From #1 New York Times bestselling author Brandon Sanderson and Janci Patterson comes the first book in a new, high-flying trilogy featuring the legendary Skyward Flight as they undertake a deadly intergalactic mission to explore a mysterious alien world.
After decades of war against alien oppressors, the humans of the Defiant Defense Force are finally free. Yet for Arturo Mendez, leader of Skyward Flight, freedom isn’t what he thought it would be.
His first postwar assignment seems simple: The DDF has found evidence of other settlements of humans who were isolated during their long war against the aliens, and Arturo and his flight of pilots are to escort a team of diplomats as they attempt to make contact. It’s an easy mission—get in, guard the diplomats, and get out.
But no element of this mission turns out to be simple. Blightfall is inhospitable, surrounded by mysterious debris and covered in giant, invasive forests that have swallowed most of the planet. Upon arrival, Arturo’s team is attacked, and it quickly becomes clear that this human settlement isn’t what it appears to be.
Now trapped in an unfamiliar world and unsure who to trust, Arturo and his team must find allies and uncover long-buried secrets if they hope to escape and return home.
The series
In Riftwake, the Cytoverse opens into a new era, one defined not by alien armadas but by uncertainty. Created by Brandon Sanderson and Janci Patterson, this developing trilogy builds on the legacy of the Skyward novels while charting a more unsettled course. The battles that once united humanity are over. What remains is the harder task of deciding who humanity will become.
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The first book, Blightfall, sends Skyward Flight on what should be a diplomatic escort mission, a sign that the Defiant Defense Force is finally stepping into a galaxy of alliances rather than firefights. Instead, they arrive at a world half swallowed by invasive forests and surrounded by drifting wreckage, a planet that feels less like a new beginning and more like a warning. The isolated human settlement they hope to greet does not fit the narrative of easy reunion. Suspicion replaces celebration. Survival instincts resurface.
What sets this series apart within young adult science fiction and military space opera is its focus on aftermath. The starfighters still streak across hostile skies, and the tension of tactical maneuvering remains sharp, but the deeper conflict lies in leadership and trust. Arturo Mendez, now carrying the weight of command, must navigate more than enemy fire. He faces fractured loyalties, hidden histories, and the uncomfortable truth that freedom does not erase the scars of occupation.
The world-building carries the hallmarks readers expect from intricate science fiction. Alien ecosystems feel tangible, from towering, predatory flora to the eerie debris fields that encircle forgotten colonies. Cytonic energy, once a tool of resistance, lingers at the edge of understanding, suggesting that the universe still holds forces beyond easy explanation. Exploration becomes both physical and moral, a journey into unknown territory and into the unresolved corners of humanity itself.
Rather than leaning solely on spectacle, the narrative invests in character arcs shaped by doubt and growth. Pilots accustomed to clear enemies must learn diplomacy. Soldiers must become negotiators. Friendships strain under responsibility. The result is a layered space adventure that blends high-stakes action with introspective storytelling, creating a tone that feels expansive yet grounded.
As a continuation of a widely read science fiction universe, Riftwake carries expectations, yet it chooses evolution over repetition. It asks what happens after liberation, when the sky is no longer filled with invaders but with unanswered questions. In that quiet between battles, the next conflict begins, not against an alien empire, but within the fragile structures of a newly free civilization.
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