The Sky Inside

Having reinvented the whole mythos of fantasy's goblins and werewolves, Clare B. Dunkle now turns her attention to sci-fi. In fact, there's something almost eerily prophetic about "The Sky Inside," a look at a sterile, soulless world where babies are genetically designed and populations are kept in an iron grip. Rather than dumping all the horrors on us at once, Dunkle slowly unfolds the secrets of this futuristic civilizations -- and as she does, turns the tension up to eleven. Martin's parents have always told him that he should be grateful to live in domed suburb HM1. But then he runs into an old classmate of his, who is now insane and living underground -- and makes claims that cause Martin's world to crash down. As he tries to investigate further, a strange man comes to HM1, announcing that the genetically-engineered Wonder Babies are being recalled... including Martin's beloved sister Cassie. Disgusted and enraged by the callous way the adults have sent off their children -- and his father's cowardly collaboration -- Martin and his clever robot dog set out to rescue the Wonder Babies. But soon Martin finds out the shocking truths about the world beyond the dome, and the horrifying secrets that his society is based on. And now that he knows, the government wants him dead as well... Clare B. Dunkle certainly knows how to build suspense. "The Sky Inside" starts with a future world that is rather weird and artificial, but not exactly upsetting. But you are left with the question: Just what happened to the world, that people are living a plasticized, genetically-engineered existance inside a bunch of little domes? But as Martin discovers more about his world, Dunkle drops clues and plot threads as he bumbles through his investigation. And as more of the truth is revealed, she spins a growing sense of horror and menace -- when Martin sees the drugged Bug, or when the Wonder Babies are coldly sent away, because they have inconvenienced their parents. Cue TV commercials for new, "better" kids. And you get the horrific reality show to end all reality shows, which is used to punish and execute. Despite the serious nature of the book, Dunkle spins it out in her eloquent, detailed prose. There are some truly exquisite descriptions of the outside world, a family disintegrating from guilt and anger, and a few humorous scenes from Martin's trusty bot dog. But the most powerful has to be when Martin visits an empty suburb in a dead city ("... those familiar places seemed to gather around him, as if they had been waiting for his arrival to to give them their form"). The biggest problem? While it ends with secrets revealed and questions answered, there's still plenty about this world to deal with. In other words: sequel needed. Martin is a likable grump of a hero, who is suitable suspicious despite having been raised in the domes. And Dunkle handles his growing loathing for his cowardly father well, as well as his determination to save the Wonder Bab

Clare B. Dunkle has done it again! This time, she goes from the past to the near future, to a world where everyone lives in a domed suburb, where people are encouraged to spend money, where a few shades of 1984 peek through. I highly recommend this book for anyone who thinks for themselves, and who enjoys a good, fast-paced story that starts twisting and turning more frequently as the story picks up steam and barrels along.