Fiction Books on Birds (3 Viewers)

[Northcountryman]

I like reading fiction about burds.

I like Kes.
And Lord of the Rings has flying creatures.
I also found this book on birds.
Politics of Birds – The Parliament of Rooks and Owls

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B08272TP2G

A short story based on a land or birds who have a parliament.

What fictional birds books have you read?

No doubt about the LOR reference and birds, I mean, think of the Battle of five armies and the contribution of the Eagles? Without them, the good guys would have lost!!

 

[Farnboro John]

No doubt about the LOR reference and birds, I mean, think of the Battle of five armies and the contribution of the Eagles? Without them, the good guys would have lost!!

Also Gandalf on top of Orthanc and Frodo and Sam on Mt Doom. Hence the eagle in Bored of the Rings being emblazoned with Deus Ex Machina Airlines.....

John

 

[Northcountryman]

Also Gandalf on top of Orthanc and Frodo and Sam on Mt Doom. Hence the eagle in Bored of the Rings being emblazoned with Deus Ex Machina Airlines.....

John

Bored of the Rings?

 

[kennethwfd]

Didn't the battle of the Five Armies take place in the Hobbit? There is also the thrush who advises both Bilbo and Bard regarding the chink in Smaug's armour. There are also crows acting as spies in LOR.

The Birds, a novel by Daphne du Maurier, probably better known as the Hitchcock film, on the subject of spoofs, Mel Brooks produced High Anxiety, where the birds are pigeons, Dr Thorndyke (Mel Brooks) is on the run accused of murder and the birds poop on him

 

[kennethwfd]

Bored of the Rings?

A spoof of LOR featuring Mr Dildo Bu**er of Bug End and his exploits

 

[Farnboro John]

A spoof of LOR featuring Mr Dildo Bu**er of Bug End and his exploits

Not to mention Legolam the elf and Goodgulf Grayteeth the wizard. It's from the Harvard Lampoon and some of the jokes require American interpretation, but it is quite funny. It's also a lot shorter than LOTR.

John

 

[Arbu]

Am I allowed to plug my own book? It's about a hike, and UK government overreach, not about birds, but the protagonist observes quite a few birds during the hike.

Criminal Conduct

 

[jtgriffs]

Just wanted to add The Stonor Eagles by William Horwood to the list, I read this many years ago but reading this thread reminded me of it and I may have to find a new copy. It interweaves the story of Cuillin last of the great sea eagles on Skye and a biy James who becomes a bird sculptor. Not a great synopsis but it's a haunting book. William Horwood wrote many nature based stories probably the best known are the Duncton Wood series.

 

[kennethwfd]

The Raven by Edgar Allen Poe
Chicken Little
The ugly Duckling
Robinson Crusoe had Poll the parrot
A dodo, duck. lory and eaglet are mentioned in Alice's Adventures in Wonderland

 

[dantheman]

That's not my duck by Fiona Watt is also a classic.

 

[Cristina_H]

I loved these as a kid:

• Sterling North's "The Wolfling". There's a character in it who's a seasoned naturalist. I remember looking up to him tremendously.
• E. B. White's "The Trumpet of the Swan".
• Roald Dahl's brutal short story "The Swan", which features a sympathetic portrayal of a young birdwatcher.

 

[LillyTr]

I would like to also put in a word for Kathryn Lasky's The Guardians of Ga'Hoole, as I can say with absolute confidence that it was the series to spark my fascination with owls and birds as a whole!

Even if not always realistic (with the use of explicit magic as plot points), I do appreciate Lasky's worldbuilding in that it treats the characters as physical animals with their own instincts and idea of anatomy/physiology, rather than just as stand-ins for human characters. I would sooner compare the series to Watership Down than Redwall, if that works as a point of reference to anyone who's read either of them as well haha.

I first read the books in late grade school, but have reread the series several times in the time in between then and now (the most recent being at the beginning of quarantine). Reading the series as an adult has definitely made it easier to pick up on its commentary on fascism, something I think was (unfortunately) very toned down in the film adaptation in favor of flashy, marketable villains. But, this topic thread is about fiction books and I will ramble endleslly if given the option! So I will leave it at "the film looked fantastic and definitely influenced my artistic career, but the books are better"

 

[Tired]

Yeah, the film made the story pretty generic. It was still a gorgeous film, though, and fun to watch. I do recommend it, as an aside. I wish it had done better in the box office, so maybe we would have gotten an equally pretty sequel. Apparently the long, confusing name, and possibly the rather lackluster trailers, did it in.

The book series is definitely one to use caution when showing to children. It has some rather disturbing content, although mostly in line with what real owls will occasionally do. Aside from the mass brainwashing of small children, that's not really an owl thing.

Some kids will be fine with it, some won't, so it's best to read it over first. Which won't take you too long; it is, rather unfortunately, a series made up of fairly short books. Which is my main complaint, really, that I would like for there to be more of it.

 

[rkj]

There is a series of birdwatcher mysteries by Chris Goff. I have not read them all, but enjoyed the first two, set in Colorado.

 

[maplekong]

Sky hawk and Scarlet Ibis, both by Gill Lewis, both short but sweet and powerful.

 

[maplekong]

Yeah, the film made the story pretty generic. It was still a gorgeous film, though, and fun to watch. I do recommend it, as an aside. I wish it had done better in the box office, so maybe we would have gotten an equally pretty sequel. Apparently the long, confusing name, and possibly the rather lackluster trailers, did it in.

The book series is definitely one to use caution when showing to children. It has some rather disturbing content, although mostly in line with what real owls will occasionally do. Aside from the mass brainwashing of small children, that's not really an owl thing.

Some kids will be fine with it, some won't, so it's best to read it over first. Which won't take you too long; it is, rather unfortunately, a series made up of fairly short books. Which is my main complaint, really, that I would like for there to be more of it.

I've watched the film- a bit generic, as you said, but good enough that I want a sequel.

 

[maplekong]

"The Genius of Birds" is really a good book. This is a marvelous book about the intelligence of birds. In this book, Jennifer Ackerman describes a wide range of bird species, brain sizes, and capabilities. Bird brains, in size relative to body weight, are similar to those of mammals. Of course, in absolute terms, they are small, as their total weight must be minimal in order to fly.

I have it- absolutely amazing book, but not fiction.

 

[Antik]

I just finished Vernon R.L. Head's "On that wave of gulls" where one of the three protagonists is a seagull. The author is a keen birdwatcher and it shows in the description of the gulls' behaviour although the human side of the story is devastating.

He's also written three other bird-related books and I look forward to reading those too.

 

[KC Foggin]

I’m going to check out Amazon for Ebooks on these books. Thanks guys.

 

[elizkintyre]

T.H White The Goshawk