The Sky Is Yours

October 9, 2017
Smith’s hyperimaginative debut takes place in a futuristic, decaying variation on New York City called Empire Island that has two dragons—one green, one yellow—constantly circling overhead and menacing the population below. Eighteen-year-old Duncan Humphrey Ripple V, star of the reality series Late Capitalism’s Royalty, has been engaged to the Baroness Swan “Swanny” Lenore Dahlberg (who has been homeschooled by her single-minded mother, Pippi) by his parents (financier Humphrey and former model Katya). While exploring beyond the city, Duncan meets a wild girl named Abby and brings her back to his family’s mansion. On his wedding night, he decides to run away with her, but the mansion is invaded by marauders from the self-governed prison colony of Torchtown, forcing Duncan, Swanny, and Abby to run away together. They escape into the dark heart of the city; Duncan learns how to fight fires—a constant in this dragon-threatened metropolis—Abby befriends a magic rat, and Swanny winds up in Torchtown. Smith’s novel calls to mind the works of Nick Harkaway and Game of Thrones. Although the story is overlong, it gathers momentum in its last third, bringing this novel home with a hopeful conclusion. It’s an auspicious debut with enough inventiveness for two novels. Agent: Bill Clegg, the Clegg Agency.

November 15, 2017
Two dragons rose from the sea in the year 301970. The dragons have since set fire to much of Empire Island, leaving behind a dystopian wasteland. It is only the very rich and the very poor who have survived. The rich form alliances with each other in the hope of the city returning to its former splendor. One such alliance is the marriage contract between teenagers Baroness Swan Lenore Dahlberg (Swanny) and reality-show star Duncan Ripple V. Not happy about that marriage is Abby, a feral girl whom Duncan romanced when his personal aircraft crashed on her garbage island. These three proceed to tangle with each other, the residents of a prison colony, and the dragons. While dystopia with dragons sounds like an intriguing new genre hybrid, the book sometimes fails to live up to its creative premise. The action is slow to start, and far too much time is given to spoiled-brat Duncan. Swanny, however, is the genuine star of the show. Loud, vibrant, and witty, she crackles with energy and life. Let's hope she returns, sans Duncan the Dud.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2017, American Library Association.)

September 1, 2017

This genre bender combines literary flair with classic sf tropes seen as cult-worthy by enthusiastic in-housers. In a futuristic, inevitably dystopian city, the skies are dominated by a pair of danger-breathing dragons as drugs, dragon worshippers, and furious fires threaten the survivors below. Among them: bad-boy Duncan Humphrey Ripple V, his mercurial fiancee, and a wild young beauty he's rescued.

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