Reviewed: December 11th 2021
Released: November 6th, 2018
Genre: YA Science Fantasy
Spensa’s world has been under attack for hundreds of years. An alien race called the Krell leads onslaught after onslaught from the sky in a never-ending campaign to destroy humankind. Humanity’s only defense is to take to their ships and fight the enemy in the skies. Pilots have become the heroes of what’s left of the human race.
Spensa has always dreamed of being one of them; of soaring above Earth and proving her bravery. But her fate is intertwined with her father’s – a pilot who was killed years ago when he abruptly deserted his team, placing Spensa’s chances of attending flight school somewhere between slim and none.
No one will let Spensa forget what her father did, but she is still determined to fly. And the Krell just made that a possibility. They’ve doubled their fleet, making Spensa’s world twice as dangerous . . . but their desperation to survive might just take her skyward . . .
Helen’s thoughts: 5/5
Shhh! I bought this book for my daughter for Christmas (well she ordered it), because she wanted the UK cover, which I must admit is a great cover and I have to take it to Canada with me, when I go over for Christmas.
But I took a peek inside, and read the first page and kept on reading! This is the first Brandon Sanderson book I’ve read. I have the first trilogy of the Mistborn staring at me from my tbr shelf, but i just haven’t picked it up yet. Maybe I need to bump it up my list!
Skyward is a science fantasy novel about a young girl called Spensa who is desperate to fly and prove everyone wrong about her father, who was branded a coward when he cut and ran in the middle of a battle.
This book is so easy to read, you’ll keep turning the pages. Spensa is an abrasive and aggressive character always on the defensive at being branded the daughter of a coward, programmed to defend at all costs.
But she is also stubborn and defiant and very, very determined, as well as smart. She will also surprise everyone. I don’t want to give the plot away, but I loved M-bot, (reminds me of Bechimo, for those familiar with the Liaden Universe) and like him I love mushrooms! and the doomslug was a clever addition.
An entertaining and easy read. A cross between Top Gun and Independence Day, but with a feisty female protagonist. The diagrams of the different types of fighters were also pretty cool.
About the author:
I’m Brandon Sanderson, and I write stories of the fantastic: fantasy, science fiction, and thrillers.
In November 2020 we saw the release of Rhythm of War—the fourth massive book in the New York Times #1 bestselling Stormlight Archive series that began with The Way of Kings—and Dawnshard (book 3.5), a novella set in the same world that bridges the gaps between the main releases. This series is my love letter to the epic fantasy genre, and it’s the type of story I always dreamed epic fantasy could be.
November 2018 marked the release of Skyward, the first book in a new YA quartet about a girl who dreams of becoming a pilot in a dangerous world under alien attack. The follow-up, Starsight, was released December 2019. Also out that year was the final volume of the Stephen Leeds saga, Legion: Lies of the Beholder, which was also published in an omnibus edition, Legion: The Many Lives of Stephen Leeds, that includes all three volumes.
Most readers have noticed that my adult fantasy novels are in a connected universe, called the Cosmere. This includes The Stormlight Archive, both Mistborn series, Elantris, Warbreaker, and various novellas available on Amazon, including The Emperor’s Soul, which won a Hugo Award in 2013. In November 2016 all of the existing Cosmere short fiction including those novellas was released in one volume called Arcanum Unbounded: The Cosmere Collection. If you’ve read all of my adult fantasy novels and want to see some behind-the-scenes information, that collection is a must-read.
I also have three YA series: The Rithmatist (currently at one book), The Reckoners (a trilogy beginning with Steelheart), and Skyward. For young readers I also have my humorous series Alcatraz vs. the Evil Librarians. Many of my adult readers enjoy all of those books as well, and many of my YA readers enjoy my adult books, usually starting with Mistborn.
Additionally, I have a few other novellas that are more on the thriller/sci-fi side. These include the Legion series, as well as Perfect State and Snapshot. There’s a lot of material to go around!
Good starting places are Mistborn (a.k.a. The Final Empire), Skyward, Steelheart, The Emperor’s Soul, and Alcatraz vs. the Evil Librarians. If you’re already a fan of big fat fantasies, you can jump right into The Way of Kings.
I was also honored to be able to complete the final three volumes of The Wheel of Time, beginning with The Gathering Storm, using Robert Jordan’s notes.
Sample chapters from all of my books are available at https://www.brandonsanderson.com/books-and-art/—and check out the rest of my site for chapter-by-chapter annotations, deleted scenes, and more.
Purchase Book One: Skyward
Link to book on Amazon UK: eBook | Paperback | Hardcover
Link to book on Amazon US: Hardcover | Paperback
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If you enjoy fantasy books then you will love my books which are available in eBook or paperback: Book One: Sentinals Awaken. Book Two: Sentinals Rising. Book Three: Sentinals Justice. Book 3.5: Sentinals Recovery. Sign up to my newsletter and download a free novella called Sentinals Stirring and get notified when my next books are published.
Helen Garraway 