Inside out

Inside Out by Maria V Snyder is dystopian social commentary in a similar vein to 1984 by George Orwell, Fritz Lang's Metropolis and the recently published Worldshaker by Richard Harland. They are all closed, heavily controlled societies where everyone has their place for better or worse. What sets Inside Out apart from the other closed society dystopians I've mentioned is that it's told from the point of view of the lowest members of society. So often these stories begin in a privileged position, with a character who can't believe things are as bad as the rumors say. He then gets a chance to set himself apart from his peers by actually going amongst the lowest caste and after living their experience first hand, going home to make things better for them. Trella, though, and her peers, are the lowest members of society. Her perspective gives an appropriately inside-out view of oppression. Furthermore, by making her female, there's another layer of scrutiny on privilege, specifically, male privilege. The protagonist, Trella is a scrub. She cleans the things that keep the world functioning. The pipes connect all the levels together and are the one thing uniting the Uppers and Lowers. Trella, though, gets a chance to rebel and learn the truth behind their society. She is brought together with a rebellious Upper who reminds me of Freder, the male lead from Metropolis. A tenuous romance does spark between them but it's secondary to their desire to protect the Broken Man and uncover long buried secrets.

Outside In by Maria V Snyder is is the sequel to the excellent Inside Out. As it draws so heavily on the original, I recommend reading the books in order. Trella, though still a scrub is also part of the newly formed leadership of Inside. She has plenty of ideas for improving her world but she is constantly pulled in multiple directions. The committee wants to do one thing, her friends another. Just as she's trying to find the perfect balance between her obligations, there are accidents, sabotage and the Controllers, all threatening to end Inside's journey through space. Be warned, that the book starts off a little slow. The slow pacing is there to reacquaint readers with Trella, Riley and Inside. It also serves to show how much time Trella is spending trying to placate the committee while the clock is ticking on important repairs and maintenance. Once the stage is set, though, Outside In picks up the pace and doesn't let up until the last page. It is a satisfying mystery/thriller in a science fiction setting. While Outside In finishes Trella's story with satisfaction, I would love to revisit Inside at different times in its journey. I'd love to see how things started. I also want to see how things play out when the journey is ended. I don't expect Maria V. Snyder to write either of these books, but it speaks to the strength of her world building and character building that I have come away both sated and wanting more.

Read this review, and many more on my blog October Tune! A while ago I read Inside Out, the first book in this series, and though I liked the story, I didn’t really like the way it was written, which is probably why it took me so long to finish it (nearly a month). I decided to leave the second book for a while, and I kinda forgot about it until I saw this book in the supermarket. It was only three euros, and though it was in Dutch, I decided to buy it. On Saturday, I spend an entire day without internet, and I figured I could start reading this book, because it might be an easy read. And indeed, it was. I finished it on the same day, and I might have enjoyed it a bit better than the first book. The first thing I noticed, was that the names hadn’t changed at all. Usually, when a book gets translated into a different language, the names are being changed too, but as far as I can remember, all the names were still the same as they were in English. Though the Dutch writing seemed quite ‘childish’ to me (and I don’t really remember what Maria V. Snyder’s own writing is like), it did make it easier to read. In this book, Trella has to deal with the fact that no one from the Lower Levels wants to work anymore, unless the ‘Uppers’ do the same jobs as they do. Then, there’s the problem of people trying to sabotage the ship (which is what we found out at the end of the last book, and it might be a tiny spoiler), and the fact that there is something outside the ship wants to get in. And then of course, there is Riley, and a lot of other problems that Trella and the Insiders have to deal with. Honestly, I thought this book had a bit more action, and I liked the fact that there was something in the Outside that wanted to get Inside. I might go and reread the book in English soon, just to see how differently the writing is, but first I’m going to read the other 50+ books on my to-read shelf!

Maria V. Snyder strikes again! I simply could not put this book down! When I first saw it, I knew I needed it without even reading the back blurb. I trust Maria to always give me an enjoyable read and I was not disappointed in the least! The story was compelling, the world well thought out, and the writing superb... all the things I love about Snyder and in a whole new setting then her other novels.

A new field for Ms. Snyder, but enjoyable and interesting, thought not very original. The separation of the community into levels, the limited accommodation for the scrubs, the hidden world, the dictatorial government and the secret gateway is all too familiar. The progression of the story was kinda slow in the first half, but was thrilling and kick ass nonetheless. The reference to time as weeks was confusing, and I often paused to convert it into years. Haha. The Inside was a great place, a very interesting place, and the description of life in there was vivid and I could literally see them right in front of me. At first I was surprised at Trella's behavior. Its one thing to read about closed-off, selfish teenagers from another point of view, and another to read it in first person. I was really glad about Cogon, though, who showed there was more to Trella than she pretended to be. I hoped for some romance between the two, but I quickly realized Cog was more of a brother figure than a potential love interest.When he got taken by the Pop Cops, I thought he was gonna die for sure. And when he survived the prison, I expected him to survive till the end and just when I had gotten my hopes up, Snyder goes and kills him off. Ouch.. Riley! I thought he was a great person, and he was the exact opposite of Trella, who usually go well together. Im glad the romantic aspect didnt get in the way too much, as it would have been hard to focus on the original dilemma. I have high hopes for Riley and Trella in the next book, though, and I hope no one dies ;)The minor characters were not as developed, which made them seem a little more suspicious, which added to the suspense of the story. Very good read, but I think its more appropriate for middle grade readers.

A new field for Ms. Snyder, but enjoyable and interesting, thought not very original. The separation of the community into levels, the limited accommodation for the scrubs, the hidden world, the dictatorial government and the secret gateway is all too familiar. The progression of the story was kinda slow in the first half, but was thrilling and kick ass nonetheless. The reference to time as weeks was confusing, and I often paused to convert it into years. Haha. The Inside was a great place, a very interesting place, and the description of life in there was vivid and I could literally see them right in front of me. At first I was surprised at Trella's behavior. Its one thing to read about closed-off, selfish teenagers from another point of view, and another to read it in first person. I was really glad about Cogon, though, who showed there was more to Trella than she pretended to be. I hoped for some romance between the two, but I quickly realized Cog was more of a brother figure than a potential love interest.(view spoiler)[When he got taken by the Pop Cops, I thought he was gonna die for sure. And when he survived the prison, I expected him to survive till the end and just when I had gotten my hopes up, Snyder goes and kills him off. Ouch. (hide spoiler)]. Riley! I thought he was a great person, and he was the exact opposite of Trella, who usually go well together. Im glad the romantic aspect didnt get in the way too much, as it would have been hard to focus on the original dilemma. I have high hopes for Riley and Trella in the next book, though, and I hope no one dies ;)The minor characters were not as developed, which made them seem a little more suspicious, which added to the suspense of the story. Very good read, but I think its more appropriate for middle grade readers.

Jeg har lest Poison Study av samme forfatter, og kjente igjen skrivestilen. Jeg likte Poison Study kjempegodt, men jeg tror jeg likte Inside Out enda bedre! Det var noe som skjedde hele tiden og det var en veldig interessant “verden” som boka foregikk i. Jeg skjønte ikke helt ukes- og timesystemet, men jeg forstod det nok til å kunne forstå historien. Trella var en bra hovedkarakter som var sterk og selvstendig -- ekte heltinne! Og utviklet et skikkelig hat mot LC Karla og Pop Cop’ene. Og så slutten da… WOW. Da tenkte jeg bare “What the fudge?!”. Cliffhanger-ending var det også. Gleder meg sånn til å lese Outside In!

This book is about Trella, a scrub, who 'accidentally' starts a rebellion within her boring world. (view spoiler)[ With the help of friends she discovers the Gateway, a way out of her world. Unfortunately it leads to space and her closest friend is lost forever. They realize that the place they live is actually a spaceship searching for a new planet. They will reach this planet in the millionth week. (hide spoiler)] I liked how this book ended and almost didn't read the sequel for fear of disappointment. I never really understood the point of sheepy but it's a fun distraction that makes the book seem slightly less serious. Thankfully, I did read the second book and it was great too.

I loved this book, characterization was brilliant and I felt engaged the whole way through.