Falling Sky
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- $15.99
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- $15.99
Publisher Description
Ben Gold lives in dangerous times. Two generations ago, a virulent disease turned the population of most of North America into little more than beasts called Ferals. Some of those who survived took to the air, scratching out a living on airships and dirigibles soaring over the dangerous ground. Ben, a lone wolf, has reluctantly agreed to use his skills and his airship to help an idealist scientist, Miranda, on her search for a cure. Protecting her from Ferals is dangerous enough but when power-mad raiders run rampant, Ben finds himself in the most dangerous place of all—the ground. Ben’s journey leads him to Gastown, a city in the air recently conquered by belligerent and expansionist pirates. Old friends and new enemies are drawn into a struggle that quickly becomes a fight for the fate of the world. Ben must decide to focus on his own survival or risk it all on a desperate chance for a better future. From the Trade Paperback edition.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
This solid and memorable debut is set in a world where a disease has turned most people into quasi-zombies called Ferals. Those who retain their faculties eke out a living in secluded communities or in the sky, scavenging what they can from the ruins of the previous civilization. Scavenger Ben Gold, captain of the airship Cherub, occasionally transports scientists who are trying to understand and cure the Ferals. When his ship is stolen by pirates, he'll stop at nothing to get it back. He acquires a few reluctant allies and infiltrates the flying city of Gastown, where disturbing revelations force him to make a profoundly difficult decision regarding his future. Khanna's vision of a ruined world, populated by human monsters on the surface and desperate survivors in the air, is bleak but compelling. Ben is a flawed, selfish hero in the spirit of Han Solo, always on the lookout for number one until a greater cause catches his conscience. Though the pace drags a little, this postapocalyptic adventure is a fine start to Khanna's career.
