David is a scout. For ten years he has plundered the ruins of an alien civilisation about which he knows nothing. Now he’s ready to go home, a wealthy man. Except that everything seems to be slipping out of his control. His mentor Tom has vanished. Eliza and her baby are alone.
As David begins to question the choices he has made, he is visited by a researcher, who wants him to guide her on one last expedition to the rainswept wasteland of the plateau…
And he may yet lose everything, as he is drawn inexorably towards an encounter with the terrifying soul of this world.
John Morrissey’s Bird Deity is a novel like no other. At once disconcerting and eerily familiar, it’s a cosmic horror story about power, theft, love, loss, and destiny.
andBird Deity
‘Unsettling and incisive, Bird Deity offers an eerie glimpse at the human cost of empire.’
‘An intriguing, subtle novel from the acclaimed short-story writer.’
‘An incredible achievement: Morrissey has created a familiar yet alien world, densely storied and dripping in dark, delicious mystery. Beautiful, gripping and grotesque.’
‘Bird Deity is a spare and moving story about the burden of history and the vicissitudes of the colonial project. Morrissey’s novel has a dignified, undeniable power. It’s like Coetzee in space. I devoured it.’
‘An original novel that rewards close reading…compelling.’
‘Bird Deity is a cosmic-horror-tinged story about purpose, loss and exploitation… A compelling read for fans of Ray Nayler and Claire G Coleman.’
‘Entrancing…Avoiding cliches of both sci-fi and horror, Bird Deity is a step in a new direction, showing us the potential of contemporary Australian speculative fiction – suited for our times and yet wholly unique.’
‘Speculative fiction at its thought-provoking, incisive best…evocative and deeply unsettling.’
‘Fascinating…delivering a strange new world sometime in the distant future while also asking readers to reflect on the one in which they live.’
‘Morrissey…has fantastic tonal and stylistic control, balancing abstraction with emotional clarity in elegant prose. Bird Deity is a beautifully written book.’
‘Intriguing… Definitely recommended.’
‘Blisteringly hot…a vividly imaginative work that really explores the harsh legacy of exploitation and cultural attack.’
