Windhaven

Martin and Tuttle have created an alien but recognizably human world where the descendants of stranded spacefarers have cannibalized the solar sails of their ancestors' ships to create wings allowing a few, specially-trained men and women to fly on the planet's unceasing winds.

That's all backstory, though, as the story centers around a young woman whose desire to fly leads her to batter down barriers that have stood for generations. The average run-of-the-mill fantasy offering might stop there. In fact, the first section of the book does end on that note, and would have been a fine (if somewhat short) YA novel. This one, however, is a book for grown-ups, and it goes far beyond the Brave Young Heroine Challenging Tradition to take a show more look at what happens to the song when you change a single note.

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. show less

A light sci-fi piece from a 1970s George R. R. Martin and his collaborator, Lisa Tuttle. It might seem unremarkable at first sight, but building a convincing world and populating it with characters to root for, all in under 400 pages, while keeping those pages turning, is no mean feat. When you appreciate that Martin and Tuttle then have the consequences of their characters' actions influence the dynamics of the world they have built in ways that are convincing, then you start to respect the craft a bit more.

You might say this is all nothing more than what storytellers are meant to do – and should we praise them for doing as they ought? – but Windhaven kept me engaged and, speaking personally, that is becoming increasingly rare in show more my reading for whatever reason. The growth through the story is very much welcome; the believe-in-yourself-and-your-dreams-will-come-true moral of the first part gives way to a more mature outlook as consequences take effect. We follow Maris in a bittersweet progression from youth to old age, and it's pretty fantastic. The romance of flying is never lost, nor is the hopefulness in Maris' story, and Windhaven has commendable balance and deftness throughout. show less

I love this book. It is the story of Maris, adopted by a Flyer of Windhaven, but sidelined when he has a biological child of his own. Being a fantasy story, the heir doesn't want wings, he wants to be a singer, and Maris wants to fly with a burning passion that she would change the world for... and so she steals the wings, is tried by the Council, and eventually persuades them that a new way is needed.

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 show more 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. show less

As I understand it, this book is basically three short stories sewed together, with an added prologue and epilogue. Together, these five snippets of the character follows her from cradle to grave. It alls takes place on a archipelago world where spacewrecked humans in the distant past have given rise to a pre-industrial society whose main reliable means of speedy communication is the oral messages delivered between islands by "fliers" -- Icharus-esque users of wings built from the remnants of the spacefaring technology. These wings are inherited, causing a class of people separate from the rest of society, with no mobiity into it for outsiders. Enter the protagonist, who so desperately wishes to fly, she might just change the world to show more do so...

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. show less

Kunagi ammu tegi sellele suuremas osas lõputu ookeaniga kaetud planeedile hädamaandumise inimeste kosmoselaev. Kuna saartel metallimaake praktiliselt ei ole, taandarenes tehnika ja inimesed elavad feodalismis. Nad on valmistanud imekergest ja praktiliselt purunematust footonpurjest hulga tiibasid ning inimlendajad peavad saarte vahel ühendust. Lendajaid austatakse võrdselt valitsejatega.

Romaani peategelaseks on kaluri tütar Maris. Ühel lendajal ei ole lapsi ja ta lapsendab lendamisest unistava tüdruku. Maris õpib suurepäraselt lendama, kuid enne täieõiguslikuks lendajaks saamist tuleb hulga kivinenud traditsioone murda. Ent see on vaid loo algus – kui tiibu saab ausas võistluses omandada, paiskab see paratamatult segi kogu show more kehtinud korra... show less

This was nice. It has quite an interesting setting, and I like that there is no misogyny. Women are not lesser fliers than men, and the main character is a woman. She is quite strong-willed but is also willing to change her opinion and to work with people she doesn't like when she feels it is the right thing to do.

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.

I enjoy George R.R. Martin's "A Song of Ice and Fire" series, so it's disappointing that reading this book inspired me to adopt a new "don't keep reading something you're not enjoying just to finish it" policy. I got 2/3 of the way through and it was good at times and ok at times, just bland, young adult, fantasy. I loved Anne McCaffrey's Pern books as a child, and this reminded me of the same sort of thing, but didn't resonate as strongly with me.