Flight... for eons man has longed to fly. From the Greek myths of Daedalus to the sketches of Leonardo Da Vinci to the triumphs of the Wright brothers, our literature and culture has been filled with tales of man conquering the skies.

Back in 1981, George R.R. Martin and Lisa Tuttle collaborated to write Windhaven, a novel that captures our longing for the sky. Bantam Spectra (and Victor Gollancz in the UK) have republished this novel following the recent acclaim of both authors for recent works (Martin's Song of Fire and Ice and Tuttle's The Pillow Friend).

Windhaven tells the tale of a world of small islands, vicious storms and dangerous oceans, a world peopled by the descendants of a crashed colony starship. The inhabitants scavenged the solar sails of the starship to create metal wings that enable people to fly (the light gravity and dense atmosphere help, too).

Generations pass and, although the cultures of the islands have evolved differently, the people who don these wings have become a caste unto themselves. An elite class, the flyers are above the laws of the land-bound -- and the privilege is inherited.

Into this rigid culture of privilege comes Maris, a fisherman's daughter who is adopted by a flyer and is taught how to fly. She is a natural, far more skilled than most flyers but she is to lose her wings to her stepbrother, the true offspring of her adopted father. Col is a weak flyer, scared of sky, and he wants nothing more than to be a singer, content to travel the oceans by ship.

With this setup, Windhaven launches into a tale of class struggle and privilege versus ability. Maris challenges the traditions with her radical ideas that skill should win over birth-right. But, tradition is hard to overcome. With the privileges of the flyers have come generations of bias against the land-bound, and bitterness of the land-bound towards the perceived arrogance of the flyers.

Windhaven is not a complex novel. The story is straightforward and tells a simple tale. The characters, although well written and intriguing, are unencumbered by complex backgrounds or hidden agendas. It is an easy read with a single storyline and few distractions. There is certainly nothing wrong with the approach or style and, for some, it might be a relaxing change from the massive tale of Martin's current epic. However, the authors have done an excellent job of showing the difficulties that cultural changes can create. Both the obvious bias of the privileged flyers against the land-bound and the backlash against the flyers as the traditions are broken down are mirrors of problems we see today in our own world in cultural, race and religious conflicts.

If you are looking for a good summer read, something that you can finish off without having to worry about sequels or exceeding the luggage restrictions on your summer vacation, Windhaven is an excellent choice. If you are expecting something as complex as A Game of Thrones, you might be a bit disappointed by the different style -- but surprised at its effectiveness.

Congratulations to Bantam and Victor Gollancz for republishing this 20-year-old treat.

Wayne MacLaurin is a regular SF Site reviewer. More of his opinions are available on our Book Reviews pages.