Lina DC 01/09/2019"Skyward" is narrated in first person by the protagonist Spensa, "Spin". In the prologue, the reader knows a little about the history of the planet. The book is set on a planet called Detritus, a planet shrouded in debris, where humans seek refuge in caves from alien attacks called Krell, who perform surprise attacks. Because of this, humans created the Challenging Defense Force (FDD), made up of the most talented pilots on the planet.
Among these pilots is Spensa's father, a source of family pride and inspiration for his daughter, who wants to follow her father's path and become the best pilot ever. Still in the prologue, the reader follows an epic battle against the Krell and Spensa has their world turned upside down as their father is considered a deserter, bringing shame to the family and ending the legacy before it even begins.
The story from there will be divided into five parts. In the first part, Spensa is already 17 years old and is known as the "daughter of a coward". Even suffering from the prejudice of others, the protagonist does not give up becoming a pilot and much less believes that her father abandoned the other pilots in the midst of the confrontation.
"My father's dream had come true. By defeating the Krell more than nine years earlier, those still inexperienced fighter pilots inspired a nation. Dozens of clans resolved to abandon their nomadic cultures and finally reunited, colonizing Igneous and the caves as they went. Each of the clans still held their name, which could be traced back to the ship or the area of the ship their ancestors had worked in. My clan was the Motorized, as we were descended from the crew that had worked in the engine room. we called them Challengers. A name taken from our original space. " (p. 20)
Spensa is at the age of deciding which career to pursue through the Test, a test that will see what skills she has and thus direct her to the role she will play for the rest of her life. But will the FDD willingly accept Spensa as a driver even if she passes the test?
If it depends on Judy Evans, the first citizen and the FDD commander, absolutely not. For Judy, they can't risk having a coward's daughter in training, but sometimes plans fail ...
In the second part of the book, the adventure really begins. Spensa starts training, but soon realizes that she is treated differently and will not achieve anything easily. His classmate group is quite varied: Kimmalyn, Bim, Hudiya, Freya, Nedd, Arturo and Jorgen, the son of a First Citizen and a pompous asshole. This eclectic group needs to become a united team under Mongrel, the class's teacher and coach.
Amidst the heavy training and the reality of imminent new Krell attacks, Spensa, as the synopsis explains, finds an ancient craft with artificial intelligence that challenges everything the protagonist has learned about her planet.
The book is a spectacular science fiction. We have battles, ship details, strategy lessons and more. But the work also focuses on the personal growth of the characters, the discussion about the impact of humans on the universe, and the way we use our resources.
Editora Planeta's minotaur seal has done a wonderful job in the layout, revision and layout of the edition. The book also has drawings of ships and flowcharts with details of certain parts of them, which greatly assists in visualizing battles.