Above

by Jason Chabot

The Broken Sky Chronicles continues in "this seamless blend of fantasy, dystopia, and myth . . ." ( Kirkus Reviews ).

Since she fell from her floating island home, Elia has struggled to survive in the land of Below. She has found refuge among the Torkin people, helping to field crops in a ravaged land. Despite her efforts, she is treated with cruel disdain as a strange outsider. Then Hokk appears, having been searching for Elia since they were separated while escaping from the devastated City of Ago, and he's found the means to return Elia to Above. 

On the Isle of the Drifting Dunes, Lady Tasheira has made a grand discovery. Burned and broken debris that must have fallen from the civilization that once inhabited the moon before it shattered and two wounded people. Elia claims to have amnesia, but Tash believes she's a royal with ties to the Twin Emperors. Hokk is suffering from heatstroke, his body unable to tolerate Above's sun after a lifetime beneath Below's clouds. Elia has convinced Tash that Hokk is an emissary from the moon with a message for the Emperors.

Now, Elia and Hokk must play these roles until they can escape and find her family. But Tash is growing suspicious of her new friends, and the Emperors believe they harbor secrets that threaten their kingdom.

"A fast-paced suspense drama with enough twists, turns, and fantastical elements to keep audiences of any age intrigued and coming back for more." — Foreword Reviews

"The growing bond between Elia and Hokk will enchant true romantics, while the surprising plot twists and ongoing mystery will satisfy readers looking for a dose of danger and action." — Kirkus Reviews

364 pages, Kindle Edition

Expected publication February 17, 2026

About the author

I live in Vancouver, British Columbia, but grew up in the rural outskirts of a city called Chilliwack – a Stó:lō First Nations word meaning “quieter water up the river” – where our home was built beside a gurgling creek and surrounded by forests. With no neighbors in sight and only one channel on TV, I had plenty of time to invest in my imagination.

Looking back, the seed for The Broken Sky Chronicles was first planted as a teenager when I worked at a tree nursery that supplied saplings to reforestation programs. I didn’t think a summer job could get any worse – the burning sunshine, the dirt, my aching back, the relentless little flies, always biting. I used to gaze up to the mountain peaks poking above a halo of clouds and wish I could somehow, miraculously, be transported to their alpine meadows, to relax for hours while watching everyone else slave away, far below, in the afternoon heat. “Above” always seemed like the ideal place to be, although I now suspect the bugs would have been larger and definitely more ravenous.

Many other elements of The Broken Sky Chronicles were inspired by places and moments in my life. Growing up on the West Coast, I have always been captivated by nature, whether by our storms, our oceans, or our sunsets. In Vancouver, we are always warned that the Juan de Fuca fault line is long overdue for a horrendous earthquake – so be prepared! And during an amazing trip to Egypt, I was surprised many times to see plastic trash everywhere, half-buried in the sand dunes or floating high in the air, caught in the currents where clouds should be drifting instead.

I chose to write a fantasy adventure novel for young adults because I was intrigued by all these natural elements and how they might affect the lives of two teenagers when their physical worlds collide. While Elia has been enslaved by class and drudgery, Hokk lives in almost complete isolation, and I have enjoyed exploring how each character discovers unexpected strength to survive epic challenges, yet at the same time questioning their perception of reality.

But of course, I suppose Hokk and Elia could have had it worse. They could have worked in a tree nursery!