The Wings Upon Her Back
#2784.04 of 664 ranked universes · 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.
Dark fantasy · For Adult
Core Canon: Reading Order (1 work) counts toward ranking
The Wings Upon Her Back (2024) core · 4.04 (1,850 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? #278 of 664 ranked universes on this site, based on 1,850 reader ratings across 1 Core Canon book. See the full ranking for how this is calculated.
Why is it ranked #278?
Ranked #278 of 664 ranked universes.
- Average reader rating of 4.04 across 1 core book.
- A smaller readership (1,850 ratings), so the score carries less weight of numbers.
- Less than 0.01 behind #277, Anansi Boys (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 #278 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 1,850 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.