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The Future in the Sky
Earth has crumbled. The survivors now live on the revolving ship designed by Mr. Eldridge and his company Empyrean, orbiting the planet. With selection day arriving, Lizzie isn’t sure what they want. Salvation or Eradication.
Selection is supposed to be the highlight of a student’s life. To jump and find your forever life.
But one question lingers for Lizzie, more than any other. What if you jump and miss your orb?
Selection is supposed to be the highlight of a student’s life. To jump and find your forever life.
But one question lingers for Lizzie, more than any other. What if you jump and miss your orb?
138 pages, Paperback
Published February 22, 2021
2 people are currently reading
63 people want to read
About the author
Steve Stred
88 books671 followersAn award-winning author, Steve Stred lives in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, with his wife and son.
Known for his novels, ‘Mastodon,’ ‘Churn the Soil,’ and his series ‘Father of Lies’ where he joined a cult on the dark web for four years, his work has been described as haunting, bleak and is frequently set in the woods near where he grew up. He’s been fortunate to appear in numerous anthologies with some truly amazing authors.
His novel ‘Mastodon’ will be translated into Czech and Italian over the next few years.
His novel 'Churn the Soil' won the Best Horror Novel award in the 2024 Indieverse Awards.
His novel 'Mastodon' and his novella' Sacrament' were both nominated for Splatterpunk Awards.
He is represented by Kodie Van Dusen at The Rights Factory and Alec Frankel at Independent Artist Group.
Outside of writing, Steve received his Bachelor Degree in Kinesiology from the University of the Fraser Valley in 2008, and became a Certified Canadian Pedorthist in 2013.
Known for his novels, ‘Mastodon,’ ‘Churn the Soil,’ and his series ‘Father of Lies’ where he joined a cult on the dark web for four years, his work has been described as haunting, bleak and is frequently set in the woods near where he grew up. He’s been fortunate to appear in numerous anthologies with some truly amazing authors.
His novel ‘Mastodon’ will be translated into Czech and Italian over the next few years.
His novel 'Churn the Soil' won the Best Horror Novel award in the 2024 Indieverse Awards.
His novel 'Mastodon' and his novella' Sacrament' were both nominated for Splatterpunk Awards.
He is represented by Kodie Van Dusen at The Rights Factory and Alec Frankel at Independent Artist Group.
Outside of writing, Steve received his Bachelor Degree in Kinesiology from the University of the Fraser Valley in 2008, and became a Certified Canadian Pedorthist in 2013.
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Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
January 16, 2021
Beautiful and bleak sci-fi from one of the best in the biz!
January 16, 2021
The Future In The Sky proves Steve Stred can't be restrained by genre.
March 2, 2021
Sci-fi was my first love growing up, I couldn’t get enough and when one of my favorite author gifted me his first book in the genre, that’s a drop everything event.
We find our characters in a space station named the Empyrean stationed above a destroyed Earth. The hold the last of Humanity, far in the future none of the children remember life on Earth.
Our protagonist Lizzie is different then the others, she has a re-occurring nightmare of the end of the world and a growing pessimism of what exactly is happening on the ship. At a certain age, they are trained to begin to ready to do a leap from the ship, grab an orb and begin life pre-chosen for them from ship life.
Only if your classroom is chosen to be the ones to make this special leap. If not? You’ll see.
A coming of age story which finds Lizzie finding love and loss, friendships carefully made as she still mourns the loss of her adoptive mother. She begins to question everything she sees and feels as something more disturbing begins to stir all while she begins to ready for her leap.
No spoilers since this a novella so it’s very hard to give out to much without giving away surprises.
I couldn’t put this book down, you felt the growing knowledge as Lizzie did, with her. Anticipation and dread marks every page and I had my “oh no” moments more then once.
Thank goodness there is a book 2 coming because I can’t be left like this, I need to know! You will too, read immediately as one of the best sci-fi stories I’ve read this year handled skillfully by an author that knows the human heart better then anyone I know. Read immediately!!
We find our characters in a space station named the Empyrean stationed above a destroyed Earth. The hold the last of Humanity, far in the future none of the children remember life on Earth.
Our protagonist Lizzie is different then the others, she has a re-occurring nightmare of the end of the world and a growing pessimism of what exactly is happening on the ship. At a certain age, they are trained to begin to ready to do a leap from the ship, grab an orb and begin life pre-chosen for them from ship life.
Only if your classroom is chosen to be the ones to make this special leap. If not? You’ll see.
A coming of age story which finds Lizzie finding love and loss, friendships carefully made as she still mourns the loss of her adoptive mother. She begins to question everything she sees and feels as something more disturbing begins to stir all while she begins to ready for her leap.
No spoilers since this a novella so it’s very hard to give out to much without giving away surprises.
I couldn’t put this book down, you felt the growing knowledge as Lizzie did, with her. Anticipation and dread marks every page and I had my “oh no” moments more then once.
Thank goodness there is a book 2 coming because I can’t be left like this, I need to know! You will too, read immediately as one of the best sci-fi stories I’ve read this year handled skillfully by an author that knows the human heart better then anyone I know. Read immediately!!
January 16, 2021
Review coming soon!
March 4, 2021
Steve’s best book yet. A bleak dystopian nightmare.
March 12, 2021
Stred's take on dystopian sci-fi is laced with intrigue, clinical landscapes, and emboldened characters. Although fast paced, the narrative has moments of poignancy and profundity that leaves the reader with plenty to think about as the story moves towards its exciting climax. Perhaps even more so once the tale has ended.
This is the first instalment of The Empyrean Saga, and The Future in the Sky is an infectious start to what has potential to be a great series. This reviewer is certainly digging in for the long haul.
This is the first instalment of The Empyrean Saga, and The Future in the Sky is an infectious start to what has potential to be a great series. This reviewer is certainly digging in for the long haul.
March 16, 2021
This is my first book by Steve Stred, and based upon this storyline and the reading experience, I will definitely continue to the second book in this series. I’m not usually drawn to sci-fi, but this one has an interesting premise (a revolving ship orbiting a failing Earth with the remnants of civilization aboard, and like Earth, it’s also slowly failing. One class is selected for salvation where they jump from the ship to find their forever life, while the other classes face eradication.)
At its core, this is a coming-of-age tale about “Lizzie” and her friends, and something about the unsettling vibe of it while reading it reminded me of The Maze Runner, though the two don’t bear any relation outside of that.
I liked that this book moves at a quick pace with short chapters and doesn’t get bogged down in extraneous detail that’s not pivotal to the plot. Stred does a great job of including just enough detail to build a very different world for his reader to imagine. I also liked Stred’s writing style which I found made it easy to fall into a rhythm while reading.
I found Lizzie’s character intriguing and hope to get to know/understand her a little better in the second book as well as what makes the ending possible. I still have a few questions, but since this is a start to a new series, I suspect many of those will get answered in subsequent installments. All in all, it was a great, very quick read that I really enjoyed and I’d definitely recommend it for fans of dystopian fiction, sci-fi, coming-of-age stories and YA.
At its core, this is a coming-of-age tale about “Lizzie” and her friends, and something about the unsettling vibe of it while reading it reminded me of The Maze Runner, though the two don’t bear any relation outside of that.
I liked that this book moves at a quick pace with short chapters and doesn’t get bogged down in extraneous detail that’s not pivotal to the plot. Stred does a great job of including just enough detail to build a very different world for his reader to imagine. I also liked Stred’s writing style which I found made it easy to fall into a rhythm while reading.
I found Lizzie’s character intriguing and hope to get to know/understand her a little better in the second book as well as what makes the ending possible. I still have a few questions, but since this is a start to a new series, I suspect many of those will get answered in subsequent installments. All in all, it was a great, very quick read that I really enjoyed and I’d definitely recommend it for fans of dystopian fiction, sci-fi, coming-of-age stories and YA.
April 30, 2021
What an emotional and powerful read. The human experience is a unique one and we see this with the protagonist in Lizzie as she has prepared her whole life for one moment. The Future in the Sky is science fiction at it's best! While reading this novella I was in awe of the raw emotion and diction that was put into this book by Steve Stred. This was the first book of his I read and I was hooked at the start. While questions were answered in this book, more popped up that still need to be and for me that's awesome! I cannot wait for book two in this series! This novella gets the coveted 5 stars and I cannot recommend this book enough. This is on the same level with Phillip K. Dick and Ray Bradbury! Very well done Mr. Stred.
March 7, 2021
I'm not much into sci-fi stories but I do enjoy Steve Stred's writing, so I thought I'd give this one a go.
I was glad I did.
Steve's writing just seems to be getting better all the time. He writes in a way that gets to the point quick. It's always interesting and always easy to follow.
That suits me. Like I say, I'm not a sci-fi head and too much jargon does my head in.
This series could turn out to be something quite special.
Great characters. Great idea. Just something a bit different.
I needed that.
100% buying the next installment.
Solid 4 stars.
I was glad I did.
Steve's writing just seems to be getting better all the time. He writes in a way that gets to the point quick. It's always interesting and always easy to follow.
That suits me. Like I say, I'm not a sci-fi head and too much jargon does my head in.
This series could turn out to be something quite special.
Great characters. Great idea. Just something a bit different.
I needed that.
100% buying the next installment.
Solid 4 stars.
March 24, 2021
Stred’s metaphysical/dystopian sci-fi story is a fun, quick read that pulls the reader in with just a few pages. And considering its relatively short page count, I was impressed with how fleshed out and fully realized the main character was.
My only quibble was that I would have liked a little more detail in the descriptions. Normally I prefer a more minimalist approach to description and narration, but with such a “different” world, a bit more description would have been nice.
All in all, this is a great intro the Empyrean series, and I’m excited to see where Stred takes it next.
My only quibble was that I would have liked a little more detail in the descriptions. Normally I prefer a more minimalist approach to description and narration, but with such a “different” world, a bit more description would have been nice.
All in all, this is a great intro the Empyrean series, and I’m excited to see where Stred takes it next.
March 5, 2021
Amazing
Steve Stred is a gifted writer. This story is an original, thought provoking concept. I can't wait to see what happens next. I'm really glad I followed him and received notification this book was out.
Steve Stred is a gifted writer. This story is an original, thought provoking concept. I can't wait to see what happens next. I'm really glad I followed him and received notification this book was out.
Read
March 5, 2021Rating/review to come
March 3, 2021
I'm a sucker for a good coming of age story. This one kept me turning the pages (well, swiping the pages) anxiously trying to get to the reveal at the end. I can't wait to see where the story goes in book two!
July 4, 2022
I’m an occasional Sci-Fi’er. Usually there’s got to be some kind of horror element to it, but not always. We shouldn’t just stick to one genre now, should we?
I may not have picked this up if I wasn’t a fan of Steve Stred. The blurb didn’t grab me by the balls or anything (remember, occasional S-F’er) but I know this dude can write, so I was swayed.
Cutting to the chase, this is a great little novella. I didn’t find anything overtly scary about it, but the plight of our protagonist, Lizzie, is pretty horrifying I suppose.
It took me a while to really get what was going on here. Short, snappy chapters (a Stredism), with flashbacks/dream sequences made things a little confusing. But I realise that that was the point (I hope so anyway). I stuck with it and before I knew what was happening, all made sense.
The author’s note at the end told of how this was inspired by a dream, which really makes sense.
The plot revolves around Lizzie preparing to jump from the big space station where society now lives. Everyone has to do this eventually, kind of like a coming of age thing. When jumping into the deepest, blackest space imaginable there is one goal; catch your orb.
The premise sounds crazy, I know, but Steve Stred has this real knack of drawing you in and keeping you immersed in his worlds, not really allowing you to jump out (jump, get it?).
I’m not expert enough to say whether this was breaking new sci-fi ground or anything, but it was a really enjoyable and well executed novella set in space. If that doesn’t sound like your thing, try it anyway, it may just change your mind and before you know it you’ll be dressing in obscure Star Wars character costumes and doing that weird Star Trek fingers thing!!
I may not have picked this up if I wasn’t a fan of Steve Stred. The blurb didn’t grab me by the balls or anything (remember, occasional S-F’er) but I know this dude can write, so I was swayed.
Cutting to the chase, this is a great little novella. I didn’t find anything overtly scary about it, but the plight of our protagonist, Lizzie, is pretty horrifying I suppose.
It took me a while to really get what was going on here. Short, snappy chapters (a Stredism), with flashbacks/dream sequences made things a little confusing. But I realise that that was the point (I hope so anyway). I stuck with it and before I knew what was happening, all made sense.
The author’s note at the end told of how this was inspired by a dream, which really makes sense.
The plot revolves around Lizzie preparing to jump from the big space station where society now lives. Everyone has to do this eventually, kind of like a coming of age thing. When jumping into the deepest, blackest space imaginable there is one goal; catch your orb.
The premise sounds crazy, I know, but Steve Stred has this real knack of drawing you in and keeping you immersed in his worlds, not really allowing you to jump out (jump, get it?).
I’m not expert enough to say whether this was breaking new sci-fi ground or anything, but it was a really enjoyable and well executed novella set in space. If that doesn’t sound like your thing, try it anyway, it may just change your mind and before you know it you’ll be dressing in obscure Star Wars character costumes and doing that weird Star Trek fingers thing!!
September 5, 2021
I really didn't know what I was getting in to when I picked this book up. The cover is what drew me in, what made me click the "add to cart" button.
In this book we follow a NB character, Lizzie, and their struggle to accept their future. The thing is, that future is of the "fuck around and find out" variety. These kids have their lives determined by catching orbs and all Lizzie can think of is what if she doesn't catch it?
The Future in the Sky is a dark, dystopian, sci-fi story that will leave the reader with LOTS to wonder about, which I'm sure will be cleared up in books to come.
The only reason I didn't add that extra star was because I thought the story could have had more emotion in it, could have made us, the reader, feel a bit more not just for the characters but also for the entire storyline. That was the only thing that was lacking for me. As I read it I knew it was supposed to be this dramatic story, but I just didn't feel it.
In this book we follow a NB character, Lizzie, and their struggle to accept their future. The thing is, that future is of the "fuck around and find out" variety. These kids have their lives determined by catching orbs and all Lizzie can think of is what if she doesn't catch it?
The Future in the Sky is a dark, dystopian, sci-fi story that will leave the reader with LOTS to wonder about, which I'm sure will be cleared up in books to come.
The only reason I didn't add that extra star was because I thought the story could have had more emotion in it, could have made us, the reader, feel a bit more not just for the characters but also for the entire storyline. That was the only thing that was lacking for me. As I read it I knew it was supposed to be this dramatic story, but I just didn't feel it.
September 11, 2024
At first I wasn't sure if I was going to love this because I tend to like my science fiction action packed and with nasty aliens. Not the case here. However I knew Steve Stred had something else up his bleak little sleeves, and I was right. I don't think the main character, Lizzie feels worthy. She is a bit of a downer on herself, but she is special in more ways than one. I see parallels to society now and what we dream of and those who try to sell us on those dreams. It was a thinker of a book and I am looking forward to reading more.
April 28, 2023
Life before and life after
Exquisite first book of Steve Stred's epic tale of the Empyrean Saga. This is post apocalyptic story of what happens when man destroys the known world. A giant space ship is created for those few privileged people chosen to survive. This story is about Lizzie and her miraculous survival of a jump to earth. I can't wait to get to the second book!
Exquisite first book of Steve Stred's epic tale of the Empyrean Saga. This is post apocalyptic story of what happens when man destroys the known world. A giant space ship is created for those few privileged people chosen to survive. This story is about Lizzie and her miraculous survival of a jump to earth. I can't wait to get to the second book!
October 2, 2021
The Future in the Sky by Steve Stred is a Sci-Fi, dystopian, coming of age story that will surprise you with it’s fresh new take on the Sci-Fi of the past. Excellent story by a gifted writer!
Highly recommend!
Highly recommend!
November 17, 2021
The Future In The Sky is a brisk, engaging read with shades of Ender’s Game and The Lottery, emboldened by the mystery of Stred’s strange and ubiquitous orbs. This novella is sure to keep sci-fi readers hooked!
August 24, 2025
I really liked this book! I liked the short read and it was filled with alot of the unknown👀 I liked the journey you go on when you read this book as it comes together. I'm excited to read the other books in the series:)
February 16, 2023
3.5 Stars
Fun and fast read with a slight horror twist to the sci-fi elements.
Interesting twist to the story that makes me curious to see where it's all heading in the next few books
Fun and fast read with a slight horror twist to the sci-fi elements.
Interesting twist to the story that makes me curious to see where it's all heading in the next few books
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews