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When We Have Wings

Claire Corbett (Goodreads Author)

3.84 · Rating details · 364 ratings · 80 reviews

The dream of being able to fly is now physical reality but only the rich and powerful can afford the surgery, drugs, and gene manipulation to become fliers. Peri, a poor girl from the regions, will sacrifice anything to get her wings and join this elite but the price is higher than she could have imagined. So why then does she throw it all away?

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Paperback, 460 pages

Published July 1st 2011 by Allen & Unwin (first published June 27th 2011)

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· 364 ratings · 80 reviews

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Jan 15, 2012 Ann-Marie rated it really liked it

Recommends it for: everyone

Recommended to Ann-Marie by: Elizabeth

Shelves: mind-blowing, fantasy, dystopia, 2010-2014, in-shelf

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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Dec 26, 2011 S.B. Wright rated it it was amazing

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

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Feb 28, 2012 Annabel Smith rated it liked it

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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Sep 01, 2019 Ângela rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: mystery-suspense, p-apocalyptic-apocalyptic-dystopia

"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. ...more

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Jun 15, 2011 Tracey Allen at Carpe Librum rated it really liked it

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 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. ...more

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Sep 24, 2013 Angela Meyer rated it really liked it

Shelves: australian-literature, speculative

*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. o *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. ...more

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Jun 28, 2011 Karen Brooks rated it it was amazing

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 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. ...more

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Sep 16, 2011 Thoraiya rated it it was amazing

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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Sep 02, 2011 Michael rated it it was amazing

Shelves: five-star-books, ozzie-gems

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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Apr 13, 2012 Bookchick rated it it was amazing

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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Sep 27, 2017 garry rated it it was amazing

Shelves: gems

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 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. ...more

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Feb 26, 2019 Rebekah rated it it was amazing

Shelves: fantasy, books-i-own, favourite-sci-fi, sci-fi, hard-scifi

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 t ...more

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Jul 29, 2018 Alison Quigley rated it it was amazing

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 ...more

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Feb 27, 2018 Jamie Bridle rated it it was amazing

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 ...more

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May 03, 2017 Richard D. rated it it was amazing

Recommends it for: Everyone

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, a ...more

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Mar 13, 2020 Guilia rated it it was ok · review of another edition

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 interes ...more

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Jan 18, 2019 Hayley rated it really liked it

Shelves: own, science-fiction, mythology, political, detective, 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! ...more

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Feb 17, 2019 Spellcheck rated it it was amazing

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!

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Sep 24, 2019 Veronica Strachan rated it liked it

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.

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Jan 06, 2012 CAT rated it really liked it

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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Jan 23, 2018 Bernard Campbell rated it really liked it

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. ...more

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Aug 14, 2018 Cathleen Ross rated it it was amazing

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. ...more

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Dec 26, 2018 Courtney rated it it was amazing

Shelves: audio, crime, children-s-young-adult, distopian, australian-author, sci-fi, unusual

This book leaves me wanting more. The world is fascinating, the ideas complex and challenging. I loved it.

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May 16, 2012 Dr Jen rated it it was amazing

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 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 ...more

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Jul 05, 2012 Tor rated it really liked it

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 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 ...more

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May 01, 2012 Tsana Dolichva rated it it was amazing

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 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. ...more

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Jan 26, 2017 Seb rated it it was amazing

* May contain spoilers for the book in this review - Also my first review.*

I finished 'When We Have Wings' at 4AM in the morning after some marathon reading. It had me going with such a drive to keep reading. There is so much I loved about this book. The characters were amazing, they were so vivid and real. Each were so human, with their issues, the factors that made them who they were and that there was still good parts to them (Obviously a few exceptions for certain characters. Yet maybe as a * May contain spoilers for the book in this review - Also my first review.*

I finished 'When We Have Wings' at 4AM in the morning after some marathon reading. It had me going with such a drive to keep reading. There is so much I loved about this book. The characters were amazing, they were so vivid and real. Each were so human, with their issues, the factors that made them who they were and that there was still good parts to them (Obviously a few exceptions for certain characters. Yet maybe as a reader if there was any redeeming parts, we just didn't get to see them).

Fowler the Private Investigator was great, the sense of humour in him, the internal conflict in him between his duty to job and ideas of right and wrong. That although he might be a bit rough in places, he's a good person. It was great running around with him investigating and following leads, unravelling the deep secrets from both his perspective and Peri's.

There's such a great complexity of relationships throughout the story. I mean you just need to look at the dynamics of relationships involving Peri. You pull a thread and you get a whole tapestry of complicated things. Haha Fowler really bought off much more than he originally realised. I think you also from that point of view that you really did a great job crafting a lot of the secret hush hush business between various elements/stake holders.

The world building had so much imagination in it. Cities for fliers, all the detailed research invovled. It all worked beautifully and seamlessly to give such a realism. I mean the architecture, genetic manipulation all feels like it could be something that happens in our world.

I must admit, Wings is different to the spec fic I usually read these days (Mainly space opera at present, with heavy intrigue), but I absolutely loved reading the book. I think a big part of what I love in science fiction is very much also the human elements, the relationships, the intrigue and the many levels/facets of the human elements. Especially when its served to me more complexly, in grander scale between nations/interstellar nations. Whilst there are no space empires or nations, the book really had me covered for the intricacies I love.

I think Corbett hit probably the perfect sweet spot between enough harder science interlaced amongst amazing characters, world building and plot. I know to me hard sci fi can be a little bit hard to get into with constant theories, quantitative information etc (Partly I guess also because I don't have a degree in X, to assist with understanding). The ideas and hard science sort of needs to be translated, through detailed conceptualisation and imagery. Corbett's version of delivery of the hard stuff I'd say really makes the book open to anyone and I'd highly recommend it to non spec fic readers as much as readers of the genre.

Can't wait for another book.

P.S

One thing I have to say is I absolutely love cats and loved the idea of the creation of the cat sized lion. It's such a shame we can't have one in the real world. Haha but I guess you never know what's around the corner. Safe to say I won't be cuddling a real sized lion (Might try it if I wasn't destined to become dinner 2 seconds later ).
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Mar 19, 2014 DodgingCommas rated it it was amazing

Recommends it for: readers of YA fiction and speculative fiction

Shelves: favorites

This is a stunning novel – beautifully written and gorgeous with its imagery, the novel is more than just words on a page. The implication of technological advancement and how it will influence class (and even generation to generation) is represented through the ‘haves’ (wealthy fliers) and the ‘have nots’ (everyone else). The cost of wings, however, is more than just monetary – as Zeke finds out. What makes this story compelling is the narrative, split between two voices. It begins with a third This is a stunning novel – beautifully written and gorgeous with its imagery, the novel is more than just words on a page. The implication of technological advancement and how it will influence class (and even generation to generation) is represented through the ‘haves’ (wealthy fliers) and the ‘have nots’ (everyone else). The cost of wings, however, is more than just monetary – as Zeke finds out. What makes this story compelling is the narrative, split between two voices. It begins with a third person narrative from Peri’s point of view and then alternates between this and Zeke’s first person narrative of his investigation into her disappearance. Within these perspectives we have Peri’s search for truly understanding what it means to fly, and Zeke’s struggle to make the right decision for his son, knowing that whether or not his son is successful in the future could well be defined by whether or not he has wings.

The plot is, essentially, quite simple and straightforward. What I really loved about this novel was the obvious amount of research that went into its composition. Not only do we have considerations for science but also for the very nature of flight. Being able to fly like a bird means having lighter bones, burning more calories, and learning how to read the sky. Having a population of people who can fly changes how buildings are designed and constructed, how clothes are worn, and how we interact with others. The world constructed in the novel is intricate and flawless, and the characters are complex and flawed. It’s a beautiful combination!

There are subplots within the novel that weave together to create a sense that there is much more to come – not necessarily a sequel to the novel but definitely a real-life need to seriously consider the implications of technology and its role in creating (or at least redefining) human life – if we can choose a child’s eye colour, why not choose to give them wings?

I am gushing, I know. I really loved this book – it is a unique novel that stands out in a sea of rather predictable YA fiction and I cannot recommend it enough!

I have also reviewed the book here. ...more

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Jul 10, 2014 Jane rated it liked it

Shelves: australian, library, aww2014, female, specfic

Peri is a poor girl from the sticks who has paid a huge price to get wings. Now she's disappeared. Zeke is the struggling, flightless private investigator hired to find her. This is a world where having money means being able to fly, and where those without wings are rapidly becoming second class - even obsolete - citizens.
It was great to read a novel which looked at the issue of how the rich get ahead not just by having more things, but by being more 'perfect'. This is really well told through ...more

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Sep 20, 2011 Lauren K rated it liked it

Shelves: crime-mystery, aussie-author, 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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About Claire Corbett

Claire Corbett

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Claire 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 Sto ...more