Flight & Anchor: A Firebreak Story A Firebreak Story

Lit Hub 21 Sci-Fi and Fantasy Books to Look Forward to in 2023

“Set several years before Firebreak (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 Firebreak and expanding readers’ understanding of the dystopian, corporate-owned world Kornher-Stace has created.”
— Booklist

“Cyborg Boxcar Children vs. the nanomachines, only make it a character study in possibility, heartache, sacrifice, and friendship. Wonderful.”
—Max Gladstone, author of Last Exit

“In the future, the U.S. has been replaced by two corporations, one of which is Stellaxis, which kidnaps and makes children into supersoldiers.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 Firebreak 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 Firebreak 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. VERDICT: 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.”
— Library Journal

“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.”
— Bookish Brew’s Reviews

“Kornher-Stace masterfully weaves a deviously creative romp that is somehow both nail-bitingly suspenseful and tenderly cozy, as if the authors of How to Win the Time War had decided to set The Boxcar Children in Snow Crash’s tongue-in-cheek hyper-capitalist dystopia. Flight & Anchor 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.”
—Maria Dong, author of Liar, Dreamer, Thief

“We join twelve-year old super-soldier operatives and inseparable BFFs 06 and 22, years before they’ll inspire a people’s rebellion in Firebreak, centuries before their exploits will influence the post-apocalyptic Archivist Wasp. 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.”
—Mike Allen, Shirley Jackson Award-nominated author of Aftermath of an Industrial Accident

“Nicole Kornher-Stace’s Flight & Anchor 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.”
—Kimberly Unger, author of Nucleation

“Nicole Kornher-Stace deftly—exquisitely—balances the lightness of classic runaway-child books ( Boxcar Children! From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler!) with the savagery of survival-in-the-wilderness books ( Hatchet! Robinson Crusoe!) to entertaining and harrowing effect.”
—C. S. E. Cooney, author of Saint Death’s Daughter

5/5 stars “Overall, Flight & Anchor is a great addition to the Firebreak universe. If you loved the first novel like I did, you will surely love this one as well.”
— Enthralled Bookworm

5/5 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 Firebreak) and I’ll just say it now: it was a delight.”
— Bradley Horner’s Book Reviews

Praise for Firebreak

“A fight song in praise of fierce friendship and the strength to endure.” —Amal El-Mohtar, author of This is How You Lose the Time War

“A steadfast heroine stands up against a tyrannical corporation in this vivid work of dystopian sci-fi. . . . The effortlessly detailed worldbuilding is captivating.” — Publishers Weekly

“[ Firebreak] is a fire that does what literary fires do best: spits rage, radiates the warmth of compassion, and fans the flame of revolution.”
—C. S. E. Cooney, World Fantasy Award-winning author of Bone Swans: Stories

This companion novella to the author’s breakout science fiction novel Firebreak is a gritty, dystopic examination of corporate greed and the resilience of two rebellious, young soldiers with a powerful bond

The adult and YA crossover story will appeal to science fiction readers who are looking for stories similar to Ready Player One, featuring a vivid near-future setting, topical themes, and realistic characters

National marketing plan to include cover reveal, launch event, local and national author events and appearances, social media and blog tour, radio, podcasts, features, and interviews