Sunday, 26 November 2023 09:43 pm
Book Review: All the Birds in the Sky
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deckardcanineFrom the front cover, you would have no idea that Charlie Jane Anders' debut novel was speculative fiction. Indeed, various reviewers discuss how it doesn't fit neatly into one category. Even the summary on the back gave me little idea of what I was getting into.
The two most frequent focal characters are seen first during formative moments at age 6, then extensively as classmates circa 13, and then extensively when they meet again a decade later. The story must begin in the near future, because wunderkind Laurence deals with some tech that doesn't exist yet. Patricia discovers from communication with animals that she's a natural-born witch (no demons involved) but almost never manages any spells before a secret school invites her about halfway through the book. They're drawn together as fellow junior high outcasts. By the time they reconnect, Laurence is a rising star in the computer geek community, but emotional scars prevent him from feeling likable. Patricia's sorcerous associates, while close, hardly qualify as friends; they're always getting on her case for using her powers in unapproved ways, however well-intentioned, under the nebulous blanket term "Aggrandizement." For all the considerable differences and obstacles between them, Laurence and Patricia believe that they get each other better than anyone else does. This is especially put to the test in the third act, when witches and techies have conflicting ideas of how to handle the increasing natural disasters -- and each side entertains drastic ideas....
Yup, fantasy meets sci-fi. If you're looking for immersion in one or the other, I'm afraid they're pretty sparse on details. Only a handful of pages describe Patricia's experience at the magic school, for instance. We get plenty of the mundane mixed in. It may be just as well, because some phenomena get disconcerting, not least the self-aware A.I. (more so now than in publication year 2016).
The book also switches from YA to straight-up adult, complete with profuse swearing and fairly graphic sex. In a way, that's life for you, but it does raise some eyebrows among readers. At least the Harry Potter series didn't mature notably within a given volume.
I have to wonder about Anders' philosophy. Laurence sees ethics in terms of universal principles, while Patricia, having been exposed to more diverse views across species, deems them situational. Oddly enough, this does not provide any discernible road block between them. It is clear that the ambitious engineers value humans over other life forms while the mages wish to defend nature as a whole, but they can't be neatly divided into heroes and villains.
Indeed, the story often appears chock full of blatant jerks, sometimes exaggerated to comedic effect, other times just insufferable. I'm kind of surprised neither Laurence nor Patricia opted for suicide or mass murder; they themselves are no angels. Even the animals come across as shamelessly inconsiderate. I initially chalked this up to the YA side, appealing to teen angst and disdain for authority figures. But by the duo's adulthood, I could detect more nuance. Formerly abusive family members try to make amends, and we learn more understandable if not excusable reasons for bad moves. Heck, the third most focal figure is a hit man who violates his own organization's rules by trying to kill adolescent Patricia and Laurence, only because he believes he prophesied that they would doom the world otherwise, and he manages to evoke our sympathy. Perhaps the real lesson is that we're all part-time monsters who can improve ourselves.
The upshot is uneven and, to me, seldom approaches delightful. By the last 100 pages, I was reading more to get the book over with than to enjoy it. I can't see myself giving Anders another shot.
Wanting a break from both sci-fi and fantasy, I have picked up Uncle Tom's Cabin. If nothing else, it'll give me an informed opinion.
The two most frequent focal characters are seen first during formative moments at age 6, then extensively as classmates circa 13, and then extensively when they meet again a decade later. The story must begin in the near future, because wunderkind Laurence deals with some tech that doesn't exist yet. Patricia discovers from communication with animals that she's a natural-born witch (no demons involved) but almost never manages any spells before a secret school invites her about halfway through the book. They're drawn together as fellow junior high outcasts. By the time they reconnect, Laurence is a rising star in the computer geek community, but emotional scars prevent him from feeling likable. Patricia's sorcerous associates, while close, hardly qualify as friends; they're always getting on her case for using her powers in unapproved ways, however well-intentioned, under the nebulous blanket term "Aggrandizement." For all the considerable differences and obstacles between them, Laurence and Patricia believe that they get each other better than anyone else does. This is especially put to the test in the third act, when witches and techies have conflicting ideas of how to handle the increasing natural disasters -- and each side entertains drastic ideas....
Yup, fantasy meets sci-fi. If you're looking for immersion in one or the other, I'm afraid they're pretty sparse on details. Only a handful of pages describe Patricia's experience at the magic school, for instance. We get plenty of the mundane mixed in. It may be just as well, because some phenomena get disconcerting, not least the self-aware A.I. (more so now than in publication year 2016).
The book also switches from YA to straight-up adult, complete with profuse swearing and fairly graphic sex. In a way, that's life for you, but it does raise some eyebrows among readers. At least the Harry Potter series didn't mature notably within a given volume.
I have to wonder about Anders' philosophy. Laurence sees ethics in terms of universal principles, while Patricia, having been exposed to more diverse views across species, deems them situational. Oddly enough, this does not provide any discernible road block between them. It is clear that the ambitious engineers value humans over other life forms while the mages wish to defend nature as a whole, but they can't be neatly divided into heroes and villains.
Indeed, the story often appears chock full of blatant jerks, sometimes exaggerated to comedic effect, other times just insufferable. I'm kind of surprised neither Laurence nor Patricia opted for suicide or mass murder; they themselves are no angels. Even the animals come across as shamelessly inconsiderate. I initially chalked this up to the YA side, appealing to teen angst and disdain for authority figures. But by the duo's adulthood, I could detect more nuance. Formerly abusive family members try to make amends, and we learn more understandable if not excusable reasons for bad moves. Heck, the third most focal figure is a hit man who violates his own organization's rules by trying to kill adolescent Patricia and Laurence, only because he believes he prophesied that they would doom the world otherwise, and he manages to evoke our sympathy. Perhaps the real lesson is that we're all part-time monsters who can improve ourselves.
The upshot is uneven and, to me, seldom approaches delightful. By the last 100 pages, I was reading more to get the book over with than to enjoy it. I can't see myself giving Anders another shot.
Wanting a break from both sci-fi and fantasy, I have picked up Uncle Tom's Cabin. If nothing else, it'll give me an informed opinion.