Chute - Above the star: The 8th island trilogy book 1

A twisty tale with an otherworldly setting that readers will happily revisit.

Kirkus Reviews

Though reminiscent of beloved fantasiesthink A Wrinkle in Time meets The Princess BrideAbove the Star is a magical rendition of a wholly creative tale. Chute imagines unheard of lands, mythical characters, and irresistible folklore, weaving all the magic together with what we know to be true: everyone is searching for something. Her sympathy for the charactersboth human and notis palpable, leaving even the most despicable anti-heroes with room for redemption. And while the story is relentless in its conflict, there are enough moments of tenderness to keep the reader from being overwhelmed. Above the Star is as fanciful as it is grounded, and as gritty as it is fantastic. Chutes visual, visceral storytelling will pull you into a reality you never saw coming and a world youll be sad to leave behind.

Lee Lee Thompson, publisher of The Perpetual You magazine

Above the Star is one weird and wild ride full of memorable characters created by an imaginative writer. A mesmerizing and other-worldly read that kept me off-balance from beginning to end. Think of Star Wars, The Lord of The Rings and Homers Odyssey all wrapped up together in a gift box called Above the Star. A spellbinding tale of a heros quest to save his daughter from the clutches of illness and evil.

Raymond Gariepy, editor of WestWord magazine

Chutes debut fantasy novel takes you on an exhilarating trip to an enchanting, dangerous world where adventure, discovery, and the cure to a young girls illness awaits... Above the Star is the enticing first installment to The 8th Island Trilogy fantasy series.

Naomi Maharaj, Masters of Library Information Studies

Above the Star is a creative tour de force from the wildly talented author/artist Alexis Marie Chute. Part adventure, part fantasy, part family saga, part quest, the novel leads its heroines and heroessome human, some extra-humaninto peril and redemption, love and loss, and terrors generated by both illness and magic until they finally emerge into a world where courage makes everything possible. The first in The 8th Island Trilogy, Above the Star ingenuously incorporates Chutes own drawings as important clues that keep the tale racing forward. Her images help to create a strange new world so thoroughly real that when you put the book downif you doyou wont remember where you are.

Pamela Petro, author of Sitting up with the Dead and the artists book AfterShadows

Alexis Marie Chutes vivid, descriptive passages transported me into a fantastic yet dangerous world. But this is more than an incredible voyage; this is a story about familyit raises the question: How far would a parent go to save the life of a child? You will cheer for Ella, as she transforms from helpless victim to savvy heroine, spurred to greatness by her strange new allies. This is a book that combines adventure, mysticism and also offers a worthy character study.

Steven Sandor, editor of Avenue Magazine

In this endlessly inventive fantasy, Alexis Marie Chute handles a prismatic but utterly compelling plot with the skill of an expert storyteller, effortlessly blending the magical and the matter-of-fact. Chutes imagination evokes a dazzling, sometimes scary, worlda world both enchanted and cursedbut her deepest strength may be her gift for creating indelible characters. The more we get to know the books three intrepid heroes, the more time we want to spend with them. Above the Star is a wild ride indeed, and we gratefully go along for the ride, not just for the adventures, but also for the company we keep.

Steven Cramer, author of Clangings and Goodbye to the Orchard

Infused with the mysterious and the fantastical, Above the Star is both a page-turning story of a young girls coming-of-age and a gripping tale of a familys journey through illness, grief, and healing. Chute is writer of psychological acuity whose language and images transport the reader into this fascinating world filled with heart. Above the Star will leave readers reluctant to leave this magical world and breathlessly awaiting more.

Laurie Foos, author of Ex Utero and The Blue Girl

Above the Star is a fantastical fast-paced quest, anchored in the familialin this case, a fathers desire to find his missing son and to care for his teenaged granddaughter. It is parental love to the extreme, beyond all bounds, even into the next dimension. Chutes experience as an award-winning artist brings Above the Star to life with her visual storytelling, clearly crafting an entirely new world, and through the thought-provoking ink illustrations. Above the Star shows readers that there is a power within all of us to change the world, right where we are.

Jessica Kluthe, author of Rosina, The Midwife

Above the Star is an adrenaline-charged ride that grips you tight! Just when you think you know whats coming next, youre hit with a new twist! With relatable characters (some that are out of this world), expressive description, and an attention-grabbing premise, book one of The 8th Island Trilogy leaves you breathless in anticipation of whats to come in the next installment.

Adrianne Baker, Librarian

Get ready to be lost and then found in a world of intrigue, suspense, and love. Time will stand still as you travel through dimensions to the far-off land of Jarr-Wya and engage in a battle between good and evil. You may just discover Naiu inside of yourself as you fight alongside the heroes of Above the Star to find a cure and a way back home.

Donloree Hoffman, author of If I Die, Please Bring Cheesecake to My Funeral

Fasten your seat belts and break out the life preservers. Above the Star, the first book in Alexis Marie Chutes The 8th Island Trilogy sucks the reader, as well as a cruise ship, through a dimensional portal into a world filled with compulsive stony beings, fiery philosophers, and deliciously dangerous and horrifyingly sentient crushed shell people. Propelled by a grandfathers determination to save the life of his dying teenaged granddaughter, Chutes exquisite prose powers a rollicking roller coaster of a tale filled with the kinds of twists and turns that will leave even the most stalwart of armchair adventurers breathless.

Mindy Tarquini, award-winning author of The Infinite Now and Hindsight

In Above the Star, a regular family with heartbreaking problems enters a world of epic adventures and the possibility of extraordinary solutions. Alexis Marie Chute manages to tell a fantastical tale that is also deeply human.

Todd Babiak, author of Son of France

Above the Star is a debut fantasy novel by Canadian author-artist Alexis Marie Chute. Like Alexis Marie herself, this novel has unexpected corners and charmingly quirky characters. This piece would be just another adventure-fantasy, were it not for the main character of Ella, a 14-year-old girl who doesnt speak. Ella is seriously ill and deteriorating, and the novels quest is for her family (grumpy grandpa Archie, strong-willed mother Tessa) to find her a cure by whatever means possible. Including a journey to a planet-world that no-one has ever heard of in company with Zeno, a yellow-eyed mystic who sports stones on his face, and various other strange beings who inhabit the world of Jarr-Wya. This imaginative tour-de-force is outstanding for the sensitive treatment given to Ella, who despite her illness shines quietly as an emerging character. Highly recommended for Middle Grade and their parents.