Updraft
A Novel
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4.5 • 23 Ratings
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- $9.99
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- $9.99
Publisher Description
From Fran Wilde comes Updraft, the Nebula finalist and Andre Norton Award-winning first novel in the Bone Universe saga
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.
Bone Universe
1) Updraft
2) Cloudbound
3) Horizon (September 2017)
At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Extraordinary worldbuilding and cascading levels of intrigue make Wilde's debut fantasy novel soar. Kirit Densira has no greater wish than to become a trader like her mother, bargaining for exotic goods and flying through their unnamed city of spires on silken wings. But when she illegally leaves shelter during an attack by the monstrous skymouths, Kirit reveals a rare ability and finds herself under pressure from the mysterious Singers, who rule the city from the Spire at its center: she must join them, or she and her loved ones will be punished. With nowhere else to turn, Kirit eventually accepts her new place among the Singers, where she will learn the best-kept secrets of her beloved city and the lies that are told in the name of peace. The beginning is languid, but once Kirit takes the plunge and begins to unravel the stories of the Singers, readers will be riveted. The setting is marvelously unusual, a city grown from living bone and populated by everyday people who have left the ground far behind; though Wilde leaves many questions unanswered, this only adds to the mystery and delight, encouraging the reader to suspend disbelief and become immersed in Kirit's story. This well-written and fascinating exploration of a strange land is an extremely promising start for an exciting new writer.
Customer Reviews
Fantastic!
Fran Wilde has done something truly outstanding with Updraft. In a landscape of zombie apocalypses, teen vampires, and medieval power struggles, she has created a wholly unique world. I promise, you've never seen anything like The City. And Updraft's protagonist, Kirit, is equal parts smart and flawed, making her one of the more compelling characters I've ever read. I found myself flying through this book, both in terms of how much I wanted to read it, and in terms of how Ms. Wilde brought her world to life.