Leta’s Book Review: SunReach, ReDawn, and Evershore by Brandon Sanderson

After I finished Cytonic by Brandon Sanderson, I went on a search for when the next book in the series would be out (it’s 2023 and yes, I’m sad) and instead I found a trilogy of novellas in the same series. SunReach and ReDawn had both been published, while Evershore was next, so I began reading the first one, SunReach.

SunReach is from the point of view of FM, a character from Skyward who goes by her callsign. It starts near the end of the final battle of Starsight (book two). We join FM as she jumps into her fighter and joins the rest of her flight. As Spensa spent Starsight getting acquainted with the rest of the universe outside Detritus, the rest of the humans start to communicate with the Superiority government. FM begins moving naturally into a mediation role, since her compassion gives her a very different point of view than the council and military that run Detritus. Skyward flight rescues a dignitary defecting from the Superiority and gain some much-needed perspective on the universe.

ReDawn was next and features a closer look at the UrDail people from the point of view of Alanik. This novella starts nearly right after SunReach when Alanik is woken from her coma on Detritus. She immediately flees back to her home world, and we’re given a description of her government and they “fights” that their military performs for crowds of onlookers, much like we watch sports. Before long, Alanik realizes the value of an inter-species relationship without the Superiority involved and contacts Jorgen to initiate a joint effort. The humans of Detritus gained valuable allies in the process as well and a mutually beneficial relationship was born.

Eventually, I read Evershore once it was published. It was from Jorgen’s point of view and bridged the rest of the time that Spensa spends away in Cytonic (book three). The humans of Detritus and the UrDail people of ReDawn find another ally amidst the small fox-people known as Kitsen. After one harrowing test after another, Jorgen and the rest of Skyward flight find themselves back on the platforms above Detritus. The end of Cytonic intersects with this point in time.

I love knowing what the side characters are doing while the main character is off having their universe-saving adventure. That’s exactly what these three novellas did. I learned more about who these characters are and saw a few of them fall in love. It was the perfect way to explain the ending of Cytonic without taking time away from the main storyline during those novels. If you’ve read Skyward or are planning to read it, make sure that you read these novellas as well! I would recommend reading them when I did, after finishing Cytonic. That way, nothing is spoiled in any of the novels or novellas.