The Sky Is Yours

Smith’s hyperimaginative debut takes place in a futuristic, decaying variation on New York City called Empire Island that has two dragons—one green, one yellow—constantly circling overhead and menacing the population below. Eighteen-year-old Duncan Humphrey Ripple V, star of the reality series Late Capitalism’s Royalty, has been engaged to the Baroness Swan “Swanny” Lenore Dahlberg (who has been homeschooled by her single-minded mother, Pippi) by his parents (financier Humphrey and former model Katya). While exploring beyond the city, Duncan meets a wild girl named Abby and brings her back to his family’s mansion. On his wedding night, he decides to run away with her, but the mansion is invaded by marauders from the self-governed prison colony of Torchtown, forcing Duncan, Swanny, and Abby to run away together. They escape into the dark heart of the city; Duncan learns how to fight fires—a constant in this dragon-threatened metropolis—Abby befriends a magic rat, and Swanny winds up in Torchtown. Smith’s novel calls to mind the works of Nick Harkaway and Game of Thrones. Although the story is overlong, it gathers momentum in its last third, bringing this novel home with a hopeful conclusion. It’s an auspicious debut with enough inventiveness for two novels. Agent: Bill Clegg, the Clegg Agency. (Jan.)