Imagine a world where winged horses fly through the sky, where mail is delivered from the air, and where the monsters have long been vanquished from the land. That’s the world we first discover in the middle grade book Skyriders, by Colorado author Polly Holyoke. But then things go terribly wrong.

Kie and N’Rah, her skysteed, are mail carriers, bonded mentally so they can communicate without speaking aloud. This is true for all skyriders and their skysteeds. The book opens on Kie and N’Rah completing a delivery like usual. Kie is a highly trusted courier, always delivering promptly on time, if not early. The empire is peaceful, though there are small strifes, like class disparities. Life is pretty simple.

But Kie has noticed some urgent dispatches going out to important people, like the emperor himself. Something is afoot. Her uncle has an idea of what it might be, but the trouble is getting anyone else to listen.

On an urgent dispatch, Kie runs into a group of people being attacked by chimerae, three-headed flying beasts. They decimated the populace long ago,but were forced back by the sky-mounted warriors. Luckily for all of them, Kie’s Uncle Dug has long studied how to fight the chimerae using a manual his great-grandfather created in the hopes that future generations would be just as successful if the monsters returned. He has always made sure Kie practiced, leaving her in a good position to help these strangers fight off the creatures attacking them. Thanks to him, Kie knows what weapon will take them out when the other weapons have proven useless, and she does so, earning the appreciation of a prince.

The battle won for now, Kie heads back home, only to discover her town has been attacked by other chimerae. Her uncle is grievously wounded, but he’s alive, and his wish is for her to take his great-grandfather’s manual to the emperor to save the entire empire, for surely more attacks will come. The manual holds the secrets that will lead to victory.

Kie, a simple and lowly mail carrier, hesitantly heads out to get the emperor to hear her out.  Things aren’t going to be easy. Even though one the prince is fully behind her, she has to take care in her approach, getting a job in the stables until she can figure it all out. While there, she discovers she has an incredible power that others don’t share, and this power may make it possible for her to help the empire in their fight even more than with the manual. In the meantime, she quietly starts training a growing contingent of stable hands and performatively trained warriors to take on the chimerae as the empire’s greatest warriors head out into battle ill-equipped for what they’re about to face.

Holyoke masterfully creates a magical world of flying horses, daring heroes, and unstoppable monsters. Her world building is graceful and thorough. The reader is plunged into the empire, sweeping us directly into Kie’s adventures. The aerial battles are well thought out and play out so realistically with regards to positioning, even considering the wings of the skysteeds and how the warriors would have to take their movement into account.

The skysteeds are just as much characters as the humans are, with an array of personalities. Where there are human outcasts, there are also steed outcasts, kept apart by the laws of the land. The shortfalls of the empire are shown through the treatment of skysteeds and of the humans not bonded with one of their own. When a winged warrior flies off into battle, it is not with one mind, but with two.

Kie is a wonderful main character, full of empathy and humility, a hero for the new age. She thinks only of helping others. Her uncle has tasked her with getting the manual to the emperor, and that’s exactly what she intends to do. But she’s smart enough to not pass up other opportunities to help the empire when they come up, knowing full well she can’t force the emperor, his men, or other leaders to listen to what she has to say.

By the end of the book, Kie proves that warriors don’t have to be big and cocky, that they can be small and humble. Heroes are not created via bloodlines and braggadocio, but by doing your best. For centuries, those thought to be warriors have fought in tournaments to prove their prowess, but it’s not enough when the real monsters return. Instead, it will take the quiet determination of those who can look past society’s flaws and make themselves into the heroes the empire needs.

The antagonist characters cover quite an array, with friends, bullies, and those between. Kie puts together a group consisting of misfits, warriors, and royalty, inspiring the loyalty of humans and skysteeds alike. Without trying, she becomes a leader they can all look up to, never intending to take on that sort of power or control,but coming naturally to it as she tries to do the right thing. Characters that start out unlikable are shown to be good people in rough circumstances. Their backstories provide a type of leniency toward the way they behave, and Kie breaks through to them as she brings them to her side. The realistic societal dynamics exist to be exposed and improved where possible, a great lesson for kids.

Skyriders is a story of adventure, friendship, adaptation, and determination. A fun read for middle grade readers up, it’s fast paced and easy to read. The first book in a new series, it delivers epic promises of what’s to come. Most of all, it shows that no one is limited in what they can achieve if they push forward toward their goals and have the flexibility to adapt as needed.

Skyriders, book 1 of 2

Polly Holyoke

8-12 years

Viking Books for Young Readers

320