Cloudlanders by Christopher Mackie

What worked:

Magical lightstone lifts the land of Bastion up into the skies and the leaking magic reveals creatures and characters of all kinds. This prepares readers for the appearance of many strange, unexpected things. The seven-foot mushroom called Kurt, the fairy made of gemstone named Flicker, an invisible boy named Boy, and a magical Auger are only a few of the magical beings. A giant, talking wolf named Lycan can morph into any kind of creature, including a human, and he becomes a prominent character. All technology has been banished from the kingdom so the appearance of a crashing aeroplane raises quite a stir. All of these imaginative qualities help to build an entertaining plot.

While the characters are trying to survive their various predicaments, some questions are raised that create a mystery to solve. Bastion was forced to escape into the atmosphere because of the Wavewrecker down on the planet and it will never forget that this piece of land escaped it. Its agents have infiltrated Bastion and they’re trying to undermine the citizens and release the lightstone. One of these Tidekins is covertly introduced as an innocent character so readers will need to figure out which one is up to no good. A strange boy crashes onto Bastion and his emergence from nowhere is full of intrigue. He can’t talk and has mechanical body parts which makes his arrival unexplainable and concerning. It seems there’s an imminent, catastrophic threat to the kingdom that the characters and readers will need to figure out before it’s too late. Palatin Flint is married to the queen but citizens are leery and fearful when he comes to their towns. No one knows about a terrible thing he did in the past but the issue resurfaces in the later parts of the book.

The author focuses on different characters in alternating chapters which allows the story to jump between settings. These chapters mainly follow Aliana and her brother Garrett. Aliana is an adventurous risk-taker and she joins the story as a bounty hunter searching for Lycan. The exchanges between these two characters add a touch of humor to the story as they become partners in rescuing a young girl. Garrett is a thinker who loves to research and discover new artifacts from society before the Lift. While Aliana is out exploring different areas across Bastion, Garrett’s chapters are located in the city of Floatania. Other chapters follow Kurt as he tries to keep the aeroplane pilot safe from Paladin Flint.

What didn’t work as well:

Flicker is a main part of the story early on but then she inexplicably leaves Kurt in a time of need. Readers are left to wonder why for most of the book until she returns with a compelling revelation. Also, leaving the settings after some chapters break the momentum developed at those points in the story. The changes help build anticipation but they stop the flow of emotions that were being created.

The final verdict:

I wouldn’t describe this book as “laugh-out-loud” as the synopsis says. The author has created innovative conflicts with memorable characters and that is always a model for successful books. Overall, this book will be enjoyed by lovers of speculative fiction and I recommend you give it a shot.