Overview
One of School Library Journal’s Best Fiction Books of 2011
If a violent battle destroyed the only world you’ve ever known, would you be brave enough to save who was left? Would love be strong enough to survive the fight? Either way, there’s no turning back.
The Empyrean is the only home 15-year-old Waverly has ever known. Part of the first generation to be successfully conceived in deep space, she and her boyfriend Kieran will be pioneers of New Earth. Waverly knows she must marry young in order to have children who can carry on the mission, and Kieran, the handsome captain-to-be, has everything Waverly could want in a husband. Everyone is sure he’s the best choice. Still, there’s a part of Waverly that wants more from life than marriage, and she is secretly intrigued by the shy, darkly brilliant Seth.
Suddenly, Waverly’s dreams are interrupted by the inconceivable – a violent betrayal by the Empyrean's sister ship, the New Horizon. The New Horizon’s leaders are desperate to populate the new planet first, and will do anything to get what they need: young girls. In one pivotal moment, Waverly and Kieran are separated, and find themselves at the helm of dangerous missions, where every move has potentially devastating consequences, and decisions of the heart may lead to disaster.
Pulse-pounding and addictive, Glow begins Amy Kathleen Ryan's Sky Chasers—the most riveting series since The Hunger Games.
Editorials
Publishers Weekly
In this futuristic thriller, first in the Sky Chasers series, humanity's fate will be determined by two warring colony ships, en route to a new home. Ryan (Zen and Xander Undone) immediately throws her heroes into action as the New Horizon attacks the Empyrean, with little warning or mercy. Soon, most of the Empyrean's adult crew are dead or missing and its girls and young women kidnapped, leaving an untrained, unready band of boys to repair and take command of the ship. Aboard the New Horizon, 15-year-old Waverly learns that she and the other girls were "rescued" to help the infertile women of the ship birth a new generation, and she immediately starts planning her escape. On the Empyrean, her 16-year-old boyfriend, Kieran, jockeys for control against the charismatic but treacherous Seth, dividing the makeshift crew. While Waverly's self-reliance, determination, and inner strength make her a heroine to remember, Kieran's struggle does little to paint him in a positive light. There's plenty of action and adventure, but the book's overall strength is marred by a blatant antireligion theme, which may put some readers off. Ages 12–up. (Sept.)VOYA -
Aboard Empyrean, a space ship hurtling towards New Earth, fifteen year-old Waverly and sixteen-year-old Kieran are among the many children conceived despite the adults' infertility problems. Set to marry and be the ship's leaders, Waverly and Kieran's future is bright until the crew of the Empyrean's sister ship, the New Horizon, violently attack and kidnap all the girls. Unable to conceive, the crew of the New Horizon accept the girls as their divinely-appointed salvation and they try to indoctrinate their prisoners while Waverly struggles to find the truth. On the Empyrean, Kieran battles his rival as he also tries to save the remaining adults, find the girls, and give the boys he leads something to believe in. Alternating between Waverly and Kieran's viewpoints, the pair's struggle to reunite is intense, and the novel is certainly action packed. Beyond this, however, the novel falls short. Filled with unsympathetic characters that flip flop between likeable and unlikeable, it is impossible to connect with anyone. Also lacking is a clear thematic purpose as it is impossible to tell if the author is speaking against religious fervor or trying to look at the power of the human spirit. Plot elements, such as the implications of rape and a love triangle, are added and dropped so frequently that there is never any clarity, especially at the end when nothing is resolved. While some of the plot and theme issues may be addressed in the planned sequels, standing alone this novel is ultimately confusing and unsettling. Reviewer: Rachel WadhamKirkus Reviews
When preserving the human species through deep-space colonization, fertility is both currency and curse.
Everyone expects wedding bells for Waverly and Kieran, the eldest of the first generation conceived in space during the Empyrean's multi-decade mission to colonize New Earth. Waverly's hesitations about golden-boy Kieran—and curiosities about Kieran's broody rival Seth—are tossed to the wayside when an ambush leaves all of them navigating a deadly nebula of lies, schemes and misinformation. While Waverly launches a careful resistance as a captive of Pastor Anne Mather's childless ship the New Horizon, Kieran and Seth butt heads in an escalating contest for leadership over the distressed Empyrean. Waverly's initiative and intellect ensure that even as a prisoner she is far from a damsel in distress. Ryan sets Kieran and Seth apart from standard love-triangle anchors through emphasis on their well-matched flaws. The split narrative gives enough breathing room for a balance of introspection and high-stakes action. Along the way, hints of the older generation's secrets are tossed out but not resolved, leaving the protagonists unsure of whom to trust and readers unsure of whose side to take.
Desire to find out which of the proactive characters' bold moves end in disaster will leave readers clamoring for the next installment of this space saga. (Science fiction. 14 & up)
From the Publisher
“In outer space, two spaceships are dueling for their own fates as well as the fate of New Earth. Likewise, dual narration brings drama to the adventures of the EMPYREAN and the NEW HORIZON. Matt Brown has excellent pacing in the narration of Kieran’s point of view…Kadushin is a great fit for the voice of Waverley, a strong, independent thinker who assumes the role of leader as the oldest girl aboard the EMPYREAN.” – AudioFile Magazine
“Kadushin and Brown provide spellbinding narration… Ryan’s novel translates perfectly to audio with its combination of compelling characters and exciting edge-of-your-seat action scenes. Listeners will be unable to turn off this audiobook – whether they listen in the car, at home, or at work – because they need to find out what happens next.” – Publishers Weekly, starred review
“Hearing it on audio takes it to a new level. The voices, with their timbres and pitches, sensitivity and excitement lend authenticity to the book. A futuristic setting, diverse and compelling characters and a powerful and engaging plot, Glow is fantastic! Aside from the cliffhanger ending, I couldn’t listen to it fast enough. I can’t wait for the next installment!! Loved it!” – Minding Spot
“Having both a male and female was great for going back and forth between Waverly and Kieran’s point of views. Both have clear voices, adding distinctions between characters to tell them apart.” – SciFiChick.com
“Our favorite part: You're never quite sure who to trust in this book. Each character has, at the very least, dual motives, which makes for a super-exciting plot... Plus, the mysterious ending left us anxious for the next installment! You'll love it if you love futuristic post-apocalyptic stories, like The Hunger Games!” – Seventeen.com
“No less than the fate of humanity is at stake in Amy Kathleen Ryan's rich and emotional sci-fi tale... an entertaining read featuring hairy action sequences and a female antagonist on par with the literary likes of Nurse Ratched and Dolores Umbridge.” – USA Today
“The opening salvo in a promising series.” – People Magazine
“Told in alternating viewpoints by Waverly and her fiancé, Kieran, this swift-moving epic is filled with plot twists and enigmatic characters… Fans of the Hunger Games series will zip through and clamor for the next installment.” – Booklist
“Ryan has created a fascinating and thrilling story that is sure to captivate teens. The themes of survival, morality, religion, and power are well developed, and the characters are equally complex. The author has also created a unique and vivid outer-space setting that is exciting and easy to imagine. This gripping first installment is difficult to put down, and successfully sets the stage for the rest of the series.” – School Library Journal (starred)
"Utterly engrossing. Dinner went uncooked, children were left to fend for themselves, and dog howled all night, because I COULD NOT PUT IT DOWN." – Lauren Myracle, New York Times bestselling author of ttyl and Shine
“Glow captivated me from start to finish. The action-packed narrative and the characters’ struggle to survive without losing their humanity make for a compelling read.” – Alexandra Adornetto, New York Times bestselling author of Halo
“Waverly's initiative and intellect ensure that even as a prisoner she is far from a damsel in distress.... Desire to find out which of the proactive characters' bold moves end in disaster will leave readers clamoring for the next installment of this space saga.” – Kirkus Reviews
“GLOW has an ingenious, twisty, heart-stopping plot, and characters that are in turns both sympathetic and sinister all the way to the last page – I don’t know who I can trust, and I love it!” – Lisa McMann, New York Times bestselling author of the WAKE trilogy
"With a compelling plot and complicated characters you love to hate and hate to love, Glow will capture readers." – April Henry, New York Times bestselling author of Girl, Stolen and Learning to Fly
"Glow has it all – intrigue, action, suspense and romance set against a jaw-dropping futuristic backdrop. Amy Kathleen Ryan has woven a thought-provoking and compelling novel that readers will be hard-pressed to put down. I couldn't! This is a thrilling read.” – Courtney Summers, author of Fall for Anything and Cracked up to Be