Topside

by J. N. Monk, Harry Bogosian (Illustrator)

Overview

A wild outer-space fantasy about fixing your mistakes and the friends you meet along the way.

When Jo, a headstrong maintenance technician, makes an error that destabilizes her planet's core, she only knows one way to fix things: leaving her underground home for a trip to the planet's dangerous, unruly surface. Soon she's wandering through deserts, riding on the backs of giant beasts, and cutting deals with con artists and bounty hunters. Meanwhile, agents of the core are in hot pursuit. J. N. Monk and Harry Bogosian (co-creators of the web-comic StarHammer) present a wild outer-space fantasy about fixing your mistakes and the friends you meet along the way.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781541572850
Publisher:	Lerner Publishing Group
Publication date:	10/01/2019
Pages:	200
Sales rank:	832,242
Product dimensions:	5.90(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.50(d)
Age Range:	12 - 17 Years

About the Author

J. N. Monk is a Midwesterner with a song in their heart. They've lived in a lighthouse, an active volcano, and Florida but always return to the heartland. They love travel, superheroes, food, and cats and wish that everyone knew the lyrics and steps to the musical number in their soul.
They live in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Harry Bogosian is a freelance Illustrator and comic artist from New York City. Since graduating Pratt
Institute in 2009 he has drawn monsters for video game companies, done freelance work for books, and nowadays primarily makes comics and graphic novels. There is nothing he enjoys more than making new fantastical worlds, and filling them with his creations.

Editorial Reviews

"An intriguing mix of adventure and wonder and the mundane, both quietly epic and very personal. Wonderful art. Highly recommended."—Jeff VanderMeer, Annihilation

From the Publisher

10/25/2019

Gr 5–8-Josephine Wilson is a busy mechanic responsible for maintaining the mechanical systems that her community needs to survive. Jo and her family live in the interior of the planet, where everything is run by a society called the Core; the surface is said to be a wasteland. When she accidentally leaves something behind on a repair job and causes additional damage, she attempts to fix the problem before it can be discovered. She forges an authorization to retrieve raw materials from the surface of the planet and ventures Topside. Her transgression is noticed by a young agent for the Core, who sets out to bring her back. A motley crew of bizarre characters, including a walking, talking shark and a lightbulb wearing a bow tie, help and hinder her quest. Navigating this dangerous and unpredictable path requires the skills of each member of the group. Jo learns that she is uniquely qualified to fix her world but that she can't do it alone. Monk has crafted a surreal yet warm tale of a young heroine coming into her own. Bogosian's fully saturated, at times chaotic panels are most compelling when directly accompanied by Monk's narration; without these textual cues, readers may have a difficult time determining which way is up. VERDICT This compelling, offbeat journey will resonate with future Douglas Adams fans.-Jennifer Costa, Cambridge Public Library, MA

School Library Journal

2019-07-21
When a small mistake quickly snowballs, a young girl of color braves the strange surface of her planet to prove she can set things right.

In a crumbling subterranean society like the Interior, repair technicians are essential, and Jo Wilson is one of the best. Skilled, vigilant, and committed to doing her job well and without help, Jo wants nothing more than to demonstrate her competence and expand her opportunities to fix what is broken. So when a minor mistake turns into a major problem, Jo is determined to rectify the situation on her own (and ideally before any Interior agents take notice) by traveling to the planet's ungoverned surface. But with forged papers, a clandestine mission, a con artist guide, and bounty hunters in pursuit, trouble is inevitable. Monk (editor: Enough Space for Everyone Else, 2016) has crafted a work that demonstrates the dynamic narrative balance so distinctive of science fiction in which a technology- and action-heavy plot is driven by thoughtful character motivations. Bogosian's (Kringlewart and the Crookedest Christmas Tree, 2016) art follows through with visual depth for a planetary setting that literally comes alive and a refreshingly gender-expansive and racially diverse cast. Some readers may be a bit disappointed with a conclusion that falls short in narrative complexity, but the likelihood of sequels for further exploration is an effective balm.

Immersive, mysterious, and just the right amount of trippy. (Graphic science fiction. 12-17)

Kirkus Reviews

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