Once a winged enforcer of Radezhda’s warrior sect–both the city’s military and ruling party–Zemolai’s fall from grace forces her to finally begin seeing from a new perspective, only to see that so much had been a façade. The Wings Upon Her Back, Samantha Mills’s debut novel, follows Zemolai in both past and present as she struggles through twenty-six years of indoctrination at the hands of a fascist state. Mills superbly portrays several important themes, from the descent into fascism to how cycles of abuse feed into that descent. The unique and compelling setting only adds to the book’s grandeur–early 1900’s tech meets mechanized steampunk fantasy, but with the twist of added cyberpunk-esque body mods, all in that mechanical, clockwork style. This is all in the city-state of Radezhda, a sprawling–yet claustrophobic–city crowned with five spires reaching towards the heavens, towards where the gods lay at rest in the sky above the city.
Mills’s portrayal of Zemolai’s fall from grace at the beginning of the book is done incredibly, giving the first impressions of the city from one who is disillusioned by it, where then after the truth can be found in a much less picturesque version of the city. Similarly, the city-state’s fascist innerworkings can be seen relatively early, too, if you know where to look. Take for example the basis of the city, its five gods who’s realms hover above the city. They chose us, not them; divine right, othering. We are stronger than them, they are weak; they are a threat. It happens elsewhere, too, between the city’s different factions. There are other examples too, though this is the most immediately obvious to the reader and to those less engaged in political theory.
The book’s explorations on themes of abuse are, I think, done well. It not only shows how people are affected by manipulation, but also why it can be so hard to break the cycle. “She imagined leaving … the panic attack hooked so deep she thought she’d suffocate. Just a little longer, she thought. Just a little longer when the timing is right,” and “you’ve had it before, you can have it again.” This addiction and abuse and betrayal are integrally interwoven into the story, complimenting the main themes of the overall story by being reflections in the character arcs, culminating into the idea of what it means to be disillusioned.
The development of the main character, Zemolai, is done in a way that is both engaging and captivating as the reader watches her struggle to change. Simultaneously, the chapters following a younger Zemolai start to show her transform into who she was at the onset of the book in an all too real manner as she starts to become another cog in the machine. This dichotomy is done in a masterful way that had me both cheering for and cursing her as a character depending on the point of view and progression into the book. Truly, I don’t think there is another novel that does POV-switching across time instead of characters so well.
Overall, this book is my favorite stand-alone fantasy novel at the moment, and certainly favorite stand-alone from 2024. Partly, this is likely due to my background as an activist and having an interest in political science, but even without that background, I’d still think that the Wings Upon Her Back is an incredible piece and highly recommend it to everyone. The incredible story coupled with a unique writing style (in the form of little clarifying blurbs, not unlike this) and a unique and compelling setting makes for one of the best fantasy novels I’ve read this year, and is nearing the top of my favorite stand-alones of all time.
Lastly, while The Wings Upon Her Back might be Mills’s first published full-length novel, its far from her first work that cuts deep into modern life. Rabbit Test is a short story about abortion rights and the history of abortion set in a dystopian nearish future. You should read it too, which you can, for free from Uncanny Magazine.