When We Have Wings

Jun 10, 2012 Ann-Marie rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: everyone

Recommended to Ann-Marie by: Elizabeth

Shelves: mindbending, dystopia, fantasy, 2012

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 sup...more

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Jan 10, 2012 Readingjay rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012, australian, australian-woman-writer, aww-challenge-2012, dystopia, speculative, literary

When We Have Wings is a debut novel of originality and powerful, beautiful writing. It took me longer than usual to finish because I didn't want it to finish, and, yes, it's quite long.

Told in two voices; the first is the jaded first person of Zeke, in the great tradition of the noir ex-cop turned private detective. He lives in a dystopian not-too-far-in-the future City (Sydney?) where the rich and powerful have access to Flight through expensive medical manipulation that gives them custom wing...more When We Have Wings is a debut novel of originality and powerful, beautiful writing. It took me longer than usual to finish because I didn't want it to finish, and, yes, it's quite long.

Told in two voices; the first is the jaded first person of Zeke, in the great tradition of the noir ex-cop turned private detective. He lives in a dystopian not-too-far-in-the future City (Sydney?) where the rich and powerful have access to Flight through expensive medical manipulation that gives them custom wings. They live in extraordinary constructions high above the rest of the overcrowded city. Who are the non-fliers? The five Rs: 'Retarded, Retired, Religious, Rationed and Regional. In other words anyone too poor, or too old or too disabled for Flight.' The City is multicultural (loved that Murni's Warung - hello Ubud - had its moment) and inaccessible to anyone from RaRA-land (Remote and Regional Areas) and without an almost impossible-to-obtain permit. Zeke's world includes Taj, his amazing car (even more cynical than Zeke - yes, it is a true 'smart car' and it talks) and the underbelly of the city. It's also the world of the Perpetual Pup (forever cute) and the modified, miniaturised pet lion. Zeke's case concerns Peri, nanny of one of the most powerful of the privileged, Peter Chesshyre, who has vanished with Chesshyre's child Hugo.

The other voice is third person, but it Peri's point of view. The complex plot is impossible to summarise but Claire Corbett gives us a bold novel that explores, among other things, genetic modification, trafficking, surrogacy, corruption, child rights, ethics and social justice woven with religious allusion and imagery. The writing is breathtakingly beautiful, particularly when we too become Fliers and begin to understand the intoxication that makes Flight so desirable. Corbett has researched meteorology and the science of flight to give her descriptions great authenticity.

We finish this thought-provoking book wondering what the future holds for our children. There is no question that technology is taking us to a point when we will have wings, metaphorical wings that can substitute for any of the modifications we are already scientifically capable of. It's not a question of 'if', it's 'when' we have wings. Read it. (less)

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Feb 08, 2013 FantasyWereld rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: volwassenen

Hoe zou het zijn als de technologische vooruitgang ons op een dag vleugels bracht? Als mensen konden vliegen als vogels? Niet allemaal, natuurlijk, slechts dat deel dat zich de dure vleugels zou kunnen veroorloven. Wat zou dat doen met onze maatschappij? Deze vragen heeft auteur Claire Corbett meegenomen in haar debuutroman Vleugels. Het verhaal schetst een schijnbaar utopische wereld, waar zij die het kunnen betalen zich de ultieme vrijheid hebben toegeëigend: vliegen.

Kindermeisje Peri Almond...more

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Jan 04, 2013 Aster Zhen rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: scifi, fantasy

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Sep 11, 2012 Le koala Lit rated it 2 of 5 stars

Et si nous vivions dans un monde où les riches pouvaient s’offrir le luxe de voler ? Pour son premier roman When we have wings (que l'on peut traduire par Quand nous aurons des ailes), Claire Corbett se prend au jeu.

« Peri s’avanca vers le bord de la falaise. Elle devait lâcher prise. Elle devait être prête à mourir. Une bouffé d’air balaya la falaise. Elle tituba, déplia ses ailes et se mit à courir. En se jetant de la falaise, elle sut que ça avait été au mauvais moment. Elle tombait comme si...more Et si nous vivions dans un monde où les riches pouvaient s’offrir le luxe de voler ? Pour son premier roman When we have wings (que l'on peut traduire par Quand nous aurons des ailes), Claire Corbett se prend au jeu.

« Peri s’avanca vers le bord de la falaise. Elle devait lâcher prise. Elle devait être prête à mourir. Une bouffé d’air balaya la falaise. Elle tituba, déplia ses ailes et se mit à courir. En se jetant de la falaise, elle sut que ça avait été au mauvais moment. Elle tombait comme si on lui avait tiré dessus, elle se mit à battre des ailes fort, de plus en plus fort, plus fort qu’elle ne l’avait jamais fait à Flight Gym.»

Je me suis lancée dans la lecture de ce roman parce que j’aime les histoires où les écrivains réalisent nos rêves (mon meilleur exemple étant Harry Potter, un de mes livres fétiches !). Qui n’a jamais rêvé de voler, de traverser les continents sans se soucier des frontières, de voir notre magnifique terre vue du ciel ? Ajouter à cela une histoire d’enlèvement et des histoires de gros sous et vous voilà avec un roman bien ficeler... mais un tout petit peu trop long.

Peri Almond est une jeune fille venue de RaRA land (l’endroit le plus oublié du monde, sans foi ni loi). Après un contrôle de routine et avoir accepté de conditions de travail plus que discutables, elle devient nourrice pour les Chesshyre, une des familles les plus riches de Flyerville. Elle s’occupe du petit Hugo avec l’attention d’une mère, allant même jusqu’à l’allaiter. Grâce à ses bons et loyaux services, elle parvient à décrocher le sésame pour rester à Flyerville et se paye même le luxe de réaliser son rêve le plus fou, des ailes. Mais un jour tout tourne mal, elle découvre son amie Luisa morte sur la plage et se sent en danger. Elle décide de s’enfuir, emportant Hugo avec elle.

Zeke Falwer est détective privé. Il se fait engager par Peter Chesshyre pour retrouver son enfant Hugo, qui a été enlevé par sa nourrice, Peri Almond. En acceptant l’affaire, Zeke ne réalise pas bien où il met les pieds. Il pénètre dans le monde de ceux qui peuvent voler, et s’aperçoit rapidement que tout vient à un prix. C’est alors une vraie chasse à l’homme qui s’engage entre Zeke et Peri.

Claire Corbett a clairement recherché son sujet à fond. Elle nous fournit d’innombrables (trop ?) détails sur les implants d’ailes, sur les traitements que les Flyers doivent suivre à la lettre, mais aussi sur les meilleures techniques pour voler plus longtemps sans se fatiguer, ou encore comment identifier des nuages dangereux et que faire pour les éviter. L’auteur décrit ce monde avec une vraisemblance incroyable.

Mon deuxième livre participant au Australian Women Writers Challenge 2012

Allen & Unwin, Juillet 2011
(less)

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Jul 05, 2012 Tor rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Fantasy, science-fiction, adult and young adult readers

Right from the first few pages I was intensely interested in When We Have Wings Claire Corbett’s first science-fiction novel.

The protagonist, Peri, is flying, carrying baby Hugo and searching for her missing friend Luisa. The scene is frightening and real and somehow I know that this isn’t a caricature world but something much closer to home. It’s clear that Peri is in mortal danger and has brought Hugo into that danger with her. A baby who doesn’t belong to her; a baby recklessly exposed to th...more Right from the first few pages I was intensely interested in When We Have Wings Claire Corbett’s first science-fiction novel.

The protagonist, Peri, is flying, carrying baby Hugo and searching for her missing friend Luisa. The scene is frightening and real and somehow I know that this isn’t a caricature world but something much closer to home. It’s clear that Peri is in mortal danger and has brought Hugo into that danger with her. A baby who doesn’t belong to her; a baby recklessly exposed to the elements.

When Peri and Hugo disappear, a private detective named Zeke Fowler is called in by Peter Chesshyre, Hugo’s father. Zeke is a flightless man, a man who is a failure at aspiring to better things, but Chesshyre and his wife Avis Katon would rather accept Zeke’s help than deal with the police. The question is are these winged and glamorous parents just protecting their privacy or do they have something else to hide?

Corbett’s Australian future is one of haves and have nots, familiar people in a just-around-the-corner future. In Corbett’s world you have the feeling that everyone has rubbed along together in a socially mobile past but wings have created a seismic shift in human society. Zeke, Zeke’s son Thomas, Peri, Hugo, Avis, Peter and all the other characters face live in a world where wings can only be acquired with great wealth, youth and good health.

And who are the rest of us, us non-fliers? The five Rs, we’re called: Retarded, Retired, Religious, Rationed and Regional. In other words, anyone to poor or two old or too disabled for Flight. What these contemptuous words disguise is that we ordinary humans are still, by far, the majority. Too old means anyone over about twenty-five and too poor covers almost everyone else, including those from Rural and Regional Areas—RaRA-land, which is anywhere outside the City. Too disabled is anyone too fat or too stupid or suffering from any other condition contraindicated to handle the treatments and then to keep up the ferocious regimen of physical perfection needed to get you up into the sky and keep you from falling out of it screaming. Believe me, there is no equality of opportunity in the world of Flight.

There are many reasons to love this book. I’ve always been interested in thought provoking representations of pregnancy and childcare and this book has both. Pregnancy seems to get none of the speculation it surely deserves and childcare is often depicted as dull fare undertaken by stereotypical female characters.

Corbett clearly draws on her personal and working background, which includes a childhood in a politically active family and a professional life that includes working in a sexual assault counselling agency and policy writing for Bob Carr on issues such as health, water, genetically modified organisms and a later period working at New South Wales Health on child and family issues.

When We Have Wings has all the pace, action, interesting characters and tension you need in a mystery science-fiction crossover novel. It also has a very sophisticated approach to its complex subject, which includes child protection, religious and political corruption, social advantage and disadvantage and the divide between rural, regional and city-dwellers.

If I have any criticism of the book it’s a very small one. There’s a romantic relationship and a love scene towards the end of the novel, involving a male character I disliked. It all felt a little traditional for my taste. It’s only a tiny criticism and you should not be put off by my quibbling reaction.

If you’ve dreamed of flying, then When We Have Wings is going to open up a whole new world for you: a world where the sky’s topography is every bit as detailed as the land’s(less)

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May 17, 2012 Dr Jen rated it 5 of 5 stars

Compelling, lyrical, eloquent, evocative, vivid: just some of the reasons why once you start to read Claire Corbett's When We Have Wings you won't be able to put it down. Sure, there are issues to ponder - what it means to be human (in mind and body), what are the manifestations of power and inequity in our society, political and theological implications of technological advancements - but it is the finely crafted and complex depictions of characters and their dilemmas in this world where flight...more Compelling, lyrical, eloquent, evocative, vivid: just some of the reasons why once you start to read Claire Corbett's When We Have Wings you won't be able to put it down. Sure, there are issues to ponder - what it means to be human (in mind and body), what are the manifestations of power and inequity in our society, political and theological implications of technological advancements - but it is the finely crafted and complex depictions of characters and their dilemmas in this world where flight is possible (for some) that will satisfy any reader looking for a book with ample servings of both mind and heart.

This gripping novel is written with one foot firmly in the here and now, and another foot in the 'what could be very soon'. To complement this acknowledgement of a contemporaneous future, Corbett has crafted an exquisite awareness of contrasting states: quiessence and storm, bewilderment and ease, framed within a dual narration of the flighty teenage girl Peri and the older, more cynical private detective, Zeke.

I felt myself chilled as Peri was buffeted by the storm, dreamt of soaring over landscapes and cloudscapes, felt my adrenalin rise as the specially trained fliers known as Raptors were in pursuit, laboured with Zeke as he strove to solve the many loose ends in his case, and laughed at the dry wit of one of my favourite characters in the book, Raj (Zeke's car). The narrative expertly unfurls, hovers and dives into unlocking a succession of mysteries: why has Peri taken baby Hugo? what happened to her flier friend Louisa? what is the handsome, powerful Peter Chesshyre hiding? who knew what and when? what is happening to girls from the poorer areas and what does the government know about it? who are the Wild fliers? and how can a nobody from nowhere get those gorgeous wings?

The descriptions of meteorological change, aerial landscapes and even the houses built for fliers are so vividly conveyed, so superbly realised, that I felt so often during reading this book that I wasn't reading a book, I was watching and experiencing the book:

Peri followed Finch along the sandy path to the cliff edge and took off a few seconds after her. ... As she took off she felt the most powerful smooth lift, strong as water, sliding her up a sunlit mountain of air, and now she was floating high over the ridge and everywhere evenly streamed upwards this buoyant transparent ocean.
This was no mere thermal: this was a massive release of all the day's heat from the valley and now she and Hugo, silent and breathless, were sliding along the plateau of risen glass, with the other fliers suspended all around them as if in honey ... Below the eastern cliffs the valley was sunk in an indistinct indigo sea, washed with purple along the ridge lines, and down in the dusk of the valley floor floated slivers and bubbles of liquid steel-water catching the last light-but up on the ridge line it was still golden afternoon with the trees shining green and white-trunked in the simmering sinking sun and the sky was still blue and the clouds were catching a rim of steel fire along their undersides as luminous as the fragmented water in the valley and it was singing with such clarify that Peri knew she had never truly seen mountains or valleys or water or clouds before (Ch 13)

This is, I think, what it is to be not just a talented writer - able to capture a colour, a movement, a metaphoric moment - but also to transfer that moment to the reader in a cinematography of words.

And then there are those eponymous wings! Beautiful, iridescent, gleaming and troublesome wings! One of the aspects I found most satisfying in the book was that the desired state - flight - comes at such a cost to those who seek it. It is not merely the economic cost of flight that interests Corbett: what are the psychological, ethical and practical consequences of flight in humans? Do we just do things because we can, without pause for thought as to whether it is ethical or equitable? In the same way that magic is symbiotic with the wider environment in many of Ursula le Guin's novels, there is a kind of realistic symbiosis needed for humans to fly. It takes perseverance to take the drugs to maintain the wings, to learn to manage the enormous growths from the spine, to cope with the physical demands of having wings and learning to read the air, the clouds, the shape of the air around buildings. But those wings are so desired: they are truly Other, both desired and desirable, attainable and elusive. And there's the rub: in spite of all the details, the drug and gene therapy, the manipulations and corruptions, the reader is compelled to ask, in a suitably quiet yet persistent voice: what would it be like to have wings and would I do it too?

Five stars from me, and I can't wait for something else from Corbett(less)

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Apr 13, 2012 Bookchick rated it 5 of 5 stars

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,...more

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Jan 07, 2012 CAT rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: popular-australian-women-authors

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 h...more

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Sep 11, 2011 Larissa rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: own

When private detective Fowler took a kidnapping case from a flier client, already he realised he was in over his head. But not until he was bugged, followed, ransacked, threatened and maimed did he finally realise just how over his head he really was. What started out as a simple kidnapping, a nanny disappearing with her charge, soon turns into a flight for survival and a search for the truth.

From the start Fowler knew there were secrets being kept from him by his new employer, too many things j...more

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Jul 18, 2011 Siggy rated it 5 of 5 stars

“When We have Wings” is speculative fiction rather than fantasy set in a future time when people are able to have wings through a combination of genetic modification and extreme wealth. Peri is a nanny for an uber rich family who live perched on the edge of a cliff is a house custom designed for the “flyers” who live there. Peri feels alone in loving her charge Hugo in any meaningful day to day way and when she suspects her employers’ plan to abandon Hugo he flees with him. Zeke is the detective...more

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Sep 09, 2011 Michael rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: ozzie-gems, top-rating-books

When We Have Wings is an wonderfully ambitious debut set in a truelly unique world. In this world Mankind has made the ability to fly with wings by humans a reality. That reality though is expensive with only the rich able to afford the operation to have wings attached. The story centres on young flier nanny Perri who has alegedly taken the child of rich couple Peter and Avis Chesshyre. the Chesshyres Hire investigator Zeke to try to find Perri and Hugo.

Early on their is suspicion about how Perr...more

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Mar 08, 2012 Annabel Smith rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: australian

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,...more

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Jul 09, 2011 Karen Brooks rated it 5 of 5 stars

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...more 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. (less)

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May 14, 2012 Tsana Dolichva rated it 5 of 5 stars

When We Have Wings by Claire Corbett is set in a vaguely near future Sydney where the rich can fly thanks to having wings implanted on their backs.

Before I get into talking about the story, I want to point out that, from a physics point of view, Corbett has described a very plausible situation. The wings people get are quite large (the impression I got was comparable to the height of the person) and they also get treatments to change the physiology to make their bones lighter (carbon fibre was i...more When We Have Wings by Claire Corbett is set in a vaguely near future Sydney where the rich can fly thanks to having wings implanted on their backs.

Before I get into talking about the story, I want to point out that, from a physics point of view, Corbett has described a very plausible situation. The wings people get are quite large (the impression I got was comparable to the height of the person) and they also get treatments to change the physiology to make their bones lighter (carbon fibre was involved) and their muscles stronger. And, of course, to grow the new muscles needed to control their wings. (For the record, the fictional wings were larger and more interestingly-coloured than on the cover, although it’s a nice cover despite that.)

I have little idea of how plausible the biology was, but assuming those biological modifications were possible, the physics seemed to check out (y’know, without actually writing out equations or anything). The descriptions of flight and weather patterns were also quite rigorous and I commend Corbett on her dedicated research. Those details made the book all the more realistic and helped with the suspension of disbelief so we could focus on the social issues surrounding flight.

The story follows two characters: Zeke, a PI investigating a nanny kidnapping the child of a flyer couple, and Peri, the nanny on the run. The mystery of why and where the nanny took the baby is not the real mystery, however — especially since about half the story is told from her point of view. The real mysteries become apparent when Zeke digs a little deeper and when events get away from everyone.

The setting isn’t a dystopia. Similar to what I said about Spare Parts, just because there is a widening gap between haves and have nots, doesn’t make it a dystopia. Especially when, other than the size of the gap, there aren’t many social or political differences to our world. It’s a commentary on where our world could go, given enough scientific progress. And it doesn’t make the assumption that the medical developments are inherently a bad thing, either. Partly, this is explored through Zeke having to make a choice as to whether to give his toddler son wings from an early age (it’s easier when they’re children) or whether to deprive him of flight and bar entrance into the elite flyer society.

In many ways, flight is a metaphor in When We Have Wings. However, it’s not just a metaphor, as evidenced by the rigorous world building and the real exploration of social issues surrounding flight. What makes us human? How much of a disadvantage is not being able to afford wings? Is being an ordinary human (in their world), without modification, edging towards being a disability since they can’t fly? There was a lot of background political discussion about equality and quotas (of non-modified humans) and equal access. In a world where everyone is expected to choose the most favourable characteristics for their unborn children and concerns like baldness are trivial to “fix” where do you draw the line? If you want an unadulterated genome, where does that leave you (other than as a member of the conservative anti-modification cult)?

Progress marches on.

When We Have Wings was an excellent read. I highly recommend it to fans of science fiction, fantasy and anything in between. I suspect it’s being at least partially marketed as main stream, so hey, all readers of fiction, go out and buy it!

4.5 / 5 stars

You can read more of my reviews at my blog.(less)

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Jul 03, 2011 Tracey rated it 4 of 5 stars

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...more 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.(less)

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Sep 13, 2011 Jenny rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2011, spec-fiction

Set in a future where genetic engineering allows humans to fly - if they're wealthy enough - this is a story that will take your imagination hostage. The story is, in fact, two stories: On the surface it's a story of A nanny fleeing with her employers' baby after she finds another nanny dead - and the private investigator's efforts to find out where she might be. Secondly, it's a story of the newly winged nanny's discovery of who she was and is now.

This really is a beautifully constructed and wr...more

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Jul 10, 2012 Any Length rated it 3 of 5 stars

I like the topic of the book, - people being able to fly, but you have to have the money to get your wings. Very thought provoking. Same with the idea of surrogate motherhood being thrown into the mix.
I felt more could have been made of this book by cutting some of the unnecessary bits out and moving the story on with more pace.
Two extra points for including a fair bit of research on aerodynamics and the fact that flying beings, much like hangliders can be drawn upwards into big clouds and be...more

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Feb 11, 2012 Sean the Bookonaut rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: book-of-the-year-contenders-2012, australian-spec-fic, australian-women-writers, crime

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...more

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Nov 11, 2011 Lauren Murphy rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: aussie-author, crime-mystery, fantasy

3.5 stars

This story took me a little while to really get into. It almost reads like two stories from two separate genres. There’s the crime fiction story told from the perspective of Zeke, a private investigator hired by a family whose baby has been kidnapped by their nanny. Then there is the speculative scifi/ fantasy story written from the perspective of Peri, the nanny with wings. In the beginning I wasn’t entirely sure the meshing of the genres really worked, but it eventually all came toget...more

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Nov 06, 2011 Thoraiya rated it 5 of 5 stars

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 existin...more

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Aug 16, 2011 Book Bazaar rated it 4 of 5 stars

Thoroughly enjoyable read with plenty of issues to consider around genetic modification, ethics of surrogacy and love with an imbalance of power. This is a cleverly imagined world that it is entirely possible to lose yourself in. Peri is an appealing main character and I really enjoyed Taj, the detectives car/satnav too :)

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Jun 26, 2012 Sophie Masson rated it 5 of 5 stars

A haunting, gripping, thoughtful and extraordinary book: great story, vivid characters, and an absolutely convincing setting. And such exhilerating depictions of flight!

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Feb 23, 2013 Marije rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, fiction

In begin leest het heerlijk weg, maar ergens stokt het verhaal. Het verhaal verloopt moeizaam en uiteindelijk ben ik niet verder dan halverwege gekomen. Erg zonde, want het verhaal heeft heel veel potentie.

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Aug 27, 2012 June Fletcher rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: angels, dystopia, science-fiction

Fantastic world building, love the details that went into flying and the process that goes into rebuilding someone as a flier.

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Oct 01, 2012 Hassan rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I got this book through a giveaway on this site and it stayed on my shelf for a coupla weeks before I got started. once I was introduced to Zeke and the world of fliers and ai around him, I couldn't put it down. great idea, smartly written and made me wonder if we ever manage to get wings, will they be worth the price? its a cool read. not something we come across very often. hoping for a sequel now.

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Feb 11, 2012 Sarah marked it as to-read

Shelves: 2012, aussie-books-2012, australia, dystopia, geo-restrictions-suck, hard-to-find

Another Aussie book w/o a US publishing date (that I can find).

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Oct 31, 2011 Stephen Irwin rated it 5 of 5 stars

The beautiful product of a soaring imagination.

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Apr 25, 2012 Mark Webb rated it 4 of 5 stars

I read When We Have Wings by Claire Corbett as a part of the Australian Women Writer's 2012 Reading Challenge.

My review has been included on the Australian Women Writers' website here.

Spoiler - I liked it.

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Jul 05, 2012 Kelly Tennant rated it 4 of 5 stars

A stunning book full of imagery and very thought provoking. Explores the concept of gene therapy and where it could take us without being too OTT on the topic. The story develops at a good pace, with well thought out and interesting characters.

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