Under The Empyrean Sky

Venturing into the world of self publishing is Chuck Wendig who's already an established writer, having authored (and been traditionally published) a number of books. Wendig was even nominated for the prestigious John W. Campbell award for Best New Writer.So the man knows how to write some good fiction. Under the Empyrean Sky is his first self published novel Ãâ and it's a good one. This book is actually more in the realm of science fiction (it's clearly a distopian novel), but it's a stand out book in the self pub speculative fiction sphere and I feel, well worth mentioning as one of the better books available on the Amazon marketplace. Under the Empyrean Sky is a novel that targets kids,  but man it packs some deeply disturbing adult themes into the story. There's sex, there's foul language, and there's a lot of bloody violence. So if you are looking for a child friendly fantasy for your little one, think twice before handing the book off to little Tommy because he's going to be having some nightmares. So yes, this one is definitely more aimed at the YA fantasy market and not the ages 8+ kid market like the Amazon description claims.This is more of a science fiction than fantasy book and the setting takes place in a dystopian version of Oklahoma which finds itself under siege from a genetically modified stream of corn. Yes, that's right, corn is the big baddie in this novel.The plot is compelling, the down and out futuristic setting of Oklahoma is interesting, the characters decent, and the prose nice and terse. There are a lot of positives to the book and only a few negatives. My primary complaint with the book lies in the characters who are pretty much straight-from-the-shelf characters without any serious depth or complexity to them. There are merely there to push the plot, and no more.Yet for all that, Wendig does embody his characters with a furious sort of energy Ãâ enough to carry the plot and story forward without too much complaint.Under The Empyrean Sky is a strong book that deserves readers and, for an indie work, stands taller than many of it's peers. While the characters are a bit flat, the politics ham-fisted, and the plot anything but subtle, the unique setting and the sheer brazenness at making the antagonist a genetically modified strain of aggressive corn is either brilliant or ridiculous, depending on how you see it.And I choose to see it as a good example of what self publishing can produce -- a story and plot that's way out in the left field of what you'd find in standard science fiction & fantasy stories. And this is a good thing, a fostering of creativity that betters the genre as a whole. Well worth your time if you are looking for something different, something dystopian, and something for the YA crowd.You may just never look at corn the same way again after reading it.