 Salter has been praised for his descriptions of flight in this novel, including comparisons to Antoine de Saint-Exupéry ("New York Times Book Review"), but until the next-to-last chapter, scenes involving flying are few and brief.Most of the progress of the narrative takes place in dialogue or in Cleve's impressions, where the journey is more through his soul than the combat missions.Salter's prose has been characterized as "spare... but also lush", and relies heavily on simile in descriptions of surroundings and impressions.