Skyship Academy: The Pearl Wars (edition 2011)

Sort of dystopian, but in a very different vein than most others. I liked it, though I totally called one of the big twists. The whole thing was very clearly a setup for a series, which is fine. Just expect a fair number of unresolved points. [Oct. 2011] ( )

This was a 3 for most of the book but I'm giving it 4 because I was totally into the last 100 pages or so. Review to come...sometime soon.
( )

Skyship Academy is one of those books that's incredibly understated. In fact, I never heard of this book until I found it on Amazon and the blurb pulled me in. I'll admit that I wasn't incredibly excited about it -it wasn't at the top of my To-Be-Read pile, and for a few weeks I kept moving it down the pile in favor of other books. But from the first page to the last, I discovered something that was far beyond what I ever expected. But the biggest surprise? Skyship Academy has gotten zero love in the blogosphere since its release last year. That's one thing that I just don't understand. Why? Why no love for such an excellent piece of science fiction writing that pushes the limits, takes risks, and has some excellent personality that sets it apart from everything else on the shelf.

Skyship Academy transports readers into a desolate future, where the most valued commodities are the mysterious Pearls, which are capable of suppling enough energy to power entire cities -its a power dangerous enough to kill for. The government and the Skyship Academy are at war over the Pearls. Right in the middle of the fight are Jesse Fisher, a Skyship student and slacker, and Cassius Stevenson, a young and promising operative working for the government. They come together in a chance encounter, that pull the two men into an unexpected fight of there own that could reveal the secrets behind the Pearls.

I would warn readers: the packaging of Skyship Academy can be somewhat misleading. From the cover and the blurb, I thought that I was getting some sort of YA science fiction novel with dashes of dystopia. Instead, I was treated to a more adult-oriented speculative novel with heavy science fiction elements, excellent action, great writing and some fascinating jabs at social commentary and modern politics.

Both Cassius and Jesse are excellent characters, and author Nick James does an exquisite job of infusing plenty of personality into very every word and every piece of dialog throughout the entire novel. But most importantly, James delivers a fascinating and unique plot with plenty of perfectly-constructed action, and wild twists that send the reader down unexplored paths.

Then, there's the setting. James paints a dark, but gritty and interesting vision of the future with biting social commentary and somewhat whimsical references to modern politics. Nearly everything about James' world is as engaging as it is unexpected, and he does a great job of weaving all the elements together.

That's why I just don't understand it: Why no love for Skyship Academy? It's one of the best books I've read in a while that hits all the right notes. ( )

**Originally posted on tickettoanywhere.net**

Prior to BEA 2011 I had never heard of this book and I only stumbled upon it as I attended the book signing of another author and afterwards we all got to talking over at the Flux booth. Nick started to describe his book but once I saw the blurb by James Dashner I knew that it was something I had to check out. I'm not usually one to be swayed by blurbs (and to be honest I don't usually read them) but I've met James several times and so he's an exception.

From the start of this book all the way until the last page I was sucked into the story. I love the world that Nick created which was a bit sci-fi with a wee addition of dystopian mixed in. I loved how he gave a brief history of how the world came to be what it was without being dry or weighing down the story. He made a believable futuristic world where resources are scarce and humanity has been divided into factions as they fight for survival.

I really enjoyed the characters in this book as well. This was very much a boy book with the majority of the main characters being boys. There was a couple of token girls tossed into the mix but they didn't always come across as very girly to me and were a bit stiff and awkward at times. But overall I really enjoyed all of the characters. I liked how Jessie was more your typical boy then anyone overtly special. He wasn't the best in his class, he was more likely to be the one who was messing up. But given the circumstances that he was thrust into he came into his own and turned his ordinariness into something more.

I really enjoyed this story and all the possibilities that it raised for the rest of the series. The writing was strong and I was really invested in the story. I wasn't surprised by some of the twists and turns. And there were times when I thought some events were a bit far fetched. I liked how there were active adults in the story - although their were times where they came across as a bit stiff as well. But what I like best about the book is the potential for what is to come. As a first in a series it hit all the right notes in building a world and characters that you want to know more about. I am really looking forward to the second book and you will as well once you give this one a try. ( )

Most natural resources are gone. A new power source has been discovered, Pearls, small meteors that fall from the sky and can be converted to energy. Both the people left living on the surface and those who have made their homes in Skyships race to retrieve fallen Pearls. Academies are set up to train agents to retrieve these Pearls, before the other side can get to them. Jesse is an inept Skyship trainee. That all changes the day he and his teammates are sent on a training mission to retrieve a Pearl. Cassius, a surface agent, arrives to retrieve the Pearl as well and when he touches Jesse a chain reactions starts. Both he and Jesse begin manifesting strange often deadly powers. Powers that both their governments want to use.

This was an action packed read. Just the moment Jesse or Cassius escapes one situation they are thrust into another one. There is plenty of mystery and betrayal as they struggle to figure out just what is going on. I can’t say too much without giving it away, but this was a unique supernatural twist on a dystopian story. So the plot was really solid. However, I never really connected with the characters, the action is the main focus. Since I tend to like characters over plot, this did impact how much I liked the story. ( )