Review: Skyward

Skyward by Brandon Sanderson
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

The latest from Sanderson takes us back into the YA sci-fi realms he visited for three whole books on The Reckoners - this time playing out a little more like Ender's Game, if Ender were a girl and instead of Battle or Command School, Spin's got an entire planet to defend already. If she weren't so afraid, not only of having to deal with her father's cowardly reputation, but also that her own fear will sink her chances of defending her people from Formic-esque alien invaders and their jellyfish-shaped ships. I believe this one will be starting another trilogy here? If so, it's off to a bit of a rocky start, I'm sorry to say. The book does move fairly fast for one of its size - it certainly doesn't require nearly as much slow savoring as, say, The Stormlight Archive - but it also tends to feel its length and then some, because the plot is largely very predictable for anyone who's read Ender's Game as many times as I have.


Except for the ending, though.

Now that, I admit, I couldn't see coming.

So my decision to continue with this newest Sanderson series rests largely on the strength of that ending, unpredictable and original and shockingly topical as it is.

Oh, and M-Bot. By far the best character Sanderson's created since...I dunno, Shallan or Jasnah? Guaranteed, you're going to LOVE M-Bot when you read this book.

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