Keith Miller (1) (1969–)

What might seem like a fairly straightforward quest involving Pico the librarian loving and losing his winged Sisi and going out on a quest to find his own wings or die trying quickly turns into one of the best Story-within-Story books I've read in a long time.

Why? Because he's a hopeless poet and a hapless adventurer. He's full of quirky stories told semi-inappropriately, falling in with bandits, having tea with minotaurs, and being lonely in young, vibrant crowds. Falling in love with show more literary and tightrope-walking whores. And a whole beautiful and disturbing section about eating. :) But more than all this, all the language is lyrical, poetical in instance, structure, and overarching plot.

It's about finally earning his wings.

And what the hell does that even mean? He doesn't know, either. The book is so damn sad and sweet and it pulls your soul apart. Every character is full of tragedy. Every character is full of love.

There's no way I can describe this without just telling you folks to READ IT. You'll know. Deep down. It's one of those works that speak to writers and deep readers of any caliber. The process of the discovery, the reveling in the imagination, the dark recesses, the loving ones, the sheer irrepressible dive into stories, stories, and more stories. How they define us, the stories we own, the stories we steal, the stories we give away, and the stories that are inherited, blown up, or die.

I can recommend this book forever and a day if that appeals to you at all.

And maybe, after much questing, you too can fly... if you can stomach the cost. :) show less

Pico was born wingless to winged parents who abandoned him for that reason and he grew up as an orphan. He spent his childhood in a library, raised by a librarian and became one himself when the old man died. Not only that he doesn't have parents because he was born without wings, he also can't have the girl he loves because she's also of the winged people. A short moment of happiness with her convinces him that he needs to go on a journey in search of his own wings. To get them he must show more travel across the country to the Morning Town to find the Book of Flying. On the year-long journey he encounters a lot of different people and creatures, all of whom have a lesson to teach him and who influence him and his thinking. But he never loses sight of his ultimate goal and always marches on.

I love everything about this book. It's poetic, lyrical and like a song. Miller has a gift for capturing his readers with powerful images displayed with simple words.
It's a philosophical fairy tale for adults. I wouldn't recommend it for children because the imagery is sometimes very graphic. To me, this is a magic tale of the quest for what is most important in every person's life, and the discovery that the journey is just as important, if not more so, than the goal. show less

This is an interesting book - it has the feel of a fable or fairytale. The young man, untested, goes on a quest for love. What I liked about Pico was that he never was fearful, but only willing to bide his time, learn from his experiences, make friends, and continue on his journey. I was somewhat disappointed in the ending because I wanted something different for Pico - but overall, I liked it. One caveat - the sexuality in this book is pretty strong.

Summary: Pico is a poet and librarian in the city by the sea, and Pico is in love with a winged girl. In order to be with her, however, he needs wings of his own, so he sets off eastward towards the morning town where waits The Book of Flying and his wings. On his way, he encounters the queen of the thieves, a minotaur, a naturalist rabbit, a seller of dreams, two sad but beautiful whores, a cannibal, and an immortal girl in search of the kingdom of Death, and each of them he teaches, and show more from each of them he learns about the power of love, of life, and of stories.

Review: This book is written like a fable, containing within it a collection of fables, as each of the characters tells Pico their story. The language is beautiful and rare, reading with the tone and rhythm of poetry rather than prose. This is the sort of book that deserves to be dealt with slowly, taking the time to savor each turn of phrase, to let them absorb and gestate without worrying about the forward progress of the plot, and to not overdose on the imagery. However, I just wasn't in the mood this time around. It's clear there's a beautiful book in there, but I didn't connect with it - not with the characters nor with the story - and beautiful though the language was, I wanted something more than a wash of well-turned words. It felt too distant and remote, so enamored of teaching lessons about the heart that it forgot to tap some spark of spirit. 3 out of 5 stars.

Recommendation: Lyrically beautiful but it left me strangely unmoved. It may be that it was just the wrong book for the wrong mood - if you've got some time to devote to it, you may have better luck. show less