The Surviving Sky

Starred review from February 1, 2023

DEBUT Civilization scrapes by upon lush floating islands above a jungle planet, which is repeatedly annihilated by violent storms known as earthrages. Nothing can survive them but the mysterious creatures known as yaksha. Archaeologist Ahilya studies them, determined to discover another means for survival, but she is ignored in favor of the architects, like her husband Iravan, who keep their island afloat using complex plant manipulation. As the storms last longer and the plants start to resist the architects, Iravan resorts to forbidden magic, and Ahilya risks the tumultuous jungle. The intractable pride of both results in a disastrous marriage, but their reconciliation might be the only thing that can save their home from plummeting from the sky. Iravan and Ahilya are believably flawed characters who are easy to root for. There are no easy answers, only intimate stakes, and their journey withstands many unpredictable and heart-racing twists. VERDICT This Hindu-inspired sci-fi fantasy is a transcendent debut, full of cosmic magic and set in an exquisitely glorious and treacherous world. Such a daring ecological and metaphysical endeavor is perfect for fans of Wesley Chu and Brandon Sanderson.--Andrea Dyba

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Starred review from February 13, 2023
Rao weaves a tale of broken love, redemption, and the Hindu concept of samsara in her magical and mind-bending debut. Iravan and his wife, Ahilya, are denizens of Nakshar, one of several semisentient temple cities called ashrams constructed entirely of plants and soaring above a far-future Earth rendered inhospitable to humans by cataclysmic phenomena known as earthrages. Iravan is a senior architect, one of the exalted individuals whose mental abilities allow them to control plant life, thereby maintaining and shaping the ashram to their will. Archaeologist Ahilya doesn’t possess this ability and her inferiority complex drives her to seek to end humanity’s dependence on architects, even at the expense of her own marriage. Meanwhile, Iravan and his fellow architects are faced with the growing threat of unknown elements increasingly impeding their powers. If this continues, the ashrams are doomed to fall from the sky. Furthermore, Iravan’s competence is called into question when the governing council learns of his failing marriage. Ahilya and Iravan both possess key pieces of knowledge needed to prevent humanity’s demise, meaning they must find a way to salvage their relationship and save their world. Drawing deeply from Hindu mysticism, this heart-pounding cli-fi adventure will leave readers breathless. Agent: Naomi Davis, BookEnds.

Starred review from June 1, 2023
In a jungle world continuously wracked by cataclysmic earthrages, what's left of humanity lives in floating cities that are guided, shaped, and held aloft by a plant-based magic called trajection. In the city of Nakshar, Ahilya is an archaeologist who believes the key to survival lies on the unstable ground, with the enormous creatures called yaksha. Her husband, Iravan, is a powerful senior architect, one of an elite group who uses trajection. Despite a deep estrangement in their personal lives, Ahilya and Iravan find themselves working together to solve several potentially deadly mysteries: What is the other power that Iravan sees when trajecting? How do the yaksha survive the destructive earthrage storms? And most importantly, why is it getting continuously more difficult for architects to traject? Rao examines reincarnation, consciousness, duality, and power as Ahilya and Iravan--who, as a couple, are both sympathetic and exasperating--try to find their way back to one another. This intriguing blend of sf, fantasy, and climate fiction captures the apocalyptic turmoil of N. K. Jemisin's Broken Earth trilogy and the conflicted lovers of Tasha Suri's Burning Kingdoms series with a magic system that will appeal to fans of Brandon Sanderson.

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