Book Review: Cytonic by Brandon Sanderson

Cytonic is the third book in the Skyward series by Brandon Sanderson, following Skyward and Starsight. For some reason I thought this was a trilogy but it is at least 4 books long. There's also a handful of collaborative novellas in this universe as well, though I have yet to read those. Regardless, this is a very interesting sci-fi series from an author better known for fantasy.

As part of a series, the prior books are fair-game when it comes to spoilers, but I'll avoid major ones here.

Overall Impression

This was a good third addition to the series and focuses heavily on the mystery behind cytonics and the delvers. While there is some interesting plot and character developments, compared to the other two novels this one is centered around the topic. It doesn't feel like an info-dump, but it is very much about getting the characters (and the readers) the information they need.

Plot

The story picks up almost exactly from where Starsight left off. Spensa has jumped into a dark sphere that led to the nowhere- the place used when doing hyperspace jump. We had been left wondering where this would lead and while there is a path back to Detritus and her allies, instead in this book Spensa takes it to a sort-of in-between place. From there its a journey of discovery as Spensa traverses a path that leads to memories of old cytonics. It's a bit of an adventure quest-style story, very straightforward and well-paced.

Characters

The main character as before is Spensa, but we see a lot more development from her AI companion, M-Bot. We also meet some new people, most notable Chet, a mysterious denizen of the nowhere whose memory has been lost. We do see some familiar faces from the prior novels, but overall the cast is not as large given the more introspective focus of this book.

Setting / World Building

Without spoiling too much, this is a very unique setting in this universe. Spensa finds herself in a mysterious place that is outside the 'somewhere', or the physical realm were people, stars, and mushrooms are, and is yet not entirely inside the 'nowhere', the place used for hyperspace travel. There are fragments of real places here, drifting around and containing their own small ecosystems. Towards the center is the lightburst- the source of light and the entry into the real nowhere. People live among these fragments, mainly pirates or those carrying out Superiority mining operations. Things like time, memories, and physical needs get altered by being there, even M-Bot isn't spared from it. The mystery of this place is a huge driver in the novel and the threats there are part of the tension the characters face.

Final Thoughts

This was a good continuation to the series. It's not as strong as the prior novels, but the secrets revealed push it up there. If you've been reading the Skyward novels then this one is a must as you get a better understanding of cytonics and learn what delvers actually are.