whose POVs the book is told. The second and most important one after Lydia is Alessia, an Outsider who grew up on the surface and not in the colony. She's a well respected member of the Outsider community, not just within her peers but among the human staff of the colony as well. It's clear that there's something more going on in the background with her, but it's never really brought up until the very end.
I said Alessia is one of the more important POV characters, but I guess I just wanted that to be true - in fact, barely anything important happens from her POV, but that is true for the other two POV characters as well.
The third is Fermi, another Outsider who is mostly content with his life. He doesn't like to heard of Alessia's life on the surface but other than that considers her his closest friend.
The fourth POV character is Damon, Lydia's father and leader of 25% of the planet. He's.... I don't even really know what to say about him. Let me phrase it this way: I didn't really understand why his POV was needed. The information conveyed through him could have been implemented into the other POVs. He seems to be what comes closest to being an antagonist in this book, which brings me to one of the downsides.
The book lacks a clear antagonist. The plot is obviously focused on freeing the Outsiders, but even that feels sort of aimless. So much is going on in the background, from terrorist attacks to technology addicts,big companies controlling 99% of the market to political activists making trouble, contracts and charters being ignored behind the scenes and corrupt people.... Yet there is no action, the protagonist are never really doing anything, and there is no real climax to the whole plot either. Most of the big revelations and plot twists happen in long monologues, words instead of actions.
Luckily the words were good. This book was very well written. Even when the POV character was someone I didn't like (aka Damon) I never skimmed any of the paragraphs or had trouble focussing on the book. Despite the seeming lack of anything much happening, I was never actually bored while reading.
The atmosphere was masterfully done, though the book made me uncomfortable in a lot of ways. Not only is the scenario with aliens turning up and excitement quickly turning into ignorance and oppression painfully realistic, a lot of the characters are simply despicable with creepy comments, which combined with the almost clinical way of how anyone's appearance was described was very chilling and unsettling.
That fits with the themes of the book: there's manipulation, oppression and exploitation everywhere, which left me questioning what was even real and what really happened a lot of the time.
This would have been good and should have created suspension - instead it just felt like the book was riddled with plot holes. So many things just didn't make sense in the moment, and while a lot of if was later explained in a side sentence the exact HOW of it all was left open and just left me confused and upset.
The big reveal at the end to explain it all felt extremely weird because it was a conversation between two perceived antagonists to who the reader has barely any emotional connection, which removed it from the actual protagonists and didn't feel triumphant or happy at all.
Even the supposed happy epilogue had a very unsettling and upsetting turn due to more big reveals that seemed to just turn the earlier revelation around and made the entire plot vaguely nonsensical to me.
Overall this book definitely touched me - I couldn't stop thinking about it since I finished it, but it's leaving me disturbed instead of with positive feelings which makes it hard to paint this book in a good light.
One good thing the book has speaking for itself is the lack of queerphobia. Not everything is perfect, but most of the main characters are queer, the main couple is f/f and the secondary is m/m, though romance is definitely not the focus here. I also really liked the Outsiders approach to gender: their children (called younglings) are raised gender neutrally and there is a ceremony (the only thing coming close to culture they have) where a person can share and declare their gender with the community. It seems to be hinted that most Outsiders are intersex, but they can also change their physical traits when their identity changes, though this isn't explained in depth.
Ultimately I guess I did enjoy reading this book. It had many great concepts and touched a lot of important topics, but it frequently left me very unsettled and I'm confused by many of the turns so it seems to me that there are tons of plot holes and unrealized potential.
February 2, 2018
This book is so so good! 4.5/5* from me. Firstly thank you to NetGalley and NineStar for a free ebook of this novel in return for an honest review. I had attempted to read a NineStar published Sci-Fi already this year (again thanks to NetGalley) and disliked it so much that it's the first book I have ever DNF'd. I was pretty worried coming into this book that I would end up doing the same but Rebecca Langham has written an absolutely engrossing novel. It isn't a faced paced Sci-Fi, instead, it is a slow moving, dystopian world, where you gradually learn more about the characters and their backgrounds and start to form certain suspicions about the Outsiders (one of my suspicions was confirmed near the end of the book). As anyone who knows me is aware, I really really don't like romance in books. The mushiness has always just annoyed me in the past, but I absolutely love how it was written here and the way it plays so naturally into the story and does not feel forced at all. The only issue I had with this book was that the ending felt a little rushed to me, as everything was wrapped up very quickly. I understood how the author was attempting to make the reader feel, but I don't think she quite managed to capture it the way she wanted. All in all, this was an amazing book and I will 100% be reading any sequels to learn more about these characters and the world they live in. The writing in this book is very well done, and without having read up on it I would never have known it was Rebecca Langham's first novel. Looking forward to seeing more from this author!
May 7, 2018
This book is a 4,5/5 star rating for me. Overall I really enjoyed it. I like all the characters and the world/society building in this sci-fi book.
A decade ago there were homanoid aliens who had to land on Earth because of a civil war on their planet. Now they're living as "Outsiders" in underground villages. They're are captured but humans won't see it because they were told other things from the government. Then there is Lydia, a human who becomes a teacher for the Outsider's kids and this is where this unique story begins. By turning the pages (or tipping on the ebook device) the reader gets to know some Outsiders, some humans and some other people as well. It's so great how everything is changing during the whole presented narration and so much is not like it seemed to in the beginning. I really like this about books because it gives me the oppurtunity to fully sink my teeth into the story. I really love the ideo of the captures Outsider society and its connections to the humans. And my favourite character is Sarah Taylor! Whoa ... she gives me goosebumps!
This book is good written and good edited. Thanks for this great read.
A decade ago there were homanoid aliens who had to land on Earth because of a civil war on their planet. Now they're living as "Outsiders" in underground villages. They're are captured but humans won't see it because they were told other things from the government. Then there is Lydia, a human who becomes a teacher for the Outsider's kids and this is where this unique story begins. By turning the pages (or tipping on the ebook device) the reader gets to know some Outsiders, some humans and some other people as well. It's so great how everything is changing during the whole presented narration and so much is not like it seemed to in the beginning. I really like this about books because it gives me the oppurtunity to fully sink my teeth into the story. I really love the ideo of the captures Outsider society and its connections to the humans. And my favourite character is Sarah Taylor! Whoa ... she gives me goosebumps!
This book is good written and good edited. Thanks for this great read.
May 13, 2018
Beneath the Surface by Rebecca Langham is an epic sci-fi read that from page one lures you in. The world building of a futuristic Earth is superb and detailed. A little bit too political some times for my taste, but it's well-written and realistic how another humanoid, yet alien race, could be dealed with by humans if not worse, for we have only to look at how we deal with anything that is different than us. Despite it being classified as sci-fi it has no scenes in space or space ships but contains elements of contemporary and suspense with focus on character building and plot. There's some techno-stuff, but not too much. There is a little bit of everything, some action, some romance but it's not the main focus which I always appreciate in a story. That's why I think even readers who don't normally read sci fi or dystopian will enjoy this book. The two main characters, Lydia and Allesia were likable characters and I also liked that the other, supporting characters were well fleshed out and helped move the story along. There's enough material here for a great series to enjoy and there's more to explore as I feel this is only the beginning, but what a wonderful start. Overall, a great novel for a first time author. I'll be looking out for book 2!
December 26, 2018
This was an amazing world building as well as a social commentary. This book truely was a pleasure to read. The characters and the way the relationships develops was a nice slow burn. A very enjoyable and though provoking read.
January 13, 2018
Thank you to Netgalley and the Publisher for sending me an e-copy of this book in exchange of my honest review.
Beneath the Surface was a very interesting book mainly because of the “Outsiders”, this society that came from space a long time ago and it’s now living underground because everyone is afraid of them, they couldn’t be more inspiring. Throughout the book we get to see some of their rituals and how they get along with each other, a lot of times all I could think was “I wish our society could be like this right now” because they were so accepting among each other, they didn’t care what gender they were nor their sexuality the only thing that mattered was if they were good people or not, and that is the goal.
Now talking about the characters, Alessia was amazing I loved the way she thought and how she was always worried about every single one of her friends. She was a lovely girl that knew what she had to do to make a progress in her situation. However, my favorite character was Fermi, Alessia’s best friend. We get to enjoy some chapters narrated by him and those were incredible since we could see him and his lover whose story I think was adorable, I’d even want to read another book but with only their love story. The main character, Lydia didn’t stand out for me personally, she was a nice girl maybe a little bit clueless and distant, but I get that she’s that way because of her past.
The relationship between Alessia and Lydia was love at first sight and for me we didn’t get to see that love develop, I do think they have a great future and that someday they can be in love but for now they are more like getting to know each other and that was a little bit disappointing because I was expecting a little bit more of romance.
I must mention that the beginning of the book was a little bit off for me, we immediately get involved in this world that we don’t know much about but then things slow down drastically which turned up a little bit boring sometimes, but we got to know the characters well. I think that maybe halfway into the book is where I couldn’t nor wanted to stop reading.
As I mentioned before the world and both societies are interesting because they have a lot of technology inventions that do not exist today, so it was incredible to see how much technology could improve in the future according to the author’s point of view. I would really encourage you to read this book to witness this incredible world.
The ending was extremely easy and that didn’t make sense for me, but it left in a cliffhanger so I’m hoping we get to see more action in the upcoming books.
In conclusion, I really liked the world built in this book because it had a lot of technological inventions and an ideal society that I would love to live in, full of great acceptance among the community. However, there are some negative aspects such as the love at first sight and the ending that wasn´t as entertaining as the rest of the story.
Beneath the Surface was a very interesting book mainly because of the “Outsiders”, this society that came from space a long time ago and it’s now living underground because everyone is afraid of them, they couldn’t be more inspiring. Throughout the book we get to see some of their rituals and how they get along with each other, a lot of times all I could think was “I wish our society could be like this right now” because they were so accepting among each other, they didn’t care what gender they were nor their sexuality the only thing that mattered was if they were good people or not, and that is the goal.
Now talking about the characters, Alessia was amazing I loved the way she thought and how she was always worried about every single one of her friends. She was a lovely girl that knew what she had to do to make a progress in her situation. However, my favorite character was Fermi, Alessia’s best friend. We get to enjoy some chapters narrated by him and those were incredible since we could see him and his lover whose story I think was adorable, I’d even want to read another book but with only their love story. The main character, Lydia didn’t stand out for me personally, she was a nice girl maybe a little bit clueless and distant, but I get that she’s that way because of her past.
The relationship between Alessia and Lydia was love at first sight and for me we didn’t get to see that love develop, I do think they have a great future and that someday they can be in love but for now they are more like getting to know each other and that was a little bit disappointing because I was expecting a little bit more of romance.
I must mention that the beginning of the book was a little bit off for me, we immediately get involved in this world that we don’t know much about but then things slow down drastically which turned up a little bit boring sometimes, but we got to know the characters well. I think that maybe halfway into the book is where I couldn’t nor wanted to stop reading.
As I mentioned before the world and both societies are interesting because they have a lot of technology inventions that do not exist today, so it was incredible to see how much technology could improve in the future according to the author’s point of view. I would really encourage you to read this book to witness this incredible world.
The ending was extremely easy and that didn’t make sense for me, but it left in a cliffhanger so I’m hoping we get to see more action in the upcoming books.
In conclusion, I really liked the world built in this book because it had a lot of technological inventions and an ideal society that I would love to live in, full of great acceptance among the community. However, there are some negative aspects such as the love at first sight and the ending that wasn´t as entertaining as the rest of the story.
May 12, 2018
Beneath the Surface is Rebecca Langham’s debut novel. It’s a science-fiction novel that delves into the tougher issues of what any society can and does experience. Lydia, who is the daughter of a powerful politician, choses to teach in an underground community where the Outsiders are housed. She teaches an extremely scripted version of history as to what happened and why the Outsiders were kept underground. It was for their own good, a way to protect them and one day they’ll get out of the underground societies. Once it’s safe for them.
Upon her arrival, Lydia first meets Jez, her teaching partner who is also a hybrid of the human/outsider species. That’s why she’s always remained underground, teaching and denying herself the chance to fall in love and to find friends. I think this is a moment that makes Lydia stand still and think. As she begins to get situated and teach she starts to interact more with the Outsiders. She sees Alessia throughout and she feels drawn to her. It’s definitely a tough pill to swallow. You’re taught a certain rhetoric all your life and you start to see something different. Then you’re attracted to an Outsider? That’s a lot.
Romance took a backseat to the main plot of Beneath the Surface. I think that if there had been more written about their romance, it wouldn’t have fit in the story. There were breathless kisses, scenes that could have been more detailed but you knew how the two felt about each other. It was more than attraction for them.
Fermi also had a bit of a romance going as well. I loved Fermi. He was so bright, happy and full of energy. So to see a secondary character get attention was exciting.
I found myself throughout the entire novel making connections to past and current events. I blame the historian in me but I saw segregation, racial tensions, and refugee issues. There were so many ways that this made me stop and think.
I enjoyed the amount of detail that had been needed to create such a huge, diverse world. There were at times I felt myself walking through the hallways, experiencing the rush of emotion. I could feel happy, sad, anxious and angry in a rapid manner. And it was all essential to the plot.
This is one you should definitely give a read.
Upon her arrival, Lydia first meets Jez, her teaching partner who is also a hybrid of the human/outsider species. That’s why she’s always remained underground, teaching and denying herself the chance to fall in love and to find friends. I think this is a moment that makes Lydia stand still and think. As she begins to get situated and teach she starts to interact more with the Outsiders. She sees Alessia throughout and she feels drawn to her. It’s definitely a tough pill to swallow. You’re taught a certain rhetoric all your life and you start to see something different. Then you’re attracted to an Outsider? That’s a lot.
Romance took a backseat to the main plot of Beneath the Surface. I think that if there had been more written about their romance, it wouldn’t have fit in the story. There were breathless kisses, scenes that could have been more detailed but you knew how the two felt about each other. It was more than attraction for them.
Fermi also had a bit of a romance going as well. I loved Fermi. He was so bright, happy and full of energy. So to see a secondary character get attention was exciting.
I found myself throughout the entire novel making connections to past and current events. I blame the historian in me but I saw segregation, racial tensions, and refugee issues. There were so many ways that this made me stop and think.
I enjoyed the amount of detail that had been needed to create such a huge, diverse world. There were at times I felt myself walking through the hallways, experiencing the rush of emotion. I could feel happy, sad, anxious and angry in a rapid manner. And it was all essential to the plot.
This is one you should definitely give a read.
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