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Trouble in the Floating City
Kano spent his entire life keeping his powers a secret, but when a terrorist holds his city hostage, he must risk everything to protect it. As he soon discovers, though, the powers which he kept hidden for so long may be the very thing that this terrorist is searching for...
371 pages, Paperback
First published December 19, 2020
1 person is currently reading
10 people want to read
About the author
Michael Ciccarelli-Walsh
6 books11 followersStorytelling is my passion. Whether those stories come in the form of books, scripts, or podcasts, I love to tell them!
A recent graduate of the UCLA screenwriting program, my goal is to one day have my stories told on the screen. Until that day, you can find my stories in book form. Check out the first two installments of my superhero fantasy series, Trouble in the Floating City and Project Vortex!
A recent graduate of the UCLA screenwriting program, my goal is to one day have my stories told on the screen. Until that day, you can find my stories in book form. Check out the first two installments of my superhero fantasy series, Trouble in the Floating City and Project Vortex!
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
November 6, 2022
Full of twists and turns had me on edge wondering what was going to happen next.
Great story. very exciting.
Well worth a read.
Great story. very exciting.
Well worth a read.
September 18, 2025
What if you were born with immense powers, but were placed into an adoptive family so young that you had no one to teach you how to manage them? What if years later, an evil force decides to come to the city you’re rumored to be in so that they can find you? What if you learn there are more like you all in hiding? You can find all of this and more in this Young Adult Science Fiction novel, “Trouble in the Floating City” by Michael Ciccarelli-Walsh. The main character, Kano, has been simply living his best teenage life with his younger brother, Makoto, and their best friend, Jaden. As they are gearing up for a big yearly celebration, suddenly a warning comes through an old friend of their mom that a dangerous villain may be coming to target the event.
I really enjoyed this book! This is the first in a trilogy, The Zoboros Series. The world itself was really awesome. They live on a giant floating city that is maintained by massive hover pads on different levels. Also, there was a really cool thing that if they fell off the side, giant blue bubbles would encapsulate them and bring them back up to the city. (An obvious necessity in a city floating in air). There were talks of other planets that were briefly described and I hope we get to explore more of them in the other two books.
The characters were also very well written. They acted just like teenage boys, but they also stepped up when the need arose. I could feel their connections with each other as well as their connection with those they interacted with. There was a bit of confusion on who they could trust as everything went down, but it felt real in the moment because I was feeling the confusion and experiencing the deduction as they were. There was also a lot of history and background information shared, but also a lot still left for us to learn.
Something else I want to point out is that this is an independent author and I don’t recall any grammar or spelling errors. This is a big complement to the author. In fact, my only constructive comment would be that the story happened too quickly. Everything seemed to happen in the same day, versus spread out over a few days. This may just be a personal preference, but I do think it would have added the little bit of realism that was missing.
“Trouble in the Floating City” by Michael Ciccarelli-Walsh was absolutely wonderful! I am always on the search for good science fiction series, especially ones that can be for a young adult audience. This one will be added to my collection and recommendations! The only content warning I have is that there is very minor cursing. There is a potential romance brewing, but not very much in this first book. I am so excited to get the other two in the series! I definitely recommend this to all science fiction fans!
I really enjoyed this book! This is the first in a trilogy, The Zoboros Series. The world itself was really awesome. They live on a giant floating city that is maintained by massive hover pads on different levels. Also, there was a really cool thing that if they fell off the side, giant blue bubbles would encapsulate them and bring them back up to the city. (An obvious necessity in a city floating in air). There were talks of other planets that were briefly described and I hope we get to explore more of them in the other two books.
The characters were also very well written. They acted just like teenage boys, but they also stepped up when the need arose. I could feel their connections with each other as well as their connection with those they interacted with. There was a bit of confusion on who they could trust as everything went down, but it felt real in the moment because I was feeling the confusion and experiencing the deduction as they were. There was also a lot of history and background information shared, but also a lot still left for us to learn.
Something else I want to point out is that this is an independent author and I don’t recall any grammar or spelling errors. This is a big complement to the author. In fact, my only constructive comment would be that the story happened too quickly. Everything seemed to happen in the same day, versus spread out over a few days. This may just be a personal preference, but I do think it would have added the little bit of realism that was missing.
“Trouble in the Floating City” by Michael Ciccarelli-Walsh was absolutely wonderful! I am always on the search for good science fiction series, especially ones that can be for a young adult audience. This one will be added to my collection and recommendations! The only content warning I have is that there is very minor cursing. There is a potential romance brewing, but not very much in this first book. I am so excited to get the other two in the series! I definitely recommend this to all science fiction fans!
February 5, 2023
book one in the Zoboros Series. Michael Ciccarelli-Walsh, an author also working at Florida State University, has an expert mind for fiction.
Here we follow Kano, our main character, who embarks on an amazing and thrilling adventure. A journey through a galaxy with physical, mental, and emotional obstacles that will be sure to keep you on the edge of your seat. The detail to thematic issues and character arcs is such an embedded and close knit experience that when you read that last page and think about the story, not only do you get an amazing visual of the mystics he creates, but also the amazing message!
The whimsical aspect of galactic atmospheres is surreal. From the compelling creatures to the powers in which all characters good and evil hold, you are bound to beg for more.
Kano is thrown from his normal world and into the middle of a war… in the galaxies. We see a mix of found heroism and the flaws that even the most powerful kinds can suffer. Michael was not afraid to illustrate and display the vast and infinite possibilities in fantasy. Reading stories as such is an amazing way to teach young adults life lessons, and the combination of entertainment and meaning was a perfect balance.
The action packed moments in correlation to the dialogue and foregrounding of character personalities was on such an equilibrium that the pace was so smooth. There is humor mixed in the dialogue but that does not strip away from the valuable mood setting and traits in the characters’ voices.
Michael Ciccarelli-Walsh has experience in screenwriting from UCLA, which definitely contributed to his imagery and conveyance of conversation. All of the dialogue was so fluid, and although some conversations had many people included, he never fell short of distinguishing each voice.
Here we follow Kano, our main character, who embarks on an amazing and thrilling adventure. A journey through a galaxy with physical, mental, and emotional obstacles that will be sure to keep you on the edge of your seat. The detail to thematic issues and character arcs is such an embedded and close knit experience that when you read that last page and think about the story, not only do you get an amazing visual of the mystics he creates, but also the amazing message!
The whimsical aspect of galactic atmospheres is surreal. From the compelling creatures to the powers in which all characters good and evil hold, you are bound to beg for more.
Kano is thrown from his normal world and into the middle of a war… in the galaxies. We see a mix of found heroism and the flaws that even the most powerful kinds can suffer. Michael was not afraid to illustrate and display the vast and infinite possibilities in fantasy. Reading stories as such is an amazing way to teach young adults life lessons, and the combination of entertainment and meaning was a perfect balance.
The action packed moments in correlation to the dialogue and foregrounding of character personalities was on such an equilibrium that the pace was so smooth. There is humor mixed in the dialogue but that does not strip away from the valuable mood setting and traits in the characters’ voices.
Michael Ciccarelli-Walsh has experience in screenwriting from UCLA, which definitely contributed to his imagery and conveyance of conversation. All of the dialogue was so fluid, and although some conversations had many people included, he never fell short of distinguishing each voice.
May 2, 2023
This is not my preferred genre, but I loved it! I found myself gasping out loud every time I read! There’s so many mysteries to uncover, so I look forward to the second book. (And the romance novel lover in me is hoping for a Kano and Li storyline!)
October 31, 2025
Tinker, but with no elves, more vague and implicit described Asian aesthetics, and no romantic undertones. On reflection, not as fun to read as that other unrelated novel. Some pages in the book had a weird issue where part of the page was bent over and not actually bound in the spine of the book.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews