The Wings Upon Her Back
#3734.04 adjusted 4.01 for sample size in the official ranking · full ranking
Books 1 book Status Complete 2024 Reading commitment Low Samantha Mills Last reviewed 2026-08-15
Overview
A standalone secondary-world fantasy novel by Samantha Mills, published by Tachyon Publications in 2024. Set in the vertically-built city-state of Radezhda, it follows a mechanically-winged former zealot confronting the costs of the religious-militarist order she once served, having flown in its ranks as one of its sworn, mechanically augmented soldiers before turning away from its violence. The novel examines the aftermath of religious extremism and institutional betrayal through a tightly focused, character-driven lens, set within a richly imagined vertical city whose architecture and factions mirror its protagonist's own fractured loyalties. It was a finalist for the 2025 World Fantasy Award and won the 2025 Compton Crook Award for best debut science fiction or fantasy novel.
Dark fantasy · For Adult
Core Canon: Reading Order (1 work) counts toward ranking
The Wings Upon Her Back (2024) core · 4.04 (1,892 ratings)
Quick answers
- How many books are in The Wings Upon Her Back? The Wings Upon Her Back's Core Canon is 1 book.
- Is The Wings Upon Her Back finished? Complete (2024).
- How much reading does The Wings Upon Her Back take? Low reading commitment (estimated from 1 Core Canon book · ~336 pages).
- How is The Wings Upon Her Back ranked? #373 in this site's official ranking, based on 1,892 reader ratings across 1 Core Canon book. See the full ranking for how this is calculated.
Why is it ranked #373?
Ranked #373 in the official ranking.
- Average reader rating of 4.04 across 1 core book.
- A smaller readership (1,892 ratings), so the score carries less weight of numbers.
- Less than 0.01 behind #372, Shadows of the Apt (a finer tie-break level decides the order).
- Below the top-10 average of 4.45.
- A single standalone novel: ranked on that one book alone.
Why explore this universe?
Well rated · 1 book · Complete · 2k ratings · Ranks #373 overall
Good choice if you want a quick, low-commitment dark fantasy universe that's already finished, so there's no wait for the next book.
Reading order
A single Core Canon work: no sequencing question to resolve.
Awards (verified)
- Compton Crook Award (Best First Novel), 2025: won: The Wings Upon Her Back; Presented annually by the Baltimore Science Fiction Society since 1983; confirmed via File 770's own reporting (an award-adjacent, reliable genre-news outlet).
- World Fantasy Award (Best Novel), 2025: finalist: The Wings Upon Her Back; Did not win; confirmed directly via the World Fantasy Convention's own official nominations/winners page.
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Official resources
- Tachyon Publications: The Wings Upon Her Back
- World Fantasy Convention: 2025 WFC Nominations and Winners
- File 770: Samantha Mills Wins 2025 Compton Crook Award
Research details
Ranking metrics: weighted average 4.04 across 1,892 ratings on 1 Core Canon book. See Why is it ranked here? above for the full breakdown, or the full ranking.
How do we know this?
Admission: Admit The Wings Upon Her Back (Samantha Mills) accepted 2026-08-15
Sources: (see source tier definitions)
- Tachyon Publications, The Wings Upon Her Back Tier 1
- 2025 WFC Nominations and Winners (World Fantasy Convention) Tier 1
- File 770, Samantha Mills Wins 2025 Compton Crook Award Tier 3
Last reviewed: 2026-08-15
Rule: single-work: a fully resolved standalone novel with no sequel or companion material.