Reading order
| # | Title | Published | Author | Buy on Amazon |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Pearl Wars | 2011 | Nick James | Buy |
| 2 | Crimson Rising | 2012 | Nick James | Buy |
| 3 | Strikeforce | 2013 | Nick James | Buy |
Skyship Academy takes place in a future where the Earth’s surface has been made largely uninhabitable and humanity’s survivors split into two groups: those living aboard massive skyships and those still clinging to life on the ground. Jesse Fisher grows up on a skyship but finds himself pulled between the two worlds as the fight over Pearls, mysterious orbs of concentrated energy, grows into something bigger than either side expected. The Pearl Wars sets up this conflict with enough momentum to carry readers into the next two books.
Nick James keeps the pacing tight across all three entries, with Crimson Rising raising the personal and political stakes before Strikeforce brings the series to a conclusion. The books share DNA with other dystopian YA from the early 2010s but distinguish themselves with the skyship setting and the way James uses the Pearl mythology to structure the conflict. Readers who worked through the Divergent or Maze Runner series at the time will find Skyship Academy covers similar ground with its own distinct world.