Skip to content

Defiant

Defiant

Science FictionSpace Opera
Pages
480
Published
2023
Language
English

Synopsis

The final Skyward novel brings Spensa back to Detritus with new understanding of the Nowhere, the Delvers, and humanity's cytonic heritage — and with a plan that could end the war with the Superiority once and for all. The Defiant crew must take the fight to the Superiority itself while Spensa grapples with what she learned in the Nowhere about the cost of cytonic power and the nature of the Delvers. Defiant closes out the Skyward saga with the series' largest battle sequences and resolves the questions about Spensa's abilities, her father's legacy, and humanity's place in the galaxy.

Prose complexity
5/10

Vibe

AdventurousTenseHopefulEmotionalInspiring
Chosen OneSurvivalSacrificeFound FamilyRedemption ArcBetrayal

Genres

Science Fiction Space Opera Young Adult Adventure

About the author

B
Brandon Sanderson

Born in Lincoln, Nebraska in 1975, Brandon Sanderson spent his early twenties working graveyard shifts at a hotel — writing novels at the front desk between guest check-ins. By the time his debut, Elantris, was published by Tor Books in 2005, he had completed thirteen novels in the drawer. His subsequent Mistborn trilogy and the ongoing Stormlight Archive series established him as the primary architect of the Cosmere, an interconnected fictional universe in which most of his fantasy series share...

Characters

Spensa NightshadeProtagonist

Returning from the Nowhere with knowledge that could change the war, leading the Defiant's final strike.

Jorgen WeightSupporting

Now in command of Detritus's defenses, whose own cytonic abilities have grown during Spensa's absence.

M-BotSupporting

Whose arc across the series — from buried AI to something entirely different — reaches its conclusion.

All characters in Defiant

Frequently asked questions

  • Does Defiant conclude the Skyward series?

    Defiant is the fourth main novel in the Skyward series and provides a resolution to Spensa's primary storyline, bringing many of the overarching conflicts to a close.

  • How does Defiant connect to other Brandon Sanderson books?

    While Defiant is part of the Skyward series, which is a standalone universe, Brandon Sanderson's distinctive approach to magic systems and world-building can be seen throughout, offering a similar sense of intricate, logical progression found in his Cosmere works.

  • Does Defiant complete the Skyward series?

    Yes — Defiant is the fourth and final main novel in the Skyward series. Combined with the three Skyward Flight novellas, the series is complete.

  • Do I need to read Cytonic before Defiant?

    Yes — Defiant picks up directly from Cytonic's events and requires familiarity with all previous volumes.

  • Does Spensa's father's story get resolved?

    Yes — the truth about Spensa's father and his fate is fully resolved in Defiant, completing the character thread that began the series in Skyward.

Read all 3 reviews