Stories say something. About us, and about where we came from. They’re a reminder that we have a past, a history. And a future.

Well that was certainly a thing.

Skyward introduced us to some far future humans trapped on a planet by terrifying aliens. Spensa learns how to fight, teachers her friends and allies how to be awesome, and saves the day from the aliens!

Then in Starsight, we get off world. We’re introduced us to some of those same aliens. Turns out they’re people, more or less just like us. So Spensa learns how to spy, teachers her new friends and allies how to be awesome, and saves the day from the Eldrich Horrors From Beyond Space!

So of course in Cytonic… Spensa goes Beyond Space. She adventures through all manners of weird environments, meets a bunch of Pirates From Beyond Space… And learns to fight, teachers her friends and allies how to be awesome, and saves the universe?

I’m starting to sense a pattern here.

All people must accept that we have the potential to do terrible things. It is part of seeing our place in the universe, our heritage, and our natures. But in that acceptance we gain strength, for potential can be refused. Any hero who could have been a monster is more heroic for the choices he or she made to walk another road.

All that being said, I really enjoyed this book, eventually once we started getting into the final segment (as Sanderson’s works are wont to do). It’s certainly a bit of the same, but it’s in such an alien setting that it’s enough to do it all again.

The worldbuilding is fascinatingly weird and wonderful. Take Sanderson’s penchant for making interesting worlds and magic systems and turn it to sci-fi. With the focus on ~psychic~ cytonic powers, it’s arguably halfway to Fantasy anyways, but he really does make it work. This time around, beyond outside of Space itself… We really get a chance to dig into the weird of the world.

And I really do enjoy seeing Spensa learning and growing. It’s not quite the same tone as the side novels and now I want to get back to the gang back on Defiance… but for now, this may very well be my favorite in the series (although it really couldn’t stand alone…)

Children in the future were going to insist my adventures were too outlandish—and therefore I wasn’t an actual historical person, but one that was obviously made up, like Gilgamesh or David Bowie.

On top of that M-Bot. Oh M-Bot. I do love the UK versions with that accent. And he’s got so much learning and growing to do… for an AI. I really do think he’s the best part of these books.

“Spensa,” M-Bot said, hovering along beside me, “I am not enthused by my first experiments in self-determination. My chronometer details that since my awakening, I’ve spent a frightening amount of my time lost, pouting, or being chased by interdimensional monsters.”

Onward! One more outrigger and then I have to wait months and months for Defiant. le sigh