SkyRacers

Pilot sisters become rivals while competing in a mid-21st-century international racing series in Watters’ SF novel.

In the year 2048, Aleeza Martin has a good shot at retaining her world champion title at the annual SkyRace Grand Prix. As a Division 1 pilot for her racing team, she flies racepods for weekend competitions—16 sky circuits in as many countries throughout the year. Her younger sister and teammate, Olivia, an equally skilled D2 pilot, competes in racepods not quite as powerful as the customized D1 versions. When a rival team loses a pilot due to injury, Olivia jumps ship for a chance at D1. The SkyRace Grand Prix can be ruthless, due to the unpredictable nature of the media and fans, and the high-risk aerial races demand split-second decisions to avoid catastrophe. But for Aleeza and Olivia, the greatest challenge is their newly precarious relationship, a sibling bond that may not survive after a champion is crowned. Watters excels at detailing much of the chic futuristic technology, be it the pods during races or details of life outside the Grand Prix, including aircars and holo-array 3D movies. The book features a variety of narrative devices, from race commentators’ play-by-plays to media conferences to gossipy news reports. This variety further energizes the short novel’s brisk tempo but, at the same time, scales back the pilots’ perspectives; the story relays racing disasters, including at least one that’s fatal, in a fairly detached manner (“In a split second, Aleeza lost control and crashed into the embankment without sending a mayday call. It all happened so rapidly”). Still, the sibling rivalry is dramatically engaging, with the seemingly more mature Aleeza clashing with the headstrong “party girl” Olivia. Their fierce competition amps up the suspense as the SkyRace GP treks the globe; an evolving chart of “Pilot Standings” consistently reminds readers how close each sister is to winning.

Razor-sharp characters at odds boost this entertaining, tech-savvy tale.