Skyward

Skyward is a brilliant story that signals Brandon Sanderson may one day deserve serious consideration for enshrinement in the science fiction hall of fame. Aspiring writers will find excellent examples of character development, world-building, and action scenes that are integrated into the plot and advance the story. Others will enjoy a riveting tale in which things are seldom as they first seem.
Spensa is the outcast daughter of a disgraced fighter pilot widely despised for his cowardice during an epic battle for the survival of the human race. Essential to her identity is the belief that her father was not a coward but the victim of vicious political slander. Her only goal is to gain entry to pilot school, become a world-renowned show more fighter pilot, expose the true story and redeem her father’s name and the family’s reputation. Opposing Spensa is Admiral Judy Ironsides, leader of the planet’s military forces. Ironsides was the flight leader during the fateful battle in which Spensa’s father was shot down by his wingman because he turned and ran from the enemy. Admiral Ironside is convinced some innate anomaly caused his behavior, and Spensa has the same defect. Ironside will go to any length to stop Spensa from completing pilot training.
This classic tale of good attempting to overcome evil in a quest for redemption is gripping because of Sanderson’s mastery of storytelling. Spensa learns that her father was not the innocent victim of slander, as she presumed. She comes to question her courage and the meaning of cowardice and to fear that she may have the same defect her father possessed. At her nadir, her beliefs, self-concept, and goals have all been stripped from her. She is left with little more than her belligerent personality, the realization that she may be a coward, and the fear that she has a defect that will lead to disaster for herself and humankind.
I won’t say much about the world-building to avoid spoilers, but it is important to note that the world Sanderson constructed is an essential element of the story.
Sanderson’s seamless integration of information into the story is masterful. For example, the fights between the human fighters and the alien Krell occur amid debris falling from the sky. At first, this seems like an implausible detail added to make the battle scenes more alien. Yet mid-story, we learn this detail is essential to the world Sanderson constructed. Less talented writers might have provided a boring information dump early in the story to justify its inclusion. Allowing the nagging mystery to remain unsolved until Spensa discovers the cause provided a compelling solution at the optimal moment in the story’s natural flow. Time and again, Sanderson parcels out information about the world and the characters in a way that enhances the story.
Skyward is the first story in the three-volume series titled Skyward. Sequels are often disappointing after an excellent beginning. I will be disappointed if that is the case, but the sequels should be worth reading, even if they fall short of this masterful offering. show less

It took me a bit to get into this, but then I was really into it! I had my issues with Spensa during the first half, but her character growth as she gets to know these people and realizes that people are not just one-dimensional stereotypes was lovely to watch. But my favorite parts were definitely the battle scenes, oh my! I wouldn't have minded if this whole book was just one big battle, I love the manoeuvers, the comm chat, the callsigns, everything. (Not the deats, obviously. Meep.) And everything with M-Bot was fascinating as well - I can't wait to find out more about his mystery! He was the kind of funny that is both infuriating and absolutely hilarious - I loved him! I also really enjoyed the character and group dynamics in show more general and I'm so sad we didn't get to see more of Skyward Flight due to Spensa's forced isolation - I hope we'll get all of them back in the sequel! show less

Re-Read #1:
Round two of one of my favorite books, I read this back in 2020 and I was afraid I wouldn't love it as much as I did then. I was wrong. I loved it just as much. Even though this is a young adult book with an insufferable character (in the beginning), I absolutely loved it. Brandy Sandy really hits home with the characters, the character arcs, the plot, the world-building. Just everything. I love this world, and I love Spensa; I’m doing a reread of all three of the first novels since the 4th and final book came out. I love reliving these stories and it's fun to read them back to back instead of waiting in between. If you want a fast-paced intergalactic sci-fi novel about a young girl who thinks she's a badass and a sassy show more ship and a little thing called Doomslug, READ THIS BOOK. (Also, this is a sci-fi, fantasy with NO romance- that's not a diss to romance at all but if you're burnt out on always having romance in the sci-fi, fantasy LOOK NO FURTHER.)



For a recap, this book is about a girl named Spensa living on a rock called Detritus. The humans live underground because these beings called Krell literally keep the humans on this planet with their ships. Spensa's father is a pilot (the most prestigious job on this planet), so Spensa wants to be a pilot too. However, during a massive battle between Detritus and the Krell, her father flees and ends up getting shot down by his crew. He was labeled a coward, leaving Spensa (a spiteful little child) to pursue her dreams of being a pilot mostly alone. Now the entire planet thinks Spensa will be a coward too, and they don't want her to be a pilot, but she's stubborn.

First Review:

“It has always seemed to me, that a coward is a person who cares more about what people say than about what is right. Bravery isn’t about what people call you, Spensa. It’s about who you know yourself to be.”

I knew from about 10% in that this would most likely be a five-star read & I was right! This book was absolutely amazing. [b:Skyward|36642458|Skyward (Skyward, #1)|Brandon Sanderson|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1531845177l/36642458._SY75_.jpg|58411143] is definitely going on my top 10 books of 2020 list! This was my very first [a:Brandon Sanderson|38550|Brandon Sanderson|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1394044556p2/38550.jpg] book, but I can assure you it will not be my last!



I don't know if I loved this so much because I'm going to be a pilot (which Sanderson did exceptionally well on all the pilot junk, he said he had a few fighter pilots help him out!) or if its because I loved Spensa's spunk, or M-bots attitude, or even Doomslug being Doomslug. Seriously if you haven't read this GO. READ. IT.



This book is about a feisty girl, Spensa, who wants to be a pilot because her dad was one. In a crazy battle, her dad flees and gets labeled a coward, now Spensa has to fight on top of study to be a pilot because they don't want a daughter of a coward. That's all I want to tell you because SO MUCH MORE STUFF HAPPENS... It's so great. I laughed, I cried, I pulled my hair out... I just simply loved this book with my whole heart. show less

Spensa has dreamed her whole life of becoming a fighter pilot just like her father. More than anything she wants to prove herself to be brave and strong, to do her part defending humanity against an unending alien invasion. Unfortunately her father was branded a coward when he unexpectedly deserted his team and was shot down. Living under her father's shadow means Spensa's future entrance into flight academy is uncertain at best.

Skyward is the first book in the new YA series by Brandon Sanderson. I was fortunate enough to attend one of the book tour events and got to hear Brandon describe his vision for the book. He's always loved those "boy and his dragon" type stories, yet they've been done and done by some pretty great authors show more already. Eventually the idea morphed into "a girl and her starship" and the story of Skyward was born. In Brandon's own words the story is like "a mashup between Top Gun and Ender's Game and How to Train Your Dragon with an old broken-down spaceship with a really weird personality." Yes, it is exactly as much fun as it sounds.

Spensa is the type of plucky heroine I enjoy from YA stories. Having grown up branded as a "coward's daughter" has definitely had it's impact on her personality. She's brash and prone to rash action in an attempt to prove herself brave. She gives some quirky speeches about "crushing her enemies" that are downright hilarious. She's charmingly socially awkward which I think will be quite relatable to many of all age groups. It was so much fun tagging along on her coming of age journey. Spensa has a great supporting cast with her teacher, flight-mates, the ship and Doomslug. I don't want to say too much other than they are quite memorable and it's interesting to watch them all go on their own character arcs to greater and lesser degrees.

The world building is excellent. It's a slow reveal throughout the story. As with many of Sanderson's works, this world feels like a real place you can go visit. Just enough background information is given and yet I was left wanting to know more as there are definitely some mysteries needing to be uncovered. The technology of the world is quite interesting and Sanderson really did his homework making it all sound plausible. The aerial combat is spectacular.

Even though this book is YA, I was fully engrossed by the story. The writing is accessible, making it a fairly quick read. No, it doesn't quite have the depth as his other "adult" books, but that's ok. The book is highly enjoyable and I can't wait to see what happens next. Thankfully it won't be too long of a wait as book two has already gone to the publisher. show less

Spensa has dreamed of being a fighter pilot like her father ever since she can remember. Unfortunately, her father fled from a pivotal battle and was shot down by his own squadron and branded a coward, so the likelihood of her being allowed to attend flight school, much less pilot a spacecraft, seems pretty low. Spensa knows that her father was a hero, not a coward -- and she also knows that she could be the best pilot on the planet if they would just let her. Can her sheer determination to find a way or make one get her where she wants to go?

This is a fast, gripping read. I never liked Spensa much, but in spite of that, I found myself wanting her to succeed. (And many of the secondary characters were a lot of fun.) The plotting is all show more you might expect from Sanderson, with twists and turns galore. Improbable points in the worldbuilding turn out to fit perfectly within the book's internal logic later on, and the book is wrapped up satisfactorily, though the promised sequel can't come soon enough. If you enjoy sci-fi, or Sanderson's other books, don't miss this one. show less

Sanderson, Brandon. Skyward. Skyward No. 1. Gollancz, 2018.
It turns out that as a kid Brandon Sanderson wanted to be a fighter pilot. But his talent lay in writing very, very long epic sagas instead. But in the Skyward series, indulging his childhood wish, he abandons sword and sorcery for space opera with fighter pilots. And oh does he show us that theft is the truest form of flattery by mashing up Top Gun with Battlestar Galactica in a Heinleinesque coming-of-age story. Here is the Battlestar bit: a colony fleet fleeing aggressive aliens called (hello Forbidden Planet) the Krell is forced down on a planet surrounded by an abandoned defense network that is now mostly tech debris. Years later, the Krell are still attacking—and here show more comes the Top Gun part—and our heroine, the daughter of a disgraced fighter pilot, wants to become a pilot so she can restore his reputation. Her best friend is a nerdy engineer—hello Heinlein—and together they repair a derelict fighter plane with an AI no one can make these days. Is it entertaining? Sure. If Sanderson has no other talent, he knows how to build a believable world and pack it with action that keeps you turning pages. You may not respect yourself in the morning, but you do keep reading. show less

Okay, it's official, folks. Brandon Sanderson is a god.

He's not just a go-to guy for all things fantasy. I've read a few of his Cosmere SF stores but this is the first outright SF novel I've read from him and OMG he slams it out of the park. Or sky. :)

Let's put it this way. You remember how [b:Armada|16278318|Armada|Ernest Cline|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1377284428s/16278318.jpg|22378124] should have been the glorious Last Starfighter? Let's just ignore that for a moment.

THIS is the quintessential Top Gun meets the Last Starfighter, complete with a girl pilot with a huge chip on her shoulder, a lot of growth to be had, a mysterious AI starship she's caring for while undergoing training, and KILLER dogfights.

Did I cry a little show more as the cadets started dying or being pulled from the classes by freaked out parents? Yes. Did I feel the urgency and the hopelessness and the absolute need for pilots at all costs? Yes.

Did I have an INSANE amount of fun reading this?

YES.


Hell, I'm already devoted to this man's fantasy.

I just never guessed, although I SHOULD HAVE GUESSED, that Sanderson's Law was always a great means to bring understandable science-like laws to the field of Fantasy, but COME ON... a man who does this already has a FANTASTIC grip on SF. The story is fantastic, fun, and jammed with action, pathos, and a LOT of cute. :)

I can't wait for the next one! It's a great blow out and an even better set-up! :) show less