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lakinglaze's review
adventurous
informative
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Oh how exciting! This was wild! I know the author wrote this long before Skyward, but this was so very exciting to read after being intrenched in the skyward universe! Quick and chock full of knowledge!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence, Confinement, Death, Murder, and Panic attacks/disorders
iono's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Murder, and Violence
connorjdaley's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
This is a prequel novella from the Cytoverse aka the Skyward series. This apparently started as its own thing, but was eventually reworked into what we see today.
The novella follows Jason Write of the Phone Company. The PC was the first earthly company to discover FTL communications (which are kind of like brain powered (Cytonic) long-distance radio calls into space). They then used this accidental first contact to become completely autonomous from governments and to virtually become to most powerful company in the world.
Jason, a blind Cytonic, and agent of the PC is sent on a mission to recover a kidnapped scientist. I enjoyed this character and the fact that the author created him for the purpose of introducing Cytonic powers. Because he is blind, he uses these powers to sense everything around him (a thing that was described in a way that had me closely picturing Daredevil honestly).
What fell short for me, at least as a huge fan of Skyward and the following releases, is that this isn’t the prequel I would have expected or looked for. This tells an incredibly closed off story, which I won’t go into more of. I would have looked for more background information on Cytonics, or FTL, or the state of earth/space travel while humans were still attached to earth. That’s not to say that it was bad of course, I’m just surprised.
I would definitely say the in between novellas with Janci Patterson are way more necessary reads than this, but it is quick and worth a read. (Sadly no audio, so my dear Suzy Jackson wasn’t heard on this one).
The novella follows Jason Write of the Phone Company. The PC was the first earthly company to discover FTL communications (which are kind of like brain powered (Cytonic) long-distance radio calls into space). They then used this accidental first contact to become completely autonomous from governments and to virtually become to most powerful company in the world.
Jason, a blind Cytonic, and agent of the PC is sent on a mission to recover a kidnapped scientist. I enjoyed this character and the fact that the author created him for the purpose of introducing Cytonic powers. Because he is blind, he uses these powers to sense everything around him (a thing that was described in a way that had me closely picturing Daredevil honestly).
What fell short for me, at least as a huge fan of Skyward and the following releases, is that this isn’t the prequel I would have expected or looked for. This tells an incredibly closed off story, which I won’t go into more of. I would have looked for more background information on Cytonics, or FTL, or the state of earth/space travel while humans were still attached to earth. That’s not to say that it was bad of course, I’m just surprised.
I would definitely say the in between novellas with Janci Patterson are way more necessary reads than this, but it is quick and worth a read. (Sadly no audio, so my dear Suzy Jackson wasn’t heard on this one).
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Violence
xalrynne's review
adventurous
informative
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
I originally read this short story right after right after reading Skyward when it was released almost three years ago. I remembered nothing about the story other than the ominous “Phone Company,” but I do remember thinking that the story was boring and antiquated. I rated it 2/5 stars then.
Fast forward to late 2021, and I’m in the middle of reading Cytonic. I noticed a particular reference was made and immediately I thought to myself, “That was an important reveal, and an important connection to Defending Elysium, but I can’t remember why.” So amidst my reading of Cytonic, I decided to reread Defending Elysium; I didn’t want to miss any details.
I was so surprised by this story! I truly had forgotten 99% of what happened because I found myself surprised at the reveals and questioning what would happen next. And it was engaging! I’m not sure why I ever called this book “boring and antiquated” when there’s actually a really neat sci-fi story being told here and it takes place in the year 2211.
Defending Elysium is the origin story of humans discovering faster-than-light technology and their first contact with alien life forces and what happens because of that.
Besides the faster-than-light technology, there were other references to the Skyward series present throughout the story. And not just Skyward—there were references to things that did not come up until Starsight or even Cytonic! I thought that was especially cool, how Brandon is connecting the events in a story he wrote twenty years ago to the novels he’s publishing today in new and surprising ways for each book in the series.
Would I recommend Defending Elysium? Yes, I would. Would I recommend reading it before or after the Skyward series? I don’t know. I didn’t enjoy it during my original read but I enjoyed it a lot more upon reread, especially when I was able to understand the cross-references and make connections. I think if I had to choose, I would suggest reading this story after Starsight at least, but it really can be read at any point, and even as a standalone outside of the Skyward series. I’m so glad I took the time to reread this.
“Technological development has boundaries, but . . . a sentient mind is limitless.”
Fast forward to late 2021, and I’m in the middle of reading Cytonic. I noticed a particular reference was made and immediately I thought to myself, “That was an important reveal, and an important connection to Defending Elysium, but I can’t remember why.” So amidst my reading of Cytonic, I decided to reread Defending Elysium; I didn’t want to miss any details.
I was so surprised by this story! I truly had forgotten 99% of what happened because I found myself surprised at the reveals and questioning what would happen next. And it was engaging! I’m not sure why I ever called this book “boring and antiquated” when there’s actually a really neat sci-fi story being told here and it takes place in the year 2211.
Defending Elysium is the origin story of humans discovering faster-than-light technology and their first contact with alien life forces and what happens because of that.
Besides the faster-than-light technology, there were other references to the Skyward series present throughout the story. And not just Skyward—there were references to things that did not come up until Starsight or even Cytonic! I thought that was especially cool, how Brandon is connecting the events in a story he wrote twenty years ago to the novels he’s publishing today in new and surprising ways for each book in the series.
Would I recommend Defending Elysium? Yes, I would. Would I recommend reading it before or after the Skyward series? I don’t know. I didn’t enjoy it during my original read but I enjoyed it a lot more upon reread, especially when I was able to understand the cross-references and make connections. I think if I had to choose, I would suggest reading this story after Starsight at least, but it really can be read at any point, and even as a standalone outside of the Skyward series. I’m so glad I took the time to reread this.
“Technological development has boundaries, but . . . a sentient mind is limitless.”
Content Warnings
Minor: Death
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