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Another review for another friend. If you’ve read my other reviews, you’ll know I take a no holds barred approach to reviewing, regardless of friendship. So believe me when I say that We Lost the Sky by Marie Howalt is one of the best books I’ve read in a long time.

Spoiler-free review incoming.

BACKGROUND AND LORES

In the distant future when Tuscany is a desolate wasteland ruled by the forces of nature, Renn is abandoned by his fellow wanderers. As a dust storm approaches, he struggles to find shelter in the ruins of an ancient city. But he gets more than he has bargained for when he accidentally awakens a dormant creature which resembles the maddened Moon servants from his people’s legends.

Meanwhile, a teenage survivor of the lost civilisation is keeping an eye on his old home, the one remaining great city, Florence. Unlike the city dwellers who rarely venture out of Florence’s protective domes, he scavenges long-forgotten technology while looking for others from his own time. And now he is building an army of artificial humans outside the city that no longer welcomes him.

The Florentines reject advanced technology and innovation. Yet, a restoration worker strives to learn engineering and longs to find out more about the strange relics that turn up on her workbench.

She is caught between the city’s, wealthy, protected neighbourhoods and its outer slums, determined to help the impoverished denizens. However, both endeavours mean working against her own father and the ideology of the ruling class.

As tensions mount in Florence, Renn and an unlikely new travelling companion are drawn towards the city. But danger is lurking around every dune of sand. It is going to take more than luck to avoid suspicious settlers and survive the turbulent weather conditions and fierce predators longing to put a quick end to their journey.

What you need to get is that the world ended because the moon got hit. The classic “sky is falling” scenario turned real.

Behind the scenes of the main story, we get glimpses of a greater world beyond. At no point does it feel forced, and you get the sense that in the background, Howalt has fully fleshed out the immediate universe.

The part I love most about this world is that it is consistent. Technology is played upon in a way where it’s possible to hold your disbelief. Robots aren’t doing impossible acrobatics beyond the scope of physics, and there are no deus ex machina technology that fixes everything.

(20/20)

PLOT

It is at this point that I must admit I’ve read other of Howalt’s works before, and I’ve always greatly enjoyed them, mostly because of the plot.

She has the ability to write the most mundane of adventures into grand epics, and We Lost the Sky is no different. Out of the four main characters, two are simply trying to reach from point A to point B. Another has a possible future of a general invading a city, but for now, you have a kid trying to survive in the wild. The fourth is a young girl finding her mission in life outside her father’s shadow.

There is a thing with rebels and a daring escape, but those really only come into play by the third act, and even then, it’s mostly as a glimpse into the political landscape. An adventure in culture, if you will.

Explorations all around!

(17/20)

CHARACTERS

Renn, Mender, Luca, and Theo. The four main characters of the story.

Out of them, Renn and Mender received the most attention and care, I felt. Their stories and arc intertwined with the world perfectly, each seeing the surroundings through fresh eyes and expanding on the lore. Their growth is strong though I am a little disappointed their character arc peaked at the end of the second act and barely touched on until the epilogue.

As for Luca and Theo, I would have liked to see more of them. They were almost the perfect opposite. One a talented individual hidden under insecurity, and the other a scared child putting up a strong and skilled front. They too peaked early into the third act, and their growth might be a little too sudden.

Each of them are interesting characters though, in their own rights, and memorable all the same. It’s easy to get into shipping them into couples as well, which is always fun and a sure sign that a character is likeable and most importantly, alive.

4 points for the characters themselves, but I’ll have to remove 2 for the uneven growth arcs.

(17/20)

FLOW AND PACING

This is not a book by a major publishing house so a few mistakes are expected. Surprisingly though, there were only 3 noticeable errors and 1 major flow break, which is a far cry below the expected, so no points deducted. Kudos!

It’s also worthwhile to point out that while the POV switches from chapter to chapter, each is divided into almost a short story-like format, which makes flow very easing, and a style of writing I find highly enjoyable as I feel no great adventure is ever done through a single hero.

Also, I read through the whole thing in 3 sittings, which is an amazing page-turning speed.

(19/20)

THEMES

There are a lot of nuances in this book. From questioning the sentiency of artificial intelligence to chilling mirrors of the modern economic divide. We get glimpses of how the rich aren’t always competent, and the skilled and smart aren’t always wealthy.

We Lost the Sky ask the question of our values when stripped of all amenities and facing the end of worlds. It’s a fascinating read and a great story to have fun while stopping to think after each event.

(18/20)

CONCLUSION

A character-centric journey across a world far too close to our home. At the worst of times, the story is adventurous, fun, and poignant. At the best, Howalt’s writing can fight off even the apocalypse. In this case, it does.

We Lost the Sky by Marie Howalt: A moon shattering 91% approval.