By Charlie Jane AndersReprint Edition © April 11, 2017, Tor Books
320 pages
ISBN-13: 978-0765379955
Wow. I am having a…difficult time classifying this book but will go with Post-Apocalyptic Science Fantasy crossed with ecofiction/climate fiction. All the Birds In the Sky is…different. Odd—in a good way. Groundbreaking. The writing is visionary, deep, and provocative. I can certainly see why it won a Nebula, a Locus, a Hugo, and several other awards.
The book begins with a seven-year-old girl finding an injured bird in the woods. The way those first few chapters are written, I got the feeling that this would be considered a young adult or even mid-grade story. But that changes as the story goes deeper, and the characters grow up. I didn’t even really notice, at first, that the narrative was maturing. Author Charlie Jane Anders wove this evolution into the story in seamless ways that, in hindsight, make perfect sense.
The world of Birds is on the edge. Climate catastrophe is lurking around every corner. Superstorms are a thing, and as has become the norm even in today’s society, humans have become so inured to the dangers, they no longer pay attention. Until the clues literally inundate them. But no further spoilers; suffice it to say that humanity is forced to make some hard choices, and the two main camps with potential “solutions”—one magical and one technological—cannot see eye to eye. Not only that, but their disparate ideas on how to resolve the issues are mutually exclusive. They can’t both win.
This entire story builds up to and revolves around that critical moment, and the aftermath of choices made.
There are four main characters. Three are obvious: childhood friends Patricia and Laurence (with a “u”, not a “w,” and not Larry; never Larry), and a third, who begins as a supercomputer built from spare and scavenged parts in Laurence’s closet. The relationship between them is fated. Essential. Everything that happens throughout hinges on them, even though they don’t realize their importance. And even that small detail, that they remain humble, is part of the story’s underwoven threads.
The fourth MC in Birds is Nature. Though She is never named per se, without Her presence in these pages, there would be no story. She even has a voice, especially at the end. It’s hard to say more on that without giving spoilers that are far more fun if discovered by the reader for themselves.
This is not a book of classic escapism. Birds will make your brain churn. There is a surface story, yes, but the deeper message is woven beneath that layer. To really get the most from its narrative, you have to be paying attention to every chapter, every scene, every paragraph. If it sounds like a lot of work, don’t worry. It might seem that way in the very beginning, but that feeling doesn’t last. I was quickly swept up into the story itself, and endlessly curious about where it would go next. I loved every minute, and while I am still not quite certain about the resolution at the end of the book, I do know one thing: I’ll be turning that last scene over in my mind for some time to come.
All the Birds In the Sky is a story of technology and wonder, science and magic, an exploration of how those things are different, and how they are compatible. It’s a story of choices and consequences, of ethics from different perspectives, of desperation and salvation. If you love a compelling science fantasy with urgent, dark overtones, this book should absolutely be on your TBR list. Most highly recommended.