Bird Deity by John Morrissey: A Darkly Satirical Science Fiction Journey into Empire's Cost
In the captivating 2023 story collection Firelight, Melbourne-based writer John Morrissey, of Kalkadoon descent, employs speculative fiction to delve into the complexities of colonial Australia. His debut novel, Bird Deity, continues this exploration, presenting a bleak science fiction narrative centered around extraction, settlement, loss, and sacrifice.
David, a scout on a foreign planet, has spent a decade searching for valuable artifacts, hoping to strike it rich. However, his work comes with a brutal twist: the artifacts he seeks are worn by a native humanoid species called parasapes, who inhabit a wild and mysterious plateau above the colonial town. To collect these artifacts, David must remove them from the reluctant parasapes, often causing harm or even death.
Despite his conscience-stricken thoughts, David rationalizes that the parasapes are unaware of their existence, as he tells a visiting anthropologist, Sarah. He explains, "They don't even have a language. They don't make plans for the future. Nothing."
Yet, the parasapes' advanced artifacts hold immense value for the colonists, seemingly justifying the settlement's existence. The colony itself is a desolate environment, resembling real-life mining sites and plantation landscapes, with logging trucks, piles of garbage, and makeshift homes made of plastic and wood. The town's center is a government compound surrounded by a fence, where people stranded in the colony gather daily, hoping for passage back to their home world.
Bird Deity carries a darkly satirical tone, reminiscent of writers like Magnus Mills. The narrative highlights the callousness of those in power, who commit awful acts with minimal self-reflection or consequences. Violence and brutality are described with an ominous bureaucratic detachment, even as the colonizers dismiss the parasapes as lacking culture, language, and materials.
Workers in the colony often arrive on five-year contracts, but many stay longer, driven by the dream of wealth. Their lives are temporary, and violence is a means of survival rather than a defining characteristic. This is particularly evident in the relationship between David and Eliza, a couple with a shared desire for a family. Eliza, a botanist, has a child, but the parentage is ambiguous, as Eliza and David are both scouts, and David's mentor, Tom, has been in this line of work for two decades.
The arrival of anthropologist Sarah brings a new dimension to David's life. She is on a mission to study the parasapes and have them declared a protected non-human species. David becomes her guide, and their journey to the plateau becomes a transformative experience.
As David interacts with the parasapes, his understanding of their existence and his own life undergoes a profound shift. The structures that have shaped his life become incoherent, and the violence he has normalized takes on a new, disorienting meaning. Morrissey excels in exploring a psychic and sacred reality that defies comprehension.
The novel's exploration of colonization's alienation extends beyond the land to the relationships between people. David's lover, Eliza, is described as 'fey and untouchable,' and even their child feels alien, like a pupa. David struggles to remember the child's name, symbolizing the detachment from personal connections.
The question arises: what purpose do these riches serve? The men in the colony have no families, connections, or friends, and their lives are dominated by violence and the pursuit of wealth. Eliza, longing to escape the settlement, wants to bring her child to safety. As men fight over riches and relics, women become symbols of new life, highlighting the fragility of the colony's existence.
Morrissey's portrayal of a fragmented society is powerful, but the sustained focus on alienation can make it challenging to fully immerse oneself in David's world. While the book is thought-provoking, the lack of psychological depth in certain characters, particularly Eliza's underdeveloped inner life, can be frustrating.
Despite this, Bird Deity is an original and rewarding novel. It presents a compelling exploration of an immense and incomprehensible force that is both life-giving and life-destroying. Within the grim portrayal of the colonial project, Morrissey offers glimpses of hope, suggesting that somewhere in the universe, personal and social transformation may still be possible.
Bird Deity by John Morrissey is available through Text Publishing for $34.99.
