Under the Eye of the Big Bird
A Novel
Catapult · Print & ebook · May 20, 2025
SHORTLISTED FOR THE INTERNATIONAL BOOKER PRIZE From one of Japan's most brilliant and sensitive contemporary novelists, this speculative fiction masterpiece envisions an Earth where humans are nearing extinction, and rewrites our understanding of reproduction, ecology, evolution, artificial intelligence, communal life, creation, love, and the future of humanity In the distant future, humans are on the verge of extinction and have settled in small tribes across the planet under the observation and care of "Mothers." Some children are made in factories, from cells of rabbits and dolphins; some live by getting nutrients from water and light, like plants.
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- Who it’s for
- A speculative, pastoral vision that lets questions of evolution and connection linger across deep time.
- Themes
- Human extinction and survival, Reproduction and evolution, Ecology and artificial intelligence
- Genres
- Apocalyptic & Post-Apocalyptic, Short Stories (Single Author), Dystopian
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SHORTLISTED FOR THE INTERNATIONAL BOOKER PRIZE From one of Japan's most brilliant and sensitive contemporary novelists, this speculative fiction masterpiece envisions an Earth where humans are nearing extinction, and rewrites our understanding of reproduction, ecology, evolution, artificial intelligence, communal life, creation, love, and the future of humanity In the distant future, humans are on the verge of extinction and have settled in small tribes across the planet under the observation and care of "Mothers."
Continue reading
Some children are made in factories, from cells of rabbits and dolphins; some live by getting nutrients from water and light, like plants. The survival of the race depends on the interbreeding of these and other alien beings--but it is far from certain that connection, love, reproduction, and evolution will persist among the inhabitants of this faltering new world. Unfolding over fourteen interconnected episodes spanning geological eons, at once technical and pastoral, mournful and utopic, Under the Eye of the Big Bird presents an astonishing vision of the end of our species as we know it.
After Humanity
A speculative, pastoral vision that lets questions of evolution and connection linger across deep time.
Come here for
- Ecology, artificial intelligence, and reproduction in an unfamiliar future
- A mournful yet quietly utopian view of humanity’s possible end
Expect
- Fourteen interconnected episodes spanning geological eons
- A blend of technical ideas and pastoral feeling
Where it sits
| Short Stories (Single Author) | 34% |
|---|---|
| Apocalyptic & Post-Apocalyptic | 30% |
| Dystopian | 29% |
Percentages are BookFrontier’s reading of the book.
Publisher categories
- Genetic Engineering Sci-Fi
- Dystopian
- Japanese Fiction
- Authors
- Hiromi Kawakami
- Publisher
- Catapult
- Published
- May 20, 2025
- Format
- Print & ebook
- Theme
- Human extinction and survival · Reproduction and evolution · Ecology and artificial intelligence
- Reading lane
- Genetic Engineering Sci-Fi