The Aviator

This is a deeply philosophical book about survival against the odds. It tells the story of a pioneer airman carrying the US mail over the Rockies , with the added complication of a 11 year old girl as passenger , who suffers engine failure and a subsequent crash in appalling wintry conditions . As in almost all of Gann's writing, the psychology of the characters is explored perceptively , and this makes the book a minor masterpiece