‎Bringing Down Upworld

by Kandrel, Unciaa (Illustrator)

Life in Upworld is just as easy as it is short. Do your Duty. Take your Moan. Sex, drugs, sleep, and do your Duty again. If you're a smart Upworlder, you might even live long enough to learn the rules, but Upworld doesn't play fair, and you're always just one stupid accident away from a quick trip to the recycling tube.

So if you find that someone special, hold on to them for dear life, because chances are it won't last very long. When the inevitable does happen, how long will you carry your burden? Will you cling to that spark, or will you change the channel? Will you throw yourself from the highest peak, screaming vengeance at the gods that spawned you?

ebook

Published July 3, 2021

Reviews

[Michael Miele · Rating 4 out of 5]

A delightfully depressing apocalyptic furry story that doesn't pull its punches for a second. I've had a hard time figuring out exactly how to describe Bringing Down Upworld without also explaining a lot of the terms that come up within the first few chapters of the book. As a heads up, when you first start reading this, there will be a lot of vocabulary that you'll gradually figure out and as you do the world and how the characters move through it will become a lot clearer. The words all have an analogue we'd use like Duty can mean a job. But even then, Duty is more than a job. It is an overwhelming obligation to do your job that could kill you if you refused. That's just one example, but it gives an idea of what to keep an eye out for when reading. I felt like the world that Kandrel built out was very fleshed out and it struck a chord with me as a mirror of our own capitalistic hellscape we've made for ourselves. Chaz is a fun point of view character and his charm comes from the kind of balance that is hard to strike with a person who talks like a parody of cyberpunk protagonists but played completely straight. It has a specific charm to it and once I warmed up to how the characters talked I had a great time. At the same time, I can see that being a big turn off for folks. I would say if you're on the fence to give it at least a few chapters as the tone and cadence of the way it's written grows and refines as you get further into the story. I would say the story has stuck with me more than I expected as well most likely because I'm reading it in a period of time where our world gets closer and closer to full-on dystopia. Yet, that's where stories can show us the importance of action and resistance. A small bit at the end here as well to say that the magic trick worked on me, which is part of the reason I hadn't gotten around to reviewing this book until now.

[Alice · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'd read a couple of short stories set in Upworld, where artificially created furries exist to create products for export, and crumble into dust when they're critically injured or their work is no longer needed. This longer adventure reveals more about the factory planet and its inhabitants, as one deer rebels and goes in search of answers. But revolution is tricky when you're the only one who remembers the dead...

If you like this, you can find the short story 'Rainfall' in Abandoned Places.

[Exploding Ferret · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was excited to receive this book since I knew the author, and once I received it I was excited to read it (but I needed to finish what I was already reading first!). Once I started reading this book, though, it was hard to put down. The writer obviously cares about the characters in this story and pretty soon you will too. I won't soon forget the experience and feelings imbued upon me by this story. Could not recommend more.