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Windhaven
Windhaven
Author: George R. R. Martin, Lisa Tuttle
The collaborative novel, adapted and expanded from several short stories, follows the adventures of a young woman named Maris whose society is centered around the ability to fly.
ISBN-13: 9780450046667
ISBN-10: 0450046664
Publication Date: 1981
Pages: 315
Rating:
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0 stars, based on 0 rating
Publisher: timescape books
Book Type: Paperback
Other Versions: Hardcover
Members Wishing: 0
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Top Member Book Reviews

reviewed Windhaven on + 40 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 2
The protagonist, Maris, is the daughter of a poor fisherman. As a young girl she yearns to fly - and when she's adopted by a member of the flyers' guild, it appears the orphan may achieve her dream despite the odds. Wealthy landowners control the guild, however, and in order to keep her wings she has to fight generations of tradition as well as prejudice from the sons and daughters of nobles.

This is a reasonably well done story. Decent writing, believable plot devices, mildly interesting characters. And the world built here is actually pretty interesting. A remote archipelago hosts a pre-industrial society literally built from the wreckage of interstellar travelers; the flyers use wings cobbled together from old space ship parts.

Still, despite a lot of potential, this book seems to be missing something. The authors offer a "moral dilemma" dressed up with cultural/class warfare to drive the story but then it just kind of limps along. As I read, I kept thinking, "yeah, so what?"
Bossmare avatar reviewed Windhaven on + 306 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
Good read, it helped pass the time on an airplane. 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.
This reminded me of Anne McCaffery's dragon flyers series.
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reviewed Windhaven on + 32 more book reviews
Loved it! The plot was very imaginative and kept me reading to the end. As usual, Martin was at his best in his descriptive words. I almost seemed you were there with the characters. High flying adventure!
reviewed Windhaven on + 16 more book reviews
I've never read anything like this before but found it to be an engaging read that I couldn't put down.


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