Nick James (1)Critiques

This alternates between first-person chapters from Jesse's POV and third-person chapters focused on Cassius. There's a lot to the world-building, and I'm probably forgetting large chunks of it, but basically this is set on a devastated Earth that's horrifically hot and kind of toxic. There are two main political factions: the Skyship dwellers who live in massive ships in the Earth's stratosphere, and the corrupt Surface government that controls the "Chosen Cities," oases protected from the results of the chemical bombings that made so much of the rest of the planet nearly unlivable. Both groups are after one thing: Pearls, mysterious little orbs that fall from space and can power entire cities or ships.

Jesse is a young Skyshipper on what should have been a simple Surface mission to retrieve a Pearl. Instead, he accidentally crosses paths with Cassius, a young Pearl hunter for the Surface government. The encounter changes both of their lives, awakening powers that neither one of them understands.

I got this for free years ago, at a conference where the poor publisher rep kept having to explain to people passing by his table that this was sci-fi and not steampunk. To be fair, neither the title nor the cover communicated that very clearly. "Skyship" still seems more steampunk than sci-fi to me.

While I enjoyed several of the revelations near the end of this book, overall this was kind of dull and weighed down by its world-building. I felt like I was swimming in a sea of info about this world, and unfortunately it was hard to bring myself to care.

None of the characters really grabbed me. Jesse was the "ordinary" protagonist who found himself caught up in a situation where everyone around him seemed to know more about what was going on than he did. Cassius was the talented and loyal protege of the villainess (and obviously being used by her). Cassius interested me more than Jesse, but neither one of them was particularly compelling.

There were several revelations near the end that were huge and completely unexpected. It seemed like the sort of information that would completely alter this world, so I was confused why no one seemed to be worried about the obvious implications of it. Was I misunderstanding how this world worked? It's possible - like I said, the world-building was more than a bit much for me. Or maybe I understood just fine, and the author just didn't want to deal with any of it until the beginning of the next book. Having your characters realize that their entire way of life is somehow going to have to change overnight would be a pretty big deal.

You'd think revelations this huge would make me excited to read the next book, but for some reason I can't work up any enthusiasm. I wouldn't say this was a bad book, but it wasn't for me. I'll be stopping here.

(Original review posted on A Library Girl's Familiar Diversions.)

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I have had this book to read for quite awhile. I thought it looked like a really interesting premise (and it has a cool cover). It ended up being okay but not great. It takes quite a while for the story to get going and I never really connected with the characters or the story.

I listened to this on audiobook and it was fine. The narrator did a decent job with characters voices. The narration wasn’t anything special but it wasn’t bad either.

The first half of the book is pretty typical post-apocalyptic sci-fi stuff. Humanity has been split into the military on Earth and the Skyships above; they both fight over Pearls which are an alien power source that falls to Earth from the heavens. Things get a lot more interesting when our two heroes (one boy from a Skyship and one from Earth) have an encounter that leaves them both strangely changed.

I will say the characters are pretty balanced between male and female; there are strong characters of both. So this book should appeal to both female and male sci-fi fans. Some of the things happening towards the end of the book are very mysterious and interesting. The book ends at a decent spot; some things are wrapped up but there are still questions.

Overall this is an okay sci-fi read. I personally never engaged all that well with the characters or the story. However the book does pick up quite a bit in the second half and get more interesting. While I don’t plan on reading anymore of the series I would tentatively recommend to fans of post-apocalyptic earth type sci-fi; especially YA fans.

Read my review on my tumblr:

http://ifyouloved.tumblr.com/post/36095068145/if-you-loved-xcom-enemy-unknown-th...

I read an uncorrected proof. Earth, or at least the United States is divided into two societies, one living on ships and one in protected cities. Both want to get pearls, mysterious sources of energy. SPOILER?---Romaine Gary wrote a novel about a pearl-like substance. The adventure in the book is concluded but points to a further story about the origin of the pearls.

The story takes place in post-apocalyptic America (and in the skies above it). The view points toggle back and forth between the two male teenagers Jesse and Cassius. Jesse is a Skyshipper who grew up in the skies and Cassius is a government goon who was raised in one of the “Chosen Cities” that are spread across what’s left of Northern America. Outside these Chosen Cities people still live and try to survive – though it is a blasted wasteland – these people are called Fringers.

One of the best opening lines in a YA book:

"My fingers grip the ledge, searching for cracks. The rest of me dangles into empty sky like some demented human windsock."

Two factions of people fight over an energy source called Pearls that fall from the sky. These two teens happen to meet because of the search for one. Of course they fight right?!

Enjoyable and super fast paced (once you get past page 100), this is the first book in a trilogy that completes this year. The characters are ones I quickly grew attached to, they each have their strengths and weaknesses along with their reasoning behind their actions. There are are a few things however, that I nit picked at while reading. Mainly in the first few chapters with Jesse he used the word ‘mass’ a lot. I get that it’s a slang word and I even know a few kids that do the same thing – they latch onto that slang word and use it until you want to smack them. That’s how I felt about Jesse for a little while. Of course that wasn’t how it was the whole book, so if you are like me in that easily annoyed respect don’t worry. I thought the first 100 pages was a tad bit low on the action, but I have to admit that I might have been expecting more action because of how much action there was in the first chapter. Way to suck me in Nick James! So that was my bad – don’t go in expecting just enjoy the ride. The Pearl Wars leads you in by the nose, giving you little sniffs here and there of history and the current state of things with the world, I would definitely have loved to know more, but I’ll just have to wait for the next book. Nick James has a lovely website with lots of info on the factions and characters - so that I gobbled right up.

There are a a few supporting characters that were excellent additions that you can't help but wonder - no where is this going to go? Thankfully this was very light on any romantic aspects which for a YA book was oh so refreshing!

Nick James has a lovely website with lots of info on the factions and characters - so that I gobbled right up.

There is a definite surprise in store for readers, and I love being taken by surprise!

This book held many simplistic values and complex thoughts. The world has been torn apart by Nuclear war, and a new, mysterious power source now falls from space. The Pearls. The have unlimited power for the people now. But they all have their costs. Jesse Fisher, a sky shipper, has found out new abilities by using the Pearls. But what sort of alien power is this?

Started too slow and when I picked it up again and read the summary on the back, I just couldn't be bothered. It's an overdue ILL anyway.

What an amazing book!! It was SO exciting and action packed, with amazing characters and flawless timing. I think this is going to be one of my favorite series!

My Opinion: My opinion is very simple: I loved it!! What an awesome installment in what is becoming one of my favorite series! This book blends action, suspense, and science fiction perfectly!

In the Pearl Wars, we're introduced to a post-apocalyptic/dystopian society where sources of energy, or Pearls, are desperately needed, so when one comes down from space, the race is on to see who will find it first. Enter Jesse and Cassius, one working for the Skyship Academy and the other working for the Unified Party, who find out that they are brothers. We also find out that they are aliens, which really intrigued me. Now they are both trying to learn how to use their powers (Cassius burns from the inside and has a bad habit of catching rooms on fire without meaning to, and Jesse can open Pearls, which comes in handy in this destitute world where they are in such demand). They are both also on the run and separated from each other, so they each have their own exciting adventures in the book before they come together for what turns out to be a big showdown.

I often find that sequels to books that I absolutely fall in love with aren't as good as the first, but that's not the case here. The writing was just as exciting, and the twists and turns that the story takes kept me on the edge of my seat! The characters, good and bad, are all well written, and the pacing is perfect. I honestly can't say who I like better, Jesse or Cassius, since I go back and forth all through the book, but I think that makes it all the more exciting!

In summary, I absolutely loved this installment in the Skyship Academy series and recommend it to fans of action packed YA sci-fi stories. I'm giving it a very enthusiastic 5 stars :D

I received a copy of this book free of charge from NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion.

This was a 3 for most of the book but I'm giving it 4 because I was totally into the last 100 pages or so. Review to come...sometime soon.

--Full, non-spoiler review courtesy at Book & Movie Dimension a Blog--

In Skyship Academy: The Pearl Wars, we learned that Jesse and Cassius both are Drifters or simply put aliens from out of Earth. Jesse and Cassiu's parents had lived on until their planet became unstable so they had to send their people off their planet , although The Authority who is composed of people who are coming from Haven (Jesse Fisher and Cassius Stevenson's home planet) who happen to be Shifters and are capable of manipulating a rare element called Ridium are trying to bring down the opposition of Green Pearl Drifters who are really part of the Rebellion of Haven. Ridium is a special pure black substance that has . The Authority are Haven's royalty including the branch of all Shifters but are now enemies to Jesse and Cassius as well as all Drifters since Jesses and Cassiu's parents are members of the rebellion against the monarchy full of Shifters. You see part of the reason, Haven had become unstable was because of the shifters manipulating Ridium in the first place which made Haven very much unhospitable environmentally-wise. Adaylla and Savon (Founders of Haven's resistance) had rebelled against the wishes of The Authority when they didn't want to cooperate in conquering Earth as their planet collapsed. Finally, we learn that Jesse is the Pearl Breaker while Cassius is the one who harnesses the recess energy from Jesse's pearl breaking into fire power. They are Earth's hope to truly stop The Authority from invading Earth. In Crimson Rising, Jesse searches for a way to build an army of Green Pearl Drifters before The Authority reaches Earth although stopping events from unfolding can go both ways. Jesse encouters a Red Pearl for the first time that seems to be a member of the dangerous Authority. Jesse is distracted though occasionally since Avery the girl he really likes had previously been captured. With Avery's return they meet Theo who quickly becomes one of the most dangerous enemies of the brothers. Theo really shows us the dangerous but amazing powers of a Shifter who can control Ridium. Jesse in the end must suffer losses even as he must remain strong for the war that inevitably looms between the Green Pearls Breakers Drifters and Red Pearl Drifters.

Nick Jame's Skyship Academy: Crimson Rising was very entertaining. To be honest here and now while did get immersed in Skyship Academy: The Pearl Wars was much slower reading in pace or ocassionally loss any alarming quality that would keep you at the edge of your seat while you took it in. Now with Crimson Rising the potential that actually knew existed from The Pearl Wars exceeded in expectations in Crimson Rising. Got umbelievably far better. The action, a huge wow, increased to a kick-start by several degrees. A lot of things are moving into the grandeur scheme of the stale-mate between Green Pearl Drifters and Red Pearl Drifters which is rather good. The action and adventure also increased to any readers who had previously enjoyed Skyship Academy: The Pearl Wars (which did, by the way). Given to you the reader as short and sweet: Awesome Science Fiction reading!
Overall: Amazing read!
Genre: Science Fiction, Dystopian, Steampunk, Young Adult

Skyship Academy is one of those books that's incredibly understated. In fact, I never heard of this book until I found it on Amazon and the blurb pulled me in. I'll admit that I wasn't incredibly excited about it -it wasn't at the top of my To-Be-Read pile, and for a few weeks I kept moving it down the pile in favor of other books. But from the first page to the last, I discovered something that was far beyond what I ever expected. But the biggest surprise? Skyship Academy has gotten zero love in the blogosphere since its release last year. That's one thing that I just don't understand. Why? Why no love for such an excellent piece of science fiction writing that pushes the limits, takes risks, and has some excellent personality that sets it apart from everything else on the shelf.

Skyship Academy transports readers into a desolate future, where the most valued commodities are the mysterious Pearls, which are capable of suppling enough energy to power entire cities -its a power dangerous enough to kill for. The government and the Skyship Academy are at war over the Pearls. Right in the middle of the fight are Jesse Fisher, a Skyship student and slacker, and Cassius Stevenson, a young and promising operative working for the government. They come together in a chance encounter, that pull the two men into an unexpected fight of there own that could reveal the secrets behind the Pearls.

I would warn readers: the packaging of Skyship Academy can be somewhat misleading. From the cover and the blurb, I thought that I was getting some sort of YA science fiction novel with dashes of dystopia. Instead, I was treated to a more adult-oriented speculative novel with heavy science fiction elements, excellent action, great writing and some fascinating jabs at social commentary and modern politics.

Both Cassius and Jesse are excellent characters, and author Nick James does an exquisite job of infusing plenty of personality into very every word and every piece of dialog throughout the entire novel. But most importantly, James delivers a fascinating and unique plot with plenty of perfectly-constructed action, and wild twists that send the reader down unexplored paths.

Then, there's the setting. James paints a dark, but gritty and interesting vision of the future with biting social commentary and somewhat whimsical references to modern politics. Nearly everything about James' world is as engaging as it is unexpected, and he does a great job of weaving all the elements together.

That's why I just don't understand it: Why no love for Skyship Academy? It's one of the best books I've read in a while that hits all the right notes.

**Originally posted on tickettoanywhere.net**

Prior to BEA 2011 I had never heard of this book and I only stumbled upon it as I attended the book signing of another author and afterwards we all got to talking over at the Flux booth. Nick started to describe his book but once I saw the blurb by James Dashner I knew that it was something I had to check out. I'm not usually one to be swayed by blurbs (and to be honest I don't usually read them) but I've met James several times and so he's an exception.

From the start of this book all the way until the last page I was sucked into the story. I love the world that Nick created which was a bit sci-fi with a wee addition of dystopian mixed in. I loved how he gave a brief history of how the world came to be what it was without being dry or weighing down the story. He made a believable futuristic world where resources are scarce and humanity has been divided into factions as they fight for survival.

I really enjoyed the characters in this book as well. This was very much a boy book with the majority of the main characters being boys. There was a couple of token girls tossed into the mix but they didn't always come across as very girly to me and were a bit stiff and awkward at times. But overall I really enjoyed all of the characters. I liked how Jessie was more your typical boy then anyone overtly special. He wasn't the best in his class, he was more likely to be the one who was messing up. But given the circumstances that he was thrust into he came into his own and turned his ordinariness into something more.

I really enjoyed this story and all the possibilities that it raised for the rest of the series. The writing was strong and I was really invested in the story. I wasn't surprised by some of the twists and turns. And there were times when I thought some events were a bit far fetched. I liked how there were active adults in the story - although their were times where they came across as a bit stiff as well. But what I like best about the book is the potential for what is to come. As a first in a series it hit all the right notes in building a world and characters that you want to know more about. I am really looking forward to the second book and you will as well once you give this one a try.

Most natural resources are gone. A new power source has been discovered, Pearls, small meteors that fall from the sky and can be converted to energy. Both the people left living on the surface and those who have made their homes in Skyships race to retrieve fallen Pearls. Academies are set up to train agents to retrieve these Pearls, before the other side can get to them. Jesse is an inept Skyship trainee. That all changes the day he and his teammates are sent on a training mission to retrieve a Pearl. Cassius, a surface agent, arrives to retrieve the Pearl as well and when he touches Jesse a chain reactions starts. Both he and Jesse begin manifesting strange often deadly powers. Powers that both their governments want to use.

This was an action packed read. Just the moment Jesse or Cassius escapes one situation they are thrust into another one. There is plenty of mystery and betrayal as they struggle to figure out just what is going on. I can’t say too much without giving it away, but this was a unique supernatural twist on a dystopian story. So the plot was really solid. However, I never really connected with the characters, the action is the main focus. Since I tend to like characters over plot, this did impact how much I liked the story.½

Such a fantastic read for me! I've always been a huge science fiction fan and recently I've discovered my love of dystopian stories. Nick combines both these elements perfectly so it was pretty much a win win situation for me. What really drew me in was how easily these two worlds fit together.

Jesse Fisher lives in what was once The United States of America. After a devastating attack, Earth has been rendered almost inhabitable. The government has reformed and priorities have shifted. It's only been through the saving grace of Pearls that so many people have been able to survive. These strange and powerful orbs began falling from the sky soon after the attack. Seeming to be made of pure energy, each Pearl can power a Chosen city or a Skyship for months. These Chosen cities and floating Skyships are havens where, for the right price, people can live in safety and comfort.

As with a lot of dystopian tales, there are many layers to the new world we find our characters in. Jesse has to contend with the world of the surface and the world of the sky and things aren't always as they seem. Also, in true science fiction fashion, the Pearls also have some secrets of their own. I really can't say much more without giving away too much! Definitely a book that you do not want to see spoilers of.

I really loved the characters in this book. Jesse isn't the strongest or the best at anything but he doesn't let that stop him. Cassius finds out that being the strongest and the best doesn't mean all that much if you've been lied to your entire life. As for other supporting characters, some seem pretty black or white, good or bad...but I have a feeling I might be wrong about them. There is just so much mystery to this story it's hard to tell who's going to come out on top in the end.

This strange world full of floating cities, barren landscapes, magical Pearls, lies and mystery got me hooked from page one. A fantastic debut and I'm supper excited for book 2!

In 2095 when a fifteen-year-old slacker discovers that he has the power to control Pearls, fragments of space debris that are a dying Earth's most important energy source, government forces work to capture him.