Skyward (#1)
Spensa’s world has been under alien attack for decades. Pilots are the heroes of what’s left of humanity, and becoming a pilot is Spensa’s dream. Ever since she was a little girl, Spensa has dreamed of soaring skyward and proving her bravery. But her father’s legacy stands in the way—he was a pilot who was killed for desertion years ago, branding Spensa the daughter of a coward, and making her chances of attending flight school slim to none.
Spense is still determined to fly—even if it means she must be as resilient in the face of long odds as humanity itself has had to be against the alien threat. And her accidental discovery in a long forgotten cavern might just grant her a way to claim the stars.
Reviews
“Sanderson plainly had a ball with this nonstop, highflying opener, and readers will too.”
“With this action-packed trilogy opener, Sanderson offers up a resourceful, fearless heroine and a memorable cast—including a strangely humorous, mushroom-obsessed robot—set against the backdrop of a desperate conflict. As the pulse-pounding story intensifies and reveals its secrets, a cliffhanger ending sets things up for the next installment.”
“SKYWARD is possibly the most captivating, inspirational, and aspirational book that Brandon Sanderson has ever written […] It’s always a pleasure spending time inside Brandon’s mind as he creates a new playground of rules and takes his characters for a ride through unchartered territories.”
“Readers will enjoy his hallmark cinematic writing style, with plenty of strong visuals throughout the story, along with humor that some will love, and others will love to hate […] we say SKYWARD is an adventure and a half that you won’t want to miss. Even hardcore Cosmere fans will enjoy the special mix of fantasy and sci-fi that unfolds as you watch Spensa learn what it means to be truly brave.”
“SKYWARD is an almost perfect space opera, a genre marked by simple yet compelling plot lines, precise and ingenuous world-building and complex, empathetic relationships and character development […] It is replete with non-stop action, amazing writing and great characters.”
“Sanderson’s ability to tell a story whilst also making you feel like one of the team shows why he’s one of the most well-known and beloved authors in the sci-fi world.”
“Crammed with perils, thrills and snappy dialogue.”Daily Mail
“Sanderson is very good at action […] the breathless rush of the dogfights is what lingers longest in the mind.”SFX Magazine
“Brandon does well to build this world throughout the novel, creating a realistic situation and environment for the characters to dwell in.”SFF World
“SKYWARD contains a lot of heart that teaches us to never back down in the face of adversity.”
“The ending of SKYWARD is open-ended, since this is the first book in Sanderson’s new SKYWARD series, but the main plot threads reach a reasonable stopping ― or at least pausing ― point, while leaving me anxious to see where the series goes next. I’ll be watching for the sequel, STARSIGHT!”
“While there are plenty of exciting action sequences and characters scrambling for their crafts, Sanderson keeps the mysteries of who the enemy are exactly, how the human race arrived on this planet and why they haven’t been completely wiped out yet hidden for much of the story. Instead, he allows these questions to bubble up slowly, sowing seeds of anxiety and distrust amongst the characters, which brings us back to one of SKYWARD’s biggest strengths: rather than just tell a story about a character stepping out of the shadow of their parent’s actions, Sanderson presents a character who begins to learn that humanity is more important that glory, questioning her most rigid held beliefs, and learning to let go of what other people thing of her and forging a path that is truly her own. We’re excited to see this series develop.”ScifF Now
"Skyward is the kind of fun and adventurous YA sci-fi novel that can be read and highly enjoyed by both YA and adult readers. It is also suitable for readers who want to get into reading sci-fi for the first time"
Awards & Accolades
#19 USA Today’s Bestseller List
#4 Indie Bestseller Young Adult List
Amazon: Teacher's Pick