Reviews

All the Birds in the Sky by Charlie Jane Anders

marpesea's review against another edition

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4.0

I'm not sure how to describe this one. On a grand scale, this is the story of magic and the natural world and technology and human achievement. But at its heart, it's the story of two misfits.

Recommended for anyone who loves lyrical fantasy and character driven stories... just this time with a touch of AI and some catastrophic weather events.

hizashinori's review against another edition

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3.0

okay i read a summary for this one plus the last chapter and the narrative of science and magic working together is predictable but still fun

lauravials's review against another edition

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4.0

Este libro es rarísimo. Su primera parte, en la que los protagonistas son niños, parece completamente removida de su versión adulta, tanto en tono como construcción de mundo y trama. Leer esto fue un constante, ¿qué mierda está haciendo esta señora? Pero, al mismo tiempo, entiendo por qué la autora estructuró así todo. Porque, a pesar de que el resultado es algo bizarro, eso no lo hace malo, es más, todos estos componentes son vitales para hacer la historia lo que es: una discusión sobre nuestra sociedad, el mundo y nuestro rol dentro de todo esto.

Al final del día, aunque sus métodos son poco ortodoxos, me gustó mucho All the Birds in the Sky. Porque está escrito maravillosamente, tiene un desarrollo de personajes espectacular, utiliza el realismo mágico de forma novedosa y, además, mezcla la ciencia ficción y la fantasía como nunca lo había visto antes—y con resultados realmente interesantes. Pero sobre todo, una de las cosas que más me llegó de esta novela fue la temática que trata: el cambio climático, sus consecuencias y el eminente colapso de nuestra civilización.

No podría llamar a All the Birds in the Sky un libro distópico porque, sinceramente, lo que muestra se parece demasiado al presente como para llamarlo futurista. Estamos ya viendo los horribles efectos del cambio climático, tanto en el medio ambiente como en la política, y esta historia lo refleja con una progresión que parece completamente lógica. Creo que esa es una de las razones por las que me llegó tanto, ya que a pesar de sus diversos elementos de ficción, siempre existía una corriente de realidad fluyendo por las páginas.

Por último, no puedo dejar de mencionar a Laurence y Patricia, nuestros protagonistas y el corazón de todo esto. Ellos son la personificación de la dualidad del libro, de dos formas de ver el mundo y enfrentar problemas: ciencia versus magia. No solo los amé a ellos y su desarrollo, sino también sus roles dentro de la historia y cómo iban siempre entremezclándose. Al final, la autora creó una obra que habla sobre las personas como colectivo y nuestro lugar en el universo, ¿qué mejor manera de expresarlo que con una trama eminentemente compartida?

Este libro es rarísimo, pero el buen raro. Les prometo que nunca han leído algo parecido, así que denle una oportunidad y cuéntenme qué les parece.

kittypaws9's review against another edition

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2.0


Um ... what did I just read?
The first part as kids, I was sold. I found it interesting, though odd.
Then we move to the adult part. Why???? God, did not care as much.

The author likes to build up to these really great, tense moments and then just leaves them hanging by ending the chapter. The next chapter is always in the future.

It is basically like writing yourself in the corner multiple times, but then instead if dealing with it you just end it there and move on. Not cool. It is such a cop-out for the reader. You are robbing the reader of the best parts. The hard parts.


I DON'T KNOW is the answer. If I wasn't listening to this by audio book I would have thrown the book across the room!

And what a terrible ending.

Sigh.

kenziemcfarlane's review against another edition

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adventurous slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.75

deservingporcupine's review against another edition

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5.0

I’ve been thinking about this book a lot lately (and all end-of-the-world books, actually). I loved it more on the reread because I was paying closer attention to the story and the writing, and both are really brilliant and beautiful and fun. I also so thoroughly appreciated how the characters are all just continuing their lives while civilization slowly falls apart around them. Feels very realistic, as does the AI. And I loved the ending.

docpacey's review against another edition

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4.0

There were times in this book when I thought to myself " there are so many good, smart ideas going on that this is leading toward one of the coolest stories ever" and there were times when I thought "How did all of these cool ideas become such a mess of a story"; fortunately Anders had a plan in mind and stuck to the plan and ended up with a very satisfying , if rather messy, book.
I seldom complain that a book is over edited, but i honestly think that there was so much more to be explored in the telling of this story and its themes of man v nature, magic v technology, instinct v education that it might have benefited from a longer format. Oddly though, the way the book is paced it seemed long.
I enjoyed this enough to recommend it to friends and look forward to the next thing Anders writes, but I do hope that as she matures as a novelist she is able to find better pacing and the ability to dive deeper into her themes without sacrificing story.

Q - 3
I - 4
E - 4

Q x I + E = 16

meganihauck's review against another edition

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dark emotional medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

humito's review against another edition

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emotional lighthearted fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

mstmoo's review against another edition

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Interesting premise and world, but dialogue is clunky and juvenile (reads like very simple YA fiction). Rough start that didn't catch me, skimming through I didn't see the issues fixed. Unfortunately, I did not keep reading.