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Lessons in Birdwatching
Lessons in Birdwatching is a darkly comic, politically charged novel set in a post-earth future, where beings—human and otherwise—careen towards annihilation in service of zealotry and nihilism alike.
During their temporary research post on Apech—a planet ravaged by a time distorting illness—Wilhelmina Ming and four other elite students of the Crysthian empire have witnessed such illogical brutality that they’ve resorted to psychedelic antidepressants and group sex to take the edge off. After a night of indulgence following a gruesome execution, they wake to find an oblique warning in the form of an impaled corpse dangling from the exterior of their residence.
When their subsequent investigation uncovers a web of collusion and conspiracy in the ranks of their own diplomatic corps, the envoys find themselves caught in the middle of a bloody civil war. As bodies pile up above ground, a deranged fanatic stokes an existential threat below, coaxing the embers of a forgotten god, and its temporal virus, to life.
During their temporary research post on Apech—a planet ravaged by a time distorting illness—Wilhelmina Ming and four other elite students of the Crysthian empire have witnessed such illogical brutality that they’ve resorted to psychedelic antidepressants and group sex to take the edge off. After a night of indulgence following a gruesome execution, they wake to find an oblique warning in the form of an impaled corpse dangling from the exterior of their residence.
When their subsequent investigation uncovers a web of collusion and conspiracy in the ranks of their own diplomatic corps, the envoys find themselves caught in the middle of a bloody civil war. As bodies pile up above ground, a deranged fanatic stokes an existential threat below, coaxing the embers of a forgotten god, and its temporal virus, to life.
- GenresScience FictionFiction
295 pages, Paperback
First published August 8, 2023
51 people are currently reading
695 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 75 reviews
August 16, 2023
Review originally on JamReads
Lessons in Birdwatching is the debut novel of Honey Watson, a sort of sci-fi book which, to be fair, lands in the wtf territory, a really brave and interesting proposal that won't let you indifferent. A mysterious sci-fi world poisoned by an unknown disease is the setting which we will explore through the eyes of some elite students from another planet in the Chrystian Empire.
Wilhelmina Ming and her four peers are researching the time distorting disease, and honestly, the whole research has turned into a hell for their minds; they are spectators of acts of brutality that go totally against their logic. To cope with this, they decide to use unconventional methods, such as psychedelics and group acts; after a particularly hard night, they awake to a really disturbant vision, an impaled corpse outside of their residence.
An investigation gets started on this, which soon turns to be more dangerous and darker than they expected, uncovering a conspiracy involving their diplomatic corps and that might end with a civil war. And at the same time, our group will start a journey of self-discovery, forced by the cultural shock they are immersed; revealing that not all the intentions are as pure or academical as they thought.
This book is an absolute experience, which might be a hit or miss, depending on finding the adequate reader; for moments, you can feel your brain melting by the amount of small details fit inside. Watson shows an excellent use of the prose to jump between different genres, but maintaining the continuity in the plot; it is difficult to think that this is a debut novel.
While the story is serious during most of the time, Watson doesn't lose a moment to introduce some more comical moments to alleviate the tension that for moments is growing inside the reader (bordering Discworld in that aspect)
Lessons in Birdwatching is a novel that you will love if you are ready to open your mind and leave alone any preconceived idea, the same way our characters need to do on the alien planet. A debut that puts Honey Watson on the list of authors I want to auto-read in anything they publish.
Lessons in Birdwatching is the debut novel of Honey Watson, a sort of sci-fi book which, to be fair, lands in the wtf territory, a really brave and interesting proposal that won't let you indifferent. A mysterious sci-fi world poisoned by an unknown disease is the setting which we will explore through the eyes of some elite students from another planet in the Chrystian Empire.
Wilhelmina Ming and her four peers are researching the time distorting disease, and honestly, the whole research has turned into a hell for their minds; they are spectators of acts of brutality that go totally against their logic. To cope with this, they decide to use unconventional methods, such as psychedelics and group acts; after a particularly hard night, they awake to a really disturbant vision, an impaled corpse outside of their residence.
An investigation gets started on this, which soon turns to be more dangerous and darker than they expected, uncovering a conspiracy involving their diplomatic corps and that might end with a civil war. And at the same time, our group will start a journey of self-discovery, forced by the cultural shock they are immersed; revealing that not all the intentions are as pure or academical as they thought.
This book is an absolute experience, which might be a hit or miss, depending on finding the adequate reader; for moments, you can feel your brain melting by the amount of small details fit inside. Watson shows an excellent use of the prose to jump between different genres, but maintaining the continuity in the plot; it is difficult to think that this is a debut novel.
While the story is serious during most of the time, Watson doesn't lose a moment to introduce some more comical moments to alleviate the tension that for moments is growing inside the reader (bordering Discworld in that aspect)
Lessons in Birdwatching is a novel that you will love if you are ready to open your mind and leave alone any preconceived idea, the same way our characters need to do on the alien planet. A debut that puts Honey Watson on the list of authors I want to auto-read in anything they publish.
April 5, 2024
Lessons in Birdwatching is a fascinating book that takes an unusual approach to its characters and narrative. It could become a standard response for those asking for a book in its specific niche. I haven't read much else like it.
The ostensible protagonist, Wilhelmina Ming, is evil. She's not an anti-hero. The usual arguments of "greater good", "good intentions", "misguided", "following orders", "indoctrinated" or anything else in an attempt to justify actions don't apply. All she wants is power and the freedom to do whatever she wants to whomever she wants. This is evident from the beginning. It's not some later twist or reveal. If this were Star Wars, she'd be a Sith apprentice, and by that analogy she finds her Sith Master. This isn't a bad thing. There are secondary viewpoint characters, but I found them to be far less salient and mostly only existing to show what was going on elsewhere.
I'm also conflicted and I hope what I've written reflects that, though it may come off as far more critical than intended. I like the book. It's more so that there are limiting factors to my enjoyment. If this is the first book of a series, then it could go in all sorts of ways and retroactively improve my rating. I'd read more. If it's standalone, then well, huh. The greatest limitation to my enjoyment is that when I finished it, it felt entirely incomplete, not in terms of its narrative, which has a fully contained story, but rather of meaning. It felt like a body without an animating force, or to use an in-universe term, the book itself was a tama. It frustrates me that I feel like I don't have any idea how far away I was from its intended perspective.
The description provided by the publisher was the primary draw for to me read this. It states that the book is a "...a darkly comic, politically charged novel set in a post-earth future, where beings—human and otherwise—careen towards annihilation in service of zealotry and nihilism alike." I thought that would be an exaggeration, but maybe its nihilism is the entire point. There's a scene where the book's title could be literally meant, probably as a morbid joke, though I don't agree with it being called darkly comic. If the title is metaphorical then I can only guess wildly. Another part reads "...ravaged by a time distorting illness" which is true, though the mind and body horror aspects of the illness are more of a focus. The time distortion does have a major role, but it's not that relevant to where the story's focus lies. I admit I was a bit disappointed when the "psychedelic antidepressant and group sex" turned out to be not much more than a k-hole cuddle puddle, at least by how the scene was briefly described. The erotic grotesque scene made much more of an impression, not in a bad way, though that's not really my thing.
I received this DRC from Angry Robot through NetGalley.
The ostensible protagonist, Wilhelmina Ming, is evil. She's not an anti-hero. The usual arguments of "greater good", "good intentions", "misguided", "following orders", "indoctrinated" or anything else in an attempt to justify actions don't apply. All she wants is power and the freedom to do whatever she wants to whomever she wants. This is evident from the beginning. It's not some later twist or reveal. If this were Star Wars, she'd be a Sith apprentice, and by that analogy she finds her Sith Master. This isn't a bad thing. There are secondary viewpoint characters, but I found them to be far less salient and mostly only existing to show what was going on elsewhere.
I'm also conflicted and I hope what I've written reflects that, though it may come off as far more critical than intended. I like the book. It's more so that there are limiting factors to my enjoyment. If this is the first book of a series, then it could go in all sorts of ways and retroactively improve my rating. I'd read more. If it's standalone, then well, huh. The greatest limitation to my enjoyment is that when I finished it, it felt entirely incomplete, not in terms of its narrative, which has a fully contained story, but rather of meaning. It felt like a body without an animating force, or to use an in-universe term, the book itself was a tama. It frustrates me that I feel like I don't have any idea how far away I was from its intended perspective.
The description provided by the publisher was the primary draw for to me read this. It states that the book is a "...a darkly comic, politically charged novel set in a post-earth future, where beings—human and otherwise—careen towards annihilation in service of zealotry and nihilism alike." I thought that would be an exaggeration, but maybe its nihilism is the entire point. There's a scene where the book's title could be literally meant, probably as a morbid joke, though I don't agree with it being called darkly comic. If the title is metaphorical then I can only guess wildly. Another part reads "...ravaged by a time distorting illness" which is true, though the mind and body horror aspects of the illness are more of a focus. The time distortion does have a major role, but it's not that relevant to where the story's focus lies. I admit I was a bit disappointed when the "psychedelic antidepressant and group sex" turned out to be not much more than a k-hole cuddle puddle, at least by how the scene was briefly described. The erotic grotesque scene made much more of an impression, not in a bad way, though that's not really my thing.
I received this DRC from Angry Robot through NetGalley.
June 13, 2023
It took me a few days to write this review because I was still mulling this book over. Watson is a skilled writer with a vivid imagination, but ultimately this one didn’t work for me. Lessons in Birdwatching follows a group of students from the Crysthian Empire during their time on Apech, a planet that wants to join the empire and whose culture and customs are almost totally incomprehensible to the Crysthians. The citizens of Apech are afflicted with an illness that can affect their perception of time and sometimes leaves people as tama, nearly mindless shells of their former selves who do menial tasks and are treated with contempt.
This is a book that rewards careful reading. Watson’s worldbuilding is layered and very detailed, and she frequently plays with the gap between her omniscient narrator’s knowledge and the knowledge of the characters. I really enjoyed how immersive the world building was and how slow Watson was to reveal what was going on. There are no infodumps here. The plot is heavy on intrigue, deception, and Imperial politics. The political maneuvering was well done and there were several reveals of information that surprised me.
Another thing I liked: the characters in the novel are well-drawn, with convincing motivations. I want to be clear—almost no one (maybe even no one) is very likable here. Wilhelmina Ming, the main character, is evil. She seems to have no affection for others, no moral compunctions, and is a sadist. Having unlikeable characters, even unlikeable main characters, is never a dealbreaker for me, but this isn’t the kind of novel where evil gets punished. Also, Lessons in Birdwatching is very, very heavy on the gore and body horror, so be aware going in that it’s going to get gross.
So why didn’t I like it, given that Watson is such an accomplished writer on a technical level? Once I finished the novel I wasn’t sure exactly what Watson was trying to do here. The ending left me with an empty feeling and a kind of shrug. It wasn’t a story where we follow the smart, evil character to their eventual triumph and where the pleasure is watching them out scheme everyone else. It wasn’t a conventional horror/everyone dies ending either. The publisher’s blurb mentions nihilism and careening towards annihilation, which might be the best way to sum it up. Maybe the novel is supposed to be a paean to nihilism?
There were a few other things that were really dealbreakers for me. Spoilers ahead.
As I said above, Watson is an accomplished writer. I won’t say I am sorry I read this, but I wouldn’t read it again. I would, however, give her work another try for the plot machinations and world building alone.
Thanks to the publisher and to NetGalley for an early copy of this book.
This is a book that rewards careful reading. Watson’s worldbuilding is layered and very detailed, and she frequently plays with the gap between her omniscient narrator’s knowledge and the knowledge of the characters. I really enjoyed how immersive the world building was and how slow Watson was to reveal what was going on. There are no infodumps here. The plot is heavy on intrigue, deception, and Imperial politics. The political maneuvering was well done and there were several reveals of information that surprised me.
Another thing I liked: the characters in the novel are well-drawn, with convincing motivations. I want to be clear—almost no one (maybe even no one) is very likable here. Wilhelmina Ming, the main character, is evil. She seems to have no affection for others, no moral compunctions, and is a sadist. Having unlikeable characters, even unlikeable main characters, is never a dealbreaker for me, but this isn’t the kind of novel where evil gets punished. Also, Lessons in Birdwatching is very, very heavy on the gore and body horror, so be aware going in that it’s going to get gross.
So why didn’t I like it, given that Watson is such an accomplished writer on a technical level? Once I finished the novel I wasn’t sure exactly what Watson was trying to do here. The ending left me with an empty feeling and a kind of shrug. It wasn’t a story where we follow the smart, evil character to their eventual triumph and where the pleasure is watching them out scheme everyone else. It wasn’t a conventional horror/everyone dies ending either. The publisher’s blurb mentions nihilism and careening towards annihilation, which might be the best way to sum it up. Maybe the novel is supposed to be a paean to nihilism?
There were a few other things that were really dealbreakers for me. Spoilers ahead.
As I said above, Watson is an accomplished writer. I won’t say I am sorry I read this, but I wouldn’t read it again. I would, however, give her work another try for the plot machinations and world building alone.
Thanks to the publisher and to NetGalley for an early copy of this book.
August 1, 2023
People were surprised that I wanted to read this because birds. But I didn't think this would be a bird book, so I went for it. And good news, it is not a bird book! Bad news is, that didn't really help with me liking it, so. Now, it wasn't bad bad, but it just never fully clicked for me, so I will do a likes-dislikes thing because I love those. Can I also say, this could definitely all just be me not jibing with the book? Because that could be it too! Read on!
What I Enjoyed:
►It is located in a post-Earth, far flung planet. Idk anything about said planet (see below, I assume) but it's cool that there are multiple species trying to live together in harmony. Especially considering that we all know how well humans do that. (I also enjoyed that the author certainly acknowledged this fact!)
►I did quite enjoy some of the secondary characters and was invested in their fates. Now, I did not feel the same about the "main" character (I use that loosely since there are quite a few characters' viewpoints that are offered, which is good because if you're anything like me, you don't want to hang out in Ming's head the whole book), but the secondary characters were more... tolerable? Multifaceted? Sure let's go with that. Also, they were kind of funny at times, which helped.
What I Struggled With:
►I loathed Ming. In fairness, I think we are supposed to loathe her? But it's hard to read a book where the main character just gets to be crappy and that is... kind of the point? Like they're all just willing to continue being awful no matter the consequences, and to me that seems short sighted to the point of being unbelievable, I guess. But she, and most of the people aside from a few, are just next level unlikable, so I had a hard time caring about what happened to them.
►I was confused at times. I really don't love being super lost in a book. I don't mean in the way that I don't know what is going to happen next, that is fun! But the feeling of just simply not understanding is frustrating for me. Some people are cool with it, so if that's you, ignore me! But yeah, I didn't have a good grasp on which group was which, who was on which side, and if anyone was any good or if it was just "which bad guy is going to come away victorious?". There were people being introduced, but I didn't have the faintest clue as to how or where they fit into the story, and in fairness, I eventually just stopped trying to figure it out because they all sucked anyway. And I also didn't fully understand the world building, either, and why certain groups ended up on certain planets, other than the general concept of trying to take over whatever they want whenever they want.
►The way they treated the tama was bad-bad. And look, I get that it is supposed to be bad, and I have read some downright horrifying things in my day, but usually there is some kind of... retribution? Consequence? But no, here it is just fine to assault the feeble-minded, use them for whatever, and then get rid of them. I just wanted some justice, any justice, but alas.
►The synopsis claimed it was comic but... I just didn't get too much in the way of comedy, frankly. They nailed the dark bit at least. At no point did I think it was dark humor, though, just... bleak darkness. And that is a very different thing.
►I felt underwhelmed by the ending. I could not figure out if we even found out all the fates of the characters, but by that point I had mostly given up caring, so. I just had a very overwhelming feeling of "wait so that was it?", and simply did not feel satisfied by the conclusion. I also didn't feel particularly mad at that point either, in fairness.
Bottom Line: I so wanted to love this one, especially since the whole bird thing didn't even come into play. But alas, it just didn't hit the mark for me.
You can find the full review and all the fancy and/or randomness that accompanies it at It Starts at Midnight
What I Enjoyed:
►It is located in a post-Earth, far flung planet. Idk anything about said planet (see below, I assume) but it's cool that there are multiple species trying to live together in harmony. Especially considering that we all know how well humans do that. (I also enjoyed that the author certainly acknowledged this fact!)
►I did quite enjoy some of the secondary characters and was invested in their fates. Now, I did not feel the same about the "main" character (I use that loosely since there are quite a few characters' viewpoints that are offered, which is good because if you're anything like me, you don't want to hang out in Ming's head the whole book), but the secondary characters were more... tolerable? Multifaceted? Sure let's go with that. Also, they were kind of funny at times, which helped.
What I Struggled With:
►I loathed Ming. In fairness, I think we are supposed to loathe her? But it's hard to read a book where the main character just gets to be crappy and that is... kind of the point? Like they're all just willing to continue being awful no matter the consequences, and to me that seems short sighted to the point of being unbelievable, I guess. But she, and most of the people aside from a few, are just next level unlikable, so I had a hard time caring about what happened to them.
►I was confused at times. I really don't love being super lost in a book. I don't mean in the way that I don't know what is going to happen next, that is fun! But the feeling of just simply not understanding is frustrating for me. Some people are cool with it, so if that's you, ignore me! But yeah, I didn't have a good grasp on which group was which, who was on which side, and if anyone was any good or if it was just "which bad guy is going to come away victorious?". There were people being introduced, but I didn't have the faintest clue as to how or where they fit into the story, and in fairness, I eventually just stopped trying to figure it out because they all sucked anyway. And I also didn't fully understand the world building, either, and why certain groups ended up on certain planets, other than the general concept of trying to take over whatever they want whenever they want.
►The way they treated the tama was bad-bad. And look, I get that it is supposed to be bad, and I have read some downright horrifying things in my day, but usually there is some kind of... retribution? Consequence? But no, here it is just fine to assault the feeble-minded, use them for whatever, and then get rid of them. I just wanted some justice, any justice, but alas.
►The synopsis claimed it was comic but... I just didn't get too much in the way of comedy, frankly. They nailed the dark bit at least. At no point did I think it was dark humor, though, just... bleak darkness. And that is a very different thing.
►I felt underwhelmed by the ending. I could not figure out if we even found out all the fates of the characters, but by that point I had mostly given up caring, so. I just had a very overwhelming feeling of "wait so that was it?", and simply did not feel satisfied by the conclusion. I also didn't feel particularly mad at that point either, in fairness.
Bottom Line: I so wanted to love this one, especially since the whole bird thing didn't even come into play. But alas, it just didn't hit the mark for me.
You can find the full review and all the fancy and/or randomness that accompanies it at It Starts at Midnight
October 9, 2023
This book was hard to read and harder to review. With multiple point of views where the dialogues seem very current like and not a post-Earth far away distant alien planet. I am surprised its the language that constantly threw me off than anything in this book. Even with a lot of references to modern day communism and progressive left politics, it was lacking in characters who I could follow through the very end. I just didn't care for the evil Ming or the questionable other characters as well.
However, the world building here is pretty spectacular. As plot progresses, the world also expands and evolves introducing intricacies of the society, science and the universe that has come to be.
Thanks to Angry Robot and Net Galley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
However, the world building here is pretty spectacular. As plot progresses, the world also expands and evolves introducing intricacies of the society, science and the universe that has come to be.
Thanks to Angry Robot and Net Galley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
November 28, 2023
Started out not knowing what the f was happening but intrigued to see it all develop. Then understood what was happening, and became absolutely horrified. Several moments that were by far the darkest and most disturbing scenes I’ve ever read in any literature and it wasn’t worth it for their symbolic purposes. Horrible ending. Cannot think of a single person I’d recommend this to. Two star rating because I will never read anything like this again, which is meant as both a compliment and an insult to this book.
August 3, 2023
I received this ARC from Angry Robot in exchange for a fair review.
A befuddling political sci-fi set on a world with a fascinating disease, Lessons in Bird Watching is dark, confounding, and very odd.
This is one of those books where I think I’m missing something or perhaps missing a few things. I’m not sure if it was me not paying enough attention (somehow? because I enjoyed the author’s style and the story moves at a great pace) or if it’s just a confusing book.
This book definitely doesn’t go or do what you expect. Much like the weird creature/entity from the book itself, it often feels like a rolling bolus of bonkers. As such, it’s quite compelling, despite how sometimes the book throws some really gross stuff at you. The imagery and world-building are immersive, as what seem like metaphors often turn into literal descriptions, giving the planet a sort of strangeness that is palpable. We aren’t told much, being forced to infer the state of the planet and people and the mysterious time-bendng disease (which I still don’t fully understand) from the dialogue and action rather than info-dumping, which I did appreciate, but at times I did find myself a little lost.
Despite the often gruesome and gory and off-putting things that happen in the novel, it is funny at times, mainly in the dialogue. The main characters, except for one, are woefully inept at the situation they find themself in, and their frustration and sometimes rants are quite entertaining. I will admit I laughed in a few places, as much as in others I was reading with my hand over my mouth. Yet, while that stuff is gross, it’s somehow palatable, perhaps because the prose is quite detached from the story and therefore almost distances you from it. The book is bleak, so this stuff fits with the tone, or at least most of it (there were two things I don’t think it needed, gore-wise).
The plot, from what I gather, deals with political machinations and a fight for control over the planet’s destiny within an expanding empire, but I wasn’t entirely feeling the stakes. This could be because all the characters who have any sort of stake in the planet we either know nothing about or are incredibly unlikeable. Normally when it comes to political factions, there’s one you want to root for, but I was confused as to what each person wanted or what they served to gain. The Apechi leaders I had trouble telling a part.
Ming is a downright evil, sadistic psychopath, though we come to realize the depths of her villainy as the story progresses. Yet, because she was always vying for power, this doesn’t feel like a seduction or corruption story, so, because she’s the one we get the most time with, I was unsure whether I was supposed to be rooting for her or against her. Her actions are vile and flummoxing at times, which didn’t feel entirely necessary as all it did was cement that she was somewhat, well, off her rocker. I wasn’t entirely sure what she wanted or why what she was doing in several instances would get it for her (like the ending).
Of the students, I thought Peter’s vapidness was entertaining - he was good as comic relief - and I enjoyed how he stayed true to himself, despite how he was a bit foolish. Jasef was the only one I really liked, but even then, I wasn’t sure what his goals were either, at least at the end. Achira and Ar don’t get enough time to really care about them.
There is a battle scene in the novel that is excellent, though I would have cared more about the outcome if I’d understood what everyone was fighting for (I mean, I do understand, but more at the micro level, not in general).
Overall, would I recommend this book? It would have to be to the right person, but I’m not sure who that is.
A befuddling political sci-fi set on a world with a fascinating disease, Lessons in Bird Watching is dark, confounding, and very odd.
This is one of those books where I think I’m missing something or perhaps missing a few things. I’m not sure if it was me not paying enough attention (somehow? because I enjoyed the author’s style and the story moves at a great pace) or if it’s just a confusing book.
This book definitely doesn’t go or do what you expect. Much like the weird creature/entity from the book itself, it often feels like a rolling bolus of bonkers. As such, it’s quite compelling, despite how sometimes the book throws some really gross stuff at you. The imagery and world-building are immersive, as what seem like metaphors often turn into literal descriptions, giving the planet a sort of strangeness that is palpable. We aren’t told much, being forced to infer the state of the planet and people and the mysterious time-bendng disease (which I still don’t fully understand) from the dialogue and action rather than info-dumping, which I did appreciate, but at times I did find myself a little lost.
Despite the often gruesome and gory and off-putting things that happen in the novel, it is funny at times, mainly in the dialogue. The main characters, except for one, are woefully inept at the situation they find themself in, and their frustration and sometimes rants are quite entertaining. I will admit I laughed in a few places, as much as in others I was reading with my hand over my mouth. Yet, while that stuff is gross, it’s somehow palatable, perhaps because the prose is quite detached from the story and therefore almost distances you from it. The book is bleak, so this stuff fits with the tone, or at least most of it (there were two things I don’t think it needed, gore-wise).
The plot, from what I gather, deals with political machinations and a fight for control over the planet’s destiny within an expanding empire, but I wasn’t entirely feeling the stakes. This could be because all the characters who have any sort of stake in the planet we either know nothing about or are incredibly unlikeable. Normally when it comes to political factions, there’s one you want to root for, but I was confused as to what each person wanted or what they served to gain. The Apechi leaders I had trouble telling a part.
Ming is a downright evil, sadistic psychopath, though we come to realize the depths of her villainy as the story progresses. Yet, because she was always vying for power, this doesn’t feel like a seduction or corruption story, so, because she’s the one we get the most time with, I was unsure whether I was supposed to be rooting for her or against her. Her actions are vile and flummoxing at times, which didn’t feel entirely necessary as all it did was cement that she was somewhat, well, off her rocker. I wasn’t entirely sure what she wanted or why what she was doing in several instances would get it for her (like the ending).
Of the students, I thought Peter’s vapidness was entertaining - he was good as comic relief - and I enjoyed how he stayed true to himself, despite how he was a bit foolish. Jasef was the only one I really liked, but even then, I wasn’t sure what his goals were either, at least at the end. Achira and Ar don’t get enough time to really care about them.
There is a battle scene in the novel that is excellent, though I would have cared more about the outcome if I’d understood what everyone was fighting for (I mean, I do understand, but more at the micro level, not in general).
Overall, would I recommend this book? It would have to be to the right person, but I’m not sure who that is.
August 23, 2023
Lessons in Birdwatching is a mind-bending, fast-paced read that plays with the reader’s ignorance. Like the hapless grad students from Crysth, the reader enters Lon Apech without a clue about what’s going on — or any of the key players’ true motivations. Its depiction of visitors in an ooky spooky alien land reminds me of Jeff Vandemeer’s Southern Reach trilogy, which is a high compliment.
Watson plays with big themes — colonialism, contradiction, and language, to name just a few — but the novel isn’t stuffy or overly cerebral. At base, we’re watching people murder, scheme, and play with some very dangerous forces beyond their control, and we’re trying to figure out exactly why they’re making the choices that they are. To that end, the writing is snappy and sharp and jam-packed with relevant details. No skimming, or you’ll find yourself confused in a few pages. Watson demands that her reader be dialed in (and rewards you for your efforts).
Some reviewers seem to have struggled with the reader’s initial cluelessness and the shifting sands of the characters’ motivations. Personally, I found Watson’s choices to be playful and got a big kick out of it. My advice is to embrace the twists and turns and trust that all will be revealed. If you’re not sure exactly what’s going on at a particular juncture, chances are, you’re just around the corner from a bombshell.
Overall, I think this is a book best enjoyed twice — once as a hapless passenger, and once again with an appreciation for the characters’ agendas. I liked it on first read and LOVED it on second read.
Exciting debut, much fun.
Watson plays with big themes — colonialism, contradiction, and language, to name just a few — but the novel isn’t stuffy or overly cerebral. At base, we’re watching people murder, scheme, and play with some very dangerous forces beyond their control, and we’re trying to figure out exactly why they’re making the choices that they are. To that end, the writing is snappy and sharp and jam-packed with relevant details. No skimming, or you’ll find yourself confused in a few pages. Watson demands that her reader be dialed in (and rewards you for your efforts).
Some reviewers seem to have struggled with the reader’s initial cluelessness and the shifting sands of the characters’ motivations. Personally, I found Watson’s choices to be playful and got a big kick out of it. My advice is to embrace the twists and turns and trust that all will be revealed. If you’re not sure exactly what’s going on at a particular juncture, chances are, you’re just around the corner from a bombshell.
Overall, I think this is a book best enjoyed twice — once as a hapless passenger, and once again with an appreciation for the characters’ agendas. I liked it on first read and LOVED it on second read.
Exciting debut, much fun.
January 10, 2025
It wasn’t for me although the setting is genuinely intriguing and the worldbuilding is solid.
November 21, 2023
I fought with Lessons In Birdwatching, not all its own fault admittedly. My first attempt I got distracted and lost the train of things about a third of the way through. The second time I finished it but there was quite a lot of reading through adversity going on. Lessons In Birdwatching is hard fantasy sci-fi, in as much as its set on a future planet, with an alien people interacting with what may be human ambassadors. The book has to pack a lot into its world-building, and plays a relatively light touch, hoping we will pick things up as we witness the conflict. Basically a survey group is embedded in a semi-feudal indigenous society with very complex military class and castes. The group have resorted to drugs and group sex to entertain themselves and are thoroughly unprepared when a murder happens and they slowly get drawn into it.
The blurbs suggest Dune and Ninefox Gambit as touchstones here, and there is certainly that kind of world-building density. But I never grabbed a character or concept to latch on to properly, and found myself re-reading passages to try and work out what had happened. It does come together in the last third, the apocalyptic threat is made real and there is a massive ramp up from what seemed to be almost a chamber piece about bored researchers at the start. But it never really grabbed me, which might be me, but I think is partially it.
The blurbs suggest Dune and Ninefox Gambit as touchstones here, and there is certainly that kind of world-building density. But I never grabbed a character or concept to latch on to properly, and found myself re-reading passages to try and work out what had happened. It does come together in the last third, the apocalyptic threat is made real and there is a massive ramp up from what seemed to be almost a chamber piece about bored researchers at the start. But it never really grabbed me, which might be me, but I think is partially it.
Read
August 4, 2025DNF- just felt so complicated and didn’t know what was going on at all.
November 10, 2023
Honey Watsons debut is something I've been looking forward to for a long time. I've followed her on Twitter for a few years now, and heard whispers and details of this novel and future writing for as long. I am not disappointed now that I've closed the book; this is an enthralling and deranging sci fi debut.
Crysth is an empire. Like most, it expands and consumes and imposes structure and form. Different factions, all with different hierarchies, goals and rules, intertwine to create the expanseless, aching machine of empire. Within this system, a group of not-friends and barely colleagues, work together to bring the Apechi world into the fold. This world is tainted by a strange ailment that horrifies and intrigues.
This novel is about plots. This novel is about desires, hunger and greed. This novel at its core is deeply political and passionate. Layers of factions, politics, and goals work together to create a truly engaging novel that never stops until the final page. Throughout the story, a robust tapestry is formed of the universe in which it is set. The functioning and purpose of offices, the goals and desires of its participants, and the alienness or boundaries that challenge it. Within it all there are numerous perspectives on events - interpretations rendered, conclusions drawn, decisions made - which layer on top of each other to create an almost endlessly entangled web of the story. It's easy to get caught up in the different rationalizations given by characters, deceits, half truths, earnest offerings, and hopeful demands. But the truth is somewhere far grimier than them all, and Ming is leading us there.
There is bountiful detail to this story that will engage any sci fi fan. But within this is a range of sexuality, violence - and a marriage of the two - that may unsettle. If this is something you can stomach, I wholly recommend it.
The book is odd. It's told in a third person omnipotent style, that shifts tense and awareness constantly. Sometimes you're not told who a character you're following is, only little details of context slowly trickle in to reveal. Sometimes you're told how a character will feel later about something now. And there's even a section where an entire, major event is told in future tense and then skipped over entirely. It's unusual at first, but it all forms together to create this unsettling, Lovecraftian tone that dominates the novel. At its core this is a story of obsessive desires, a need to control, and things that cannot be controlled. The shifts in time, perspective and tense all fit aptly with the descriptions of the Apech illness, and even more so with the horror at the core of the novel. The slow build into eldritch horrors and unknowable haunts is effective at making this debut stand out from other "military sci fi" (which while on its face this novel does fit within, the trajectory of it is nothing but.)
I cannot wait for more from Watson in the future. And after I've let the imagery of flesh and corpses leave my mind, I might read this again.
Crysth is an empire. Like most, it expands and consumes and imposes structure and form. Different factions, all with different hierarchies, goals and rules, intertwine to create the expanseless, aching machine of empire. Within this system, a group of not-friends and barely colleagues, work together to bring the Apechi world into the fold. This world is tainted by a strange ailment that horrifies and intrigues.
This novel is about plots. This novel is about desires, hunger and greed. This novel at its core is deeply political and passionate. Layers of factions, politics, and goals work together to create a truly engaging novel that never stops until the final page. Throughout the story, a robust tapestry is formed of the universe in which it is set. The functioning and purpose of offices, the goals and desires of its participants, and the alienness or boundaries that challenge it. Within it all there are numerous perspectives on events - interpretations rendered, conclusions drawn, decisions made - which layer on top of each other to create an almost endlessly entangled web of the story. It's easy to get caught up in the different rationalizations given by characters, deceits, half truths, earnest offerings, and hopeful demands. But the truth is somewhere far grimier than them all, and Ming is leading us there.
There is bountiful detail to this story that will engage any sci fi fan. But within this is a range of sexuality, violence - and a marriage of the two - that may unsettle. If this is something you can stomach, I wholly recommend it.
The book is odd. It's told in a third person omnipotent style, that shifts tense and awareness constantly. Sometimes you're not told who a character you're following is, only little details of context slowly trickle in to reveal. Sometimes you're told how a character will feel later about something now. And there's even a section where an entire, major event is told in future tense and then skipped over entirely. It's unusual at first, but it all forms together to create this unsettling, Lovecraftian tone that dominates the novel. At its core this is a story of obsessive desires, a need to control, and things that cannot be controlled. The shifts in time, perspective and tense all fit aptly with the descriptions of the Apech illness, and even more so with the horror at the core of the novel. The slow build into eldritch horrors and unknowable haunts is effective at making this debut stand out from other "military sci fi" (which while on its face this novel does fit within, the trajectory of it is nothing but.)
I cannot wait for more from Watson in the future. And after I've let the imagery of flesh and corpses leave my mind, I might read this again.
November 6, 2023
I have never been more confused as to who characters were or who was speaking or what was happening than when I was reading this book. It was like coming in in the middle of the retelling of a fever dream about aliens and gods. I mean, were there two almost exact characters called Peter? But with different last names? But maybe not? Was it supposed to be like the tama - seeing the future/present all at once? My brain could not compute.
May 22, 2025
In the distant future, some students of the Empire are studying on a new colony planet that's under semi-quarantine because of a past infection of some kind of disease that cause time sickness of some kind where they see the future before it happened.
I can't say I particularly liked this book, or violently disliked it... I just had a lot of trouble getting into it. Part of it is a very specific reason, that I might have looked past, except there were other, more general issues I found with it. Let's start with the specific reason, which is that it's a science fiction book with fantasy elements, like demons and gods and magic. Not something I generally am into, with a few exceptions. And, for a time, I was even prepared to take on faith that the book was one of those exceptions, because at times they do pay lip service to the idea that demons aren't really demons, magic aren't really magic, it's just a convenient label they give. Except... the author doesn't ever explain or even suggests how they might work in a sci-fi context (as far as I could tell... for other reasons, at a certain point, my eyes had a tendency to skim over things and read less focusedly than I normally do), and for all intents and purposes, they behave as though they're just supernatural facts of life. But, okay... it's a minor case of Not My Thing, but if I really get invested in everything, easy enough to look past.
Except... not really. I never really felt like I got enough of a grip on things to get invested, and speaks to a more general problem of 'too much novelty', which sounds weird, but allow me to explain. Speculative fiction obviously contains elements that are new and unfamiliar to the reader, and often some of the joy of reading it is not understanding and waiting as you gradually come to understand this new world. But, usually, it's one or two elements that are 'strange' and everything else anchoring you. Maybe you don't understand the world, but the characters feel real to you. Maybe dragons or robots or clones are in charge of everything, but how the government actually works is fairly easy to grasp, like a totalitarian government or corrupted meritocracy. Sometimes writers can get away with a LOT of novelty, in different areas, but the more they throw at once, the more careful a dance they have to do to make it intelligible, or the better writer they have to be in general, or both. This book... threw too much novelty at me at once to really feel like I had enough solid ground to enjoy and explore it from. The characters seemed disaffected (at best, evil at worst) academics of various sorts drowning their sorrows in drugs and cheap sex and weird obsessions that eventually lead into sadism and scenes of abuse of innocents and pretty disgusting body horror, and I never felt like I related to or liked or was particularly interested in any one of them. Maybe they're weird because they also all come from a society from a strange political system where different factions that you're born into control different aspects of society, and I never really got a full grasp of how that worked though plotting and scheming between the factions seemed to be a factor. They're on an alien planet where people suffer a disease that affects their perception of time in ways that violate causality and is potentially interesting but I'm not sure was ever really explored all that well, they're just all kind of sick of it. And there's magic, and demons, and gods in this universe too, threatening to impact the story at any moment without any good explanation of how they work or make sense in a sci-fi world. I started out wanting to give all this novelty a chance to charm me and draw me into a story but... eventually, I was still reading, but not caring very much, not really feeling any particular reason why I should support one group of characters goals over another. By the time I got to the end, it compounded this with what felt like a 'to be continued' ending. I'm not even entirely sure about that. It could be an ending where the author assumed you'd care enough about what was going on to be following it closely and realizing that one side in a conflict getting what looked like a temporary upper hand was in fact a satisfying conclusion because it turned out they were the protagonists and the upper hand they got was logically about to turn the whole thing in their favor and that the consequences to everybody from it should be fairly obvious. Me personally though, I don't know or care who was winning or why (honestly, I'm writing this a month or so after reading and I don't even REMEMBER who seemed to be winning or what victory looked like anymore) and it looked like they were expecting the reader to tune in to another book to find out what happened next.
Except... I don't care enough? So I will not find out what happens next and I'm left with the feeling I was given a story that was incomplete and all that hoping that all that novelty would make sense and gel in my mind was for naught. The novel was certainly ambitious, and maybe my mind just wasn't in a state for all it had to offer, and others would really enjoy it. But for me, the book's a two star read at best. Okay. Some interesting points and ideas and even a few isolated moments, but on the whole, it didn't get me to care enough even to have a good sense of what was going on.
I can't say I particularly liked this book, or violently disliked it... I just had a lot of trouble getting into it. Part of it is a very specific reason, that I might have looked past, except there were other, more general issues I found with it. Let's start with the specific reason, which is that it's a science fiction book with fantasy elements, like demons and gods and magic. Not something I generally am into, with a few exceptions. And, for a time, I was even prepared to take on faith that the book was one of those exceptions, because at times they do pay lip service to the idea that demons aren't really demons, magic aren't really magic, it's just a convenient label they give. Except... the author doesn't ever explain or even suggests how they might work in a sci-fi context (as far as I could tell... for other reasons, at a certain point, my eyes had a tendency to skim over things and read less focusedly than I normally do), and for all intents and purposes, they behave as though they're just supernatural facts of life. But, okay... it's a minor case of Not My Thing, but if I really get invested in everything, easy enough to look past.
Except... not really. I never really felt like I got enough of a grip on things to get invested, and speaks to a more general problem of 'too much novelty', which sounds weird, but allow me to explain. Speculative fiction obviously contains elements that are new and unfamiliar to the reader, and often some of the joy of reading it is not understanding and waiting as you gradually come to understand this new world. But, usually, it's one or two elements that are 'strange' and everything else anchoring you. Maybe you don't understand the world, but the characters feel real to you. Maybe dragons or robots or clones are in charge of everything, but how the government actually works is fairly easy to grasp, like a totalitarian government or corrupted meritocracy. Sometimes writers can get away with a LOT of novelty, in different areas, but the more they throw at once, the more careful a dance they have to do to make it intelligible, or the better writer they have to be in general, or both. This book... threw too much novelty at me at once to really feel like I had enough solid ground to enjoy and explore it from. The characters seemed disaffected (at best, evil at worst) academics of various sorts drowning their sorrows in drugs and cheap sex and weird obsessions that eventually lead into sadism and scenes of abuse of innocents and pretty disgusting body horror, and I never felt like I related to or liked or was particularly interested in any one of them. Maybe they're weird because they also all come from a society from a strange political system where different factions that you're born into control different aspects of society, and I never really got a full grasp of how that worked though plotting and scheming between the factions seemed to be a factor. They're on an alien planet where people suffer a disease that affects their perception of time in ways that violate causality and is potentially interesting but I'm not sure was ever really explored all that well, they're just all kind of sick of it. And there's magic, and demons, and gods in this universe too, threatening to impact the story at any moment without any good explanation of how they work or make sense in a sci-fi world. I started out wanting to give all this novelty a chance to charm me and draw me into a story but... eventually, I was still reading, but not caring very much, not really feeling any particular reason why I should support one group of characters goals over another. By the time I got to the end, it compounded this with what felt like a 'to be continued' ending. I'm not even entirely sure about that. It could be an ending where the author assumed you'd care enough about what was going on to be following it closely and realizing that one side in a conflict getting what looked like a temporary upper hand was in fact a satisfying conclusion because it turned out they were the protagonists and the upper hand they got was logically about to turn the whole thing in their favor and that the consequences to everybody from it should be fairly obvious. Me personally though, I don't know or care who was winning or why (honestly, I'm writing this a month or so after reading and I don't even REMEMBER who seemed to be winning or what victory looked like anymore) and it looked like they were expecting the reader to tune in to another book to find out what happened next.
Except... I don't care enough? So I will not find out what happens next and I'm left with the feeling I was given a story that was incomplete and all that hoping that all that novelty would make sense and gel in my mind was for naught. The novel was certainly ambitious, and maybe my mind just wasn't in a state for all it had to offer, and others would really enjoy it. But for me, the book's a two star read at best. Okay. Some interesting points and ideas and even a few isolated moments, but on the whole, it didn't get me to care enough even to have a good sense of what was going on.
January 18, 2024
If an evil magic taxidermist told you to get into a hole, and you're like sure I'll get into the hole, this book is for you.
April 30, 2024
A vibechad's response to the plotcels' domination of SFF.
February 17, 2025
(For anyone interested) Trigger Warnings include Body Horror, Graphic Violence, and Sex.
An indecisive three stars. Almost two.
This book is... interesting. I would say it's mainly not for me. Body horror isn't really my thing. I don't really love when my honest reaction to a scene in a book is ewwww what the fuck what the fuck (and then it kinda just goes downhill from there). Personal taste. I will say in this instance it lacks a lot of what makes me dislike a book with body horror in that it's not like, every single page and it's not gratuitous. In my opinion, there are scenes that make me recoil but they are all very narratively purposeful and impactful as opposed to a "shits and giggles" gross out fest.
In a vacuum, the narrative is interesting and I honestly wished the author leaned a bit more into playing with tenses. I want more of the messing with time. We get a taste of it but I just feel like there's a lot of missing narrative and stylistic potential here. Super interesting creature! Super interesting affliction! We barely talk about it! We barely see it! There's also some interesting play here with Witnissing and Looking Away. What we see and what we don't see. I wish this was a little more present as well, as there is the beginning of something fascinating there.
Speaking of "more"-- this book does just have a lot of interesting concepts. The empire? The factions? The demons? The fluidity with time? The culture? The tama? I wish there was more depiction and exploration. I'm curious! I have many questions! I want to know more about the world and the people we are working with here!
I'm very character driven and honestly, a lot of character was missing for me. In order to have a devastating climax, we need to have a clear and impactful "before". To me, we don't really have that here. We have, like, half of it. As a result, a lot of the *gasp!* moments fall flatter than I really want them to. How old are the characters/what are they like? What are their personalities like? I want more of Ming on the Daily before everything goes crazy. I want more of Ar and Achira. I want Peter to be more than "the guy who says fuck all the time". I want a dynamic between Gris and Agnes. I don't leave with any strong feelings about these People or what's Happened To Them. This to me is the biggest sin.
I will say with a book for body horror it doesn't always go overboard for me. Some scenes had me gagging (like the first Needle scene...). But there are actually times when I... want more description (which is crazy for me, which means you know somethings really missing). I want to *feel* the horror. I think this shortcoming is mainly in setting. For example-- describe the lab to me more. I want to be terrified by the environment itself here. In the end, i felt let down by that scene to that extent. And on a wider scale. We get glimpses of the city but it's still not super vivid to me. I want the mood to be set by the setting. Again, re: everything else I've said. More detail! I want to know the people and the city and the streets and their attitudes. I want more culture.
A lot of things are one and done. The back mentions the "horrifying customs" but the trial at the beginning is the only "show". The horror really leans mostly into the depravity of the characters completely by accident (and in error). Yeah, the characters are coping with a lot of their behaviors, but I want to see more of what they're coping with. We interact with the main leaders of these factions extremely briefly. The culture and context (which makes political intrigue novels good) is barely there.
Entwined with all this is just a baseline complaint about pacing which I barely mention because the pacing issue for me is entirely wrapped up in the detail issue.
Ultimately: an interesting book with an interesting narrative but ultimately leaves me just wanting more from what we were given. Establishing details that add a lot of enjoyment to a narrative for me are missing. A lot of it is like... I get it but it's not vivid. I get it but it's bland. I get it but it so easily could have been more. Just another 50 or fewer pages overall could have added so so much. In the end, I mostly just feel an acute absence of what makes a book like this shift from "interesting concept" to "enjoyable narrative."
An indecisive three stars. Almost two.
This book is... interesting. I would say it's mainly not for me. Body horror isn't really my thing. I don't really love when my honest reaction to a scene in a book is ewwww what the fuck what the fuck (and then it kinda just goes downhill from there). Personal taste. I will say in this instance it lacks a lot of what makes me dislike a book with body horror in that it's not like, every single page and it's not gratuitous. In my opinion, there are scenes that make me recoil but they are all very narratively purposeful and impactful as opposed to a "shits and giggles" gross out fest.
In a vacuum, the narrative is interesting and I honestly wished the author leaned a bit more into playing with tenses. I want more of the messing with time. We get a taste of it but I just feel like there's a lot of missing narrative and stylistic potential here. Super interesting creature! Super interesting affliction! We barely talk about it! We barely see it! There's also some interesting play here with Witnissing and Looking Away. What we see and what we don't see. I wish this was a little more present as well, as there is the beginning of something fascinating there.
Speaking of "more"-- this book does just have a lot of interesting concepts. The empire? The factions? The demons? The fluidity with time? The culture? The tama? I wish there was more depiction and exploration. I'm curious! I have many questions! I want to know more about the world and the people we are working with here!
I'm very character driven and honestly, a lot of character was missing for me. In order to have a devastating climax, we need to have a clear and impactful "before". To me, we don't really have that here. We have, like, half of it. As a result, a lot of the *gasp!* moments fall flatter than I really want them to. How old are the characters/what are they like? What are their personalities like? I want more of Ming on the Daily before everything goes crazy. I want more of Ar and Achira. I want Peter to be more than "the guy who says fuck all the time". I want a dynamic between Gris and Agnes. I don't leave with any strong feelings about these People or what's Happened To Them. This to me is the biggest sin.
I will say with a book for body horror it doesn't always go overboard for me. Some scenes had me gagging (like the first Needle scene...). But there are actually times when I... want more description (which is crazy for me, which means you know somethings really missing). I want to *feel* the horror. I think this shortcoming is mainly in setting. For example-- describe the lab to me more. I want to be terrified by the environment itself here. In the end, i felt let down by that scene to that extent. And on a wider scale. We get glimpses of the city but it's still not super vivid to me. I want the mood to be set by the setting. Again, re: everything else I've said. More detail! I want to know the people and the city and the streets and their attitudes. I want more culture.
A lot of things are one and done. The back mentions the "horrifying customs" but the trial at the beginning is the only "show". The horror really leans mostly into the depravity of the characters completely by accident (and in error). Yeah, the characters are coping with a lot of their behaviors, but I want to see more of what they're coping with. We interact with the main leaders of these factions extremely briefly. The culture and context (which makes political intrigue novels good) is barely there.
Entwined with all this is just a baseline complaint about pacing which I barely mention because the pacing issue for me is entirely wrapped up in the detail issue.
Ultimately: an interesting book with an interesting narrative but ultimately leaves me just wanting more from what we were given. Establishing details that add a lot of enjoyment to a narrative for me are missing. A lot of it is like... I get it but it's not vivid. I get it but it's bland. I get it but it so easily could have been more. Just another 50 or fewer pages overall could have added so so much. In the end, I mostly just feel an acute absence of what makes a book like this shift from "interesting concept" to "enjoyable narrative."
September 14, 2023
A thriller sci-fi mystery where our protagonists are stuck on an alien planet that desperately tries to gain acceptance in the empire, flittering between moments of political intrigue, levity, and body horror. They're stuck trying to remain diplomatic and at arms-length while the locals enthusiastically explore concepts like "linearity" in creatively torturous ways - tensions once thought resolved explode.
Stylistically, there's some similarity with Tamsyn Muir's The Locked Tomb series - contemporary features mixed into what seems like a gothic far future setting, millennial dialogue and humor, and tangled relationships.
The worldbuilding, character building, and events move at a fairly brisk pace, so be prepared. This book went by pretty fast, it's a fun, snappy romp. I found many comedic moments shining through despite grotesque sequences, but YMMV.
Stylistically, there's some similarity with Tamsyn Muir's The Locked Tomb series - contemporary features mixed into what seems like a gothic far future setting, millennial dialogue and humor, and tangled relationships.
The worldbuilding, character building, and events move at a fairly brisk pace, so be prepared. This book went by pretty fast, it's a fun, snappy romp. I found many comedic moments shining through despite grotesque sequences, but YMMV.
August 2, 2023
Lessons in Birdwatching take you on an exhilarating journey to the planet Apech, where a time-distorting illness has wreaked havoc. Among the visitors are Wilhelmina Ming and her four elite peers from the Crysthian Empire. However, their research post turns into a nightmare as they bear witness to horrifying acts of brutality that defy all logic. Struggling to cope with the trauma, they turn to unconventional means of escape, resorting to psychedelic antidepressants and group activities.
After a particularly distressing night that follows a gruesome execution, they awake to a chilling sight – an impaled corpse hanging ominously outside their residence. This horrifying warning sets off a chain of events that forces the envoys into a dark and dangerous investigation. They soon uncover a tangled web of collusion and conspiracy within their diplomatic corps, throwing them into the heart of a bloody civil war.
As the death toll rises and violence engulfs the surface, a deranged fanatic emerges, threatening the very foundation of their existence. This unhinged individual seeks to awaken a forgotten god and unleash its temporal virus upon Apech, posing an existential threat to everyone on the planet.
Amidst the chaos and uncertainty, Wilhelmina and her peers must confront their deepest fears and insecurities. Their bonds of friendship and trust are put to the test as they navigate the treacherous landscape, seeking the truth and striving to stop the impending catastrophe.
Honey Watson masterfully weaves a tale of suspense, intrigue, and self-discovery. The narrative delves into the complexities of human emotions and the lengths people will go to survive in a world fraught with danger and uncertainty. As they face the consequences of their choices, the characters learn profound lessons about resilience, sacrifice, and the power of unity.
With a vividly depicted world and an engaging plot, this novel captivates readers with its suspenseful twists and turns. "Lessons in Birdwatching" is a thought-provoking and thrilling exploration of the human spirit and the indomitable will to fight for a better future, no matter the odds.
After a particularly distressing night that follows a gruesome execution, they awake to a chilling sight – an impaled corpse hanging ominously outside their residence. This horrifying warning sets off a chain of events that forces the envoys into a dark and dangerous investigation. They soon uncover a tangled web of collusion and conspiracy within their diplomatic corps, throwing them into the heart of a bloody civil war.
As the death toll rises and violence engulfs the surface, a deranged fanatic emerges, threatening the very foundation of their existence. This unhinged individual seeks to awaken a forgotten god and unleash its temporal virus upon Apech, posing an existential threat to everyone on the planet.
Amidst the chaos and uncertainty, Wilhelmina and her peers must confront their deepest fears and insecurities. Their bonds of friendship and trust are put to the test as they navigate the treacherous landscape, seeking the truth and striving to stop the impending catastrophe.
Honey Watson masterfully weaves a tale of suspense, intrigue, and self-discovery. The narrative delves into the complexities of human emotions and the lengths people will go to survive in a world fraught with danger and uncertainty. As they face the consequences of their choices, the characters learn profound lessons about resilience, sacrifice, and the power of unity.
With a vividly depicted world and an engaging plot, this novel captivates readers with its suspenseful twists and turns. "Lessons in Birdwatching" is a thought-provoking and thrilling exploration of the human spirit and the indomitable will to fight for a better future, no matter the odds.
August 7, 2023
Lessons in Birdwatching is the most exciting debut I've read in recent memory. It is a book that blends elements of politics, science, magic, history, SciFi, weirdness, and horror. We find ourselves, like the novel's characters, addressing alienness and the Unknown using familiar rubrics that all fall short of encompassing the new - which is, in my opinion, the best of what Science Fiction can offer us as readers. But perhaps the best trick that Watson pulls off is her ability to present this disorienting encounter with the Unknown in the form of a truly propulsive and entertaining story. And to top this off, she manages to mine darkly comedic elements from the strangest and most unexpected corners of horror - all in a fashion that doesn't feel forced, but instead feels recognizably all-too-human.
Five post-graduate students from the core of the Crysthian empire serve out their posting on the violent, unpredictable planet Apech. The Apechi's unnerving drive to join the empire has resulted in a carnival mirror of a capital city, replete with skewed replicas of Crysthian buildings and practices. It is the distance between these students' feelings of imperial invulnerability and the dangerous forces imperfectly hidden by the Apechi that creates the space for the novel's propulsion, strangeness, and for its humor. As they begin to grasp the outline of this planet's secrets, the students' grapple with their true position - some recognizing responsibility and vulnerability, others deeply-unsettling opportunity.
Some truly enjoyable world-building is also at play here. The Crysthian empire and what lies beyond its edges feels incredibly interesting to me - and the manner in which it is delivered to the reader feels very natural. I get the sense that there is a great deal more to be explored and hope that this becomes a series that I can enjoy far into the future.
Five post-graduate students from the core of the Crysthian empire serve out their posting on the violent, unpredictable planet Apech. The Apechi's unnerving drive to join the empire has resulted in a carnival mirror of a capital city, replete with skewed replicas of Crysthian buildings and practices. It is the distance between these students' feelings of imperial invulnerability and the dangerous forces imperfectly hidden by the Apechi that creates the space for the novel's propulsion, strangeness, and for its humor. As they begin to grasp the outline of this planet's secrets, the students' grapple with their true position - some recognizing responsibility and vulnerability, others deeply-unsettling opportunity.
Some truly enjoyable world-building is also at play here. The Crysthian empire and what lies beyond its edges feels incredibly interesting to me - and the manner in which it is delivered to the reader feels very natural. I get the sense that there is a great deal more to be explored and hope that this becomes a series that I can enjoy far into the future.
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August 24, 2023The book details several young career folks (grad students?) on a backwards planet of a galactic empire. Each belongs to a different galactic faction that guide their motivations, and through prior training and surgical (cyborg) enhancements, their abilities (though these effects are rarely productively utilized). This world seems to be recently colonized and not fully part of the empire, which is still trying to stamp out lingering religious/magical aspects of the society. The natives of the planet appear to be mostly human, though with a significant and despised underclass whose treatment is deplorable. The local religious eventually rebel with a strange mixture of allies and deception among the empire's workers.
An interesting society, some intriguing tech (seemingly electrical/computerized components were said to be harnessed demons), and sharp (one might say 'biting') language. I thought the characters were generally interesting and from diverse backgrounds and abilities. I related to many of their interests and motives--though I felt a jarring disconnect with the protagonist. The ending left a lot of open questions ('What the hell did I just read?!' among them).
Body horror sci-fi is not my genre, so I'm not going to leave a rating (I didn't dislike the book, but it made me uncomfortable in ways I don't seek out). The author is a captivating writer on social media, so I won't be surprised if I continue reading her work.
An interesting society, some intriguing tech (seemingly electrical/computerized components were said to be harnessed demons), and sharp (one might say 'biting') language. I thought the characters were generally interesting and from diverse backgrounds and abilities. I related to many of their interests and motives--though I felt a jarring disconnect with the protagonist. The ending left a lot of open questions ('What the hell did I just read?!' among them).
Body horror sci-fi is not my genre, so I'm not going to leave a rating (I didn't dislike the book, but it made me uncomfortable in ways I don't seek out). The author is a captivating writer on social media, so I won't be surprised if I continue reading her work.
June 28, 2023
I generally did not enjoy Lessons in Birdwatching, though I don’t think enjoyment is its goal. The book seems intended to provoke strong emotion, largely negative. The principal character, Ming, is manipulative, sadistic, owner hungry, and evil. Other viewpoint characters are merely generally dislikable, though all but Peter remained pretty opaque. The setting is a bizarre and distasteful world plagued by disease and quirky “magic” which makes most of the residents come off as remote and alien, or in the case of the diseased Tama, as helpless victims. Though sometimes the natives act in very comprehensible fashion, which seemed inconsistent. Ultimately, the violene, gore, and sadism was too much for me.
More off-putting for me was the narrative voice, which is often vague and sometimes weirdly intrusive. Tenses shift, pronouns are used awkwardly so one needs to unravel paragraphs to differentiate character, and the omnipotent narrator directly inserts its voice to address the reader. The language is sometimes baroque, which I normally like, but not here. Moreover, pacing is off. The first third is very slow and uninformative. Pacing picks up after that and propels the book to its finish.
3 stars for the last two thirds of the book, which displays energy and drive. But just not the book for me. Give me China Miéville for complex and baroque any time.
More off-putting for me was the narrative voice, which is often vague and sometimes weirdly intrusive. Tenses shift, pronouns are used awkwardly so one needs to unravel paragraphs to differentiate character, and the omnipotent narrator directly inserts its voice to address the reader. The language is sometimes baroque, which I normally like, but not here. Moreover, pacing is off. The first third is very slow and uninformative. Pacing picks up after that and propels the book to its finish.
3 stars for the last two thirds of the book, which displays energy and drive. But just not the book for me. Give me China Miéville for complex and baroque any time.
September 5, 2023
Evil, horrifying, disorienting - and I'm not just talking about the constant British banter.
The characters are a mix of clueless grad students and power-hungry sociopaths - there's a horror aesthetic about this, with most of the primary characters focused on drugs and sex while increasingly grotesque, logic-defying violence keeps occurring.
The setting, dialogue structure, action sequences, and even the patchwork alien world-building have to be read as intentionally confusing. It's dark and unique, the "magic system" is intriguing, but feels largely hollow, with an abrupt ending that concludes little.
The characters are a mix of clueless grad students and power-hungry sociopaths - there's a horror aesthetic about this, with most of the primary characters focused on drugs and sex while increasingly grotesque, logic-defying violence keeps occurring.
The setting, dialogue structure, action sequences, and even the patchwork alien world-building have to be read as intentionally confusing. It's dark and unique, the "magic system" is intriguing, but feels largely hollow, with an abrupt ending that concludes little.
April 2, 2024
Read this in one swoop on a plane journey. The setup drew my interest with non-linear perception of time, with the brutal Crysth empire (reminded me of Ann Leckie's Radch) and with mention of deicide, a favourite subject of mine. About a third of the way through the horrifying happenings begin and we come to grasp the true nature of the main character. From this point on the narrative picks up speed like a train bowling down a sickening mountainside.
Overall I thought the book was memorable and I mentioned it to more than one friend. The main character is certainly unusual and full of arresting contradictions. As a debut novel the prose occasionally falters briefly, although it also contains some stand-out turns of phrase. One major note would be that I felt that the outcome of the story felt quite inevitable from the half-way point and I might have enjoyed more plausible contestation - although maybe dispelling that sense of powerlessness would have undermined the Lovecraftian horror of the thing.
In conclusion, heady and original - I would like to read something else by the author.
Overall I thought the book was memorable and I mentioned it to more than one friend. The main character is certainly unusual and full of arresting contradictions. As a debut novel the prose occasionally falters briefly, although it also contains some stand-out turns of phrase. One major note would be that I felt that the outcome of the story felt quite inevitable from the half-way point and I might have enjoyed more plausible contestation - although maybe dispelling that sense of powerlessness would have undermined the Lovecraftian horror of the thing.
In conclusion, heady and original - I would like to read something else by the author.
August 26, 2023
Lessons in Birdwatching
Sci-Fi
Honey Watson
⭐️⭐️
I'm a bit disappointed with this book, it wasn't what I was expecting at all.
The pacing was quite slow and the world building had a lot of info dumps, which made it hard to keep track of the details.
The characters weren't likeable but that was done on purpose.
Although this is a sci-fi book, there were elements of horror weaved throughout.
I really didn't like the way the Tama were treated. They were abused (mentally and sexually), tortured etc. There were even scenes with cannibalism so I'd recommend checking out the TWs/CWs for this book.
Unfortunately this book just wasn't for me.
*Thank you to @Netgalley and the publishers for providing this ARC. This is my own opinion and an honest review, which I am leaving voluntarily*
Sci-Fi
Honey Watson
⭐️⭐️
I'm a bit disappointed with this book, it wasn't what I was expecting at all.
The pacing was quite slow and the world building had a lot of info dumps, which made it hard to keep track of the details.
The characters weren't likeable but that was done on purpose.
Although this is a sci-fi book, there were elements of horror weaved throughout.
I really didn't like the way the Tama were treated. They were abused (mentally and sexually), tortured etc. There were even scenes with cannibalism so I'd recommend checking out the TWs/CWs for this book.
Unfortunately this book just wasn't for me.
*Thank you to @Netgalley and the publishers for providing this ARC. This is my own opinion and an honest review, which I am leaving voluntarily*
December 9, 2023
Full Review
There was lots of world-building, character backstory and interactions. Despite that, I HAVE SO MANY QUESTIONS!! There were so many things left hanging or not fully explained or so much detail given in one area and not much in others. I'd have loved to see this as a longer book.
It did leave me unsettled. There's some graphic and taboo violence. There's abuse of people with diminished capacity (and when you think it's terrible, don't worry, it gets worse). There's gratuitous sexual violence. There's corrupt government and religious cults. There are competing factions. There are so many things in this book, and it lures you into thinking it's about 4 or 5 university students doing a work-study. HA! Not a chance.
There was lots of world-building, character backstory and interactions. Despite that, I HAVE SO MANY QUESTIONS!! There were so many things left hanging or not fully explained or so much detail given in one area and not much in others. I'd have loved to see this as a longer book.
It did leave me unsettled. There's some graphic and taboo violence. There's abuse of people with diminished capacity (and when you think it's terrible, don't worry, it gets worse). There's gratuitous sexual violence. There's corrupt government and religious cults. There are competing factions. There are so many things in this book, and it lures you into thinking it's about 4 or 5 university students doing a work-study. HA! Not a chance.
March 9, 2024
A human face appeared at the surface of the constantly morphing flank of the beast, seeming to scream in pain for a fraction of a second before reconforming to the orgasmic pleasure which characterized the expressions of the others stitched around it. The thread pulsed and stretched as the corpses shifted in gulping motions, kneading around each other so that every inch of the thing’s flesh was ever throbbing marble.
Notes: Exquisitely appalling. Love the concepting, politicking, freaky sex, occult gore. Distracted by a few characters, especially Peter, who speak like dumb teens playing a video game; there are only so many “The fuck?”s I can handle — it’s just a bit too casually contemporaneous in a way that’s jarring. And the ending felt…abrupt and a little unsatisfying. Strong debut though, hope Honey keeps cranking!!
July 28, 2024
A fun, dark book filled with twists, turns and spines. In dense-feeling worlds of sci-fi, it often takes some time to feel you have any idea what is going on. Joining these imperial masters students to their thesis planet, the deliberate misunderstandings between factions, and the native population, leaves the reader guessing at the meaning of conversations and actions. Eventually, you catch-up somewhat, at times knowing more than the naive characters, but it does well at leaving the real motivations of some til the very end.
The contemplation of magic, demons, and gods as deliberately mystified forces in this scientific galaxy worked for me. Also the politicised inclusion/exclusion in the category of 'human' did some good stuff for me.
The contemplation of magic, demons, and gods as deliberately mystified forces in this scientific galaxy worked for me. Also the politicised inclusion/exclusion in the category of 'human' did some good stuff for me.
April 6, 2024
Ultimately I enjoyed this book, there is alot going for it, a debut from a talented writer.
I love that she just goes straight in, your not spoonfed huge world building chapters, just get on with it, keep up. Whilst alot of the characters are not totally likeable, a couple a bit pathetic really, the story wrapping around them pushes it on at a great pace, the main character Ming and her desire for power, lust for deep personal satisfaction, drives it. A good dose of body horror, and some may be disappointed that the ending is not all nicely wrapped up, I liked it, fits the overall vibe.
I love that she just goes straight in, your not spoonfed huge world building chapters, just get on with it, keep up. Whilst alot of the characters are not totally likeable, a couple a bit pathetic really, the story wrapping around them pushes it on at a great pace, the main character Ming and her desire for power, lust for deep personal satisfaction, drives it. A good dose of body horror, and some may be disappointed that the ending is not all nicely wrapped up, I liked it, fits the overall vibe.
Read
May 29, 2023This is an incredible dystopian sci-fi full of rich worldbuilding. Lessons in Birdwatching draws you right in to this suspenseful adventure with a great cast of characters navigating life through a civil war and many other political problems. I loved all the characters and seeing how they each reacted to life in this dystopian world. Overall I really enjoyed this and thought it was an amazing sci-fi.
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