Skyward

Sanderson is known for huge fantasy epics, but this young adult novel shows his gift for pure momentum. Spensa talks a big game, full of dramatic threats she has borrowed from old stories, and her bravado hides real hurt. When she squeezes into flight school, she joins a squad of trainee pilots, each with a distinct personality, and their friendship becomes the emotional core of the book. The flight training scenes are thrilling and easy to follow.

Spensa's other secret is a crashed, ancient ship she discovers in a cave, whose artificial intelligence, M-Bot, is anxious, sarcastic and obsessed with mushrooms. Their partnership is hugely entertaining. Underneath the humour, the book asks serious questions about courage, loyalty and what it means to be called a coward, and the training is not without loss. The revelations about Detritus and the Krell in the final act are well earned.

It is a gripping start to a series and a great entry point to Sanderson's work for younger readers. Starsight follows. Despite its length, the short chapters make it fly by. About 544 pages in the Ember paperback.