New York : Ember, 2019.
513 p. : ill., maps ; 24 cm.
A number of years ago a book club we had at the high school read Elantris by Brandon Sanderson. I recall that I really liked Sanderson's writing - even though I'm not a huge fan of high fantasy. So I was interested when student recommended Skyward to me. The student had it on his reading list for student readers working on the Lincoln Award for this year.
I enjoyed reading this science fiction adventure tale, but didn't love it. The strengths of Skyward are many, though. Sanderson is great at plotting, character development, and descriptive action. The story is also good for having a believable, strong central female character.
The basic plot of the story revolves around Spensa who goes by the name "Spin." She lives on a planet where humans crash-landed a few generations before and where they are under threat from the mysterious space-craft flying Krell. Humans on this planet depend on skilled fighter pilots to protect them from the alien Krell who frequently launch attacks from space using their sophisticated and deadly spaceships. The humans have capable space/jet fighters but seem to be losing a war of attrition. Spin - whose father was a superb pilot until a pivotal battle where was lost and accused of cowardice - wants to be a fighter pilot and redeem her family name. She enters the prestigious fighter training academy and the story unfolds from there.
There are some surprising plot developments, and the battle sequences are thrilling. The parts that didn't grab me are the banter between the pilots in training and their crusty trainer, and the revelation that Spin comes from a group of humans that seem to have supernatural powers on which the survival of Defiant may depend.
In spite of my not being wowed by the book, I would still recommend it to science fiction fans.
No comments:
Post a Comment