Shattered Skies

The Skyfire Saga #3

by Alice Henderson

 An Earth ravaged by an environmental catastrophe now faces its greatest threat—from space. And only the woman known as H124 can harness a lost technology to save it from absolute destruction. The Skyfire Saga As a deadly asteroid careens towards Earth, H124 and her Badlander companions race against time to piece together the ancient ruins of a spaceship that can intercept it. But this is not their only mission. In case their plan is not successful, they must warn the residents of Delta City of the impending impact, giving them a chance to seek shelter. Aligned against a power-hungry media empire that feeds off an apathetic and unsuspecting populace, H124 knows that knowledge is her greatest weapon. And as news of the incoming asteroid spreads, the citizens begin to turn away from those who have kept them shackled in ignorance. Backed into a corner, Earth’s corrupt rulers will do anything to stop H124, even if it means sacrificing the planet itself . . .

Genres: Science Fiction, Horror, Fiction, Audiobook

250 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 1, 2019

About the author

Alice Henderson's love of wild places inspired her thriller series which begins with A Solitude of Wolverines, and continues with A Blizzard of Polar Bears and A Ghost of Caribou. The latest novel is The Vanishing Kind, about jaguars in New Mexico. The series features a wildlife biologist who encounters dangerous situations while working to protect endangered species.

She has also written media-tie in novels, including official novels for the TV shows Supernatural and Buffy the Vampire Slayer. While working at LucasArts, she wrote material for several Star Wars video games.

She was selected to attend Launchpad, a NASA-funded writing workshop aimed at bringing accurate science to fiction.

In addition to being a writer, Henderson is a wildlife researcher, geographic information systems specialist, and bioacoustician. She documents wildlife on specialized recording equipment, checks remote cameras, creates maps, and undertakes wildlife surveys to determine what species are present on preserves, while ensuring there are no signs of poaching. She's surveyed for the presence of grizzlies, wolves, wolverines, jaguars, endangered bats, and more.

Please visit her at www.AliceHenderson.com.

Reviews

[S. Wigget · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think this is my favorite in the trilogy... perhaps because the protagonist was largely alone in the first volume and the second volume had the most fights. This one seems the most emotional--she's bonded with her circle of friends.

[Brent Ecenbarger · Rating 4 out of 5]

Disclaimer: This was a complimentary copy from the publisher

After reading the first two installments of Alice Henderson's Skyfire Saga, the final book in the series delivered on everything I'd hope it would in not entirely predictable ways. Picking up shortly after the events of Shattered Lands, Shattered Skies ups the action throughout the book to include helicopter scenes, ocean battles and even a submarine sequence. I ended up preferring the first and third books of this series, both of which seemed to be a race against the clock more than the second book which had a bit more normal pacing.

H124 and her friends continue to attempt to save the planet from approaching asteroids but by this point in the series things aren't going well. The original plan was to assemble a vehicle to deliver a nuclear payload Armageddon style but that goes off the rails before too long here and not in any way I expected. My main criticisms of this series prior to this book were that none of the main characters were dying despite the continual deadly scenarios they found themselves in and I wasn't sure why H124 (a relatively blank slate of a character) was the one who had to continue being involved in every aspect of this important mission.

By the end of this final installment, H124's pretty much a badass who uses the rover technology to deadly effect. The question shifts from why is she the one carrying out these missions to how'd she get to be so deadly, which is a much more fun thing to gloss over. The deaths of supporting characters finally occur as well in a few thrilling moments that up the violence beyond what I'd have expected in this series. The last 70 pages of this book were a great climax to the entire storyline with the action going all the way to the final paragraph.

Overall I'd rank the series:
1. Shattered Skies
2. Shattered Roads
3. Shattered Lands

This would be a tough book to pick up and really get a lot out of without reading the first two in the series. The payoffs for moments featuring Olivia and Willoughby in particular would suffer without the foundation laid in the earlier books. I didn't mind the obvious message from the author about how our current world policies are possibly creating this future, but I could see how it could feel a bit heavy handed or even political for others. If you boil that basic message down to take care of the planet, it's the only one we have I don't see how that's really debatable.

[Jess · Rating 3 out of 5]

While the series started out strong, I think a few more edits were needed to streamline the main plot. Sometimes the STEM elements were sacrificed for the adventure. And I wanted to see more of that, as a non-science person. There were a lot of cool things that could have been done.

H remains a likeable character but sometimes I grew frustrated as the series only takes place over two months.

I was left with a lot of questions.

How does H know how sharpshoot after 2 months when never staying grounded for long? Why was there basically no resolution for H and her parents? I don't understand the romance part. And Rowan's death felt underwhelming because the only reactions she'd had to him were only physical?

And finally how do humans survive if there's only a handful left after the asteroid hits? Are they just gonna die out and leave everything to nature?

[Dave Milbrandt · Rating 4 out of 5]

The author, in my humble opinion, seems a bit preachy when she explains how our current environmental woes have lead to this tragic dystopian future (but such is the nature of dystopian literature). That having been said, this is a pulse-pounding, non-stop thriller that rarely lets up on the gas pedal. My only regret is that I never read the first books in the series.

[Rick · Rating 5 out of 5]

A satisfying conclusion to the Skyfire Saga series. We easily place ourselves in the main characters' shoes, and enjoy the story as it runs. It shows what a caring society can do to continue civilization beyond what the greedy spoil. I think it many ways it is a call to arms, and what we can do individually adds up overall. And sometimes, a revolution is the best solution to a serious dilemma.

[Neil · Rating 1 out of 5]

I received a free copy via Netgalley in exchange for a honest review.

I struggled with this.

Whether it was due to not having read the previous books in the series I do not know.

I felt the characters lacked depth and appeared to keep changing names which just confused me even more.

This was not for me.

[June · Rating 3 out of 5]

Maybe slightly less than three; a bit over the top with the believe-ability factor

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Terrific series. Apocryphal.

[Monique · Rating 4 out of 5]

Shattered Skies follows H124 and her friends as they try to stop an asteroid that will crash onto Earth and kill all life on the planet. This mission takes them across the planet where they must go against numerous baddies.

The plot was great with lots of action and suspense. I loved reading about the numerous baddies they must go against as they were all varied with different codes, beliefs and weapons. I thought the scared guys was Olivia and her goons due to their tyrannical belief that they are doing the right thing. Olivia made a perfect villain as she was so power hungry and willing to destroy anyone or anything that got in her way.

The characters were great but I was still shocked by H124 choice in a partner. I always thought she should have been with Rowan not Byron.

The ending was a bit shocking as I never thought the novel would follow through. The reasons made sense and ultimately, I agree with the choice but it was still shocking. And I’m glad Henderson included a major character’s death, with all the major battles the characters have participated in there should be some deaths.

In summary this was a great dystopian novel set in a bleak future with a planet on the brink of complete destruction. I would recommend this series to all dystopian fans.

Thank you to Kensington Books and Netgalley for this ARC.

[Dorthea Kemp · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book has some grim depictions of what may be our near future. The author has extraplated from our current state of technology with the harm that can come from mismanagement of tech. Be warned there is plenty of action and not all is rosy. If you can take fast paced adventure that sometimes has unhappy endings, you'll love this book.
H124 is the central character and how she got the name is an interesting tale in itself. Just understand that families don't work the way we're used to in this future. H124's friends and allies have a difficult task and even more difficult decisions to make in order to save Earth. It's a big job with big enemies working against them..This is a thoughtful adventure that will make you look at our current planet with new eyes. I received a free copy from #NetGalley and #ShatteredSkies is a worthwhile read.

[Karen Fisher · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a book! The future it depicts is all too possible. The imminent impact of a massive meteorite has people scrambling. Shocking Eden under the dome with extinct creatures. So many exciting elements to this book. I enjoyed it tremendously!

Merged review:

What a book! The future it depicts is all too possible. The imminent impact of a massive meteorite has people scrambling. Shocking Eden under the dome with extinct creatures. So many exciting elements to this book with a goosebumps inducing ending.. I enjoyed it tremendously! I received an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley and freely leave this honest review.

[Charlotte Pawson · Rating 3 out of 5]

What are you doing to help the Planet? Will the message to respect the earth get passed on or will the culture of greed and power prevail. H124 is born into a world of environmental devastation. The earth is under threat from an asteroid. H124 with her friends must find the A14 spacecraft to use to deflect the asteroid.
This is the third book in a trilogy and it would be well worth checking out the previous two books to get more background on the main characters and to follow H124’s journey.
I was given an ARC of this book by Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

[Craig Pearson · Rating 2 out of 5]

Thank you to Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this book. DNF. I had trouble connecting with the characters and situations they found themselves in. The story takes place in a dystopian future that is not fully explained. The references to current weather concerns is not enough to give the reader an understanding of this future.

[Lori · Rating 2 out of 5]

Nonstop battles finally brought this trilogy to a conclusion. Listening to the audio version made it easy to fly through while I was doing other things.