Sky's End

Marc J. Gregson had first envisioned the "floating island" setting of Sky's End in 2015, though the story and characters were never thought out at the time.^[2] Gregson partially took inspiration of himself for the main protagonist Conrad after receiving his fifth rejection from a literary agent regarding previous attempts to publish earlier books, in which he "sat down and started writing a character who was frustrated and would never give up."^[3] Gregson states to have taken inspiration from the Hunger Games series, Red Rising, and Attack on Titan for his novel.^[4]

Summarize Fact Check

The novel takes place on Holmstead, among the Skylands, a civilization of floating islands all governed by meritocracy, situated above a limitless surface of toxic black clouds that brutally dissolves whatever touches it. Society is divided into the highs, middles, and lows, where status is determined by physical strength and dueling prowess, with the highs being the wealthiest and most powerful and the lows consisting of the less fortunate. The islands are often attacked by gorgantauns, massive metallic, steel-scaled serpents that destroy skyships and threaten human survival.

The story follows 16-year-old Conrad, a former high who has been exiled to live as a low alongside his ailing mother, Elise, after his corrupt Uncle, Ulrich, murdered his father, seizing the title of archduke and kidnapping his younger sister, Ella. Conrad seeks to rescue Ella and kill Ulrich as revenge for his father's death and his mother's physical state. When Conrad stows away to free Ella, a gorgantaun attacks Holmstead, killing Elise in the chaos. During the attack, Conrad is saved from falling off the island by an unknown figure. Conrad discovers his mother's body and confronts Ulrich, who forces him to make a deal: if Conrad joins the Selection of the Twelve Trades, then his uncle will return Ella.

In the intermission leading to the selection, Conrad rebuilds his physical health and blocks out everybody from his life. In the selection, he is made a hunter, the most dangerous trade, a decision rigged by Ulrich. He joins the crew of a skyship named the Gladian and begins training for the gauntlet, a competition between airships to determine which team can eliminate the most gorgantauns and the winner gets to keep their ship and become an official hunter crew in the king's army.

Other crew members include Pound (Conrad's childhood enemy in the lows, driven by an ancient rivalry between their familes), Roderick (an unserious but intelligent engineer who becomes Conrad's roommate), Keeton (an expert strategist and mechanic), Sebastian (a shady and manipulative figure), Eldon (a veteran navigator), and Bryce (the girl who saved him on Holmstead who has unknown origins of her own). Conrad also meets Koko, the head of the hunter trade, who convinces him to make allies during the competition in order to rise to captain status. Pound temporarily holds that position until one of his missions results in many crew members killed, leading the remaining crew to mutiny against him. Sebastian is voted as the new captain and immediately begins to abuse his power. During a gorgantaun encounter, Sebastian is seemingly devoured. Conrad kills the gorgantaun solo, a feat considered highly respectable. After recovery, Conrad is voted as the new captain.

Under Conrad's lead, the Gladian crew begins to slowly climb the Gauntlet leaderboard. Conrad strengthens the friendships within the group, including Pound. The gauntlet is soon temporarily halted as enemy spies have been discovered to have infiltrated the Order; Conrad discovers Bryce to be one of them, but before he can report her, she escapes. Conrad's team wins the gauntlet and is requested to meet the king, who is revealed to be Ulrich, who beat the previous king in a duel to the death. Sebastian is also shown to have survived being devoured by the gorgantaun from earlier and has grown a hatred for Conrad.

Conrad is ordered by Ulrich to interview a captured Bryce, who exposes Admiral Goerner, the Head of Order, to be another spy from the Below, a civilization hidden underneath the black clouds that had a war with the Skylands centuries ago, with the latter erasing the former from history, resulting in the Skylands’ lack of knowledge about the Below. Goerner kidnaps Bryce and Conrad and tortures them before the Gladian crew saves them. A violent battle ensues between the Skylands Order and Goerner's thousands of skyships from the Below. During the battle, Goerner unleashes the mile-long gigataun, a larger counterpart of the gorgantaun, which devastates the Order's army and brings down the island of Ironside, the capital of the Skylands.

After the Below retreat, Conrad reconciles with Bryce and relocates the remaining survivors. Ulrich appoints him as prince and gives up Ella's location. The Gladian retrieves Ella soon after and recruits her and a turncoat Bryce into the team. Conrad is offered by Ulrich to lead a larger ship, but he declines, choosing to stay with his friends. The Gladian crew prepares as the Skylands officially declare war against the Below.

• Conrad of Urwin/Elise – A sullen 16-year-old Hunter trainee grieving the loss of his mother Elise, obtaining hate for his uncle Ulrich, and attempting to rescue his younger sister Ella from his uncle's manipulation. He is obsessed with "rising," the process of working through his selected Trade to a more respected position in society. Conrad obtains his mother's first name as his last after her death.
• Ulrich of Urwin - Conrad's uncle who murdered Conrad's father Allred in order to become the rightful heir of Urwin Manor, as Conrad was too young at the time. He seized the title of Archduke (the most respected title of an island), exiled Conrad and Elise to the Lows, and took Conrad's younger sister Ella, to raise in Urwin Manor. Ulrich blackmails Conrad into joining the Selection in order to save Ella. By the end of the book, Ulrich becomes king of the entire Skylands after challenging and killing the previous one.
• Bryce of Damon – A mysterious, optimistic, and skilled Hunter trainee with spiky blonde hair and blue eyes. As a secret native of the Below, she serves as an intelligent, undercover agent working against the brutal Meritocracy of the Skylanders.
• Pound of Atwood – A massive, brutal, and intimidating Hunter trainee, standing nearly seven feet tall with a thick, bald head compared to a boar. He is a rival with Conrad due to a centuries-long feud between the two bloodlines. By the end of the novel, Pound and Conrad become allies.
• Roderick of Madison – A good-natured, exceptionally skilled marksman in the Hunter Academy who becomes a loyal friend to Conrad. He is described as having a thick-bearded, muscular appearance that makes him look older than his years.
• Keeton of Jonson – A skilled mechanic and Hunter trainee. She is another trusted ally of Conrad's. She is described as having long black dreadlocks and a fierce gaze. She eventually becomes Roderick's love interest.
• Sebastian of Abel – A small, scrawny, and unassuming boy with a "minuscule" figure. He is characterized by his jade eyes, messy black bangs, and a frequent, tiny yellow smile. Sebastian abuses his power once assuming the role of captain over the Gladian and becomes a secondary antagonist upon being mutinied against.
• Eldon of Bartemius – A Hunter trainee serving as the navigator, essential for maneuvering the ship during dangerous hunts against gorgantauns. He is a loyal ally to Sebastian and Bryce. He distrusts Conrad.
• Master Koko of Itu – An elderly though formidable head of the Hunter Trade. She is described as having white hair, wrinkled, pale skin, and intense, domineering eyes. Known for her immense toughness, she oversees the selection and training of new Hunter recruits.
• Admiral Goerner – The Master of Order, an influential and treacherous leader in the meritocracy of Holmstead. He is revealed to be a spy for the Below along with Bryce, ultimately orchestrating the destruction of many populated islands using the gigataun. He is this book's main antagonist.
• Ella of Urwin – Conrad's younger sister and incentive for entering the Selection. A 12-tear-old taken as an heir by her uncle after Conrad and her mother's banishment. She briefly appears at the end of the novel upon being discovered by the Gladian.
• Elise of Hale - Conrad's mother, who is now a frail and dying, yet deeply compassionate figure living in poverty in the Lows. She suffered from "lung rot" caused by the toxic air from the black clouds, leaving her weak and often experiencing traumatic seizures. She is killed early in the book via a gorgantaun attack, serving as motivation for Conrad to fix his current lifestyle.
• Allred of Urwin - Conrad's father, who was a former Archduke of Holmstead. Though deceased before the events of the book, he is described in flashbacks as a cruel, ruthless, and manipulative figure who intentionally tried to break his son.

Sky's End received highly positive reviews from reviewers. Kirkus Reviews called the book "a thrilling and brilliantly realized series opener," praising Gregson's prose, stating that he provides "a skillful blend of action, suspense, and comic relief".^[5] Tami Orendain of BookPage Magazine gave the book a starred review, describing it as "action-packed, mysterious and satisfying" and that it is "a great read for anyone who loves fantasy and dystopian fiction."^[6] Heather Cashman from Publishers Weekly praised the characters and action, though she criticized the story for its melodramatic nature, stating that Gregson "plunges headlong into a first-person-present adventure that alternates high-stakes action with nuanced interpersonal drama."^[7]

Immediately after release, Sky's End made it on the 2024 New York Times bestseller list.^[8] In 2025, Sky's End was nominated by the American Library Association on the list of Best Fiction for Young Adults, with reviewer Cathy DeCampli praising the book's fast pacing and political drama.^[9]

In July 2023, Bob Higgins, a film producer from Trustbridge Entertainment, expressed interest in a film adaptation of Sky's End, nearly one year before the book was released to the public. In October 2023, Higgins purchased rights to the book and began the process of attaching a filmmaker to the project.^[2]

On May 6, 2024, Antoine Fuqua, the director of commercially successful films such as Training Day, The Magnificent Seven, and The Equalizer, became officially attached to the project as a producer alongside his production company, Hill District Media. On the same day, Gregson posted clips of himself revealing the announcement personally to his middle school students, which went viral and amassed over 50 million views and 3 million likes total over Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok.^[2][10]

In early 2025, a yet-to-be-disclosed screenwriter was hired for the film. Gregson read an early draft of the screenplay in December 2025 and expressed favorable reviews of it, lauding the screenwriter's faithfulness to the novel.^[2]