Above the Clouds

Star Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

A Gripping Dystopian Tale

Tim Vee’s Above the Clouds is a haunting, atmospheric journey through a rain-drenched, ruined future. Sisters Squirt and Dara struggle to survive underground until Squirt is taken to a gleaming paradise above the clouds. But beneath its perfection lurks a chilling truth. As Squirt uncovers the dark secrets of her new world, Dara battles betrayal below.

Mr. Vee masterfully contrasts the sterile utopia with the brutal underground existence, weaving themes of survival, sacrifice, and identity. The sisters' paths collide in a heart-pounding climax that questions the cost of immortality and what it truly means to be human.

Verdict: A must-read for dystopian fans—dark, immersive, and unforgettable.

Star Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Tim Vee’s Above the Clouds delivers a gripping post-apocalyptic vision that’s as unsettling as it is beautiful. The novel unfolds across three sharply distinct settings: the dark underground tunnels, where Squirt and her sister Dara fight to stay alive; the cloud-top paradise, a dazzling world of luxury and secrets; and the bleak middle ground, a desolate zone where the old and infirm are left to die.

This stark geography isn’t just a backdrop—it’s a living metaphor for power, privilege, and the uncomfortable choices we make when survival is at stake.

What I loved most was how Vee uses these settings to explore the bond between sisters. Squirt’s sudden removal to an immaculate high-rise “heaven” and Dara’s lonely hunt below create a dual narrative filled with tension. Their devotion to one another is the heartbeat of the story, and every decision they make—whether to trust, to betray, to fight—feels charged with love and sacrifice.

The writing is dark and immersive, pulling me into a world of dripping concrete and whispering betrayals one moment, and the sterile gleam of the tower the next. I could almost smell the damp underground air and feel the dizzying openness above the clouds. The pacing never lets up; every chapter raises the stakes until the final revelations about immortality and humanity hit with gut-punch force.

Above the Clouds isn’t just about survival. It asks a bigger question: what does it truly mean to be human when comfort comes at the cost of freedom? I found myself thinking about it long after I’d finished, and that, to me, is the mark of a powerful read.

Star Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Tim Vee writes some interesting stories, and Above The Clouds had me intrigued. This unique apocalyptic/dystopian novel takes place deep underground, in long unused subway tunnels and sewers. No one knows what came before .

Everyone has their duties to perform, whether it’s raising the young, hunt or work to provide necessities. When their usefulness comes to and end, whether through injury or old age, they are sent to the surface to fend for themselves.

Dara and her sister, Squirt, are the main characters in Above The Clouds. Squirt is still young enough that she helps where she can and not much is expected of her. Dara is a hunter. She is expected to bring back from the hunt a dozen rats or three cats or a dog.

The world Tim Vee has created is bleak and dangerous. It is a world I haven’t visited before and I have read many apocalyptic and dystopian fiction novels. We go from the depths of the earth to the clouds in the sky, where Squirt will find a life she could never have envisioned. I like the twist from dark to light, from despair to hope. I was suitably creeped out and that is always a good thing. LOL

Star Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Having explored numerous dystopian and post-apocalyptic stories, I thought I understood what to expect when I read the summary for Above The Clouds. However, I was completely wrong. What I found was entirely different from anything I had previously experienced.

I've never read a story quite like Above The Clouds. I enjoyed every moment of the journey and wished it would never end. It is one of the most captivating books I have ever read. I can't praise this story enough. If I could, I would rate it even higher than five stars.

The world-building is among the best I have seen. I couldn’t stop reading, fully immersed in the story. Nothing from my own life could distract me during this experience. This was one of those rare times I wished I could flip through the pages at lightning speed. Naturally, Above The Clouds captured my interest from the very first page and kept it throughout. It’s a story I will cherish for many years.

I loved the narrative and the universe created in Above The Clouds. I would love to see it turned into a TV series. I would eagerly watch it over and over.

Above The Clouds switches between different characters' points of view. I enjoy stories that show perspectives from various characters because it helps me connect with them and understand their lives better.

This story follows a group of people living underground in the tubes. Above The Clouds explores every part of a tuber's life and the challenges they face at different stages. I’d love to see more stories set in the world of Above The Clouds and its inhabitants.

I highly recommend that all fans of dystopian and post-apocalyptic stories pick up a copy of Above The Clouds today for an exciting adventure in a new world!

Star Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

For centuries, the Clan has clung to life in the subway tunnels of a long-ruined city, sheltering from the incessant rain and the toxic residues of a nuclear apocalypse. Only rigid adherence to strict social rules has kept the community alive. Scarce food is shared and rationed. Unpleasant but necessary jobs are assigned based on skill, not preference. Infractions are punished by mutilation or death. And every member of the Clan, even the Chief, is subject to the “hard goodbye” when they turn fifty years old, forced to leave the tunnels to survive or perish on the surface, so as not to burden the Clan as they age and are no longer useful.

Squirt and her younger sister Dara are trained Hunters, responsible for trapping and killing whatever animals they can find to supply the Clan with desperately-needed meat. Exposed to the dangers outside the tunnels, they must be quick, clever, observant, courageous—and ruthless when threatened. But the world becomes more perilous daily, as vicious bandits grow in strength and plot against the tunnel-dwellers.

Then Squirt discovers that not everyone in the world is struggling, when she’s spirited away to a seeming paradise atop tall towers that pierce the perpetual layer of cloud. Who are the people that inhabit these privileged realms? What is their history? And why have they rescued Squirt?

Above the Clouds is an engaging and powerful story that kept me riveted through most of its length. The vivid depiction of life in the Clan felt eminently plausible. Human beings are incredibly adaptable; I could see how the Clan society might evolve, a harsh but mostly fair adjustment to the devastating realities of a shattered world.

Squirt and Dara are both admirable despite the violence they so easily can inflict. I am a cat lover, so it was difficult to read about them hunting strays, but they clearly are forced to do so. The interesting thing is that despite the indoctrination and social pressures exercised by the Clan, they prove that they can make independent choices. Again, I find this a valid observation about human nature. We balance social good against individual needs, trying to find a path that can satisfy both.

One aspect of the story that particularly rang true was the home-grown religion of the Clan. I won’t spoil things by going into detail, but the author shows how superstition and hope intertwine—as well as how unscrupulous individuals can manipulate spiritual beliefs for their own benefit.

Squirt’s experiences above the clouds, and the revelations about her hosts, did not impress me as much as the sections about the Clan. I was left with many questions about how the parallel society managed to evolve, although it’s clear, looking at the world today, that apocalypse would not have nearly as devastating an effect on the wealthy and powerful as on ordinary people.

Above the Clouds is generally well-written, but there was one aspect that bothered me. As she becomes involved with the tower people, Squirt encounters objects and phenomena that are completely unfamiliar. The author had a tendency at these points to slip out of the character’s point of view; he explains too much, rather than allowing us to experience the incomprehensibility of the new world through Squirt’s eyes. As a result, this section of the book felt less compelling than the earlier parts involving the Clan. It seemed to me that given her background, Squirt adapted too quickly and easily to her new world.

Given the youth of its heroines, I wonder if the author intended Above the Clouds for a young adult audience. In any case, I enjoyed the story and would recommend it for its gritty, detailed picture of life after nuclear devastation, as well as for its insights about society and civilization.

Tim Vee’s Above the Clouds plunges readers into a bleak, beautifully wrought dystopian future where survival is a relentless struggle against environmental decay and human frailty. Set in a rain-soaked, shadowed world, the narrative follows two sisters, Squirt and Dara, whose lives diverge sharply yet remain tethered by desperate familial bonds. This dark exploration of existence at society’s fringes offers a gripping and thought-provoking meditation on identity, trust, and what it means to remain human amidst crumbling paradigms.

The strength of Above the Clouds lies in its atmospheric world-building and the dual perspectives of the sisters. Squirt’s forced ascent to a pristine, almost surreal paradise above the clouds acts as a stunning and unsettling counterpoint to Dara’s gritty, ground-level fight within their underground clan. The balance between these two realms—the oppressive yet superficially perfect tower and the raw, desperate survival below—creates a powerful tension throughout the novel. Vee skillfully evokes the claustrophobia of paradise as an “idyllic prison,” where every smile and gesture is shadowed by suspicion and hidden motives.

Characters like Charlotte and Mrs. Wallis are intriguingly ambiguous, embodying the novel’s central unease: that the greatest dangers are often invisible, lurking beneath polished surfaces or behind warm smiles. Meanwhile, Dara’s journey through betrayal and loss adds emotional depth and urgency, anchoring the story’s larger existential questions in raw human experience. The narrative’s gradual unveiling of secrets and moral ambiguities compels readers to reconsider notions of trust, loyalty, and sacrifice.

While the pacing occasionally slows in its detailed world exposition, the prose is immersive and evocative, never losing sight of the novel’s core themes. The haunting question—What does it truly mean to be human?—resonates deeply, especially as the story confronts the cost of immortality and the fragility of hope in a fractured world.

In summary, Above the Clouds is a captivating addition to dystopian literature, blending atmospheric setting with complex characters and philosophical weight. It suits readers who appreciate layered narratives that combine suspense, moral complexity, and a richly imagined future. For those intrigued by the intersections of survival, identity, and the nature of humanity, Tim Vee’s novel offers a compelling journey both above and below the clouds.

Star Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

An excellent tale of life in a post-apocalyptic world.

Above the Clouds by Tim Vee is a captivating tale of life in a future, post-apocalyptic world of crumbling ruins and a simple, desperate, day-to-day existence. Three sisters, Zell, Squirt, and Dara, are part of the Clan, an organized community of survivors of some civilization-ending event, who live in a world of darkness, damp, and scrabbling insects in underground tunnels left from BEFORE. Their way of life is brutal and primitive, yet each member of the Clan works to pull their own weight to sustain the community. The sisters do their part by hunting for meat on the surface above, and one by one, they unexpectedly come to find their future outside the Clan, leaving the others behind to grieve.

This story was so addictive that I didn’t want to put it down, and I absolutely wasn’t ready for it to end when it did. The plot’s tension starts high and continues to build as the sisters encounter heart-pounding challenges to their way of life. Each girl is unique but shares a drive to do their job as a hunter the best they can, and their persistence serves them well when they end up outside of the Clan’s protected tunnels.

The author’s descriptions of the settings and action are cinematic in quality, and I could easily see this story serving as the launching point for a film or television series. I got vibes of Jean M. Auel’s world in CLAN OF THE CAVE BEAR and that of the city dwellers in Suzanne Collins’s THE HUNGER GAMES but used in a completely different manner. As there are questions left available to further exploration, I would love to see this story continued in additional books.

With its compelling plot and engaging characters, I recommend ABOVE THE CLOUDS to fans of post-apocalyptic fiction.