The Book of Flying

by Journalist Keith Miller

A gorgeously poetic tale of fantasy for adults, The Book of Flying is a beautiful modern fable and daring new take on the quest narrative.

In Keith Miller's debut novel, our hero is Pico, a poet and librarian who is 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 and coming-of-age story 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.

• ISBN10: 1594480664
• ISBN13: 9781594480669
• Publish Date: 4 January 2005 (first published 26 January 2004)
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: US
• Publisher: Penguin Putnam Inc
• Imprint: Riverhead Books,U.S.
• Format: Paperback (US Trade)
• Pages: 288
• Language: English
• URL: https://penguinrandomhouse.com/books/isbn/9781594480669

Reviews

[Jack]

I've become a fan of characters going on quests/travels and meeting people along the way.

The Book of Flying reminded me of the series The Unexpected Dragon. Main character sets out on a quest, and meets a host of companions that have a great impact on their life. Full of bittersweet memories and experiences, all of which shape the main character.

Pico is no exception. He sets out from his home in the city by the sea a pale, frail, young man and throughout his journey to find the morning town meets

I was immediately sucked into the story in the first few sentences, the prose, writing style are beautiful. Pico is a poet and a librarian and the book flows like one.

Pico at one point reads a book about a girl that lands on a planet where everything is made out of books, living books. The grass, flowers, butterflies even people are made out of books, and each is different from the last. Those wr

Yet there is a huge flaw with the writing style, just about every sentence contains a large amount of similes or alliteration.

There was not a single character I didn't like in this book, and there were a few, and they were all memorable. Well, Sisi got on my nerves a bit, but only because she seemed a bit stupid, especially for leaving Pico because the other winged people didn't approve of it.

It's a bitter sweet story that left a sad taste in my mouth, but a hopeful one as well for now Pico has another journey to start.

I hope that the author will one day write a sequel to Pico's journey. I would pick that up in a heart beat. The author knows how to weave words in such a way that leave me spell bound.