Sunreach (Skyward #2.1) – Brandon Sanderson, Janci Patterson

Genre: Science Fiction
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Pages: 208
Release Date: September 28, 2021

Haven’t read the previous novels? Check out my reviews of Skyward and Starsight!

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.

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Sunreach is the first of three co-written novellas set in the Skyward universe. Sunreach follows FM as her and the Skyward Flight crew on left Detritus after the events of Starsight. FM and the others are left to piece together how the hyper drives work and train their one and only Cytonic.

I’m usually not a fan of co-written novellas that are part of a series because the writing and narrative style differs greatly from the main novels. However, Sanderson and Patterson’s writing blends seamlessly creating a narrative that fits within Sanderson’s solo novels.

What I enjoyed most about Sunreach was that the stakes mattered. Since Starsight’s focus is on Spensa and her mission at the expense of her Skyward Flight crew, Sunreach was able to provide readers with stakes that mattered rather than a simple stop-gap while also giving us a glimpse of the characters we missed.

I really enjoyed learning more about FM. Her internal monologue is fascinating as she slowly begins to discover the weaknesses of the DDF and their entire society that are glaringly obvious to readers in the first novel, Skyward. I think this realization will play a larger role in Cytonic.

Overall, Sunreach is a fantastic novella that I couldn’t get enough of. It was great being back with the Skyward Flight crew because they were sorely missed in Starsight. 

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Have you read Sunreach? What did you think?