Skyward – Brandon Sanderson (2018)

Skyward by Brandon Sanderson, published in 2018, is the first book in the Skyward series, a gripping science fiction saga set on the planet Detritus, where the remnants of humanity struggle to survive constant alien assaults. The story follows a fiercely determined young girl named Spensa, who dreams of becoming a pilot in the Defiant Defense Force despite her father’s notorious legacy. This novel blends high-stakes aerial battles, mysterious alien technology, and a protagonist with unshakable ambition, marking a compelling entry into Sanderson’s wide-ranging repertoire.

Plot Summary

On the desolate planet of Detritus, humanity clung to survival beneath a shell of ancient orbital debris, hiding in subterranean caverns from the alien threat known as the Krell. The skies, once theirs, had become a dangerous frontier. In this world, the daughter of a disgraced pilot named Chaser dared to defy the gravity of legacy and aim for the stars. Her name was Spensa Nightshade, and her heart beat like the afterburn of a starfighter – full of defiance, wonder, and fury.

From a young age, Spensa dreamed of becoming a pilot. Her father had been one, a hero she idolized – until he was accused of cowardice during a critical battle, killed by his own flight in a shameful execution. That one act cast a long shadow over Spensa’s life. Labeled the coward’s daughter, she was mocked, ridiculed, and denied her rightful place in the Defiant Defense Force. Yet Spensa’s resolve burned brighter with each rejection. She trained herself in the dark tunnels of the caverns, hunted rats with a salvaged speargun, and memorized every maneuver, every component of a starfighter, every page of history and engineering she could get her hands on. If the world wouldn’t open the door, she would blast through it.

When the day came to take the pilot’s test, Spensa arrived late and bruised, having been caught in a falling debris storm. Admiral Ironsides, cold and commanding, watched with thinly veiled disdain. The test itself had been rigged. While other students received questions about piloting and tactics, Spensa’s version was filled with irrelevant and obscure sanitation trivia – a silent verdict passed before the ink even dried. But she wrote anyway, rage and defiance coursing through her fingers.

Against the odds, she was called to flight school. Not by official grace, but by the quiet intervention of Cobb, a grizzled war veteran and friend of her father. He saw something in her – not just talent, but fire. Cobb trained the cadets of Skyward Flight, a new class formed from promising youth. Spensa joined them: Jorgen, the uptight son of a First Citizen; Kimmalyn, shy and sharp-eyed; FM, thoughtful and skeptical; and others who formed a bond forged in the crucible of battle simulations and whispered stories of the Krell.

But Spensa’s place in flight school was precarious. Ironsides made her sleep in a cave outside the base, refusing to house her with the others. She scavenged supplies and cooked rat meat for herself. When Cobb refused to give her a real flight instructor’s pin – a symbol of her legitimacy – she carved one from scrap, wearing it with pride. Still, she soared. Each simulation, each mock battle, sharpened her instincts. Her callsign became Spin, and her presence in the sky was as ferocious as it was unpredictable.

Then came the discovery. In one of her forbidden explorations through the old caverns, Spensa stumbled upon a buried ship, unlike any in the fleet. It was sleek, alien, yet undeniably human in construction. And it was alive. The ship, later named M-Bot, had a damaged AI with a penchant for mushrooms and a curious fear of flying. Buried for centuries, M-Bot remembered glimpses of a war long past, fragments of orders to hide and remain silent. Spensa made it her mission to repair the craft, piece by piece, while hiding it from the DDF.

With each passing day, she flew and fought and bled beside her flightmates. But Krell attacks were increasing. Where once there were simple sorties and scattered engagements, now came swarms, coordinated strikes that hinted at intelligence. Something was watching. Something was adapting.

Her flight began to fall. One by one, her teammates were shot down or killed. The cheerful Hurl, brave and bold, perished in a tragic crash. Bim, ever earnest, didn’t make it back from a mission. Even Cobb, haunted by old ghosts, could only do so much to protect them. The truth pressed harder – the DDF was using the young pilots as distractions, cannon fodder to buy time and confuse the enemy. And Spensa, with each encounter, started hearing… things. Voices in her head. Echoes that didn’t belong to her.

Then came the real terror: the revelation that the Krell weren’t monsters, but custodians. An ancient alien alliance called the Superiority kept humanity trapped on Detritus. The orbital debris belt was not merely a ruin but a prison – programmed to alert the enemy if humans grew too powerful. Every large formation, every radio signal, every moment of unity was a danger. The Krell didn’t invade to conquer – they came to suppress. To cull. To contain.

Spensa uncovered more. The reason her father had fled that day wasn’t cowardice. He had broken formation after being overwhelmed by the same strange voices Spensa now heard. The DDF had known. They had lied. They feared what she was becoming. They feared she might be like him.

She wasn’t.

With M-Bot’s help and the fragments of memory that surged in moments of clarity, Spensa realized she was a cytonic – gifted with the rare ability to slip into a realm beyond space, to sense minds and even communicate across vast distances. It was this ability the Krell feared most, for it could bypass their control, their surveillance. It was the key to freedom.

In the final, desperate battle, with Alta Base under siege and her squad reduced to near ruins, Spensa made a choice. She flew. She took M-Bot, still damaged but functional, into the heart of the enemy formation. She slipped into the nowhere place between stars, confusing and scattering the Krell ships. She heard their fear. Felt their minds. Knew their purpose. And she struck.

Victory came not with overwhelming force, but with clarity. Alta Base survived. The Krell retreated. Skyward Flight, broken and mourning, stood bloodied but undefeated. Spensa, once the outcast, the coward’s daughter, emerged as something more. Not just a pilot. A symbol. A spark.

She had claimed the sky. The stars waited next.

Main Characters

• Spensa “Spin” Nightshade: A fiercely ambitious and imaginative 17-year-old girl, Spensa has grown up under the shadow of her father’s disgrace, accused of cowardice in battle. Undeterred by social stigma and institutional rejection, she is determined to prove herself as a pilot. Spensa’s voice is sharp and courageous, and her journey is one of rising above prejudice and finding the truth about herself and her father.

• Chaser (Callsign): Spensa’s father, once a celebrated pilot, becomes a pariah after allegedly fleeing during a crucial battle. His legacy haunts Spensa, shaping her identity and driving her pursuit of the truth. His enigmatic actions during the Battle of Alta become a central mystery in the plot.

• Gran-Gran (Becca Nightshade): Spensa’s eccentric grandmother, Gran-Gran fills Spensa’s life with tales of ancient Earth heroes and mystical advice. She nurtures Spensa’s imagination and instills in her a deep, almost spiritual reverence for the stars, while also hinting at lost knowledge from their past.

• Admiral Judy “Ironsides” Ivans: The formidable leader of the DDF, Ironsides is a pragmatist who appears to value order and survival over idealism. She openly opposes Spensa’s admittance to flight school due to her father’s legacy, making her a direct antagonist to Spensa’s ambitions.

• Rig (Rigmarole): Spensa’s childhood friend and a technical genius. More cautious and reserved than Spensa, Rig provides emotional grounding and loyal support. His intellect and engineering skills complement Spensa’s boldness.

• Mongrel: Chaser’s enthusiastic and confident wingmate. Though not a central character, he serves as a symbol of camaraderie and the camaraderie of pilots, as well as an echo of the past Spensa strives to understand.

• Dia: The class bully and daughter of Spensa’s teacher, Dia represents the systemic bias against Spensa. Her disdain and cruel words embody the social stigma and institutional gatekeeping that Spensa must confront.

Theme

• Defiance and Legacy: Central to Skyward is the idea of defiance—both in the context of military resistance against the Krell and in the personal rebellion against unjust societal norms. Spensa must navigate the weight of her father’s alleged cowardice while carving out her own path, re-defining what it means to inherit a legacy.

• Courage vs. Cowardice: The book delves deeply into how courage is defined and judged. Spensa’s society equates honor with martial prowess, and cowardice is seen as the worst shame. Her struggle questions the black-and-white nature of these values and ultimately explores the true nature of bravery.

• Truth and Perception: The narrative challenges institutional control of information and the selective retelling of history. Spensa’s quest to uncover what really happened to her father reflects broader questions about propaganda, memory, and the manipulation of truth.

• Identity and Self-Worth: Spensa’s arc is rooted in her battle for identity—reconciling her lineage with her aspirations, and learning that her worth is not determined by others’ opinions or even by heroic acts alone. Her fantasy-fueled inner world, initially a coping mechanism, evolves into a strength.

• Freedom and the Stars: The recurring motif of the stars symbolizes hope, vast possibility, and a return to humanity’s roots. Spensa’s dreams are literally sky-bound, and the unknown above becomes a canvas for ambition, mystery, and ancient purpose.

Writing Style and Tone

Brandon Sanderson’s writing in Skyward is energetic, immersive, and character-driven. He employs a first-person point of view that is tightly woven with Spensa’s internal monologue, giving readers direct access to her thoughts, humor, and vulnerabilities. The prose balances detailed worldbuilding with snappy, witty dialogue and fast-paced action sequences. Sanderson’s knack for pacing keeps the story tense yet rich with character development.

The tone of Skyward is a dynamic blend of gritty realism and youthful exuberance. While the backdrop is grim—a besieged society under constant alien threat—the tone remains uplifting through Spensa’s fiery optimism and irreverent personality. There’s a pulse of inspiration running through the novel, one that embraces the absurd, clings to hope, and ultimately celebrates resilience. Sanderson’s ability to infuse his protagonist’s unique voice with emotional depth and comic flair makes Skyward both a compelling science fiction adventure and a profound coming-of-age story.