Under the Empyrean Sky (The Heartland Trilogy, #1)

by Chuck Wendig

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.

• ISBN10: 1477816941
• ISBN13: 9781477816943
• Publish Date: 24 June 2014 (first published 30 July 2013)
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: US
• Publisher: Amazon Publishing
• Imprint: Skyscape
• Format: Paperback (US Trade)
• Pages: 368
• Language: English

Reviews

[Katie King]

**4.5 Stars**

This book simply ASTOUNDED me. I went into it with pretty low expectations, but Wendig really delivers. The book starts out with a throwdown between Cael and Boyland Barnes Jr., Cael's archrival and the mayor's son. Both Cael and Boyland are scavengers, meaning they scour the Heartland (Earth) for artifacts and interesting things that the community can sell to the cities in the sky, the Empyrean. Boyland has quite the reputation as a scavenger because he plays dirty (and being the mayor's son helps with this) , thus the rivalry. Boyland's dirty tactics are illustrated in the first chapter.

The amazing part of this book is how detail-oriented the plot and world are for the page count. Within the first few chapters we get a clear picture of the world Cael lives in. Basically the Earth (Heartland) is completely ruined for any agriculture except this crazy, scary hybrid strain of corn (the corn is very creepy). As a result, only a few towns exist solely to grow the corn and keep it somewhat under control with chemicals. This had led to numerous problems such as lack of resources and eating the chemically corn, stillbirths, Blight (where body parts are made of vines), tumors, deformities, etc. Think consequences of exposure to radiation. Meanwhile, anyone who really matters is living in the cities in the sky - the Empyrean; large, floating flotillas of rooms and passageways that make up dozens of cities. Naturally there is some discontent from those in the Heartland. All that barely scratches the surface.

Another strong point for Under the Empyrean Sky is how well written it is. Most of the characters, even secondary characters, have more than just one face. Even a character that you may think you have completely figured out could still surprise you in the ending. For example, Gwennie is betrothed to Boyland, but is in love with Cael. When she is taken to the Empyrean, Cael tries everything to get her back to the Heartland, but so does Boyland. Boyland isn't just a dumb brute. When Gwennie sees this, she is actually a little at war with herself over feeling sympathy for him. Gwennie may have to make a real choice in the future. As late as the last 10 pages, I was STILL surprised. It was crazy!

The only drawback to this book was that maybe it had a little too much going on in one book. I really like everything that happened in the last 50%, but to me it felt like it had multiple climaxes. Everything goes haywire, then it calms down, then it's all crazy again, then it calms down, and then it's crazy again. To be honest, it was too much of a rollercoaster of emotion. Nevertheless, I immediately bought the sequel and eagerly wait to see what happens to Cael & company!

[Beth C.]

In the Heartland, the corn rules all. It is not edible, but it is used for just about everything. Those who work the corn fall prey to horrible cancers, among other illnesses. But no other food is allowed to be grown, and everyone in the Heartland is is governed by those above them. Literally, the 1% who have it all rule the rest from the sky. They dispense whatever food, medical supplies...even brides and grooms. And it all comes with a price.

This is the world in Under the Empyrean Sky. I was a bit hesitant about this book, simply because it's another dystopian YA novel and one that attempts to make a point. However, I ended up pleasantly surprised at how well it was written and how much I enjoyed it.

The story starts out a bit slow, but once it does a bit of world-building, it takes off from there. The characters are very well drawn - few are totally bad or totally good, and most have terrible decisions to make. The world itself is a horror, and unfortunately, a reasonably plausible one. The reliance on corn for other uses instead of food, the companies that engineer seed to be useful only once, the failing biodiversity...all makes for scary/fascinating reading as imagined within the novel. Often times, a story with a message can come across as preachy, but I never once felt that as I was reading this. It simply is what it is. "That's life in the Heartland.".

As for reading age, probably junior high and above. There are a few pretty brutal scenes within the story - nothing so horrible that it detracted, but maybe a bit much for younger/more immature readers. My son is going into 7th grade and has a pretty good head on his shoulders, and I won't hesitate to allow him to read it. Then I think it will open doors for some fascinating conversation as well.

The ending leaves it quite clear that this is part of a trilogy, and I look forward to reading the next one.