Book · in order

Skyward Books in Order

By the Bingerun team · How we choose the order →

There are 9 entries in the Skyward series and its wider Cytoverse as of the Blightfall launch: 4 Skyward novels (2018-2023), 3 Skyward Flight novellas co-written with Janci Patterson (all 2021), the prequel novella Defending Elysium (2008), and Blightfall, book 1 of the new Riftwake trilogy, arriving September 1, 2026. Start with Skyward and Starsight in that order; after Starsight the path genuinely forks, and the three novellas are far less optional than they look.

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  1. Skyward 2018

    Skyward book 1 (November 6, 2018, Delacorte) and the universal starting point: Spensa Nightshade fights to become a DDF pilot on the besieged planet Detritus. Everything else in the Cytoverse depends on it, and it is the book the in-development TV series adapts

  2. Starsight 2019

    Skyward book 2 (November 26, 2019), the direct sequel following Spensa undercover in the Superiority. Required before both the novellas and Cytonic: the fork in the reading order opens immediately after this book, since the three Skyward Flight novellas pick up from its ending

  3. Cytonic 2021

    Skyward book 3 (November 23, 2021), Spensa's solo journey through the nowhere. It runs concurrently with the three novellas, so it has two valid slots: before the trio (keeps Spensa's arc unbroken, this guide's primary order) or after them (matches their 2.1 to 2.3 numbering). Note that it actually released mid-novella-run, between ReDawn and Evershore

  4. Sunreach 2021

    Skyward Flight novella 1 (September 28, 2021, ebook and audio first), co-written with Janci Patterson and told from FM's POV. Starts the home-front arc on Detritus that runs while Spensa is away in Cytonic. It looks like optional side content but is not: this trio introduces the cast Defiant's opening leans on and Blightfall promotes to protagonists

  5. ReDawn 2021

    Skyward Flight novella 2 (October 26, 2021), co-written with Janci Patterson and told from Alanik of ReDawn's POV. Continues directly from Sunreach. Publication-order trap: Cytonic shipped between this and Evershore, so raw release order splits the three-novella arc in half

  6. Evershore 2021

    Skyward Flight novella 3 (December 28, 2021), co-written with Janci Patterson and told from Jorgen's POV. Closes the concurrent home-front arc and sets the table for Defiant, whose opening picks up directly from these events. The three novellas also exist in print as Skyward Flight: The Collection (April 5, 2022), a reprint omnibus, not a fourth story

  7. Defiant 2023

    Skyward book 4 (November 21, 2023) and the finale of Spensa's saga. It reads far better with all three novellas behind you, since its opening picks up the full Skyward Flight ensemble, though it is not literally incomprehensible without them. Everything before this point is prerequisite for Blightfall

  8. Blightfall 2026

    Releases September 1, 2026 (Delacorte, 496 pages; audiobook narrated by Eddie Lopez and Suzy Jackson). Book 1 of Riftwake, a new post-saga trilogy co-written with Janci Patterson, not Skyward book 5: flightleader Arturo Mendez and the Skyward Flight pilots take on a diplomatic escort mission to contact isolated human settlements on the planet Blightfall, with Arturo's and Sadie's POVs carrying all three books. Book 2, working title Songrise, is targeted for summer 2027 with no official date

  9. Defending Elysium 2008

    The optional prequel novella that inspired the whole Cytoverse, first published in Asimov's Science Fiction (October/November 2008 issue) and winner of Spain's UPC Award. Set centuries before Spensa, it shows the origin of cytonics and humanity's first brush with galactic society. Fully skippable and safe to read first or last: chronology purists slot it before Skyward, spoiler-timing purists save it until after Starsight or the end, when its reveals land harder. Free to read at brandonsanderson.com, or a 2.99 dollar standalone ebook from Dragonsteel

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Why this order?

Start with Skyward (2018) and Starsight (2019), in that order. Those two are non-negotiable, and everything else in the universe depends on them. The interesting question is what happens next, because this series has a genuine fork rather than one right answer.

The three Skyward Flight novellas, Sunreach, ReDawn and Evershore, run concurrently with the third novel, Cytonic: while Spensa is away in the nowhere, FM, Alanik and Jorgen are defending Detritus on the home front. Neither strand strictly precedes the other in-story, so two placements are both valid. Reading Cytonic first keeps Spensa's three-book arc unbroken and lands the novella trio immediately before Defiant, whose opening leans on their cast, and that is the primary order this guide lists. Reading the novellas first instead matches the conventional 2.1, 2.2 and 2.3 numbering, since they pick up directly from Starsight's ending. Pick either; the hard rules are only that the novellas come after Starsight and before Blightfall.

What you should not do is skip the novellas or follow raw publication order. Cytonic released on November 23, 2021, in the middle of the novella run, between ReDawn (October 26) and Evershore (December 28), so release order splits a continuous three-novella arc in half. And the novellas look like optional side content but are co-equal canon: Defiant reads far better with them behind you, and Blightfall, book 1 of the Riftwake trilogy rather than Skyward book 5, stars Arturo Mendez and the very pilots those novellas follow. Skipping them means starting a trilogy about characters you have never met. Sanderson's own official series page still lists only the four novels, which is exactly why so many readers miss all this. Defending Elysium, a centuries-earlier prequel novella that is free on Sanderson's site, is the one genuinely skippable entry: read it first for chronology or late for spoiler timing. One last thing this series is not: the Cosmere. There is no connection to Mistborn or Stormlight Archive.

Timeline 2008-2026

Every entry by release year: rows that share a year are a cluster, and the long droughts are called out on the rail.

  1. 2008 Defending Elysium
  2. 10-year gap
  3. 2018 Skyward
  4. 2019 Starsight
  5. 2021 CytonicSunreachReDawnEvershore
  6. 2023 Defiant
  7. 2026 Blightfall

Where to play it today

  • No screen adaptation exists to stream yet. A Skyward TV series was announced in May 2026 via a Deadline exclusive: Tomorrow Studios (Netflix's One Piece) is producing, with Sanderson co-writing the pilot with Jed Whedon and Maurissa Tancharoen, and all three executive producing alongside Tomorrow Studios' Marty Adelstein and Becky Clements. It is at pilot-script stage with no network or streamer attached, and an earlier 2020 Universal TV rights deal lapsed with nothing produced
  • All four Skyward novels and Blightfall are published by Delacorte Press in the US in hardcover, paperback, ebook and audio; audiobooks are on Audible and the usual platforms, with Suzy Jackson narrating the main series and Eddie Lopez joining her for Blightfall
  • The three Skyward Flight novellas are sold as individual ebooks and audiobooks, plus the Skyward Flight: The Collection print omnibus (April 5, 2022); do not buy the omnibus on top of the individual ebooks, it is the same three stories
  • Defending Elysium is free to read at brandonsanderson.com/defending-elysium, or a 2.99 dollar ebook from Dragonsteel on Kindle, and it also appears on subscription services like Everand
  • Details above are US-centric and current as of August 2026; UK editions exist via Gollancz but formats and dates there can differ, so check local listings

Availability changes often and varies by region - links search each platform for Skyward (Cytoverse).

Frequently asked questions

How many Skyward books are there?

9 entries as of the Blightfall launch: 4 Skyward novels (Skyward 2018, Starsight 2019, Cytonic 2021, Defiant 2023), 3 Skyward Flight novellas co-written with Janci Patterson (Sunreach, ReDawn and Evershore, all 2021), the prequel novella Defending Elysium (2008), and Blightfall (Riftwake book 1, September 1, 2026). Skyward Flight: The Collection (2022) is a print reprint of the three novellas, not a separate entry.

Do I have to read the Skyward Flight novellas?

Before Defiant: strongly recommended, since Defiant's opening picks up their cast and events. Before Blightfall: effectively yes. Blightfall stars Arturo Mendez and the Skyward Flight pilots those novellas follow through FM's, Alanik's and Jorgen's POVs, so skipping them means starting a trilogy about characters you have never followed.

Do the novellas go before or after Cytonic?

Either. They run concurrently with Cytonic: Spensa is in the nowhere while Skyward Flight defends Detritus. Convention numbers them 2.1 to 2.3, placing them after Starsight and before Cytonic, while reading them after Cytonic instead keeps Spensa's arc unbroken and lands them right before Defiant. Both placements are valid; the only hard rules are after Starsight and before Blightfall.

Is Blightfall Skyward book 5?

No. It is book 1 of Riftwake, a new trilogy set after the Skyward saga, co-written with Janci Patterson, following Arturo's and Sadie's POVs across all three books as the Skyward Flight pilots escort a diplomatic mission to contact isolated human settlements on the planet Blightfall. Book 2, working title Songrise, is targeted for summer 2027 with no official date.

Is Skyward part of the Cosmere?

No. The Cytoverse is a completely separate universe from Mistborn and Stormlight Archive, with no crossover characters, magic systems or continuity.

Can I skip Defending Elysium?

Yes. It is an optional prequel novella set centuries before Skyward, first published in Asimov's Science Fiction in the October/November 2008 issue, that shows the origin of cytonics. It is free to read on brandonsanderson.com and works either as your very first stop or as a late bonus once its reveals mean more.

Is there a Skyward movie or TV show?

Not yet. A TV series was announced in May 2026 from Tomorrow Studios, with Sanderson co-writing the pilot alongside Jed Whedon and Maurissa Tancharoen and all three executive producing with Marty Adelstein and Becky Clements, but no network or streamer is attached and nothing is watchable. An earlier 2020 Universal TV rights deal produced nothing.

Why doesn't Brandon Sanderson's own website list the novellas?

His official Skyward series page shows only the four novels. The novellas are a co-written side line that was originally ebook and audio only, which is precisely why so many readers finish Defiant or start Blightfall without knowing they exist. This guide counts them because Defiant assumes them and Blightfall stars their cast.

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Last verified · Sources: penguinrandomhouse.com, brandonsanderson.com, dragonsteelbooks.com, en.wikipedia.org, sffbookreview.wordpress.com, cbr.com, screenrant.com, deadline.com

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