Tuesday, January 31, 2006

The Skyborn by Paul Collins

Welkin Quinn was a fourteen year old ensign on the spaceship city 'Colony' until it crashed on planet Earth. There, Welkin, his sister, and some of his other friends were "specially" selected as a team to scout the land. Outside of 'Colony' Welkin and the others discover many things about Earth; the sparse vegetation, desolate landscape, and a devolved race of humans called the Earthborn. The most frightening discovery about Welkin's assignment is the realization that this is one task he isn't supposed to return from. Welkin and his fellow abandoned Skyborn trek the Earth in search of hospitality, which they find when they meet Sarah, an Earthborn approximatly Welkin's age, who leads her own "family". Together they combine their families' talent, knowledge, and technology into one for the sole purpose of survival. A chance encounter with a fellow abandoned Skyborn alerts Welkin to a plot hatched by the Elders of the Skyborn that is to rid the Earth of the Earthborn. Fuelled by his watch-dog instincts and a desire for revenge, Welkin steps in to defuse the threat. In spite of dangerous situations and the risk of certain death if caught, Welkin braves it all, honoring his sense of duty. Unfortunately he has no idea what fate may await him upon re-entering Colony!

The Skyborn, by Paul Collins is a futuristic thriller that keeps the reader involved with a suspense-filled plot that always leaves you guessing. The Skyborn is Collins' follow-up to The Earthborn, a book published in 2003. Because of the intense character drama and detailed backstory, I wouldn't recommend diving into The Skyborn without first reading The Earthborn, as I did. It takes too much time sorting through the character's personalities and figuring out who the characters are, that it distracts from the plot of The Skyborn. Collins does an excellent job making the individual characters in The Skyborn believable. You find yourself caught up in their journey and rooting for them to not only survive, but succeed. Unfortunately his details of the setting is less descriptive so it was hard to imagine clearly what Collins pictured as a post-disaster Earth. Despite the difficult level of reading, I really enjoyed The Skyborn. So much so I purchased The Earthborn (better late than never)and hope there is a The Hiveborn in the works.

Rating (0 - 10 scale): 10
Reviewer Age: 12
Reviewer City, State and Country: Chambersburg, Pennsylvania USA

posted by Flamingnet Book Blog @ 10:49 PM