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Lynda Engler

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Into the Outside Paperback – July 1, 2015

by Lynda Engler (Author), Henry Dixon (Author)

4.3 96 ratings

Book 1 of 3: Into the Outside

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Into the Outside is a thought provoking YA post-apocalyptic science fiction romance, set in a world that projects vivid imagery and conveys powerful emotions that draws the reader in and rivets his attention. Fifty years ago the Earth died. The Earth is now a fertile but dangerous jungle world. Wildlife has prospered although often in oddly altered forms. Survivors live in underground shelters waiting generations for the environment to become safe enough to emerge. Above ground, the radiation and poison has mutated the few humans that are left, but they do their best to survive for the 20 to 22 years they might live before the toxic planet or disease kills them.16-year-old Isabella has grown up believing mutants are sub-human, stupid and would eat every shelter person if they had the chance, until she spies a wandering mutant tribe through the glass bottom swimming pool that is her shelter’s only light source. Isabella is fascinated by them, but it’s their 17-year-old leader, Malcolm, who truly captivates her – ebony skin, straw-colored hair, rippling muscles, four fingers on one hand and six on the other. Night after night she sneaks out of her shelter to watch the tribe, dressed in her grandfather’s chemical/radiation suit. When Malcolm discovers her, they are wary of each other at first but eventually become friends and then lovers. Isabella finally leaves the safety of her shelter to follow Malcolm into the perilous Outside. Isabella knows the government plans to exterminate the mutants once it is safe for the shelter-folk to come Outside, and she expects radiation and disease, but no one in the tribe is prepared for cannibals!Isabella’s family mourns for their lost daughter, knowing that she will die Outside, but Grandfather refuses to search for her. Even if they found her, he knows that she will not return without the mutants, and he will not allow them into the shelter. But everything changes when her brother, Luke, learns of Colonel Ericssen’s deadly plan for the mutants. Luke defies their grandfather and leaves the shelter to track down Isabella and warn her of the threat she knows nothing about. But he is no more prepared for the dangers Outside than she is. Hunted and finally captured by the military, Luke must escape their grasp, find Isabella, and save her life.Battling the cannibal Eaters, taking on orphan children and trying to convince mutant tribes about the dangers they must prepare for makes Isabella question her decision to leave her shelter. She dreamed of making a difference in the lives of those Outside, but now she isn’t certain has the courage and strength do it.

Book 1 of 3

Into the Outside
Print length

276 pages
Language

English
Publication date

July 1, 2015
Grade level

10 - 12
Dimensions

6 x 0.63 x 9 inches
ISBN-10

151480011X
ISBN-13

978-1514800119
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Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform (July 1, 2015)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 276 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 151480011X
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1514800119
Grade level ‏ : ‎ 10 - 12
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 13.1 ounces
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6 x 0.63 x 9 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #7,124,850 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #8,052 in Teen & Young Adult Dystopian
- #146,353 in Teen & Young Adult Literature & Fiction

Customer Reviews:
4.3 96 ratings

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Lynda Engler

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I’m an author of dystopian and climate fiction novels for both YA and adults. Currently working on a climate fiction novel about the Second American dust bowl. Think of it as historical fiction of the future.

Find me on Instagram @lynda.engler.author (https://www.instagram.com/lynda.engler.author/)

ICE CRASH: ANTARCTICA (2022) is an eco-disaster novel that takes place in the near future, staring a college music major and her seismologist mother as its two point-of-view protagonists.

The INTO THE OUTSIDE trilogy (Into the Outside/Into the Yellow Zone/Under the Mountain) is YA post-apocalyptic sci-fi, staring Isabella - a tough, driven teenager, and her brother Luke. Realistic character-driven novels, this series will have you rethinking the definition of what it means to be human.

I've always loved to write, and my first published novel, The Forgotten Isle (Middle-Grade fantasy) was published in 2011. It came about as a project that my son thought up while he was in middle school. My kids have been my biggest inspiration!

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4.3 out of 5

96 global ratings

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Danielle Tara Evans

A Thought Provoking Post-Apocalyptic Romance

Reviewed in the United States on January 17, 2014

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This review is also posted on my blog: theshortreviewer.blogspot.com

Although I don't read a lot of YA fiction, I loved the concept of this story so I was very excited to read it. It certainly did not disappoint. The themes were also more mature than a typical YA story so I didn't feel as if I needed to be younger in order to enjoy it.

Fifty years after the world was destroyed by nuclear, biological, and chemical weapons, there are now two classes of humans: "normal" humans who live in underground shelters and "mutants" who live above ground. The toxic environment has caused abnormalities in the genes of those who live in the outside world. They have severely shortened life spans, yet they still want to continue their species so they reproduce at extremely young ages.

Isabella is a sixteen-year-old girl who has lived in an underground shelter with her family all her life. When she sees a mutant tribe in the outside world, she becomes fascinated with them, especially the tribe leader, Malcolm. After making the frightening decision to sneak out of her shelter to watch them, she continues to do so and ends up meeting Malcolm and befriending him. They eventually fall in love, and she now has an even bigger decision to make: should she live in the dangerous outside world so she can be with him, or should she stay with her family in the shelter where she is safe?

This is a thought provoking story that really got me thinking. What would I do if I were in her situation? I can understand why she would want to leave. She feels as if she's imprisoned, and there isn't much to look forward to. Her life feels somewhat meaningless and empty in the shelter. She isn't really living. But in the shelter, she is safe. She has plenty to eat, and she is surrounded by her family. If she leaves, she will never see them again. It will be a harsh life living out in the elements, and the poisons will probably kill her at a young age. Yet, she will be with the man she loves, and she will get to experience so much more, even if a lot of it is terrifying and difficult. I'm still not sure what I would do. I'm not even sure that I would have been brave enough to leave the shelter in the first place. I would like to think that I would be, but I wouldn't know unless I were in her shoes. It's easy to say that you would be courageous enough to leave, while speaking hypothetically, when you have a warm bed to sleep in and a fridge full of food.

The other interesting theme is that the shelter people see the mutants as sub-human. It is human nature, after all, to be afraid of or dislike others who are different. That has been shown throughout history, so it's not surprising that they would feel this way. And I have to admit, when I hear the word mutant, I think of The Hills Have Eyes kind of mutants, who are portrayed as vicious cannibals. So, I loved seeing life through Malcolm's perspective; he was not a scary, evil mutant. I really liked his character, and I empathized with him. Being that I'm such a sucker for romance, I was definitely enthralled by the relationship between Malcolm and Isabella.

This was a quick and easy read, and I'm so glad that it is the basis for a novel that will be coming out soon. The ending definitely left me wanting to read more. I look forward to seeing how this story will progress. Highly recommended.

3 people found this helpful

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Kindle Customer

A great book!

Reviewed in the United States on February 3, 2017

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I really liked this book. The characters are great. As I read the story I felt like was in the situations with them.

One person found this helpful

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Thomas Trimble

A view of the world that was left

Reviewed in the United States on September 24, 2022

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Lynda Engler has created an interesting view of what would be left after the major destruction of the earth as we know it. Nuclear and chemical weapons killed, destroyed, or mutated most humans and animals. Creating several groups of beings all looking for their own way to survive. I am not a fan of most post-apocalypse books. To me, this was better than most. One short section addressed the more traditional zombie-type mutant survivors, the part I am not fond of. The whole book makes you think about how you would survive something like this destruction. Generally, an interesting book worth your time.

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Kindle Customer

Would make a great movie

Reviewed in the United States on May 23, 2022

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This almost reminded me of The 100. A girl living in the safety of a shelter after a world wide nuclear war finds a group of people who have been living on the surface and mutated to survive the poisoned world. She falls in love with the tribe leader and sets out to be with them and finds out that the government has plans to exterminate the mutants in 50 years after the environment becomes healthy.

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NaturalMomma

Good book if you dont mind waiting for the next in the series.

Reviewed in the United States on September 15, 2016

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I enjoyed this book, had a twist to with how long people lived on the outside due to a war. I was hoping the next would be out as I have the habit when they arent to forget to look later no matter how much I enjoyed the book. Guess this will be another one that falls in that category. Really wish they would just write the WHOLE book instead of series. Was a good read thou.

2 people found this helpful

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Zora Marie

A well earned 5 STARS!

Reviewed in the United States on June 28, 2016

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Lynda Engler hooks you from the very beginning with her tales of Malcolm and the other mutants of the outside. These mutants are the descendents of those caught out in the open when the world fell to shambles in massive terrorist attack that left the world without electronics and radiation that mutated many of the land’s inhabitants.

Lynda brings the troubles of both the shelter people and outsiders to life in such a way that it truly makes you wondered if this could really happen. She combines the action/adventure of the outside with an uncanny love story that truly melts the heart.

If you’re looking for your next post apocalyptic story that hits home then I full heartedly suggest checking Into the Outside out!

2 people found this helpful

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Michael Norman

Enjoyed the book

Reviewed in the United States on December 1, 2019

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Into the Outside is entertaining. Much research, thought and imagination was needed to produce an interesting story.
Is this the way out civilization will end? If so, are these reasonable genetic results? I think that radiation and chemicals enough to kill 99% of humans could result in more serious genetic variations. But then, that would be a different story!

Reviewed in the United States on November 19, 2019

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The dual lines of humanity remind me of prehistoric man. I can see how they can have conflict in many ways. A couple of those ways are brought forth in this novel.

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Top reviews from other countries

LeeM

Humanity and inhumanity in the post apocalypse

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 26, 2017

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Having just read a post apocalyptic novel, where the protagonist was able to gun down three bad guys in the space of a second. A guy who also had a years worth of dried food and water stockpiled in a remote log cabin which he only ever used for short two or three week vacations prior to the apocalypse (how did he anticipate needing so much?), I was prepared for further disappointments. Not to mention having to further flex my imagination through ever greater contortions to compensate for any shortcomings in the narrative. However, I had not read any of Lynda Engler's works before. This ride was going to be refreshingly different.

In all fairness the post apocalyptic genre has not always been served well. Probably originating with the cold war survivalist novels of the 80's (which Lynda gives a nod to) and progressing (if you can call this progress) to the zombie apocalypse stuff that we see so often these days.
Where the zombie apocalypse stuff has evolved to is that we have survivors who are pitted against the living dead who have been contaminated with virus or plague or what have you and the survivors have to slaughter the lot of them before they eat the good guys. It's okay really, they're not human any more are they? So it's okay to kill them.

It's not to say that there isn't any of this stuff here. But it gets put into it's proper context. Yes there are survivors who fifty years after the calamity are still buried in their shelters. Yes, maybe they were a bit crazy for preparing but it was good for them that they did, other survivors are the military who naturally would need to be prepared for such things. The apocalypse was a mixture of nuclear and biochemical weapons unleashed when the war on terror was thought supposedly won, except it wasn't! The majority of the population are of course wiped out and those left unprotected in the Outside are left exposed to the radiation and residing chemical and bio-hazards. As a result of the radiation they mutate and also adapt to their conditions. The mutations might take the shape of physical deformities; more or less fingers, missing or shortened limbs etc. Some mutations might result in interesting variations in hair and eye colour and skin pigmentation.

Of course the poisons also result in rapidly reduced life expectancies, of about twenty years, forcing the mutants to live out their lives more quickly than many of us would consider natural. This also includes reproduction, which many of the mutants seem to be savvy enough to match the right people with one another to help breed out the worst of the mutations.

The main protagonist, Isabella, becomes fascinated with a group of them having witnessed them swimming in the pool above her shelter, a pool with a glass bottom to allow in natural sunlight. She leaves to join them having fallen in love with their leader Malcolm and to warn them that their lives are endangered if they stay. She exposes herself to the Outside environment, deemed unsafe for another fifty years having been denied access to the sole protective suit in the shelter. In any case, she chooses a short, happy and active life to a long one cooped up in a shelter.
The point is Isabella figures that the mutants are very human, they have just adapted to live in their very savage environment. Isabella even refuses to call them mutants, which is simply derogatory. For her they are new humans. Too bad that the shelter survivors and the military don't see them in the same light, for them the new humans are more of a pestilence to be eradicated as soon as it is safe for them to return to the Outside.

Those looking for Zombie like creatures might be sated by the existence of the “eaters”. An extreme mutation with a rat like existence whose origins are unclear. But where Lynda succeeds magnificently is having us questioning what it is to be human. We have empathy and sympathise with the so called mutants and are forced to question the savagery of those humans still holed up in their shelters who believe that the earth is theirs alone to inherit.

Philip J. Rutherford

An exciting YA post-apocalyptic science fiction adventure

Reviewed in Australia on August 3, 2021

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I really enjoyed reading Into the Outside. This YA post-apocalyptic science fiction adventure kept me totally immersed in its poisoned and radioactive world full of ruined cities and hidden dangers. What I enjoyed most were the characters and their relationships as they tried to negotiate this strange and challenging world.

Isabelle is a teenager who has lived in an underground shelter safe from danger with her extended family all her life. Malcolm is a 17-year-old mutant who has always lived in the Outside. Though he is a similar age to Isabelle he is leader of a tribe and already has a daughter due to the mutants’ accelerated development and shorter life span. Isabelle’s fascination with Malcolm and his tribe lead to a journey of discovery, adventure and danger for them both.

I really liked the main character of Isabelle, her desire for adventure, curiosity, sense of justice and courage to do the right thing were truly inspiring. Malcolm with his quiet strength, optimism, tenderness and unshakable courage was also an awesome character. There were many other young characters and I marvelled at the skill with which the book described all their relationships and interactions. It was really interesting to see how these young people reacted to the joys, sorrows and challenges of the ruined landscape and their own mutated biology. There was a sense of urgency but also a zest for life as they raced against the radiation and poisons that were killing them every minute they were in the Outside.

Another interesting aspect of the story was the relationship between the mutants and most of the shelter dwellers who consider them sub-human. The politics and attitudes reminded me of the great classic science fiction story The Chrysalids by John Wyndham. As in The Chrysalids this story humanises the mutants and shows the true and terrible nature of the injustice with which they are treated.

Into the Outside was a very interesting, emotional and exciting read. The book shows a lot of heart and really cares about its characters and the future of their world. I look forward to reading the sequels.

moominbaby

The very first section of the book is great, I liked how the event which changed the ...

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 20, 2018

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Into the Outside is set in a post-apocalyptic world, some 50 years after the event which poisoned the earths atmosphere. 16 year old Isabella is one of the lucky ones who's family had a shelter to retreat to. 17 year old Malcolm is the leader of his mutant tribe on the surface, searching for a place to set up home; which just happens to be above Isabella's shelter. The very first section of the book is great, I liked how the event which changed the earth was woven into a bedtime story of sorts told by Isabella's grandmother - whilst a bit of an infodump, it doesn't feel like one because of the ways it's told. The set up in the shelter is an odd one but one which I suppose stands as a stark reminder as to how the world will need to be repopulated. Isabella's mother is one of 4 sisters, all of whom were impregnated by the same travelling soldier during his brief visit. Yup, it's got an ick factor but breeding has to happen somehow and I liked how the writers didn't shy away from that issue.

However that's where is started to go a little downhill for me, i'm not a huge fan of instalove at all and the relationship between Isabella and Malcolm seemed a little forced in order to get the story moving. Getting past the eye rolling "rippling muscles" and "tingling" moments, she basically abandons her family to be with a mutant on the basis of a kiss. In a baffling moment her grandmother seems to be ok with this and puts it down to "love is love" and helps her leave with the tribe. Yes, she is a sheltered girl seeing a boy her own age for the first time, but really? I think that the authors must have struggled with this too, in my view there is a definite difference in writing style between this section and the later parts of the story when everything gets settled.

The above makes it sound like I hated this book, which isn't the case. As the story progresses it becomes more entrenched in survival and the harsh realities of life above ground. Life expectancy for the mutants isn't much past their 20's due to the level of toxins in the air, many children are stillborn or die young and the mutants themselves have to procreate around the age of 13-14 to ensure fertility (I did struggle with accepting that bit, but that's just my sensibilities.) Diseases such as TB are rife, as are the Day 1 mutants who have become canibalistic and roam the lands. It's sometimes a hard sell as a YA book because of the issues it deals with and it also rightly moves away from the "swoonfest" of the first part, as Isabella struggles to reconcile the world she has entered with the one she left behind.

The story itself is told from 2 POV's within the same chapter, detailing life above and below ground, with Isabella's cousin/brother, Luke, taking over the underground when she leaves with the tribe. Setting off to find his missing sibling with only knowledge gained from reading survival books he soon finds himself on a very different journey and one which shows that there is much more to some shelters lives than meets the eye.

As the story draws to a close the writers have found their footing with one another, the story flows and has lost that initial fumbling feeling. It delves into wider issues around society and religion and how they shape civilisation, bits of both paganism and Christianity are combined with an almost medieval approach to things like healing. It really does feel like a dawn of a new age. It also neatly junctures in with the set up for the next book in the series.