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Bone Universe #1
Updraft
In a city of living bone rising high above the clouds, where danger hides in the wind and the ground is lost to legend, a young woman must expose a dangerous secret to save everyone she loves
Welcome to a world of wind and bone, songs and silence, betrayal and courage.
Kirit Densira cannot wait to pass her wingtest and begin flying as a trader by her mother's side, being in service to her beloved home tower and exploring the skies beyond. When Kirit inadvertently breaks Tower Law, the city's secretive governing body, the Singers, demand that she become one of them instead. In an attempt to save her family from greater censure, Kirit must give up her dreams to throw herself into the dangerous training at the Spire, the tallest, most forbidding tower, deep at the heart of the City.
As she grows in knowledge and power, she starts to uncover the depths of Spire secrets. Kirit begins to doubt her world and its unassailable Laws, setting in motion a chain of events that will lead to a haunting choice, and may well change the city forever—if it isn't destroyed outright.
Welcome to a world of wind and bone, songs and silence, betrayal and courage.
Kirit Densira cannot wait to pass her wingtest and begin flying as a trader by her mother's side, being in service to her beloved home tower and exploring the skies beyond. When Kirit inadvertently breaks Tower Law, the city's secretive governing body, the Singers, demand that she become one of them instead. In an attempt to save her family from greater censure, Kirit must give up her dreams to throw herself into the dangerous training at the Spire, the tallest, most forbidding tower, deep at the heart of the City.
As she grows in knowledge and power, she starts to uncover the depths of Spire secrets. Kirit begins to doubt her world and its unassailable Laws, setting in motion a chain of events that will lead to a haunting choice, and may well change the city forever—if it isn't destroyed outright.
13 pages, Audible Audio
First published September 1, 2015
181 people are currently reading
7,565 people want to read
About the author
Fran Wilde
111Ìýbooks473ÌýfollowersFran Wilde writes award-winning speculative fiction and fantasy. She can also tie a number of sailing knots, set gemstones, and program digital minions. She reads too much and is a friend of the Oxford comma. Her short stories appear in Asimov's, Beneath Ceaseless Skies, Shimmer, Uncanny, and Tor.com.
Fran's debut novel, Updraft, was nominated for a 2015 Nebula Award, won the 2015 Andre Norton Award for Best Young Adult SFF and the 2016 Compton Crook award for Best First Novel, and was nominated for a 2016 Dragon Award for Best Young Adult Science Fiction or Fantasy.
Fran's debut novel, Updraft, was nominated for a 2015 Nebula Award, won the 2015 Andre Norton Award for Best Young Adult SFF and the 2016 Compton Crook award for Best First Novel, and was nominated for a 2016 Dragon Award for Best Young Adult Science Fiction or Fantasy.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 641 reviews
November 13, 2015
I had a lot of high hopes for this. I really did. I thought to myself, "Oh wow, a society of fliers. A whole world of fliers! This could be utterly awesome, giving me lots and lots of necessary extrapolations and unusual twists and turns, whether societal, setting, or even character-centered."
Instead, I'm introduced to a completely forgettable and utterly predictable plot, with: A Chosen One. An Outcast Sect. War like a Football Game.
Huh? Am I reading YA? Trials, graduation, snobby rich kids, dashed expectations. Okay. there was a little flying, but it was like listening to a game. Where were the serious consequences? Oh... serious consequences are all in the dashed expectations: The MC and ME.
Later on, the plot remains absolutely scrutable. She can choose to level up with tattoos that give her better blah blah at the risk of blah blah, she'll have to remain outside of the regular caste and Sing. Yeah. Like a bat. And like a siren. And oh yeah, don't feed the animals.
The worldbuilding is probably the best part of the novel, but it is mostly there in the background, and it went deep enough to flog my waning attention.
Seriously, I wanted more flight and a story that wasn't exactly like EVERY OTHER recently popular dystopian YA novel. I was never surprised. Not even once. There were lots of opportunities for the novel to break off in new directions.
Do we really want another story about a squad of outsider tribals trying to save the misunderstood animal species from the other tribals? Substitute pieces at your convenience.
Other than that, it wasn't like the novel was written poorly. It wasn't. All my interest just drained away because it didn't bother to stand out. It just followed formula and relied on setting to try and carry it.
I DID like the novel better when I thought about the kinds of adventures that I might have had. The possibilities are still there, sitting unrealized. I just don't think I'll go out of my way to find them out except in my own head.
I'm rather disappointed.
Instead, I'm introduced to a completely forgettable and utterly predictable plot, with: A Chosen One. An Outcast Sect. War like a Football Game.
Huh? Am I reading YA? Trials, graduation, snobby rich kids, dashed expectations. Okay. there was a little flying, but it was like listening to a game. Where were the serious consequences? Oh... serious consequences are all in the dashed expectations: The MC and ME.
Later on, the plot remains absolutely scrutable. She can choose to level up with tattoos that give her better blah blah at the risk of blah blah, she'll have to remain outside of the regular caste and Sing. Yeah. Like a bat. And like a siren. And oh yeah, don't feed the animals.
The worldbuilding is probably the best part of the novel, but it is mostly there in the background, and it went deep enough to flog my waning attention.
Seriously, I wanted more flight and a story that wasn't exactly like EVERY OTHER recently popular dystopian YA novel. I was never surprised. Not even once. There were lots of opportunities for the novel to break off in new directions.
Do we really want another story about a squad of outsider tribals trying to save the misunderstood animal species from the other tribals? Substitute pieces at your convenience.
Other than that, it wasn't like the novel was written poorly. It wasn't. All my interest just drained away because it didn't bother to stand out. It just followed formula and relied on setting to try and carry it.
I DID like the novel better when I thought about the kinds of adventures that I might have had. The possibilities are still there, sitting unrealized. I just don't think I'll go out of my way to find them out except in my own head.
I'm rather disappointed.
September 1, 2015
3.5 of 5 stars at The BiblioSanctum
Updraft is a lovely book, a mesmerizing debut from Fran Wilde that draws readers beyond the clouds into an incredibly imagined world of open skies, towers and wings. A lot of readers should enjoy this one, like I did. So why not a higher rating? As with a lot of crossover genre fiction, my main struggle was with the story and writing style, and a dissonance between what I read versus what I expected. Sometimes, getting something completely different can result in a huge payoff. Other times, I am left feeling torn.
On the one hand, I adored the world of Updraft because it was beautiful, innovative, and mind-blowingly unique. But on the other, its story and plot elements feel like it has been done before. While nothing about the book’s cover, description, publisher, etc. ostensibly screams Young Adult, in many ways this does read and real a lot like a YA novel. We follow a teenage protagonist, a young woman named Kirit Densira who dreams of becoming a sky trader, but first she must pass a trial to earn her wings. However, this is all before the plot reveals there is something different and special about Kirit, a suggestion that she has a secret talent that destines her for much greater things.
Kirit and her family and friends also live in one of the many skyward bone towers that make up the city, with living conditions determined by which structural tier you occupy � in both the physical and social sense. No matter which tower you’re from though, every citizen is at the mercy of the Spire, the tallest, most powerful and forbidding tower deep in the heart of the city. The Spire has the final say in all matters and uses its secrets to change history and keep the other towers under their thumb. An individual tower’s prestige and benefits � like whether they should be allowed certain privileges or be given the permission to rise � are determined by a special class of law makers and enforcers called Singers, whom citizens both revere and mistrust. Citizens are allowed to challenge Singers, but the results are often rigged against them. The Spire will also make the other towers pay by making examples of their lawbreakers, sacrificing them in very public displays, claiming this is how the Spire protects all of them. Citizens are not only expected to accept this, they are also expected to be thankful. Not surprisingly, the main antagonist is also the most influential Singer, a dictator-like figure who has everyone in his pocket, and of course he’s out to use Kirit for his own means.
Perhaps you see what I’m getting at. For sure, I credit the sky setting for being amazingly creative. If I weren’t so hopelessly afraid of heights, I would love to live in a world like this, to soar into the wild blue yonder on silken wings while feeling the brisk wind on my face. My concern is though, for all of the wonderful new sights and sounds, readers of YA dystopian fiction will still probably find the underlying themes very familiar. I also found the plot terribly predictable. There weren’t many surprises story-wise; I knew what Kirit’s fate would be from the start, guessed who her allies and enemies were, what challenges she would face, and how those challenges would resolve. The predictability never quite went away, and I feel it was the novel’s one and only flaw. For me, that was enough to make the difference, keeping Updraft from being a book that swept me off my feet.
That said though, this book also has an unbelievable number of strengths that make it worth reading. I’ve said this already but I have no problems saying it again: Fran Wilde’s world of Updraft will make your jaw drop. One only has to look at the cover to see what kind of wonders you’ll be in for. A whole civilization that lives above the clouds on towers of living bone. Giant tentacled sky predators that travel in huge migrations, causing great danger to the towers and any citizens on the wing. Breathtaking scenes of airborne maneuvers and skirmishes are guaranteed to make you see the physics and aerodynamics of flying in a whole new light. The world building is fantastically done, and I can’t stress that enough.
Then there’s the emotional appeal. Readers will no doubt root for Kirit, the unlikely champion pitted against a stronger enemy who has the weight and power of establishment behind him. The idea might not be new, but it’s an undeniably compelling one and a favorite for the ages. Readers who enjoy themes of family might also appreciate Kirit’s complex relationship with her mother Ezarit � the woman she admires but feels she’ll never live up to. Kirit’s best friend Nat and his mother Elna play a huge role in her support system as well, and their characters shine an interesting light on the concept of familial ties.
Ultimately Updraft is a good book that will appeal to readers across a broad age range. The predictability of the plot and familiar themes notwithstanding, the story is sure to blow readers away with its fascinating world building, plus it also has the added benefit of being a self-contained stand alone. Fran Wilde has an impressive novel debut here that will ignite imaginations and enchant readers; whether she decides to write other books in this universe or start something new entirely, I look forward to reading more.
Updraft is a lovely book, a mesmerizing debut from Fran Wilde that draws readers beyond the clouds into an incredibly imagined world of open skies, towers and wings. A lot of readers should enjoy this one, like I did. So why not a higher rating? As with a lot of crossover genre fiction, my main struggle was with the story and writing style, and a dissonance between what I read versus what I expected. Sometimes, getting something completely different can result in a huge payoff. Other times, I am left feeling torn.
On the one hand, I adored the world of Updraft because it was beautiful, innovative, and mind-blowingly unique. But on the other, its story and plot elements feel like it has been done before. While nothing about the book’s cover, description, publisher, etc. ostensibly screams Young Adult, in many ways this does read and real a lot like a YA novel. We follow a teenage protagonist, a young woman named Kirit Densira who dreams of becoming a sky trader, but first she must pass a trial to earn her wings. However, this is all before the plot reveals there is something different and special about Kirit, a suggestion that she has a secret talent that destines her for much greater things.
Kirit and her family and friends also live in one of the many skyward bone towers that make up the city, with living conditions determined by which structural tier you occupy � in both the physical and social sense. No matter which tower you’re from though, every citizen is at the mercy of the Spire, the tallest, most powerful and forbidding tower deep in the heart of the city. The Spire has the final say in all matters and uses its secrets to change history and keep the other towers under their thumb. An individual tower’s prestige and benefits � like whether they should be allowed certain privileges or be given the permission to rise � are determined by a special class of law makers and enforcers called Singers, whom citizens both revere and mistrust. Citizens are allowed to challenge Singers, but the results are often rigged against them. The Spire will also make the other towers pay by making examples of their lawbreakers, sacrificing them in very public displays, claiming this is how the Spire protects all of them. Citizens are not only expected to accept this, they are also expected to be thankful. Not surprisingly, the main antagonist is also the most influential Singer, a dictator-like figure who has everyone in his pocket, and of course he’s out to use Kirit for his own means.
Perhaps you see what I’m getting at. For sure, I credit the sky setting for being amazingly creative. If I weren’t so hopelessly afraid of heights, I would love to live in a world like this, to soar into the wild blue yonder on silken wings while feeling the brisk wind on my face. My concern is though, for all of the wonderful new sights and sounds, readers of YA dystopian fiction will still probably find the underlying themes very familiar. I also found the plot terribly predictable. There weren’t many surprises story-wise; I knew what Kirit’s fate would be from the start, guessed who her allies and enemies were, what challenges she would face, and how those challenges would resolve. The predictability never quite went away, and I feel it was the novel’s one and only flaw. For me, that was enough to make the difference, keeping Updraft from being a book that swept me off my feet.
That said though, this book also has an unbelievable number of strengths that make it worth reading. I’ve said this already but I have no problems saying it again: Fran Wilde’s world of Updraft will make your jaw drop. One only has to look at the cover to see what kind of wonders you’ll be in for. A whole civilization that lives above the clouds on towers of living bone. Giant tentacled sky predators that travel in huge migrations, causing great danger to the towers and any citizens on the wing. Breathtaking scenes of airborne maneuvers and skirmishes are guaranteed to make you see the physics and aerodynamics of flying in a whole new light. The world building is fantastically done, and I can’t stress that enough.
Then there’s the emotional appeal. Readers will no doubt root for Kirit, the unlikely champion pitted against a stronger enemy who has the weight and power of establishment behind him. The idea might not be new, but it’s an undeniably compelling one and a favorite for the ages. Readers who enjoy themes of family might also appreciate Kirit’s complex relationship with her mother Ezarit � the woman she admires but feels she’ll never live up to. Kirit’s best friend Nat and his mother Elna play a huge role in her support system as well, and their characters shine an interesting light on the concept of familial ties.
Ultimately Updraft is a good book that will appeal to readers across a broad age range. The predictability of the plot and familiar themes notwithstanding, the story is sure to blow readers away with its fascinating world building, plus it also has the added benefit of being a self-contained stand alone. Fran Wilde has an impressive novel debut here that will ignite imaginations and enchant readers; whether she decides to write other books in this universe or start something new entirely, I look forward to reading more.
September 9, 2015
"Updraft" has been getting a lot of buzz - I went and grabbed a copy just because of all the great things I'd been hearing about it. I'm glad I did; this was a very, very enjoyable book.
However, I almost wish I hadn't heard all the hype - it gave it a lot to live up to. One of the things I kept hearing was how very "unique" it was, especially the setting. There, I have to disagree.
Back in the 70's, when I was a kid, one of my favorite stories had to do with a people who live in a living, growing city, and never set foot upon the ground - as a matter of fact, are terrified to set foot upon the ground. They travel about by gliding on fabric wings.
This is a society of peace, but this peace is maintained by strict rules having to do with behavior, and life is circumscribed by ritual. The people also live in fear of dangerous monsters.
The leaders of this community are a political/religious group who are set apart, both feared and revered. They recruit from the community for those with special abilities, and children chosen by them must acquiesce to having their fate thrown into upheaval. However, initiates learn secret knowledge and powerful skills.
The plot has to do with one young person who is chosen as just such an initiate. However, once within the exclusive group, and in the process of training with another initiate, the young person discovers that not all the secrets are savory. They include a history of war and violence that the general population is kept ignorant of. Not only that, but there's an inner cabal that is plotting to use violence to gain power.
OK, none of these elements are unique to any one book, but all of the above applies equally to my childhood favorite, Zilpha Keatley Snyder's Green Sky trilogy, and to Fran Wilde's 'Updraft.' Even the 'feel' of the stories are similar; if you liked Snyder as a child - do yourself a favor and grab this. The main differences are: that Snyder has actual psy abilities in her story, and Wilde uses technically-sorta-scientific methods (echolocation, tonal vibrations) to achieve some of the same plot results. And, that while Snyder has no real monsters (instead, the threat turns out to be a hidden, oppressed, literal underclass of people), Wilde has real monsters [and they're awesome: flying, giant invisible octopi!.]
Although the elements felt familiar, Wilde does a great job with this story. The beginning felt just a little too 'young' for me, but soon enough I was sucked into the action and came to care for the characters. It's a subtler and more complex rendition on a theme, and yes, all of the details were just wonderful.
While the story comes to a satisfying conclusion, there are questions left unanswered. If there's a sequel, I'll definitely read it.
Many thanks to Tor and NetGalley for the opportunity to read. As always, my opinions are solely my own.
However, I almost wish I hadn't heard all the hype - it gave it a lot to live up to. One of the things I kept hearing was how very "unique" it was, especially the setting. There, I have to disagree.
Back in the 70's, when I was a kid, one of my favorite stories had to do with a people who live in a living, growing city, and never set foot upon the ground - as a matter of fact, are terrified to set foot upon the ground. They travel about by gliding on fabric wings.
This is a society of peace, but this peace is maintained by strict rules having to do with behavior, and life is circumscribed by ritual. The people also live in fear of dangerous monsters.
The leaders of this community are a political/religious group who are set apart, both feared and revered. They recruit from the community for those with special abilities, and children chosen by them must acquiesce to having their fate thrown into upheaval. However, initiates learn secret knowledge and powerful skills.
The plot has to do with one young person who is chosen as just such an initiate. However, once within the exclusive group, and in the process of training with another initiate, the young person discovers that not all the secrets are savory. They include a history of war and violence that the general population is kept ignorant of. Not only that, but there's an inner cabal that is plotting to use violence to gain power.
OK, none of these elements are unique to any one book, but all of the above applies equally to my childhood favorite, Zilpha Keatley Snyder's Green Sky trilogy, and to Fran Wilde's 'Updraft.' Even the 'feel' of the stories are similar; if you liked Snyder as a child - do yourself a favor and grab this. The main differences are: that Snyder has actual psy abilities in her story, and Wilde uses technically-sorta-scientific methods (echolocation, tonal vibrations) to achieve some of the same plot results. And, that while Snyder has no real monsters (instead, the threat turns out to be a hidden, oppressed, literal underclass of people), Wilde has real monsters [and they're awesome: flying, giant invisible octopi!.]
Although the elements felt familiar, Wilde does a great job with this story. The beginning felt just a little too 'young' for me, but soon enough I was sucked into the action and came to care for the characters. It's a subtler and more complex rendition on a theme, and yes, all of the details were just wonderful.
While the story comes to a satisfying conclusion, there are questions left unanswered. If there's a sequel, I'll definitely read it.
Many thanks to Tor and NetGalley for the opportunity to read. As always, my opinions are solely my own.
Read
November 26, 2014I loved this book. Loved it. It hits so many of my favorite narrative tropes: wings, towered cities, strange beings, layers and layers of secrets, a heroine who's got talent but who has to work hard with it--and who experiences the consequences of talent/powers/special abilities.
Loved the characters, the world. I'll need to reread it when it comes out, as this was an ARC made from the uncorrected manuscript, so the voice did not come through as clearly as I know it will. So this review will change.
Looking forward to that reread--and to anything else she does with this world. Woof!
Loved the characters, the world. I'll need to reread it when it comes out, as this was an ARC made from the uncorrected manuscript, so the voice did not come through as clearly as I know it will. So this review will change.
Looking forward to that reread--and to anything else she does with this world. Woof!
Shelved as 'zzz-books-not-for-me'
February 4, 2016DNF: 50% Read from November 04 to 05, 2015
Ok, I'll be honest, Updraft is NOT a bad book. In fact, it's one of the better ones I've (almost) read.
- The World-building is phenomenal! The setting was absolutely amazing, so good that it kept me reading despite my complains!
- Beautifully written, easy to follow narrative, great action scenes!
- And no, no love triangles! (yet)
Everything else felt like a déjà vu, unfortunately. It's a YA book, so be prepared for Special Snowflake Syndrome and for the "I-hate-you-for-no-reason" female side character.
If you're looking for a fantasy book (not YA) with mind-blowing setting, races with wings and pure epicness, then see if the Raksura books might be for you:
YA books with Special Snowflakes that I enjoyed:
Ok, I'll be honest, Updraft is NOT a bad book. In fact, it's one of the better ones I've (almost) read.
- The World-building is phenomenal! The setting was absolutely amazing, so good that it kept me reading despite my complains!
- Beautifully written, easy to follow narrative, great action scenes!
- And no, no love triangles! (yet)
Everything else felt like a déjà vu, unfortunately. It's a YA book, so be prepared for Special Snowflake Syndrome and for the "I-hate-you-for-no-reason" female side character.
If you're looking for a fantasy book (not YA) with mind-blowing setting, races with wings and pure epicness, then see if the Raksura books might be for you:
YA books with Special Snowflakes that I enjoyed:
Read
July 29, 2015I blurbed this book:
A lovingly, carefully crafted world—an engineering marvel—filled with captivating characters whose struggles and triumphs will thrill the reader and linger long in the imagination. I want to live in the world Wilde has created!
A lovingly, carefully crafted world—an engineering marvel—filled with captivating characters whose struggles and triumphs will thrill the reader and linger long in the imagination. I want to live in the world Wilde has created!
August 1, 2016
Executive Summary: This book finished stronger than it started, and I'll probably pick up the next one, but not right away. 3.5 Stars.
Full Review
This book has been getting a lot of buzz after various award nominations (and maybe some wins?). I wasn't really interested though. It sounded Young Adult, which I don't tend to enjoy, and I'm already not a big "Steampunk" fan. I'm not sure what qualifies as steam punk exactly, but maybe that's an inaccurate description? I'll leave that someone else. It's certainly closer to steam punk than it is to traditional fantasy.
I only picked it up because it was the June pick for Sword & Laser. This was a borrow over buy, and I still think that was the correct decision. It took me well over halfway to start getting into it. I wasn't particularly excited by any of the characters.
The main character irritated me for much of the book. The only thing that helped her case was many of the characters she interacted with were worse. The main exception was probably the twins, whose names I forget at this point.
I'm a big fan of the "magic school" trope, and this book had a bit of that vibe, right down to the asshole rival. However it was really the world building and the mystery of it that I found the most interesting. I wish we had been told a lot more than we were. Why do they live in the sky? Is there still a surface left? Where do the bones they use to build things come from?
More than anything else, finding out more about the world is what has me interested in reading the next book. However, I'll happily wait awhile to do so (maybe until the last book of the series is out).
Full Review
This book has been getting a lot of buzz after various award nominations (and maybe some wins?). I wasn't really interested though. It sounded Young Adult, which I don't tend to enjoy, and I'm already not a big "Steampunk" fan. I'm not sure what qualifies as steam punk exactly, but maybe that's an inaccurate description? I'll leave that someone else. It's certainly closer to steam punk than it is to traditional fantasy.
I only picked it up because it was the June pick for Sword & Laser. This was a borrow over buy, and I still think that was the correct decision. It took me well over halfway to start getting into it. I wasn't particularly excited by any of the characters.
The main character irritated me for much of the book. The only thing that helped her case was many of the characters she interacted with were worse. The main exception was probably the twins, whose names I forget at this point.
I'm a big fan of the "magic school" trope, and this book had a bit of that vibe, right down to the asshole rival. However it was really the world building and the mystery of it that I found the most interesting. I wish we had been told a lot more than we were. Why do they live in the sky? Is there still a surface left? Where do the bones they use to build things come from?
More than anything else, finding out more about the world is what has me interested in reading the next book. However, I'll happily wait awhile to do so (maybe until the last book of the series is out).
September 27, 2015
Fran Wilde’s debut novel left me wishing for a sequel even though I knew her story was complete with this book. Wilde’s novel is a great stand alone. She created a world that could be a futuristic dystopia, but I saw it as a fantasy with its own world. In Wilde’s sky towers she has a young woman preparing for her skytest. If she passes she can become a trader, like her mother, and fly among the towers, bringing good luck, and visiting the spire. As teenagers will do from time to time, she chose not listen to her mother, she stayed outside to watch her mother’s departure and skymouths attacked. She was locked out, unable to get in, and to everyone’s shock was able to shout down the attacking skymouth. The good luck is she saved her life, the bad luck is it brought her to the attention of the Singers. The Singers keep Tower law, live in the Spire, and separate from the rest of tower society. Singers, once identified, learn the secrets of their culture and must break from their families . Wilde’s story centers on Kirit’s journey once the Singers decide they want her to be one of them. ‘Updraft� is good Young Adult fiction. I applaud its lack of romance. I enjoy love and romance but it’s nice to see young adult fiction centered on a girl whose focus is solely about the situation and task at hand. Not every story needs a love interest.
Kirit wants to be like her mother, a famous trader and a credit to her tower, but her mistake took her irrevocably off course. Her skill at flying and her desires became irrelevant. Singers have the power to change not only her life but the lives of everyone a person cares about. Many lessons are learned. Kirit learns that some choices can not be unmade; that your actions effect not only you, and when/what battles to fight and which ones you should leave alone.
Wilde’s writing is good. Her story, while is definitely a coming of age story, has some unique attributes. Her world is interesting, set in the clouds her towers grow from bone. Her people are a society created from the aftermath of war. They are a remnant of a people who struggled to create their society heavily reliant on law, tradition, and the Singer’s. Wilde doesn’t give into utilizing trends or obvious cliché’s when the plot became tricky. I applaud Wilde for sticking to her guns and relying on her solid plot to move the story along. It made me cheer to see youth having bigger things to worry about than a love interest. I enjoy love stories. Love is an integral part of who we are as people � how we react to it when we get it and when we lose it. It is a driving force, but I like recognizing teenagers/children are more complex. Multiple forces and concerns grow people into adults. It’s nice to see others highlighted.
Khristine Hvam narrated the audible version. She does a great job. She’s well-known and has narrated ‘The Chronicles of Elantra� series by Michelle Sagara, ‘The Daughter of Smoke and Bone� by Laini Taylor, ‘Conversion� by Katherine Howe, and ‘Ex-Patriots by Peter Clines amongst several others. Hvam didn’t disappoint with ‘Updraft� she handled several characters and the emotion of the story with ease.
This is a strong book with solid world building. If you are in the mood for a good coming of age story, that does not rely heavily on romance, this is one of the few books that falls in that category with a female protagonist. I hope Wilde continues writing. I was surprised this was her debut. Her writing reminded me of a seasoned author. I have high hopes for her writing career, and look forward to reading more of her novels in the future. I would definitely recommend this to teenagers but I am an adult and I enjoyed it. I expect other adults to enjoy it as well.
I received this from Audible in return for an honest review.
Kirit wants to be like her mother, a famous trader and a credit to her tower, but her mistake took her irrevocably off course. Her skill at flying and her desires became irrelevant. Singers have the power to change not only her life but the lives of everyone a person cares about. Many lessons are learned. Kirit learns that some choices can not be unmade; that your actions effect not only you, and when/what battles to fight and which ones you should leave alone.
Wilde’s writing is good. Her story, while is definitely a coming of age story, has some unique attributes. Her world is interesting, set in the clouds her towers grow from bone. Her people are a society created from the aftermath of war. They are a remnant of a people who struggled to create their society heavily reliant on law, tradition, and the Singer’s. Wilde doesn’t give into utilizing trends or obvious cliché’s when the plot became tricky. I applaud Wilde for sticking to her guns and relying on her solid plot to move the story along. It made me cheer to see youth having bigger things to worry about than a love interest. I enjoy love stories. Love is an integral part of who we are as people � how we react to it when we get it and when we lose it. It is a driving force, but I like recognizing teenagers/children are more complex. Multiple forces and concerns grow people into adults. It’s nice to see others highlighted.
Khristine Hvam narrated the audible version. She does a great job. She’s well-known and has narrated ‘The Chronicles of Elantra� series by Michelle Sagara, ‘The Daughter of Smoke and Bone� by Laini Taylor, ‘Conversion� by Katherine Howe, and ‘Ex-Patriots by Peter Clines amongst several others. Hvam didn’t disappoint with ‘Updraft� she handled several characters and the emotion of the story with ease.
This is a strong book with solid world building. If you are in the mood for a good coming of age story, that does not rely heavily on romance, this is one of the few books that falls in that category with a female protagonist. I hope Wilde continues writing. I was surprised this was her debut. Her writing reminded me of a seasoned author. I have high hopes for her writing career, and look forward to reading more of her novels in the future. I would definitely recommend this to teenagers but I am an adult and I enjoyed it. I expect other adults to enjoy it as well.
I received this from Audible in return for an honest review.
November 23, 2019
Still can't believe this book was nominated for a Nebula or that it won the Andre Norton award. Then again, Naomi Novak's winning the Nebula over still baffles me too, so... What were those judges thinking is what I wanna know.
* * * * *
This is one of those rare books where I think the cover artwork--this edition and the later one--is way more interesting than the story inside.
So what we have here is a completely implausible setting world building (even for fantasy) combined with YA characterization and plotting. The result is a uniquely difficult read (for me). This book hits ALL of my annoyance buttons almost right from the start.
But before I get into that, I just have to say that the thing that got mer interested in reading this book was the hype, and I fell for it. I was so looking forward to enjoying the read because I had heard so much about the massive world building effort the author had put into creating this book. Book people all over the internet were loving it and praising its ingenuity. Looking back, I guess I should have pulled back and toned down my expectations, but at the time I was too sucked into the hype. Now looking back, I think that's what I'm most disappointed about, that this book didn't live up to my expectations. Not that it isn't a good book; it is and may be for many people, but it fell way short of my expectations. But honestly? Having finished it just a couple of hours ago, I'm still too close to critique the mechanics and structure of the story. So below are just some general thoughts and impressions.
"Completely implausible setting and world building" is not a phrase I use lightly since genre fiction is all I read these days. Most of the books I read have something believable about the world in which they take place, and that's the thing I usually hang onto when/if everything else about the writing doesn't capture my interest. With this book though, that too failed to capture my reading, and so I had a hard time getting into the story and gradually becoming immersed in the world of mechanical wings and bone towers. There were too many things that kept taking me out of the reading experience... like every single character in the story.
But the biggest issue is the world building. So we're told the towers and the city are made up of bone, and yet not much about their construction makes any sense. So basically the world-building is where all my issues lie. Nothing about these bone towers is believable to me, not even when I look at them with the context given and the logic of the bone world in mind. And the more I think about these things, trying to unpack them, the less sense they make.
How is this bone world way above the clouds livable, let alone sustainable? Where do these tower people get their water? How do they grow food? Where do the apples come from? What kind of fiber is their clothes made of? Do they have to grow them too? Or are they made of animal skin/hair? If so, how do they raise those animals? How and what do they feed then? So many questions because so many basic fundamental things about this world don't make sense. And I haven't even touched on the baffling dystopian social structure or the flying contraptions yet.
* * * * *
Not quite 3 stars but close enough to round up.
I don't know what exactly it is about the setting and world-building that bothers, so will have to think on them some more, but in general, almost everything about this bone world is not sitting well with me. There are too many questions about infrastructure, environmental upkeep, and basic ecology and evolutionary things that are keeping me up at night.
Btw, this is a coming-of-age, rite-of-passage, dystopian YA told in first person, and it's very obvious. I wish I'd known going in because I was not prepared for all that teenage angst and foolhardiness.
* * * * *
Review posted at
* * * * *
This is one of those rare books where I think the cover artwork--this edition and the later one--is way more interesting than the story inside.
So what we have here is a completely implausible setting world building (even for fantasy) combined with YA characterization and plotting. The result is a uniquely difficult read (for me). This book hits ALL of my annoyance buttons almost right from the start.
But before I get into that, I just have to say that the thing that got mer interested in reading this book was the hype, and I fell for it. I was so looking forward to enjoying the read because I had heard so much about the massive world building effort the author had put into creating this book. Book people all over the internet were loving it and praising its ingenuity. Looking back, I guess I should have pulled back and toned down my expectations, but at the time I was too sucked into the hype. Now looking back, I think that's what I'm most disappointed about, that this book didn't live up to my expectations. Not that it isn't a good book; it is and may be for many people, but it fell way short of my expectations. But honestly? Having finished it just a couple of hours ago, I'm still too close to critique the mechanics and structure of the story. So below are just some general thoughts and impressions.
"Completely implausible setting and world building" is not a phrase I use lightly since genre fiction is all I read these days. Most of the books I read have something believable about the world in which they take place, and that's the thing I usually hang onto when/if everything else about the writing doesn't capture my interest. With this book though, that too failed to capture my reading, and so I had a hard time getting into the story and gradually becoming immersed in the world of mechanical wings and bone towers. There were too many things that kept taking me out of the reading experience... like every single character in the story.
But the biggest issue is the world building. So we're told the towers and the city are made up of bone, and yet not much about their construction makes any sense. So basically the world-building is where all my issues lie. Nothing about these bone towers is believable to me, not even when I look at them with the context given and the logic of the bone world in mind. And the more I think about these things, trying to unpack them, the less sense they make.
How is this bone world way above the clouds livable, let alone sustainable? Where do these tower people get their water? How do they grow food? Where do the apples come from? What kind of fiber is their clothes made of? Do they have to grow them too? Or are they made of animal skin/hair? If so, how do they raise those animals? How and what do they feed then? So many questions because so many basic fundamental things about this world don't make sense. And I haven't even touched on the baffling dystopian social structure or the flying contraptions yet.
* * * * *
Not quite 3 stars but close enough to round up.
I don't know what exactly it is about the setting and world-building that bothers, so will have to think on them some more, but in general, almost everything about this bone world is not sitting well with me. There are too many questions about infrastructure, environmental upkeep, and basic ecology and evolutionary things that are keeping me up at night.
Btw, this is a coming-of-age, rite-of-passage, dystopian YA told in first person, and it's very obvious. I wish I'd known going in because I was not prepared for all that teenage angst and foolhardiness.
* * * * *
Review posted at
Read
August 31, 2015Copy provided by NetGalley
I read an earlier draft of this novel, and so engrossing I found it that I managed to get through a lot of formatting glitches and a lot of other detritus of various drafts as the publisher apparently wanted to get it out well in advance of the pub date for maximum publicity.
Well, it worked on me in this case. I could hardly wait to get my hands on a clean copy, and though I remembered the general outline of the story, I found myself falling immediately into it, coming out reluctantly for the insistent details of daily life.
There is enough advance hoopla and other reviews out there to make a synopsis unnecessary, so let me go straight to aspects that struck me on this reading:
The complexity of character development. Everybody has reasons for what they do, and everybody displays the full range of human emotion, motivation, and reaction, while remaining distinct.
I could not predict most of the twists. And even when I could (once or twice) they were so well laid down that I anticipated seeing how they rolled out.
The architecture, the sense of dynamic history in people without written language, the weirdness of different life forms, and above all the aerodynamics were stunning. Even more impressive was the fact that the story never screeched to a halt so that the author could unlimber all that snazzy worldbuilding.
And finally, female agency. Though I have read a lot over more than half a century, my tastes remain pretty simple: I will always respond to a story that includes hope, a sense of honor, and compassion, as well as dire situations and high stakes, and I deeply appreciate watching a heroine, in particular, earn her agency. Kirit is a terrific heroine: angry, passionate, impulsive, smart, empathetic, inquisitive, honorable, desperately determined and paying for what she attains with all her wits and strength.
On this second read I reached the end, groping mentally for the next.
Please, let there be a next. I am so invested in these people and this world.
I read an earlier draft of this novel, and so engrossing I found it that I managed to get through a lot of formatting glitches and a lot of other detritus of various drafts as the publisher apparently wanted to get it out well in advance of the pub date for maximum publicity.
Well, it worked on me in this case. I could hardly wait to get my hands on a clean copy, and though I remembered the general outline of the story, I found myself falling immediately into it, coming out reluctantly for the insistent details of daily life.
There is enough advance hoopla and other reviews out there to make a synopsis unnecessary, so let me go straight to aspects that struck me on this reading:
The complexity of character development. Everybody has reasons for what they do, and everybody displays the full range of human emotion, motivation, and reaction, while remaining distinct.
I could not predict most of the twists. And even when I could (once or twice) they were so well laid down that I anticipated seeing how they rolled out.
The architecture, the sense of dynamic history in people without written language, the weirdness of different life forms, and above all the aerodynamics were stunning. Even more impressive was the fact that the story never screeched to a halt so that the author could unlimber all that snazzy worldbuilding.
And finally, female agency. Though I have read a lot over more than half a century, my tastes remain pretty simple: I will always respond to a story that includes hope, a sense of honor, and compassion, as well as dire situations and high stakes, and I deeply appreciate watching a heroine, in particular, earn her agency. Kirit is a terrific heroine: angry, passionate, impulsive, smart, empathetic, inquisitive, honorable, desperately determined and paying for what she attains with all her wits and strength.
On this second read I reached the end, groping mentally for the next.
Please, let there be a next. I am so invested in these people and this world.
July 1, 2016
In one of the book group discussions someone mentioned that this felt like a first draft rather than a finished novel. That's pretty accurate.
The writing is competent, so for not being actively terrible and because she doesn't have the heroine become romantically entangled with the Supporting Boy, aka Flying Samwise Gamgee, I'll give it 2 stars.
Worldbuilding - People are raving about the worldbuilding here, which I don't understand. It's easily one of the weakest parts of the book. I suppose if you've never read the works of people like John Varley, Philip Jose Farmer or Anne McCaffrey this might be intriguing, but it pales in comparison to the great examples out there.
I never got a real sense of the city's size. Wilde says some of the bone towers are far away, but they feel clustered together. Bridges can easily be built between many of them using the sinew of flying monsters called "skymouths." (We'll get to those.) Honestly, this feels more like a high school in scope rather than a city. Only the top few tiers of the bone towers are habitable because as the towers grow the walls close in, crowding out the residents.
The towers extend above the clouds, so where does their water come from? Where does their food grow? They have honey but no bees. They have clothes and wings, but there's no evidence of the industry required to make these things. At one point the heroine, Kirit, mentions that she has silk spiders, so presumably the fabrics are made from their webs, but it feels like she's basically keeping a terrarium of arachnids, not the warehouses full of them which would be needed for making so much stuff.
It's also hard to tell how many people there are. It feels like dozens, but it must be thousands.
I'm guessing the answer to these questions is meant to be "because magic," but if a reader is asking these fundamental questions about how your society functions, then you've done a poor job at worldbuilding.
Flying - Specifically, how? Based on the original cover and the description, it looks like they're using some sort of hang glider, except with finer control. Maybe it's meant to look more like Da Vinci's bat-winged glider than a modern hang glider in our world, but that doesn't explain how they can do the various things they do, such as fold their wings back to dive or lock them into position to right.
Now this is one aspect where I would normally go,"Yeah, it's magic, fine," the way I do with Iron Man's suit. That suit could neither protect Tony nor fly the way it's depicted. But the reason I buy into the utter implausibility of Iron Man's armor is because the rest of his world doesn't make me ask fundamental questions.
If you want people to buy into your big impossibility, you need to make the little details believable.
Kirit - The main character is too competent. She's the Chosen One in all but name. She passes her wingtest (a final exam that is half oral exam and half advanced driver's test except with flying) with flying colors (hoho!) yet she is failed due to politics. Then she's forced to go toHogwarts The Spire, where she's so good she learns everything she needs to know in days or weeks (it's kind of unclear), things that have taken other, very skilled students months or years to learn.
In one sequence she learns to use echolocation in an afternoon, while the student she's paired with took more than a year to master the skill. Despite the fact Kirit's older and the other girl, Stellis, was raised in the Spire. A bit of the Mary Sue, here.
Skymouths - Invisible sky monsters! See-through air dragons! Based on the descriptions of skymouths, they seem to be flying squidsharks. Meaning that they have tentacles like a squid but the tooth-filled maws of sharks. Their teeth are glass-like, but their skins seem to be more like a squid's chromatophores, except magically more so, rendering them completely invisible.
Again, this is another area where I'd have no problem writing these fanciful beasts off as magical critters, except their abilities change according to the needs of the story. At the end, Kirit faces a skymouth that is gigantic, which basically swallowed up another person whole, but the tiny vegetarian skymouth Kirit is carrying is somehow able to choke it to death from inside the big one's mouth. This little skymouth is a scavenger that her platonic pal had in his hideaway, and he is able to hold it in his cupped hands. Which means that it is the size of a kitten. Even if you add the length of its tentacles at full extension, it's hard to believe that something that small could somehow close the throat of a monster big enough to gulp down an adult human being.
That'd be like some dinner calamari taking out Bruce the shark from Jaws.
The book just didn't sell me on this world. by Lisa Tuttle and George R.R. Martin is a more plausible version of this story. Even the fundamentally-broken series by Sharon Shinn makes more sense. (Although there she basically just combined McCaffrey's dragons and riders from Pern into a single winged person and kept the exact same plot and characters.)
The writing is competent, so for not being actively terrible and because she doesn't have the heroine become romantically entangled with the Supporting Boy, aka Flying Samwise Gamgee, I'll give it 2 stars.
Worldbuilding - People are raving about the worldbuilding here, which I don't understand. It's easily one of the weakest parts of the book. I suppose if you've never read the works of people like John Varley, Philip Jose Farmer or Anne McCaffrey this might be intriguing, but it pales in comparison to the great examples out there.
I never got a real sense of the city's size. Wilde says some of the bone towers are far away, but they feel clustered together. Bridges can easily be built between many of them using the sinew of flying monsters called "skymouths." (We'll get to those.) Honestly, this feels more like a high school in scope rather than a city. Only the top few tiers of the bone towers are habitable because as the towers grow the walls close in, crowding out the residents.
The towers extend above the clouds, so where does their water come from? Where does their food grow? They have honey but no bees. They have clothes and wings, but there's no evidence of the industry required to make these things. At one point the heroine, Kirit, mentions that she has silk spiders, so presumably the fabrics are made from their webs, but it feels like she's basically keeping a terrarium of arachnids, not the warehouses full of them which would be needed for making so much stuff.
It's also hard to tell how many people there are. It feels like dozens, but it must be thousands.
I'm guessing the answer to these questions is meant to be "because magic," but if a reader is asking these fundamental questions about how your society functions, then you've done a poor job at worldbuilding.
Flying - Specifically, how? Based on the original cover and the description, it looks like they're using some sort of hang glider, except with finer control. Maybe it's meant to look more like Da Vinci's bat-winged glider than a modern hang glider in our world, but that doesn't explain how they can do the various things they do, such as fold their wings back to dive or lock them into position to right.
Now this is one aspect where I would normally go,"Yeah, it's magic, fine," the way I do with Iron Man's suit. That suit could neither protect Tony nor fly the way it's depicted. But the reason I buy into the utter implausibility of Iron Man's armor is because the rest of his world doesn't make me ask fundamental questions.
If you want people to buy into your big impossibility, you need to make the little details believable.
Kirit - The main character is too competent. She's the Chosen One in all but name. She passes her wingtest (a final exam that is half oral exam and half advanced driver's test except with flying) with flying colors (hoho!) yet she is failed due to politics. Then she's forced to go to
In one sequence she learns to use echolocation in an afternoon, while the student she's paired with took more than a year to master the skill. Despite the fact Kirit's older and the other girl, Stellis, was raised in the Spire. A bit of the Mary Sue, here.
Skymouths - Invisible sky monsters! See-through air dragons! Based on the descriptions of skymouths, they seem to be flying squidsharks. Meaning that they have tentacles like a squid but the tooth-filled maws of sharks. Their teeth are glass-like, but their skins seem to be more like a squid's chromatophores, except magically more so, rendering them completely invisible.
Again, this is another area where I'd have no problem writing these fanciful beasts off as magical critters, except their abilities change according to the needs of the story. At the end, Kirit faces a skymouth that is gigantic, which basically swallowed up another person whole, but the tiny vegetarian skymouth Kirit is carrying is somehow able to choke it to death from inside the big one's mouth. This little skymouth is a scavenger that her platonic pal had in his hideaway, and he is able to hold it in his cupped hands. Which means that it is the size of a kitten. Even if you add the length of its tentacles at full extension, it's hard to believe that something that small could somehow close the throat of a monster big enough to gulp down an adult human being.
That'd be like some dinner calamari taking out Bruce the shark from Jaws.
The book just didn't sell me on this world. by Lisa Tuttle and George R.R. Martin is a more plausible version of this story. Even the fundamentally-broken series by Sharon Shinn makes more sense. (Although there she basically just combined McCaffrey's dragons and riders from Pern into a single winged person and kept the exact same plot and characters.)
November 14, 2015
Engaging world-building, spunky main character, and for once a plot that resolves in only one book. Enjoyed!
October 14, 2015
UPDRAFT is a story about engineering.
I don't just mean the crunchy numbers kind of engineering, like figuring out how to build bridges between towers of bone in a city thousands of feet above the clouds � although there's that, too, and it's even harder when you don't have metal. UPDRAFT is about how to engineer a society that can live in a wildly hostile place. It's about how to engineer a life in a world that feels outside your control.
Kirit Densala wants to be a trader, like her mom. If she had her way in the world she'd take her wingtest (qualification to fly a personal glider between the towers) and fly at her mother's side. But outside forces put crushing pressure on her: an unfurling conspiracy that stretches back beyond her mother's childhood, trapping Kirit in a web of political machination that she barely understands. It's unfair. Kirit has simple dreams, but she's made a pawn (or perhaps a rook) in a game she can't even see.
Speaking of invisibility, it's intoxicating to imagine UPDRAFT's city. Citizens soar between living towers, far above the clouds. Weather's a constant menace and the citizens have just grown inured to the enormous height —Ìýbut not the skymouths, who are camouflaged, airborne cephalopod predators that lurk and prey on people. (I hope we get to see even more of the airborne ecosystem.)
A lot of the conflict in UPDRAFT comes from control of information. We want to know where this city came from, how it works, and where it's going. So do the people who live there! But some of the information is dangerous, and the power structure relies on careful management of social memory and public knowledge. This is a really fascinating idea. It's like the shape of the information and myth available casts a shadow, and that shadow is the shape and stability of the society that results. By managing the information people get, you can constrict their choices —Ìýand if you're trying to manage a precarious civilization, maybe that's for the best. Maybe not.
Kirit wants to live her own life, and she fights for the right to understand and choose on the basis of good information. I'm not always convinced she's right. It feels like life in UPDRAFT's city is so tenuous and limited, and the consequences of even tiny errors so catastrophic, that maybe those in control have a case to make. But this just adds a fascinating ambiguity to the story, which I always appreciate.
As she moves closer to the truth, picking up a really cool (and strikingly setting-appropriate) set of kickass skills, Kirit struggles for agency against systems that want to control her. It's a striking counterpoint against the open skies and exhilarating freedom of the city � and a reminder that no matter how free we feel, there are invisible currents tugging at our choices, invisible mouths waiting to prey.
NB: I'm friends with the author and we share a publisher.
I don't just mean the crunchy numbers kind of engineering, like figuring out how to build bridges between towers of bone in a city thousands of feet above the clouds � although there's that, too, and it's even harder when you don't have metal. UPDRAFT is about how to engineer a society that can live in a wildly hostile place. It's about how to engineer a life in a world that feels outside your control.
Kirit Densala wants to be a trader, like her mom. If she had her way in the world she'd take her wingtest (qualification to fly a personal glider between the towers) and fly at her mother's side. But outside forces put crushing pressure on her: an unfurling conspiracy that stretches back beyond her mother's childhood, trapping Kirit in a web of political machination that she barely understands. It's unfair. Kirit has simple dreams, but she's made a pawn (or perhaps a rook) in a game she can't even see.
Speaking of invisibility, it's intoxicating to imagine UPDRAFT's city. Citizens soar between living towers, far above the clouds. Weather's a constant menace and the citizens have just grown inured to the enormous height —Ìýbut not the skymouths, who are camouflaged, airborne cephalopod predators that lurk and prey on people. (I hope we get to see even more of the airborne ecosystem.)
A lot of the conflict in UPDRAFT comes from control of information. We want to know where this city came from, how it works, and where it's going. So do the people who live there! But some of the information is dangerous, and the power structure relies on careful management of social memory and public knowledge. This is a really fascinating idea. It's like the shape of the information and myth available casts a shadow, and that shadow is the shape and stability of the society that results. By managing the information people get, you can constrict their choices —Ìýand if you're trying to manage a precarious civilization, maybe that's for the best. Maybe not.
Kirit wants to live her own life, and she fights for the right to understand and choose on the basis of good information. I'm not always convinced she's right. It feels like life in UPDRAFT's city is so tenuous and limited, and the consequences of even tiny errors so catastrophic, that maybe those in control have a case to make. But this just adds a fascinating ambiguity to the story, which I always appreciate.
As she moves closer to the truth, picking up a really cool (and strikingly setting-appropriate) set of kickass skills, Kirit struggles for agency against systems that want to control her. It's a striking counterpoint against the open skies and exhilarating freedom of the city � and a reminder that no matter how free we feel, there are invisible currents tugging at our choices, invisible mouths waiting to prey.
NB: I'm friends with the author and we share a publisher.
December 18, 2015
I'm not enthusiastic about this book. The plot is the predictable YA heroine Special Snowflake Will Save Her Society from Bad People we all know from the post-Hunger Games dystopia deluge. I went from liking the main character Kirit to hating her for being so Special Snowflake-y. She's kind of an idiot. And constantly thinks and talks in ill-thought out imperatives and emphatic nouns:
"Sacrifice. Duty. Tradition. We must save the city. We cannot fail. Speak the truth. Accept your birthright."
I made that up, but they are probably direct quotes from somewhere in Kirit's many predictable inner monologues.
Also - KINDA SPOILER ALERT - if she hides herself in a super stinky invisibility cloak - why the frack does no one SMELL HER when she's standing right NEXT to them? You know, sight and hearing are only TWO of our senses! And you keeping telling me repeatedly how awful your invisibility cloak smells! Even before you put it on!
So. Anyway. I bet people who love and aren't burnt out on YA dystopia stories will love this. I am not one of those people.
Also, it does have interesting worldbuilding. That's the best thing. Everything else wore my patience down with mediocrity.
"Sacrifice. Duty. Tradition. We must save the city. We cannot fail. Speak the truth. Accept your birthright."
I made that up, but they are probably direct quotes from somewhere in Kirit's many predictable inner monologues.
Also - KINDA SPOILER ALERT - if she hides herself in a super stinky invisibility cloak - why the frack does no one SMELL HER when she's standing right NEXT to them? You know, sight and hearing are only TWO of our senses! And you keeping telling me repeatedly how awful your invisibility cloak smells! Even before you put it on!
So. Anyway. I bet people who love and aren't burnt out on YA dystopia stories will love this. I am not one of those people.
Also, it does have interesting worldbuilding. That's the best thing. Everything else wore my patience down with mediocrity.
Read
January 10, 2015Vivid, deeply affecting, mysterious. Also, WINGS. Y'all should read this one.
November 8, 2015
Fun fun read. Looking forward to the next one.
September 1, 2015
Set in a world where towers of bone endlessly towards the heavens and traders fly on homemade wings to get vital commodities between families, and skymouths devour the unwary. Kirit dreams of being a trader like her mother, but when she finds out she has a special ability to repel skymouths, she finds herself drawn into the intrigues and secrets of the Singers' Spire, those who keep order between the towers...
Superlative world building, a very sympathetic main character (and her family, which is awesome!), and seriously impressive flight engineering (now I want wings too!).
Superlative world building, a very sympathetic main character (and her family, which is awesome!), and seriously impressive flight engineering (now I want wings too!).
March 14, 2016
A very well written fantasy story with excellent world building, this debut novel is also a multi-layered tale about class and society. Wilde manages to do what many may have thought is the impossible, and tells this tale without the use of a love triangle.
In fact, the characters in this book all manage to interact with each other without any romantic involvement at all! *gasp*
I know it doesn't seem possible, but I assure you, it is true.
In fact, the characters in this book all manage to interact with each other without any romantic involvement at all! *gasp*
I know it doesn't seem possible, but I assure you, it is true.
November 26, 2015
A young girl with a rare talent is raised in a bizarre scarcity-society in a city of towering bone spires where flight is one of the few freedoms and giant invisible flying squids with glass teeth lurk in the sky.
Kirit is a strong-minded young girl who craves the freedom of flight as a trader between towers, but revelation that she has the type of voice that can control skymouths make her valuable to a secretive ruling class of the city. Her struggle to make her way in this world where it all seems stacked against her makes for a tense and engaging story.
The world-building is the star here, with a bewildering array of bizarre cultural, biological and physical features in this world. However, I don't think it quite stands up to scrutiny. This is clearly a scarcity society, where many starve and there's no arable land. The only plants are vines and potted trees and the staple food stuff seems to be different sorts of bird meat. Life on the towers is hard, and the way that this culture treats law-breaking and challenges almost guarantees a steady death toll. Too much of one to be even vaguely sustainable.
I could also talk to the Singers, but not without spoiling the book. Ultimately, fun, but unconvincing.
Kirit is a strong-minded young girl who craves the freedom of flight as a trader between towers, but revelation that she has the type of voice that can control skymouths make her valuable to a secretive ruling class of the city. Her struggle to make her way in this world where it all seems stacked against her makes for a tense and engaging story.
The world-building is the star here, with a bewildering array of bizarre cultural, biological and physical features in this world. However, I don't think it quite stands up to scrutiny. This is clearly a scarcity society, where many starve and there's no arable land. The only plants are vines and potted trees and the staple food stuff seems to be different sorts of bird meat. Life on the towers is hard, and the way that this culture treats law-breaking and challenges almost guarantees a steady death toll. Too much of one to be even vaguely sustainable.
I could also talk to the Singers, but not without spoiling the book. Ultimately, fun, but unconvincing.
September 8, 2015
I had so much to do this weekend, but instead I spent the whole weekend reading this book. Not wasted time in the least. This is a thrilling debut novel, full of bone towers and skymouths and humans flying on well-engineered wings. Engineered. This is fantasy without magic (there are creatures WE might call magic, but I would simply call them fauna native to this particular world), a society built on tradition and Laws, but with the reasons behind many of those things lost to a more chaotic time. We don't know how they rose above the clouds, or what exactly their city is built upon.Our narrator, Kirit, carves a path between the known and the unknown. She's a fine character to hang a story on: clever and loyal and stubborn and tough. I appreciate that most of what transpires is caused by her own choices; while she does have one important hereditary trait, this is not a Chosen One narrative. I appreciate that she has goals from the beginning, but that they shift over time. I appreciate that as a society, people have gotten to where they are in this story by human choices, by bridges and towers and hard decisions. Excellent stuff, and a fun read for an adult or a teen.
September 30, 2015
Updraft is a first novel by Fran Wilde, and it’s one of the more fast and furious fantasy adventures I can recall reading, as well as one of the weirdest worlds you’re likely to encounter: where humans live upon organic, growing towers of bone, high above the clouds; and like the Thanagarian Hawkmen of DC comics, they strap on wings and fly. While the cover art on the ARC I read gives the impression of something vaguely Wright Brothers-ish, the sense of the wings in Wilde’s tale is much different, more like something halfway between bird and kite, some (like kites) gorgeously illuminated. Winning one's wings here is literal, and once our teenage heroine Kirit leaps into the air for the critical wingtest that will decide her fate, the story truly launches; after that you won’t have time to breathe again until the end.
October 19, 2015
Review from Tenacious Reader:
Updraft was a fun read. I really enjoyed the world and imagery of people living in towers in the sky, flying about towers with the aid of fabricated wings. It’s the coming of age story of Kirit, who discovers there is more to her world than she realized. She becomes entangled in politics and and her life has been thrust in a direction she did not expect.
I enjoyed the flying aspect and the idea of living up in the sky, but I was always a bit curious as to why they are living up there as well as where the towers they live in are rooted. This was a world where you could see it, but not necessarily understand fully how it evolved. But then to be fair, this is also just the first book, and perhaps if all the details were to be revealed early, it would either A) be a huge boring info dump or B) would ruin some of the mystery that may be addressed in future books. So, I can’t really fault it for this, but it was an observation that stemmed from a conversation with a fellow reader. Perhaps it doesn’t even need a reason. Maybe we were just being picky here and should just go with the flow and enjoy the story as it is told.
And the story as told was really good. I mean, who wouldn’t want to be able to soar and swoop, to spread their arms and take flight? And it’s not like these are people that evolved to do this, they are a people that devised a way for us humans to not just glide, but to really fly with control of our motions. It’s appealing and thrilling, I can understand why Kirit loves it. I also did enjoy the protagonist. Kirit has been working with the dream of passing her wing test and joining her mother. She’s a classic underdog in many ways, her singing voice is not so pretty
There are also fantastic creatures, dangerous and threatening, that add excitement and tension to the world. We can’t have everything all nice and pretty, right? So, between them, flying battles and the dangers of updrafts that can suddenly send a flier in a spiral, or into tower, or snap a wing, there are many nail biting, intense moments. Anything else I have to say, remember this, the book is exciting.
The one thing I had trouble connecting with in this book was how laws are songs. I just couldn’t quite feel that aspect, and didn’t feel like the words of the laws were quite lyrical enough for me to really be able to “hear� the music. Perhaps this is a shortcoming on my part. I hate to admit it, but it reminded me of how kindergartners are taught songs for class rules. The songs are simplistic, and often don’t flow, they are nothing catchy, just really a device for the teachers to help the kids memorize things. I felt the same way with the laws even though I suspect that was not the intended effect. I felt like in theory these songs should be some magical/beautiful pieces of music, but I just couldn’t get that from what I read. Oh well, overall this is a minor observation more than a real complaint. I still enjoyed the book, just felt like I didn’t quite “get� that aspect as I was supposed to.
When it comes down to it, Updraft was a highly imaginative exciting read that took us soaring through the world. The reading experience was fun and thrilling, and when it comes down to it, that is more important than anything else.
Updraft was a fun read. I really enjoyed the world and imagery of people living in towers in the sky, flying about towers with the aid of fabricated wings. It’s the coming of age story of Kirit, who discovers there is more to her world than she realized. She becomes entangled in politics and and her life has been thrust in a direction she did not expect.
I enjoyed the flying aspect and the idea of living up in the sky, but I was always a bit curious as to why they are living up there as well as where the towers they live in are rooted. This was a world where you could see it, but not necessarily understand fully how it evolved. But then to be fair, this is also just the first book, and perhaps if all the details were to be revealed early, it would either A) be a huge boring info dump or B) would ruin some of the mystery that may be addressed in future books. So, I can’t really fault it for this, but it was an observation that stemmed from a conversation with a fellow reader. Perhaps it doesn’t even need a reason. Maybe we were just being picky here and should just go with the flow and enjoy the story as it is told.
And the story as told was really good. I mean, who wouldn’t want to be able to soar and swoop, to spread their arms and take flight? And it’s not like these are people that evolved to do this, they are a people that devised a way for us humans to not just glide, but to really fly with control of our motions. It’s appealing and thrilling, I can understand why Kirit loves it. I also did enjoy the protagonist. Kirit has been working with the dream of passing her wing test and joining her mother. She’s a classic underdog in many ways, her singing voice is not so pretty
There are also fantastic creatures, dangerous and threatening, that add excitement and tension to the world. We can’t have everything all nice and pretty, right? So, between them, flying battles and the dangers of updrafts that can suddenly send a flier in a spiral, or into tower, or snap a wing, there are many nail biting, intense moments. Anything else I have to say, remember this, the book is exciting.
The one thing I had trouble connecting with in this book was how laws are songs. I just couldn’t quite feel that aspect, and didn’t feel like the words of the laws were quite lyrical enough for me to really be able to “hear� the music. Perhaps this is a shortcoming on my part. I hate to admit it, but it reminded me of how kindergartners are taught songs for class rules. The songs are simplistic, and often don’t flow, they are nothing catchy, just really a device for the teachers to help the kids memorize things. I felt the same way with the laws even though I suspect that was not the intended effect. I felt like in theory these songs should be some magical/beautiful pieces of music, but I just couldn’t get that from what I read. Oh well, overall this is a minor observation more than a real complaint. I still enjoyed the book, just felt like I didn’t quite “get� that aspect as I was supposed to.
When it comes down to it, Updraft was a highly imaginative exciting read that took us soaring through the world. The reading experience was fun and thrilling, and when it comes down to it, that is more important than anything else.
June 18, 2016
Another book edited by and I promise, my rating isn't because the editor is a fellow Terps fan. ;)
I really dug this book. I guess it's technically young adult, but it didn't feel like it skewed young. It's an interesting coming of age (sort of) crossed with a dystopian fantasy set in a world where people fly to get places. THEY FLY. The book is neatly divided into thirds, and each third tells a piece of the story and sets up the world.
After finishing, I'm intrigued as to what's next for Kirit and Wik and Nat (how they'll take what they started to the next step), but also to learn more about the world. It seems clear that something happened that people need to live in these "towers" made of bone. The picture on the cover makes me think of them as spinal columns, but that might just be artistic license. The bone seems to naturally grow out, but can only grow upwards (higher into the sky) if the Singers (more on that in a sec) allow it to happen. Since the bone grows, it must be alive in some sense, at least for the spires that are still populated; it's possible that the towers where people no longer live have died. Regardless, it's not clear what the bones are from nor how tall they really are...we know that they're "above the clouds" (and that below the clouds is not habitable or not compatible with life for extended periods), but there's no good idea of how low-to-the-ground the clouds are. Or what made the part of the world below the clouds so inhospitable. I suspect that it must be related to the skymouths somehow, but I'm hoping to learn more as the series continues!
As for the characters, Kirit struck me as a fairly typical surly teenager/snotty young adult. She seems emotional, for good and for bad, and headstrong. I.e. she reminds me of me.
I LOVED the idea of flying. Ms. Wilde drew a lot of parallels between the flying and the sailing (for example, the law of yielding right of way is identical to how you do it with sailboats), so it seemed natural to me, something I could easily relate to. I wanted to feel the wind in my face/hair as I read the book (though in fairness, one day that I listened to the book while driving to my dad's boat...the winds there were 20-30 kts so we couldn't go out...there is such a thing as too much wind for a day sail).
Later in the book, she reveals that some of the fliers navigate using echolocation, like bats. I also have a thing for bats, having spent a lot of my time in college going caving (I also have a tattoo of a bat). So, basically, everything about the book spoke to me on some level, whether about myself or my interests or things I really love.
I can't wait to see what comes next. Maybe I can talk Miriam into an ARC of the next one. ;)
As a side note, the audiobook for this was perfect. Narrated by Khristine Hvam, I was drawn into the world through my earbuds or car speakers, and could allow myself (when not driving) to close my eyes and imagine I was flying on Kirit's or Wik's shoulder. I think that this series might work best for me in audio, even if it is a slower method of consumption.
I really dug this book. I guess it's technically young adult, but it didn't feel like it skewed young. It's an interesting coming of age (sort of) crossed with a dystopian fantasy set in a world where people fly to get places. THEY FLY. The book is neatly divided into thirds, and each third tells a piece of the story and sets up the world.
After finishing, I'm intrigued as to what's next for Kirit and Wik and Nat (how they'll take what they started to the next step), but also to learn more about the world. It seems clear that something happened that people need to live in these "towers" made of bone. The picture on the cover makes me think of them as spinal columns, but that might just be artistic license. The bone seems to naturally grow out, but can only grow upwards (higher into the sky) if the Singers (more on that in a sec) allow it to happen. Since the bone grows, it must be alive in some sense, at least for the spires that are still populated; it's possible that the towers where people no longer live have died. Regardless, it's not clear what the bones are from nor how tall they really are...we know that they're "above the clouds" (and that below the clouds is not habitable or not compatible with life for extended periods), but there's no good idea of how low-to-the-ground the clouds are. Or what made the part of the world below the clouds so inhospitable. I suspect that it must be related to the skymouths somehow, but I'm hoping to learn more as the series continues!
As for the characters, Kirit struck me as a fairly typical surly teenager/snotty young adult. She seems emotional, for good and for bad, and headstrong. I.e. she reminds me of me.
I LOVED the idea of flying. Ms. Wilde drew a lot of parallels between the flying and the sailing (for example, the law of yielding right of way is identical to how you do it with sailboats), so it seemed natural to me, something I could easily relate to. I wanted to feel the wind in my face/hair as I read the book (though in fairness, one day that I listened to the book while driving to my dad's boat...the winds there were 20-30 kts so we couldn't go out...there is such a thing as too much wind for a day sail).
Later in the book, she reveals that some of the fliers navigate using echolocation, like bats. I also have a thing for bats, having spent a lot of my time in college going caving (I also have a tattoo of a bat). So, basically, everything about the book spoke to me on some level, whether about myself or my interests or things I really love.
I can't wait to see what comes next. Maybe I can talk Miriam into an ARC of the next one. ;)
As a side note, the audiobook for this was perfect. Narrated by Khristine Hvam, I was drawn into the world through my earbuds or car speakers, and could allow myself (when not driving) to close my eyes and imagine I was flying on Kirit's or Wik's shoulder. I think that this series might work best for me in audio, even if it is a slower method of consumption.
August 8, 2016
I expect I will have much more to say about this book closer to its release date, but I am in love with this world! It's rare to encounter such an original and fascinating setting as this city with its living bone towers, winged citizens, and frightening sky monsters. Wilde has built a world with a detailed, believable history and society, and layered the story with intrigue, action, and compelling characters � rich with themes of tradition, progress, ambition, and class struggles that will resonate with readers.
October 1, 2015
3.5 stars for the story, but I rounded up because of the beautiful world building. It's very decidedly YA even if it doesn't seem that way from the descriptions, so don't be surprised by the lack of indications of that from the descriptions or shelving. I know that can throw some people off when they aren't expecting it. The girl is young and headstrong and trying to figure out her way through her society's coming of age rituals. It doesn't say her age but it's has to be mid-teens at best as the kids are all being set up to begin their apprenticeships.
The entire plot felt somewhat old-fashioned and predictable, or classic and enjoyable, depending on how you look at it. It was fine, just nothing outstanding on the plot side of things. Kirit was a typical headstrong heroine, she didn't learn from her mistakes, she was pretty much a Mary Sue in her level of ability to learn everything quickly and succeed at everything at record speeds, understand everything before anyone else and solve every puzzle before everyone else and strategize her way out of every difficult situation. It was annoying by the end that even things that should have been weaknesses were turned into strengths, she never learned anything or showed any real growth. There was just something about the plot, if you remove it from the setting and just look at the people and actions, that felt like a book I could have read in the '70s or '80s just as easily as today, the story arc and characters felt very familiar.
But the worldbuilding was outstanding. It's a beautiful book, lush and detailed and really beautifully imagined. Very nearly every page of the book involves aspects of a world that are very different from our own and every bit of it was believable and incredibly easy to see and feel. It's very special. I find myself wishing that she would do the next book about adults in this world though, which is weird because I like YA, I read a lot of YA. The world is just so rich and textured and layered, it feels like a sharp, biting, incisive story would work wonderfully in its context. Or would have, I don't know what she could do now with what's already happened. I'm not that interested in the political fallout of what's happened. Well, we'll see. I will certainly read another book in this world if she writes one, YA or adult. And I do recommend this one, it was quite enjoyable, the plot was good, not great, and the world building was excellent.
The entire plot felt somewhat old-fashioned and predictable, or classic and enjoyable, depending on how you look at it. It was fine, just nothing outstanding on the plot side of things. Kirit was a typical headstrong heroine, she didn't learn from her mistakes, she was pretty much a Mary Sue in her level of ability to learn everything quickly and succeed at everything at record speeds, understand everything before anyone else and solve every puzzle before everyone else and strategize her way out of every difficult situation. It was annoying by the end that even things that should have been weaknesses were turned into strengths, she never learned anything or showed any real growth. There was just something about the plot, if you remove it from the setting and just look at the people and actions, that felt like a book I could have read in the '70s or '80s just as easily as today, the story arc and characters felt very familiar.
But the worldbuilding was outstanding. It's a beautiful book, lush and detailed and really beautifully imagined. Very nearly every page of the book involves aspects of a world that are very different from our own and every bit of it was believable and incredibly easy to see and feel. It's very special. I find myself wishing that she would do the next book about adults in this world though, which is weird because I like YA, I read a lot of YA. The world is just so rich and textured and layered, it feels like a sharp, biting, incisive story would work wonderfully in its context. Or would have, I don't know what she could do now with what's already happened. I'm not that interested in the political fallout of what's happened. Well, we'll see. I will certainly read another book in this world if she writes one, YA or adult. And I do recommend this one, it was quite enjoyable, the plot was good, not great, and the world building was excellent.
March 23, 2016
Updraft reminded me a little of the disturbing world building that China Miéville is known for.
There is a dystopian but fascinating City of bone towers above the clouds, the people swooping free like birds between them on silk wings, yet bound by complex and inflexible traditions and laws. There is the subtle organic horror of their homes being made of living, growing bone—bone of some unseen enormity below that periodically roars for sacrifice. And there is the more direct terror of invisible flying monsters with tentacles and glass teeth: skymouths. Best original monster from any book I've read this year.
The protagonist, Kirit, is exactly at the point of coming of age and passing her wingtest, after which she will join her mother and trade between the towers. That does NOT go to plan, of course.
I would say that Fran Wilde is considerably less brutal to her characters than China Miéville, so if you are put off by too much raw, gory, horrific violence and traumatic abuse, Updraft is a good read with peril and high stakes, but you can read it at mealtimes.
It's difficult to build a world that's so different from our own without piling in a lot of exposition. This is done well and unobtrusively, but unavoidably it was impossible for the story to work the way it was structured without introducing new information near the end, which if the reader doesn't digest it in time, takes some of the impact out of the resolution. I'm not saying I can see how it could have been done any better, though. It was done with skill and it worked for me.
August 24, 2015
This is a coming-of-age tale that is completely fresh and new because of the utter brilliance of the setting: towers made of bone and a society that relies on constructed wings for survival in the homes among the clouds. The politics are dark, the secrets deep. Kirit is a headstrong young woman who cares nothing for convention, and her agency and attitude make her a strong heroine. This book is fantastic (and a very appropriate one to read when traveling by plane, as I did).
November 27, 2017
I am like angry/10 with how much I was D-I-S-A-P-P-O-I-N-T-E-D by this book. What was that? WHAT DID I JUST READ FOR 400 PAGES? *tantrum flailing arms* I was hoping for an epic civilisation in the sky that flew but nonono - that was 400 pages of plot holes and 1D characters and FAUX DRAMA - because nothing was exciting. I so wanted to like this but oh boy, this is not my cup of tea. This is not even a cup of tea. It's a cup of cold water.
Full review to come.
Full review to come.
August 31, 2015
One of the coolest debuts I've read in some time. The worldbuidling is nuanced, layered, and sophisticated.
Definitely recommended for fans of the New Weird, and also a good fit for fans of YA fantasy expanding into adult SF/F.
-NB I received an ARC for an honest review.
-NB Fran is a friend of mine and writing colleague (go team Tor.com Publishing!)
Definitely recommended for fans of the New Weird, and also a good fit for fans of YA fantasy expanding into adult SF/F.
-NB I received an ARC for an honest review.
-NB Fran is a friend of mine and writing colleague (go team Tor.com Publishing!)
December 6, 2015
Wow! Incredibly imaginative and gripping! Fran Wilde will be visiting the Whitman Library on December 5, 2015at 3:00 p.m. I can't wait to meet her and learn about her creative process.
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