From Goodreads:
This story originally appeared in the October/November 2008 Asimov's Science Fiction (in the US) and the UPC Science Fiction collection (in Europe).
This story originally appeared in the October/November 2008 Asimov's Science Fiction (in the US) and the UPC Science Fiction collection (in Europe).
"An image came to him. An image of humankind escaping into space. An image of human merchants trading and cheating, of human tyrants capturing the Varvax, Tenasi, and Hommar. Images of wars, of fighting, of a paradise destroyed."
Oddly enough, the ones who made first contact were an outdated, nearly bankrupt phone company. Second contact was made by the United Governments Military when they accidentally shot down a Tenasi ambassadorial vessel. The Phone Company negotiated Earth out of danger following the Tenasi incident. The Phone Company had brought FTL communication to humankind.
And Phone Company operative Jason Write has sworn to keep the galaxy safe from the barbaric humans who would ruin the Elysium that the galactic races currently enjoy.
From Goodreads:
Defeated, crushed, and driven almost to extinction, the remnants of the human race are trapped on a planet that is constantly attacked by mysterious alien starfighters. Spensa, a teenage girl living among them, longs to be a pilot. When she discovers the wreckage of an ancient ship, she realizes this dream might be possible—assuming she can repair the ship, navigate flight school, and (perhaps most importantly) persuade the strange machine to help her. Because this ship, uniquely, appears to have a soul.
Defeated, crushed, and driven almost to extinction, the remnants of the human race are trapped on a planet that is constantly attacked by mysterious alien starfighters. Spensa, a teenage girl living among them, longs to be a pilot. When she discovers the wreckage of an ancient ship, she realizes this dream might be possible—assuming she can repair the ship, navigate flight school, and (perhaps most importantly) persuade the strange machine to help her. Because this ship, uniquely, appears to have a soul.
From Goodreads:
All her life, Spensa has dreamed of becoming a pilot. Of proving she's a hero like her father. She made it to the sky, but the truths she learned about her father were crushing.
Spensa is sure there's more to the story. And she's sure that whatever happened to her father in his starship could happen to her. When she made it outside the protective shell of her planet, she heard the stars--and it was terrifying. Everything Spensa has been taught about her world is a lie.
But Spensa also discovered a few other things about herself--and she'll travel to the end of the galaxy to save humankind if she needs to.
All her life, Spensa has dreamed of becoming a pilot. Of proving she's a hero like her father. She made it to the sky, but the truths she learned about her father were crushing.
Spensa is sure there's more to the story. And she's sure that whatever happened to her father in his starship could happen to her. When she made it outside the protective shell of her planet, she heard the stars--and it was terrifying. Everything Spensa has been taught about her world is a lie.
But Spensa also discovered a few other things about herself--and she'll travel to the end of the galaxy to save humankind if she needs to.
From Goodreads:
From #1 bestselling author Brandon Sanderson and Janci Patterson comes the first of three Skyward series novellas, each told from the perspective of a different member of the team back on Detritus. Read FM's story between Starsight and Cytonic.
When a planet-destroying Delver suddenly appears in the sky of Detritus and vanishes just as suddenly, FM knows that the last free human society got lucky. Her Skyward Flight companion, Spensa, figured out how to draw this Delver away, but it won't be so easy next time.
The forces of the Galactic Superiority will be back—and if the Defiant Defense Force can't figure out a way to escape the planet, humanity's destruction is only a matter of time. Spensa's mission to infiltrate the Superiority unveiled the secret to their hyperdrives—a cytonic slug species called the Taynix. Now FM's flightleader, Jorgen, has found a large group of Taynix hiding in the caverns far below Detritus's surface.
FM and Jorgen must work together with the engineer Rig to awaken the mysterious alien Alanik and unlock the powers of the Taynix, or humanity will be trapped. With Spensa's friend Minister Cuna of the Superiority stranded at the outpost of Sunreach, they need to figure out how to rescue her—or the Superiority government will be in the sole clutches of those who want to wipe out Detritus once and for all.
From #1 bestselling author Brandon Sanderson and Janci Patterson comes the second of three Skyward series novellas, each told from the perspective of a different member of the team back on Detritus. Read Alanik's story between Starsight and Cytonic.
"Don't trust their lies. Don't trust their false peace." That is the warning that Alanik of the planet ReDawn gave the human pilot Spensa after Alanik's ship crash-landed on Detritus. While accepting an invitation to meet with her people's enemy, the Galactic Superiority, Alanik heard Spensa's cry for help across the vastness of space, and she used her cytonic powers to hyperjump her ship to the source of that cry. What she found there was a shock—a whole planet of free humans fighting against the Superiority. Were they the allies her people desperately needed?
When she recovered from her injuries and met the friendly humans Jorgen and FM of Skyward Flight, she found that her warning to Spensa had gone unheeded by the government of Detritus, and they were considering a peace overture from the Superiority. Now having returned to ReDawn, Alanik is dismayed to learn that her own people are falling into the exact same trap.
The faction in ReDawn's government that wants to appease the Superiority has gained the upper hand. With Alanik's mentor, Renakin captured, she has no one to turn to but Jorgen, FM, and their friend Rig. An ancient technology may have the power to save both of their planets from disaster, but can they discover its secrets before it's too late?
It was so great to come back to the beginning of this series! I've only read these books the one time, and as they were being released (besides the short story which came out before I knew about Brandon Sanderson) with the 4th and final book in this story arc coming out at the end of this year. I had to reread it and this was the perfect month!
Of course I had to reread everything (I'm 98% sure that Jason is the one that the delvers mourn and are the way they are) and it was interesting to see a peak at what it was like in the early days of humanity knowing about aliens and interacting. I would love to have a timeline, to know how long it was after Defending Elysium and the first war, the 2nd, and the 3rd!
I just love Spensa, she's fierce, and her threats of violence were really creative. She also learns and grows, about honor and courage and learning the truth about the situation with her father, and her abilities. They're just so great to read!
So for me, a big thing is the primary intelligence. In Defending Elysium, Jason wants that for humanity until he learns how those who disent are treated. (Side note, it makes me wonder if any of those dissenters were involved in humanities 3 wars with the rest of the galaxy?) And the way the races who are secondary intelligence, and who aren't a part of the Superiority are treated in Starsight takes it on through a different angle, not from insiders or outsiders, but from those in the middle, to see just how bad a system is. If it's not fair for everyone, then it's not good enough, and if people are dissenting it and being treated terribly, then it's not fair.
Loved reading these stories again, and I'm so excited for more!
Authors: Brandon Sanderson, Brandon Sanderson and Janci Patterson
Series: Skyward #0.5, 1, 2, 2.1, 2.2, Skyward Flight #1, 2
First Read: October 10th, 2020, July 24th, November 26th, 2019, October 16th, 31st, 2021
First Read: October 10th, 2020, July 24th, November 26th, 2019, October 16th, 31st, 2021
Read: July 12th, 12th, 13th, 13th, 13th, 2023
Source: Online, Own
Reason Why: Love his writing and this series, and they're Prequel & Sequel Challenge 2023 Book!
Publisher: Asimov's Science Fiction, Ember
Source: Online, Own
Reason Why: Love his writing and this series, and they're Prequel & Sequel Challenge 2023 Book!
Publisher: Asimov's Science Fiction, Ember
Published: October/November 2008, November 6th 2018, November 26th 2019, September 28th 2021, October 26th 2021
Defending Elysium:
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| 5/5 Hearts |
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| 5/5 Books |
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| 5/5 Stars |
Skyward:
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| 5/5 Hearts |
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| 5/5 Books |
|
| 5/5 Stars |
Starsight:
|
| 5/5 Hearts |
|
| 5/5 Books |
|
| 5/5 Stars |
Sunreach:
|
| 5/5 Hearts |
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| 5/5 Books |
|
| 5/5 Stars |
ReDawn:
|
| 5/5 Hearts |
|
| 5/5 Books |
|
| 5/5 Stars |
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