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On Swift Wings: The Travails of Cygnus
by
Despite our vast knowledge of the world, still no atlas or globe is complete. Not every island has been mapped. A young man takes to the skies on Flight 1726 on a day unlike every other, little anticipating the experiences that for him lay in wait.
After surviving a plane crash in the ocean, Cygnus is marooned on an unknown island populated by a contemptuous race of horse ...more
After surviving a plane crash in the ocean, Cygnus is marooned on an unknown island populated by a contemptuous race of horse ...more
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On Swift Wings was a perfect read for this travel restricted adventurer. As 2020 found us on lock down, I took the opportunity to experience something other than my traditional genre of novel and I was not disappointed. Following the unlucky travels of Cygnus the reader will be transported to many far away and isolated lands. My favourite being part 3 and Glubdubdrib.
In the forward Cygnus states, “we are all products of our environment and upbringing”. I found this to be crucial to the story. Hi ...more
In the forward Cygnus states, “we are all products of our environment and upbringing”. I found this to be crucial to the story. Hi ...more
Try as I might I couldn’t get into this book. Maybe it is my frame of mind, or just not my time to read it. “On Swift Wings” is a story of a solo man surviving a plane crash. He finds himself on an island whose inhabitants remind me of "Animal Farm" and a bit of "Gulliver’s Travels". It is a society in which animals are the superior race and humans their slaves. Cygnus the main character - the crash survivor, demonstrates his higher intellect to the rulers of the island. He learns to communicate
...more
What a fun read. It's been a while since I read satire, but this book made me remember why I love it so much. Written like a futuristic Gulliver's Travels, this book takes a satirical look at our evolutionary-stagnant political system. The book reads like an adventure story as well, so it could be entirely possible to ignore the satire or even miss it if that's more your cup of tea. The scenes and characters are descriptively written, and there are enough meat and potatoes in the book to get swe
...more
Reviewed by Paige Lovitt for Reader Views (12/19)
“On Swift Wings: The Travails of Cygnus,” is a stunning satirical debut novel by Brett M. Wiens.
The story begins with the protagonist, Cygnus, finding himself stranded on an island after he is in a plane crash. This island is ruled by horses with a high level of sentience. They are the masters of feral humans. After he escapes this place, he repeatedly finds himself ending up on different islands. Each place has something interesting for him to ob ...more
“On Swift Wings: The Travails of Cygnus,” is a stunning satirical debut novel by Brett M. Wiens.
The story begins with the protagonist, Cygnus, finding himself stranded on an island after he is in a plane crash. This island is ruled by horses with a high level of sentience. They are the masters of feral humans. After he escapes this place, he repeatedly finds himself ending up on different islands. Each place has something interesting for him to ob ...more
This was an unusual story! Cygnus, our narrator, survives a plane crash and lands in a remote, unknown island filled with unusual creatures. It's satire, apparently, but I actually didn't get the satire part (this could be because I have never read Gulliver's Travels). This felt like an adventure tale to me with a narrator filled with some dry wit. I thought this was adventurous, fun, and extremely unusual. I also loved the brief summary of what the chapter would include at the beginning. I defi
...more
To be completely honest, I did not read through the entire blurb before purchasing this book. I downloaded it to my Kindle, and upon opening it, my little reading machine automatically forwarded me to the preface. So I was actually a few chapters into part one before I realized that this was a retelling of 'Gulliver's Travels'. (It was kind of amusing, really. Of course, I went back once I realized that I had been automatically fast forwarded into the text.)
I feel that retellings have to be done ...more
I feel that retellings have to be done ...more
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Brett Wiens was born in Calgary, Canada in 1981. He has a bachelor's degree in Geography and a masters degree in Geographic Information Systems. He has won awards for his anti-racism poem, "Just One Little Rock."
His writing is inspired by a keen interest in geography and languages. In grade school he gained fluency in French and then in University studied Spanish and Latin. After school he learned ...more
His writing is inspired by a keen interest in geography and languages. In grade school he gained fluency in French and then in University studied Spanish and Latin. After school he learned ...more
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