Under the Empyrean Sky

Description

Corn is king in the Heartland, and Cael McAvoy has had enough of it. It's the only crop the Empyrean government allows the people of the Heartland to grow - and the genetically modified strain is so aggressive that it takes everything the Heartlanders have just to control it. As captain of the Big Sky Scavengers, Cael and his crew sail their rickety ship over the corn day after day, scavenging for valuables, trying to earn much-needed ace notes for their families. But Cael's tired of surviving life on the ground while the Empyrean elite drift by above in their extravagant sky flotillas. He's sick of the mayor's son besting Cael's crew in the scavenging game. And he's worried about losing Gwennie - his first mate and the love of his life - forever when their government-chosen spouses are revealed. But most of all, Cael is angry - angry that their lot in life will never get better and that his father doesn't seem upset about any of it. Cael's ready to make his own luck ...even if it means bringing down the wrath of the Empyrean elite and changing life in the Heartland forever.

Chuck Wendig is a novelist, screenwriter, and game designer. He is the author of the novels Blackbirds, Mockingbird, Double Dead, Bait Dog, Dinocalypse Now, and The Blue Blazes. He is cowriter of the short film Pandemic, the feature film HiM, and the Emmy-nominated digital narrative Collapsus. Chuck lives in Pennsylvania with his family. He blogs at www.terribleminds.com.

"This strong first installment rises above the usual dystopian fare thanks to Wendig's knack for disturbing imagery and scorching prose." -Publishers Weekly "Wendig brilliantly tackles the big stuff-class, economics, identity, love, and social change-in a fast-paced tale that never once loses its grip on pure storytelling excitement. Well-played, Wendig. Well-played." -Libba Bray, author of the Gemma Doyle Trilogy, Going Bovine, and The Diviners "A tense dystopian tale made more strange and terrifying by its present-day implications." -Booklist "Under the Empyrean Sky is like a super-charged, genetically modified hybrid of The Grapes of Wrath and Star Wars. Wendig delivers a thrilling, fast-paced adventure set in a future agri-dystopia. Fascinating world building, engaging and deep characters, smooth, electric prose." -John Hornor Jacobs, author of The Twelve-Fingered Boy "A thoroughly imagined environmental nightmare with taut pacing and compelling characters that will leave readers eager for more." -Kirkus Reviews "A lunatic, gene-spliced, biofueled thriller. Fear the corn." -Tom Pollock, author of The City's Son "An imaginative, page-turning adventure that will delight science fiction fans and have them impatiently waiting for the next installment." -Joelle Charbonneau, author of The Testing