Author: Brandon Sanderson
Title: Skyward
Publisher: Gollancz
Date: 2018
Genre: YA science fiction
Reviewed by Markham Tanner
I received this book from my (equally) nerdy brother and bookish SIL as a perfect gift nearly six months ago. For whatever reason, I stowed in my closet for “safekeeping” until last week I remembered that there was a Brandon Sanderson novel that I owned yet had not read. Why didn’t I immediately tear into these pages after opening the package? Did I doubt Sanderson’s ability to translate his knack with magic systems and fantasy cultures into science-fiction? If I did, forgive me. For I was wrong.
Skyward follows a bellicose, scrappy young woman who desperately tries to claw out of the legacy left by her father while trying to stay alive against a constant barrage of enemy attacks that seem nearly singularly focused on wiping out their civilization.
Sanderson once again spins (ha!) a fabulous tale–that shouldn’t be surprising. He replaces his signature magic systems with realistic dogfighting (as realistic as starship dogfighting can be) with guidance from actual fighter pilots. And the characters. I loved Spensa because of all her flaws. She’s spunky, she’s fond of ancient literature, and she’s determined to not let them break her. But she’s also loud, she picks fights with people just for looking smug, and many of her ancient battle cries are cringey. She’s also one of my favorite YA protagonists ever. The slew of support characters–M-Bot, Rigamarole, Quirk, Jerkface, Cobb–are also rich and likeable. Couple the characters with Sanderson’s signature plot progression and twists and you’ll find an incredible YA sci-fi devoid of nauseating love triangles or clichéd dystopian themes and instead packed with aerial dogfights and loveable, flawed teenagers.