This hypnotic debut novel brings poetry to the traditional fantasy quest. Pico, a young librarian, has no wings; in love with a winged girl, he seeks the Morning Town, where a legend says the earthbound can learn to fly. His adventures range from the delightful to the horrible, becoming darker in tone as the book progresses, until Pico's story draws to a conclusion as necessary as it is shattering: "for the country of sorrows is the size of the heart."The book defies categorization. I would certainly recommend it to readers of speculative fiction, especially those drawn to authors like Jeff VanderMeer and Catherynne M. Valente, but it should also appeal to those who prize words above the distinctions of genre. Rich, frightening and lovely, it lures you in with a fairy tale and then leaves you suspended over an abyss. Cities and wonders whirl below you. The sensation is disturbing as well as marvelous, but what did you expect? You're flying.