The Limitless Sky - by Christina Kilbourne (Paperback)

About the Book

Rook lives in the structured community of ArHK, where she struggles to find meaning in her appointed role as the Apprentice Keeper. Gage is part of a nomadic society and has just joined the Scouts on the frontier line, a life of constant danger. Can Gage and Rook find a way to save themselves, as well as each others' very different worlds?

Book Synopsis

Finalist for the Arlene Barlin Award for Science Fiction and Fantasy, 2023 CCBC Book Awards

Rook and Gage live worlds apart -- but somehow they must find a way to help one another survive.

Trapped in a life she didn't choose, Rook struggles to find meaning in her appointed role as an apprentice Keeper of ArHK. Even though her mam soothes her with legends of the Outside and her da assures her there are many interesting facts to discover in the Archives, Rook sees only endless years of tracking useless information. Then one day Rook discovers historic footage of the Chosen Ones arriving in ArHK, and she begins to realize her mam's legends are more than bedtime stories. That's when Rook begins her perilous and heartbreaking search for the limitless sky.

Gage is also trapped. Living on the frontier line with his family, his is a life of endless moving and constant danger. As he works with the other scouts, Gage searches for the Ship of Knowledge to help his society regain the wonders of the long distant past, when machines transported people across the land, illnesses could be cured, and human structures rose high into the sky.

Will Rook and Gage escape the traps and perils that await them in order to save each other's worlds? If they don't, it could very well mean the end of humanity.

Review Quotes

The Limitless Sky is a riveting read that will easily be devoured in one sitting!

-- "Muskoka Style Magazine"

This compelling apocalyptic adventure blends two dystopian realms and will leave readers anxiously wanting more.-- "Calgary Herald"

Kilbourne's worldbuilding is strong... Highly recommended.-- "CM Magazine"

In a gritty read that will work for middle-grade readers as well as teens, The Limitless Sky begins a new story for a future that may or may not be.-- "CanLit for Little Canadians"

A provocative premise.-- "Kirkus Reviews"

Beautifully creative, Christina Kilbourne builds a future world with a limitless sky of imagination. A bold adventure that exemplifies life as the "Chosen Ones." ArHK is an indestructible space that some humans will dare to inhabit if we continue to prioritize technology over keeping the planet happy. The Limitless Sky is an addictive read with an intriguing plot that draws you in from the get-go.-- "Candie Tanaka, author and artist"

The Limitless Sky is a well-balanced cli-fi adventure with a satisfying mystery. Taking a classic science fiction trope -- an isolated population learning they are, after all, not alone in the world -- and unraveling it through the eyes of the young heroes, Gage and Rook, Christina Kilbourne keeps the intrigue high. The likeable protagonists walk through very different worlds, facing very different dangers, but both are equally engaging. The threats never let up as the story unfolds in a wholly satisfying way. I was left wanting more more more!-- "Tash McAdam, author of Blood Sport and Sink or Swim"

A compelling tale about lost and forbidden knowledge and two teens who risk their lives to uncover the truth.-- "Sylvia McNicoll, author of What the Dog Knows"

Fun, exciting, and masterfully crafted, Christina Kilbourne paints a vibrant and all-too-real future that reminds us that when we work together to seek knowledge, hope itself has no limits.-- "Amanda Sun, author of Ink and Heir to the Sky"

In a dystopian world created from floods, fire, and wind, Christina Kilbourne brings together those who escaped and those who endured, separate but still together to make a new world. It's a gritty story born of unease but reaching for hope. And it's only the beginning.-- "Helen Kubiw, CanLit for Little Canadians"

In the futuristic isolated society known as ArHK, where the Outside is a terrifying notion and conspiracy theories abound, Christina Kilbourne captures the existential angst of the blowback from a climate change disaster to perfection. A riveting page turner, poignant and deftly conceived, and quite possibly prescient -- what our planet could potentially look like in a few centuries from now if we don't wake up and smell the smoke. The Limitless Sky is a cautionary tale for the twenty-first century that should be recommended reading at this crucial and pivotal moment in the climactic history of planet earth. Climate change could actually look like this eerie dystopian world sooner than we could ever imagine.-- "Deb Loughead, author of The Secrets We Keep"

Like The Giver and City of Ember, The Limitless Sky opens our eyes to a new take on a dystopian future, and the power young people have to change it.-- "Colleen Nelson, Governor General's Literary Award Finalist for Harvey Holds His Own"

Rook and Gage are smart and curious teenagers who live far away in a dystopic future that has everything to do with us, here, today. The emotional connection to them is immediate, and the fast-paced narrative makes it impossible to put the book down. As Rook and Gage find answers to their questions, we as readers cannot help but question our own answers to the most pressing issues in our world. The plot is so cleverly woven that it is never predictable and, because this story is as visual and gripping as the most enthralling and successful novels in this genre, The Limitless Sky should make its way to the hands to every reader who enjoys dystopian novels and is up for a great adventure.-- "Martha Bátiz, author of No Stars in the Sky"

About the Author

Christina Kilbourne is an award-winning author of young adult fiction, most recently Safe Harbour. Her writing has been translated into Spanish, Portuguese, Slovenian, and Ukrainian. Christina lives in Muskoka, Ontario, where, when not writing, she spends as much time as possible outdoors.