Windhaven cover art

Windhaven

 Preview

Get 30 days of Premium Plus free

£8.99/month after 30-day free trial. Cancel monthly.
Try for £0.00
More purchase options
Buy Now for £12.99

Buy Now for £12.99

About this listen

Before Westeros there was Windhaven....

On the stormy planet of Windhaven, flyers are idolised as the vital link between its disparate islands. The common people rely on this elite class to support their way of life. These 'land-bound' can only dream of what it must be like to take to the skies. For Maris, dreams are not enough, and through an unlikely twist of fate, she has a taste of what life as a flyer is like. Maris was born to fly; as her raw talent blossoms into peerless skill, it appears her childhood fantasies have come true. However, just as it seems that she has found her true calling, the hereditary dogma which rules the skies sets out to strip Maris of her wings. Birthright - not ability - has always governed the right to fly.

Maris' rebellious crusade to change this inequality, and earn back her wings, has deeper consequences for Windhaven than anyone could have possibly imagined.

In a unique collaboration from two of the 20th century's greatest imaginations, George R. R. Martin and Lisa Tuttle, Windhaven is fantasy at its best.

©1981 George R. R. Martin & Lisa Tuttle (P)2012 Random House Audio Inc Action & Adventure Epic Epic Fantasy Fantasy Fiction Science Fiction Adventure
All stars
Most relevant
A wonderful story of the human spirit & determination prevailing against sorrow, loss & disappointment!

A wonderful fantasy of trial & tribulation!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
A richly imagined secondary world, some ASOIAF fans will enjoy seeing those earlier creations which would influence or be homages in GRRMs magnum opus. The book is gentle, reflective and creative but felt a little plodding in places which kept it from being a page turner. I liked the politics and ethical debates displayed in this secondary world.

Grrm and Tuttle team up

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Narrators use of accents for the varying characters was rather strained. The story is slow and never really goes anywhere beyond the opening premise.

OK, very low on science

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
I'm not quite sure how much George R. R. Martin was involved in this book, it doesn't feel like its his writing style to me, but I have to say it is still extremely well written. Beautiful detail and descriptions and a compelling story you just have to finish. If this is all Lisa Tuttle's work I will be looking for more in the future. If I have any complaints, its that there is not enough back story of how they came to be on Windhaven, it is talked about but I felt it needed a bit more.

The narration is very good, Harriet Walter's use of accents is superb, you can lose yourself in the book and know exactly which character is talking, they feel just right.



Hope this helps whoever is planning to read it, I enjoyed it very much.



Twigletmuncher.

Windhaven By George R. R. Martin , Lisa Tuttle

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
For me this was a story about the struggle for equality, challenging tradition and arguing for a system that gives equal opportunities to all regardless of birth right. It's akin to the civil rights movement of the 1960s. The subject was cleverly argued and also highlighted some very important aspects of the human nature: the privelleged will never willingly support a change that threatens their way of life and that with change sometimes comes unintended consequences.
Interesting story. I quite enjoyed it and some bits even had me on tenterhooks.

meritocracy vs privilege

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
See more reviews