Book Review
Aug. 26th, 2017 04:41 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
kenjariAll the Birds in the Sky
by Charlie Jane Anders
This book is a marvelous mixture of fantasy and sci-fi. Patricia and Laurence are two very odd children, both outcasts among their peers, who find each other and forge a friendship that is equally tenuous and tenacious. Patricia start developing magical powers , which includes the ability to communicate with animals and tap into the powers of nature, Laurence turns out to be a scientific and technological genius, building an AI in his closet, among other things. While they end up on sharply separated paths, they meet again as young adults in San Francisco. Laurence is part of a group attempting to avert an apocalyptic future through dangerous technology. Patricia is a member of a loose collective of witches who work quietly under the radar to alleviate the world's ills. As the world teeters on the brink, events bring Patricia and Laurence both closer together and into conflict.
I really enjoyed this book. The characters were very interesting - I liked how despite their powers and accomplishments, both Laurence and Patricia were often awkward and not always perfectly likeable. I also loved the themes around balance and inter-relatedness that came out in the ways magic and technology worked in the world. There's a lot of charm and wit to the story and the writing, but it doesn't get too precious. Plus, the plot puts it into the rare category of a pre-apocalyptic novel. My only complaint is that it could have been longer so as to have more space to linger on some of the details of world-building and the inner lives of the characters.
by Charlie Jane Anders
This book is a marvelous mixture of fantasy and sci-fi. Patricia and Laurence are two very odd children, both outcasts among their peers, who find each other and forge a friendship that is equally tenuous and tenacious. Patricia start developing magical powers , which includes the ability to communicate with animals and tap into the powers of nature, Laurence turns out to be a scientific and technological genius, building an AI in his closet, among other things. While they end up on sharply separated paths, they meet again as young adults in San Francisco. Laurence is part of a group attempting to avert an apocalyptic future through dangerous technology. Patricia is a member of a loose collective of witches who work quietly under the radar to alleviate the world's ills. As the world teeters on the brink, events bring Patricia and Laurence both closer together and into conflict.
I really enjoyed this book. The characters were very interesting - I liked how despite their powers and accomplishments, both Laurence and Patricia were often awkward and not always perfectly likeable. I also loved the themes around balance and inter-relatedness that came out in the ways magic and technology worked in the world. There's a lot of charm and wit to the story and the writing, but it doesn't get too precious. Plus, the plot puts it into the rare category of a pre-apocalyptic novel. My only complaint is that it could have been longer so as to have more space to linger on some of the details of world-building and the inner lives of the characters.
