Werthead Posted May 15, 2019 Share Posted May 15, 2019 All the Birds in the Sky by Charlie Jane Anders Two children have immense and varying gifts. Patricia is a nascent witch, can talk to animals and has a special bond with nature. Laurence is an engineering and scientific genius who has built a semi-functional AI and a two-second time machine. As children they are both dismissed as freaks, which draws them closer together. They are separated in their teenage years but fate draws them back together as adults, in a world slipping into despair from political, technological and scientific challenges. All the Birds in the Sky is the second novel by Charlie Jane Anders, a noted writer and critic best-known for co-founding SFF website io9 (for which, full disclosure, I have written the occasional piece). It's a novel rich in character and variety which develops two protagonists and has them engage in two distinct narrative threads (one science fiction, the other fantasy) which merge as the novel progresses. It's a novel which wears many hats, from coming-of-age-against-adversity YA adventure (the opening chapters), to adult relationship drama to science fiction disaster novel to a lyrical fantasy fable. Anders' strength as a novelist is moving between these subgenres with impressive ease, flipping from the YA setting to the apocalyptic SF one on a dime but never losing the book's momentum. The book has a lot of humour and drama in it (along with a topping of tragedy) and it handles these shifts in tone with skill. Core to the book's success is the characterisation of its two leads, the rigorous and logical Laurence and the more instinctive and spontaneous Patricia. The two characters gain strength from leaning on and learning from one another's differences, and overcoming their challenges by working together. Disastrous moments in the novel come from them not trusting one another or working as cross-purposes instead of pooling resources. It's a book that, above all else, focuses on the idea of empathy and understanding, and facing down challenges through cooperation rather than division. There are some undercooked moments. I would have liked to have known more about the Order of Assassins that crops up several times in the novel, and some late-book revelations about how much the scientists and magicians know about each other come out of nowhere, but otherwise this is a very fine and appropriate novel for our times. All the Birds in the Sky (****½) comes across as a fusion of Neil Gaiman (on a very good day), Diana Wynn Jones and Robert Holdstock, but with a twinkling flair to the prose that is all Charlie Jane's. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rhom Posted May 15, 2019 Share Posted May 15, 2019 You mention this is his second novel, I am unfamiliar with his work. Was the first novel similarly a mash up? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darth Richard II Posted May 15, 2019 Share Posted May 15, 2019 Heh, I hated this. I wanted to strangle the main characters from the start. also I think the author is a she Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Werthead Posted May 16, 2019 Author Share Posted May 16, 2019 9 hours ago, Rhom said: You mention this is his second novel, I am unfamiliar with his work. Was the first novel similarly a mash up? Her first novel was Choir Boy (2005), a mainstream novel about gender roles and identity. Her third is an outright SF novel, The City in the Middle of the Night, which came out a few weeks ago. She also has a short story collection, Six Months, Three Days, Five Others. Worth noting that All the Birds in the Sky won the Nebula and Locus Awards for Best Novel in the year it came out, and was nominated for the Hugo. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HexMachina Posted May 16, 2019 Share Posted May 16, 2019 10 hours ago, Darth Richard II said: Heh, I hated this. I wanted to strangle the main characters from the start. also I think the author is a she Hello internet me, we meet again i really struggled with the book, it took me so long to get through it. I found the two main characters infuriating and uninteresting so by the end i was just hoping the book would finish so i could stop reading about them Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Inkdaub Posted May 16, 2019 Share Posted May 16, 2019 I just bought this about an hour ago. Looking forward to it. Spoiler Along with several other books I want to read but can't because I'm helpless against this fucking WOT reread I have going. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darth Richard II Posted May 16, 2019 Share Posted May 16, 2019 7 hours ago, HelenaExMachina said: Hello internet me, we meet again i really struggled with the book, it took me so long to get through it. I found the two main characters infuriating and uninteresting so by the end i was just hoping the book would finish so i could stop reading about them It was a real love it or hate it book when it came out. Also some days i'm convinced you are all imaginary and this is all happening in my head. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nevarfeather Posted May 20, 2019 Share Posted May 20, 2019 I really enjoyed it, reminded me of the Night Circus with two powerful characters sort of destined to be together but destroy everything. Also love the concept of a witch and a scientist bringing about the end of the world Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HexMachina Posted May 20, 2019 Share Posted May 20, 2019 3 hours ago, Nevarfeather said: I really enjoyed it, reminded me of the Night Circus with two powerful characters sort of destined to be together but destroy everything. Also love the concept of a witch and a scientist bringing about the end of the world No wonder @Darth Richard II Hated it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.