Taking Flight [Mass Market Paperback]

Lawrence Watt-Evans (Author)

Book Description

Kelder had always dreamed of a life more exciting than what waited for him on the family farm. So when a fortune-teller predicted a glorious future, that he'd roam free and unfettered and be a champion of the lost and forlorn, he immediately set out on the fabled Great Highway to Shan in search of adventure.
But once he was on the road, life was hardly as exciting as he'd hoped -- until he met Irith. She was the most beautiful girl, and the only girl with wings, Kelder had ever seen. They teamed up to see the world, and then Kelder found adventures aplenty: there were bandits and demons, and there were curses to lift, wizards to seek spells from, orphans to champion, and legendary cities to visit. For the young and carefree, life on the Great Highway was filled with fun, action, and magic.
But Kelder began to wonder about his beautiful companion. Irith certainly had seen a lot of the world for one so young -- and everyone along the highway seemed to know her . . . Soon, discovering Irith's secrets became Kelder's greatest adventure of all . . .

Editorial Reviews

From the Inside Flap

Kelder had always dreamed of a life more exciting than what waited for him on the family farm. So when a fortune-teller predicted a glorious future, that he'd roam free and unfettered and be a champion of the lost and forlorn, he immediately set out on the fabled Great Highway to Shan in search of adventure.
But once he was on the road, life was hardly as exciting as he'd hoped -- until he met Irith. She was the most beautiful girl, and the only girl with wings, Kelder had ever seen. They teamed up to see the world, and then Kelder found adventures aplenty: there were bandits and demons, and there were curses to lift, wizards to seek spells from, orphans to champion, and legendary cities to visit. For the young and carefree, life on the Great Highway was filled with fun, action, and magic.
But Kelder began to wonder about his beautiful companion. Irith certainly had seen a lot of the world for one so young -- and everyone along the highway seemed to know her . . . Soon, discovering Irith's secrets became Kelder's greatest adventure of all . . .

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback
• Publisher: Del Rey (January 23, 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 034537715X
• ISBN-13: 978-0345377159
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.2 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,494,751 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I've been writing fantasy for thirty years... no, my fantasy's been published for thirty years. I've been writing it since I was eight. It's what I always wanted to do for a living, and I've been very fortunate in that I've been able to manage that. I try to write fantasy with an element of common sense to it -- not so much mythic archetypes as sensible people.

Other than my job, my life's pretty ordinary -- a nice house in a quiet neighborhood, a wife, two grown kids, and an overweight cat.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Not the best, but a good solid Ethshar book, February 10, 2003

By 

Kurt A. Johnson (North-Central Illinois, USA) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Taking Flight (Legends of Ethshar) (Paperback)

Kelder of Shulara (Kelder is a very common name in Ethshar) has spent his young life dreaming of leaving his small provincial town with its boring way of life. Now, armed with a fortuneteller's predictions, he sets off to find fame, magic and love. When he meets Irith, a magical young woman who can change her form, he finds that his future is coming together. But, there is something disturbing about Irith, and Kelder finds that he has a few questions that must be answered.

I must say, right off, that I am a huge fan of Lawrence Watt-Evans. Admittedly, this is not his best book, but it is a good solid Ethshar book, one that I enjoyed reading. I'm not sure about any hidden meanings, but I did find Kelder's interaction with this female Peter Pan to be absolutely fascinating.

If you are looking for a book of High Fantasy - of swords and magic, and kingdoms overthrown - then you will be disappointed in this book. However, if you interested in a fascinating book set in a magical milieu, then I highly recommend this book to you.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Not his best work, April 13, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Taking Flight (Mass Market Paperback)

Overall the book is worth a read, if you want to read the whole Ethshire collection. But if you want to read a good story look at some of Watt-Evans other books. The story centers on a young man, going in search of his fortune, a tired old cliche, he runs across a young woman with wings who doesn't want to grow up and has the magic behind her to make it happen. He faces the problem of falling in love with the perpetual child as he himself grows up. Add to this situation an old man, magicly smitten with the adolescent angel. The best part is a cameo appearance of Valdar the innkeeper, from The Misenchanted Sword, a much better book.

5.0 out of 5 stars Read It!, August 7, 2007

By 

John R. Shaw (Holly Springs, NC United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Taking Flight (Legends of Ethshar) (Paperback)

Let's see: This is an Ethshar series book and is therefore an excellent read. That may sound like a bold statement, but it is a fact. Before you run out and buy it I recommend that you start at the beginning with the first book "The miss enchanted sword", that way you will understand what is going on. Get the whole series and enjoy many hours wasting time reading about a world of total fantasy.

Note: This applies to every book in the series, I have read them all.