Blightfall

Riftwake #1

by Brandon Sanderson, Janci Patterson

From #1 New York Times bestselling author Brandon Sanderson and Janci Patterson comes the first book in a new, high-flying trilogy featuring the legendary Skyward Flight as they undertake a deadly intergalactic mission to explore a mysterious alien world.

After decades of war against alien oppressors, the humans of the Defiant Defense Force are finally free. Yet for Arturo Mendez, leader of Skyward Flight, freedom isn’t what he thought it would be.

His first postwar assignment seems simple: The DDF has found evidence of other settlements of humans who were isolated during their long war against the aliens, and Arturo and his flight of pilots are to escort a team of diplomats as they attempt to make contact. It’s an easy mission—get in, guard the diplomats, and get out.

But no element of this mission turns out to be simple. Blightfall is inhospitable, surrounded by mysterious debris and covered in giant, invasive forests that have swallowed most of the planet. Upon arrival, Arturo’s team is attacked, and it quickly becomes clear that this human settlement isn’t what it appears to be.

Now trapped in an unfamiliar world and unsure who to trust, Arturo and his team must find allies and uncover long-buried secrets if they hope to escape and return home.

Genres: Science Fiction, Fantasy, Young Adult, Fiction, Audiobook, Dystopia, Space

496 pages, Hardcover

First published September 1, 2026

About the author

I’m Brandon Sanderson, and I write stories of the fantastic: fantasy, science fiction, and thrillers.

The release of Wind and Truth in December 2024—the fifth and final book in the first arc of the #1 New York Times bestselling Stormlight Archive series—marks a significant milestone for me. This series is my love letter to the epic fantasy genre, and it’s the type of story I always dreamed epic fantasy could be. Now is a great time to get into the Stormlight Archive since the first arc, which begins with Way of Kings, is complete.

During our crowdfunding campaign for the leatherbound edition of Words of Radiance, I announced a fifth Secret Project called Isles of the Emberdark, which came out in the summer of 2025. Coming December 2025 is Tailored Realities, my non-Cosmere short story collection featuring the new novella Moment Zero.

Defiant, the fourth and final volume of the series that started with Skyward in 2018, came out in November 2023, capping an already book-filled year that saw the releases of all four Secret Projects: Tress of the Emerald Sea, The Frugal Wizard’s Handbook for Surviving Medieval England, Yumi and the Nightmare Painter, and The Sunlit Man. These four books were all initially offered to backers of the #1 Kickstarter campaign of all time.

November 2022 saw the release of The Lost Metal, the seventh volume in the Mistborn saga, and the final volume of the Mistborn Era Two featuring Wax & Wayne. Now that the first arc of the Stormlight Archive is wrapped up, I’ve started writing the third era of Mistborn in 2025.

Most readers have noticed that my adult fantasy novels are in a connected universe called the Cosmere. This includes The Stormlight Archive, both Mistborn series, Elantris, Warbreaker, four of the five Secret Projects, and various novellas, including The Emperor’s Soul, which won a Hugo Award in 2013. In November 2016 all of the existing Cosmere short fiction was released in one volume called Arcanum Unbounded. If you’ve read all of my adult fantasy novels and want to see some behind-the-scenes information, that collection is a must-read.

I also have three YA series: The Rithmatist (currently at one book), The Reckoners (a trilogy beginning with Steelheart), and Skyward. For young readers I also have my humorous series Alcatraz vs. the Evil Librarians, which had its final book, Bastille vs. the Evil Librarians, released in 2022. Many of my adult readers enjoy all of those books as well, and many of my YA readers enjoy my adult books, usually starting with Mistborn.

Additionally, I have a few other novellas that are more on the thriller/sci-fi side. These include the three stories in Legion: The Many Lives of Stephen Leeds, as well as Perfect State and Snapshot. These two novellas are also featured in 2025’s Tailored Realities. There’s a lot of material to go around!

Good starting places are Mistborn (a.k.a. The Final Empire), Skyward, Steelheart, The Emperor’s Soul, Tress of the Emerald Sea, and Alcatraz vs. the Evil Librarians. If you’re already a fan of big fat fantasies, you can jump right into The Way of Kings.

I was also honored to be able to complete the final three volumes of The Wheel of Time, beginning with The Gathering Storm, using Robert Jordan’s notes.

Sample chapters from all of my books are available at brandonsanderson.com—and check out the rest of my site for chapter-by-chapter annotations, deleted scenes, and more.

Reviews

[Anna [Bran. San. Stan]]

Now that’s what a collaboration is supposed to be like: fast-paced, immersive, fun, and well-written.

This novel is set about a month after the events in Defiant, the final book of the Skyward series. Now that the war is won, everyone takes on new roles, getting used to drastic changes in their lives, which were defined by survival prior to this new age of peace.

This book follows Arturo, a minor member of team Skyward Flight in the Skyward novels, who then had a larger role in the novellas, and Sadie, a new character and fellow fighter pilot. You would think that Arturo and Sadie would emerge as a couple since they are both viewpoint characters, but Arturo is actually in love with Alanik, the alien protagonist in the Skyward novella ReDawn, who I love dearly. (Seriously, all those novellas were wonderful.) Sadie actually has a love interest as well, which I find very refreshing and also adorable. Just know that romance is not central to the plot.

Arturo, Sadie, and a few others are now tasked with accompanying diplomats from their planet, Detritus, to the eponymous Blightfall, a strange and unknown planet. Their mission is to make contact with the other human colony there and to investigate a mysterious inhibitor field that prevents communication. This mission to Blightfall is supposed to be a peaceful one, but of course things don’t go as planned and instead go horribly wrong…

Because communication is inhibited somehow, it’s safe to assume that these humans on Blightfall have not heard of their liberation from the so-called Superiority, an empire made up of many different species and planets. In previous books they used to oppress, exploit, and eliminate humans, who were considered an inferior, primitive, aggressive, and dangerous species and thus lived in preserves, essentially being held prisoners. With the defeat of the Superiority, lives have changed drastically and efforts of communication with other human preserves are being made, as is the case in this novel.

I had high hopes for Blightfall to begin with because I enjoyed Patterson’s work on the Skyward novellas and was not disappointed. It has that same mix of fast-paced action, humor, friendship, and space battles that makes the Skyward series so addictive.

Overall, Blightfall is a really enjoyable novel and a great addition to the Skyward universe. It doesn’t replace the original series, but it adds more depth to the Cytoverse. If you enjoyed Skyward, I’m sure you’ll love Blightfall as well.

On that note: While it is theoretically possibly to read this without prior knowledge of the Skyward series, I wouldn’t recommend it. You‘d be missing out on a great story and the learning curve would be very steep. So please go read the Skyward novels and novellas and then come back here. I‘m settling in to wait for the sequel in 2027!

[Steven]

Thanks to Netgalley and Random House Delacorte for the pre-release copy of Brandon Sanderson and Janci Patterson's Blightfall, book one in the new Skyward sequel series Riftwake.

This is my second BrandoSando collab book this year, and boy was this one a winner (especially compared to the other *sad face*).

I had a hard time even realizing it was mostly written by someone OTHER than Sanderson, because they worked so closely together on the previous three Skyward side tales.

I had a blast with this one. Arturo and Sadie were fun POV characters, and the remaining cast really rounded out nicely. My favorite was Suki, the kitsen xenoanthropologist who was intrigued by and trying to document every little detail. And of course, I adored the slugs. The taynix always steal the show for me, but even more so because in this book they had their own little interlude chapters!

Can't wait for more in this world, as this one set up the next phase of Skyward universe so well.

Five stars, highly recommend (but please read the first series beforehand, or you'll be massively spoiled).

[Robin (Bridge Four)]

This review was originally posted on Books of My Heart

Review copy was received from NetGalley. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Blightfall is the first book in a Riftwake a spin off or sequel series to Skyward . This is YA all the way, with fast paced plot lines, cool fight scenes and sweet innocent slow build romances. While you can read it without reading the Skyward series first, I think some of the world building would be lost to you as the story takes off with almost an assumption you already understand this world.

Arturo is flight lead after it seems almost everyone else from his class were promoted or fell during training or the battles against the Krell. Is it bad he is struggling to fit into a world at peace, one where there are quiet moments and they have destroyed the enemy? When a diplomatic mission comes up it seems like it will be simple. Take the diplomats to another prison planet for humans, protect the diplomates and make first contact in hopes of adding them to the Alliance. One problem, the planet seems to be under the control of someone, the humans don't know the war has already been fought and they are all preparing for end times. Also, all the diplomats might be dead and Arturo is going to need to figure out who on the flight should fill the role.

The other PoV is from Sadie, a pilot in the flight that barely made the cut for this mission. She talks a lot and sometimes says inappropriate things but she keeps the morale of the crew up and she is an ace when it comes to flying. If she could just learn to talk to the guy she has been crushing on for what feels like forever she might be able to figure out if he is crushing on her too. Crashed on the planet with said guy, she should have plenty of time to see if the sly looks can turn into even more. Also, they will need to see if they can make contact with some humans, find a way off planet and warn Jorgan back at the DDF before more team members get killed.

This is a fast paced and pretty fun story, with a decent bad guy. I liked how different this new planet was from the others we have seen in this world and how the nothing plays a part here too. For fans of the Skyward series there will be some cameos and easter eggs to catch throughout as well. I did miss Spensa though. No matter how much Sadie tried to talk smack pre-battle, no one does that better than Spensa.

[John (LHBC)]

I went into Blightfall knowing absolutely nothing about the Skyward universe, which probably affected my experience. The book is technically approachable on its own, but I definitely got the feeling that I was walking into a party where everyone else already knew the guests. There are a lot of names, terminology, alien species, technology, and history thrown at you early on. Once I settled in, though, I had a lot of fun with it. The setup is great: a postwar military squad sent on what should be a routine diplomatic mission to a long-isolated human settlement, only to end up stranded on a bizarre, overgrown planet where pretty much nothing is what it seems.

The setting was probably my favorite part. Blightfall feels genuinely strange, and the enormous forests swallowing the planet give the story an eerie, almost claustrophobic quality. I also liked Arturo as a lead. He is not some swaggering action hero who effortlessly knows what to do next. He is a soldier trying to figure out what his life is supposed to look like now that the war is over, while suddenly being responsible for people who are counting on him. That postwar angle gave the story more substance than I expected. The squad dynamics work well too, with plenty of humor and personality, although the YA tone is unmistakable. There is some romance, awkwardness, banter, and teenage emotional drama mixed in with the spaceships and danger.

I did think the middle dragged a little. Once the initial mystery and survival elements settle down, the story spends quite a bit of time on diplomacy, politics, and figuring out who can be trusted. Some of that is important, but I found myself wanting the plot to pick up the pace again. A few of the action sequences also started to feel familiar after a while. Still, I appreciated what the story was doing underneath all of that. The idea of people living in isolation for so long that they cannot even recognize peace when it arrives is an interesting one. War changes people, but so does refusing to believe the war is over.

Overall, I enjoyed Blightfall. It has a fun sci-fi adventure at its core, an interesting world, likable characters, and enough mystery to keep things moving. It definitely has a younger feel than a lot of the science fiction I read, but that didn't bother me. If anything, it was a nice change of pace. I suspect I would have gotten even more out of it if I had read the Skyward books first, especially since several characters and relationships clearly carry history from that universe. As my first trip into the series, though, it was still an enjoyable read. 4 stars.

[Beth]

Imaginative and Immersive

Brightfall delivers exactly what Sanderson fans come for: a vivid world, clever magic, and characters who feel like they’re carrying the weight of something bigger than themselves. The story moves with a confident rhythm; steady enough to follow easily, but punctuated with those sharp, satisfying turns Sanderson is known for.

I especially enjoyed the worldbuilding. It’s layered without ever becoming overwhelming, and the lore feels lived‑in rather than decorative. The characters are engaging and are genuinely memorable.

Some sections feel a bit more predictable than others. Still, the execution is strong enough that even the expected moments are enjoyable, and the payoff is worth the journey.

Overall, Brightfall is a highly enjoyable fantasy adventure—immersive, imaginative, and absolutely worth reading.

Thank you to Netgalley, Random House Children's Books | Delacorte Press for this ARC copy. This is my review.

[Ashley Wendt]

DNF @ 50%

I loved the Skyward series and was so excited to return to this world with Blightfall. While I didn’t love Patterson’s writing in the Skyward novellas, I was still hopeful going into this one.

And…as I feared…the writing was too juvenile and clunky for me. The repetition of facts, the info dumps, the constant telling instead of showing got old really fast. I felt like I was being spoon-feed everything.

I was still willing to keep pushing through for the sake of the Skyward world, but the way current political issues and viewpoints kept getting injected into the story was cringey and eye-rolling. It didn’t feel subtle, organic, or necessary. I don’t mind books having themes or political ideas…fantasy and sci-fi have always done that…but this felt like taking Sanderson’s world and characters and twisting them around current talking points instead of letting the story and characters unravel naturally.

This was such a disappointment.

Thank you to NetGalley, Random House Children's Books and Delacorte Press for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

[BookishKB]

🚀🌌 Blightfall 🌌🚀

📖 Bookish Thoughts

A full review will be shared closer to the publication date.

✨ What to Expect
• YA Science Fantasy
• Space Adventure
• Military Squad
• First Contact
• Found Family
• Survival Mission
_ _ _ _

📅 Pub Date: September 1, 2026
Thank you to Delacorte Press, Random House Children's Books, and NetGalley for the advanced copy.

[J.J.]

Blightfall was a fun return to a world I already enjoyed. I liked that it gave us a different set of problems while still building on things that were introduced in the last book/series.

One of my favorite details is the bureaucracy around intergalactic travel and kind of the dynamics in the new galactic government as a hold . The idea that you still have to put in a request to travel through time and space is just funny to me 😂. It also works really well with how this world treats even the slugs as citizens. I also liked getting more of Bob as the intermediary between the higher powers and the humans. It helped make some of the new rules of the paradigm make sense

The character dynamics were fun too. I liked that we get POVs from Arturo and Sadie whose backstories you kind of heard as side characters but are fun main characters. There are relationships and friendships that continue to grow along with some new romances. I can see some readers maybe not caring for how much attention is given to those relationships, but I think it helped build out the characters

There are enough reveals throughout to keep things moving. I liked being back in this universe without it feeling like the exact same story again. The pacing was pretty solid overall. There are some stretches where we are in one setting so if you are used to more action from the other books, it’s a change of pace. I think the lore and world building made those parts worthwhile though

Overall, I had a good time with this book, and I’m looking forward to seeing where the series goes next!

4/5 ⭐️!!

Thank you to Janci Patterson, Brandon Sanderson, Random House Children’s Books, Delacorte Press, and NetGalley for the eARC!

[Patrick Casebeer]

Thank you Random House and Net Galley for this ARC!

On a routine peace mission to make allies with a previously uncontacted human planet, this team that includes humans, aliens and….slugs? runs into trouble and has to figure out how to survive and get home.

This is a fun, quick paced read that has great action, world building and humor in all the right places. Sanderson fans, and Patterson fans, will enjoy this one. I found it to be an amazing start to a new series. One that I’m looking forward to continuing to read, and hopefully the story keeps getting better!

[jaycee ann]

╰┈➤ Pre-Release
I’m actually so so so excited for this 🤩 The Skyward series is one of my favorites ever, and I’m so interested to see what this series holds.

[Books_the_Magical_Fruit]

Please note: You don’t *have* to read the “Skyward” novels/novellas first, but you’ll definitely miss some things and be privy to a lot of spoilers if you don’t.


While I enjoyed “Skyward”, the subsequent novels in the series did get a *bit* weird for me. However, I am unable to resist any Brandon Sanderson novel, so here I am reviewing “Blightfall”, the start of the next adventure for Skyward Flight, specifically leader Arturo Mendez, as well as some new characters. The book begins very shortly after “Defiant” ends, and the pilots are on to their next assignment, which is to attempt contact with human beings on other planets. They are to take a team of diplomats to Blightfall, let the diplomats do their thing, and return them safely home.

Sounds pretty straightforward, right?

Did you forget whose book you are reading?

Chaos ensues, and our heroes and their charges quickly find themselves in a very untenable situation.

Will their mission succeed, when failure means death?

Get a copy and find out if there are any red shirt ensigns in the party!


This is a good collaboration between Sanderson and Patterson, and heaven knows they’ve had a lot of practice working together, which shows. The worldbuilding (Blightfall) is descriptive and immersive. I’m always up for an unknown planet sci-fi adventure!

If you enjoyed the Skyward series, you’ll also enjoy this, methinks. 4 stars.


Thank you to NetGalley and Delacorte Press for an eARC in exchange for my honest feedback.

[Star Bookworm]

I was ecstatic to be given an ARC for Brandon Sanderson. A big thanks to the publisher. I very rarely give anything written by BrandoSando less than 4 stars, so I felt slapped silly by the end of this novel. When I clicked the 2 star button, my heart broke a little bit. This was clearly written more by the apprentice than the master. Patterson is not ready to stand on her own just yet.

Two star removal: scud. Mostly I'm disappointed that Sanderson let Patterson curse so much. I do not care if it is a made up word. The curse word of choice in the Cytoverse is meant to consolidate all the English curse words down to one. While I found its presence annoying (and worrisome for the future of Sanderson's language) in the first series, this time it was just downright prolific (and my worries seem to have been quite founded). Arturo finds 6 ways to say you dislike something, you really couldn't avoid cursing?

Next star removal: Dayan. Every scene this character was involved in became a sluggish read and difficult to follow what was happening to whom in action sequences. When other groups are present, plural pronouns don't work. And this is 2026, stop telling me how I should feel about society. Show me all the alien societies and leave me to decide if I like them or not. Diones, yes. Dayan, no.

Two stars: Great pacing, great action, great interpersonal dialogue. The taynix interludes are gems, and I'm not sure the Cytoverse can exist now without them. The Skyward flight characters were well developed and had some excellent character growth. Getting more from perspectives we have yet to experience was great arc development. Gilaf comes in hard with the your-mom jokes so be prepared for that flashback. In terms of the new characters, you already know I do not appreciate Dayan, but Ivy is an amazing villainess.

All the things I do not want to find in my fiction were present in one novel. I knew this was simply the first in a series going into the read, but the cliffhanger was just icing on the cake of disappointment. With so many negatives that may reappear in the second book, I am incredibly hesitant.

[Abbey]

To read masterpieces like Mistborn and then this.. it doesn’t feel like the same author. I love that he writes diverse stories, but this felt extremely juvenile and the characters had zero depth. Also- the amount of “scud” and “stars” was absolutely insufferable.

[The Bookish Elf]

Half the team is dead before page seventy. That is not a spoiler so much as a statement of intent: Blightfall by Brandon Sanderson and Janci Patterson opens with a routine escort mission to a peaceful, unarmed human colony and then removes the diplomats, the scouts and the transport pilot in a single ambush, leaving four young pilots hiding in a forest with no way to call home. Everything after that is improvisation by people who are not remotely qualified for it, and the book is cheerfully honest about that.

A note on the byline before anything else. This is Janci Patterson's book. Sanderson built the Cytoverse and signs off on it, and his name is what sells the hardcover, but the prose, the structure and the voice here are Patterson's, and her acknowledgments are unusually candid about what it took: a deadline missed by four months, an opening rewritten several times, and an editorial letter that finally showed her how to make it work.

Where Blightfall by Brandon Sanderson Sits

Riftwake is a new series, and this is book one of it, but it is a spin-off rather than a fresh start. It follows the four Skyward novels and the Skyward Flight novellas that Patterson co-wrote, and it picks up roughly a month after the war ends.

The cast is inherited. Arturo Mendez, previously a supporting pilot, is now flightleader and one of two narrators. Jorgen Weight, eighteen, is somehow the admiral. Nedd lost an arm in the last weeks of the war and can no longer fly, which he has not accepted. The alien pilots Alanik and Gilaf are permanent flight members. The second narrator, Sadie Chay, is seventeen and the least experienced pilot on the team, which is the entire point of her.

What Brandon Sanderson and Janci Patterson Add

The planet is the invention Blightfall by Brandon Sanderson and Patterson bring to the table, and it is a good one. Blightfall is tidally locked to a red dwarf, so one face is in permanent late-afternoon light. There is no night, which means the city of Epiphany simply never closes: everyone works shifts, the pubs never shut, and a visitor who asks what time things close marks herself out as a stranger immediately. It is the sharpest piece of worldbuilding in the book because it is entirely a consequence of the astronomy.

The continent is covered by an invasive forest brought by human prospectors centuries ago, and some of those trees are animals. Scions walk on their branches, have eyes the size of dinner plates, and are captured, pruned into draft animals, or driven into an arena to be fought by gladiators for points. Win enough points and you ascend to Elysium through a gate full of smoke. Nobody has ever come back from Elysium.

What works

What Blightfall by Brandon Sanderson and Patterson does best is almost always small, specific and off to one side of the plot.

The interludes. Five short chapters are narrated by the taynix, the cytonic slugs who power hyperdrives. They are written in flat declarative sentences with slug priorities, and they are the best thing in the book by a wide margin. They are also load-bearing: what a slug called Bob accomplishes by patient friendliness is what actually wins the last battle.
Sadie. She talks too much, and her flightleader nearly leaves her behind for it. The arc that follows is not that she learns to be quiet. It is that talking turns out to be the mission's most valuable skill and nobody else on the team has it.
Nedd. His prosthetic shakes loose twice in combat, he cannot dogfight, and the book never hands him a technological fix. What it gives him instead is a conversation on a log about his dead brothers that is the most affecting page here.
Epiphany. Cobblestones and camera drones, goats in the street and a leaderboard on a jumbotron, three alphabets carved over the gate. Patterson resists the theme-park version of a lost colony.
The antagonist's logic. When the reveal lands, it is genuinely good: an intelligence that was asked to save something, calculated the optimal answer, delivered it, and cannot understand why nobody has thanked her. The refrain she keeps returning to is the coldest note in the novel.
Where it gives ground

Five things hold Blightfall by Brandon Sanderson and Patterson back from the book its best chapters promise.

The opening is brutal for newcomers. Chapter one deploys taynix, cytonics, hyperjumps, delvers, the nowhere, inhibitors, the Superiority, Detritus and about ten named characters inside fifteen pages. Patterson says in her acknowledgments that this problem cost her four months. It is better than it was. It is still a wall.
The spy caper sags. The middle third is four people who are bad at espionage being bad at espionage, and the book makes the joke about it five or six times. It is funny twice.
The romances eat the runway. A running bit about the ethics of dating across species is charming and spread across three chapters, one of which sits immediately before the climax.
The dogfights repeat. Light-lance pivot, shields down, someone gets shot out of the sky, request a hyperjump, wait for permission. Four times.
The villain arrives late. She is a voice on a radio for three hundred pages and a character for about thirty.
Do you need the earlier books?

Partly, and more than the marketing implies. The plot of Blightfall by Brandon Sanderson and Patterson stands alone, and a patient newcomer will follow it. What will not land is the emotional freight: Nedd's grief for brothers you never met, Arturo's discomfort at inheriting command from Jorgen, the weight of a species that has just stopped fighting for the first time in a century. Read Skyward at minimum. Read all four plus Skyward Flight and this book becomes considerably better.

Content notes for Blightfall by Brandon Sanderson

Named characters die on the page in the opening act, and their bodies are described. Gladiatorial blood sport against sapient creatures, staged for a cheering crowd, with the ethics raised repeatedly and never resolved. Sapient creatures tortured to be used as weapon components. Cryogenic imprisonment against consent. Limb loss, chronic pain and prosthetic use. Survivor guilt and intrusive auditory flashbacks. Genocide on a planetary scale, discussed in numbers. One kiss, no sexual content.

Read it if / Skip it if

Read it if you have read Skyward and want more of that world at a slightly older, slightly grimmer pitch; if a five-million-strong frozen army is the kind of cliffhanger you enjoy; if you would read an entire book narrated by a slug.

Skip it if you want a self-contained story, because almost nothing here resolves; if you are new to the Cytoverse and unwilling to do homework; if military science fiction with four extended dogfights sounds like three too many.

Worth Your Shelf

Blightfall by Brandon Sanderson and Janci Patterson is a first act wearing a novel's clothes. The portal locks, the army stays frozen, the colony is barely liberated, and the discovery the book has been building toward arrives on page 347 and is then left sitting there. Judged as a complete story it is unsatisfying, and readers who want endings should wait for the series to fill out. Judged as what it actually is, an opening move, it does the job with real charm, and it does something more interesting than that too. In a book about armies, gladiators and a planet-sized atrocity, the creature who solves the problem does it by going around asking everyone whether they would like to be friends. Patterson knows exactly what she is doing with that. It is the argument the whole series appears to be making, delivered by something the length of a forearm that cannot pronounce most of the words.

[Katie]

I am hoping Janci grows Riftwake with her audience. I felt like mental health was not treated authentically in Evershore and Defiant. If you're going to portray characters like Jorgen with massive PTSD, grief, and emotional instability, then you can't have them "fail upwards" or consistently avoid death (because the enemy is very accommodating and incompetent) in combat situations and during war; that’s like having your cake and eating it too. It's one thing to try and create a realistic portrayal of these PTSD mental loops, but if you never follow through in a truthful way, it starts to look like a caricature.

The failing upwards in Evershore was ridiculous too - Jorgen is shut down and in his own head, grieving and suffering from massive PTSD - being extremely reckless in combat, trying his new mind blades without shields in his cockpit, etc. - only to become vice-admiral and become temporary leader of Detritus. Like what? Odds of survival = 0% in reality.

I am also hoping this series lays off the navel-gazing. Evershore was extremely guilty of this. There are at least four chapters where Jorgen is mostly just in his head - like multiple 20 minute chapters via audiobook - and then two more chapters almost entirely dedicated to "therapy speak" sessions between characters, as if the goal of the book were simply to spread the message of mental health. The enemy was very accommodating while one of them was happening too. Evershore didn't actually get going until Chapter 16 (out of 21 Chapters). I cannot read an entire novel written like that.

Because of this, I am definitely holding out on Blightfall until I can ask people what is actually in the book. This is a sci-fi series; it should be about ideas, solving problems in new ways, and action. I just hope the balance is right this time because I feel like the series went off the rails in Evershore. And then when you read Defiant, you realize no character development happened because Jorgen was still suffering PTSD, grief and leadership pressures. I just don't think this series handled mental health and emotional character arcs well (not that it was a requirement - not every novel/series needs it, but if you're going to do it, do it well).

[Cande]

Skyward was the series that got me to read again after not reading for ~6 years. It's just that good! It got me totally hooked, and reading became one of my main hobbies again.

Sooo excited for this next series! Can't wait to go back into this world that gave me back my love for reading 😊

[olivia V.]

spin off of the skyward series.. not worth it to continue. i didn't mind Arturo, a side character from the previous books being front and center but i couldn't stand Sadie. Being in her pov was annoying and I was really rolling my eyes with this character. This book wasn't written by sanderson, and you can tell. It felt more juvenile, and there was romance subplots that were annoying. I didn't like the introduction of Dayan. It ends with the possibilities of more books but I doubt I will continue. this didn't feel like the skyward books at all. that said the action was decent, interesting new nemesis, they found earth, but what happened to the scions? what happens to the people? not much closure, actually take out Sadie and this could have been a really good novella. it was unnecessarily long.

[Cress]

I mean, do I miss Spensa, Jorgen, M-Bot 😭, and Doomslug? Of course!!! But if you loved the Skyward novellas, you’re gonna LOVE this book! And you’re gonna love the slugs 100 times more, GUARANTEE!!!! They are legitimately the best species in the universe. I loveeeeee them sooooo much!!!! 🥹🥰🥰🥰 Personally, one of the things I love most about the Cytoverse is getting to explore all these different alien cultures, and this book absolutely delivered on that front. There’s also more romance than in the main Skyward series, which I personally loved, so it didn’t change anything for me!
Also, I’m already attached to Dayan and Suki and I NEED them to become permanent members of the flight team because I’m not ready to say goodbye to them!!! 😭

I NEED THE NEXT BOOK RIGHT NOW SOOOO BAD.

[NeyNey]

For half the book I was not sure whether I like the cast of characters or not, but it got better towards the end.

Now for the great parts. The slugs, I love the slugs and their inner monologues was the best part of the book for me. That and naming a slug Hoid, named after a wanderer xd.

[Christopher Rodolico]

2.5 Stars

Good lord. First Brando book I’ve read that I couldn’t get behind. The absolute repetitive usage of “scud” and “stars” on every page (3+ per page!) as poor replacements of in-universe swears was infuriating. Horrible dialogue with painful romantic subplots. Interesting enough main story but, stars, did this need a serious pass by an editor.

[Andrew F]

The plot is really lame compared to the original series. And the characters feel even younger even though they should be older by now. I think this book should have started where it ended. Maybe the rest of this series will be more interesting since this book was clearly written with the big reveal at the end. I loved the original quartet, but not sure if I’ll continue this new series.

[Jared Thomas]

So much fun! With easter eggs for the Cosmere and the skyward series! I had a great time! I need book 2!

[lindsay ☆彡]

4.25 stars. i've never read anything by Sanderson before, even though he's on my list of authors to dive into, so i haven't read the Skyward series. but i found this easy to get into! Sanderson and Patterson had me at hyperslugs, ngl. this was a fast paced, action packed sci-fi story that i couldn't put down once i got fully into it around 30%. even though i haven't read the Skyward series, i didn't find myself entirely lost and i'm putting that series on my TBR because i was so captivated by this world. definitely recommend if you're a big sci-fi fan.

thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!

[Nick Sardella]

I enjoyed this book! I never quite fell in love with the original Skyward series, so I was a bit uncertain whether I would want to read a sequel series. I thought Blightfall did a decent job of expanding the story, and has some solid setup for things to come. The dual main characters have interesting and relatable arcs related to leadership development; for my personal taste, the romance arcs, however, were not enjoyable and remind me how firmly this series/universe remains young adult. I thought the plot, while decent and engaging (there is a lot of action), was a bit undercooked. I also wish the writing were a bit more descriptive. Overall it lands at just about average, but on the good side of average. 2.5/5 stars (rounded up)

[Note: This review is based on an eARC provided via NetGalley.]

[Kent Fairbourn]

Review of Advance Readers Copy (Netgalley)

I loved the Skyward series and was a little skeptical of what else could be added to it. I was wrong. This book pulled me in right from the start. All in all a great adventure for some of the beloved Skyward characters, getting to know some more than the past books allowed and a few great new characters as well.

I really enjoyed this book and think Janci Patterson did an incredible job!

[Jen]

This is the first book in the new Riftwake trilogy, a continuation of Brandon Sanderson’s Skyward/Cytoverse series co-written with Janci Patterson. And before anyone asks: NO, IT IS NOT COSMERE. Different universe. Different nonsense. 🚀

After Defiant, the humans of Detritus know where other human preserves are located so naturally the next logical step is to go find them! Blightfall takes us to new worlds, new cultures, new mysteries and most importantly more of our beloved weirdos 🥹

We’re following Arturo and Sadie and I really enjoyed getting their POVs. We’ve seen both characters before but here they finally get to step out from behind the main cast. Both are trying to figure out where they fit now that some of the biggest players from Skyward have moved on.

Imagine spending your life being part of an elite team and then realizing the person who used to lead you is basically a world-changing legend. No pressure. Just casually trying to prove you belong while filling the shoes of people who have fought pirates, aliens, Delvers and approximately every other nightmare the universe could throw at them 💀

I really liked that their arcs were less about being the biggest, baddest, most spectacular person in the room and more about figuring out what they actually bring to the table. There’s a lot of insecurity, self-doubt, growth and characters reminding each other that maybe juuust maybe you don’t have to be Spensa to matter 🥹

Speaking of Spensa… WHERE IS MY GIRL? 😭 I am not saying I need a Spensa cameo. I am saying I would like one. Immediately. Preferably yesterday. And while we’re making demands, M-BOT too. 🤖💚 Thank you. I miss them!

One of the things I particularly enjoyed about Blightfall was getting to explore worlds beyond Detritus. These characters have spent their entire lives underground or on a planet that basically looks like someone left it outside overnight in a post-apocalyptic garage sale. Then suddenly they're somewhere green. With forests. And a civilization that is just... peaceful 😳 People are living normal lives. They're not constantly fighting for survival. Nobody is immediately trying to murder them. The horror.

For Sadie and Arturo this creates some really interesting culture shock and forces them to confront just how deeply their wartime upbringing has shaped them. It also gives their character arcs more weight bc they're not just fighting external enemies, they're figuring out who they are when survival isn't the only thing defining them ✨

And I really enjoyed what Janci brings to the character work. You can feel the continuation of the world Sanderson established but there's a stronger emphasis here on relationships, emotional development and the characters who previously weren't getting quite as much page time.

Also: ARTURO AND ALANIK. HELLO 👀🔥 We've been seeing those little hints for a while now and I very much enjoyed watching that relationship actually unfold.

Now let's talk about the best part of this entire book: THE. SLUGS. The Taynix interludes were *EV*REE*TING* 😭😭😭🐌✨

Doomslug will always be my favorite little menace but getting inside the heads of the other slugs was ridiculously adorable. Bob, what can I say, he’s the levelheaded leader we all need 🫡🐌 Naga and her mushrooms was just the most wholesome thing 🍄🥹💕

These tiny space potatoes are apparently powered by snuggles, mushrooms, scritches and seaweed. 🐌🫂🍄✨🌿 Give me an entire novella about the Slug Squad. I don't need plot. I don't need character development. I don't need stakes. Give me 200 pages of slugs eating mushrooms and doing literally anything 🍄🐌

I will buy twelve copies 😂 The Delver/mushroom scene? Absolutely one of my favorites even though it was basically only a page long! 🍄 The seaweed obsession? Delightful. The snuggling? I have been defeated by fictional space slugs. 😭 Janci. Brandon. You know what must be done. 🐌

I will see you at Dragonsteel and hopefully make my own SlugCloak! 🐌🧥✨ Thanks for the fabulous idea Janci! 🙌 I tell my kids they don’t need another plushie but I will definitely be getting one at the con!

Blightfall was exactly the kind of return to the Cytoverse I wanted: fast-paced, fun, full of action, character development, new worlds, mysteries, adorable slug nonsense and enough unanswered questions to make me immediately want SONGRISE to come out tomorrow! 😭

So now I wait. Like a civilized adult.

Would absolutely follow these people into another alien disaster. Would also abandon the entire mission immediately for a Slug Squad novella. 🐌🍄🌿

My reading order for maximum emotional damage:

0. Defending Elysium — Optional prequel short story set years before
1. Skyward — Book 1
2. Starsight — Book 2
3. Sunreach — Skyward Flight Novella 1
4. ReDawn — Skyward Flight Novella 2
5. Cytonic — Book 3 — Read up to the epilogue here
6. Evershore — Skyward Flight Novella 3
7. Hyperthief — Skyward 3.1, download from the Dragonsteel website
8. Cytonic Epilogue — Finish the final chapter of Cytonic now
9. Defiant — Book 4 / Finale 🥹
10. Blightfall — Book 1 of the Riftwake trilogy
11. Songrise — Coming out 2027

[Katie]

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC! 🥰

“I just think that even though there’s a lot of darkness and destruction, there’s a lot of hope and beauty too.” 🙌🏻

Wow, what a GREAT start to this trilogy! Young adult books can be hit or miss for me, but this was a fun, fast paced adventure enjoyable for teen readers and above. I love Sanderson's work, so I’ll read anything with his name on it, and teaming up with Petterson makes them the perfect duo for this story.

I absolutely adored the two main characters. They have distinct personalities, which made switching between their perspectives such a fun experience. The world building was fantastic, and the twists and turns kept me constantly surprised. My favorite part, though? The slugs. Bob and Naga for life! The interludes put the BIGGEST smile on my face, and Cosmere fans will be thrilled to spot a few fun Easter eggs. 👀

The romance was so sweet, plus getting two distinct romantic subplots was a great touch. I also appreciated how the story explored cultural differences that persist into the future, making the world feel grounded and relatable. On top of all that, the action scenes had my heart racing! 🚀Everything about this novel was fantastic, and I can’t wait for the rest of the Riftwake series. HIGHLY RECOMMEND!! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I feel honored to have received an advance copy. Thank you again for the opportunity to review this wonderful book! ❤️

[Stevie]

4.5? 4.75? idk it could be 5 stars actually.. regardless i’m rounding up!

this was scudding delightful! nedd and sadie seriously rival fm and rig for being my favorite couple in this series. they’re SO awkward LOL but so so cute i just love them!

i do feel like the book had troubl finding its footing at first. i didn’t feel super engaged with the story until like 30-40% in. but then i finally got hooked and i couldn’t put it down!

one of my worries (and i think one that other skyward fans share) was that this would change spensa’s ending. like she had such a perfect conclusion at the end of defiant. and i can completely say her ending and resolution all feel completely intact still! this story is very seperate from her and just develops other characters we didn’t get to see enough of during the main series.

i know i already said how much i love nedd and sadie but i need to reiterate how much i adore just sadie now! prior to this book i kinda.. didn’t like her.. but turns out she’s actually incredibly relatable to me and i love her!!

if you loved the main skyward flight series, there’s no reason you won’t love blightfall! give the mysterious medieval times in space book a chance! you won’t regret it!

[Dayle (the literary llama)]

First, yes, it is a prerequisite to read the Skyward series before this one. Doesn’t really work or have enough backstory to do without it.

Second, I enjoyed it, felt easy to fall back into this sci-fi world and be entertained. But it also still felt like a side quest book and didn’t have the weight to really be its own series… until the very end. The last 15% finally gave main character energy! Yay. That’s promising going forward and has me already anticipating more.

Otherwise, I’d say it’s a fast-paced, sweet and fun, but danger fueled, adventure. Great mix of friendship, camaraderie, a couple romance feels, air and ground fights, new allies and old foes.
The taynix, though, make it worth the read in and of themselves. So stinking cute!

(The overuse of illusions to make the story work tripped me up, though. It just felt like an easy out half the time.)

Anyway, I’m intrigued to see what happens next after that ending.

* I received a free early ecopy from the publisher

[Zach]

Thank you NetGalley for the chance to preread the next installment in the Skyward universe.

I liked that this new series seems to expand on a lot of unanswered questions about the history in this universe. It is also interesting to see more of the aftermath from the previous series as well. As with the novellas, we are viewing it from some of the secondary characters from the main series.

That said, while I enjoyed the plot, I feel that it got sidetracked a little too often with teenage melodrama that I could have used a little less of.

Overall, I give it a 3.5 rounded up.

Also, did I spy a potential Cosmere crossover?