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3.58 AVERAGE
3.58 AVERAGE
Though published over a year ago, this novel comes uncomfortably close to current events; so much so, as its darker elements unfolded my body began manifesting stress reactions; tight chest, flipping stomach, nervous need to move a lot: which either means I'm crazy or the book was really well written. I suspect it was a little of the former and a lot of the latter.
The story is built of the foundation of the relationship between Patricia Delfine, who is adept at magic --- in particular, controlling the elements of nature, and Laurence Armstead, who is a brilliant scientist/inventor. They first meet as children, lose touch through what seems like betrayal and plotting against them, and reunite accidentally (or not) in young adulthood by which time Magic versus Science has become a conflict which threatens the continuation of the world as we know it.
I don't want to give too much away, but I found particularly fulgent the construction of the Magic and Science divisions. As with the world today --- say, Democrats and Republicans --- there were schisms within each side, good and bad, with plenty of gray area folks, including the two main characters. Both Patricia and Laurence behave in ways that are less than ideal, and, too, both perform acts of dangerous selflessness. It is not a spoiler to say that when the two at last find union, there comes at the world a devastating event of unknown origin; almost as if the fates of our main characters were tied to the survival of humanity. Hmmm.
But, it's not all heavy and dystopian-lecture-y like so many novels of this genre can be. Charlie Jane Anders is often hilarious. Here, one example:
Trust hipsters to make even the collapse of civilization unbearably twee.
Damn, I wish I had written that line. Look, I'm not doing justice to this novel. What is great about this book is the way in which Charlie Jane Anders builds worlds and describes events that would qualify this as science fiction/fantasy in such a natural, organic way it defies categorization, its elements eliding also into romance, satire, and literary fiction. Here's a thought: How about we do with novels what we ought to be doing with people? Stop categorizing.
All The Birds In The Sky is a fast, compelling, provocative, steamy, witty, thought-provoking read by a literate and gifted author who tackles big ideas in a way that is sneakily entertaining. And, while just a few months ago, a novel built around a possible world war might have seemed inconceivable, sadly, now, it feels nearly documentary.
And terrifying.
The story is built of the foundation of the relationship between Patricia Delfine, who is adept at magic --- in particular, controlling the elements of nature, and Laurence Armstead, who is a brilliant scientist/inventor. They first meet as children, lose touch through what seems like betrayal and plotting against them, and reunite accidentally (or not) in young adulthood by which time Magic versus Science has become a conflict which threatens the continuation of the world as we know it.
I don't want to give too much away, but I found particularly fulgent the construction of the Magic and Science divisions. As with the world today --- say, Democrats and Republicans --- there were schisms within each side, good and bad, with plenty of gray area folks, including the two main characters. Both Patricia and Laurence behave in ways that are less than ideal, and, too, both perform acts of dangerous selflessness. It is not a spoiler to say that when the two at last find union, there comes at the world a devastating event of unknown origin; almost as if the fates of our main characters were tied to the survival of humanity. Hmmm.
But, it's not all heavy and dystopian-lecture-y like so many novels of this genre can be. Charlie Jane Anders is often hilarious. Here, one example:
Trust hipsters to make even the collapse of civilization unbearably twee.
Damn, I wish I had written that line. Look, I'm not doing justice to this novel. What is great about this book is the way in which Charlie Jane Anders builds worlds and describes events that would qualify this as science fiction/fantasy in such a natural, organic way it defies categorization, its elements eliding also into romance, satire, and literary fiction. Here's a thought: How about we do with novels what we ought to be doing with people? Stop categorizing.
All The Birds In The Sky is a fast, compelling, provocative, steamy, witty, thought-provoking read by a literate and gifted author who tackles big ideas in a way that is sneakily entertaining. And, while just a few months ago, a novel built around a possible world war might have seemed inconceivable, sadly, now, it feels nearly documentary.
And terrifying.
adventurous
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I liked this book fine. I liked the themes around nature and technology and I thought it was wonderfully written. I just felt that the story meandered too much, which some might enjoy but it just felt weirdly paced. I also didn't love the two main characters too much either. A perfectly fine book but not a huge standout.
I was with it until the last 75 pages...at that point it turned into a completely bizarre story...trees and computers hooking up? I can't...
This book is one of those that feels like it was written just for me. I can see why some didn't love it, but this is going on my all time favorites list.
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Aggressively "okay," but worlds better than her follow up, which came out earlier this year (for one thing, I was able to actually finish this book—the follow up is a rare DNF for me). Both Anders' books have the same issues in that there's no world there. A pencil sketch of a world, sure, but nothing has any weight or impact—we're told of things happening but don't really experience them for ourselves, or truly see their impact on the characters. Interestingly, it's the same problem I have with all Sawyer books (or at least the garbage handful I've read): nothing has any weight because the world is an idea and not a living, breathing thing.
A lot of this is accentuated by the fact that nothing in this book gels. Like, at all. The various tech and magic details, the environment, the crises facing the Earth... it's as if the author had the bones of a half dozen short stories that didn't at all fit together but she tried to bundle them as a package anyway, using twine... or, in this case, assholes.
Because that's another problem I have: over two books now I haven't been able to stand a single character Anders has written. I'm all for unlikable protagonists, but the tone with which every character is presented in this book is "smarmy jackass," and that becomes exhausting very quickly. There's no chemistry, no personality to any of them. They're a collection of quips and bullet-point character details, but not actually characters themselves.
I tried. I've had a lot of people recommend this book to me over the years since its release, but I think this is it for me and Anders. Her style does not fit my storytelling desires, not one bit. Glad I gave this a shot, but I will not be signing up for whatever comes next.
A lot of this is accentuated by the fact that nothing in this book gels. Like, at all. The various tech and magic details, the environment, the crises facing the Earth... it's as if the author had the bones of a half dozen short stories that didn't at all fit together but she tried to bundle them as a package anyway, using twine... or, in this case, assholes.
Because that's another problem I have: over two books now I haven't been able to stand a single character Anders has written. I'm all for unlikable protagonists, but the tone with which every character is presented in this book is "smarmy jackass," and that becomes exhausting very quickly. There's no chemistry, no personality to any of them. They're a collection of quips and bullet-point character details, but not actually characters themselves.
I tried. I've had a lot of people recommend this book to me over the years since its release, but I think this is it for me and Anders. Her style does not fit my storytelling desires, not one bit. Glad I gave this a shot, but I will not be signing up for whatever comes next.
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes