Into the Outside

By: Lynda Engler, Henry Dixon

Narrated by: Carlo Libertini

When the mutants' survival is threatened, will Isabella risk it all for the man she hardly knows, or stay underground protected?

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.

Sixteen-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 child, knowing she will die Outside, but Grandfather refuses to search for her. Luke defies him 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.

©2015 Lynda Engler and Henry Dixon (P)2016 Lynda Engler and Henry Dixon

A Post-Apocolyptic Love Story

Years after the war has laid waste to the whole of the United States, a young woman lives with her extended family in a very sophisticated but none the less restrictive underground "bomb shelter" When a small tribe of mutant survivors literally passes over top of her hide away, the girl becomes fascinated by the outsiders and determines to meet them.
As might be expected of a young girl of "a certain age" who's never had an opportunity to fraternize with men outside her own family, she becomes fascinated by the small tribe's leader and ... well, things take their normal course and she slips off into the wilderness with her newfound family.
This story is the first of the series, so you'll have to stay with it to find out how both extended family groups and many of those they encounter fare in this hard, new world. If love your books tied off with a bow and a heartfelt "THE END", this probably isn't one for you, but I was aware off what I was taking on, and this one's well enough written that I don't find coming back to these characters for another go-round any kind of detraction. They are a fascinating combination of resolute toughness and naive vulnerability and as they battle mutant monstrosities, deal with the perils of life in the wild, lose tribe members and meet other survivors along the way, I found myself, again and again, sticking around for "just one more chapter".
This writing team has, with a seemingly effortless style, found that happy medium between dry "real science" fiction and frivolous "it works that way because I said so" pseudo-science.
All in all, this one was well worth the time and I look forward to the next stage of the adventure.

A quiet post apocalyptic story

Into the Outside is a quiet post apocalyptic story about a girl who dreams of leaving her fall out shelter and the mutants living outside the shelter. There is danger and some adventure, but the story is more about the human interactions, family, love, and survival. This is the first book in a series.

The narrator is ok, but he sounds far too happy and hisses with his "S"s a little.

I received this book as a gift. This is my honest and voluntary review.

Good Read

Into the Outside (Into the Outside #1) was a good read by Lynda Engler. This book is a post-apocalyptic science fiction romance. The earth died fifty years ago and the land has become a dangerous world. The survivors live in underground shelters and find themselves waiting generations for the environment to be safe enough to emerge from the shelters. The radiation poison has mutated the humans that were left. I enjoyed reading this book and can't wait to read more by the author.

Great Story

I loved the story. I hesitated listening to this because it is a bunch of teens in an apaclyptic world and I usually prefer adult stories. In this case it is explained why they are teens. Great narrator too. Looking forard to the next book. Worth the listen.

Into the Outside review

An okay story. Enjoyable, and sort of held interest. The narrator enjoyable-not so much, his tone made me think this was a book for children.