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Cover of Cytonic

Cytonic

Brandon Sanderson

456 pages

A high-stakes, surreal plunge into an alien dimension where courage means facing the darkest parts of oneself.

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What it feels like

Reading this installment feels like stepping through a portal into a beautifully bizarre, surreal dimension where the rules of reality no longer apply. The narrative moves at a brisk, cinematic clip, balancing high-octane starfighter action with surprisingly deep philosophical questions about identity, memory, and what it means to be human. The tone is a signature blend of earnest determination and quirky humor, heavily buoyed by the delightful banter between the fiercely loyal protagonist and her eccentric AI and alien companions. It is a story steeped in a wonder-filled yet tense atmosphere, exploring the emotional weight of isolation and the courage required to embrace one's true nature. Fans of expansive, character-driven sci-fi will devour this thrilling, emotionally resonant adventure.

Mood
  • surreal
  • tense
  • wonder-filled
  • triumphant
Tone
  • earnest
  • humorous
  • determined
  • adventurous
Pace
brisk
Themes
self-discovery in isolation · the nature of courage · humanity and artificial intelligence · burden of power · overcoming prejudice
The writing
Clear, accessible, and highly cinematic, prioritizing rapid-fire dialogue and high-octane action over ornate description.
The arc
The protagonist moves from isolated uncertainty in a strange new reality to a profound, empowered acceptance of her own unique nature.
Who it's for
Readers who crave fast-paced, character-driven sci-fi with underdog heroes, quirky non-human companions, and expansive world-building.
Content notes
  • sci-fi violence
  • war themes
  • isolation

About the book

From the number one New York Times best-selling author of the Reckoners series, the Mistborn trilogy, and the Stormlight Archive comes the third book in an epic series about a girl who will travel beyond the stars to save the world she loves from destruction.

Spensa’s life as a Defiant Defense Force pilot has been far from ordinary. She proved herself one of the best starfighters in the human enclave of Detritus, and she saved her people from extermination at the hands of the Krell - the enigmatic alien species that has been holding them captive for decades. What’s more, she traveled light-years from home as an undercover spy to infiltrate the Superiority, where she learned of the galaxy beyond her small, desolate planet home.

Now, the Superiority - the governing galactic alliance bent on dominating all human life - has started a galaxy-wide war. And Spensa’s seen the weapons they plan to use to end it: the Delvers. Ancient, mysterious alien forces that can wipe out entire planetary systems in an instant. Spensa knows that no matter how many pilots the DDF has, there is no defeating this predator.

Except that Spensa is Cytonic. She faced down a Delver and saw something eerily familiar about it. And maybe, if she’s able to figure out what she is, she could be more than just another pilot in this unfolding war. She could save the galaxy.

The only way she can discover what she really is, though, is to leave behind all she knows and enter the Nowhere. A place from which few ever return.

To have courage means facing fear. And this mission is terrifying.

©2021 Dragonsteel Entertainment LLC (P)2021 Audible, Inc.

Description from Open Library.

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