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When We Have Wings
In a dystopian near-future, genetic engineering, radical surgery and a regime of drugs can give you something humans have always dreamed about: the ability to fly. If you have the money, you can join this self-created elite: the winged.
These fliers are not only given wings; they have their own architecture, fashion, religion and politics, and build floating towers in the sky. Those who live outside The City in the rural slums of RaRA-land can only look up at this new species of human in wonder and despair.
Except for one remarkable girl, Peri, who is prepared to sacrifice everything to get her own wings. When she kidnaps a rich family's child, the investigation threatens to undermine the glittering world of fliers and reveal its ruthless secrets.
672 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 27, 2011
16 people are currently reading
991 people want to read
About the author
Claire Corbett
10 books103 followersClaire Corbett is a writer. She was born in Canada and has worked in film and government policy. Her first novel, WHEN WE HAVE WINGS, was published in 2011 by Allen & Unwin and shortlisted for the 2012 Barbara Jefferis Award and the 2012 Ned Kelly Award for Best First Fiction and published overseas.
Recent fiction and essays have been published in a range of journals, including Best Australian Stories 2014 & 2015, Griffith Review, Southerly and Overland. She has written on defence and strategy for The Diplomat, The Strategist and The Monthly. Her second novel, WATCH OVER ME, is published by Allen & Unwin in May 2017.
Claire is the fiction editor of Overland Journal.
Recent fiction and essays have been published in a range of journals, including Best Australian Stories 2014 & 2015, Griffith Review, Southerly and Overland. She has written on defence and strategy for The Diplomat, The Strategist and The Monthly. Her second novel, WATCH OVER ME, is published by Allen & Unwin in May 2017.
Claire is the fiction editor of Overland Journal.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 87 reviews
November 24, 2017
I do hope she writes a sequel! Claire Corbett has created a world I hope to read more about. I put this novel in my SF-Fantasy shelf even though it´s much much more than that and I definitely don´t want to scare anyone from reading it. The story is set in a future were man has learnt to manipulate nature and shape himself into fliers among a lot of other developments.
In the society, the city, there is an increasing tension between fliers and non-fliers because the fliers see themselves as a superiour kind. Both fliers and non-fliers live in the city sheltered from the others on the outside and the fliers seem to want to change the city to a place fit for them only.
The novel starts with a death and is in many ways a crime-story. Zeke, a private detective, gets involved more than he ever could have imagined and you really want to read on and on to learn what is happening.
I liked the plot but what really got me hooked was the world the author has created. She describes some of it, of course, but often she gives you a hint or just states a fact and let the reader form a picture of it and what has happened to it. That made me very curious. I want to know more!
The novel also raise many ethical, philosophical and thoughtprovoking questions. What defines a human being? Is it alright to manipulate your body? What happens to us when we change something in our genes? How do we wish to lead our lives? How much are you allowed to use another human being? What are we doing to our world?
This is why I hope the author will continue to write about it. And even though we get some answers in this novel there are many questions left to consider. And I really miss Zeke, Peri, Hugo and all the others.
In the society, the city, there is an increasing tension between fliers and non-fliers because the fliers see themselves as a superiour kind. Both fliers and non-fliers live in the city sheltered from the others on the outside and the fliers seem to want to change the city to a place fit for them only.
The novel starts with a death and is in many ways a crime-story. Zeke, a private detective, gets involved more than he ever could have imagined and you really want to read on and on to learn what is happening.
I liked the plot but what really got me hooked was the world the author has created. She describes some of it, of course, but often she gives you a hint or just states a fact and let the reader form a picture of it and what has happened to it. That made me very curious. I want to know more!
The novel also raise many ethical, philosophical and thoughtprovoking questions. What defines a human being? Is it alright to manipulate your body? What happens to us when we change something in our genes? How do we wish to lead our lives? How much are you allowed to use another human being? What are we doing to our world?
This is why I hope the author will continue to write about it. And even though we get some answers in this novel there are many questions left to consider. And I really miss Zeke, Peri, Hugo and all the others.
February 12, 2012
When We have Wings is Claire Corbett’s debut novel, though from page one the reader is in no doubt that Corbett is a practised and skilled writer.
It’s rare as a reviewer that I get surprised by a work, when you read a lot of quality fiction your expectations are high. When We have Wings enchanted me as I was reading it and had me deep in thought when I wasn’t.
The Tale
When We have Wings is set in a near future Australia[1] where sea levels have risen and our tampering with genetics has altered not only our own biology but that of many of the life forms surrounding us. Picking your child’s features is commonplace; the cutting edge of genetic manipulation is the creation of humans with wings.
The dark underside to these genetic wonders are superbugs, ultra virulent strains of mosquito born diseases and super weeds that clog any land not repeatedly cleared.
Society limps on, the gap between rich and poor ever widening, encapsulated most eloquently in a piece of graffiti viewed by one of our protagonists:
In dripping gold letters three metres high ran the words: if GOD wanted you to FLY, he’d have made you RICH.
The story is told from two perspectives: First, Peri a poor girl made good, a wet nurse and surrogate mother for a pair of rich flyers; her payment is her wings. Second, Zeke an ex-cop turned private eye agonising over the choice to let his ex-wife turn their son into a flier.
Peri absconds with the child she is caring for and Zeke is hired to track her down. What looks like a straightforward case takes Zeke and the reader further into the mysterious and seedy world of flier culture and politics. While with Peri the reader is treated to an unravelling of a personal mystery and the wonders and possibilities of flight.
Only reading can do this book justice
No short block of text is going to adequately impress on you the scope of this novel. So rich did I find the world building, so convincing and multi-layered did I find Corbett’s vision that it seems a pity to let it rest at one novel.
Corbett could have just hand waived some of the explanations associated with human wing powered flight, but she didn’t. Without giving us too “crunchy” or technical an explanation she makes flight seem probable rather than possible. I’d go further - so evocative was her prose that I could almost feel the experience of flight.
Corbett could have hand waived some of the changes to culture and society brought on by the creation of human fliers but she didn’t and the reader is treated to a a world that has depth and verisimilitude. If there’s a way flying humans would change our society she’s outlined it, from architecture to the way crime would change.
She’s also used her experience working for government departments to give us a sometimes depressingly realistic vision of future bureaucracy and the services that would spring up around a self centred culture.
‘Is this one of those child hotels?’ I’d said as we pulled up to the seedy highrise, with its billboard slick outside that made it look like a resort, complete with palm-fringed pool. From newborns to 12 years old, the sign said: 24 hour care; weekly rates. Special needs catered for. Separate dormitories for boys and girls. We give them the best holiday so you can have the best holiday. ‘Never seen one of these before.’
‘Jack and Jill?’ said Henryk. ‘Hope that doesn’t reflect their standard of care.
This book got under my skin and awoke in me that rare experience in fiction where for a second, magic or the imagined becomes tantalisingly real. I caught my self day dreaming, watching clouds and believing.
Don’t let this slip under the Specfic radar
My fear with When We have Wings, is that many with in the Speculative Fiction community won’t read it simply because it won’t register on their radar. At Booktopia it’s listed as contemporary fiction, its cover says “literature”.
This is a book that quite comfortably sits in the realm of speculative fiction, I would hope it gets nominated for an Aurealis; it should be nominated for a Campbell if not a Hugo award.
Don’t let this one slip under your radar.
This book was provided to me at no coast by Allen & Unwin.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Footnote:
1. It’s never actually stated as the location, but the language and culture indicates that it is. Imagine a fusion of Sydney and the slums of Mumbai
It’s rare as a reviewer that I get surprised by a work, when you read a lot of quality fiction your expectations are high. When We have Wings enchanted me as I was reading it and had me deep in thought when I wasn’t.
The Tale
When We have Wings is set in a near future Australia[1] where sea levels have risen and our tampering with genetics has altered not only our own biology but that of many of the life forms surrounding us. Picking your child’s features is commonplace; the cutting edge of genetic manipulation is the creation of humans with wings.
The dark underside to these genetic wonders are superbugs, ultra virulent strains of mosquito born diseases and super weeds that clog any land not repeatedly cleared.
Society limps on, the gap between rich and poor ever widening, encapsulated most eloquently in a piece of graffiti viewed by one of our protagonists:
In dripping gold letters three metres high ran the words: if GOD wanted you to FLY, he’d have made you RICH.
The story is told from two perspectives: First, Peri a poor girl made good, a wet nurse and surrogate mother for a pair of rich flyers; her payment is her wings. Second, Zeke an ex-cop turned private eye agonising over the choice to let his ex-wife turn their son into a flier.
Peri absconds with the child she is caring for and Zeke is hired to track her down. What looks like a straightforward case takes Zeke and the reader further into the mysterious and seedy world of flier culture and politics. While with Peri the reader is treated to an unravelling of a personal mystery and the wonders and possibilities of flight.
Only reading can do this book justice
No short block of text is going to adequately impress on you the scope of this novel. So rich did I find the world building, so convincing and multi-layered did I find Corbett’s vision that it seems a pity to let it rest at one novel.
Corbett could have just hand waived some of the explanations associated with human wing powered flight, but she didn’t. Without giving us too “crunchy” or technical an explanation she makes flight seem probable rather than possible. I’d go further - so evocative was her prose that I could almost feel the experience of flight.
Corbett could have hand waived some of the changes to culture and society brought on by the creation of human fliers but she didn’t and the reader is treated to a a world that has depth and verisimilitude. If there’s a way flying humans would change our society she’s outlined it, from architecture to the way crime would change.
She’s also used her experience working for government departments to give us a sometimes depressingly realistic vision of future bureaucracy and the services that would spring up around a self centred culture.
‘Is this one of those child hotels?’ I’d said as we pulled up to the seedy highrise, with its billboard slick outside that made it look like a resort, complete with palm-fringed pool. From newborns to 12 years old, the sign said: 24 hour care; weekly rates. Special needs catered for. Separate dormitories for boys and girls. We give them the best holiday so you can have the best holiday. ‘Never seen one of these before.’
‘Jack and Jill?’ said Henryk. ‘Hope that doesn’t reflect their standard of care.
This book got under my skin and awoke in me that rare experience in fiction where for a second, magic or the imagined becomes tantalisingly real. I caught my self day dreaming, watching clouds and believing.
Don’t let this slip under the Specfic radar
My fear with When We have Wings, is that many with in the Speculative Fiction community won’t read it simply because it won’t register on their radar. At Booktopia it’s listed as contemporary fiction, its cover says “literature”.
This is a book that quite comfortably sits in the realm of speculative fiction, I would hope it gets nominated for an Aurealis; it should be nominated for a Campbell if not a Hugo award.
Don’t let this one slip under your radar.
This book was provided to me at no coast by Allen & Unwin.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Footnote:
1. It’s never actually stated as the location, but the language and culture indicates that it is. Imagine a fusion of Sydney and the slums of Mumbai
March 9, 2012
When We Have Wings explores issues of money and class against the backdrop of a future society in which through surgery, drugs and gene manipulation, flight has become possible, but only for the rich.
Peri, a poor girl with a shadowy past, earns her wings when she becomes a nanny to the Chessyres, a rich and powerful flier family. But when her only friend dies under mysterious circumstances, Peri flees the world she worked so hard to become part of, taking baby Hugo with her.
The world of flight, in its physical and technical dimensions, is skilfully rendered and the emotional element – the exhilaration and terror of flying - yields some of the novel’s most beautiful prose, though as the book progresses the repeated extended descriptions become tedious.
The plot is complex and gripping, with an intriguing mystery at its heart, though there is a loss of momentum midway when Peri disappears, and some of the confrontations feel anticlimactic, let down by dialogue which lacks subtlety and fails to convey an authentic sense of character. However, the tension rebuilds through a series of exciting action scenes towards a dramatic and inventive denouement.
When We Have Wings explores the ethics of human modification with intelligence and originality; a compelling and satisfying read.
Peri, a poor girl with a shadowy past, earns her wings when she becomes a nanny to the Chessyres, a rich and powerful flier family. But when her only friend dies under mysterious circumstances, Peri flees the world she worked so hard to become part of, taking baby Hugo with her.
The world of flight, in its physical and technical dimensions, is skilfully rendered and the emotional element – the exhilaration and terror of flying - yields some of the novel’s most beautiful prose, though as the book progresses the repeated extended descriptions become tedious.
The plot is complex and gripping, with an intriguing mystery at its heart, though there is a loss of momentum midway when Peri disappears, and some of the confrontations feel anticlimactic, let down by dialogue which lacks subtlety and fails to convey an authentic sense of character. However, the tension rebuilds through a series of exciting action scenes towards a dramatic and inventive denouement.
When We Have Wings explores the ethics of human modification with intelligence and originality; a compelling and satisfying read.
September 1, 2019
"They never gave up anything, they never risked anything, and the less they did for him, the less they loved him. I thought it was the other way round, that they did nothing for him because they didn't love him."
I am a little disappointed.
The book synopsis seemed very appealing, but in the end the word that occur me to describe the story is boring.
There are a few high moments, but in general, I didn't like it much.
I am a little disappointed.
The book synopsis seemed very appealing, but in the end the word that occur me to describe the story is boring.
There are a few high moments, but in general, I didn't like it much.
July 3, 2011
This debut novel by Australian author Claire Corbett is a fantasy set in a future where humans can fly thanks to surgery, gene manipulation and an ongoing drug regime. But such a process is extremely expensive and therefore only available to the rich, thus dividing society into fliers and non-fliers.
From the first page of When We Have Wings I was immediately dropped into the action of story - where people can fly - without any character or story background at all. At first this was a shock and I found myself a little disoriented and struggling to piece together the constructs of this new world without any background or intro to the scenario. However; as the book continued, character background was filled in and the science behind creating human fliers was provided and I was hooked.
I was very interested in the differences between fliers and non-fliers and the multitude of societal and environmental dilemmas arising as a result. Corbett explored these extremely well in the novel, giving us plenty of food for thought without guiding us toward a particular point of view. It was a clever glimpse of an alternate future but also underscored many of the inequalities in the world today.
My favourite part of the book had nothing to do with flying funnily enough. It was a character insight and doesn't give any of the plot away, so I'll share it here. The main character realises why the parents don't love their baby:
"They never gave up anything, they never risked anything, and the less they did for him, the less they loved him. I thought it was the other way round, that they did nothing for him because they didn't love him."
This really made me want to stop reading and soak this in. So poignant and so true.
Finally, the author seemed to have such an amazing understanding and knowledge of flight that I was often left shaking my head in admiration of her writing and frowning in wonder - how did she do that? I was also impressed by her knowledge of clouds and cloud formations, weather patterns, air movements, and the science behind flight. If I didn't know any better, I'd say she was a flier herself!
I really enjoyed living in Corbett's cleverly created world - plants bio-engineered to glow in the dark at night eliminating the need for lights, buildings created for fliers, and especially the lion that was genetically engineered to grow to the size of a house cat. (Corbett's creativity reminded me of reading Harry Potter for the first time, and wanting to taste all of the different lollies J. K. Rowling had created). I'd love to witness and visit some of the sites in When We Have Wings, if only they were real.
A fabulous debut novel for Australian author Claire Corbett, and I'll be keeping an eye out for what she does next.
From the first page of When We Have Wings I was immediately dropped into the action of story - where people can fly - without any character or story background at all. At first this was a shock and I found myself a little disoriented and struggling to piece together the constructs of this new world without any background or intro to the scenario. However; as the book continued, character background was filled in and the science behind creating human fliers was provided and I was hooked.
I was very interested in the differences between fliers and non-fliers and the multitude of societal and environmental dilemmas arising as a result. Corbett explored these extremely well in the novel, giving us plenty of food for thought without guiding us toward a particular point of view. It was a clever glimpse of an alternate future but also underscored many of the inequalities in the world today.
My favourite part of the book had nothing to do with flying funnily enough. It was a character insight and doesn't give any of the plot away, so I'll share it here. The main character realises why the parents don't love their baby:
"They never gave up anything, they never risked anything, and the less they did for him, the less they loved him. I thought it was the other way round, that they did nothing for him because they didn't love him."
This really made me want to stop reading and soak this in. So poignant and so true.
Finally, the author seemed to have such an amazing understanding and knowledge of flight that I was often left shaking my head in admiration of her writing and frowning in wonder - how did she do that? I was also impressed by her knowledge of clouds and cloud formations, weather patterns, air movements, and the science behind flight. If I didn't know any better, I'd say she was a flier herself!
I really enjoyed living in Corbett's cleverly created world - plants bio-engineered to glow in the dark at night eliminating the need for lights, buildings created for fliers, and especially the lion that was genetically engineered to grow to the size of a house cat. (Corbett's creativity reminded me of reading Harry Potter for the first time, and wanting to taste all of the different lollies J. K. Rowling had created). I'd love to witness and visit some of the sites in When We Have Wings, if only they were real.
A fabulous debut novel for Australian author Claire Corbett, and I'll be keeping an eye out for what she does next.
September 24, 2013
*re-posted from my blog: http://literaryminded.com.au
The main theme, and dilemma, for the two main characters in When We Have Wings is an old one: how do we deal with technological progress, the divides it can create (between classes, between generations), and the power it may provide to a privileged few? More specifically, how does someone raising a child in a rapidly changing environment make decisions about their future?
But the main reasons you should read this novel are:
1. people can fly
2. one of the main characters is a private detective
3. there is a miniature lion
Did I mention that people can fly? Yeah. Wow.
Peri was abandoned as a child and grew up poor in the regions outside the city. When we meet her in the novel, she’s been given her wings, and she works as a nanny to baby Hugo, for a wealthy, influential couple. Her employer, the architect Peter Chesshyre, is the creator of exclusive buildings for fliers, and is a little too in love with his own power. The wings are due to advances in science—genetic engineering—as are much of the spectacular materials for building and fashions. Even pets are hugely altered (if one has the money). It’s natural for people to choose their baby’s eye and hair colour. This is already something that doesn’t seem far away, so When We Have Wings asks: how far would we go?
The other main character—our private dick Zeke Fowler—has to let his ex-wife know whether or not their three-year-old son will go ahead with the treatments to become a flier. Of course, he wants his son to have every opportunity to go forward, and be happy, in the world, but what he’s learning about fliers on his current case isn’t very attractive. His case is to look for Peri, who has taken off with baby Hugo.
The story is addictive: there are adventures (with flying), mysteries, and intense encounters. The book is large and so there’s plenty of time to get to know both Peri and Zeke; their histories, their passions, their weaknesses. Corbett creates a great deal of sympathy for her main characters by giving them both ‘tough-but-caring’ natures. Peri is very protective of Hugo; Zeke is genuinely concerned about Peri. There are also some lovely moments between Zeke and the aforementioned tiny lion.
Corbett has built an imaginative, complex world: a city where permanent residency is like a Wonka golden ticket, plus edge cities, swampy outlands with nasty diseases, and a burgeoning world in the sky. The weather is tropical, the population is multicultural. Technological and genetic advances are for the haves. The have-nots may be left behind, but there are groups working (as there would be) to try to make sure there will be more choice, and clearer ethical guidelines.
Corbett, in creating this world and her characters, has also engaged with theology and mythology, with nature, and with history. When We Have Wings is hence densely layered. It’s smart and political, raising the kind of questions the best science fiction should raise (about ethics, about progress, about how future generations will make meaning), but it’s also just damn entertaining. The characters are well-rounded, the story is genuinely exciting, and best of all, Corbett does not pander to her readers. She does not tie everything into a neat little bow. The future is possibly bleak and strange, it may also be exhilarating. Either way, we will have to deal with many of the same issues we deal with now.
The main theme, and dilemma, for the two main characters in When We Have Wings is an old one: how do we deal with technological progress, the divides it can create (between classes, between generations), and the power it may provide to a privileged few? More specifically, how does someone raising a child in a rapidly changing environment make decisions about their future?
But the main reasons you should read this novel are:
1. people can fly
2. one of the main characters is a private detective
3. there is a miniature lion
Did I mention that people can fly? Yeah. Wow.
Peri was abandoned as a child and grew up poor in the regions outside the city. When we meet her in the novel, she’s been given her wings, and she works as a nanny to baby Hugo, for a wealthy, influential couple. Her employer, the architect Peter Chesshyre, is the creator of exclusive buildings for fliers, and is a little too in love with his own power. The wings are due to advances in science—genetic engineering—as are much of the spectacular materials for building and fashions. Even pets are hugely altered (if one has the money). It’s natural for people to choose their baby’s eye and hair colour. This is already something that doesn’t seem far away, so When We Have Wings asks: how far would we go?
The other main character—our private dick Zeke Fowler—has to let his ex-wife know whether or not their three-year-old son will go ahead with the treatments to become a flier. Of course, he wants his son to have every opportunity to go forward, and be happy, in the world, but what he’s learning about fliers on his current case isn’t very attractive. His case is to look for Peri, who has taken off with baby Hugo.
The story is addictive: there are adventures (with flying), mysteries, and intense encounters. The book is large and so there’s plenty of time to get to know both Peri and Zeke; their histories, their passions, their weaknesses. Corbett creates a great deal of sympathy for her main characters by giving them both ‘tough-but-caring’ natures. Peri is very protective of Hugo; Zeke is genuinely concerned about Peri. There are also some lovely moments between Zeke and the aforementioned tiny lion.
Corbett has built an imaginative, complex world: a city where permanent residency is like a Wonka golden ticket, plus edge cities, swampy outlands with nasty diseases, and a burgeoning world in the sky. The weather is tropical, the population is multicultural. Technological and genetic advances are for the haves. The have-nots may be left behind, but there are groups working (as there would be) to try to make sure there will be more choice, and clearer ethical guidelines.
Corbett, in creating this world and her characters, has also engaged with theology and mythology, with nature, and with history. When We Have Wings is hence densely layered. It’s smart and political, raising the kind of questions the best science fiction should raise (about ethics, about progress, about how future generations will make meaning), but it’s also just damn entertaining. The characters are well-rounded, the story is genuinely exciting, and best of all, Corbett does not pander to her readers. She does not tie everything into a neat little bow. The future is possibly bleak and strange, it may also be exhilarating. Either way, we will have to deal with many of the same issues we deal with now.
February 28, 2017
3,5 estrelas
Quanto ao enredo em si, não é que não me tenha cativado a história principal, mas por vezes parecia que o livro tinha sido escrito por duas autoras diferentes. Ora apresentava-se absorvente, captando o meu total interesse, ora revelava-se carregado da chamada "palha" que aqui na minha opinião apresenta-se em algum excesso. Como por exemplo, são apresentadas personagens e enredos secundários que pouco ou nada contribuíram para o enredo principal, tornado o livro por vezes secante.
Opinião completa - http://cronicasdeumaleitora.blogspot....
Quanto ao enredo em si, não é que não me tenha cativado a história principal, mas por vezes parecia que o livro tinha sido escrito por duas autoras diferentes. Ora apresentava-se absorvente, captando o meu total interesse, ora revelava-se carregado da chamada "palha" que aqui na minha opinião apresenta-se em algum excesso. Como por exemplo, são apresentadas personagens e enredos secundários que pouco ou nada contribuíram para o enredo principal, tornado o livro por vezes secante.
Opinião completa - http://cronicasdeumaleitora.blogspot....
July 19, 2013
No momento actual em que tanto se especula sobre as alterações genéticas e todos os dilemas éticos associados que, indiscutivelmente, dizem respeito a todos nós, Claire Corbett alia uma das grandes fantasias do homem a uma sociedade futurista tão admirável quanto repudiante em O Império das Asas, uma história onde o surreal ganha vida de forma criativa, através de um enredo com uma pitada de suspense e um cariz tão emocional quanto científico.
Peri, uma entre ninguéns, sonhou ter asas e voar o que, contrariamente a todas as estatísticas, por ser pobre e não ter família, acabou por conseguir pelo mais elevado de todos os preços. Agora - com o seu recente passaporte para o céu garantido e como ama do filho recém-nascido de Peter, um arquitecto multimilionário e altamente conceituado -, ela descobre que as suas origens voltaram para a atormentar, findando a concretização do seu sonho e transportando-a de volta para o seu pior pesadelo, acabando por ser obrigada a deixar para trás tudo o que conquistou arduamente. A fuga é a sua única possibilidade e, simultaneamente, o assinar da sua sentença e a perda da sua liberdade porque não colocará apenas a sua vida em risco, Hugo, o bebé que alimenta, terá de a acompanhar e ela fará tudo para o defender.
Porque tanto as personagens como os temas abordados são variados, e eu não quero alongar-me demasiado, hoje vou optar falar de ambos em conjunto tentando dar a ver os lugares-comuns desta história que fará delícias de um público adulto e apaixonado por leituras desiguais. (Se não for coerente ou não gostarem deste tipo de opinião em particular, façam-me chegar o vosso feedback.)
Começando pela estrela principal desta ficção científica, Peri é realmente fantástica e cria um laço intrínseco com o leitor, mas não posso menosprezar tudo o resto que ela representa... Mais do que um indivíduo, esta jovem inteligente, interessante e extremamente astuta é a imagem de todas as vidas menos afortunadas, vidas que para conquistar o seu lugar neste cenário disfuncional recorrem à clandestinidade. Ela é, igualmente, o elo de ligação entre todos os outros intervenientes que nos levam reflectir, analisar, uma complexa faceta, embora menos bela, desta sociedade de humanos alados e capazes de tudo para alcançar os seus desejos, enquanto tentamos desvendar o mistério que levou à sua fuga da Cidade.
Outra das grandes personagens deste enredo é Zeke, um antigo polícia, um actual detective privado e, mais importante, um ser humano igual a qualquer um de nós e avesso às alterações que vão sendo aplicadas a quem puder pagá-las. Conhecido pela sua inteligência e extremamente dedicado ao seu filho Tom, este homem está longe de imaginar tudo o que a sua busca por Peri o levará a descobrir e representa, principalmente, as emoções, reacções, de um sujeito comum quando se depara com todas as potencialidades e dilemas que a nova realidade tem para oferecer. Pela frase anterior, podem perceber o grosso populacional não tem asas e não se apercebe do quão distante está da elite de voadores que começa, lentamente, a criar um sistema e uma zona restrita à sua “espécie”. A informação fornecida a quem lê por este interveniente é imensa e, acreditem, ele é a jóia da coroa para qualquer escritor que queira ser minucioso em tudo o que dá a ver aos seus leitores.
Igualmente interessantes pelas suas semelhanças e diferenças são Peter e Jay. Peter, o pai de Hugo, é um dos pilares da nova sociedade que está a florescer, pois a sua função é construir e dar vida a um ambiente exclusivo a quem consegue voar - as suas obras são dignas de qualquer sonho porque, obviamente, não foi só a nível da ciência humana que a tecnologia evoluiu. Por outro lado, ele mostra o quanto as alterações físicas podem alterar o psicológico de cada um e, da mesma forma, permite-nos fazer comparações com Jay. Jay, por sua vez, faz parte da elite dos voadores, tendo sido concebido para tirar o máximo partido das novas capacidades daqueles que foram alterados. Para ele voar é uma máxima que só funciona se for realizada em paralelo com o voo das aves vivendo, assim, de forma absolutamente distinta daqueles que tem asas apenas por capricho. É muito curioso tentar compreende-los em conjunto como duas faces da mesma moeda e, no fim, ambos acabam por revelar bastantes surpresas pondo-nos a reflectir sobre a causa-efeito das alterações a que foram sujeitos.
Ainda em relação a personagens, sou obrigada a falar de Tom e Hugo, duas crianças que pouco intervém mas que são responsáveis por quase tudo o que vamos lendo. Hugo porque, obviamente, é a criança levada por Peri e que Peter quer recuperar mas, mais importante, por ser filho de voadores e não ter as condições necessárias, fisicamente, para poder voar, contrariamente a Tom que é filho de pais normais mas que pode, eventualmente, vir a tornar-se voador. Confuso? Bem, eu avisei que este era um livro complexo, de qualquer forma a questão que aqui se impõe é o estigma e preconceito que começa a ser associado a quem pode ou não voar. Quais as vantagens para além do sonho? E que diferenças isso pode fazer na vida do individuo? São imensas as questões que estes dois pequenos levantam e que vos darão muito prazer descobrir, tenho a certeza.
Para lá daquilo que já citei, com ajuda dos seus intervenientes, este livro aborda ainda temas associados à família e ao abandono, algo que nos é comum, assim como diversas questões éticas que são levantadas, repetidamente, conforme somos confrontados com mais e mais informação sobre os voadores.
A sociedade abordada é igualmente fascinante e não apenas em relação ao meio onde estão presentes os portadores de asas. Também os indivíduos inalterados sofrem as consequências da evolução, quer no âmbito da saúde quer na própria postura, existindo aqui espaço para conhecermos o fascínio em oposição à aversão ou mesmo a corrupção em oposição à lei que acaba, inevitavelmente, por sofrer com os efeitos daqueles que não consegue alcançar.
Já me alonguei imenso mas tenho mesmo de vos falar também dos cenários descritos por Claire Corbett, que são absolutamente maravilhosos. Do citadino ao selvagem, com espaço para o extraordinário, as imagens descritas são deslumbrantes e gostei mesmo muito do que li. O mesmo se passa em relação a tudo o que envolve tecnologia, onde a autora é minuciosa e nos oferece algo credível, palpável, capaz de se tornar verdadeiro aos olhos do leitor. Nada, nada de nada, é deixado ao acaso e isso, claro, tem um preço que muitos leitores evitam, uma narração descritiva. Este livro não é fácil de ler e para quem procura algo leve e de entretenimento não vai conseguir passar das primeiras 100 páginas, mas a verdade é que sem os pormenores, os cuidados e as curiosidades, este livro não teria o valor que tem para quem quer, realmente, entrar numa nova dimensão em que as pessoas comuns podem voar, porque, convenha-se, o ser humanos tal como é hoje, nunca conseguiria tal feito de forma viável.
Por fim, Claire Corbett arranja ainda espaço para crítica e reflexão ao longo de toda a leitura, algo que esta leitora agradece muito.
Opinião completa em: http://historiasdeelphaba.blogspot.pt...
Peri, uma entre ninguéns, sonhou ter asas e voar o que, contrariamente a todas as estatísticas, por ser pobre e não ter família, acabou por conseguir pelo mais elevado de todos os preços. Agora - com o seu recente passaporte para o céu garantido e como ama do filho recém-nascido de Peter, um arquitecto multimilionário e altamente conceituado -, ela descobre que as suas origens voltaram para a atormentar, findando a concretização do seu sonho e transportando-a de volta para o seu pior pesadelo, acabando por ser obrigada a deixar para trás tudo o que conquistou arduamente. A fuga é a sua única possibilidade e, simultaneamente, o assinar da sua sentença e a perda da sua liberdade porque não colocará apenas a sua vida em risco, Hugo, o bebé que alimenta, terá de a acompanhar e ela fará tudo para o defender.
Porque tanto as personagens como os temas abordados são variados, e eu não quero alongar-me demasiado, hoje vou optar falar de ambos em conjunto tentando dar a ver os lugares-comuns desta história que fará delícias de um público adulto e apaixonado por leituras desiguais. (Se não for coerente ou não gostarem deste tipo de opinião em particular, façam-me chegar o vosso feedback.)
Começando pela estrela principal desta ficção científica, Peri é realmente fantástica e cria um laço intrínseco com o leitor, mas não posso menosprezar tudo o resto que ela representa... Mais do que um indivíduo, esta jovem inteligente, interessante e extremamente astuta é a imagem de todas as vidas menos afortunadas, vidas que para conquistar o seu lugar neste cenário disfuncional recorrem à clandestinidade. Ela é, igualmente, o elo de ligação entre todos os outros intervenientes que nos levam reflectir, analisar, uma complexa faceta, embora menos bela, desta sociedade de humanos alados e capazes de tudo para alcançar os seus desejos, enquanto tentamos desvendar o mistério que levou à sua fuga da Cidade.
Outra das grandes personagens deste enredo é Zeke, um antigo polícia, um actual detective privado e, mais importante, um ser humano igual a qualquer um de nós e avesso às alterações que vão sendo aplicadas a quem puder pagá-las. Conhecido pela sua inteligência e extremamente dedicado ao seu filho Tom, este homem está longe de imaginar tudo o que a sua busca por Peri o levará a descobrir e representa, principalmente, as emoções, reacções, de um sujeito comum quando se depara com todas as potencialidades e dilemas que a nova realidade tem para oferecer. Pela frase anterior, podem perceber o grosso populacional não tem asas e não se apercebe do quão distante está da elite de voadores que começa, lentamente, a criar um sistema e uma zona restrita à sua “espécie”. A informação fornecida a quem lê por este interveniente é imensa e, acreditem, ele é a jóia da coroa para qualquer escritor que queira ser minucioso em tudo o que dá a ver aos seus leitores.
Igualmente interessantes pelas suas semelhanças e diferenças são Peter e Jay. Peter, o pai de Hugo, é um dos pilares da nova sociedade que está a florescer, pois a sua função é construir e dar vida a um ambiente exclusivo a quem consegue voar - as suas obras são dignas de qualquer sonho porque, obviamente, não foi só a nível da ciência humana que a tecnologia evoluiu. Por outro lado, ele mostra o quanto as alterações físicas podem alterar o psicológico de cada um e, da mesma forma, permite-nos fazer comparações com Jay. Jay, por sua vez, faz parte da elite dos voadores, tendo sido concebido para tirar o máximo partido das novas capacidades daqueles que foram alterados. Para ele voar é uma máxima que só funciona se for realizada em paralelo com o voo das aves vivendo, assim, de forma absolutamente distinta daqueles que tem asas apenas por capricho. É muito curioso tentar compreende-los em conjunto como duas faces da mesma moeda e, no fim, ambos acabam por revelar bastantes surpresas pondo-nos a reflectir sobre a causa-efeito das alterações a que foram sujeitos.
Ainda em relação a personagens, sou obrigada a falar de Tom e Hugo, duas crianças que pouco intervém mas que são responsáveis por quase tudo o que vamos lendo. Hugo porque, obviamente, é a criança levada por Peri e que Peter quer recuperar mas, mais importante, por ser filho de voadores e não ter as condições necessárias, fisicamente, para poder voar, contrariamente a Tom que é filho de pais normais mas que pode, eventualmente, vir a tornar-se voador. Confuso? Bem, eu avisei que este era um livro complexo, de qualquer forma a questão que aqui se impõe é o estigma e preconceito que começa a ser associado a quem pode ou não voar. Quais as vantagens para além do sonho? E que diferenças isso pode fazer na vida do individuo? São imensas as questões que estes dois pequenos levantam e que vos darão muito prazer descobrir, tenho a certeza.
Para lá daquilo que já citei, com ajuda dos seus intervenientes, este livro aborda ainda temas associados à família e ao abandono, algo que nos é comum, assim como diversas questões éticas que são levantadas, repetidamente, conforme somos confrontados com mais e mais informação sobre os voadores.
A sociedade abordada é igualmente fascinante e não apenas em relação ao meio onde estão presentes os portadores de asas. Também os indivíduos inalterados sofrem as consequências da evolução, quer no âmbito da saúde quer na própria postura, existindo aqui espaço para conhecermos o fascínio em oposição à aversão ou mesmo a corrupção em oposição à lei que acaba, inevitavelmente, por sofrer com os efeitos daqueles que não consegue alcançar.
Já me alonguei imenso mas tenho mesmo de vos falar também dos cenários descritos por Claire Corbett, que são absolutamente maravilhosos. Do citadino ao selvagem, com espaço para o extraordinário, as imagens descritas são deslumbrantes e gostei mesmo muito do que li. O mesmo se passa em relação a tudo o que envolve tecnologia, onde a autora é minuciosa e nos oferece algo credível, palpável, capaz de se tornar verdadeiro aos olhos do leitor. Nada, nada de nada, é deixado ao acaso e isso, claro, tem um preço que muitos leitores evitam, uma narração descritiva. Este livro não é fácil de ler e para quem procura algo leve e de entretenimento não vai conseguir passar das primeiras 100 páginas, mas a verdade é que sem os pormenores, os cuidados e as curiosidades, este livro não teria o valor que tem para quem quer, realmente, entrar numa nova dimensão em que as pessoas comuns podem voar, porque, convenha-se, o ser humanos tal como é hoje, nunca conseguiria tal feito de forma viável.
Por fim, Claire Corbett arranja ainda espaço para crítica e reflexão ao longo de toda a leitura, algo que esta leitora agradece muito.
Opinião completa em: http://historiasdeelphaba.blogspot.pt...
August 2, 2022
A fascinating idea, and a familiar setting. Though set in a dystopian future, I couldn’t help feeling I was in Sydney as I read this book. The story was interesting but not compelling. I found the long technical descriptions of flight somewhat tedious though no doubt they would be stimulating for some. I was irritated by the authors use of the words “fuck” and “fucking” so often. It just didn’t seem to fit, and didn’t really add anything to the narrative. Not sure why she felt the need. I was tempted to abandon the book on several occasions, but persevered, and ultimately the book felt good in the end, but it was not memorable, at least not for me.
July 10, 2011
This would have to be one of the most original and thought-provoking books I've read in a long time. Exquisitely written and populated by characters about whom you care, the novel is a wonderful melange of genres. Encompassing science-fiction, crime and fantasy it is also a considered tale that deals with fascinating and all too real philosophical issues including the timeless one of just what it means to be human. Adding a delicate frisson to this is the role of science and surgery and just how far humans are prepared to go in order to reach for and extend the aesthetic, physical and psychological limitations of their body and the potential and actual consequences of this. Dilemmas we already face as plastic and cosmetic surgery and other bodily modifications as well as our obsession with aging dominate headlines and already create very real class and economic divisions.
Set in an unspecified but, one imagines not too distant future, When We Have Wings explores a world where the new divide exists on vertical lines: up and down - of those who have the money and connections to undergo the surgery and comprehensive drug regime to get wings and those who don't. Of those who literally live in the clouds or those who are forced to dwell on the ground and feel the gulf between them and this new angelic race grow.
At the centre of this page-turning story is young Peri, nanny to a couple of wealthy and powerful fliers. When Peri kidnaps her charge, Hugo, she triggers a series of events that leads to more questions and an investigation into the secret world of fliers, led by the 'ordinary' PI Zeke, who has his own personal problems to deal with including whether or not to give permission for his son (who lives with his ex-wife, Lily) Thomas, to be given wings.
Thrust into the privileged and secretive world of fliers, Zeke finds out more than he bargained for and, as he works hard and fast to track Peri, the question of why she ran with Hugo soon overtakes the need to locate her.
Told as parallel narratives, Peri and Zeke's stories offers amazing and beautifully told insights into a divided future where getting what you wish for can be a poisoned, if seductive, chalice. Ethics, morals, right, wrong, religion, politics, parenting, nurture, nature, biological recklessness, exploitation and responsibility are all explored in intelligent and evocative prose. Descriptions of flight are irresistible as is the power of nature, conjured by Corbett in what i can only describe as breath-taking word storms.
This is a sublime book that will appeal to such a broad readership. An absolutely fabulous read that I simultaneously found hard to put down but also didn't want to end.
Set in an unspecified but, one imagines not too distant future, When We Have Wings explores a world where the new divide exists on vertical lines: up and down - of those who have the money and connections to undergo the surgery and comprehensive drug regime to get wings and those who don't. Of those who literally live in the clouds or those who are forced to dwell on the ground and feel the gulf between them and this new angelic race grow.
At the centre of this page-turning story is young Peri, nanny to a couple of wealthy and powerful fliers. When Peri kidnaps her charge, Hugo, she triggers a series of events that leads to more questions and an investigation into the secret world of fliers, led by the 'ordinary' PI Zeke, who has his own personal problems to deal with including whether or not to give permission for his son (who lives with his ex-wife, Lily) Thomas, to be given wings.
Thrust into the privileged and secretive world of fliers, Zeke finds out more than he bargained for and, as he works hard and fast to track Peri, the question of why she ran with Hugo soon overtakes the need to locate her.
Told as parallel narratives, Peri and Zeke's stories offers amazing and beautifully told insights into a divided future where getting what you wish for can be a poisoned, if seductive, chalice. Ethics, morals, right, wrong, religion, politics, parenting, nurture, nature, biological recklessness, exploitation and responsibility are all explored in intelligent and evocative prose. Descriptions of flight are irresistible as is the power of nature, conjured by Corbett in what i can only describe as breath-taking word storms.
This is a sublime book that will appeal to such a broad readership. An absolutely fabulous read that I simultaneously found hard to put down but also didn't want to end.
November 6, 2011
Wow. Part Mieville-like mystery, part Kress-like genetically modified future. Methinks we'll be seeing this book on some shortlists come Awards Season :)
Now. Time for honesty. Before I quit work, I was on my way to becoming a specialist Avian veterinarian. I expected to find holes in this.
Nope. No holes. Excellent research. I mean, there's a teensy bit of handwavey with the absence of a steering mechanism and the convenient super-strong flight muscles that don't require alteration of the existing human breastbone. But we want our angels to be beautiful, don't we? Not bizarre things with pointy, two-foot keels.
Handwavey aside, Corbett's observations of human nature are superb.
Every strata of her society is perfectly pegged, from the 'pigs do fly' remark to the game show where you can win wings, from the government-imposed non-flier quota to the graffiti near the Church of the Seraphim which reads: "If GOD wanted you to FLY, he'd have made you RICH" (p226)
The descriptions of Flight are immersive. The two different POV characters are distinct and engaging. I did think the switch to present tense for the opening chapter and several of the end-paragraphs was a bit jarring, but not jarring enough to deduct any half-stars.
For if the worldbuilding and lovely language weren't already enough, the way the character of Tom was captured made my heart ache; made me look at the Small One as though it was me, and not Zeke, that had to decide whether or not to give wings to my young child; made me momentarily relieved that I wasn't in that position - and then I remembered the wings are metaphor, that I AM in that position, that every parent is.
*sniffle*!
Great book. Thanks Claire!
Now. Time for honesty. Before I quit work, I was on my way to becoming a specialist Avian veterinarian. I expected to find holes in this.
Nope. No holes. Excellent research. I mean, there's a teensy bit of handwavey with the absence of a steering mechanism and the convenient super-strong flight muscles that don't require alteration of the existing human breastbone. But we want our angels to be beautiful, don't we? Not bizarre things with pointy, two-foot keels.
Handwavey aside, Corbett's observations of human nature are superb.
Every strata of her society is perfectly pegged, from the 'pigs do fly' remark to the game show where you can win wings, from the government-imposed non-flier quota to the graffiti near the Church of the Seraphim which reads: "If GOD wanted you to FLY, he'd have made you RICH" (p226)
The descriptions of Flight are immersive. The two different POV characters are distinct and engaging. I did think the switch to present tense for the opening chapter and several of the end-paragraphs was a bit jarring, but not jarring enough to deduct any half-stars.
For if the worldbuilding and lovely language weren't already enough, the way the character of Tom was captured made my heart ache; made me look at the Small One as though it was me, and not Zeke, that had to decide whether or not to give wings to my young child; made me momentarily relieved that I wasn't in that position - and then I remembered the wings are metaphor, that I AM in that position, that every parent is.
*sniffle*!
Great book. Thanks Claire!
April 13, 2012
When We Have Wings is an ambitious debut novel set in a world where the dream of human flight has become a reality, thanks to science, genetic manipulation and money, lots of money. The world is divided into fliers and non-fliers and this ever-widening gap continues to grow as the fliers seek to set themselves apart in every respect, from those without wings.
Peri is a young girl who has escaped a deprived upbringing and has come to the city determined to raise herself above her past, literally, by getting her wings and joining the elite. But to achieve her ambition, she must pay a high price and this is what makes it all the more puzzling when she chooses a course of action that will see her throw away this longed for life of privilege.
Part fantasy, part crime novel and compelling in every way, When We Have Wings is clearly a work of passion for author Claire Corbett. The descriptions of flight are written in language so assured and masterful that belief is easily suspended and you are taken on the journey into the clouds as one with the flier, experiencing twin emotions of terror and exhilaration in equal force. But it is also a story that has a very human and grounded element at its core, as the author explores the notion of parenthood and the bond between a parent and child and what being a parent really means. This journey of parenthood and the decisions and dilemmas that are inevitable in this journey is one as terrifying and exhilarating as flight itself and this moving exploration, together with the cinematic quality of the writing sustains the story over the 400 plus pages of this outstanding debut.
Peri is a young girl who has escaped a deprived upbringing and has come to the city determined to raise herself above her past, literally, by getting her wings and joining the elite. But to achieve her ambition, she must pay a high price and this is what makes it all the more puzzling when she chooses a course of action that will see her throw away this longed for life of privilege.
Part fantasy, part crime novel and compelling in every way, When We Have Wings is clearly a work of passion for author Claire Corbett. The descriptions of flight are written in language so assured and masterful that belief is easily suspended and you are taken on the journey into the clouds as one with the flier, experiencing twin emotions of terror and exhilaration in equal force. But it is also a story that has a very human and grounded element at its core, as the author explores the notion of parenthood and the bond between a parent and child and what being a parent really means. This journey of parenthood and the decisions and dilemmas that are inevitable in this journey is one as terrifying and exhilarating as flight itself and this moving exploration, together with the cinematic quality of the writing sustains the story over the 400 plus pages of this outstanding debut.
September 27, 2017
Brilliant and evocative, When We Have Wings is an extraordinary tale set in a future in which eugenics has given humanity wings and Flight, and capitalism has turned this into a defining social class structure.
Peri Almond is a young nanny for a flier couple, who have given her everything a girl from a poor background could possibly want - a life in a luxurious home, security, and most amazingly of all, wings. So when the novel begins with Peri inexplicably fleeing her employers, with their baby in tow, the shocked couple turn to ex-police private investigator Zeke Fowler to find her, and return their child.
As the truth is gradually uncovered, piece by piece, Claire Corbett's masterful control of pace and rhythm shines, giving the reader one juicy morsel of revelation while setting another tantalising mystery in front of us, leaving no room for boredom or inattention. Intertwined into this are the many descriptive moments where we are introduced to Flight itself, to its exhilarating and terrifying faces, along with clearly well-researched forays into the mechanics of flight.
With regard to the setting, I found the social aspects were the absolute standout feature of this novel, the detailed exploration of the societal changes introduced by the possibility of Flight drawing parallels with and exaggerating modern capitalism in a way that leads us to ask the question - is this the direction in which we want to go?
The sci-fi aspects fed into this neatly, the genetic and surgical modifications for Flight being the dominant point of interest, but there is also allusion to other, perhaps less extravagant technological advances in eugenics as well as transport, construction, and communications, and although I found these to be a little clunky and perhaps forced at times, still overall contributed to create the atmosphere of the novel without drawing attention away from the stars on the stage.
Part sci-fi, part mystery, part thriller, but wholly resplendent, When We Have Wings would have to be my favourite read so far this year, leaving me completely satisfied yet wanting more.
Peri Almond is a young nanny for a flier couple, who have given her everything a girl from a poor background could possibly want - a life in a luxurious home, security, and most amazingly of all, wings. So when the novel begins with Peri inexplicably fleeing her employers, with their baby in tow, the shocked couple turn to ex-police private investigator Zeke Fowler to find her, and return their child.
As the truth is gradually uncovered, piece by piece, Claire Corbett's masterful control of pace and rhythm shines, giving the reader one juicy morsel of revelation while setting another tantalising mystery in front of us, leaving no room for boredom or inattention. Intertwined into this are the many descriptive moments where we are introduced to Flight itself, to its exhilarating and terrifying faces, along with clearly well-researched forays into the mechanics of flight.
With regard to the setting, I found the social aspects were the absolute standout feature of this novel, the detailed exploration of the societal changes introduced by the possibility of Flight drawing parallels with and exaggerating modern capitalism in a way that leads us to ask the question - is this the direction in which we want to go?
The sci-fi aspects fed into this neatly, the genetic and surgical modifications for Flight being the dominant point of interest, but there is also allusion to other, perhaps less extravagant technological advances in eugenics as well as transport, construction, and communications, and although I found these to be a little clunky and perhaps forced at times, still overall contributed to create the atmosphere of the novel without drawing attention away from the stars on the stage.
Part sci-fi, part mystery, part thriller, but wholly resplendent, When We Have Wings would have to be my favourite read so far this year, leaving me completely satisfied yet wanting more.
February 27, 2019
Like others, I hope Corbett writes a sequel. I have become thoroughly engaged with the world she's imagined and the characters she's made. You can read the blurb for yourself, so I won't go much into plot here.
What made this great was the complete cohesion with which the science-fiction elements were formed into a relatable world and then woven into a story. The idea of being technologically advanced enough in genetic manipulation for humans (some at least) to become fliers is fantastic enough to be sci-fi but also too close for comfort. The way humanity interacts with this technology is also disturbingly familiar. Very expensive, only available to the rich and well connected, the widening gap between the haves and have-nots, jealousy, greed, the polarisation of spiritual opinion to the point of cult, people using other people to save themselves the trouble... all that terrible stuff. But also the good stuff of humanity. Sacrificial love, the search for freedom, for knowledge, for self understanding, the greater good, maternal love, paternal love, loyalty.
All this familiar human-ness, set in a world where flying is such an accepted thing that it has its own terminology, its own resulting slang, flyers having their own habits and idiosyncrasies, as if Corbett had grown them all out of her world as naturally as a tree. A lot of research has gone into flight to make this book work as well as it does.
It's part sci-fi, part detective story, part drama, part action. There's the rich guy who hires the private investigator. There's the police, doing their best but struggling to crack into the secrets of the upper class. There's some unexpectedly saucy bits, though they're fairly tastefully euphemismed. There're break ins and fights, subterfuge and corruption.
And in the middle of it all is Peri, lost in a world she thinks has no place for her.
It's a very good read.
What made this great was the complete cohesion with which the science-fiction elements were formed into a relatable world and then woven into a story. The idea of being technologically advanced enough in genetic manipulation for humans (some at least) to become fliers is fantastic enough to be sci-fi but also too close for comfort. The way humanity interacts with this technology is also disturbingly familiar. Very expensive, only available to the rich and well connected, the widening gap between the haves and have-nots, jealousy, greed, the polarisation of spiritual opinion to the point of cult, people using other people to save themselves the trouble... all that terrible stuff. But also the good stuff of humanity. Sacrificial love, the search for freedom, for knowledge, for self understanding, the greater good, maternal love, paternal love, loyalty.
All this familiar human-ness, set in a world where flying is such an accepted thing that it has its own terminology, its own resulting slang, flyers having their own habits and idiosyncrasies, as if Corbett had grown them all out of her world as naturally as a tree. A lot of research has gone into flight to make this book work as well as it does.
It's part sci-fi, part detective story, part drama, part action. There's the rich guy who hires the private investigator. There's the police, doing their best but struggling to crack into the secrets of the upper class. There's some unexpectedly saucy bits, though they're fairly tastefully euphemismed. There're break ins and fights, subterfuge and corruption.
And in the middle of it all is Peri, lost in a world she thinks has no place for her.
It's a very good read.
July 29, 2018
Circumstances tore me away from partaking in one of Claire’s workshops at Varuna Writers Centre this year. Now I’ve had time to read her first novel and I am astonished at its level of craftsmanship and beauty. Here is a plot that forces us to question the values we hold dear as we progress towards the kind of science that will allow us to genetically alter our offspring. The plot is as compelling as its visual descriptions of flight and of architecture. Whilst I strongly recommend this book to writers like me who are attempting to describe the visceral sensations of flight, I would also like to shout out to the general readership the value of Corbett’s journey through time, space and the clouds. Exquisite, gripping and dark.
February 27, 2018
I gave this book 5 stars because it is extremely well written with great sci-fi. However it was not exactly my cup of tea. The story is thorough and satisfying with good characterisation. The book had been marked as 'staff pick' (I borrowed it from the library), and I guess I can see why.
For my tastes, there was too much concentration on the social relationships of the characters, and that these had little bearing on the overall story. It was like the story went on pause while the characters had social lives. Sure, you could argue that this was an important part of setting the scenarios up and for many readers this would be fine.
Just not exactly my cup of tea.
For my tastes, there was too much concentration on the social relationships of the characters, and that these had little bearing on the overall story. It was like the story went on pause while the characters had social lives. Sure, you could argue that this was an important part of setting the scenarios up and for many readers this would be fine.
Just not exactly my cup of tea.
May 4, 2017
When We Have Wings is simply the best novel I have read in many years. Beauty is everywhere in the Wings world: a sophisticated, satisfying beauty, free from vulgar displays. Social commentary sweeps across a good fraction of the issues facing us today without ever needing to take the headlines. The world is simply presented as it is, with the logical consequences of the past quietly written in. There is great strength and human weakness to be seen here, aching passion and burning hatred. And, always and everywhere, there is beauty to move the most jaded reader and refresh the spirit.
October 11, 2018
Claire Corbett
Este livro não foi bem o que eu estava a espera..
Pela sua sinopse pensei que seria mais entusiasmante. Um mundo onde os humanos faziam operações para ter asas e realmente voavam. Uma rapariga disposta a fazer tudo para ter essas asas..
Mas parte do livro era coisas que não faziam muito sentido ali estar, sem partes que me entusiasmasse ou me chamasse à atenção.
O final pensei que fosse pelo menos algo mais entusiasmante. Digamos que isso não aconteceu.
Este livro não foi bem o que eu estava a espera..
Pela sua sinopse pensei que seria mais entusiasmante. Um mundo onde os humanos faziam operações para ter asas e realmente voavam. Uma rapariga disposta a fazer tudo para ter essas asas..
Mas parte do livro era coisas que não faziam muito sentido ali estar, sem partes que me entusiasmasse ou me chamasse à atenção.
O final pensei que fosse pelo menos algo mais entusiasmante. Digamos que isso não aconteceu.
March 13, 2020
Okay, I did prepare for an easy read when I rented this book at the local library. The first half was quite okay, not amazing, but a relaxing read. At some point, half way through the book, the author tries to explain the mechanism of flying. She does this by mentioning random technical terms, in a totally unreadable manner. I basically skipped the whole chapter. Unfortunately, after this chapter, the book doesn't get much better anymore. I did finish the book, because the story was just interesting enough not to quit, but to say it was a good read, nah
March 22, 2025
Existe um local, bem visivel e existente, um mundo criado para ser perfeito mas num sentido em que existem lados, uns ue ganham e outros que perdem.
A ideia do mundo dos não-voadores é que possam viver a sua vida agarrados à terra, havendo sempre possibilidade de serem mais do que isso se tornarem voadores, mas a que custo?
O mundo dos voadores é um mundo luxuoso, onde ter asas é um privilégio, e quem as tem acaba por ganhar bastante mais na vida, seja em posses como em personalidade, dizem os que as têm.
Estes dois mundos chocam, porque existem regras que não devem ser violadas e isso torna-se difícil a certa altura, quando uma não-voadora acede a algo que não deve mas que pretende, e acaba por fazer algo ainda pior.
A partir daí, o colapso destes mundos choca e algumas pessoas procuram respostas para o sucedido.
A história vai-se revelando, tendo em conta as pistas que surgem e a história pode revirar quando o leitor menos esperar.
A ideia do mundo dos não-voadores é que possam viver a sua vida agarrados à terra, havendo sempre possibilidade de serem mais do que isso se tornarem voadores, mas a que custo?
O mundo dos voadores é um mundo luxuoso, onde ter asas é um privilégio, e quem as tem acaba por ganhar bastante mais na vida, seja em posses como em personalidade, dizem os que as têm.
Estes dois mundos chocam, porque existem regras que não devem ser violadas e isso torna-se difícil a certa altura, quando uma não-voadora acede a algo que não deve mas que pretende, e acaba por fazer algo ainda pior.
A partir daí, o colapso destes mundos choca e algumas pessoas procuram respostas para o sucedido.
A história vai-se revelando, tendo em conta as pistas que surgem e a história pode revirar quando o leitor menos esperar.
January 19, 2019
It took me a little while to get into this, but once I did it was a great read and I couldn't put it down. Whilst the writing style did take me a while to get used to, once I got lost in it, the descriptions of flight could be incredibly immersive. I enjoyed the characters and the plot, although I found the ending a little disappointing - it didn't quite wrap everything up from me. I would love to pick up a sequel if there ever is one!
February 17, 2019
Excellent fantasy/speculative fiction. Corbett creates a vivid and detailed future world in which genetic engineering allows us to have wings, provided we can afford them. Good social commentary, philosophy, well-fleshed out characters. My only critique is that there was a tad too much detail on lift and drag and all the other elements of flight.
Highly recommended if you like this genre. I look forward to her next book!
Highly recommended if you like this genre. I look forward to her next book!
September 24, 2019
Thorough and thriller all in one. Complex grasp of world building, ethics, societal decay and culture. All in a fabulous speculative fiction skin - with wings. The characters were deftly written and made you feel for them.
There was a little too much technical prose on the mechanics of flight which, for me, bumped me out of the story of the people and the world and reduced the urgency of the action.
A great story, cleverly composed.
There was a little too much technical prose on the mechanics of flight which, for me, bumped me out of the story of the people and the world and reduced the urgency of the action.
A great story, cleverly composed.
January 8, 2012
This is my first review for the Australian Women Writers Challenge 2012, and can also be viewed at www.cattorresv.com along with my other Challenge reviews.
What would life be like, how would our cities look, what would our values be, and who would we be when we have wings?
Claire Corbett masterfully addresses these questions and more in her debut novel 'When We Have Wings', published by Allen and Unwin in 2011.
The story is set sometime in the future, when bioengineering has made it possible for humans to fly. Through surgery, treatment and training, those who can afford them can have wings seamlessly made part of their bodies, with the appropriate modifications to muscles, sight and navigation skills, as well. Society is no longer merely divided into haves and have-nots; this future world distinguishes between fliers and non-fliers.
Peri is a young woman with an enigmatic background. After seeing fliers on television for the first time, her troubled life in 'rural land' as a non-flier is consumed by the dream to fly. She moves to the city and joins the household of two high-profile fliers, the Chesshyres, to become the nanny to their son, Hugo. Her unparalleled service to the Chesshyres earns Peri the right to have her own wings as well. But the sudden and mysterious death of a fellow non-flier-turned-flier nanny compels Peri to take flight (pardon the pun), with Hugo in tow.
The Chesshyres hire Zeke Fowler, a private investigator, to find Hugo and bring him back. A non-flier himself, Zeke is thrust into the amazing and shady world of fliers, which he studies not only to find Hugo, but also to learn more about the elite world that may be in store for Zeke’s own son.
The story unfolds from Peri’s and Zeke’s perspectives. The mystery of Peri's parents and identity is slowly revealed through both their eyes. A sub-plot involves a mystery in the Church of Seraphim, run by a Luddite-like Origins cult that opposes the creation of fliers and embraces the many defects that afflict humanity. The mysteries are all neatly resolved at the end of the novel, with the main plot and sub-plot emerging together as one thread. A minor plot of romance between Peri and another flier juxtaposes nicely against the bigger picture of Peri’s love for Hugo.
As one who has spent most of her sleeping hours having lucid dreams of flying, I absolutely enjoyed the world that Corbett created. Her vision of a time when humans may choose to have wings is glorious, but she has also insightfully raised the ethical issues involved in choosing to alter oneself so radically as to aspire to be angels. Are fliers evolving to be a new species? Should they be considered superior to non-fliers, set apart in their own cities in the skies? Should parents choose for their children to be fliers? These moral dilemmas are addressed squarely in the story, without too much preaching or self-righteousness.
I was impressed by the depth of Corbett’s research into how birds fly and navigate, and the different types of wind and clouds. I confess, however, that I skipped these highly technical descriptions during my first reading, and went back to them after finishing the story.
The rendering of a future world is accomplished very well, without taking over the plot and delicately told story. Zeke’s artificially intelligent car is as much a character in the book as iPhone’s Siri may eventually be in our lives.
Most of all, I really appreciate the message that merely having wings doesn’t make humans fliers; flight is a way of life. It is a culture and a philosophy. Corbett writes, “It takes more than wings to fly.” Peri’s experience with the Audax, a group of fliers striving to test the boundaries of what they can do with their wings, reminds me of that other wonderful work I love: Richard Bach’s Jonathan Livingston Seagull.
Corbett quotes scripture hundreds of times throughout the novel, from both Peri’s and Zeke’s perspectives. While the reference to the Bible makes the image of fliers as modern-day angels even more powerful, I found it quite overdone. It might have been fine if we just had Zeke quoting scripture; but having Peri constantly spouting verses from the Bible as well was too much. The spiritual and moral aspects of humans with wings were coarsely hammered to the readers this way, rather than subtly rendered in broad strokes.
I also found it jarring how the first chapter was written in present tense, while the rest of the book was in past tense. At first I thought Peri’s perspective would be told in the present tense while Zeke’s would be in the past tense, but this was not the case. The first chapter just stood out like a sore thumb. If it had been a prologue, the different tense would have made sense; but as Chapter One, it doesn’t quite work.
As a romantic, I would have liked the romance between Peri and a Raptor (military-trained fliers) fleshed out even more. The brief interlude between Zeke and a flier was also quite a distraction; the story would have worked without it, yet it could have made Zeke’s story stronger had it appeared as more than just a blip on the screen.
Overall, I enjoyed reading the book, and will most likely read it a few more times. I recommend it for all those who would like to contemplate what it would be like—and who we would be—when we have wings.
What would life be like, how would our cities look, what would our values be, and who would we be when we have wings?
Claire Corbett masterfully addresses these questions and more in her debut novel 'When We Have Wings', published by Allen and Unwin in 2011.
The story is set sometime in the future, when bioengineering has made it possible for humans to fly. Through surgery, treatment and training, those who can afford them can have wings seamlessly made part of their bodies, with the appropriate modifications to muscles, sight and navigation skills, as well. Society is no longer merely divided into haves and have-nots; this future world distinguishes between fliers and non-fliers.
Peri is a young woman with an enigmatic background. After seeing fliers on television for the first time, her troubled life in 'rural land' as a non-flier is consumed by the dream to fly. She moves to the city and joins the household of two high-profile fliers, the Chesshyres, to become the nanny to their son, Hugo. Her unparalleled service to the Chesshyres earns Peri the right to have her own wings as well. But the sudden and mysterious death of a fellow non-flier-turned-flier nanny compels Peri to take flight (pardon the pun), with Hugo in tow.
The Chesshyres hire Zeke Fowler, a private investigator, to find Hugo and bring him back. A non-flier himself, Zeke is thrust into the amazing and shady world of fliers, which he studies not only to find Hugo, but also to learn more about the elite world that may be in store for Zeke’s own son.
The story unfolds from Peri’s and Zeke’s perspectives. The mystery of Peri's parents and identity is slowly revealed through both their eyes. A sub-plot involves a mystery in the Church of Seraphim, run by a Luddite-like Origins cult that opposes the creation of fliers and embraces the many defects that afflict humanity. The mysteries are all neatly resolved at the end of the novel, with the main plot and sub-plot emerging together as one thread. A minor plot of romance between Peri and another flier juxtaposes nicely against the bigger picture of Peri’s love for Hugo.
As one who has spent most of her sleeping hours having lucid dreams of flying, I absolutely enjoyed the world that Corbett created. Her vision of a time when humans may choose to have wings is glorious, but she has also insightfully raised the ethical issues involved in choosing to alter oneself so radically as to aspire to be angels. Are fliers evolving to be a new species? Should they be considered superior to non-fliers, set apart in their own cities in the skies? Should parents choose for their children to be fliers? These moral dilemmas are addressed squarely in the story, without too much preaching or self-righteousness.
I was impressed by the depth of Corbett’s research into how birds fly and navigate, and the different types of wind and clouds. I confess, however, that I skipped these highly technical descriptions during my first reading, and went back to them after finishing the story.
The rendering of a future world is accomplished very well, without taking over the plot and delicately told story. Zeke’s artificially intelligent car is as much a character in the book as iPhone’s Siri may eventually be in our lives.
Most of all, I really appreciate the message that merely having wings doesn’t make humans fliers; flight is a way of life. It is a culture and a philosophy. Corbett writes, “It takes more than wings to fly.” Peri’s experience with the Audax, a group of fliers striving to test the boundaries of what they can do with their wings, reminds me of that other wonderful work I love: Richard Bach’s Jonathan Livingston Seagull.
Corbett quotes scripture hundreds of times throughout the novel, from both Peri’s and Zeke’s perspectives. While the reference to the Bible makes the image of fliers as modern-day angels even more powerful, I found it quite overdone. It might have been fine if we just had Zeke quoting scripture; but having Peri constantly spouting verses from the Bible as well was too much. The spiritual and moral aspects of humans with wings were coarsely hammered to the readers this way, rather than subtly rendered in broad strokes.
I also found it jarring how the first chapter was written in present tense, while the rest of the book was in past tense. At first I thought Peri’s perspective would be told in the present tense while Zeke’s would be in the past tense, but this was not the case. The first chapter just stood out like a sore thumb. If it had been a prologue, the different tense would have made sense; but as Chapter One, it doesn’t quite work.
As a romantic, I would have liked the romance between Peri and a Raptor (military-trained fliers) fleshed out even more. The brief interlude between Zeke and a flier was also quite a distraction; the story would have worked without it, yet it could have made Zeke’s story stronger had it appeared as more than just a blip on the screen.
Overall, I enjoyed reading the book, and will most likely read it a few more times. I recommend it for all those who would like to contemplate what it would be like—and who we would be—when we have wings.
January 23, 2018
good read, a future where we can assignment our bodies to have wings. only the elite can afford them, what kind of world would we create with a divide between those that have and those that don't when those that have can fly?
mixed in with a mystery an old retired detective searches for more than he needs to to find the answers.
mixed in with a mystery an old retired detective searches for more than he needs to to find the answers.
August 20, 2018
Fearful and haunting. A great commentary on class structure and how much should we tamper with the human genome. Really enjoyed the dilemma of the main protagonists, Peri and the Chessyres. Those who don't have money versus those who do. Complex, involving. A great read as always from Claire Corbett.
April 2, 2020
Não consegui acabar.
Não digo que não possa ficar mais interessante lá para a frente, mas depois de 100 páginas lidas ainda não consegui ficar cativada pela história, e sinceramente tenho muito mais livros para ler, do que ficar a ler um que não me está a despertar o interesse.
Há poucas falas, é tudo seguido e secante.
A Peri é um personagem principal muito fraquinha.
Não digo que não possa ficar mais interessante lá para a frente, mas depois de 100 páginas lidas ainda não consegui ficar cativada pela história, e sinceramente tenho muito mais livros para ler, do que ficar a ler um que não me está a despertar o interesse.
Há poucas falas, é tudo seguido e secante.
A Peri é um personagem principal muito fraquinha.
July 5, 2023
Sci fi fantasy dystopia with a down on his luck detective and a naive damsel in distress on the run from from powerful men. But also heart and quirks and reflections on the nature of a two (and more) class system and the joy of flight.
Probably one or two too many players for me. I got a bit glazed of eye in the middle but it all found its way back by the end.
Probably one or two too many players for me. I got a bit glazed of eye in the middle but it all found its way back by the end.
August 14, 2021
This book explored some interesting ideas about how genetic / technical advances can broaden the chasms between the haves and have nots BUT it could have done with a thorough edit. Also I found the relationship between Jay and Peri quite disturbing.
January 20, 2022
A great blend of fiction, science, and musings on the direction our technological advances might take us. Despite the fantastical premise of humans having wings, each part of this society feels grounded in reality. Which is I guess, a sign of really good science fiction.
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