Sky’s End

By: Jamie Steinberg

Sixteen-year-old Conrad was born into a wealthy and prestigious family on the floating island of Holmstead. When he refuses to become the heir, he is cast down to live a life as a “Low” (low-class) with his sick mother. With her gone, he strikes a deal with his uncle to save the only family that he has left – his sister Ellie. In order to rescue her, he’ll need to enter the Selection of the Twelve Trades (imagine going into a duel with only a cane in your hand hoping to be selected by either The Army, The Navy, The Airforce or The Marines).  Should he be accepted and rise in rank, he stands a chance at redemption. While that sounded fascinating to me, the tale just fails to invest the reader. Sure, you feel that Conrad deserves his redemption, but the struggle is real and so is the read when it comes to Sky’s End.

Upon his mother losing her life to a monstrous gorgantaun (think a sky flying mix between a snake and dragon), Conrad is determined to save his sister’s life from the clutches of their uncle. His only chance at starting down the right path is to succeed at the Selection of the Twelve Trades. Thankfully, he is chosen by Hunter, the deadliest of all the trades. There he undergoes vigorous training amongst his peers and even an enemy who has had a lifelong grudge against him. Conrad must also learn to open himself up to trusting his fellow cadets as they are going to need one another when they take part in the Gauntlet – a brutal final test that will reward the winner with riches and status if their skyship can take down the most gorgantauns.

What starts as a slow read continues as a slow read until we get into the air. There we finally see some real action as Conrad and his crewmates tackle inter-team conflicts, biases and flying beasts. Author Marc J. Gregson clearly has a penchant for sci-fi and fantasy and a gift for writing; however, this tale is just a bit slow-paced and stale for my tastes. If you’re looking for a tale of someone risking their life to regain everything that they lost, Sky’s End will suffice. However, if you would like that story to be an edge-of-your-seat page turning sensation, you will have to look elsewhere.