I received an Advance Reader Copy from NetGalley for an honest review. I absolutely loved the reading experience and would like to thank the author and publisher for the opportunity.

Immortal individuals or groups, making their way through different lifetimes, faking identities in the process are often encountered in fantasy. The genre likes to ask what would happen if an individual, human or not, went on living through different eras, rather than dying. Birds of Paradise attempts to answer even harder questions: what if the first man never died? What would living not through some, but through all eras would look like? As you might have guessed from my rating, I really enjoyed finding out the answers.

Birds of Paradise we follow Adam, the first man, still living. He works as a security guard but overall he lacks purpose. Living since the beginning of time, losing many loved ones - even ones he knew since his time in Eden - and become increasingly disenchanted with the choices of his descendants, he's a shadow of his former self. His memories have become blurry and unreliable, and while he's immortal, his condition is something less than living.

But Adam isn't completely alone in his exile. Fellow residents from the Garden of Eden, such as Rook, Owl, Butterfly and other animals he named also live in the contemporary world, hiding in human form. Some are relatively content while other struggle after so many years. Each has a vibrant, unique personality with mannerisms and traits inspired from their animal form without being stereotypical. Their backstories and quirks make the reader care and root for them. Crow, Rook and Magpie were my personal favourites. In their interactions with Adam, there is humor and banter of people who have literally known each other forever, but also bitterness and nostalgia for the long lost paradise.

Things become complicated when more and more pieces of Eden start finding their way into our world. To put it mildly, humanity isn’t good at dealing with those. As Adam and his immortal companions try to find and save these pieces of paradises – with a flood of biblical proportions as a background– two things are achieved: a great plot that never gets tiring, and a powerful comment on mankind’s cruelty - often justified through the misuse of religious text and symbols.

The writing is beautiful, polished and memorable throughout, revealing just enough to keep the reader going without dwelling on unnecessary details. I particularly liked the way different locations are described. Having been to a few of the places Adam and his companions visit, such as Glasgow and Manchester, I could really feel the care put into illustrating them in accurate but fresh ways. Adam's inner world is also impressively written, increasingly so as he came closer to his former self.

Birds of Paradise is marketed as "American Gods meets The Chronicles of Narnia." Both are works I enjoyed, but also had some issues with. I didn’t have any significant issues with Birds of Paradise, however. The concept is unique and exciting, the prose is beautiful, the characters very endearing and the plot simple to follow and increasingly interesting the more you read.

One of my complaints regarding American Gods, was that Shadow wasn't proactive enough, for the most part simply allowing things to happen to him. Adam might also seem like an odd protagonist at first. After all, he's taken a backseat in his own life and leaves other characters make choices for him for a large part of the novel. However, in Birds of Paradise, this seemed like a deliberate decision from the author’s part and felt justified. When Adam starts retrieving lost memories and finds something worth fighting for, the difference is all the more poignant because of his initial passive stance. I can't really talk about the ending without spoiling anything, but I have to say, it was a punch, and I will remember it for a long time.

Finishing the book, I wanted more. More interactions between the characters, more immortal animals in human form, more information on Adam’s complicated feelings about humanity. But I also felt this book is complete, every scene mattered and everything happened as it should. The best books finish at the right time, but also suggest their world and characters will live on – here quite literally – and this is definitely the case with Birds of Paradise.

All in all, I can’t recommend Birds of Paradise enough. It’s a remarkable achievement, tender and violent at once, about the possibility of keeping a piece of paradise in the contemporary world.

This review is also available at my blog https://ladyofbooklot.wordpress.com/2021/02/22/birds-of-paradise-by-oliver-k-langmead-review/. Also check out my Instagram ladyofbooklot for a photo and mini-review soon.

A modern day take on the ole Immortals Living In A Mortal World Trying Not To Be Discovered... or impacted too greatly by said Mortal World... with a Biblical flavor.

This was an interesting look into a possible outcome for the occupants of The Garden Of Eden, both Flora & Fauna... in modern time. First off I have to say that I loved loved loved the book's characters... especially the Edenites. Adam's confusion, pain, empathy in certain situations and indifference in others were such raw... visceral emotions... I just wanted to reach into the story and hug him. Then there were the Birds. Each and every one of them was awesome in their own way. Rook was a Bad Ass Don't Piss Me Off Or I'll Own Your Who Family By Midnight. Owl was a Bad Ass I'll Tear You To Itsy Pieces And Nibble On Your Face For A While. Magpie was Shifty but in a totally Cool and even insightful way. Crow was Bad Ass, I Can Hunt You Down No Matter Where You Hide kind of way. There were also non-bird species like beautiful, colorful, sweet, tender Butterfly and her galliant protector Boar. The other characters were equally emotive and just as deliciously gray.

If you're looking for a simple, good, clean, wholesome read that is good for all ages then you should skip this one because it can be B.R.U.T.A.L!

Can there be a sequel? I say yes but it's a yes with a caveat. If there were to be a part 2 then it would be done with some key players notably absent... and when I say absent I mean absent in a Never To Return For A Cameo (or Lead Again)... ever! Even for immortals there are ways...

I really enjoyed this one and as long as you're not looking for some kind of whitewashed, scripture touting, Bible-centric read then I think you'll like it too.

*** I was given a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review ***

An epic modern tale with biblical inspirations

This is a story of Adam, the original man, as he lives his immortal life in hiding. He is accompanied by other original creatures from the Garden of Eden as they attempt to escape being discovered by mortal humans once again.

I love a good story through time through the perspective of an immortal being. It reminded me a little of Wonder Woman or Hancock, with a biblical inspiration and without the super-powers. I enjoyed Adam’s perspective on life, the way he experiences things and how he just wants to find peace. However, I did find him to be a little simple, dull and passive at times, which made other elements around him have to push the plot forward; if it weren’t for those elements, this book would probably be called “Adam’s Little Book of Gardening”.

Even though I found myself asking more than once “where is this story going?”, and the lack of a clear overall plot, I still really enjoyed following the events scene after scene. Surprisingly, after a confusing section towards the last section of the novel, I felt it was concluded in a satisfying manner!

Quick and fun read overall!

Think Neil Gaiman's American Gods but Biblical rather than mythological. Adam (the original) is just getting by as security to the famous, but is exhausted and weary of life. When he snaps and overreacts in protecting his latest client he has to be rescued by another original inhabitant of Eden, Rook. As he goes in search of Rook;s missing brother Magpie, he stumbles into a very human plan to track down the remaining pieces of the Garden of Eden.
This is not a religious book hiding in fantasy but a novel that uses the religious setting to tell a wonderful story, filled with loss, and violence.

Wow. Just wow.

I’ve read a lot of Neil Gaiman’s work and loved it, so when I saw some reviewers referencing his stories in their reviews of Birds of Paradise, I knew I had to give it a try. I’m so glad I took the chance.

The book opens with a prologue that sets the stage in a way few books do: with emotion that sucker punches you in the gut. Before their fall in the Garden of Eden, Adam and Eve loved each other so much, they literally opened their own bodies and exchanged hearts to remain close. Adam’s heart beat inside Eve, and Eve’s heart beat inside Adam.

Fast forward to modern times, and we meet Adam working as a security guard for a famous actress. When he kills a man for coming on to her too strong, he must go underground. In the process, he reconnects with many animal figures from his past who’ve now been anthropomorphized as people. There’s Crow with her missing leg, Owl the vicious destroyer, Rook and Magpie the “brother” lawyers, Butterfly the artist, Crab the crusty curmudgeon with an unmatched engineering brain, Pig the sweet fighter, and more. Each of these characters switches between human and animal forms throughout the story, and it was interesting learning about their lives and how the twists and turns within brought them to this point. Missing, however, is Eve.

An odd elderly couple claiming to be devout Christians appears on the scene, surrounded by a curious band of fellow nudists, and things go south when their life-changing plans are revealed.

What I loved most about Birds of Paradise is Adam’s transformation from a lost man who is so disappointed in his spoiled, greedy children that he can’t stomach the sight of most of them to a person who will do literally anything to protect his friends—the animals he grew up with and tended to so lovingly in Eden—and to find his missing wife Eve. He has no qualms about killing anyone who hurts his precious animal friends, and there are many flashbacks showing the reader the importance of his relationships with each one. Adam is sensitive but also brutal. Kind but sadistic. Honorable but willing to destroy everything and everyone if he’s forced to. So complex. I absolutely loved him.

The ending of this book was stellar, and the last few pages had me wiping my eyes a few times. Okay, the truth is, I bawled like a baby.

The author says in the acknowledgments that he wrote this book over a span of ten years, and it shows. Every scene is perfectly developed, guiding the reader gently by the hand through Adam’s truths, no matter how terrible or cruel or sad. Langmead’s ability to show so much emotion through Adam’s dispassionate eyes is an enviable feat, and he pulled it off with great aplomb.

I cannot recommend this book highly enough. It’s a true masterpiece to rival—perhaps to even surpass—Gaiman’s work.

* I received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.