The Book of Flying

Publishers Weekly

Solemnly sonorous and emptily pretty, this ersatz quest novel tells how a poet struggles to learn to fly and regain a lost love. In a city where some inhabitants sit in cafes while others fly over the sea, Pico, a wingless poet who works as a librarian, falls in love with one of the winged people. When she eludes Pico's grasp, he despairs until he discovers, hidden near his library, a book telling of a ruined town where he can get his own wings. He immediately sets off for the fabled town, his mission taking him through deep forests into the arms of a lusty, gorgeous robber queen whose charms diminish for the reader when she utters clich s like "It's the ultimate theft, the stealing of another's heartbeat." Other encounters with a talking rabbit who has compiled many fascinating tomes on local flora; with a young man who, in addition to being the poet's near-spitting image, is a cannibal bring the poet ever closer to his goal, though each new twist in his journey saps his strength. Wallowing in high-flown whimsy and laughably bad poetry ("His tears have entered every well/ and his semen is the sap of peaches"), the novel rolls along predictably, despite Miller's mix of archetypal fantasy elements (flying people, talking animals, journeys through dark woods) and contemporary detail (the love of cigarettes, ever-present cafes, one city composed largely of booksellers). The downbeat ending skirts the obvious, but little else does in this hot-air-filled debut. (Feb.) Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.

KLIATT

Miller has written a poem, disguised as a fable, about Pico, a librarian in a city near the sea. Pico was born to winged parents, but having no wings, had to live on Earth with others who could not fly. One day, he falls in love with Sisi, a beautiful winged girl, but, alas, their love is doomed because he is wingless. So he must travel and learn about himself so he can find the Book of Flying and get his wings. Like great myths, this tale is one of self-discovery as well as an adventure and love story. KLIATT Codes: JSA—Recommended for junior and senior high school students, advanced students, and adults. 2004, Penguin, Berkley, 272p., Ages 12 to adult.
—Nola Theiss

Library Journal

Though not quite as masterly, this first novel about a fantastical journey can be compared to Alice in Wonderland or Jeanette Winterson's fiction. Protagonist Pico is an orphaned poet-librarian whose quest to gain a pair of wings for the love of a winged girl leads him to become a thief, tell tales to a minotaur, live in a whorehouse, eat human flesh, and cross the desert. He meets friends and monsters, artists and travelers, and hears many stories. The beginning is too full of fanciful words, but as the story gains momentum, the reader is drawn in. By the end, which is quite surprising, Miller's style is relaxed enough to let the story tell itself. Recommended for academic libraries and larger public libraries. [Miller is an American who was born in Tanzania, raised in Kenya, and now resides in Egypt.-Ed.]-Amy Ford, St. Mary's Cty. Memorial Lib., Lexington Park, MD Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.

Kirkus Reviews

Rambling debut about a young man's epic quest to reach the mythical city of Morning Town and gain the hand of his beloved. The City by the Sea contains two types of people: the winged and the wingless. Our story concerns a wingless librarian named Pico. Reclusive and lonely, he reads voraciously, finding solace in the tales of those loves and adventures that have so far eluded him in life. One day, Pico happens to be walking by the sea when he sees a winged girl, Sisi, drowning in the surf and rescues her. He and Sisi soon fall in love, but there is no chance of a union between the winged and the wingless. On the point of despair, Pico discovers an ancient manuscript describing a lost volume, The Book of Flying, which instructs the wingless on how they may grow wings. The only copy of this book is in the distant city of Morning Town, however, and a dark forest full of monsters and brigands stands between here and there. What's fear to a young man in love? Pico sets off full of hope and in high spirits, but soon learns that the dark forest's reputation is no myth. Kidnapped, raped, attacked, and tempted by a succession of robber queens, minotaurs, cannibals, rabbits, and beauties, Pico definitely gets to Morning Town the hard way. But then, that's the only way to earn your wings. As usual in faux mythologies of this sort, the author lavishes us with overwrought prose ("Solya flourished in sunshine when the light spelt out the conjugations of orange in her hair") and names (Adveni, Balquo, Zelzala) that sound as though they fell out of some Esperanto epic. Strictly for New Agers-who will eat it up with a trowel. Agent: Jimmy Vines/Vines Agency