Cytonic
 First edition (US) | |
| Author | Brandon Sanderson |
|---|---|
| Cover artist | Charlie Bowater |
| Language | English |
| Series | Skyward |
| Genre | Science fiction novel |
| Publisher | Delacorte Press |
Publication date | November 23, 2021 |
| Pages | 432 |
| ISBN | 9780593433874 |
| Preceded by | Starsight |
| Followed by | Defiant |
Cytonic is a 2021 young adult[a] science fiction novel written by American author Brandon Sanderson. It is the third book in the Skyward series after Skyward and Starsight. The penultimate novel of the four-book series, it was published by Delacorte Press on November 23, 2021[1][2] with a sequel due in 2023.
Plot
After entering a portal into the nowhere, the delver Spensa had come into contact with gives her a choice to enter the nowhere or return to her home. She chooses to enter the nowhere, believing as she is that she cannot give her friends the advantage they need over the Superiority.
Characters
Call signs are denoted in parentheses.[3]
- Spensa Nightshade (Spin): A skilled DDF pilot with cytonic powers, which allow her to access a dimension she refers to as the Nowhere in addition to allowing her to tap into other psionic uses. Previously posed as the alien Alanik using holographic technology forged by M-Bot.
- M-Bot: Spensa's advanced AI of unknown origin. He is highly talkative and frequently ponders whether he is truly alive or not. Originally housed in a starship, M-Bot's ship was deconstructed for parts and he is now located in a small drone.
- Chet Starfinder: A delver who was reformed after coming into contact with Spensa. He disguises himself as an explorer who has lost his memory due to spending 170 years in the nowhere.
- Doomslug: Spensa's pet alien slug who was revealed to be a source of faster-than-light travel and a fellow cytonic.
Development
The novel was originally intended to be released in Spring 2021 as part of a trilogy and later a four-book series. However, its release was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic and rigidly set for November or December due to paper shortages and printing delays from the publisher. Sanderson originally explored the idea of having multiple point of views,[4] an idea that was seemingly scrapped sometime during the writing process. In January 2021, Sanderson finished the first draft. Sanderson has stated that he feels the novel is a "little bit of a diversion" from the main story set to focus specifically on Spensa's arc in the aftermath of Starsight's last chapter.[5]
Reception
Kirkus Reviews was critical of pacing caused by the increased focus on character development but praised the "wild aerial dogfights and larger battles", "terrific combat scenes" and "galleries of the multispecies cast members."[6]
Future
The novel will be followed by a sequel, Defiant, which will wrap up the Skyward series. It is expected to be released in 2023.
Sanderson and Janci Patterson will be releasing three tie-in audiobooks called Sunreach, ReDawn and Evershore based around characters on Detritus: FM, Alanik, and Jorgen. These will also be released as novellas at the same time, coinciding with Cytonic's release date.[7]
Notes
- ^ As with the first two novels in the series, it is published as adult outside of the US.
References
- ^ "The On-Sale Calendar: November 2021 Children's Books". PublishersWeekly.com. Retrieved July 18, 2021.
- ^ "Forthcoming Books". Locus Online. August 29, 2017. Retrieved July 18, 2021.
- ^ Sanderson, Brandon (September 17, 2021). "Preview Cytonic, Book 3 in Brandon Sanderson's Skyward Series". Tor.com. Retrieved September 18, 2021.
- ^ "#4 - Brandon Sanderson Live Signing Session - YouTube". www.youtube.com. Retrieved January 27, 2021.
- ^ Sanderson, Brandon (2020). "Skyward 3 update 2". reddit.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ CYTONIC | Kirkus Reviews.
- ^ "The Skyward Novellas". Risingshadow. Retrieved September 16, 2021.