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3.58 AVERAGE
3.58 AVERAGE
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Interesting but not cliche battle of magic and science. Good chemistry between protagonists
Witches vs. Tech Bros in a story about love in the time of the apocalypse.
Oh, and one foul-mouthed chicken (get it?! Fowl.)
Anyway, All the Birds in the Sky is just awesome. I literally almost couldn’t put it down. I listened to pretty much the whole thing in one go (stupid responsibility), only to finish the last two chapters this morning. I can’t wait to read more by Charlie Jane Anders.
Oh, and one foul-mouthed chicken (get it?! Fowl.)
Anyway, All the Birds in the Sky is just awesome. I literally almost couldn’t put it down. I listened to pretty much the whole thing in one go (stupid responsibility), only to finish the last two chapters this morning. I can’t wait to read more by Charlie Jane Anders.
Omg this book is crazy and upsetting and wonderful and packed with everything I love! Seriously there's magic and talking animals and AI and death rays and it's fantasy and sci-fi and post-apocalyptic and so crazy but soooooo good!
I love her attention to details where she talks about huge world events that happened in their recent past (our near future) like it's just something everyone knows like we would talk about Arab Spring or Hurricane Katrina. She puts in pop culture that hasn't happened yet for us (seriously I need to hear dubthrash) and it just gives a realness to what is a crazy bonkers story.
I
Seriously, you should read this book.
I love her attention to details where she talks about huge world events that happened in their recent past (our near future) like it's just something everyone knows like we would talk about Arab Spring or Hurricane Katrina. She puts in pop culture that hasn't happened yet for us (seriously I need to hear dubthrash) and it just gives a realness to what is a crazy bonkers story.
I
Spoiler
love that the AI isn't evil, taking down the human race, or trying to do anything more than make people happy and find them love. This is one of my favorite all time AI charactersSeriously, you should read this book.
I can summarize my reading experience in three words: I expected more.
But I'm sure you are dying for more details! Here you go:
The book I'm reminded of most with this one is The Magicians by Lev Grossman. It's got the same sort of hipster take on what it might really be like to be a magician/mad scientist, the same sort of detached tone, the same characters that are kind of hard to like.
Anders takes a bit of a different approach in that she skips over the whole part about wizard/mad scientist school. Instead, she focuses on the mundane schools that Patricia and Lawrence attend before they find where they truly belong. And then the rest of the book is about what happens after they leave school and decide what they want to do with their lives.
Because of the book's tone, I was never sure how seriously to take anything. Horrible, horrible bullying takes place, to the point that I couldn't believe in it. Parents were entirely unsympathetic, unlikable, dumb and cruel. No dimension to them whatsoever. I know that most kids feel this way about their parents at some point and some are quite justified in those feelings, but again I wondered if I was really supposed to buy into it emotionally.
The book felt like several short stories put together. It had that same sort of punch to the tone, but not the follow through that you need from a novel.
Most of my book club liked this better than I did. I wanted characters I could empathize with or a world worth exploring, or a plot that moved. I'm a bit surprised that this has gotten all the award nominations this year, and has won its share as well. It's not an awful book, but I don't find it stands out among other books from this year. But it did get a LOT of publicity, and it is an easy read.
But I'm sure you are dying for more details! Here you go:
The book I'm reminded of most with this one is The Magicians by Lev Grossman. It's got the same sort of hipster take on what it might really be like to be a magician/mad scientist, the same sort of detached tone, the same characters that are kind of hard to like.
Anders takes a bit of a different approach in that she skips over the whole part about wizard/mad scientist school. Instead, she focuses on the mundane schools that Patricia and Lawrence attend before they find where they truly belong. And then the rest of the book is about what happens after they leave school and decide what they want to do with their lives.
Because of the book's tone, I was never sure how seriously to take anything. Horrible, horrible bullying takes place, to the point that I couldn't believe in it. Parents were entirely unsympathetic, unlikable, dumb and cruel. No dimension to them whatsoever. I know that most kids feel this way about their parents at some point and some are quite justified in those feelings, but again I wondered if I was really supposed to buy into it emotionally.
The book felt like several short stories put together. It had that same sort of punch to the tone, but not the follow through that you need from a novel.
Most of my book club liked this better than I did. I wanted characters I could empathize with or a world worth exploring, or a plot that moved. I'm a bit surprised that this has gotten all the award nominations this year, and has won its share as well. It's not an awful book, but I don't find it stands out among other books from this year. But it did get a LOT of publicity, and it is an easy read.
adventurous
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Wowza. Loved it will read again. Hope and despair and despair and hope sprinklered with the complications of love and friendship
Nice mix of magic and science fiction with a splash of romance. Makes you truly think about the damage humankind is doing to our planet.
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
informative
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes