内容简介
George R. R. Martin has thrilled a generation of readers withhis epic works of the imagination, most recently the criticallyacclaimed "New York Times" bestselling saga told in the novels AGame of Thrones, A Clash of Kings, and A Storm of Swords. LisaTuttle has won acclaim from fans of science fiction, horror, andfantasy alike-- most recently for her haunting novel The PillowFriend. Now together they gift readers with this classic tale of abrilliantly rendered world of ironbound tradition, where arebellious soul seeks to prove the power of a dream. The planet ofWindhaven was not originally a home to humans, but it became onefollowing the crash of a colony starship. It is a world of smallislands, harsh weather, and monster-infested seas. Communicationamong the scattered settlements was virtually impossible until thediscovery that, thanks to light gravity and a dense atmosphere,humans were able to fly with the aid of metal wings made of bits ofthe cannibalized spaceship. Many generations later, among thescattered islands that make up the water world of Windhaven, no oneholds more prestige than the silver-winged flyers, who bring news,gossip, songs, and stories. They are romantic figures crossingtreacherous oceans, braving shifting winds and sudden storms thatcould easily dash them from the sky to instant death. They are alsomembers of an increasingly elite caste, for the wings--always inlimited quantity--are growing gradually rarer as their bearersperish. With such elitism comes arrogance and a rigid adherence tohidebound tradition. And for the flyers, allowing just anyone tojoin their cadre is an idea that borders on heresy. Wings are meantonly for the offspring of flyers--now the new nobility ofWindhaven. Except that sometimes life is not quite so neat. Marisof Amberly, a fisherman's daughter, was raised by a flyer and wantsnothing more than to soar on the currents high above Windhaven. Bytradition, however, the wings must go to her stepbrother, Coll, theflyer's legitimate son. But Coll wants only to be a singer,traveling the world by sea. So Maris challenges tradition,demanding that flyers be chosen on the basis of merit rather thaninheritance. And when she wins that bitter battle, she discoversthat her troubles are only beginning. For not all flyers arewilling to accept the world's new structure, and as Maris battlesto teach those who yearn to fly, she finds herself likewisefighting to preserve the integrity of a society she so longed tojoin--not to mention the very fabric that holds her culturetogether.