Skyward and Starsight
Such book timing to go through a book juuust before the sequel is released. But so torturous to have the second one end in a major cliffhanger. Aieee!
Skyward had been on my radar for a while simply by virtue of being written by Brandon Sanderson, but I hadn't quite gotten around to it. It sets up a tale of fugitive humans surviving on a debris-shrouded world under constant threat of aliens above.
There are a lot of very clear mysteries laid out in that. Archives and knowledge have been lost, but there was obviously a time of greater technology. And the aliens who sortie against the humans are readily shown to be operating by some rules that aren't understood. When an advanced stealth craft is introduce, that raises even more questions. And by the end of the first book, we do get some of the answers.
Along the way, the story follows Spensa and friends in working through flight school, naturally against difficult odds. She's a bit angry and impulsive, which colors the view of other characters as she's the primary point of view, though readers can see beyond that to a degree. I liked her, and several of the other characters - pretty much all of them, really. It's a little like a sci-fi Top Gun with a touch of teenage perspective and a dash of mysticism.
Starsight goes beyond that, diving into the wider universe beyond the planet. It follows up on reveals from the first book and develops more, adding a lot of complexity to the setting. It suffers a little in my view because it is a second book - that is to say it doesn't really stand alone well. You probably could pick it up solo and catch up for the most part, but the resolution of the climax is limited, with a lot of things still up in the air. That isn't to say I dislike it.
Rather, I enjoy the story being told and look forward to more in the future.
Skyward had been on my radar for a while simply by virtue of being written by Brandon Sanderson, but I hadn't quite gotten around to it. It sets up a tale of fugitive humans surviving on a debris-shrouded world under constant threat of aliens above.
There are a lot of very clear mysteries laid out in that. Archives and knowledge have been lost, but there was obviously a time of greater technology. And the aliens who sortie against the humans are readily shown to be operating by some rules that aren't understood. When an advanced stealth craft is introduce, that raises even more questions. And by the end of the first book, we do get some of the answers.
Along the way, the story follows Spensa and friends in working through flight school, naturally against difficult odds. She's a bit angry and impulsive, which colors the view of other characters as she's the primary point of view, though readers can see beyond that to a degree. I liked her, and several of the other characters - pretty much all of them, really. It's a little like a sci-fi Top Gun with a touch of teenage perspective and a dash of mysticism.
Starsight goes beyond that, diving into the wider universe beyond the planet. It follows up on reveals from the first book and develops more, adding a lot of complexity to the setting. It suffers a little in my view because it is a second book - that is to say it doesn't really stand alone well. You probably could pick it up solo and catch up for the most part, but the resolution of the climax is limited, with a lot of things still up in the air. That isn't to say I dislike it.
Rather, I enjoy the story being told and look forward to more in the future.
Sanderson is pretty good at grabbing you, huh. Read his Magic the Gathering novella?
ReplyDeleteHe is one of a handful of authors that I follow (if not absolutely) by name.
DeleteI haven't - been out of MtG lore for quite a while. Is that a recommendation?
Children of the Nameless, yes.
DeleteHmm. Yes, I did enjoy that. I'm rather fond of how it works as a stand-alone story regardless of MtG or Innistrad knowledge. He may be solidifying a formula of girl-coping-with-supernatural-powers though. ;) Children, Mistborn, Skyward too - though getting into any detail of that qualifies as spoilery.
Delete