{"product_id":"flight-anchor-a-firebreak-story-paperback","title":"Flight \u0026 Anchor: A Firebreak Story - Paperback","description":"\u003cp\u003eby \u003cb\u003eNicole Kornher-Stace\u003c\/b\u003e (Author)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eLit Hub\u003c\/i\u003e 21 Sci-Fi and Fantasy Books to Look Forward to in 2023\u003c\/b\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\"Set several years before \u003ci\u003eFirebreak\u003c\/i\u003e (2021), Kornher-Stace's newest Firebreak tale follows operatives 06 and 22 as 12-year-olds who have escaped from the Stellaxis headquarters, where they have lived and trained since they were orphaned 4 years earlier in the corporate civil war. Besides discovering that they are woefully unprepared for living on their own as they hide in an abandoned shipping container mere blocks from their home, they also learn of the operatives' merchandise generated by Stellaxis' marketing department. Not only are their own statistics blatantly exaggerated, they are also described as artificial humans made to be perfect weapons, which is outrageous given their vague memories of childhood before being 'rescued' by Stellaxis. Relying on dumpster diving, selling recycled cans, and some charity, they struggle to feed themselves while the Director, hiding their escape from the company to protect her job, sabotages their lives with nanobots. This distressing yet delightful prequel explains the history between 06 and 22, cementing the reasoning behind their actions in \u003ci\u003eFirebreak\u003c\/i\u003e and expanding readers' understanding of the dystopian, corporate-owned world Kornher-Stace has created.\"\u003cbr\u003e--\u003ci\u003eBooklist\u003c\/i\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\"Cyborg Boxcar Children vs. the nanomachines, only make it a character study in possibility, heartache, sacrifice, and friendship. Wonderful.\"\u003cbr\u003e--Max Gladstone, author of \u003ci\u003eLast Exit\u003c\/i\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\"In the future, the U.S. has been replaced by two corporations, one of which is Stellaxis, which kidnaps and makes children into supersoldiers. This prequel to \u003ci\u003eFirebreak\u003c\/i\u003e presents a compelling, heartbreaking origin story for 06 and 22, two of the orphaned, brainwashed, child-soldier superheroes whose plight became the cause ce le bre that finally opened a chink in Stellaxis's carefully constructed, spin-doctored armor. The always rebellious 06 and her stalwart follower 22 run away from their corporate overseers and attempt to blend into the population. It's a dream that is doomed to fail, but the children are too young to realize it and too selfless to leave each other behind--to a terrible cost, now and in the years to come. Readers who loved \u003ci\u003eFirebreak\u003c\/i\u003e are going to fall hard for this story, as it adds layers to the buckets of heartbreak, and tears to the already poignant ending of their saga. \u003cb\u003eVERDICT: A terrific entry point into this compelling, corrupt, dystopian world, with a story about the forging of unbreakable bonds set against harrowing adventure, heartrending choices, and traumatic consequences\u003c\/b\u003e.\"\u003cbr\u003e--\u003ci\u003eLibrary Journal\u003c\/i\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\"Kornher-Stace finds a perfect balance between human childhood and otherworldliness by making us fall for the myth and propaganda surrounding 06 and 22 while also making them deeply human, if only deep down. A burning ember of humanity in the midst of overwhelming propaganda.\"\u003cbr\u003e--\u003ci\u003eBookish Brew's Reviews\u003c\/i\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\"Kornher-Stace masterfully weaves a deviously creative romp that is somehow both nail-bitingly suspenseful and tenderly cozy, as if the authors of \u003ci\u003eHow to Win the Time War\u003c\/i\u003e had decided to set \u003ci\u003eThe Boxcar Children\u003c\/i\u003e in \u003ci\u003eSnow Crash\u003c\/i\u003e's tongue-in-cheek hyper-capitalist dystopia. \u003ci\u003eFlight \u0026amp; Anchor\u003c\/i\u003e is a stunning achievement, one that hauls on the heartstrings as it tickles the brain with the effervescent prose of a Beat master, sure to bust through even the toughest reading slump--though I definitely expect no less from this must-buy author.\"\u003cbr\u003e--Maria Dong, author of \u003ci\u003eLiar, Dreamer, Thief\u003c\/i\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\"We join twelve-year old super-soldier operatives and inseparable BFFs 06 and 22, years before they'll inspire a people's rebellion in \u003ci\u003eFirebreak\u003c\/i\u003e, centuries before their exploits will influence the post-apocalyptic \u003ci\u003eArchivist Wasp\u003c\/i\u003e. On the lam from the cruel program that created them, they're capable of astonishing feats of heroism and destruction, but they're also lost kids who only have each other to rely on. Kornher-Stace's nail-biting novella, full of Easter eggs for fans of her expanding universe, keeps us grounded in stakes that are both world-shattering and movingly human.\"\u003cbr\u003e--Mike Allen, Shirley Jackson Award-nominated author of \u003ci\u003eAftermath of an Industrial Accident\u003c\/i\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\"Nicole Kornher-Stace's \u003ci\u003eFlight \u0026amp; Anchor\u003c\/i\u003e pulls you along with the speed of a dystopian freight train. Taking the weaponized childhoods of kids like Ender and blending in a touch of Hanna-style rebellion against the mother organization, Kornher-Stace draws you into a story not only of survival but of calculated surrender to drive the best possible outcome.\"\u003cbr\u003e--Kimberly Unger, author of \u003ci\u003eNucleation\u003c\/i\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\"Nicole Kornher-Stace deftly--exquisitely--balances the lightness of classic runaway-child books (\u003ci\u003eBoxcar Children\u003c\/i\u003e! \u003ci\u003eFrom the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler\u003c\/i\u003e!) with the savagery of survival-in-the-wilderness books (\u003ci\u003eHatchet\u003c\/i\u003e! \u003ci\u003eRobinson Crusoe\u003c\/i\u003e!) to entertaining and harrowing effect.\"\u003cbr\u003e--C. S. E. Cooney, author of \u003ci\u003eSaint Death's Daughter\u003c\/i\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e5\/5 stars \"Overall, \u003ci\u003eFlight \u0026amp; Anchor\u003c\/i\u003e is a great addition to the \u003ci\u003eFirebreak\u003c\/i\u003e universe. If you loved the first novel like I did, you will surely love this one as well.\"\u003cbr\u003e--\u003ci\u003eEnthralled Bookworm\u003c\/i\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e5\/5 stars. \"This novella does a lot of unexpected heavy lifting for the backstories of 06 and 22 (as seen in Nicole's other works such as \u003ci\u003eFirebreak\u003c\/i\u003e) and I'll just say it now: it was a delight.\"\u003cbr\u003e--\u003ci\u003eBradley Horner's Book Reviews\u003c\/i\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003ePraise for \u003ci\u003eFirebreak\u003c\/i\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\"A fight song in praise of fierce friendship and the strength to endure.\" --Amal El-Mohtar, author of \u003ci\u003eThis is How You Lose the Time War\u003c\/i\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\"A steadfast heroine stands up against a tyrannical corporation in this vivid work of dystopian sci-fi. . . . The effortlessly detailed worldbuilding is captivating.\" --\u003ci\u003ePublishers Weekly\u003c\/i\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\"[\u003ci\u003eFirebrea\u003ch3\u003eAuthor Biography\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cp\u003eNicole Kornher-Stace is the author of the Norton Award finalist \u003ci\u003eArchivist Wasp\u003c\/i\u003e and its sequel, \u003ci\u003eLatchkey\u003c\/i\u003e. Her short fiction has appeared in \u003ci\u003eUncanny\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eClarkesworld\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eFantasy Magazine\u003c\/i\u003e, and many anthologies. Her latest books are the adult SFF thriller \u003ci\u003eFirebreak\u003c\/i\u003e (Saga Press, 2021) and middle-grade space adventure \u003ci\u003eJillian Vs Parasite Planet\u003c\/i\u003e (Tachyon Publications, 2021). She lives in New Paltz, New York, with her family. Kornher-Stace can be found online on Twitter at @wirewalking.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eNumber of Pages:\u003c\/strong\u003e 192\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDimensions:\u003c\/strong\u003e 0.53 x 8 x 5.08 IN\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePublication Date:\u003c\/strong\u003e June 13, 2023\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Books by splitShops","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":42171099447431,"sku":"9781616963927","price":16.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0601\/2623\/2711\/files\/f8bb7ac111f2a4522233fc00f9b17930.webp?v=1733353090","url":"https:\/\/booksby.splitshops.com\/products\/flight-anchor-a-firebreak-story-paperback","provider":"Books by splitShops","version":"1.0","type":"link"}