Upended

by P a Kramer

384 pages, Paperback

Published January 30, 2026

Reviews

[bob morrell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Upended is an action science fiction sandwich: action at the beginning and end, and literal world building in the middle. A deadly lab accident creates a bubble of weightless matter, including a building full of people. What happens next is a gripping escape through an upended environment predicated on well thought out science. The main character, a scientist, escapes with his life by recognizing the scientific implications of what is going on around him. Then the story moves to a closed environment similar to Kramer's previous book, "Motus", this one a preserve of weightless matter and individuals. There, he solves problems in the traditional hard science way, (also as in Motus, with a dose of chemistry and biology). But the character also shows the human side of science: personnel issues, team building, management and bureaucracy. Then trouble brews in a closed room mystery that eventually erupts into an action-packed ending.
Like "Motus," whenever I put this book down, I tried to guess where it was going, and imagine what I would do. Because it is obviously the beginning of a series, it leaves some unresolved, and you will want more. "Upended" is a quick and engaging read. I for one would pay to watch the weightless sport invented in the book, and the discussion of fluffy, zero-G omelets left me hungry. Most importantly, the book paints a more rounded picture of the modern professional scientist, avoiding the tropes of the mad scientist, or the obtuse unfathomable genius. In a time when real science is under attack, I appreciated this more realistic portrait.

[Sean Randall · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed everything about this book, which felt as if it were channeling the true spirit of a proper speculative fiction science story. Kramer's left the way open for plenty of follow-on work in the same world if they so choose, and I for one would preorder today!