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Skyward

Skyward

Science FictionSpace Opera
Pages
544
Published
2018
Language
English

Synopsis

On Detritus, a planet of underground caverns perpetually besieged by alien Krell fighters, Spensa Nightshade has grown up under the stigma of her father's supposed cowardice — he was declared a flightclan traitor who fled battle. Spensa refuses to accept that story and fights her way into Poco Squadron's flight school over the objections of every authority figure she encounters. There she bonds with Jorgen Weight, her demanding flight lead, and discovers an ancient AI starship called M-Bot buried in a cavern, capable of consciousness and equipped with technologies humanity has not built in centuries. Skyward is a military sci-fi YA that builds on Sanderson's research into fighter pilot training and psychology, delivering fast aerial combat sequences alongside a character study of what fierce determination costs.

Prose complexity
4/10

Vibe

AdventurousTenseHopefulInspiringGritty
Chosen OneComing of AgeSurvivalFound FamilyMentor FigureReluctant HeroRedemption Arc

Genres

Science Fiction Space Opera Young Adult Adventure Dystopian

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

A fierce girl from the lowest caste of Detritus society who is determined to become a pilot and prove her father was not a coward.

M-BotSupporting

An ancient AI starship with a sophisticated and curious personality, found by Spensa in a cavern beneath Detritus.

CobbSupporting

A veteran pilot who becomes Spensa's instructor; harder on her than the others while quietly becoming her most important mentor.

Jorgen WeightSupporting

The flight lead of Poco Squadron, initially rigid and rule-bound, who becomes Spensa's rival and then ally.

All characters in Skyward

Frequently asked questions

  • What inspired the Skyward series?

    Sanderson has described being fascinated by fighter pilot psychology and training, combined with a childhood image of space dragons reimagined as starships. The series grew from research into what it would feel like to be a pilot in desperate aerial combat.

  • Published when?

    Skyward was published November 6, 2018 by Delacorte Press.

  • Is this part of the Cosmere?

    No. The Skyward series is a standalone universe with no connection to the Cosmere.

  • How many books are in the Skyward series?

    Four main novels (Skyward, Starsight, Cytonic, Defiant) plus three novellas cowritten with Janci Patterson (Sunreach, ReDawn, Evershore) collected in Skyward Flight.

  • What is M-Bot?

    M-Bot is an ancient AI starship found buried in a cavern on Detritus. He has a fully developed personality with curiosity, humor, and an obsessive interest in mushrooms, and his origins become one of the series' central mysteries.

  • Is Skyward appropriate for adults as well as teens?

    Yes — while aimed at young adult readers, Skyward's themes and aerial combat sequences appeal to adult readers of military sci-fi and Sanderson's other work.

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