REVIEW: Windhaven by George R.R. Martin and Lisa Tuttle

Windhaven by George R.R. Martin and Lisa Tuttle
Publishing Information: 1981 (first publishing) 2003 (current edition)
Publisher: Bantam Spectra, Mass-Market Paperback, 400 pgs
ISBN-13: 978-0-553-57790-7
Series: Standalone
Reviewer: Andy
Copy: Out of Pocket

Synopsis: (from back cover): 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. 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. So Maris challenges tradition, demanding that flyers be chosen by merit rather than inheritance. But when she begins that bitter battle, she discovers that her troubles are only beginning. For not all flyers are willing to accept the world's new structure. Now she finds herself fighting to preserve the integrity of flyer society against a revolution that threatens to tear apart the fabric of the world she fought so hard to join - and to which she might be required to pay the ultimate sacrifice.

After reading the first four installments of A Song of Fire and Ice as well as the under-appreciated vampire novel Fevre Dream, one might be hasty enough to conclude that George R.R. Martin's name printed on a book's cover is always a mark of high quality. Such an assumption might cause one to pick up a book with such a lackluster premise as being about a group of winged flyers that serve as aristocratic messengers. Even when I was eight-years old I grew restless when my older brother took me to see the Rocketeer, the captivating tale of a man and his jetpack. Still, George R.R. Martin's name was enough to suspend my skepticism and add Windhaven to my to-read list.

Windhaven takes place on a distant planet, in which a human piloted spaceship crashed centuries ago. The descendants of the castaways have forgot much of where they came from and have settled on a group of islands that are subject to tumultuous swirling winds. Since this kind of atmosphere has made seafaring difficult, the valuable debris from the crashed spacecraft was used to fashion wings in which a select few strap themselves and ride the winds from island to island delivering messages. These select few are heirs to dynasties, where the wings are passed down and inherited from generation to generation. These flyers constitute a nobility on Windhaven, and have a certain "rock star" status that enchants the imaginations of peasant-children and lute-playing songwriters.

The book is divided into three parts, each of which could exist independently as a short story. In fact, the first was originally published as a short story sometime in the seventies. While the vision of a world where people fly around on metal wings might have made for a charming short-story, it gets stretched a bit thin over a novel's length. Any enthusiasm I was able to muster for winged messengers had faded away by the final pages. This is because the concept of the book is simply not that interesting. Stylistically, the book carried itself well, except for some awkward exposition-filled dialogue. The three sections of the plot all complement each other nicely and it doesn't seem to be filled with anything that insignificant or extraneous. The book includes enough compelling themes such as the purpose of tradition, class and social mobility, and even the importance of art and public image. However, in the end I was asking myself why I wasn't that excited about this book. My brain was telling me that it had all the elements tend to constitute a decent novel, but my heart just wasn't into it.

I honestly believe all this can be chalked up to the dull premise and world on which this book is based. This book proves that decent writers and storytellers can fail simply because of a bad idea. Of course, we can always chalk this up to other author that George Martin collaborated with rather than give him an equal share of the blame. Lisa Tuttle isn't exactly a household name. However, great writers and fantasists aren't often born that way and there is often a bumpy road to success. This may be one such example.



Plot……….6/ 10

Characters………5/10

Style………..6.5/10


Overall……….4/10