All The Birds In The Sky

[psocoptera]

It's science vs magic in Charlie Jane Anders' All The Birds In The Sky! This is a neat book, very contemporary, simultaneously "big" in the mythic sense and very personal. I've liked her short fiction for awhile so I was all set to like this. Some of the early parts turned out to be somewhat hard going for me - I think I've lost appetite for stories about bullied/isolated/misunderstood/abused misfit youngsters, I don't have the identification with such characters that I once did, I'm too likely to wonder what story the one-dimensional parent characters think they're in. I mean, I'm not trying to deny the appeal or value of these stories in general, I just may not be the audience. Anyways, I thought things picked up once we jumped to adulthood, so maybe don't give up until Book Three, if you're having doubts. There's some really clever stuff here, and some real emotional resonance.

You might like it if you liked: Lev Grossman's The Magicians (but without the misogyny), Mieville's Kraken (but less gonzo), American Gods, Holly Black's faerie books, possibly Charles Stross.

Content notes: implied animal harm, loss of parents.