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12th out of 698 books
—
2,069 voters
Above
by
Leah Bobet (Goodreads Author)
Matthew has loved Ariel from the moment he found her in the tunnels, her bee’s wings falling away. They live in Safe, an underground refuge for those fleeing the city Above—like Whisper, who speaks to ghosts, and Jack Flash, who can shoot lightning from his fingers.
But one terrifying night, an old enemy invades Safe with an army of shadows, and only Matthew, Ariel, and a f...more
But one terrifying night, an old enemy invades Safe with an army of shadows, and only Matthew, Ariel, and a f...more
Hardcover, 368 pages
Published
April 1st 2012
by Arthur A. Levine Books
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Apr 21, 2012
Patricia
marked it as to-read
I have no idea why I want to have this book. I didn't even read the blurb. I guess the cover did it for me.. *ashamed*
That's it I give up. Page 204 and I still don't know what's happening. Someone played Mad Lib with my copy and I'm not impressed!
It's written like the protagonist never learned to speak properly and although it worked for me in Blood Red Road, It's really confusing in this. Random words are capitalized and sometimes he means a person, other times a thing. But I never keep up on which is which. It's all showing, not telling/explaining and with the awkward writing style I'm just not following.
*I w...more
It's written like the protagonist never learned to speak properly and although it worked for me in Blood Red Road, It's really confusing in this. Random words are capitalized and sometimes he means a person, other times a thing. But I never keep up on which is which. It's all showing, not telling/explaining and with the awkward writing style I'm just not following.
*I w...more
Yes, I am CURRENTLY reading this. I won a copy at Leah's reading at Readercon. So far, so good...
On to the examples:
But tonight it’s not the half I need, because there’s Atticus, spindly crab arms folded ’cross his chest, waiting outside my door. His eyes glow dim-shot amber — not bright, so he’s not mad then, just annoyed and looking to be mad.
“Teller,” he says, calling me so instead of Matthew to say it clear: that I owe him my life, the food in my belly, the tin roof and plank walls and tapestry-carved door of my home. My Sanctuary. “She’s your responsibility. And you’re responsible to...more
But tonight it’s not the half I need, because there’s Atticus, spindly crab arms folded ’cross his chest, waiting outside my door. His eyes glow dim-shot amber — not bright, so he’s not mad then, just annoyed and looking to be mad.
“Teller,” he says, calling me so instead of Matthew to say it clear: that I owe him my life, the food in my belly, the tin roof and plank walls and tapestry-carved door of my home. My Sanctuary. “She’s your responsibility. And you’re responsible to...more
I should start out by saying that I can't write very good reviews for books I don't like. It's not that I don't know what I don't like about them, because I do; I simply cannot bring myself to put down a work of art that an author has worked for so long and hard upon. That being said, Above is a perfect example of why I became so dubious about dystopian novels. Unfortunately, I picked up Above with none of my usual qualms, probably because the last few dystopian novels I read had been utterly re...more
Review:
Above is a story of monsters and whitecoats. But it is the whitecoats who are the monsters and the "monsters" are really the normal ones with some serious defects.
The cover of the book is incredibly gorgeous. You would think the person on the cover is the main character, but this isn't so. The book is told in the POV of Matthew the teller. The characters are shaped well, but I found them to be more akward then they were relatable.
The story-line was very complex and pace were slow in some...more
Above is a story of monsters and whitecoats. But it is the whitecoats who are the monsters and the "monsters" are really the normal ones with some serious defects.
The cover of the book is incredibly gorgeous. You would think the person on the cover is the main character, but this isn't so. The book is told in the POV of Matthew the teller. The characters are shaped well, but I found them to be more akward then they were relatable.
The story-line was very complex and pace were slow in some...more
Hmmm, this is my first time writing a review. I just felt compelled to be honest. Most notably because a friend of mine had asked about this book and since I was already reading it, I figure 'why not'?
WARNING: IT WILL BE LONG
Firstly, this book is more of a 3.5 for me for various reasons. Mostly because this book leaves me rather mixed: half good, half bad. Particularly on the subject that most will either get what's going on or be lost forever in the details and dialogue. I however hung in there...more
WARNING: IT WILL BE LONG
Firstly, this book is more of a 3.5 for me for various reasons. Mostly because this book leaves me rather mixed: half good, half bad. Particularly on the subject that most will either get what's going on or be lost forever in the details and dialogue. I however hung in there...more
First off I should say that this book is written for teens not grown ups so a teenager may very well like this book for all the reasons I don't.
I started reading this because she is a Canadian author and the cover is freakin' cool. Hello, fly girl and the CN Tower? Amazing. It took me until page 6 to realize the book is not written from the perspective of the girl, but some boy and that is actually where I have stopped. Besides not getting whose POV the story was from I find the writing style di...more
I started reading this because she is a Canadian author and the cover is freakin' cool. Hello, fly girl and the CN Tower? Amazing. It took me until page 6 to realize the book is not written from the perspective of the girl, but some boy and that is actually where I have stopped. Besides not getting whose POV the story was from I find the writing style di...more
Above is a deeply human tale. Bobet takes human problems, human hates, human sadnesses and disappointments, and human hopes, and wraps them up in a jarringly sparse, backwards prose about an underground community of Freaks, who wish for nothing more than to be left alone.
Above is a challenge, evidenced by the numerous reviewers who've abandoned ship before they ever set sail. Which is a shame, because while this may be categorized under paranormal and science fiction, it's really no more than a...more
Above is a challenge, evidenced by the numerous reviewers who've abandoned ship before they ever set sail. Which is a shame, because while this may be categorized under paranormal and science fiction, it's really no more than a...more
The language and writing style was impossible for me to follow. I had to go back numerous times and re-read passages. The book is short, but the time it took to try and decipher what the author was actually talking about was entirely too time consuming. I couldn't get attached to the characters and I didn't care for the plot at all. The descriptions of the characters/monsters were too vague for me to even try to picture them in my mind, the dialogues were packed full of nonsensical words and dia...more
The writing style of this book made it difficult to muddle through and often times I just didn't want to pick the book back up, however I am very glad that I did. This book was completely different than what I expected, I expected it to be another distopian fight against the government type of book. Instead this book is about people discovering who they really are as they fight their own past demons and on-going mental issues. The book was way more about the characters own issues than the outsi...more
Jun 04, 2012
Cat Hellisen
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
favourites,
own
This book.
OMFG it is beautiful and I am sitting here sniffling and my fingers are shaking.
Book of the year so far. Fucking amazing.
Actual review to come when I get my thoughts straight.
OMFG it is beautiful and I am sitting here sniffling and my fingers are shaking.
Book of the year so far. Fucking amazing.
Actual review to come when I get my thoughts straight.
Wow....one of the most amazing books I have EVER read, with gorgeous mystical, lyrical writing, where every single sentence is a secret dying to be unlocked, and every paragraph is a clue to help solve the overall heart-pounding mystery. It had me breathless, and teary-eyed, and in complete and total awe. Leah Bobet is a master storyteller, and I will never forget the first time reading this book. Dear sweet Jesus, I wish I had read it years ago. That, or written it myself :) 5 stars, 1000 if I...more
More like 3.5 but in this case, rounded down. This book took me a long time to read, and it's not even that big! I actually really like the premise of the book - people who have special abilities or deformities are considered outcasts, yet some of them have managed to find a place for themselves underground. But then, this pace, "safe" gets attacked by an unlikely source, and the remaining survivors have to flee to "above" and figure out what to do.
If only the book was as straightforward as this...more
If only the book was as straightforward as this...more
Originally reviewed on Kirkus' Science Fiction & Fantasy Blog
It was on my second run I found Ariel. She wasn’t Above. It was on the way back we found her, huddled down in a corner that was halfway fallen in,down in the old sewers where most people don’t ever get.I wouldn’t have seen her except she was shaking just the tiniest bit, vibrating like sharks or bee’s-wing; moving because things that don’t move fall to the deepest depths and die.
In Matthew’s world, there are two places: Above, belo...more
It was on my second run I found Ariel. She wasn’t Above. It was on the way back we found her, huddled down in a corner that was halfway fallen in,down in the old sewers where most people don’t ever get.I wouldn’t have seen her except she was shaking just the tiniest bit, vibrating like sharks or bee’s-wing; moving because things that don’t move fall to the deepest depths and die.
In Matthew’s world, there are two places: Above, belo...more
4.5
I think I'm part of the few who found this book really good.
Writing Style
I think this has been the issue of a lot of people. Admittedly, the writing style is something that needs getting used to, but it is what I like best about this novel. There's poetry in the prose that albeit quite confusing at times makes the story prettier. And it makes sense with the character of the Teller.
Characters
I love the characters. They're all well-rounded and well-developed. I think the only issue I have is Ar...more
I think I'm part of the few who found this book really good.
Writing Style
I think this has been the issue of a lot of people. Admittedly, the writing style is something that needs getting used to, but it is what I like best about this novel. There's poetry in the prose that albeit quite confusing at times makes the story prettier. And it makes sense with the character of the Teller.
Characters
I love the characters. They're all well-rounded and well-developed. I think the only issue I have is Ar...more
Above is perhaps not a book suited to everybody.
First, this book’s title. Above. It could have been called Safe, or Iridescence or a whole heap of other things, but Above is probably far easier. Safe might have been more meaningful.
The cover is admittedly very beautiful. Misleading, because the main character is not a girl with wings but a boy in love with a girl with wings, but beautiful all the same.
The first chapter had me hooked. Maybe it was the fact that I had no idea what was going on...more
First, this book’s title. Above. It could have been called Safe, or Iridescence or a whole heap of other things, but Above is probably far easier. Safe might have been more meaningful.
The cover is admittedly very beautiful. Misleading, because the main character is not a girl with wings but a boy in love with a girl with wings, but beautiful all the same.
The first chapter had me hooked. Maybe it was the fact that I had no idea what was going on...more
Well, it was definitely an interesting book, I'll give it that. I've always been a fan of stories about mutants or psychics that have to hide from society, especially ones with great imagery (like Atticus' glowing eyes and crab claws and Jack's electricity and Ariel's bee wings )and this one has a unique take on that sort of premise and character lineup. There are a lot of layers to the story and emotions of the book, and while it was confusing and some things were never quite explained, it was...more
This book requires patience from a reader. The author has created a unique counterpoint to our world in which anyone considered different from the rest of humanity--say, for instance, someone born with the paws of a cat or claws of a tiger--is locked in a hospital and observed. When a young doctor helps a couple of these prisoners escape, they create a sanctuary deep underground, beneath the sewer system, where they live safely for years. The author doesn't provide this backstory right away; ins...more
When they say "Don't judge a book by its cover" they are usually implying that just because a book has a plain cover- that it can still be interesting. Like the plain looking guy or girl who actually turns out to be the love of your life.
In the case of the book "Above"- it is quite the opposite. Above is the literary equivalent to the beautiful person with no personality. The cover is just gorgeous- but the story starts slow and moves forward (and sideways and backwards) at a snails pace. There...more
In the case of the book "Above"- it is quite the opposite. Above is the literary equivalent to the beautiful person with no personality. The cover is just gorgeous- but the story starts slow and moves forward (and sideways and backwards) at a snails pace. There...more
(From http://www.pingwings.ca/above/)
I heard (read?) a lot about this book in the last couple of months, through various blogs/book sites that I follow. I was excited to read it, initially. Here is an excerpt of the Kobo store’s summary:
Matthew has loved Ariel from the moment he found her in the tunnels, her bee’s wings falling away. They live in Safe, an underground refuge for those fleeing the city Above–like Whisper, who speaks to ghosts, and Jack Flash, who can shoot lightning from his finge...more
I heard (read?) a lot about this book in the last couple of months, through various blogs/book sites that I follow. I was excited to read it, initially. Here is an excerpt of the Kobo store’s summary:
Matthew has loved Ariel from the moment he found her in the tunnels, her bee’s wings falling away. They live in Safe, an underground refuge for those fleeing the city Above–like Whisper, who speaks to ghosts, and Jack Flash, who can shoot lightning from his finge...more
I don't even know what to say in my review, but one thing for sure, this was a huge disappointment. I was really excited when the publisher gave me a copy of this, and the cover was gorgeous as well. "Above" was on of my most anticipated 2012 novels, but I haven't had a book that disappointed me as much as it did. I am not going to be harsh, but I am going to write my honest opinion about this book.
As I started reading, everything can be summed up in one word: Confusing. I didn't understand the...more
As I started reading, everything can be summed up in one word: Confusing. I didn't understand the...more
"Above" by Leah Bobet is a really good book... in the last 3-4 chapters. But before I get into that let me give you a synopsis of what the book is about.
"Matthew has loved Ariel from the moment he found her in the tunnels, her bee’s wings falling away. They live in Safe, an underground refuge for those fleeing the city Above—like Whisper, who speaks to ghosts, and Jack Flash, who can shoot lightning from his fingers.
But one terrifying night, an old enemy invades Safe with an army of shadows, and...more
"Matthew has loved Ariel from the moment he found her in the tunnels, her bee’s wings falling away. They live in Safe, an underground refuge for those fleeing the city Above—like Whisper, who speaks to ghosts, and Jack Flash, who can shoot lightning from his fingers.
But one terrifying night, an old enemy invades Safe with an army of shadows, and...more
Above is the last of my Ad Astra reads, and I may have well saved the best for last. Unintentional of course.
(Oh, and don't worry. I won't be making any puns with the title. I'd like to think I'm ABOVE such behaviour... oh wait... whoops. Nevermind.)
How I understand it is that Above is supposed to be aimed for the Young Adult audience, and I can see that. Young protagonist, no graphic sex, and it's published by Scholastic who put out Harry Potter and The Hunger Games (At least in Canada they do)...more
(Oh, and don't worry. I won't be making any puns with the title. I'd like to think I'm ABOVE such behaviour... oh wait... whoops. Nevermind.)
How I understand it is that Above is supposed to be aimed for the Young Adult audience, and I can see that. Young protagonist, no graphic sex, and it's published by Scholastic who put out Harry Potter and The Hunger Games (At least in Canada they do)...more
So…four percent into this and I’m really struggling with the writing style of this book, to the point that I keep having to reread sentences and actually think it through to make sense of what the author is trying to say.
Another thing I’m really annoyed with is that when I started this book and the protagonists’ name wasn’t mentioned, I assumed he was a girl. So there I was, picturing this person as a female with a female voice, and suddenly I find out he’s actually a guy.
Needless to say, I LO...more
Another thing I’m really annoyed with is that when I started this book and the protagonists’ name wasn’t mentioned, I assumed he was a girl. So there I was, picturing this person as a female with a female voice, and suddenly I find out he’s actually a guy.
Needless to say, I LO...more
Apr 29, 2012
Alan
rated it
3 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
Untermenschen
Recommended to Alan by:
John Scalzi
I've just finished reading a string of rather heavy nonfiction, so it was a great relief to slip so easily into the story of Leah Bobet's first novel, Above, as recommended to me by John Scalzi's blog Whatever and its regular feature, The Big Idea.
If you've read China Miéville's Un Lun Dun, or seen Neil Gaiman's Neverwhere, then you've already encountered the reverse of Bobet's setting—but here, the naive newcomer is from the mysterious, magical underworld of one of the world's great cities (unn...more
If you've read China Miéville's Un Lun Dun, or seen Neil Gaiman's Neverwhere, then you've already encountered the reverse of Bobet's setting—but here, the naive newcomer is from the mysterious, magical underworld of one of the world's great cities (unn...more
ABOVE starts out with the destruction of Safe, home to our narrator, Teller. Safe, an underground home to Freaks and Sick, is invaded by Killer, a Freak previously cast out by Safe's leader, Atticus. The rest of the story is, on one level, the tale of how Teller and other refugees from Safe return to their home and defeat Killer.
I began the book with a sense that this was an okay story. Perfectly fine. The plot didn't quite hold together, and a number of the character motivations were weak, but,...more
I began the book with a sense that this was an okay story. Perfectly fine. The plot didn't quite hold together, and a number of the character motivations were weak, but,...more
In Above, Leah Bobet describes a world where imprisoned monsters with extraordinary powers escape and find sanctuary within our sewer system. The underworld is called “Safe” where Matthew the Teller was born. He is assigned to collect the history of Safe so future generations will have knowledge of their home. In his course of gathering tales, Matthew finds himself exiled with a group of refugees from Safe and now he must help them return to their home.
The writing is superb that looking through...more
The writing is superb that looking through...more
Review Courtesy of Dark Faerie Tales
Quick & Dirty: Unfortunately, disjointed exposition distracts from the potential of a beautiful story.
Opening Sentence: My last supply duty before Sanctuary Night, I get home and Atticus is waiting.
The Review:
Safe is an underground sanctuary where people who can’t fit in Above go to feel Safe. Everyone who lives in Safe has an ability of some kind or another. Matthew is a Teller, he has the ability to remember the stories of those who come to Safe and can...more
Quick & Dirty: Unfortunately, disjointed exposition distracts from the potential of a beautiful story.
Opening Sentence: My last supply duty before Sanctuary Night, I get home and Atticus is waiting.
The Review:
Safe is an underground sanctuary where people who can’t fit in Above go to feel Safe. Everyone who lives in Safe has an ability of some kind or another. Matthew is a Teller, he has the ability to remember the stories of those who come to Safe and can...more
Imagine a world with monsters with strange powers locked in our mental institutions to protect the public and study them. Now imagine those monsters broke free and lived in the sewers under your city. Well, with Above you don’t have to imagine because it’s exactly what you get.. from the monsters’ perspective.
Above is another book I have mix feelings for. Leah Bobet is a Canadian debut author, Above is a dystopian book and it has this insanely pretty cover. From the moment I heard of it, I’ve b...more
Above is another book I have mix feelings for. Leah Bobet is a Canadian debut author, Above is a dystopian book and it has this insanely pretty cover. From the moment I heard of it, I’ve b...more
| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Is this book good? | 6 | 25 | 14 déc. 06:01 |
I drink tea, wear feathers in my hair, and plant gardens in back alleys.
I also read a lot of books. Mmm, books.
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More about Leah Bobet...
I also read a lot of books. Mmm, books.
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“I'd be your sky.”
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8 people liked it
“Healing's not always natural, she says. Healing's not always the way a body wants to go. Sometimes the body wants to run. Sometimes it can't think of anything but what might stop the pain. And though stopping the pain's important if you want a body healing, it isn't the whole. Sometimes that just keeps you broke.”
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