Windblowne

By Stephen Messer

A high-flying fantasy adventure that will blow readers away!

Every kite Oliver touches flies straight into the ground, making him the laughingstock of Windblowne. With the kite-flying festival only days away, Oliver tracks down his reclusive great-uncle Gilbert, a former champion. With Gilbert's help, Oliver can picture himself on the crest, launching into the winds to become one of the legendary fliers of Windblowne.

Then his great-uncle vanishes during a battle with mysterious attack kites—kites that seem to fly themselves! All that remains is his prize possession, a simple crimson kite. At least, the kite seems simple. When Oliver tries to fly it, the kite lifts him high above the trees. When he comes down, the town and all its people have disappeared. Suddenly the festival is the last thing on Oliver's mind as he is catapulted into a mystery that will change everything he understands about himself and his world.

Inspired by the work of Diana Wynne Jones, debut author Stephen Messer delivers a fantasy book for boys and girls in which the distance between realities is equal to the breadth of a kite string.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Random House Publishing Group
• Release date: May 25, 2010
• ISBN: 9780375893476

Reviews for Windblowne

[tigerbuns · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A very nice read, well written and imaginative, with frequent dashes of humour and a nicely determinded protagonist. I liked the blend of different genres (or maybe disregard for genre limitations), as the book mixes fantasy, a bit of sci-fi and pure adventure. And although things like ecological responsibility, growing up, finding your talents and finding your place in the world are themes of the novel, it doesn't try to beat you around the head with a MESSAGE, for which I am very grateful.

Sometimes Oliver seemed a little slow with catching up on what's happening, but younger readers or newcomers to the main idea behind the book probably won't have the same impression.

I felt the ending was wrapped up a tad too quickly as I wanted to know more about some things that happened (or were revealed to have happened), but it wasn't rushed or unsatisfying - on the contrary, it ended in a satisfying way with plenty of room for imagination and future possibilities for the characters. Nice! The more I think about it, the more I like the book. Recommended!

Edit: Oh, and as a PS for Dianna Wynne Jones fans: no, it's not quite like DWJ's books (someone should have called Chrestomanci!), it's less intricate and quirky and doesn't quite have her twinkly wit and that graceful nonchalance of weaving a story. Maybe not yet! It's really charming in its own way, though.

[anfirind · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Very enjoyable. "Let's go fly a kite" takes on new meaning in this fantasy adventure. With the aide of a crimson kite, Oliver travels though a multitude of universes to learn what makes him special.