Harpy's Flight

• Publisher:   Voyager
• Number Of Pages:   312
• Publication Date:   2002-01-14
• ISBN-10 / ASIN:   0007112521
• ISBN-13 / EAN:   9780007112524

HARPY'S FLIGHT was Lindholm's first novel, and the first in the WINDSINGERS series, which introduced her popular gypsy characters, Ki and Vandien. Across the mountain sheathed with ice, through the treacherous shadow of the Sisters, Ki was running for her life, followed by Harpies, sworn to vegance; by the bitter memories of a once-idyllic past; and by one stubborn, dark haired man who seemed intent on being part of her future.

Love, magic and blood is what this tale is about. Ki is an outcast, partly because of what happened to her family and partly by her own actions. Now she must decide, where is she going, what will she become? But what goes around comes around and, after getting her revenge, it looks like she may end up running for her life. The problem is, who is she running from and who can she trust?
I was first exposed to the skill of Megan Lindholm when I read a short fantasy story starring Ki and Vandien while in college, in the early 90s. I was very impressed by the friendship between the male character and female character. They were partners in arms but not lovers. It seemed fresh, interesting and didn't in any way take away from the story.
So a few weeks ago, looking for some good fantasy to read I searched for a novel with the same characters. And I was not disappointed as you can plainly see.

The plot was limited, and the conclusion obtuse, but the beautiful scenes were a pleasure to read. I've read some of Robin Hobb's other works, which are also wonderful, and I can see her apprenticeship in this novel.

Let me just say I LOVE this book. I received it when I was 12 and here at 22 I still enjoy it. Young adults and adults alike will not be able to put this book down. I wouldn't recommend it for a preteen just because some parts are hard to understand and it can get kind of grizzly.

I first read this book (and the other books of the Windsinger series) about 15 years ago. I know I enjoyed it then. I have enjoyed many fantasy novels over the years, and occasionally I have enjoyed rereading them. But I have never felt compelled, after so many years, to seek out a book which was out of print. When I finally got a hold of Harpy's Flight, I found I remembered the central characters vividly, but the plot seemed new and fresh. Ki has lost her family in a brutal attack by harpies, sentient flying creatures. Her first thought is vengeance, and then survival. Along the way, she meets a down and out adventurer, Vandien, when he makes an unsuccessful attempt to rob her. The central characters, Ki and Vandien, are tough, strong, and very human. Their relationship, as they confront dangers, grows in a measured, realistic way. They do not solve each other's problems, but they do help each other survive. As I continued reading, I found some insight as to why I felt so drawn to this particular book at this time of my life. It is about letting go of the past and making a positive decision to live in the face of loss. In the midst of a rich, brightly colored, and strange world, Lindholm somehow draws you in to experience the most intense and sensual grief, anger, love, and compassion, and to make it your own. (Is this a kind of surrealism?) This book is a classic of fantasy literature, and should never have gone out of print.

Harpy's Flight is the beginning of Megan Lindholm's Windersinger trilogy, which, although overlooked by many and often regarded as just another couple of fantasy novels, stands far out of the crowd. Lindholm created a vivid world and tells us enough of it to understand the deeper mechanisms that keep it working but still leaves enough to the reader to let him fill in the rest with his own imagination. In Harpy's Flight character development seems a little shaky compared to the following novels, but Ki and Vandien, the two main protagonists, are highly enjoyable to be acquainted with. There are some quite surprising twists in the story and the book will keep you glued to it to find out what it all comes down to. You probably won't regret buying this book.

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