Outside

by Andre Norton

A young girl determines to find out what is "outside" the sealed off city in which she's always lived but discovers that the only way she can get out is with the help of a mysterious rhyming man.

Genres: Science Fiction, Fiction, Childrens, Fantasy, Dystopia, Adventure, Post Apocalyptic

126 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1975

About the author

Andre Norton, born Alice Mary Norton, was a pioneering American author of science fiction and fantasy, widely regarded as the Grande Dame of those genres. She also wrote historical and contemporary fiction, publishing under the pen names Andre Alice Norton, Andrew North, and Allen Weston. She launched her career in 1934 with The Prince Commands, adopting the name “Andre” to appeal to a male readership. After working for the Cleveland Library System and the Library of Congress, she began publishing science fiction under “Andrew North” and fantasy under her own name. She became a full-time writer in 1958 and was known for her prolific output, including Star Man’s Son, 2250 A.D. and Witch World, the latter spawning a long-running series and shared universe. Norton was a founding member of the Swordsmen and Sorcerers' Guild of America and authored Quag Keep, the first novel based on the Dungeons & Dragons game. She influenced generations of writers, including Lois McMaster Bujold and Mercedes Lackey. Among her many honors were being the first woman named Gandalf Grand Master of Fantasy and SFWA Grand Master. In her later years, she established the High Hallack Library to support research in genre fiction. Her legacy continues with the Andre Norton Award for young adult science fiction and fantasy.

Reviews

[Mir · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was suggested in response to a query (not mine) on the "What's the Name of the Book?" group, and from the description I thought I had read it when I was 7 or 8, so I got it from the library. It was the book I was thinking of, although I remembered it as having more plot tension and maybe even being a tiny bit scary. It isn't, except for the one scene where the little girl is almost eaten alive by the horde of rats. It's still a decent post-apocalyptic story, though. Air pollution causes a retreat into sealed, mechanized cities and then an epidemic of some sort kills everyone past puberty, leaving a society of children to scrounge a living in a gradually decomposing environment.

One of the things I found most interesting was Norton's portrayal of how quickly skills, history, culture etc are lost without knowledge-bearers to pass them on. The story is set only 9 years after the disaster, but it might as well have been 90 for all the children remember of the previous world. Even the oldest children were born in the sealed city and have no real sense of what the "outside" is, the existence of other countries, animals (they only have rats), or education. They have some books on tape but can't tell which are fictional.

At adult speed this is barely a novella, and most of the weaknesses stem from its length. Things happen too quickly and easily and the story is over before any of the interesting ideas really get explored. But for its age level it is a good effort.

The only issue that seemed off to me was that there are no babies! Some of the children even ponder what it will be like when there are no more "Littles" -- but the oldest survivors are in their late teens! No supervision and no knowledge of birth control? There is no way some of those girls would not be reproducing. I'm not saying the book ought to have sex in it, but why even bring up this concern unless you are going to say that the epidemic made people sterile or something? Just an odd thing to include.

Oh, and there are illustrations, very dated black-and-white drawings.
Bonus afro and pornstache!

[Patrick Nichols · Rating 4 out of 5]

Trippy little dystopia-for-tots tale from the distant '70s. The premise is borrowed from Star Trek - a megalopolis in which the grownups have perished, leaving the children to fend for themselves amidst inscrutable technology. Our plucky heroine, with the aid of her stuffed fox Reddy, dreams of escaping from the domed, doomed city to the mysterious Outside. The inspiration might be Star Trek but the vibe is definitely Dr Who; and not the whimsical Tom Baker years, no, some inexplicable black and white BBC surrealism coming through a staticy TV while Delia Darbyshire performs aural neuromancy in the background. Just when you are expecting young Kristie to go searching for the lost 'Control Room' there appears a harlequin in tights with a hypnotic afro. All of a sudden we are in the middle of a disturbing Sesame Street musical number where this glittering oddball infects a troupe of minors with a tarantism that would make Skrillex envious, and before you know it everyone is teleported into a telepathic hive mind reich which will last "a thousand years." Or as the book jacket puts it, "An exciting fantasy of future earth." God I love childrens's books.

Not quite as sublimely bizarre as, say, the Phantom Tollbooth, but if you want to ensure some peculiar dreams lend this oddity an afternoon.

[Chantal · Rating 3 out of 5]

An okay story to read on an evening. A good read for children. I sometimes found it more complicated because they didn't use the normal words for things. Good story, I would have really liked to see a more in-depth grown up version of this story

[Dawn · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the first science fiction books I'd ever read and one of the few books back then with a strong female as the lead character. Genre fiction like that was a bit scarce in the 70's. It lead me to find and devour every Norton book I could find, and then onward to Eowyn and Lessa and Leewit and Talia... and onward to countless ones of today. So many great heroines to choose from now. SF has come a long, long way.

[Miriam Kahn · Rating 5 out of 5]

A dystopian look at what could happen when the world is thoroughly polluted and man hides inside.

I agree with another reviewer that the basic premise is also seen in Star Trek’s “Miri.” This one also has a positive twist at the end. The book fits within the dystopian novels and speculative fiction of the 1970’s. For other authors who wrote in this genre think Kate Wilhem’s “Where late the Sweet Bird Sings”, “Canticle for Leibowitz”, and even “The Dragon Riders of Pern” series. Not Heinlein for his juvenile fiction is very positive.

I haven’t read Andre Norton in decades. This one, recommended by a friend, was charming. The b/w illustrations are great.

I wonder how many tweens and teens read Norton’s books today. I know she was one of my favorite authors when I was a teen.

Perhaps it’s time to revisit some of my teen favs again, in my spare reading time :)

[Diana Welsch · Rating 3 out of 5]

I will read pretty much any book I find with this premise - something about people living in an enclosed or underground city and then finding their way outside for the first time scratches a certain itch for me. This one was OK, but a lot more "kiddie" than I was expecting. I prefer them a little darker. For my money, This Time of Darkness by Helen Mary Hoover is one of the best I've read, with the dark and unsettling aspects coming through just the right amount in a book that's totally great for kids or adults.

[Jamie Barringer (Ravenmount) · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have to wonder if Hugh Howey and Stephen King read this book at some point, because Wool and Under the Dome seem like grown-up versions or spin-off concepts on this book. It's always surprising how much story Andre Norton can pack into such few pages, because her book is almost as rich as these other two much longer works.

[Rafi Snowden · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fairly good upper elementary level sci-fi story.

When Kristie was just a baby, all of the adults died. She and the other children have been trapped for 9 years inside the domed city, scavenging for food and other supplies. Kristie is fascinated by what may lie beyond the dome wall, and researches maps to try to find a way out.

Good story, I would have really liked to see a more in-depth grown up version of this story. Still, I recommend this for ages 10-12.

[Vicki]

I read this back in about 1979/1980. I like it and it still enters my thoughts.
The city although fantastic is not too different than what could be.
Definitely a forerunner of The City of Ember books.

[Belle]

I loved this book as a kid. I don't remember the complete details of the novel but it was pretty awesome. This book was possible the first dystopian novels I ever read and I remember the details way better than I'll ever remember the details to 1984 or Brave New World.

[Jenny · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this book as a child and just re-read it with my kids. There were parts that I had forgotten but it still held the same magic for me. My kids sat wide eyed as we read it together and begged me to keep reading.

[Siskiyou-Suzy · Rating 1 out of 5]

Boring-as-hell "sci-fi" with thin thin plot -- everything moves incredibly fast, and you think the book is working on world-building or character building but it's so short and the plot points so immediate that nothing actually inspires or ends up mattering at all.

[Heather · Rating 5 out of 5]

The first chapter book I ever read.

[Lara · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of my favorites when I was young.

[Leah · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was my favorite book when I was a child. It was one of the few books that had a strong female lead. I remember reading over and over again.

[Rory M.]

I think this is the same book I read when I was a kid - sealed city, young kids - I don't recall the Rhyming man though...I'll have to locate it to read again.