Windhaven

So first up we have a book called Windhaven by George R.R. Martin and Lisa Tuttle

     Windhaven is a world of many islands separated by rough seas filled giant sea monsters and killer thunderstorms. It was colonized when a star ship crashed and the colonists were stranded. They salvaged parts of the space ships to build wings to fly between the islands using the nearly constant winds. Fast forward a couple centuries and we are introduced to Maris, a young flyer. Maris was adopted into a flyer family when it was presumed the flyer was not going to be able to have an heir. The flyers deliver messages between rulers and bring stories and gossip to the common people. A couple years later, Maris was well into her training to be flyer when her step mother finally conceived. By long tradition, the family’s wings were supposed to go to her younger brother since he was a flyer by birth and not adoption. Coll, the brother, was terrified of flying and dreamed of being a singer. After he crashed during his introduction ceremony, Maris steals the wings and begins what turns into a sweeping social change over the entire planet of Windhaven.

     I really enjoy reading this book. It is one of my favorites and I find myself picking it up again and again. I always find some new concept or idea that may have passed me by the other times I’ve read it. The character of Maris is easy to identify with especially if you were the one standing up for other people. The story lags at times when it starts to go political but quickly gets back on track. The book spans several different decades of Maris’s life; watching how she grows and changes and helps society change around even if she doesn’t agree with the changes is fascinating. I can’t say how this book compares to George R.R. Martin’s other books since I’ve never read them but according to other reviews I’ve read, this ends up being nothing like them. If you want to read something completely different from most scifi fantasy, this is a good choice. Windhaven is definitely a book you should pick up if you can find it.