a vivid and engaging adventure (The Windsinger - William Nicholson)

Member Name: brokenangel

Product:	The Windsinger - William Nicholson
Date:	13/12/08 (61 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: interesting characters and plot; idealistic views

Disadvantages: edition binding weak : allows pages to fall out !

The opening chapters may make this seem to be simply a satire on the extreme value sometimes placed on a certain form of education, but it swiftly becomes something far broader and more imaginative.

Kestrel and her twin brother Bowman are citizens of Aramanth, a mysterious walled city in which exams determine everything, from where people live, to how they dress, to their ambitions. Essentially, Kestrel rebels against the ethos of Aramanth and then refuses to accept the awful punishment that the Chief Examiner has planned for her. This leads her to accept that the only hope for herself, her family and her city is to retrieve the voice of the mysterious wind singer that dominates the centre of the city. Thus Kestrel, Bowman and the class dunce, Mumpo, set out on a dangerous quest to retrieve the voice and meet some unlikely allies along the way. This is where the fantastical elements begin to creep in but the way other characters live makes them seem plausible and warm characters.

It is unclear whether or not this city state is set in the past of future, but it contains damning similarities with our own stratified culture, which are most clearly revealed when the Hath family are forced to move from Orange to Grey, from a whole house to a dank room. Class envy and ambition are rife; the citizens of Aramanth watch the Hath family's fall gleefully and without a trace of understanding or pity. It becomes clear that Kestrel's wrath at life in Aramanth has a foundation not simply in the way education is used, but in the way its people are treated and treat each other: there is a deep evil pervading a society which sees itself as fair and just. Some people have criticized these books for lacking the depth of Philip Pullman's tales, but I would argue this view fails to recognise the subtle comparisons that Nicholson invites.

Another example of depth may be seen in the relationships between the characters. As the twins continue on this journey they begin to adjust their attitude to Mumpo, whom they are used to thinking of (when they deign to think of him at all) with a vague pity. Initially only tolerated because he refuses to leave, Mumpo soon demonstrates that academic achievements are not the only valuable accomplishments a person might possess. Gradually, the twins come to value him for his own skills and personality, a key lesson that Nicholson demonstrates without ever preaching about.

That said, the book is massively enjoyable and almost unputdownable (the Wind battle does go on a bit), which may account for some people's reactions to it - it seems too enjoyable to contain real depth of meaning! Certainly, there are events and characters that are not yet explained, like the history of the Zars, and presumably will be later on in the trilogy, but the events themselves are chillingly and clearly told. One event leads seamlessly into another and the drama ebbs and flows perfectly until the dramatic climax of the novel.

Overall, this is an imaginative read that will engage children and adults alike in a world where compassionate values are successfully enmeshed with danger and excitement.

Summary: Do buy - but buy in hardcover!