All the Birds in the Sky

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With All the Birds in the Sky, Anders has given us a fresh set of literary signposts — and a new bundle of emotional metaphors — for the 21st century, replacing the so many of the tired old ones. Oh, and she’s gently overturned genre fiction along the way.” — Jason Heller, NPR The eagle leaned her white fluffy head forward and studied Patricia. “So you’re to be the new witch in our forest, are you?”

LAURENCE AND PATRICIA sat under the up escalator at the mall. They each had a Double Chocolate Ultra Creamy Super Whip Frostuccino with decaf coffee in it, which made them feel super grown up. They were lulled by the machinery working right over their heads, the wheel of steps going around forever, and they had a view of the big fountain, which made a friendly splashing noise. Soon both their drinks were nothing but throaty snorty noises as they took the last pulls on their straws, and they were both blitzed on sugar. The craziest thing about Charlie Jane Anders’ book is how it remains so intimate and accessible despite genre jumping… All that magic and science only highlights how special it is to find that someone whose companionship feels like it could defy tragedy.” — Cesar R. Bustamante, Jr.,New York Daily NewsA girl in UGG boots was a supermodel who had stolen the secret formula for hair so shiny it brainwashed anyone who saw it, said Patricia, and she was hiding at the mall, where nobody would ever expect a supermodel to go.

Somehow Patricia knew the way to the place where the Parliament had met when she was a little girl. She wondered if she was dreaming all this, but it had too many funny details, like the highway construction closing one lane in the middle of the night—who would dream that up?—and it all seemed totally real. Patricia just shrugged. “I guess people are always going to have something, right?” She was this weird fidgety girl, with eyes that looked brown sometimes and green sometimes, and dark straight hair that never defrizzed. a b c Webb, Richard (August 30, 2016). " All The Birds In The Sky. Book Review". British Fantasy Society. Archived from the original on October 26, 2020 . Retrieved April 11, 2017. Look at her. She’s just laughing at us,” Patricia’s mother said, as if Patricia herself weren’t standing right there. “We need to show her we mean business.”But now they’re both adults, living in the hipster mecca San Francisco, and the planet is falling apart around them. Laurence is an engineering genius who’s working with a group that aims to avert catastrophic breakdown through technological intervention. Patricia is a graduate of Eltisley Maze, the hidden academy for the world’s magically gifted, and works with a small band of other magicians to secretly repair the world’s every-growing ailments. Little do they realize that something bigger than either of them, something begun years ago in their youth, is determined to bring them together—to either save the world, or plunge it into a new dark ages. The second phase of Laurence’s plan involved going face-to-face with his mom right after he’d robbed her. He caught up with her when she’d just woken up, still bleary in her marigold robe, and told her there was a school field trip and he needed her to write a note saying it was okay for him to go. (He had already figured out a great universal truth, that people never asked for documentation of anything, as long as you asked them for documentation first.) Laurence’s mom pulled out a stubby ergonomic pen and scrawled a permission slip. Her manicure was peeling. Laurence said it might be an overnight trip, in which case he would call. She nodded, bright red curls bouncing. Anders’ humor elevates this marvelous book above the morass of dystopian novels that have flooded the literary landscape. So does her ability to portray a realistic yet original vision of the near-future, especially in her depiction of the Caddy, a smartphone-like device that relies on serendipity (and which, one hopes, will soon be available in various colors). The result feels like one of William Gibson‘s baroquely complex worlds, aerated by lighter-than-air dialogue and an engaging, diverse cast of supporting characters you’d love to meet at your next end-of-the-world party. a b Harris, James Wallace (March 10, 2016). " All the Birds in the Sky by Charlie Jane Anders Offers Philosophical Inspiration and Hope". SF Signal. Archived from the original on July 7, 2022 . Retrieved April 10, 2017.

My biggest fear about the apocalypse isn’t being eaten by cannibals,” a character says wryly. “It’s the fact that in every other postapocalyptic movie you see someone with an acoustic guitar by the campfire.” This geeky, spiritual love story is strong enough to keep listeners riveted, and [Alyssa] Bresnahan’s performance is the icing on a very tasty cake.” — Audiofile Magazine THE CLASSROOMS ON the western side of Canterbury Academy’s pale cement mausoleum had windows facing the parking lot, the sports fields, and the two-lane highway. But the east windows looked down a muddy slope to a stream, beyond which an uneven fringe of trees shivered in the September wind. In the school’s stale-marshmallow-scented air, Patricia could look east and imagine running wild. a b Holloway, Samantha. "All the Birds in the Sky". New York Journal of Books . Retrieved June 29, 2017.Patricia.” Laurence held out his hand and she hoisted it three times. “So was that actually a time machine?” she asked. “You’re not joking or whatever?” James Tiptree, Jr. Award: Gender-bending SF". Internet Speculative Fiction Database . Retrieved April 10, 2017.