Under Falling Skies

The Travels of Scout Shannon #1

by Kate MacLeod

Scout Shannon's whole family died the day the Space Farers dropped an asteroid on their domed city. Now she lives alone, out in the wild with only her dogs for company. She prefers it that way.


But Scout finds herself at a crossroads. One road leads back to a quiet life snug under the protective dome of a city. The other road leads to a life in the rebellion, a life of adventure and excitement but also danger. Dare she try to find the rebels hiding in the hills?


Then a chance encounter with a stranger from the other side of the galaxy threatens to derail what remains of Scout's life. The entire galaxy awaits her, if she survives the next four days.


"Under Falling Skies", a young adult science fiction novel, set on a remote planet with a distinctly Old West feel. For fans of gunslinging women and young girl assassins. And dogs.

Genres: Young Adult, Science Fiction, Ebooks, Mystery, Fiction, Dystopia, Space Opera

188 pages, Paperback

First published December 13, 2017

About the author

Kate MacLeod lives in Minneapolis, Minnesota with her husband and two sons, although they may head further north soon, as the winters in Minnesota just don’t get cold enough anymore. She has two dogs, Mugen and Tachikoma, and a cat named Spike Spiegel. Her short fiction has appeared in Analog, Strange Horizons, Beneath Ceaseless Skies, Persistent Visions and Abyss and Apex among others.

Find out more about the author at www.katemacleod.net.

Reviews

[Dev · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a free copy of this book from LibraryThing in exchange for an honest review

This book was a really great mix of genres that made it very unique. It's primarily a Sci-Fi story set on a planet where a solar flare forces our characters to take shelter in an old underground bunker for 4 days. This turns the entire thing into a great 'bottle episode' type structure which a murder-mystery style plot as members of the group are murdered one by one and the survivors try to figure out what is going on. It's got a really great and diverse all-female cast as well, featuring a few 'aliens', a lesbian couple, and a woman in the space version of a wheelchair. It's also got two adorable dogs and a cat. It was a really fun read and definitely not what I was expecting.

[abi · Rating 3 out of 5]

this was among us in a bunker. i would’ve liked it more if it had not been among us in a bunker—if, say, the cool women hadn’t all been murdered (for reasons i don’t really understand) by creepy child assassins. based on the book’s blurb, i didn’t expect to be leaving it with questions such as “how do five year olds commit murder?” … but here we are.

it has lesbians (they die, quite brutally), and it has a gunslinging off-worlder (she also dies), and i did really like the main character but honestly i just found the plot kind of disappointing

[Peggy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Where did we go

The story was good, but I am not sure where we went. Why was the killing? Who was the real target?

The dogs and the cat live, so that is always a good ending to a story.

[Jen Mays · Rating 3 out of 5]

A young girl forays beyond the safety of her city to lend her hands to a rebellion sparking to level the playing field in a world where resources are growing steadily more scarce. Along the way, she finds new people to instill faith in, old information that sheds light on her family history, and opportunities to test her own bravery.

I don't know that I was in the right frame of mind to read through this one because, while I enjoyed it while in the midst of it, a few days later when I sat down to write this, I can't say too much about it. With the exception of a few spots along the way, it didn't stay with me much. For that reason, I'm not going to be looking to continue the series as I would likely need to reread this one first and I have other things I want to prioritize.

[zia:) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not at all what I was expecting, but a really great read:) Definitely will read the next ones

[Hyperactive · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm prefacing this with the fact that I have read all six books and may not be totally separating the vibes or my overall feelings of each book but I am separating the story of each book. each story takes place in a different area so its fairly easy to separate story lines.

This is the first in a series of 6 which I think I finished in five days. I woke up and wanted to start reading and stayed up late reading every night and I still want more. I have this first book on my kindle but the others I checked out at my library and I liked them enough that I plan on getting a physical copy of them all. This first book does have a bit of a "this book is for preteens/teens" vibe. I don't know how to explain it more thoroughly. So even though I really enjoyed the story I was worried the other books were also going to feel too young for me but for whatever reason the other books didn't feel quite so young, still teen or young adult but more high school-y and less middle school-y. This series reminded me a lot of Rick Riordan's books (which I love) with the added pro's of a female main character and woman author. I think it's the teen main character, the reluctance at the beginning and then determination in the middle and confidence in the end, and the just unbelievable pacing of events.

I personally did see basically almost every death coming and even the order of them except one, I really didn't think Warrior would die but without her death there wouldn't have been much of a series to write about. I also felt it was made fairly obvious from the beginning who the killer was. But I still really enjoyed the whole story it didn't matter that the what was predictable because I still hooked for the why. When you find out there are three preteen girl assassins it definitely makes more sense and while you could see that Liv was involved somehow from the beginning the why she was involved and how she was involved were not clear until the end. It definitely goes off the rails a bit at the end with Clementine killing her two friends. I guess the author was trying to dehumanize Clementine so her demise would be easier on Scout. Scout blowing up the bunker after everything was over was a wild choice but I guess she was very confident that she was not coming back. I know she also intended it to be a burial for all those who died but it still seems like a bit much to me.

I do love how Scout slowly begins to accept that girl is really her dog and her responsibility and grows to love her. I think its funny that she never fell for the cat at all, I guess not everyone can be a cat person, I am glad she took him with her and intends to find a good home for him.

Besides some talk about dads, dead dads, a male dog, a male cat, and a bit at the end with some correspondence with a man, this story is entirely female. All characters trapped together are female and therefore most of this story easily passes the Bechdel test.

[Translator Monkey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Better than I thought it would be, and that sounds like a low bar, but it's not. I'd heard about this for some time, read the reviews, and talked to others. I'm not a big fan of string-along series, so I gave this one a read with a grain of salt. It was pretty damned amazing.

MacLeod gives us a handful and a half of disparate characters, all female, who seemingly couldn't be more different from each other if they tried. Seeking shelter from a hellish four-day solar storm with a mysterious stranger who calls herself merely 'Warrior,' Scout winds up with said other characters in a mysterious underground bunker, apparently perfectly suited for such an emergency. Why is it loaded down with fresh food? Why does it have a hangar full of high-tech machinery, gathering dust? What is the crabby-ass custodian of the underground facility hiding? Why are Scout's dogs so wary of one of the mysterious "guests"? And why are the guests dying, one by one?

There's a lot to chew here, and all of it's delicious. Hats off to MacLeod for the outstanding kick-off of what I hope to be an equally outstanding series.

[Sirah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Scout has been surviving on her planet despite the environmental instability and ripples of post-war trauma. One day, she meets a strange woman in the fields, and they discover there's an imminent deadly solar flare that will last several days. They end up in a bunker deep underground along with five other women, but something really isn't right, as people start ending up dead. Is it all an accident? Who is really at fault?

I think this book is suffering under a bad case of poor marketing. As a thriller with "who's the killer" themes, it's very strong. As a "Scout finds herself at a crossroads," which implies coming of age or perhaps espionage, well, I think readers will be disappointed. The writing is compelling and full of unexpected twists. The characters are cleverly crafted, and they mystery intriguing. I love the dogs and associate very much with Scout's trust and protectiveness of the little guys.

Kate MacLeod, if you're reading this, hire yourself a better blurb writer. Trust me. The ratings will go up.

[Marian Greco · Rating 5 out of 5]

not a sci-fan, but loved it anyway!

murders galore. on a planet that was never named. plus two loyal sidekicks that just happen to have been born with tails and four legs. one mysterious six year old girl plus six adult women. and only one man. sort of. if a text message counts. yet, they have jolo (think Rockstar) and MRE's way better than Uncle Sam's chefs ever made, clothing that doesn't stain, cats, beds so luxurious that no princess could ever find much less feel the pea, bicycles, sling shots, and a whole buried hideout that you and i would be right at home in. did I mention no men? (and got along just fine without them!). yet, their fingerprints are all over this plot to overtake the ruling government and foist yet another war on the planetdwellers...In a far distant land than where we met our first Scout of Harper Lee fame, we meet another Scout whose Addicus is, sadly, no longer righting wrongs. but it appears both Scouts were acorns that landed very, very close to their parental trees...

[Thomas · Rating 4 out of 5]

MacLeod, Kate. Under Falling Skies. Scout Shannon No. 1. Ratatoskr Press, 2017.
Under Falling Skies is a young adult novel set on a colony planet recovering from war. The planet is partially protected from deadly solar flares by a decaying orbital shield technology. Scout is a young bike messenger traveling between hard-scrabble frontier settlements. During one four-day coronal flare she takes refuge with several others in an underground bunker left over from the war. The story has a classic lifeboat plot in which not everyone in the shelter has the welfare of the group on their agenda. Murders happen, and the game is afoot. The central conflict between spacers and planet dwellers is not as clearly sketched as I would wish, but Scout is a likeable protagonist who carries the reader along with her as she tries to decide whom she can trust. 3.5 stars.

[Linda Rorex · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the first book in the Travels of Scout Shannon by Kate MacLeod. Scout Shannon lives alone after her whole family was killed after the Space Farers dropped an asteroid on her city. Scout lives with her loyal dogs in the wilderness and faces a crossroads whether to return to the safety of the city or join the rebellion for a life of exploration and danger. Her path takes an unforeseen twist when she encounters a mysterious traveler from a distant galaxy, setting off a chain of events with the potential to reshape existence itself. This novel weaves together elements of survival, defiance, and personal awakening, blending the grandeur of a space opera with the untamed spirit of the wild frontier. I really enjoyed this fantastic young adult science fiction novel.

[Cathy Hunter · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting introduction to Scout and her dogs Shadow and Girl. In just a few days her whole life will be changed but only if she survives.

This is not a very long book and is medium to fast paced. Easy to read with short chapters, encouraging you to read a little more each time you pick it up. Perfect for the young adult market but also for more mature adults (my polite way of saying I'm old) like myself.

I'm definitely interested enough in looking up the next in the series to see how thing will develop.

[JudgeJudy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not gonna lie, I DNF'd. More so because I accidentally saw spoilers and found out its kinda horror-ish and it's not my thing. However, the three star rating comes from the fact that while I understand it's written in third person, the author uses the main character's name wayyyy too much. Like, "uses-it-three-times-in-ONE-sentence" too much. In the hour I spent reading it, I grew to hate the name Scout.

[Vonnielee · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a YA adventure set in a future world, possibly not Earth, but I never really could determine if it was another planet. The action is pretty much non-stop, the character development was interesting, and I liked the spunk and resourcefulness of Scout. However, I'm not certain if I was invested enough to read the additional books in the series. This was a Prime First Reads from early 2024.

[Sarena · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars

Under Falling Skies is part sci-fi and part mystery, with a dash of horror. I finished it in one sitting despite being exhausted from my COVID vaccine, which speaks to how gripping the book was. It's got great world-building, but only some characters were fully developed, and Clementine being the murderer and having the help of other child assassins made absolutely no sense. Why was she so hell-bent on killing a bunch of random women?

[Kimmarie Pozar · Rating 5 out of 5]

dogs and adventure- perfect!

This was a great, well written read with a varied cast of female characters- Good, bad, and mixed motivated. But it all comes down to the young adult and her dogs right?
This is a book that can be re-read and I plan to. And I look forward to reading the rest in the series.

[DH VDL · Rating 4 out of 5]

unique

A sci-fi who done it. Interesting characters, interesting world, kind of a shtf scenario on a different planet mixed with a murder mystery. Personally, I knew the killer right away but there was enough to keep my interest and possibly read the next book. If you want something different then I recommend this.

[Donald · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's a hard knock life (but it is not "Annie")

Liked the main character, unexpected twists and turns, the life lessons that the author tried to convey to both the reader and the character.

[Kelsey · Rating 1 out of 5]

I really didn't like this book. I'm surprised I even finished it. The story went so fast yet dragged on. So many things happened so fast. Everyone gets hurt or dies before you even really get to know anything about them. Character development was awful.

[Kim Scott · Rating 3 out of 5]

A suspenseful story, filled with many twists and turns, about Scout, her two dogs, and the people she meets whilst trying to find a safe place to shelter from a 4 day storm. Everyone has a secret to hide, some of them are deadly. Who can Scout trust?

[Dawn Ireland · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! A really great story!

Kate MacLeod is at the top of the food chain of storyteller’s. Under Falling Skies was plotted so thoroughly. Characters developed so well. Hated for it to end!

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. The characters were great, the story unfolded at the perfect pace, especially toward the end when it becomes a real page turner. Can't wait to read the rest of the series.

[Sarah Thornton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Steampunk Indiana Jones Space Cowboy Agatha Christie type book.

[Patrick Day · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good, if a bit... it doesn't tell the protagonist all the information, definite sequel-bait, which is fine, real fun read.

[Alayne · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an amazing rollercoaster ride of a locked room mystery! I had not read any of this author before but I will certainly look out for more of her books. Wonderful.

[Sally Mander · Rating 4 out of 5]

A shorter book about a girl named Scout. Interesting that it still managed to incorporate an ff relationship. Thankfully, it seemed pretty benign.

[heather · Rating 1 out of 5]

Nearly abandoned after way too many references to jolo and “kid”. Maddening.

[Leone · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting read. I had no idea where we were heading until we got there- quite quickly really. I enjoyed the pacing and Scout and Shadow and Girl are all great characters.

[Annette Tiedens · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book in one big gulp.

I really enjoy this book. It was really unusual. It contained a mystery. It had good world building and was easy to follow.

[Tyra Grace · Rating 5 out of 5]

Went in blind with this book! Very satisfied with it.