“He loves the whisper of the pages and the way his fingertips catch on rough paper, the pour of the words up from the leaves, through the soft light, into his eyes, the mute voice in his ears…”
Our hero, Pico, is a poet and librarian, and forbidden to pursue the girl of his dreams, for she has wings and Pico does not. When he discovers an ancient letter in his library telling of the mythical morning town where the flightless may gain their wings, he sets off on a quest. It’s a magical journey in which he meets a robber queen, a lonely minotaur, a cannibal, an immortal beauty, and a dream seller. Each has a story, and a lesson, for Pico — about learning to love, to persevere, and, of course, to fly.
“Original in concept, elegant in language, funny, cruel, and tender.” — Ursula K. Le Guin
“A beautiful and haunting modern fable that reads like exquisite poetry, Miller’s first novel is a coming-of-age story cloaked in the language of myth.” — Booklist
“[Miller’s] writing balances power and delicacy, delivering sudden glimpses of beauty … This is a book that you can’t wait to finish but read slowly, to make it last.” — The Bloomsbury Review
“Haunting, surprising … an extraordinary debut novel.” — Baltimore Sun
“A fabulistic tour de force, akin to the works of Jeff VanderMeer and Italo Calvino.” — Interstitial Arts
“Pico’s story is an absorbing one, and it is a journey worth taking — right through to the unexpected end. The Book of Flying is a beautiful debut novel.” — Rambles Magazine
“As befits a librarian’s tale, The Book of Flying is a story about tales, the intersection of journey and narrative … Throughout, Miller’s prose delights with its alliteration, wordplay and teasing rhymes.” — Yoon Ha Lee, Locus Award–winning author of Ninefox Gambit
“The storyline is delightful … an engaging fantasy with a deep message.” — Midwest Book Review
“The very plenitude of stories flushes The Book of Flying with hope … At the heart of this exquisite book is the romantic notion of the transcendence of art.” — Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel
