The Upper World
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- Create Date：2021-08-15 00:51:01
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Femi Fadugba
- ISBN：0241505615
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Summary
'A time-twisting， mind-bending thrill ride 。 。 。 I loved it！' - Holly Jackson
'I couldn't put this book down' - Daniel Kaluuya
IF YOU HAD THE CHANCE TO CHANGE YOUR FUTURE， WOULD YOU TAKE IT？
This epic thriller is soon to be a major Netflix movie starring Academy Award winner Daniel Kaluuya （Get Out， Black Panther， Judas and the Black Messiah）。
Esso is running out of time and into trouble。 When he discovers he has the ability to see glimpses of the future， he becomes haunted by a vision of a bullet fired in an alleyway with devastating consequences。
A generation later， fifteen-year-old Rhia is desperately searching for answers - and a catastrophic moment from the past holds the key to understanding the parents she never got to meet。
Whether on the roads of South London or in the mysterious Upper World， Esso and Rhia's fates must collide。
And when they do， a race against the clock will become a race against time itself 。 。 。
'I couldn't put this book down' - Daniel Kaluuya
IF YOU HAD THE CHANCE TO CHANGE YOUR FUTURE， WOULD YOU TAKE IT？
This epic thriller is soon to be a major Netflix movie starring Academy Award winner Daniel Kaluuya （Get Out， Black Panther， Judas and the Black Messiah）。
Esso is running out of time and into trouble。 When he discovers he has the ability to see glimpses of the future， he becomes haunted by a vision of a bullet fired in an alleyway with devastating consequences。
A generation later， fifteen-year-old Rhia is desperately searching for answers - and a catastrophic moment from the past holds the key to understanding the parents she never got to meet。
Whether on the roads of South London or in the mysterious Upper World， Esso and Rhia's fates must collide。
And when they do， a race against the clock will become a race against time itself 。 。 。
Reviews
Rachel Churcher
，
For more YA reviews， visit my blog！The Upper World is an intriguing time travel story that doesn't quite stick its landing。 The book combines ancient philosophy with hardcore maths and physics to explore the relationship between matter， energy， and perception。 It takes the Socratic idea of the 'Upper World' - a place beyond our everyday experience where， if we can reach it， we can perceive time and space from the outside and find a deeper understanding of the workings of the universe。 The charac For more YA reviews， visit my blog！The Upper World is an intriguing time travel story that doesn't quite stick its landing。 The book combines ancient philosophy with hardcore maths and physics to explore the relationship between matter， energy， and perception。 It takes the Socratic idea of the 'Upper World' - a place beyond our everyday experience where， if we can reach it， we can perceive time and space from the outside and find a deeper understanding of the workings of the universe。 The characters use this knowledge to attempt to change the past， with unexpected consequences。 It is the characters who hooked me into the story。 Esso is a believable teenager， navigating the gangs and complex loyalties of his South London comprehensive school alongside the expectations of his teachers and his West African mother。 Fifteen years into the future， Rhia is juggling her unreliable home life in foster care with her ambition to become a professional football player。 When she meets the maths and physics tutor her foster mother hired to help with her GCSEs， she finds herself diving into complex concepts - relativity， energy， and time travel。 But why does Dr Esso think these ideas are important， and what， exactly， does he want from her？The structure of the story builds the tension between the characters and the events they are trying to change。 Esso's present-day chapters alternate with Rhia's future experiences。 We know from early in the book that teenage Esso is heading for a dramatic， gang-related punishment， and as the story progresses he does everything he can to avoid disaster。 In the future， Dr Esso's interest in time travel starts to make sense， as Rhia begins to understand who she is， and her connection to her tutor's past。 Rhia's foster sister provides an effective sounding board for her theories， and the genuine friendship between the girls provides a contrast with teenage Esso's companions - a group of boys who would rather taunt each other than show weakness。 Esso's relationship with his classmate Nadia allows him to demonstrate a softer side to his character， and her pivotal role in the story develops across both timelines。 Both Esso and Rhia are sympathetic characters， and I found myself heartbroken alongside them when the plot twists and injustices kicked in。 While the climax of both stories is extremely well written， I wasn't convinced by the plot leading up to the final moments。 While I enjoyed the idea of weaving Einstein's theories and the philosophy of Socrates and Plato into a YA time-travel narrative， the plot stretched the science and the philosophical ideas beyond breaking point， and this threw me out of the story。 I'm aware that I am not the target audience， and that I have read （and wrestled with the concepts of） a lot of time-travel stories。 For YA readers with less exposure to maths， physics， science fiction， and the various fictional theories of time travel， The Upper World may well provide a gripping and satisfying read。 If you don't mind a bit of hand-waving and magical thinking with your real-world physics， this is an exciting story with clever twists， interesting ideas， sympathetic characters， and convincing real-world settings。 If that sounds appealing， don't let me review put you off！The Upper World will be published on August 19th。 Thank you to NetGalley for sending me an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Nicky Maunder
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 For those not in the know， this is one of the latest acquisitions by Netflix to make it to the streaming service。 And I can see why。 A YA mind bending， time travelling， science heavy read， with a likeable male lead who walks the rocky path that can lead him to be killed in the prime of his youth thanks to gang violence， struggling to make his way through high school and make something of himself and also to be decent man。 I will admit I did struggle with the first half of this read; as mentioned For those not in the know， this is one of the latest acquisitions by Netflix to make it to the streaming service。 And I can see why。 A YA mind bending， time travelling， science heavy read， with a likeable male lead who walks the rocky path that can lead him to be killed in the prime of his youth thanks to gang violence， struggling to make his way through high school and make something of himself and also to be decent man。 I will admit I did struggle with the first half of this read; as mentioned previously it is science heavy （despite Fadugba’s admirable attempts at dumbing it down - it just wasn’t enough for me！ 🙈） as the time travel elements are explained。 And there’s also a lot of slang that I just didn’t understand - yes， yes I know I’m getting old。 I guess I’m not down with the kids anymore 😢😆But having said that - I was invested in Esso’s story; both as a teen and when working with Rhia。 I loved the sass and the loyalty。 I also loved how， despite my inability to understand it all， it came across as a really well thought out novel。 I also loved how this isn’t just about time travel; it’s about believing in yourself and your own abilities and capabilities - and to never listen to those who say you can’t achieve anything。 ••••••••••⚠️Trigger warnings and potential spoilers⚠️ Deals heavily with gangs， gang violence， and attempted murder。 。。。more
Mya
，
People who enjoyed the mathy bits of Andy Weir's The Martian will enjoy this YA physics-based time travel thriller。 Others like me might be doing a fair bit of skimming those sections but otherwise enjoying the ride。 People who enjoyed the mathy bits of Andy Weir's The Martian will enjoy this YA physics-based time travel thriller。 Others like me might be doing a fair bit of skimming those sections but otherwise enjoying the ride。 。。。more
Lisa Bowman
，
The Upper World is sassy， smart and a lightning-fast read。 If you're a fan of experimental and edgy YA， this is definitely the book for you。 It's like Patrice Lawrence's Orangeboy and Madeline L'Engle's A Wrinkle in Time had the most perfect offspring book。 It's a tale of lost love with a clever mystery wrapped in science and belief， shot with regret， and ultimately hope。Femi Fadugba has done for Physics what Jostein Gaarder （Sophie's world） did for Philosophy， except better。 It's got all the sa The Upper World is sassy， smart and a lightning-fast read。 If you're a fan of experimental and edgy YA， this is definitely the book for you。 It's like Patrice Lawrence's Orangeboy and Madeline L'Engle's A Wrinkle in Time had the most perfect offspring book。 It's a tale of lost love with a clever mystery wrapped in science and belief， shot with regret， and ultimately hope。Femi Fadugba has done for Physics what Jostein Gaarder （Sophie's world） did for Philosophy， except better。 It's got all the sass of Angie Thomas， the storytelling of Malorie Blackman and the creativity of Neal Shusterman。 There's humour too， and love amid GCSEs。 Big issues like gang culture， violence and agency appear like a Greek Chorus creating a tense backdrop for the story of two teenagers locked in this bend of time。Esso is the perfect mentor for young Rhia。 He has lived through a powerful moment that Rhia longs to visit for her own reasons。 Whether you believe the author's argument for time travel or not， you will buy into the stories of these two very real main characters。The author builds a world where no character gets off lightly。 Anger and frustration build as bad decisions and flawed characters make the kind of moves real life doles out。 I adored that Esso and Rhia showed their maths work in a little scrapbook at the end。 There was a definite London feel to the story and the dialogue。 I was over the moon while watching Big Zuu who also used the phrase 'abeg abeg'。 I love authenticity in stories and will be recommending to all my readers who love suspense and something gripping and different （which is everyone）。Thanks for the eARC from NetGalley and Penguin， it was a super treat。 。。。more
adventuresinabookshop Jo R
，
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an audiobook copy of this title for review。A unique and fascinating story which combines the grittiness and danger of being a teenager caught up in gang violence in South London with physics and time travel！I was a little apprehensive about whether I would find the story hard to follow， but the maths and physics was explained in a way I could understand and added so much extra dimension。The characters were well developed and I was ab Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an audiobook copy of this title for review。A unique and fascinating story which combines the grittiness and danger of being a teenager caught up in gang violence in South London with physics and time travel！I was a little apprehensive about whether I would find the story hard to follow， but the maths and physics was explained in a way I could understand and added so much extra dimension。The characters were well developed and I was able to empathise with them despite not having had similar life experiences which is a great testament to the author’s writing。The two narrators for the different points of view worked brilliantly and the casting was perfect for the characters。 I really enjoyed listening to this as an audiobook and having the two different narrators really brought the story to life。 。。。more
Engrossed Reader
，
I'm a sucker for science fiction books especially time travel。 But to get me interested in the actual science involved， set in South East London， representing people that I can relate to， well that's something else。Review to follow soon。 It's a goodun I'm a sucker for science fiction books especially time travel。 But to get me interested in the actual science involved， set in South East London， representing people that I can relate to， well that's something else。Review to follow soon。 It's a goodun 。。。more
Jo
，
I listened to the audiobook of The Upper World by Femi Fadugba and it’s a tale that travels time。 Told by duel narrators Esso， in the present， and Rhia， 15 years in the future。 Esso who is caught up in a deadly feud and Rhia， who is looking for something。 Both the narrators are both very likeable characters and you can engage with them easily。 The story of how they come together switches easily between them and is easy to follow。 I would love to hear more about the Upper World in future books。 T I listened to the audiobook of The Upper World by Femi Fadugba and it’s a tale that travels time。 Told by duel narrators Esso， in the present， and Rhia， 15 years in the future。 Esso who is caught up in a deadly feud and Rhia， who is looking for something。 Both the narrators are both very likeable characters and you can engage with them easily。 The story of how they come together switches easily between them and is easy to follow。 I would love to hear more about the Upper World in future books。 Thank you to netgalley for letting me read this。 。。。more
John Derek
，
The Upper World by Femi Fadugba（The Upper World #1）Esso is a teenager running out of time and into trouble。 Rhia is a teenager orphaned and searching for answers。 Two teenagers a generation apart。 One bullet ties them together， and when their fates collide， a race against the clock becomes a race against time itself。 The reader is going to have to be connected to the two main protagonists to enjoy this book。 Unfortunately， I found them slightly irritating and too naive by half。 There has always The Upper World by Femi Fadugba（The Upper World #1）Esso is a teenager running out of time and into trouble。 Rhia is a teenager orphaned and searching for answers。 Two teenagers a generation apart。 One bullet ties them together， and when their fates collide， a race against the clock becomes a race against time itself。 The reader is going to have to be connected to the two main protagonists to enjoy this book。 Unfortunately， I found them slightly irritating and too naive by half。 There has always been gang culture of one description or another。 But， with more media available now， it is more public and encourages the young to participate more。 I did enjoy the storyline， and I can see why Netflix scooped it up。 Time travel in various forms seems to be in vogue at the moment， and this story fits into that bracket。 Mathematics and Physics were of particular interest， and I was fascinated by how the author weaved this into the narrative。 Future tech was mentioned， but I will not reveal that here。The Upper World is gritty， realistic and full of hard-edged drama。 It is dark， moody and thought-provoking。 Trouble is， it was also baffling at times。 I found myself having to re-read bits。 Then again， I skimmed a few bits as well。The book will be popular with a young demographic， but for me， the main characters spoiled what might have been an excellent read。Thank you NetGalley and Penguin Random House Children’s UK， for the digital copy of the book。 。。。more
Piper
，
3。5 stars The Upper World is a debut novel from Femi Fadubga and is set in London and follows the story of Esso and Rhia who are set in worlds apart。 Esso develops the ability to see into the future and tries to prevent a tragic event from occurring all while facing expulsion and not dying in a gang battle。 Rhia's story is set fifteen years later， a foster child just trying to find out the truth about her parents while juggling school work and becoming an up-and-coming football prodigy。 When Ess 3。5 stars The Upper World is a debut novel from Femi Fadubga and is set in London and follows the story of Esso and Rhia who are set in worlds apart。 Esso develops the ability to see into the future and tries to prevent a tragic event from occurring all while facing expulsion and not dying in a gang battle。 Rhia's story is set fifteen years later， a foster child just trying to find out the truth about her parents while juggling school work and becoming an up-and-coming football prodigy。 When Esso and Rhia meet in Rhia's timeline， it’s a race against time to find answers and ultimately save lives thanks to the upper world。 As someone who absolutely loathed physics in high school and dropped it the chance I got I was pleasantly surprised by this one！ The story flowed so well from street slang to simple （for some） but sophisticated explanations and drawings of various physics equations and ideas。 I loved the concept as I'm a huge sucker for sci-fi books featuring time travel and really enjoyed the plot of this one！ The way it flowed allowed me to sympathize for Rhia and Esso for what they were going through in their lives。 The alternating perspective's added to this and am very glad that Rhia's Esso didn't get perspective chapters otherwise this would have been so difficult to follow。 The big let down for me was the physics bits。 I really didn't vibe well with it at all which sucks because it's no ones fault but my own！ This is purely because even with it was simplified down to the bare minimum， I still couldn't get it which made me very frustrated。 It made me re-read the same sections over and over again because my brain couldn't get it。 If you're a sci-fi nerd like me and have a high-school understanding of physics I think you would love this one！ It's such an interesting concept and gets your brain thinking of all these little things。 I've since started looking at the direction of people's feet while I talk to them。 Thanks to @turningpagesnz and @penguinbooksnz for sending me a copy of this one in exchange for an honest review！ 。。。more
Mikayla✨
，
"It is something you have to believe in to see"✨ Thank you so much to penguin books nz and turning pages for providing me with this arc copy！This was such an interesting book！ From the moment I read the synopsis I knew it sounded like something amazing and it definitely lived up to that！ It follows two characters in two different timelines。 One in today's present world and the other 15 years from today。 The present timeline follows Esso， a young boy living in a not so great neighbourhood and tr "It is something you have to believe in to see"✨ Thank you so much to penguin books nz and turning pages for providing me with this arc copy！This was such an interesting book！ From the moment I read the synopsis I knew it sounded like something amazing and it definitely lived up to that！ It follows two characters in two different timelines。 One in today's present world and the other 15 years from today。 The present timeline follows Esso， a young boy living in a not so great neighbourhood and trying to survive school， friendships， family and love。 Eso discovers his father's book 'The Upper World' about this space in time where you can look into the future and upon discovery， Eso begins to experience these things himself。 The other timeline is 15 years later where Rhia is a struggling football star with many questions about her past and her mother。 Both timelines collide in an adventure to uncover secrets and fight against time。 What I loved。。 This was such a compelling read and it took me no time to read since I was so investing in the story！ There were so many questions I had that kept me reading chapter after chapter to discover the truth。 Going into this book I thought the science/maths aspects would go way over my head since science is really not my subject😅 however， the way this was written made me want to know about science/maths。 It was well throughout， yet written in a very readable and understanding way， which I could comprehend without it not making sense or going over my head。 The characters were both very distinct and different which made me equally investing in both pov's。 Rhia was headstrong， confident， risk-taking and I loved her！ Esso was clever， optimistic， caring and made for a very interesting character。 The plot was very fast moving and kept me on the edge of my seat。 The writing was easy to read yet so cleverly written。 I didn't feel like it dragged at any point and everything was well paced。 I'd highly recommend this book to anyone who wants a fast paced， intriguing， time travel book with science fiction elements but not set in space。 It was a wild ride and anyone who is looking for a fun fast and exciting book this is the one for you！ 。。。more
YoursInHaste
，
A hugely impressive book， with amazing world-building and protagonists to root for。I'm not surprised there's so much buzz about this book， or why it already has a Netflix deal pre-publication。 It's beautifully written and sharp， with plenty of social commentary alongside the spectacular Upper World to explore。 Esso and Rhia are sympathetic， complex， and compelling characters， and I found myself rooting for them both instantly。 The worlds they inhabit feel very fleshed out and realistic。I'm reall A hugely impressive book， with amazing world-building and protagonists to root for。I'm not surprised there's so much buzz about this book， or why it already has a Netflix deal pre-publication。 It's beautifully written and sharp， with plenty of social commentary alongside the spectacular Upper World to explore。 Esso and Rhia are sympathetic， complex， and compelling characters， and I found myself rooting for them both instantly。 The worlds they inhabit feel very fleshed out and realistic。I'm really bad at physics and maths and so I found some parts of the plot harder to follow than someone who's good at science， but the diagrams were really helpful and the plot was very compelling to follow， despite me not being able to understand what was going on all the time。 I can see this being very popular with people of all ages， especially teenagers。 。。。more
Lais Atilano
，
Esso is having a bad few days: demerits at school， trouble with gang members， an ugly argument with his mum， and a car accident that allowed him to have glimpses of the Upper World （along with some scary predictions about the future。） Will he be able to make the right choices and avoid bloodshed – both literal and the gang leader who’s out to get him？15 years later， Rhia’s life is also far from simple。 Growing up in foster care， with a career in football as her only hope of salvation， she desper Esso is having a bad few days: demerits at school， trouble with gang members， an ugly argument with his mum， and a car accident that allowed him to have glimpses of the Upper World （along with some scary predictions about the future。） Will he be able to make the right choices and avoid bloodshed – both literal and the gang leader who’s out to get him？15 years later， Rhia’s life is also far from simple。 Growing up in foster care， with a career in football as her only hope of salvation， she desperately wants to know more about her mother – of whom all she possesses is a blurry photograph。 When Esso， now Dr Esso， provides the thinnest thread of information about her past， she pulls it with blind determination， only to see her present life unravel。 With mind-bending physics， great dialogue writing， and understated humour， this is indeed a very cool book。 It was great to see London’s marginalised areas from the perspective of two teenagers who are trying to get it right – even though their possibilities are limited。 In fact， the book deals with notions of free-will， determinism and fate; and the notion that we can only play with the cards we are dealt （and yet， it is crucial to remember that we must play。）On the down side， with the exception of young Esso， the characters （including Rhia） were portrayed at arms length， making it difficult to truly get emotionally involved with any of them。 Moreover， the ending， as logical and inevitable as it might have been， wasn’t satisfying。 Perhaps it all happened too quickly （or easily？） and the postscript was as heavy-handed as the ending of the first Matrix movie。 Still， it was an enjoyable book and I can see it as a great screen adaptation。 A mixture of Top Boy’s grit with the humour of Attack the Block。 。。。more
Victoria
，
I really， really enjoyed the way that these two characters linked， and the slow back and forth for the first third of the book while the plot builds on itself。 I got pretty tripped up on a lot of the slang， but I really enjoyed both the plot and the writing other than that。 I’m not very maths or science smart so there were some pages that totally lost me when they were talking about maths/science stuff， although I understood enough to follow along 😂 overall I thought this was a great book with a I really， really enjoyed the way that these two characters linked， and the slow back and forth for the first third of the book while the plot builds on itself。 I got pretty tripped up on a lot of the slang， but I really enjoyed both the plot and the writing other than that。 I’m not very maths or science smart so there were some pages that totally lost me when they were talking about maths/science stuff， although I understood enough to follow along 😂 overall I thought this was a great book with a really cool story - it didn’t go the way I thought it would， and I love being surprised in books！It was a very original and refreshing take on time travel， and I’m so so glad I got to read it！Huge thank you to Penguin Random House NZ for sending me a review copy 🥰 。。。more
Scott Vine
，
"Without belief， there's no hope。 And without hope， there's just an alleyway full of teenagers who'll soon be hashtags on hoodies"I have a soft spot for books aimed at children/Young Adults that try and blend identifiable realism and education and the debut novel from Femi Fadugba delivers on both。 The Upper World centres on Esso: a 16 year old boy in modern day South East London， and Rhia: football-loving girl around the same age in 2035。 Esso is a smart young man， but he also finds himself cau "Without belief， there's no hope。 And without hope， there's just an alleyway full of teenagers who'll soon be hashtags on hoodies"I have a soft spot for books aimed at children/Young Adults that try and blend identifiable realism and education and the debut novel from Femi Fadugba delivers on both。 The Upper World centres on Esso: a 16 year old boy in modern day South East London， and Rhia: football-loving girl around the same age in 2035。 Esso is a smart young man， but he also finds himself caught up in a potentially deadly feud with a fellow student。 Meanwhile Rhia finds herself with a new tutor – Esso - who wants her to think outside of the box when it comes to the concept of time， and the speed of light。 Told in a back and forth manner between the two main characters， Fadugba Pruces a novel that has an edge。 It speaks to many young person's experiences of life in inner cities， especially young black men; and doesn't shy away from harsh realities of the self-fulfilling prophesies that arise when people convince you it is your only choice。"I'd been taught that people like D and Spark， who lived by the sword， almost always deserved to die by it。 But I knew both of them， I knew neither of them had ever asked for swords in the first place。 We'd all grown up with the same choices: survive or die。 There had to be more。"I love the way physics is blended into the fabric of the novel – it reminded me of how philosophy was used in Jostein Gaarder's - Sophie's World。 It is not just Rhia that is getting educated。Ultimately， it is also a book about moving on， and forgiving yourself。I see Netflix has landed rights to the book with Daniel Kaluuya set to play the adult Esso。Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Madeleine Freeman
，
The Upper World 3。5 （Thanks to Turning Pages and Penguin Random House for sending this proof copy in exchange for an honest review）。 In spite of the fact that I don’t generally reach for sci-fi， this book kept me hooked right from the get-go。 It’s a dual-pov novel based in South London， following Esso （a boy in a perilous position who can ‘kind of’ see the future） and Rhia （a girl from 15 years into the future who knows more than she thinks she does）。 It becomes a high-stakes race against time a The Upper World 3。5 （Thanks to Turning Pages and Penguin Random House for sending this proof copy in exchange for an honest review）。 In spite of the fact that I don’t generally reach for sci-fi， this book kept me hooked right from the get-go。 It’s a dual-pov novel based in South London， following Esso （a boy in a perilous position who can ‘kind of’ see the future） and Rhia （a girl from 15 years into the future who knows more than she thinks she does）。 It becomes a high-stakes race against time and space to change the past， present and future- an incredibly gripping and dynamic tale。 The world-building is beautiful and tragic and the characters are alluring and make you root for them。 But I thought Esso and Rhia deserved the chance to be developed further- especially in those final few chapters- as I think this would have made the ending hit even harder。 Nevertheless， this was an incredibly unique tale full of complex time travel， science and a curious space called the Upper World。 Somehow， this obviously fantastical environment did not take away from how， at its core， this is a book about normal teenage problems like crushes， academic pressure and deodorant。 The colloquial writing style and spot-on references make this story incredibly engaging。 I would recommend it to any fans of YA sci-fi or fantasy who want a thrilling plotline。 Plus a book-to-screen adaptation is arriving on Netflix soon starring Daniel Kaluuya！ Read it！ ----3。5 stars- super interesting！ RTC。 。。。more
Nicola
，
This novel is told from two different POVs in two different time periods。 Esso in the present day feels very much based in reality as a black boy growing up in London （until he sees the future haha） using a lot of colloquial language。 The first person storytelling helped give a real insight into both character's mind frame but I found this took a while to get used to initially。 There was also a lot of physics and maths interspersed throughout the book as well。 Overall， I think the plot was inter This novel is told from two different POVs in two different time periods。 Esso in the present day feels very much based in reality as a black boy growing up in London （until he sees the future haha） using a lot of colloquial language。 The first person storytelling helped give a real insight into both character's mind frame but I found this took a while to get used to initially。 There was also a lot of physics and maths interspersed throughout the book as well。 Overall， I think the plot was interesting and intriguing， keeping you reading and the characters felt well rounded but I felt the pace was a little slow and it took a while to get hooked。 。。。more
S ✨
，
if there's anyone i trust to write and time travel it's someone who studied quantum physics yeah？ and listen femi fadugba did not disappoint！ no hand wavy science here folks！ the writing style is simple yet unique in that it flowed easily from colloquial street slang to complex scientific concepts without breaking the pace or the suspense of the story。 the perspective shifts and timeline jumps added depth to the overall plot， but i wish there was a bit more character development。 i did feel for if there's anyone i trust to write and time travel it's someone who studied quantum physics yeah？ and listen femi fadugba did not disappoint！ no hand wavy science here folks！ the writing style is simple yet unique in that it flowed easily from colloquial street slang to complex scientific concepts without breaking the pace or the suspense of the story。 the perspective shifts and timeline jumps added depth to the overall plot， but i wish there was a bit more character development。 i did feel for both of them though， it's a gritty world they live in and the circumstances are not always favourable。femi fadugba said his goal was to craft a journey gripping enough， and let me tell you he nailed it。 this book hits you with heart and facts， truly a thrilling read。- arc received from penguinbooksnz ✨ 。。。more
Ellen
，
Unfortunately another book which didn't hit the mark for me this month - far too much like a Maths/Physics lesson and I found myself skimming large portions of it。 I like the idea of the story but it just got far too complex for me。 Obviously the fault is with me here， I was never great at either of those subjects！ Unfortunately another book which didn't hit the mark for me this month - far too much like a Maths/Physics lesson and I found myself skimming large portions of it。 I like the idea of the story but it just got far too complex for me。 Obviously the fault is with me here， I was never great at either of those subjects！ 。。。more
thekiwibibliophile
，
3 1/2 stars - GIFTEDWhen @penguinbooksnz and @turningpagesnz sent me a proof copy of this book， I was so excited！ And it definitely payed off。。 this book is a mystery with a sci-fi element， not my favourite genre if I’m being honest。 But I really enjoyed it！！ The writing styles is great at there is a clear difference between the 2 characters perspectives。 There was a lot of jargon I didn’t really understand so I had to reread a few parts a few times and was very confused through some of it。 The 3 1/2 stars - GIFTEDWhen @penguinbooksnz and @turningpagesnz sent me a proof copy of this book， I was so excited！ And it definitely payed off。。 this book is a mystery with a sci-fi element， not my favourite genre if I’m being honest。 But I really enjoyed it！！ The writing styles is great at there is a clear difference between the 2 characters perspectives。 There was a lot of jargon I didn’t really understand so I had to reread a few parts a few times and was very confused through some of it。 The ending was bittersweet but payed off well。 The characters are not as well developed as I would have liked but I really feel for both Esso and Rhia。 An all round surprising read。 Thanks again @turningpagesnz and @penguinbooksnz 。。。more
B。S。 Casey
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South London， 2020。 A young boy called Esso gets hit by a car and the impact is life-changing。 Not his injuries， he'll recover from those， but during his accident he is transported to The Upper World。 Here， he catches a horrifying glimpse of a not-so-distant future fifteen years from now。 London looks the same， but feels different， more dangerous。 And then he sees Rhia， a lonely young girl in foster care trying to navigate struggles that feel all too familiar to him。 Now， he's only got a few day South London， 2020。 A young boy called Esso gets hit by a car and the impact is life-changing。 Not his injuries， he'll recover from those， but during his accident he is transported to The Upper World。 Here， he catches a horrifying glimpse of a not-so-distant future fifteen years from now。 London looks the same， but feels different， more dangerous。 And then he sees Rhia， a lonely young girl in foster care trying to navigate struggles that feel all too familiar to him。 Now， he's only got a few days to figure out how to escape the future he's seen and stop the single bullet that will not only destroy his life， but of this girl he won't even meet for another fifteen years。 The Upper World was the perfect blend of science， unnerving realism and something just slightly magical that gave it it's uniquely otherworldly quality。 Learning that Femi Fadugba was indeed a physicist came as no suprise， the world-building and the science behind it all felt so very real and I think I've even learned a thing or two along the way without there being anything too complex to confuse the reader。 Esso and Rhia were both so viscerally real that I couldn't help but connect with them instantly。 As we see their struggles with family， gangs， violence and just trying to grow up， it's clear that the characters were the highlight of this novel and they continued to grow and learn on every single page。 Most of characters spoke using colloquial language and slang， which if you don't understand could be confusing but just immerses the reader further in the world our duo are living in。 Innovative， engaging and unforgettable - this book is soon to be adapted by Netflix so pick up a copy now and you can say you read it before it was cool。 Thank you to Femi Fadugba， Penguin and Netgalley for this ARC in return for an honest review。 。。。more
Rebecca Rouillard
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Esso is in trouble: he was spotted in the wrong place at the wrong time and now everything is falling apart and he’s about to fulfil his mother’s fears of turning out just like his dad。 But when Esso is hit by a car， he is transported to a mysterious realm called the Upper World and has a vision of a terrible tragedy that will happen in the next few days。 Esso must work out if there is a way to go back in time and stop the bullet that will devastate not only his own life， but the life of Rhia—so Esso is in trouble: he was spotted in the wrong place at the wrong time and now everything is falling apart and he’s about to fulfil his mother’s fears of turning out just like his dad。 But when Esso is hit by a car， he is transported to a mysterious realm called the Upper World and has a vision of a terrible tragedy that will happen in the next few days。 Esso must work out if there is a way to go back in time and stop the bullet that will devastate not only his own life， but the life of Rhia—someone he will only meet in fifteen years’ time。It takes a certain amount of writerly confidence to start a YA thriller with Pythagorus' Theorem， but Femi Fadugba nails it。 ‘The Upper World’ is a brilliantly conceived and constructed story that explores Plato’s cave theory and Einstein’s Theory of Relativity against a backdrop of teen gang violence in South London。 It’s also a gripping page-turner with a huge heart—no wonder Netflix have jumped on this bandwagon。 。。。more
Kerry
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The Upper World is like nothing I have ever read。 The first thing I want to say is I completely love the dialogue in this book！ It feels really urban and realistically modern。 More of this style of writing is really needed to engage young readers。 I personally loved it but if you don't know your street slang its time to brush up and get with it， you are going to need it to follow this dialogue。The book is set in two different times， from 2 different view points。 Esso who lives in South London an The Upper World is like nothing I have ever read。 The first thing I want to say is I completely love the dialogue in this book！ It feels really urban and realistically modern。 More of this style of writing is really needed to engage young readers。 I personally loved it but if you don't know your street slang its time to brush up and get with it， you are going to need it to follow this dialogue。The book is set in two different times， from 2 different view points。 Esso who lives in South London and gets mixed up with a gang and 15 years later in 2035 we follow Rhia who's a foster child searching for answers about her parents。 A moment from the past leads them to the Upper World a place where the future can be viewed。The book covers a lot of time， space， relativity and general scientific underpinning logic。 It's quite easy to get a bit lost in it but for me， how time travel happens in this book didn't really matter。 Ultimately this is science fiction， i'm no physicist， it's unlikely I was ever going to 'get' time travel so I didn't waste to much time overthinking it。I did find the first half a little slow paced， I don't know why， a lot actually happened， it just took me a bit of settling in but there is so much I appreciate about this book。The strength of characters was a huge part of my enjoyment of the story。 Oh my goodness did chapter 18 kill me？！ I felt so strongly for the character because of the development and depth of writing leading up to the event， that I was heartbroken。 Hats off to Femi Fadugba for tearing up my emotions with very little warning， it made for a stunning chapter。 Fadugba nails the atmosphere。 In both the current world and the future world the culture and gritty reality of the South London world he builds completely shines。 If you like science fiction and time travel this book is for you！ Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin for sharing this ebook with me in exchange for my honest review。 。。。more
Denice Koduah
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The upper world is a game changer！ Femi Fadugba has developed two main characters that are incredibly engaging and believable。 The dual timeline adds an incredible dynamic to the pace and overall enjoyment of the book。 The combination of the two worlds that are science and the REAL streets of London today are depicted impeccably and done with true grace and integrity。As an older reader I can both reminisce and appreciate both characters and their journey。 The science element is illustrated in a The upper world is a game changer！ Femi Fadugba has developed two main characters that are incredibly engaging and believable。 The dual timeline adds an incredible dynamic to the pace and overall enjoyment of the book。 The combination of the two worlds that are science and the REAL streets of London today are depicted impeccably and done with true grace and integrity。As an older reader I can both reminisce and appreciate both characters and their journey。 The science element is illustrated in a very creative way that is both educational but not overpowering。 For days after reading I found myself intrigued in science and the possibility of time travel where I had never considered that world being accessible to me whilst。 I think this book has a real opportunity to captivate a younger audience that is not used to seeing themselves in books。 Would 100% recommend to any young adult and most of my older friends too。 。。。more
Colin Hardy
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This book has the makings of an interesting read。 Sadly I had difficulty with two fundamental parts of the story。 Much of the dialogue uses street-speak that is not obvious and it is easy to lose track of what is being said。 In addition， the science that underpins the plot is explained repeatedly and using analogy but is still hard to make sense of。 There is a good sense of pace and largely it is easy to follow the changes in the timeline and point of view。 The ending was a bit of an anticlimax， This book has the makings of an interesting read。 Sadly I had difficulty with two fundamental parts of the story。 Much of the dialogue uses street-speak that is not obvious and it is easy to lose track of what is being said。 In addition， the science that underpins the plot is explained repeatedly and using analogy but is still hard to make sense of。 There is a good sense of pace and largely it is easy to follow the changes in the timeline and point of view。 The ending was a bit of an anticlimax， but everything was resolved。The rating reflects my lack of comprehension and its impact on the read， perhaps with a younger audience it would be more meaningful 。。。more
Heather
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Esso is a pupil in an inner London comprehensive school， trying to navigate through friendship， girls， and gang culture。A generation later， Rhia， a gifted footballer who was brought up in care， is trying， and failing， to fit in with her team。Add a whole new “upper world” where time and space act differently， which is somehow connected to Esso’s absent father。 When under extreme stress， Esso somehow visits this world and sees various futures。Then add a lots of physics， in great detail， and explan Esso is a pupil in an inner London comprehensive school， trying to navigate through friendship， girls， and gang culture。A generation later， Rhia， a gifted footballer who was brought up in care， is trying， and failing， to fit in with her team。Add a whole new “upper world” where time and space act differently， which is somehow connected to Esso’s absent father。 When under extreme stress， Esso somehow visits this world and sees various futures。Then add a lots of physics， in great detail， and explanations of Einstein’s theory of relativity。By now， there was far too much going on for me to follow the logic of the story – I continued， but didn’t enjoy it。Thanks to Netgalley and Penguin Random House Children’s UK for the opportunity to read this book。 。。。more
Emma
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This dual POV， split timeline YA thriller is an explosive story of time-travel， precognition， and physics！ The book follows Esso in the present day， who discovers the Upper World and that he has the ability to see the future and possibly change it。 Fifteen years later， a girl called Rhia becomes involved with this， eventually becoming pivotal to the consequences of Esso’s actions。This story never had a dull moment， and the writing style lent itself to contributing to the fast-paced feel。 The plo This dual POV， split timeline YA thriller is an explosive story of time-travel， precognition， and physics！ The book follows Esso in the present day， who discovers the Upper World and that he has the ability to see the future and possibly change it。 Fifteen years later， a girl called Rhia becomes involved with this， eventually becoming pivotal to the consequences of Esso’s actions。This story never had a dull moment， and the writing style lent itself to contributing to the fast-paced feel。 The plot was really well structured， especially in terms of how the two timelines would intersect and the way that I as the reader began piecing the two stories together。 The author did a great job of leaving one perspective off on a cliffhanger， only to go back to the other perspective and leave me impatiently waiting for the story to shift back so I could get some answers！ It meant that I ended up reading about 70% of the story in one day， so it was definitely addictive！I really enjoyed both Esso’s and Rhia’s first-person narrations， as a character-driven reader I always enjoy seeing the character’s thoughts and feelings play out within the scene， which the author did a great job at portraying。 The characters also accurately portrayed teenagers in terms of their language and how they behave， which is sometimes rare in YA books。 It meant that they were flawed and made questionable decisions， but this was understandable given their ages。 I liked seeing such a high-stakes story from the perspective of individuals who didn’t know what was happening， which would definitely be the case if a teenager faced what they had to deal with！ I highly recommend this book for YA time-travel and thriller fans。 Also， it’s being adapted into a Netflix show， so definitely read it before watching that！ 。。。more
Liz Barnsley
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I loved this book。The two main characters are so engaging， the writing has it's own peculiarity and rhythm that immerses you straight into the narrative and the story is uniquely imaginative in a way that I just adored。It has physics geekery that leads to the possibilities of time travel and an emotionally charged plot wherein the race across time and space to stop and change one single moment is simply stunning in its addictive quality。 I devoured this。 I was with it all the way， edge of the se I loved this book。The two main characters are so engaging， the writing has it's own peculiarity and rhythm that immerses you straight into the narrative and the story is uniquely imaginative in a way that I just adored。It has physics geekery that leads to the possibilities of time travel and an emotionally charged plot wherein the race across time and space to stop and change one single moment is simply stunning in its addictive quality。 I devoured this。 I was with it all the way， edge of the seat moments interspersed with vividly presented quieter moments and contemplative tones made for an absolutely brilliant read that went straight onto my books of the year list。Highly recommended。 。。。more
Elle
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As much as I appreciate that this is science fiction rooted in real science， there were too many physics lessons and not enough character development in this one。 Ended up skimming the last quarter because I just wasn't invested enough to read at my usual pace。 As much as I appreciate that this is science fiction rooted in real science， there were too many physics lessons and not enough character development in this one。 Ended up skimming the last quarter because I just wasn't invested enough to read at my usual pace。 。。。more
Amy McCulloch
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Truly mindbending， fiendishly clever， original and stylish - I was blown away by this novel。 Philosophy meets physics meets Peckham - what’s not to love？ No doubt about it， The Upper World is destined to stand the test of time。
Gee
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This book makes me wish I’d paid more attention in physics at school。 However， as I didn’t， I struggled at times with the storyline but it didn’t spoil the enjoyment of reading this。 Esso and Rhia are living 15 years apart in South London， with the same point in time meaning so much to them both。 Both teenagers are characters that make you care about them， the writing is easily readable although some of the language was difficult to understand for me but then I’m not the demographic this book is This book makes me wish I’d paid more attention in physics at school。 However， as I didn’t， I struggled at times with the storyline but it didn’t spoil the enjoyment of reading this。 Esso and Rhia are living 15 years apart in South London， with the same point in time meaning so much to them both。 Both teenagers are characters that make you care about them， the writing is easily readable although some of the language was difficult to understand for me but then I’m not the demographic this book is aimed at。 I was impressed with the authentic feel of it， and can see why it’s been snapped up by Netflix。 A star in this genre。 。。。more
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=The Upper World
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=The Upper World&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,The Upper World&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0