Under the Empyrean Sky

Written by Chuck Wendig

Narrated by Nick Podehl

Fear the Corn.

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. 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. When Cael and his crew discover a secret, illegal garden, he knows it’s time to make his own luck...even if it means bringing down the wrath of the Empyrean elite and changing life in the Heartland forever.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Brilliance Audio
• Release date: Sep 3, 2013
• ISBN: 9781480544963

Chuck Wendig

Chuck Wendig is the author of the Miriam Black thrillers (which begin with Blackbirds) and numerous other works across books, comics, games, and more. A finalist for the John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer and the cowriter of the Emmy-nominated digital narrative Collapsus, he is also known for his popular blog, terribleminds.com. He lives in Pennsylvania with his family.

Reviews for Under the Empyrean Sky

[hope.sloper · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

It seems like this book with implied sex, cursing teens (creatively, none the less), and some violence was intended for the older YA readers, and it should only be read by them; however, the characters often felt immature in their behavior and mannerisms, yet, the decisions they made against the plot were very much adult. Because of this, there were many parts I felt I was reading something similar to middle grade characters. All of this was tiring because the dynamic and unique world in this story seemed to call for much more mature characters. The story is slow to start, but once it hits its mark, it very steady after that. It was, at times, a super fun read and again the world inside Under the Empyrean Sky is really creative and imaginative. I?m sure every other review out there talk about the corn in this story, and it was really impressive (a major character itself), but foreshadows so many other really cool things this world has to offer. I loved the world, in truth, and I admire the execution of the author?s wordology. I would have totally been a super fan had I liked, and made a connection with at least one character. To be fair, YA books are always hit or miss with me; so either I like it or I don?t. I can?t give it three stars, because I didn?t like it, but that?s not to say YOU shouldn?t read it. I'd totally recommend it to more experienced YA readers.

[William Philibin · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

(2.5 Stars)

After reading The Wanderers books and The Miriam Black series, I have to say I'm a little underwhelmed. It wasn't bad, and the concept is great. I like the story and the characters have a lot of room to grow... It just didn't grab me like his other books. But I will most likely read the second book.

I also found a lot of the characters misogynistic, but again... I'll wait to see how the author grows the characters, because I haven't thought that from any of his other books/stories that I've read. I read the audiobook version and while it was decent, I didn't love all the voices. I think the "young female" voices all sound like that annoying kid from Polar Express.

There was another small issue I had with this book, but I think it is more a "me" issue than anything else. I am really bad at remembering names, and while there are not an overabundance of characters in this book, they seem to switch between first name, surname, title, and sometimes nickname, so it does get a little confusing (for me) when trying to keep track of who is who. I think it is done because sometimes people go by different names to different people and in different circumstances, but it still required a little more thought keeping track of characters in the scenes and sometimes took me out of the action, and I had to re-read back a bit.

[tanya8dogearedcopy · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

The earth has been taken over by non-edible genetically-modified crops and, the elite live in floating flotillas in the sky while the farmers toil away in the fields. On the ground, amidst pollen storms, The Blight and, aggressive corn, Cael and his family & friends struggle against the system (The Empyrean) to survive. Taken to scavenging, Cael and his crew discover an unsanctioned garden out in the fields and the impossible starts to look possible... The settings, characters and plot points are all sketched in; but seem to lack full development or color, which in turn enervates the action or drama of any given scene. Overall, a bit of a disappointment if you're looking for something dark or edgy (cf 'Blackbirds' (Miriam Black #1)).

[tldegray-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

3.5/5 stars. "That's life in the Heartland," they say. And they say it when life is hard and terrible and there's nothing they can do about it but go on. Welcome to a dystopian world where Heartlanders live on the ground and tend the genetically modified corn, while the Empyreans who live in floating cities high above them make all the rules and reap all the benefits. Welcome to a world where even growing tomatoes can get you arrested or killed and where the corn can't be eaten and is out for your blood.

Something I particularly liked about these books was the language. It's very... in-your-face. Nobody vomits, instead people puke. They endure piss-storms. It's a plain language, that makes a great deal of sense for a group of people who have been denied any education and who spend their lives surrounded by hardship. They don't make anything fancy; they deal with life as it is.

In "Under the Empyrean Sky" Cael McAvoy and his friends the Big Sky Scavengers are coming up on their Obligation day, they day when they'll be told who they'll marry. Cael wants his Obligated to be Gwennie, and when that doesn't happen things start to fall apart for him. When Gwennie's family wins The Lottery and is taken to live on one of the floating cities he can't take it anymore and he and the rest of his crew, minus Gwennie, decide to fight back. (Provided by publisher)

[lancasterways · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

There was a brief period of timing following the publication of Michael Pollan's The Omnivore's Dilemma during which I was keenly aware of corn. Corn is a staple of industrial agriculture. If you read the ingredients of almost any packaged food, you will find there corn, or some corn by-product. Researchers can perform testing on skeletons to determine how much corn the deceased ate during his or her lifetime. Modern Americans far exceed the consumption rates of the Maya, who ate a lot of corn. Corn cultivation, if done carelessly, can be destructive to the environment. It leeches nitrogen from the soil, rendering it unproductive. That's why Native Americans grew beans amid their corn: Not only did the cornstalks function as natural beanpoles, but the beans also returned nitrogen to the soil. It's like Native Americans knew something we don't, like they were all living in harmony with nature and shit.So, if you look at our reliance on corn, on our ever-expanding cultivation of it, you begin to wonder: Are we eating the corn, or is the corn eating us? Thus is the premise of Chuck Wendig's young adult dystopian novel, Under the Empyrean Sky (2013).Granted, in Wendig's far-flung future, corn isn't eating people per se, but that's not for lack of trying. Deep in the Heartland, a wide expanse of what must have once been the American Midwest, corn stretches as far as the eye can see. The modified strains that grow in the Heartland are tough, durable, predatory. The husks are sharp as knives. The plants grow fast and, left untended, will consume anything in their way.It's into this hostile agro-dystopia that we encounter Cael McAvoy, a teenager on the brink of adulthood, who makes his living by scavenging ruined technologies found in the corn. He and his crew, Lane, Rigo, and Gwennie, are at odds with a rival team led by the mayor's son. Their relationship takes a turn for the worse with the Obligation, an annual event during which 17 year old Heartlanders learn to whom they'll be married when they turn 18. Gwen, Cael's love interest, is bound to the mayor's son. And to top it all off, Cael's sister, Mer, has run away, and his Pop is worn out, unwilling or unable to stand up to their Empyrean overlords, who live in luxury on islands floating in the sky above the corn.If at this point you're scratching your head a bit, that's good: This is definitely a unique premise. Wendig has significant current issues--agriculture, technology, class--and spun them into a setting unlike any other. The first few chapters, in which Cael and his crew travel on foot through the corn, serve as an excellent introduction to this strange new world. That said, Wendig doesn't quite maintain that momentum throughout the rest of the novel.Some of that sense of "flagging," for lack of a better way of putting it, may be due to the fact that this is a young adult novel. Much has been said lately about whether or not adults should or should not be embarrassed to read YA, but that's not my concern here. Rather, readers familiar with Wendig's other work, for instance, Blackbirds and its successors, know that Wendig is inclined to graphic language and violence; they are the tools with which he makes his art. He has to tone those down for YA, of course, and the loss is palpable. There is violence, mostly fistfights, and there is vulgarity, for instance, "Jeezum Crow," apparently a corrupted, Heartland version of "Jesus Christ," but, for seasoned Wendig readers, Under the Empyrean Sky is decidedly tame.There are also issues with the plot, as Cael strives to determine his direction. This type of thing might be expected of YA; the protagonist has to discover himself or otherwise learn some lesson, a tendency that appeals to its primary audience, who is (presumably) going through much the same thing. Readers accustomed to Wendig's propulsive momentum will miss that here. The plot wanders, as Cael deals with his wrecked boat, his family, his friends, his girlfriend... Cael has tough luck, but the reader wishes for a respite.That's not to say that Under the Empyrean Sky is bad. The premise, of course, is fascinating, and there are moments of real promise, for instance, the opening chapters, and, later, when Cael and his buddies explore a neighboring town. Readers will identify with the characters, who are almost exclusively down on their luck, although, as I understand it, some female readers may take issue with Cael's behavior. (Cael is the kind of troubled teenager who gets on one's nerves, and, worse, he treats Gwennie as his property.) Indeed, female characters are few and far between here--surprising, given Wendig's emphasis on Miriam Black in his other novels--and seem to serve as punching bags for the men in their life, sometimes quite literally. The one bright spot is Mer, and she's wise enough to disappear early on.Under the Empyrean Sky is not a perfect book; its plot sometimes meanders, and it lacks some of the "oomph" of Wendig's other work. Still, it is a unique setting for a story, it grapples with some big ideas, its characters are relatable, and there are some truly stirring scenes. There is YA marketed toward everyone and YA best marketed to its primary audience; Under the Empyrean Sky is among the latter. That said, tried and true Wendig fans will find much here to enjoy. A fun romp through a twisted agro-wasteland, Under the Empyrean Sky is a bit hit-or-miss, and recommended mainly to Wendig's current fan base and readers willing to take a chance on a novel with a truly promising concept.

[stefferoo · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This was an e-ARC I received from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. I thought it was really fantastic, but honestly, I'm also a little lost as to how to talk about it. To understand, I guess you have to be at least a little familiar with Chuck Wendig and his writing. If you're not, then you're in for a treat...or a shock. Or both.I only just became a fan of the author myself, having recently read The Blue Blazes and Blackbirds. I liked them a lot, and especially adored the latter. But already, I knew enough to be skeptical when I saw that this was a Young Adult novel. Based on the books I've read by him, let's just say YA is pretty much the last thing to come to mind when I think about Chuck Wendig. Instead, I think "dark, twisted and gritty", "intensely violent", and "slick snappy one-liners often delivered in a terrible ear-shrivelingly foul manner".I had to wonder, Is he going to be dialing it back for this? My guess was that he would have to, for a YA novel. And if that's the case, how much? Is this still going to read like a book by the Chuck Wendig I know and love? The answer, thankfully, was yes. The story here is definitely all Wendig, but just imagine it tweaked a bit around the edges to make it more appealing to the YA reading audience.The book begins by introducing us to 17-year-old Cael McAvoy and his life in the Heartland. The Heartland is interesting -- imagine a dystopian Midwest-type setting where a particularly aggressive species of corn has taken over, creating an ocean of corn as far as the eye can see. As the leader of his scavenging team, Cael captains a small airboat over the cornfields day after day, scrounging for valuables and useful materials to sell. But it's never enough. The Empyrean government oversees life in the Heartland, literally looking down on all of them from above in their luxurious sky flotillas, while people like Cael and his friends and family are struggling to survive. Heartlanders have to deal with poor working conditions, disease, a corrupt mayor and the oppressive government, but Cael has pretty much accepted this as the way things are...until Obligation Day comes and Cael stands to lose the love of his life. As you can see, this book has all the trappings of a YA novel, with its dystopian world and teen protagonists. It also involves an authoritarian ceremony where the Empyreans pick the Heartlanders mates for them, resulting in uncertainty for the young lovers Cael and his girlfriend Gwennie. The book even hints at a blossoming love triangle. But while it certainly has the feel of a YA novel, at the same time, it also doesn't. And here's where I struggle to find the words to explain why I feel this way, but on some level I think you have to already be a fan of the author or enjoy his particular writing style to really appreciate the story beyond what it is. Chuck Wendig's books definitely have a "presence" about them, and it exists here as well. It's reflected in the dialogue, the characters, and the plot, which retains some of its grittiness and what makes Wendig's books so great. Under the Empyrean Sky might be YA, but I'd still say it's geared more towards "older YA". Speaking of which, Wendig does have a way with words that makes swearing almost seem like a separate art form -- foul language generally doesn't bother me at all, but just beware if it does bother you, especially since some of it is on the vulgar side.The thing I loved best, though, is the world building. The story in this book takes its time and in my opinion doesn't really start picking up speed until the halfway point, but that's because so much of the first half is dedicated to bringing the Heartland to life and describing the hardships of its people. I love books like this and The Blue Blazes where Chuck Wendig really gets to show off his talent for creating unique and highly detailed settings, because he's so obviously good at coming up with all these awesome ideas. Two words: piss-blizzards -- or the stifling yellow corn pollen wind storms that plague the Heartland, I love it.Really, my only criticism is that I wish Cael was a little more likeable. It helps, especially in a YA novel. But honestly, I really struggled to be sympathetic to Cael's character, at least in the beginning, since he often came off as immature, bossy and a bit of a jerk even to his friends. He also tended to be driven by his angry impulses and hormones, but then again, as they say, "Boys will be boys". Thankfully, I did start liking Cael (or at the very least, got more used to him) enough that I was staunchly rooting for him and his team by the end of the book. And that's the important thing.