Broken Sky

Broken Sky is a novel series that draws on anime influence, and was written by Chris Wooding between the years 1999 and 2001. Originally planned to be released as a series of twenty-seven books (three nine-part acts) of 80 to 100 pages each, the plans were changed following the release of Act One, Part Nine when - mostly to stop the books "being lost behind larger books on the shelves", as was stated on the old Broken Sky website - Chris Wooding and the publishers made a tactical decision to instead release the books as a series of nine.

Each single book in this "newer" form contained the equivalent of three parts and the release schedule continued as normal, starting with Book Four (Act Two, Parts 1-3) while the first act was re-released as Books One to Three. This decision, while making the books more visible, also resulted in the first nine original books becoming rare as they were effectively phased out by their re-released counterparts.

The story takes place across three years and focuses on the twin worlds of the Dominions and Kirin Taq, which are widely seen as parallel universes, and deals with issues of race relations, resistance movements and the coming of age of its main characters, Ryushi and Kia.

The story revolves around the journeys and trials of twins Ryushi and Kia. Forced to flee from their home during a violent and seemingly unprovoked attack by the forces of the King they adored, they are pressed to reconsider their naive world-view caused by their sheltered upbringing as they are caught up in events beyond their control and larger than either of them imagined. What starts with an underground resistance soon develops into a full-fledged rebellion against the tyrannical King Macaan and his equally malicious daughter Aurin, with Kia, Ryushi and all those close to them at the center of it all.

Taking place over three years in Ryushi and Kia's life (from age sixteen to eighteen), Broken Sky is set in the varied environs of two worlds: the Dominions, the world in which the twins reside, and Kirin Taq, a world existing in a normally undetectable parallel to their own.

As well as learning of Kirin Taq's existence over the course of the story, Ryushi and Kia also learn that gifted individuals known as Resonants - such as Elani - are able to jump between the two worlds at will, bringing objects and other people along with them. The name Broken Sky stems from a myth which postulates the theory that, many years ago, Kirin Taq and the Dominions existed on the same physical plane; effectively being a single world. The sky was then "split" - or broken - forcing the worlds to separate, though whether this is meant figuratively or literally is left unclear.

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Wikipedia