Above the Black · #1 / 3
Sky's End
An instant New York Times bestseller with three starred reviews—now under development as a feature film franchise!
Plummet into a kill-or-be-killed competition where a scrappy underdog hell-bent on revenge must battle colossal monstrosities and claw his way to the top in this fast-paced, breakout sensation from YA fantasy author Marc J Gregson.
Exiled to live as a Low under the merciless rule of the Meritocracy, sixteen-year-old Conrad refuses to become heir to his murderous uncle. But when behemoth sky serpents attack the floating island of Holmstead and devour Conrad’s ailing mother, Conrad cuts a deal to save the only family he has left. To rescue his sister from his uncle’s clutches, Conrad must enter the Selection of the Twelve Trades.
Freshly recruited into Hunter, the deadliest of all the Trades, Conrad endures vigorous training, manipulative peers, and the Gauntlet—a brutal final challenge that pits Conrad’s skyship crew against the very terrors that orphaned him. As Conrad competes in the lowest of stations, he overhears whispers of rebellion in the dark. Conrad had never known anything existed below the toxic black clouds of the Skylands . . . until now.
Grab your copy of Book One of the Above the Black trilogy and immerse yourself in a richly detailed dystopia, where failing to rise will most certainly mean your fall. Chock-full with epic, edge-of-your-seat battles, nail-biting twists, and bonds of brotherhood, this action-packed series starter is reminiscent of
Attack on Titan and will appeal to fans of Red Rising. A captivatingly wild ride to keep you up late at night as you race toward the finish!
The series
Above the clouds, there are no rules—only survival.
Read full series description
In Above the Black, Marc J. Gregson crafts a world where islands float in the sky and gravity isn’t the only force threatening to pull people under. At the heart of this young adult fantasy series is Conrad, a seventeen-year-old boy with nothing to lose and everything to prove. When he's forced into a deadly competition aboard a warship that prowls the skies like a predator, he isn't just fighting to live—he’s chasing secrets that could topple the fragile order of this airborne world.
But this isn’t just another tournament story. The battles in the sky are brutal, yes—but it’s the emotional terrain that hits hardest. Trust is fleeting, loyalty is dangerous, and the truth? Often more lethal than a blade. Gregson weaves sweeping world-building with intimate, character-driven tension, letting readers feel the cold wind of the upper atmosphere and the deeper chill of betrayal. Floating cities, sky serpents, political intrigue, and quiet moments of hope—the series balances spectacle with soul.
With Sky’s End already earning acclaim for its cinematic scope and heartfelt intensity—and a film adaptation in the works—this series is quickly establishing itself as a standout in the YA fantasy genre. Perfect for fans of fierce competitions, found family dynamics, and morally gray choices, Above the Black doesn’t just imagine a world above the clouds—it dares you to fall through it.
What price would you pay to rise above the wreckage of who you were? This series asks, and never lets you look away.
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