I’ve read that the first time right after Skyward, the first book of this YA series, and again after I finished this latest volume, Cytonic as the narrative connectivity was made even more apparent.Īs this is book three of four in the series, we’ve moved into major spoiler territory as far as plotlines are concerned. That story which begun the science fiction marvel that we’ve been reading for the past few years, Defending Elysium, has officially been made canon with the e-book re-released as a Cytoverse novella. They’re a reminder that we have a past, a history. The fact that it’s YA took away nothing from his ability to spin the most incredibly engaging stories set in the most imaginative settings. That is, not until Skyward came about – and it was just as fantastic as his fantasy writing. However, for the most of the past decade, most readers have only known Sanderson as a bestselling fantasy author as aside from a few short stories, he had not really written a science fiction series. That piece of work received an honourable mention at the Writers of the Future contest in 2003, and after substantial re-editing in 2008 won first place in the UPC Science Fiction Award in Spain, and was published in the Oct/Nov 2008 issue of Asimov’s Science Fiction. It all started with a novella that he wrote and submitted to a magazine way back before he was even published.

No surprises, Cytonic was a superb read filled with brilliantly creative worldbuilding and compelling characterisation that I’ve always expected, and received, from Sanderson.

Published: 23rd November 2021 by Gollancz (UK) and Delacorte Press (US)

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