Heavy Sky

Skies of Azoria #1

by Alex O. Harb

In a world where landmasses drift among the clouds, survival depends on reading the winds. The eagle riders of the Heights cling to fragile islets, knowing each will one day fall into the Storm below. At lower altitudes, pilots chart the skies in zeppelins and steam-powered planes. Above them, an advanced civilization observes from orbit, preparing to harvest the planet’s anti-gravity mineral.

For generations, no one dared explore what lies beneath the endless storm—until now.

Heavy Sky begins the Azoria a tale of floating islands, steamflight, and the secrets hidden beneath the clouds.

487 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 2025

About the author

Game developer re-specced as an author. Now working on the Azoria book series.

Reviews

[Zachary · Rating 4 out of 5]

BLUF: Sci-fi dystopian steampunk, well written, interesting concept, great characters, good flow until the end

This book surprised me. I've read several books that have a unique take on sci-fi/dystopian/steampunk, but this one mashed them all together, did it well, and combined it with well written characters and a story that flowed well. All in all, a 4, almost 5 star read.

The book follows 4 MCs from the differing factions on the planet Azoria as they are thrown together by happenstance and then have to deal with what's happening in the world. It's a great way to introduce a complex geography and cosmology, and I think the author did a pretty good job executing it.

Two quibbles:

- There are very distinct regions of Alex's world (the tribes living on floating islands, the Technocracy, and the people on the land below the Storm), yet they all speak so that they can understand each other. Additionally some acknowledge that the others exist while others seem to disavow or have no knowledge of people above/below. This confused me, and I hand waived it but would like it to have been clarified.

- The end seemed rushed. There was a slowdown in action when the MCs split up, then at the end all the action was rushed together, Game of Thrones (tv series, not book) season 7 style. We're here, there, things happen BAM BAM BAM, and then...the book's done. It was too rapid a climax without a proper denouement.

Those quibbles aside, I'm eager to read book 2.

[Druida Valdemarovna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating steampunk story! Quite long, but with interesting twist.

[Indie Library · Rating 4 out of 5]

On Azoria, a planet of floating islands held aloft by living mineral veins, a Federation mining crew extracts the wrong stone from the wrong island, dropping a tribal initiate, a steam pilot, and their own stranded medic through a permanent hurricane to the mythical ocean surface below. What they find there is a world-sustaining engine already failing – and the extraction just accelerated the impending catastrophe.

Alex O. Harb's world-building is the real engine in “Heavy Sky”: stacked societies across altitude zones and a colonial extraction allegory that delivers genuine moral friction. Marvin Thale, an eccentric lighthouse keeper who has spent fifty-three years cataloguing island falls with only a donkey for company, stands as the novel's most memorable element. Uneven early pacing and heavy tribal exposition give way to a propulsive second half. By the time the four strangers share a prison cell, “Heavy Sky” has clicked into focus.

[Steven D · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed diving into this book. Rich with characters that I got very attached to. A new genre for me and I am hooked after one book! A must read for all who like Steampunk.