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A classic tale of a brilliantly rendered world of ironbound tradition, where a rebellious soul seeks to prove the power of a dream. The planet of Windhaven was not originally a home to humans, but it became one following the crash of a colony starship. It is a world of small islands, harsh weather, and monster-infested seas. Communication among the scattered settlements was virtually impossible until the discovery that, thanks to light gravity and a dense atmosphere, humans were able to fly with the aid of metal wings made of bits of the cannibalized spaceship. Many generations later, among the scattered islands that make up the water world of Windhaven, no one holds more prestige than the silver-winged flyers, who bring news, gossip, songs, and stories. They are romantic figures crossing treacherous oceans, braving shifting winds and sudden storms that could easily dash them from the sky to instant death. They are also members of an increasingly elite caste, for the wings--always in limited quantity-- are growing gradually rarer as their bearers perish. With such elitism comes arrogance and a rigid adherence to hidebound tradition. And for the flyers, allowing just anyone to join their cadre is an idea that borders on heresy. Wings are meant only for the offspring of flyers--now the new nobility of Windhaven. Except that sometimes life is not quite so neat. Maris of Amberly, a fisherman's daughter, was raised by a flyer and wants nothing more than to soar on the currents high above Windhaven. By tradition, however, the wings must go to her stepbrother, Coll, the flyer's legitimate son. But Coll wants only to be a singer, traveling the world by sea. So Maris challenges tradition, demanding that flyers be chosen on the basis of merit rather than inheritance. And when she wins that bitter battle, she discovers that her troubles are only beginning. For not all flyers are willing to accept the world's new structure, and as Maris battles to teach those who yearn to fly, she finds herself likewise fighting to preserve the integrity of a society she so longed to join--not to mention the very fabric that holds her culture together.… (more)
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The first short story is OK, but didn't really grab me. The second was a lot more interesting and engrossed me thoroughly, and the third -- possibly because of the pathos of seeing the woman who was 'just' a young girl reaching the final stages of her life -- was actually rather moving. All in all, thus, this made for a very good and memorable read, but the buy-in of the first third of the book was perhaps a bit steep. Also be warned that due to the low-tech nature of this society, the book might feel more like a no-magic fantasy world than it does a science fiction one -- a boon to my tastes, but possibly not to everyone.
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Sep 2006
This book doesn't have quite the same plot complexity that I have known Martin for. I don't know if that is Tuttle's influence, or simply a recognition that such would complicate an otherwise graceful story. I am happy for their focus on the
I really like Windhaven, even when there are many painful and sad moments in it.
A lot of books would have stopped there. But this is the story of all of Maris's life, and the traditional Young Adult fight-against-the-odds-to-achieve-your-dream is only the start. The majority of the book is Maris growing up, and having to deal with the changes her naïve actions cause. I think one of the things I love most about this book is Val One Wing. He is written as a very ambiguous, but very dislikable character. Maris, who is talented and loving and so easy to identify with, spends a lot of the book reaching out to him and making an effort, only to find him being what feels like gratuitously cruel to her. He wants to fly, but not to be a flyer - he despises the aristocrats who lord it over the rest of Windhaven. He flaunts their tradition wherever he can. And he is ruthlessly driven - he wins his wings by challenging a women who is distraught weeks after her brother's death, and never shows any remorse for his actions. But he has watertight motivations, and a sympathetic backstory, and leaves me a tangled mix of hating him and loving him every time.
In the third part of the book, Maris loses her ability to fly through a terrible accident, and the story talks of grief, of healing, of how we define ourselves, and how we heal and reinvent ourselves.
There are so many things I love about this book. But it captures so truly the feeling of soaring and spiraling high above the sea, sun glinting on silver wings, the joy and glory of it.
Maris from Amberley, a fisherman's daughter, was adopted by a windmill, and all she wants in her life is to fly into the ethers. However, tradition forces the wings to pass to her adoptive brother, Coll, the legal son of the windmill. All that Kool wants is to become a barbarian and travel to the world by the sea. For this reason, Marius revolts and throws himself into a difficult struggle against elitism, arrogance, and the undisturbed traditions of the windmill society.
That's all
Well worth reading. And, since I have an utter aversion to series books, it's good to see a stand-alone fantasy novel that doesn't require the reader to make a career out of wading through 27 volumes of high fantasy set in a pseudo-medieval world of magic and myth.
I might have given this 1 star more, but for some reason, I kept seeing the hand of the authors in this. Maybe it's because of the way the book is divided in sections, or because of the numerous discussions that are inherent to a change in society, but it was like I could see the storyline laid out before me while I was reading. That kept me from fully immersing myself into this book.