Book Review: All the Birds in the Sky
All the Birds in the Sky by Charlie Jane Anders (plus my cute lil owl)
I first read All the Birds in the Sky by Charlie Jane Anders in 2018, about a year after I moved to San Francisco. I was going through a “books about San Francisco” phase, and I loved loved loved it. Ever since I started this blog, I have been wanting to re-read it so I could give it a proper review.
All the Birds in the Sky is a:
Story about friendship and love
Homage to the power and majesty of nature
Homage to the power and majesty of technology
Love letter to San Francisco
Introduction to the sci-fi/fantasy genre for those of us who don’t read many books that fall into that category
I will admit, I was slightly worried that after 3 years and a cross-country move, I might not love the book as much as I did the first time. But I needn’t have worried.
All the Birds in the Sky tells the story of two friends, Laurence and Patricia, who grow up as outcasts. Laurence, a geeky wunderkind, builds a portable 2-second time machine and an artificially intelligent computer system before he finishes middle school. Patricia, an empathetic nature lover, discovers she can speak to animals, fly, and cast spells before she hits puberty. The two form an unlikely friendship before a series of bullies, obtuse parenting decisions, and other misfortunes split them apart.
They reunite some years later as adults in San Francisco. Laurence is now a snappy, successful engineer at a hot tech startup. He and his team are developing anti-gravity wormhole technology as an escape plan in case things like climate change and human stupidity lead to the destruction of our planet. Patricia is a trained witch working day jobs to support her true calling: healing the planet from things like climate change and human stupidity. After a number of awkward run ins, the pair strikes up a tentative renewed friendship.
At the crux of this friendship (and by extension, the novel) is a critical question: should we spend our time and resources trying to fix the mess we’ve created on this planet, or should we focus our energy on starting fresh somewhere else?
One of my absolute favorite parts of this book is the beautiful San Francisco scenery. The first time I read the book, I lived in the Richmond District and smiled every time Patricia patrolled Golden Gate Park. Laurence’s startup is located in SOMA, and he takes his girlfriend Serafina out to dinner at unnamed but easily imaginable trendy restaurants. There is a scene when Laurence’s roommate Isobel misses one bus by a matter of seconds and then her second, connecting bus, is canceled, and if that isn’t the most relatable public transformation nightmare for an SF resident, I don’t know what is.
Another thing I loved: this book is a very accessible addition to the fantasy/sci-fi genre (a genre NPR calls “science-fantasy”). I have tried reading some of the more intense fantasy genre books and felt overwhelmed by the world-building you needed to follow a long with. For example, I made the mistake of starting a virtual bookclub at the beginning of the pandemic with someone I met on Hinge to read The Name of the Wind. Remind me to never do that again (at least the Hinge part, but I suppose I’d be willing to give the book another try). The barrier to enjoying the story a hardcore fantasy novel is too steep for me — too many creatures and laws and wars to keep track of.
All the Birds in the Sky is not like that at all. I absolutely love that it is set in a real world setting. Anders seamlessly integrates magical and fantastical elements into real life. It’s beautifully done and believable, to the point where I found myself forgetting that there aren’t really witches in San Francisco (although one memorable event I attended at the Botanical Gardens about the mystical healing power of plants might suggest otherwise; the event definitely had a very witchy vibe).
All the Birds in the Sky is a book of paradigms: nature and technology, healing and hurting, escapism and confrontation, magic and reality. Most importantly to me, it’s a book about friendship and San Francisco, two things I really love reading about.
You can buy All the Birds in the Sky here.
Rating: 4 stars
Rating Scale:
5 Stars: I love this book!!!
4 Stars: Pretty good
3 Stars: Good
2 Stars: Not for me
1 Star: Truly dislike