Skyward

On an isolated planet, the remaining human race is under constant assault from an alien space force determined to wipe out what is left. Spensa’s dreams of going to flight school and becoming one of humanity’s last line of defense stopped with her father’s desertion from that same defense. But in her determination to find some way to help, she comes across an ancient, ruined spaceship that still has some life left in it. That AI might be her only chance to not only redeem her father’s legacy, but also make her own.

Sanderson is known for his fantasy, the Mistborn Saga and the Stormlight Archives, and that lead to his probably most high profile work, finishing Robert Jordan’s Wheel of Time series after Jordan’s death. But Sanderson also had a more modern young adult (YA) series with his Alcatraz series of books. So Skyward isn’t a significant departure for him, but it is new and should be appreciated as such. Skyward is YA to that extent, but like much of YA recently, it isn’t so much for the under age 18 readers as it is for the 15+ readers. Plenty of adults are now reading well written YA, from Harry Potter to the Hunger Games, and Skyward will fit right in. In fact fans of David Weber’s Safehold series will fit right into the setting.