Wind on Fire Trilogy - Box Set of 3

Rating:
Summary: The wind is on fire
Review: William Nicholson is best known for penning screenplays such as "Gladiator" and "Shadowlands," but he tried a different kind of writing in the Wind on Fire trilogy. It's an imaginative series with a richly epic bent, but his writing is too stiff and undescriptive to do it justice.

"The Wind Singer" introduces us to the city of Amaranth, a rigid and ambitious civilization where everyone is constantly given tests, so they can advance higher in their society. But their world is turned on its ear when Bowman and Kestrel Hath escape from the city with the simpleminded Mumpo. The children are determined to find the voice of the ancient Wind Singer, in the hopes that it can restore life to their city. But they will have to face the evil Morah and its unstoppable army as well...

"The Slaves of the Mastery" is darker than its predecessor -- though the Morah has been defeated, the people of Amaranth are still in trouble. They are attacked and enslaved by the forces of the Master, and the twins are separated -- Bo is in slavery, while the fiery Kestrel is seeking revenge on the Master and his people. But even if the twins find one another again, their experiences and the prophecies of their mother may still disrupt their lives...

"Firesong" brings the story to its finale, as the Manth people are journeying to their new land, led by the twins' mother Ira. Unfortunately, Ira's powers are slowly killing her. What is more, Bo has fallen in love with a beautiful princess, Sisi, but also believes that he the Singer people will call him -- and that he will be called on to destroy the threat to the Manth people, but die as well.

The Wind on Fire trilogy has all the qualities of an epic series, starting off with a simplistic story about children on a quest, but turning into the story of a civilization's migration and rebirth. And as a bonus touch, Nicholson successfully imbues the story with philosophy and moral questions that have no clear answers.

Unfortunately, while Nicholson can create an epic story, he can't bring it to life. His career as a screenwriter becomes painfully clear in scenes that need description, but don't have it. He can describe scenes in detail, but more often than not, he doesn't make the readers experience the sounds, smells and sights -- he just tells what the characters are experiencing.

Kestrel and Bo are the most well-written characters of the series, as a pair of twins who have a psychic connection. Kestrel is written as a fiery rebel, while her brother is quieter, and more angst-ridden. Not many of the supporting characters are fleshed out, though, especially some enemies like the Morah, who are just bad bad bad.

The Wind on Fire trilogy has a lot of epic qualities, but thanks to script-like writing, it never quite starts to burn. An entertaining read, but there's always the sense that Nicholson could have done better.