The Fledging of Az Gabrielson

By Jay Amory

Az is one of the Airborn. With a stretch and a beat of their eight foot wings his people travel effortlessly around and between their cities, perched high above the clouds. It's a life of ease and airy beauty. Only Az has no wings, so in his glorious world of freedom and flight, he is a painful-and isolated- oddity.

And then one day he is picked out for a job. A job below the clouds. The system of massive automated elevators which send up everything the Airborn need to survive, are breaking down-and threatening to take the Airborn society with them. Someone has to go down to the Ground to find out what has happened and Az, with his wingless similarity to the prehistoric Groundlings, looks to be perfect for the task of hunting for answers beneath the clouds.

But on the Ground, in the vast shadows of the cities, Az finds more questions than answers: a benighted people who worship a dim notion of the Airborn and aspire to be like them. A people who fill elevators with tributes to their winged deities. A people who are beginning to think their way of life is part of a very un-natural order of things.

And a girl called Cassie Grubdollar, who's definitely no angel...

For some reason, the notion of people having wings has always intrigued me. I've written short-stories about it myself. Reading Maximum Ride didn't do it for me with its winged heroine, but this book came a lot closer to satisfying my intrigue. In fact, it was very fun to read. I enjoyed the characters immensely; Jay Amory has that flair for giving characters a vivacious and vibrant life. His novel is very plot-driven, but he doesn't forget his characters, who instead of being drowned out by the story get refined and strengthened by it. I absolutely was tickled by this, as you don't see it as often with fantasy anymore. The story is also one that has a lot of parallels to actual life, making it feasible and real. You've got Az, who has always been on the outside with his people, you've got Cassie, who is so practical and headstrong that it hurts to read sometimes, and then you've got characters like Serena Aanfielsdaughter, the strong female leader with wisdom and experience. It's got all sorts of facets in it, and I would recommend it to anyone who likes a great story with memorable characters. It was fantastic, and I can't wait to read the next book. (Yes it is a series, but the book can stand on its own) The only criticism I have is that I wish it could've been told in just one, maybe two perspectives instead of a plethora of them. That's just my preference though, it doesn't detract at all. So, read this book if you want a great story, fast paced, and enjoyable.