Title: The City Below the Cloud// Author: T.S. Galindo
Date of publication: September 14th 2019 // Print length: ebook, 145 pages
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Few things endure like fear and fungus.
In a city forever shrouded in darkness, Kalan braves the heights of the lichen covered buildings to scrub the invading fungi from the walls. What will be discovered when the secrets of The City Below the Cloud come for them?
A dystopian cyberpunk novella that will leave you questioning everything you thought you knew.
Approx. 26,000 words.
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Writing Quality 2/5, Character Development 5/5, ‘Couldn’t put it down’ – ness 3/5, Intellectual Depth 3/5, Diversity -, Originality 5/5, Overall 3.6/5.
TRIGGER WARNINGS: there is some minor violence, a little body horror, and some detailed descriptions of anxiety and panic.
I was hyped, and a tad scared to start this book. It is on the shorter side, and trust me when I say; I did not know what to expect. There is an audiobook you can listen to it for free on YouTube. I tried to listen to it, but I realised I could finish the book faster if I read the ebook.
The Cloud covered the entire metropolis, permanently, blotting out the sun. The inhabitants of the city knew nothing of the sun, or of day or night.
Chapter one | the tooth
There were some things that I liked, and some that I did not. Let’s start with the things that I loved about this book, just to set the mood for the review. I usually tend to avoid reading books with female protagonists written by male authors, because some of these people have no idea how women work. Happily, T.S. Galindo didn’t make me rip off my eyelids. The way he described Kalan and Sett was just perfect, and I enjoyed reading about them. The author is very good when it comes to writing inner monologues (they make you question your ideas), but not great when it comes to the action. The book had a great premise and was off to a great start, but it wasn’t as engaging as I wish it were. The description was amazingly written, giving you a detailed insight of how the life in the city below The Cloud was; and I enjoyed that.
“I don’t think I really have a choice. Do I?” No. You don’t. You never did. That is the price of purpose.”
Chapter seven | the monkey
What I found a tad odd was the colour of skin commentary. In the city below the cloud, everybody had the same skin colour (or around the same nuance of grey), so this makes it impossible for me to rate this book when it comes to diversity. Also, there are no romance or sex scenes, so of course, there is no queer representation. I will take out the diversity point for this book because I can’t apply it. At some degree, I liked that there was no pressure put on one’s sexuality or colour of skin, but you all know how much accent I put on representation. The City Below The Cloud could be a suited read for people who do not want to get tangled in subjects like these ones.
They didn’t jump onto the platforms anymore, even after he had the new leg. The excitement was gone and there was only the fear, they all felt it. That’s why they stopped jumping; the knowledge of what might happen. That matches what the monkey said; that the humans feared what might hurt them.
CHAPTER EIGHT | THE ELEVATOR
Overall, the book was good, but there is room for improvement. I enjoyed reading it, it was fascinating, and the idea behind it left me speechless. The characters were remarkably written, but the author should work more when it comes to writing action.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
T.S. Galindo grew up on the East Coast of the United States. He has a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering and works as a Mechanical Designer while pondering the absurdity of existence. He suffers from curiosity, creativity, anxiety, and depression. He lives with his wife, Sam, and their two cats, DeLorean and Taco.
