cover image Birds of Paradise

Birds of Paradise

Oliver K. Langmead. Titan, $15.95 trade paper (368p) ISBN 978-1-78909-481-7

Meditative and elegant, this speculative novel from Langmead (Dark Star) combines a high-flying adventure plot with the pacing and poetic flourishes of magical realism. Langmead introduces Adam, the biblical first man, while he is working as security for a high-profile actor in contemporary L.A.—a job that soon turns sour, forcing Adam to take on a new identity. It’s a familiar pattern for Adam who, because he was created before death, has lived countless lives, aided by Eden’s other creatures, the platonic first animals who are able to transform into humans at will. Now Rook, a successful lawyer in his human form, asks for Adam’s help finding his brother Magpie. Adam’s search soon spirals into a quest to recover scattered flora from the Garden of Eden and save paradise from his descendants’ greed. It’s a fascinating premise and stylishly told, but occasionally the novel undercuts its own ambitions by tightly orienting the story around the U.K., introducing only half a dozen Edenic animals, and pitting the hero against an unfortunately obvious villain. Still, at its best, the sparse styling lends the novel a fairy tale quality. Readers of Neil Gaiman and China Miéville will enjoy this lyrical, ecologically minded adventure. [em](Mar.) [/em]