As fascinating as the world of Windhaven is, I found it difficult to connect with the characters in this book. Too much is left unfleshed and the flyers themselves are inflexible specialists who have trained all their lives to do one thing. I've read too many stories like this, where the love of a profession or calling is everything. Sport is like this and maybe music and craft are too to some extent. Art on the other hand creates generalists who, if they can't do the one thing, find something else to be passionate about. So it might be that my mindset is more art. I found it hard to believe these characters wouldn't have a plan b in a profession where longevity wasn't common.
Some of the main concepts didn't work for me. The elitism that our central character fights against may in some way be an essential thing. If your job is dangerous and will most likely kill you, requires all your time in training, and is your greatest passion... perhaps the traditions and being special would keep people doing it. Would make sure this essential service continued. I wasn’t convinced upsetting the status quo was the best thing and I didn't believe the flyers would vote to allow outside challengers to come and take their wings without better reasons. Or maybe I just thought the competitions silly and frivolous in a world where they depended on these wings for survival. Yes it makes sense they would happen, but not that they would make them so competitive that all practice would go towards the end of winning and keeping the wings rather than safely delivering messages. I also couldn't believe that they wouldn’t be constantly attempting to make new wings. The small glimpses you get of this world, insufficient as they are, don't allow for that kind of madness.
I also found it disjointed, but I realize that is because it was two shorter stories combined. ¬
Like all George RR Martin’s books that I have read so far there’s a little bit too much crusty realism at the end. I read to escape, so I like to forget that we all age and we all die. There’s a reason so much fiction doesn’t include that bit. The annoying thing is that he writes so well that I won’t be giving up reading his books any time soon. I don’t think this is one of his best (haven’t read anything else by the other author credited, Lisa Tuttle), but there are some good characters and a great world.