Skyward Books in Order
Brandon Sanderson has written 9 Skyward books, published between 2018 and 2023: 4 in the Skyward series and 5 related titles. The first book is Skyward (2018) and the newest main-line book is Defiant (2023). Publication order is the reading order below.
- Books
- 9
- Published
- 2018–2023
- Confirmed
- 8 of 9 titles
- Pages on record
- 544 in 1 of 9 books
Skyward is a science fiction sequence by Brandon Sanderson, running to 9 books published between 2018 and 2023. The subject matter is war against extraterrestrial forces, fought by air pilots in a dystopian setting, and the subject index files it as children's fiction as well as science fiction. Skyward (2018) opens the run, followed by Starsight (2019), Cytonic (2021) and Defiant (2023), with the short stories and novellas Defending Elysium, Evershore, Hyperthief, ReDawn and Sunreach all appearing in 2021. No new title has been catalogued since 2023.
How many Skyward books are there?
Skyward has 9 books, released between 2018 and 2023. 4 of them belong to the Skyward series, and 5 related titles sit outside it: short stories and novellas.
Skyward Books in Publication Order
The table lists all 9 Skyward books in the order they were published, with the release year, the page count where one is on record, and how many independent book listings confirm each title. Catalogue data as of September 2026.
- 120185444/4
- 22019–4/4
- 32021–4/4
- 42021–2/4
- 52021–4/4
- 62021–4/4
- 72021–4/4
- 82021–4/4
- 92023–3/4
Do you have to read Skyward books in order?
You should read the Skyward series in publication order, the order of the numbered table above; the 5 related titles (short stories and novellas) sit outside that sequence. The catalogue does not record whether each Skyward book also stands alone.
Where to start with Skyward
Start with Skyward (2018), the earliest published book in the Skyward series.
What is the newest Skyward book?
Defiant (2023) is the newest book in the Skyward series.
Is there a new Skyward book coming?
No next Skyward book is announced in the catalogue, which is a gap in the listings it merges rather than a sign that the run has ended.
Skyward at a glance
- Paused
- No new main-line Skyward title has appeared for 3 years. The last was Defiant (2023).
- Release pace
- Skyward books have appeared more than one a year on average.
- Length
- 544 pages across the 1 of 9 books with a recorded length, a median of 544 pages each.
- Busiest decade
- Most Skyward books, 7 of 9, were published in the 2020s.
- Corroboration
- 7 of the 9 titles appear in all four independent book listings, and 8 in at least three.
What the Skyward books are about
3 of the 9 Skyward books carry subject tags in Open Library's catalogue. No subject is tagged on more than one of them, so each one below describes a single book. The subjects are cataloguers’ headings, not a plot summary.
- Air pilots 1 of 3 books
- Children's fiction 1 of 3 books
- Extraterrestrial beings 1 of 3 books
- Science fiction 1 of 3 books
- Survival 1 of 3 books
- War 1 of 3 books
- Young adult fiction, dystopian 1 of 3 books
- Young adult fiction, science fiction 1 of 3 books
More books by Brandon Sanderson
The author page linked below lists every book in publication order.
- Brandon Sanderson books in order 109 books