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Amazon.co.uk Review
The Wind Singer is the first novel in a trilogy that holds enormous promise--and looks set to deliver on that promise. Set in a time that could be many years in the future, or perhaps even in the past, in a world that has somehow been lost in time, the people are divided into groups according to how well they perform in The High Examination. If they fail, they are de-classed, if they pass they are promoted and allowed to live in the more attractive spaces of the city of Aramanth. Disloyalty, or indeed any form of behaviour that does not fit into the grand plan of those with the power, is dealt with harshly.
Kestrel and Bowman Hath are twins, and we first meet them on the day their baby sister is about to take her first test. She fails, but the family is disgraced further when Kestrel is labelled as a "wild child" and is sent to Special Teaching--a place from which she may never escape--and her father is banished to the Residential Study Course. But Kestrel has met the Emperor, and he told her the history of the Wind Singer--the monument that overlooks the city but no longer has a voice.
What follows is an intense adventure following the children as they embark on a dangerous journey beneath the city and through the Underlake--a stinking lake of decomposing matter that is bigger than Aramath itself and is inhabited by the real, and sometimes extremely dangerous, underclasses--as they search for the Wind Singer's voice. The journey leads them to the very heart of the evil that has taken control of the city, and with their new friend, Mumpo, in tow, they endeavour to wade through the darkness in their extraordinary search for truth.
The Wind Singer is a truly imaginative, fantastical and distinctive adventure story that grips from the very beginning and absolutely refuses to let go, even at the very end of the book. Cinematic in his approach (the descriptions of the people and places are indeed so large and vivid that you can almost smell them as well as imagine them), William Nicholson taps into the nerve centre of the reader, introducing characters that invoke passion--and compassion--and putting them in situations that are at times so intense that it is almost possible to imagine you are there with them as they wade through the dangerous underbelly of their world in the hunt for light.
As challenging as it is entertaining, The Wind Singer is a book that will surely make its mark on the memory of the reader, and will appeal as much to adults who enjoy fantasy writing as it will to younger readers. Age 11 and over. --Susan Harrison --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Review
The first part of a planned trilogy, this fast-moving fantasy conjures up exciting and extraordinary images. It is set in the imaginary city of Aramanth, in which citizens must continuously pass exams to get on in society. Kestrel Hath rebels against the system, and is forced to flee Aramanth. She takes up the quest to find and bring back the voice of the 'wind singer' that she thinks is destined to free the city. Some spectacularly cinematic scenes make this a remarkable debut into children's books. (11+ yrs) Winner of the 2000 Gold Smarties award for readers aged 9-11. (Kirkus UK)
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
17 of 17 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I bought this book on impulse, put off reading it for several days, and then finally got around to it on a wet Sunday afternoon. About four heart-rending, nail-biting, stomach-churning hours later I ran out of my house, got into my car, drove into town and bought the sequel. Then I went on line and bought the final installment of the trilogy from Amazon.
This book is, in a word, amazing. A review on the back compares it to Star Wars, and it is correct. The scope of this book is astonishing, and what is equally astonishing is how warm-hearted and human it manages to remain despite its epic qualities.
Having read several reviews here on Amazon that complain about unanswered questions in the book, I should like to point out that it is the FIRST in a TRILOGY. If all the questions were answered then why would you go back and read it's sequels? Of course some of the deeper and more profound themes are not neatly tied in a bow - though I can assure you that they are eventually. What is important is that the individual story-lines and character conflicts within each individual volume are satisfactorially resolved by the end of each book.
I would also like to say that while I enjoyed the 'His Dark Materials' trilogy from Phillip Pullman, I don't consider them superior to this series of books in any way, mostly because I found Pullman's grasp of children's development under pressure to be a little superficial. He does not convey, as Nicholson does, the way that people, regardless of age, can be transformed into something base, glorious or dangerous depending on circumstance, while still remaining themselves.
In closing, I would advise any parent to buy these books for their children - but don't let them get their hands on them until you've read 'The Wind on Fire' first.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
William Nicholson grabbed my attention from the first page and didn't let go until I had read the final word. The characters were believable and I was swept into their world of excitement.
Kestrel Hath was a likeable character and the story was full of suspense. Although I knew how the story would end, I didn't know how events would unfold.
I can't wait to read Slaves of the Mastery.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Let me start by saying this is a book for someone with a broad imagination,and if you want to believe in this book,why not? It's about city and this city is abit different from other citys:It's divided into four district White,Maroon,Orange and Grey(being the lowest) now if you did bad in the High Examination you'd be moved down a district(meaning you'd live in worse conditions)Well one day a girl named Kestrel is had enough of this;She runs away from school saying she won't do any more exams.If she finds the voice of the sacred wind singer and all will be well but the Chief Examiner:Maslo Inch has some suprises...
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Unsure if you want to buy the book?
This isn't so much a review as a re-assurance to people thinking of buying the book who have read some of the other reviews and can't quite make their minds up. Read more
Published 20 months ago by W. Davis
A Book To Make You Sing!
FANTASTIC! This book is the first in "The Wind On Fire" trilogy by William Nicholson, and I must say, this book is really worth scheduling some reading time each day. Read more
Published on 14 Feb 2004 by Hugh Evans
brilliant
this is one of the best books i ever read, i started it an english lesson and just couldn't put it down.
Published on 24 Nov 2003
Wind Singer
In the story of Wind Singer, the twin siblings Kestrel and her brother Bowman, live in the strange, dystopian city of Amaranth. Read more
Published on 31 Oct 2003 by Iam Ahrevewer
The Wind Singer - William Nicholson
Firstly: Only read this book if you like the idea of fantasy worlds and fantasy novels.
This book surrounds Kestrel and Bowman Hath (oh and Mumpo). Read more
Published on 3 Oct 2003 by Mr. David M. Bell
not exactly what I was expecting...
I have looked through the reviews of this book briefly and they all seem to be saying the same thing, so perhaps it would be useful to see it from my perspective? Read more
Published on 16 July 2003
Terribly dreary and Boring.
This book is very dreary and boring, it dragged on and all the characters semmed very shallow. for most of the book nothing seemed to really happen. Read more
Published on 10 May 2003 by "jenny8078"
The Best Book
This is a very gripping book and builds alot of tension it is a book you cannot put down. My whole family has read it and enjoyed it just as much as myself. Read more
Published on 3 May 2003 by Miss March
The wind singer
This book "the wind singer" written by the one and only William Nicholson. he has done a stunning story based on a new world for collany of the manth people. Read more
Published on 11 April 2003 by "julia999"
Essential reading for any age
Take the dystopia of Pullman, the epic journeys of Tolkien, throw in a bit of the suspense of Harry Potter - and you're somewhere near describing the incredible page-turner that is... Read more
Published on 9 Dec 2002 by Mr. Paul J. Bradshaw
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