Have you ever wondered if storytelling could save the world?
Before you roll your eyes at me for the absurd thing I say, I must tell you they can. But you’re right, stories might not change everything on their own; they’re just a good start. Where do you think money came from? Trees? Last I checked, a sheet of paper is worth less than a dollar.
That’s right, money started off as a story, not an objective reality.
Welcome to my odd review series, where I categorize how much novels question our beliefs about life, and how much they merely take them for granted.
W H A T I S S K Y W A R D ?
Roughly speaking, this book centers on Spensa, a girl determined to become a pilot for the DDF while also bearing the burden of being called the ‘Coward’s daughter’. It seems that, at some point, her father was deemed THE coward, so he had to be shot down from the sky (literally) and that subsequently ruined his daughter’s life, or his family’s really. And that's what Spensa has to deal with… all while she also tries to overcome getting killed in flight school, mind you.
F U N
Fun has to be a category, period.
Some books might be boring or fun, and this is something important for a review. There are boring books that do have an incredible critique, and there are those fun ones that don't even consider it. This section is to distinguish from either case.
In Skyward’s case, the novel is fun and does a good job of being exactly that. Characters are interesting and diverse, they have their own goals, and they all fit in the world so well; the plot gets you grabbing the edge of your seat at times and eventually pays off in a satisfying ending. The humor is on point —M-bot carries this section singlehandedly—, and the worldbuilding is exquisite.
The story is not predictable but isn’t completely new; it’s got a good story mixed in with good characters, a good plot, and great world-building. Everything in a neat pack.
Nothing too unexpected from Sanderson, I would presume.
Verdict? W O R K S F O R M E
W E L L W R I T T E N
If a book is badly written, would you even consider any idea born from it? It has to fool you enough for you to be able to digest anything coming from it, so… It gets a category of its own.
Much to no one’s surprise, Sanderson delivers in this arena.
Characters are well-written; they have their hopes, fears, and their quirks that set them apart from each other. The plot flows smoothly, letting you get lost in it to boot, and there is even emotion tangled into everything—boring bits don’t detract from it at all, surprisingly.
You even get the feeling things were carefully planned out… and expertly executed to top it all off.
No surprise, though, right?
Verdict? W O R K S F O R M E
T H O U G T - P R O V O K I N G T H E M E S
This is where Skyward doesn’t match my expectations. The theme it seems to be circling over is nothing other than courage. About how good it is to be courageous, to be the hero, to confront any fear. But it is not exactly something that makes me stay up at night pondering over.
Of course, courage is good. Of course, it’d be great if we all had it. But what questions does it elicit?
Don’t get me wrong, I did enjoy the theme, and I did get sucked in its premise, but it was not something I was thinking about, but more like, feeling inside.
Some might argue the nuance lies in the way the interpretation of courage changes—from the conception that ‘courage is having no fear’, to ‘courage is choosing to face your fears’—, but it’s still not enough to meet my needs.
But maybe it wasn’t meant to?
Verdict? N O T F O R M E
C R I T I C A L C O M M E N T A R Y
Though having critical commentary seems to overlap with having thought-provoking themes, here, my friend, is the proof they don’t.
Skyward does have plenty of social commentary. In the form of FM and Cobb, of all people, but there it is. FM my personal favorite because she sees what most don’t; how culture is actually shaping every nook and cranny of the DDF and the Defiant; how the military they’re living in is practically based on Fascism—or a milder form of it; how the courage the DDF sells is a mere façade to get pilots off into the sky with the false pretense that they will be marked as heroes…
And maybe they are turned into heroes, but heroes to whom? What efforts are they truly helping? The Defiant’s?
Nope. The DDF’s efforts, of course.
They send teens off into the sky with the excuse they cannot do anything else.
But is it really helping the Defiant defeat the Krell? Or is it merely keeping the ruling class in power?
That is Skyward's social commentary.
It’s presented subtly, but it’s there.
Verdict? W O R K S F O R M E
P R O P O S E S A L T E R N A T I V E S
The biggest flaw in Skyward.
Or any book, really.
We have been mostly taught to stifle creativity, and even more when involved in problem-solving. Throwing ideas on how social issues can be solved is insanity in the world we live in because, one way or another, someone else doesn’t like it.
Skyward is no different. Instead of showing us how a society like the Defiant can move past its roots, what Sanderson offers us is a new way of looking at courage. What we should do ourselves to be better, to be better individuals in a controlling world.
But how do we navigate a society that wants us all to be pilots who sacrifice ourselves for the DDF?
…Still a great story, though.
Verdict? N O T F O R M E
To make a long story short, this book got:
Comentários