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This page contains a chapter by chapter summary of Skyward. We hope this summary will make it easier to find specific areas of the book, as well as providing a quick plot refresher for anyone who doesn't want to take the time to reread the entire book. Author:Brandon Sanderson Language: eng Format: epub, azw3 Publisher: Orion Publishing Group Ltd 28. That soup tasted better than the blood of my enemies. Considering I’d never actually tasted the blood of my enemies, perhaps that didn’t do justice to the soup. It tasted better than soup should. Cytonic (Skyward 3) cover and title reveal! I know many of you have been.patiently. waiting for us to finally reveal the cover and title for the third volume in Brandon’s Skyward Series—many of you correctly guessing this would be our first announcement after Brandon’s vague teasing in. Brandon Sanderson is the author of the #1 New York Times bestselling Reckoners series: Steelheart, Firefight, Calamity, and the e-original Mitosis; Skyward; Starsight; and the internationally bestselling Mistborn trilogy. He was also chosen to complete Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time series. His books have been published in more than twenty-five languages and have sold millions of copies worldwide.

Skyward is the first young adult novel in a four-part series. It's the second work in the Cytoverse, with the plot taking place centuries after Defending Elysium.^[1]

Brandon's premise for the story was 'How to Train Your Dragon but instead it's a girl who finds a spaceship and goes to Top Gun school. It's 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.'^[2]

The book was released on November 6, 2018.^[3]

Cover Synopsis[edit]

Spensa’s world has been under attack for decades. Now pilots are the heroes of what's left of the human race, and becoming one has always been Spensa's dream. Since she was a little girl, she has imagined soaring skyward and proving her bravery. But her fate is intertwined with her father's- a pilot himself who was killed years ago when he abruptly deserted his team, leaving Spensa the daughter of a coward, her chances of attending Flight School slim to none.

No one will let Spensa forget what her father did, yet fate works in mysterious ways. Flight School might be a long shot, but she is determined to fly. And an accidental discovery in a long-forgotten cavern might just provide her with a way to claim the stars.

Summary[edit]

Spensa has dreamed of being a pilot since she was a child. Inspired by her father, then fueled with outrage by the DDF's accusations of cowardice following his death, Spensa spends the next decade preparing for the flight school entrance exam. Gaining entrance to the program with the help of her new instructor Cobb, Spensa teams up with nine fellow trainees to form Skyward Flight and battle the Krell, an alien force trying to destroy the Defiant colony. Aided by the mysterious stealth fighter M-Bot, whom she finds abandoned in a cave, Spensa must navigate the pitfalls of flight school, uncover the truth about her father's death, and try not to die at the hands of an enemy starfighter.

Skyward Brandon Sanderson Artwork

Characters[edit]

Spensa Nightshade

Spensa, callsign 'Spin', is the daughter of Zeen Nightshade (callsign Chaser), supposedly a cowardly DDF pilot who abandoned a battle. He always told Spensa: 'set your sights on something higher. Something more grand'. Spensa fights to be accepted into Flight School, but refuses to give up even in the face of certain failure. She finds an ancient ship, and, with the help and guidance from her friend Rodge, attempts to rebuild it.

Captain Cobb

Cobb, callsign 'Mongrel', is Spensa's flight instructor and was her father's wingmate. He stands up to the Admiral on Spensa's behalf and accepts her into his training group.

Rodge McCaffery

Rodge, often called Rig (callsign Rigmarole), is one of Spensa's childhood friends. After dropping out of DDF flight school, he returns to Igneous Cavern and becomes a engineer. He 'borrows' parts from the workshop to help repair M-Bot.

Jorgen Weight

Jorgen is the flightleader of Skyward Flight, and was was one of only two to graduate to full pilot before the Battle of Alta Second. His callsign, Jerkface, was chosen by Spensa. He grew up in the deep caverns, and is the son of Jeshua Weight, a First Citizen who fought in the Battle of Alta.

Judy 'Ironsides' Ivans

Judy Ivans, callsign 'Ironsides', is Admiral of the DDF. She fought in the Battle of Alta. Ironsides tries to deny Spensa Flight School entry, fearing that she will carry the Defect like her father.

Hudiya

Hudiya, callsign 'Hurl', was a pilot in Skyward Flight, and was also Spensa's wingmate. She was an athletic girl from Igneous Cavern, and died in battle after refusing to eject from an uncontrolled descent.

Freyja

Freyja, call sign 'FM', is a pilot in Skyward Flight. She was one of only two to graduate to full pilot before the Battle of Alta Second. Freyja is from the deep caverns, and vocally opposes Defiant culture. She identifies as a 'Disputer'.

Arturo Mendez

Arturo was a pilot in Skyward Flight before his parents pulled him out after Hurl's death. He is from the deep caverns, son of Valda Mendez, and was one of the two assistant flightleaders along with Nedd. His callsign is 'Amphisbaena', a type of two-headed dragon.

Nedd Strong

Nedd, call sign 'Nedder', was a pilot in Skyward Flight. He was dismissed from the DDF due to absenteeism after his brothers died in battle, and was just barely saved himself when Spensa pulled him to safety. He was one of the two assistant flightleaders, along with Arturo.

Kimmalyn

Kimmalyn is an enthusiastic girl from Bountiful Cavern, daughter of AA gunners. and was a pilot in Skyward Flight before she quit after Hurl's death. She often makes up wise sayings. She chose 'Quick' as her callsign, but it became 'Quirk' when her flightmates kept pronouncing it wrong.

M-Bot

M-Bot is the AI in the derelict stealth ship that Spensa discovers. His memory has been corrupted, so all he remembers is his former pilot's last orders: 'Lie low, M-bot. Take stock, don't get into any fights, and wait for me here.' M-Bot determines that he was sent to categorize fungi. Single-minded in his obedience, he refuses to fight and is obsessed with gathering fungal life from the planet.

Gran-Gran

Spensa's grandmother was aboard the Defiant and worked with her mother in the engine room. She told Spensa stories of ancient heroes inspiring Spensa's regular use of creative threats.

Setting[edit]

Skyward is a non-cosmere novel set in the Cytoverse on the planet Detritus.

Writing Process[edit]

Brandon wrote Skyward in approximately three months, most of that while he was on tour for Oathbringer or on holiday.

Cover Gallery[edit]

Interior Art[edit]

Notes[edit]

1. ↑Skyward Chicago signing
   — Arcanum - 2018-11-16Cite: Arcanum-11990#
2. ↑Brandon Sanderson Reads From Skyward
   — 17th Shard YouTube Channel - Nov 14, 2017#
3. ↑Officially Announcing Skyward
   — Brandon's website - Dec 18, 2017Cite: BrandonSanderson.com/officially-announcing-skyward/#

Brandon Sanderson’s latest New York Times bestseller Skyward has something for everyone—a kickass heroine you want to root for, adorable space creatures, evil aliens, adventure, explosions, humor, AND more books to come in the series!

Skyward is one of those books that sucks you into its world and the characters, so we knew that Brandon’s bajillions of fans would have many questions about the new series and his writing process. Here’s a roundup of some of the amazing questions you’ve asked so far, with answers from the man, the myth, the legend himself: Brandon Sanderson!

***No spoilers, but if you want everything to be a complete surprise, read at your own risk.***

About the book:

1. Is Skyward going to be a part of the Cosmere?

It is unrelated to the Cosmere, since Earth is part of its history and because certain elements of space travel are done differently.

2. Do we get more background information on Captain Cobb?

Yes, we do. Quite a bit.

3. Is Spensa mechanically savvy enough to repair the starfighter alone?

Nope, she’s not. That’s going to prove a problem for her.

4. Will Jorgen keep the callsign “Jerkface”?

He hopes not.

5. Will we be seeing more of Spensa’s mom?

Yes, you will.

6. Is there a romance planned?

You’ll have to wait and see! This is an action-adventure story first and a character study second. So know that if there’s romance, it won’t be a focus.

7. On the cover, Spensa’s eyes are purple. Is this important?

Only in that they are distinctive. I chose purple for her as a color theme, and the artist ran with that.

8. Will we see multiple alien species in this series?

You’ll have to wait and see. Anything I say now could be a spoiler for the ending.

9. Can the ships go backward while airborne?

Very slowly with maneuvering thrusters.

10. Is the whole story going to be told from Spensa’s perspective?

It will be 95 percent from Spensa’s viewpoint, but there will be three brief chapters sprinkled through the books that are from another character’s perspective.

11. Was there any specific inspiration behind the callsigns we’ve seen so far?

To help readers keep them straight, I tried to make all the callsigns start with the same letters or sounds as the character’s real name.

12. Is Detritus, Spensa’s home planet, purple?

More blue-grey.

13. If “evil superheroes” was the hook for the Reckoners, what is the hook for Skyward?

How to Train Your Dragon but with spaceships. (Or, for something even older, Top Gun meets Independence Day.)

14. I’m so curious about the Krell. Is there something big hiding behind their identity?

Yes!

15. What was Skyward inspired by, and how long have you been working on it?

I’ve been working on it since about 2012, on and off. It was inspired by my love of stories about kids finding dragon eggs.

16. Will we see more animals like that strange slug?

You will indeed see more Doomslug and other creatures like her!

17. Is this going to be a trilogy?

I did an in-depth outline last July, and it called for four books. I’m going with that right now.

18. What Skyward-inspired cosplay are you most excited to see at upcoming cons?

Doomslug the Destroyer, obviously.

About the writing process:

1. Was there a scene that you had in your head from the beginning?

There were two. One is where Spensa sees the ship for the first time. The other is a spoiler!

2. What’s your favorite thing about writing new characters?

I love seeing the world through the eyes of a new character, particularly when they describe something common in a very different way.

3. What’s your writing process like?

I am a slow and steady writer, not a particularly fast one. I write a little each day, with a goal of around two thousand words.

4. Where did you write this book, and what music did you listen to while writing?

I wrote it partially on tour for Oathbringer and partially at home. As for music, here is the actual playlist!

5. How does writing science fiction differ from writing fantasy?

Skyward veered a little more toward the science (particularly with getting g-forces right), but it was actually quite similar.

6. Who was your favorite character to write?

It was definitely the character named M-Bot.

7. It’s been more than five years since the publication of Steelheart. What have you learned about writing YA in that time?

I’ve read a lot of great books by other YA authors, and I’ve been trying to pay attention to studying character interactions in particular.

8. Is sci-fi something you would like to venture deeper into in future series?

Yes, indeed. A lot of my fantasy worlds are inching toward science fiction and will get there eventually.

Skyward Brandon Sanderson Wiki

9. Was there anything different in your writing process for this book?

Skyward Brandon Sanderson Characters

I needed to write it fast, since I really wanted to have it out last year. But I needed to meet other deadlines. Fortunately, it worked really well.