Disconnected. Dissociated. Disembodied. A gripping new entry into Australian speculative fiction, John Morrissey's Bird Deity steers a bleak and meditative course through an unsettling narrative, without ever losing its grip on the reader. 

David, a surveyor about to finish his five-year posting on an alien planet, is contracted by Sarah, an outsider, for ‘one last job’. Apathetic, he accepts mostly to protect Sarah, whose task will lead her to certain death without his guidance. She seeks answers regarding the strange, mindless simians that populate the planet, and is baffled to discover that though David has been journeying into the lands of these apes for half a decade, he knows almost nothing about the species or the ancient technology they worship.

What follows is a haunting sway from scene to scene. We follow the two as they journey out onto the plains, Sarah eager to encounter the alien apes, while David slowly descends into madness and detachment. In the opening section of the book, one might wonder at the apparent absence of cosmic horror; once you follow David and Sarah onto the plateau, it is omnipresent. Narration that appeared calm becomes unnerving as we are immersed in the mind of someone hostile to curiosity, hope, and other life. Hanging over everything, unseen and yet inescapable, is a pale, winged shadow. 

Morrissey has expertly crafted an entrancing atmosphere filled with ancient mysteries, the remnants of a devolved civilisation, and a palpable sense of psychological turmoil. 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.