THE MUSE OF KILL DEVIL HILLS

A Greek deity helps the Wright brothers invent the airplane in this debut fantasy.

Polyhymnia is a Muse. A literal one—from Mount Olympus—tasked with overseeing humans working in her areas of expertise: the peculiar trio of Geometry, Agriculture, and Sacred Hymns. Not many people believe in the Muses at the turn of the 20th century, but Polyhymnia and her sisters are still plying their trades, directing humanity through a combination of subconscious inspiration and direct intervention. Feeling dissatisfied with her bailiwick, the listless Polyhymnia strikes a deal with her sister Urania, the Muse of Astronomy and Prescience. Polyhymnia will get humans focused on flying, thereby paving their way to the stars, and in exchange, Urania will teach her to see into the future. Polyhymnia starts with the more obvious candidates—a glider pioneer; the secretary of the Smithsonian—before landing on an unlikely pair of bicycle-designing brothers from Ohio, Will and Orv Wright. Flying has been a daydream of Will’s for a number of years, and Orv is a man who can fix any machine. Polyhymnia sneaks into their Dayton circle disguised as a friend of their sister, Kate, helping Will crack the code of bird flight. But is Polyhymnia betting on the wrong inventors? And if she is, can she manage to shape them into the right ones? Kaiser’s prose is crisp and witty, filled with puns and winks at history. Here Polyhymnia discusses the selection of a launch site with her sisters: “ ‘Yes,’ said Polyhymnia. ‘He’s dead set on testing their glider on some Gods-forsaken strip of sand on the North Carolina coast—’ ‘There’s more than one Carolina?’ Urania interrupted. ‘Since when?’ ‘Since they were colonies, dear,’ Calliope said. ‘Do keep up.’ ” The novel has the requisite historical cameos—including Polyhymnia’s favorite agricultural scientist, George Washington Carver—and it brings the Dayton shop of the Wright brothers to colorful life. Despite its fantasy elements, the book is essentially a lighthearted retelling of one of humankind’s most impressive achievements. Though hardly a page-turner, the author has constructed endearing characters, and by the end of the story, readers will have a much better sense of the Wright brothers’ unlikely rise—pun intended.

An airy, humorous aviation tale with appealing infusions of myth and history.