Book Review: Starsight (Skyward, #2) by Brandon Sanderson
Cover art illustrated by Sam Green
Starsight by Brandon Sanderson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Series: Skyward (Book #2 of 4)
Genre: Sci-fi
Pages: 469 pages (Hardcover edition)
Publish date: 26th of November 2019 by Delacorte Press (US) & Gollancz (UK)
Contrary to my expectations, Starsight was an incredibly fun and engaging sequel to Skyward.
I would be lying if I said I wasn’t worried about reading Starsight. This isn’t because I didn’t enjoy Skyward. But the prequel novellete to Skyward series titled Defending Elysium disappointed me greatly. And a few people have mentioned Starsight and especially Cytonic are inferior to Skyward. Well, I cannot say anything regarding Cytonic yet, but for Starsight, I am happy to say I can disagree with them. As it turns out, I didn’t need to worry about this sequel. Starsight was better than Skyward.
“A hero does not choose her trials. She steps into the darkness, then she faces what comes next.”
The story in Starsight begins a few months after the end of Skyward, and to be fair, I can understand why some readers felt disappointed with Starsight. The majority of Starsight takes place in a new setting rather than in Detritus like it was in Skyward, but I think the most determining change would be the focus on a new set of characters rather than being with Spensa and the crew of Skyward Flight. I assume readers who enter this sequel expecting more of the dynamics between Spensa and her friends from the first book would understandably be disappointed. But personally, I am pleased with this change in direction. Very pleased. Having the story center in Starsight, the name of the location, instead of Detritus allows Sanderson to expand the lore and world-building of the series. And I must say, although certainly marketed for YA readers, I think both Skyward and now Starsight are sci-fi books that can be enjoyed by adult readers when they’re in need of a fast-paced and addictive read with enough characterizations and actions.
“Not that there’s anything wrong with humans. I find their frail, emotionally unstable, irrational natures quite endearing.”
Like most readers who enjoyed Skyward, I would have loved more of Spensa with Jorgen, Cobb, and the rest of her crew. I will not deny that. However, Starsight did wonderfully develop Spensa’s and M-Bot’s characterizations and developments by having them meet a new set of characters. The setting in Starsight felt more vibrant and lively. And yes, the interaction between Spensa and M-Bot was one of my favorite parts about Starsight. Plus, it’s not like the new characters were ever uninteresting. For example, Hesho is precious, funny, and entertaining. Every time he spouted out his poetry and badass lines with his relatively small and adorable physical features, I could not help but smile. I do not think Starsight would’ve been this fun to read if the story, once again, took place only in Detritus with the same set of characters. Sanderson has to progress and expand the series, and in Starsight, we learn so much more about the universe, the Krells, and plenty of new alien races.
“When you’re young, you can assume that everyone older than you has life figured out. Once you get command yourself, you realize we’re all just the same kids wearing older bodies.”
With Spensa and the new group of characters, Sanderson explored the themes of empathy, understanding, and the awfulness of war. Note that the war and battles in Starsight were never gory or explicit in their delivery. But the result and injustice of the circumstances were still painted nicely. And in my opinion, the pacing is the one thing that, in my opinion, Sanderson does absolutely well in Starsight. There were a few sections in Skyward where the training montage felt slightly sluggish or too repetitive for me. I did not get that in Starsight. The dialogues were amusing, the actions were tense enough, and the running espionage was compelling. Reading Spensa trying her best to navigate the new political intrigues of a new world while having to keep her real identity hidden made me turn the pages faster than I thought I would. More importantly, there was almost always something new to learn in every new chapter, such as The Delvers, Doomslug, M-Bot, the abilities of the Cytonics, the secret of the Hyperdrive, and more.
“That’s what war is… A bunch of sorry, desperate fools on both sides, just trying to stay alive. That’s the part that those stories you love leave out, isn’t it? It’s always more convenient when you can fight a dragon. Something you don’t have to worry you’ll start caring about.”
Picture: Starsight by Ben McSweeney
I’m sure I read the last 100 pages of Starsight in one sitting. I couldn’t put it down. I will admit, though, that the order of the last chapter and epilogue in Starsight did not give me any satisfaction or shocking reading experience. Maybe the purpose was for misdirection, but it serves only as a misconception; I thought the chapters were misprinted or put in the wrong order. I saw some comments saying it was brilliant, and I have to disagree. But overall, this did not influence my enjoyment of Starsight. I haven’t read The Reckoners and Rithmatist yet, so I can’t say anything regarding their quality. However, from Skyward and Starsight, Sanderson proved he can write page-turning fantasy or sci-fi books for the adult or young adult audience. I look forward to reading Skyward Flight collection of novellas and Cytonic next month. Many have mentioned that Cytonic is the weakest of the series so far. Even Sanderson stated it is one of the books he had the most difficulty writing and getting it right. However, I will keep my fingers crossed that the book somehow turned out well. Just like Starsight did for me.
“We have grown complacent, timid. I fear that a little aggression, a little strife, might be exactly what we need. Or else…or else we will fall to the first wolf that sneaks past the gates.”
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