The Wind Singer

In the walled city of Aramath, the population is controlled by a rigid system of public examinations. Each family member is tested and accommodation and colour coded clothing provided according to which band their results fit into. The Hath family (orange band), however, rebel against the state in their various ways until twins, Kestrel and Bowman are forced to flee the city in search of the wind singer which will restore freedom and happiness to its inhbitants. Nicholson's portrait of the Haths shows how Ira, the unpredictable, prophetess mother, and Hanno, her quiet, learned librarian husband support their rebellious children despite the dangers of the tyrannical state that controls their lives. The closeness and respect that members of this family have for each other is engagingly drawn. Less convincing are Nicholson's forays into Aramath's Stygian underworld and from there into the wider world beyond the city where the twins encounter a bewildering assortment of peoples and adventures in their quest. There is an unevenness to the quality of the invention here and some occasionally pedestrain writing which strike a jarring note. Shades of the phallocentric adventure genre of yesteryear appear towards the end when Kestrel 'realised as the spoke that she was turning to her brother now, as their natural leader'. Nevertheless, this first novel is a thought provoking and cliffhanging fantasy adventure that young readers will enjoy.