Timo, a fourteen year old flyer, lives in the mountains with his mother. For years, the Flyers of the Mountains have been enemies of the Wanderers of the Flatlands. To stop the old law: "Those who are born without wings have to die," Timo is dragged into a plot where he must learn to use his special gift to bring the two misunderstood races together. As Wardor, the leader of the War Flyers, learns about the plot, he will stop at nothing to kill everyone involved. In her search for her missing brother, Val and Timo become close friends, but will they survive the impending war or will Val's brother be lost to the old law?
Oliver Neubert, born in West Germany in 1961, took a long route to discover his passion for writing fast pace adventure, fantasy stories for middle grade reluctant and avid readers. His stories are thought provocing and relevant.
His detours included getting his diploma in Mechanical Engineerring (British Columbia, Canada), his degree in Psychology and Economics from Simon Fraser University (British Columbia, Canada) and an MBA from Hariot-Watt University (Scotland); becoming a Millwright Journeyman with Mercedes Benz(Duesseldorf, Germany); founding his own research company; working for a financial institution; volunteering with the Vancouver Police Deparment - Victim Service Unit and working in the pulp and paper industry.
As a boy, Oliver loved to play all kinds of sports, like: soccer, tennis, squash, volleyball, basketball, windserfing, skiing and swimming. Being born a Pices it comes as no suprise that he loves water!
Oliver lives in Vancouver, BC, Canada and draws inspiration from his natural surroundings and from his wonderful, creative daughter.
Timo, a flyer, has the gift. He can hear the wind, feel it and talk to it as well as animals. His best friend Dino has a gift as well, he is a navigator and is the best at it. Timo feels he constantly has to prove himself, especially in the face of his fathers death. Timo drags Dino up to the Cliff as he is going to jump and prove that he is a Rescue Flyer just like his dad was. However, he misjudged the winds as he wasn't fully listening and ended up crashing to the group. Aldor finds him and takes Timo to the Healers. Timo is set to recover and has to face the Counsil to see what his punishment will be for his most recent stunt he has pulled. While healing with Rare, this appointed Healer, Timo runs into Val and learns that her mother just had a baby boy, but was taken from them and pronounced dead. Val does not believe this and ends up telling Timo this. Determined to find her brother Val goes in search of him, while Timo trains to get better. Timo finally goes to the Council and finds out his punishment, but the Lord of the War Flyers is unimpressed and feels that there is something going on behind the clans back that goes against the old laws. He calls Walholder, which means that the Lord of War Flyers is now in charge and all others are under his command and the Council and other Lords are imprisoned. Timo, Val, Dino, Aldor and a few others barely escape. Those that escaped need to plan their next plan of a attack, determine how to bring the two clans as One, the Flyers and the Wanderers, those on the land. But how and who is going to lead them? What is the true destiny if Timo, Dino and Val?
I actually really enjoyed this book. I was captured by the characters and their lives and what would happen to them. Very interesting book, am excited to see how this trilogy ends up.
I would like to thank Goodreads.com and Oliver Neubert for a copy of the trilogy. It was very nice of the author to include the first two books of the trilogy in with the copy of the new book Vita to the winners of the draw.
It is going to be very difficult to wait for the final book in this trilogy. The author takes the reader into a world where two types of people live. In The Flyers, we learn about Timo and his people. They are born with wings and live in the mountains. For years they been taught the Wanderers are their enemies. For the past few years babies with no wings have been born to Flyers. The sentence is death. They throw the infants off of a cliff. This is because they hate the Wanderers. What they must learn is that there are enemies among their own people. Wardor is such an enemy. He hates those with "the gift". He is not one of them. He sets out to create a war and destroy those he has no control over. What I found interesting is that he is jealous of fourteen year old Timo. Wardor hated Timo's father. Timo knows he has the "gift", as did his father. He is able to communicate with the wind. He has kept a large part of it secret from others, yet they see there is something special about him. He has a best friend named Dino who finds himself in trouble when he helps Timo do something they know they are not allowed to do. Timo is almost killed. While healing and waiting to go before the counsel to learn his fate, Timo runs into Val. She is another Flyer he has secretly admired. Val is in the Halls of Healing because her mother gave birth to a child without wings. They have been told the baby died, but she has heard and seen things to the contrary. She has gifts of her own. When Wardor learns the secret the elders have been keeping from the people, they take the elders hostage and declare war. Now it is up to Timo and his friends, along with the Rescue Flyers to use the gifts they were born with to help their people. For Timo that means learning things that will be painful to bear. Want to know what the secrets are? Read the book
The author has kindly sent me signed copy of this book and the other two in the trilogy. The premise is interesting, the plotting and pacing excellent. It ends on a sort-of cliffhanger, but not as bad as some -- just makes you want to read the next one!
There are some rough points with writing; that principle of "show, don't tell" is broken (page 1: "He was excited, nervous and impatient").
The villain feels a bit like caricature. If the story wasn't told in 3rd person omniscient I could disregard it, but it is and there is very little justification given, what drives Wardor. Every villain feels they are in the right; we don't hear his side much.
The hero is too special. First we find out that he flies; but that's common for these people Flyers. But he has a special gift for flying; about 60 people have that sort of gift - selected Rescue Flyers. But he is more special yet - he and 2 of his friends were born during particular alignment of planets and moon, and inherit the special gifts of their ancestors. But wait, there is more - he now transforms, he is a direct descendant of the first Flyer, and he gains the Spirit Knowledge and changes eye color and gains four values of Wisdom, Character, Discipline and Maturity. I was fine until that last transformation which takes it over the top. So he matures supernaturally? How can we relate who have to mature all by our own effort, by making choices.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
I could hardly put this book down once I began reading it! It is an exciting, suspenseful, well-written book. Mr. Neubert, a Canadian author, weaves a tale that is enchanting and that leaves the reader wanting more. It is a story that centers on a world that has been divided because of prejudices and old animosities. This world is divided among those born with wings, the Flyers and those born without wings, the Wanderers. In this first book of a three-part series, we meet three young Flyers, Timo, Val, and Dino upon whose shoulders it falls to try and overcome dissension and war in the world of the Flyers with the greater goal of making peace with the Wanderers. There are many life lessons built into this book, for adults as well as young people, without the book being preachy. It would be a great read for a book club for young people or for the classroom. As I read the book, I kept thinking that this book would make a great movie or a great illustrated novel. I can't wait to read the next two books in the series. Thank you, Mr. Neubert!
This was a good book. The plot was so interesting that it kept me reading. Timo was 14 and a flyer. A flyer was a human with wings on their back. How cool is that?! I don't know about you, but I've always thought flying would be the best super hero power. So, the fact that the characters had wings really kept me reading. The narration switched around to different characters, but mostly stayed with Timo.
The dialog and narrative was awkward for some reason. Some parts just felt stiff. On the other hand there were some really beautifully written parts as well. By the end of the book I was left wanting to know what happened next.
Content Ratings: sexual content: very mild language: none violence: mild
I won this book in a contest on Goodreads. Once I finally sat down and started reading this book it was hard to put down. The story is refreshing without a lot of teenage drama or romantic triangles. The Author kept it at a fine line between this fantastic world where people are born with wings and the controversy of what happens when they aren't. I don't want to ruin the story for those of you who haven't read it so I won't go into to much detail, but this is defiantly a book I would pick out for a Young Adult book group or one I would buy for my nephews and my kids as a present. I think this book would appeal to a wide age group and I can't wait to read the next book by this author.
(I’m not native speaker; I’m only learning English so please do let me know when you find any mistakes.)
The Flyers is the first book in ‚The Wind of Life‘series. I hadn’t heard about this book until I won the book in the giveaway, HEREyou can read my post about unwrapping the parcel Author is really nice – the books were autographed and there was a letter enclosed, in which he was asking for my opinion about the book.
IDEA: The Flyers and the Wanderers have been enemies for a long time. Flyers can fly and the Wanderers can’t. They live separated and hate each other. However, the idea of One People is still alive and many flyers and wanderers are ready to fight against the old Law. That is summarization of the main idea of this book. It is difficult choice: to uphold for the law, which is brutal, but was instituted by the ancestors or to reject the legacy and unite with Wanderers in forming One People? The prejudices and fear of differences is well-known in our world too.
STORY: Generally, I find story interesting and in some chapters it was a real page turner. I particularly enjoyed the descriptions of flying – updrafts, downdrafts, freedom, the wind singing…The book is also packed with action, although it could be sometimes more described (for example Timo’s transformation). And the ‘spiritual’ parts were fantastic too – it added the book a little bit of mystery.
CHARACTERS: I liked all the characters, which were so deeply human, with their feelings, inner thoughts. I liked how fearless and sometimes stubborn Timo was. Despite trying to measure up to his father, he wasn’t just doing things which others found silly (like jumping off The Cliff), but Timo was also always ready to help his friends and to fight against injustice and cruel old law. I liked how clever Dino, Timo’s loyal friend was. I liked how helpful and caring Aldor was. And Wardor, despite being an opponent of Timo, was well-developed too. He was able to manipulate other people into something they didn’t really want.
My favourite character is probably Val as I could relate to her easily. When she was said that her brother had died, she didn’t fall for it. Val was determined to find the truth at any cost and was brave enough to stand against the Law. Her bravery, understanding and fighting for saving her brother is one of the most impressive parts in the book.
Maybe the book could be even more awesome if there would be more characters, not only the main. This would maybe increase the number of pages, but it would provide more detailed point of view.
SUMMARY: All in all, this is a great read. I would recommend it to all younger children (but definitely not only for them) who like fantasy.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
My son's book club was given two copies of this book by the author through another website. The kids appreciate adventures, especially ones involving animals, so I thought this would be a great book for them. It is a very quick and easy read, and one I think that kids would enjoy. It revolves around 3 teenagers with abilities that make them special, even within their winged society. Dino is a navigator and has an uncanny ability to read weather patterns. Val has visions and, to a lesser degree, can speak with the wind. Timo can not only speak to the wind, but can become one with the air.
In a basic us versus them, the three kids, along with the alliance of elders, must work against a completely crazed villian bent on killing not only anyone without wings, but anyone who helps them. The group has an uphill battle in the next few books trying to bring tolerance and diversity back to the mountains.
I liked some of the concepts in this book. The society of winged people, each with a specific skill set - rescue flyers, war flyers, healing flyers, etc. Timo, Val, and a few chosen Rescue flyers being able to commune with the wind. The tolerance message that is being put forth with the One People instead of the Flyers vs. the Wanderers. The descriptions of the clouds, wind patterns, and weather in relation to flying.
With that being said, there were things that I did not like about this book. I was left with too many questions. What was size of the animals that sat in on the council meetings in relation to the people? Do all the flyers have dark wings or is there any variety? (They would have to be dark, else Val would never have been able to spy) There are supposed to be 5 types of flyers, but we only ever hear about 3. They all live on the same mountain and grow up together; how can one faction hate another so much? How can anyone follow a leader so obviously nuts? (I mean, he seems to get spit strands whenever he starts to yell). Don't get me wrong, I like books that make me think about things on my own, but I thought there were a few holes in the story. Some kids' books make the transition to adult readers very well...I'm not sure this is one of them.
I recently read the book The Wind of Life by Oliver Neubert. This is the review that I gave the book and I am not being paid to give this review.
This book is the first book in the Wind of Life series. When I first started reading the book, I wasn’t sure if I would like it. Sometimes when I read fantasy books, I need to be in the mood. Boy was I surprised! I couldn’t put it down. Right from the beginning, it caught my interest and I with each paragraph, I wanted to know more. I like the way the characters were developed and the more I read, the more I learned about each character.
This book was about a fourteen year old boy, Timo, who lived with those on the mountain who could fly. Those that could not fly lived in a different place and never the two should meet! These two races hated each other. Maybe it was the thought of people who could fly that intrigued me. I mean, who never wished they could fly? Timo has to use his gift to bring the two races together.
I think this would be a great book to use in the upper elementary or middle school classroom and have in a school library. It would be great to use for a variety of topics. Themes from the book could include diversity, tolerance, perseverance, mystery, solving problems, friendship, loyalty, stubbornness, adventure. This would lead to great classroom discussions.
This was only book one. Now I have to find Book Two.
The author was kind enough to give me the complete trilogy to read and enjoy (and review!)
The Wind of Life: The Flyers is the first installment of the trilogy. This story is very original, but with a good vs evil twist that keeps the story moving. The first book follows young Timo, and his friends Val and Dino as they soon find out not all is right in their world among the Flyers. They have the gift of flight, and have wings. There are another group people called the Wanderers, who have no wings. For as long as everyone can remember, the two people were enemies, and war will soon break out among the people.
The story and characters are all very original, and very well developed. There are some parts in the book where I was a little confused. The author tends to jump to the past in the book, and the transition sometimes was a little confusing, but soon makes sense.
The writing style was quite good too. You were able to learn and understand what the main characters are faced with, and how they overcome the problems. There is a lot of history involved in the story as well, among the groups of people, and with the law that the Flyers follow. I think if more of that history and lore was brought out in the book, the reader would be able to fully understand the story and why they would want to start a war.
Overall, I would recommend this book. I really enjoyed reading it, and it always kept me on my toes. Each chapter ended in a little cliff hanger, and I really enjoyed that! The book also ended on a cliff hanger, so I'm really looking forward to reading the second book, The Wanderers.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
I recently won "Vita", Book 3 in The Wind of Life Trilogy, through the Goodreads Giveaway, and the author, Oliver Neubert, was kind enough to send me the complete "The Wind of Life"trilogy. This is the first book in the trilogy-The Flyers.
I must say that I don't normally read fantasy fiction, but this was a refreshing change that I very much enjoyed. This is a coming of age fantasy fiction that I think kids as well as adults would enjoy.It was a quick and easy read.
The time had come and Timo, a 14 year old that had the gift and can hear the words of the wind, was ready to show to everyone that he was ready to join the Rescue Flyers.He was joined by his best friend, Dino, also 14 and future navigator.Dino was there, at the top of the cliff, to tell Timo when the time to jump is right.He understood about updrafts and downdrafts (certain death)and their consequences. Timo's father had been a Rescue Flyer, but had since passed away.
Owls are part of the spirit world and have the spirit knowledge.
This story centers around 3 teenagers with amazing abilities that make them special. Dino is a navigator. Val has visions and, can speak with the wind. Timo can not only speak to the wind, but can become one with the air.
They must work against a villian bent on killing not only anyone without wings, but anyone who helps them. The group must bring tolerance and peace back to the mountains.
A very good book for younger children with strong foundations in self-trust and coming-of-age, Neubert uses a different voice in his narratives than your usual run-of-the-mill middle grade books that is captivating and engaging.
Timo is a reckless kid, wanting to prove to everyone he isn't just raw talent. His friend Dino wants nothing more than to read his books and try and keep Timo out of trouble. Val, a sort of crush of Timo's, wants to be independent and find her baby brother. The characters are woven together closely and very carefully, transitioning their maturity levels at a steady and rapid pace.
A great book about accepting those that are different and standing up for what you believe in. The writing is not completely polished and switches between "showing" and "telling" a little more than my tastes could handle sometimes, but this didn't hinder my appetite for the story line too much. I love the deep roots of nature this book has as well as the inventiveness of an entire complex culture introduced simply but extravagantly for a child rather than pages and pages on end of descriptions geared more for older readers.
I cannot wait to pick up the next book! I'm definitely going to let my mom have access to the book for her elementary schoolers.
Mr. Neubert contacted me through Goodreads to offer me the opportunity to read his work.
It is evident how much this author believes in, and is proud of what he has created. I am so honored to be the recipient of his gift of an autographed copy. I look forward to reading and enjoying.
Thank you so much. __________________
I really enjoyed this imaginative fantasy about an impetuous boy's coming-of age during difficult times. I love a book that teaches valuable life lessons. I love a 'good versus evil' battle.
I especially admire an author who cares about 'reading fans' and goes above and beyond in kindness and thoughtfulness.
Many, many thanks Oliver Neubert for the hours of enjoyment.
The Flyers (The Wind of Life #1) by Oliver Neubert omg omg omg i thank the author for giving me this book and giving me the chance to read this i am way addicted to what happen next i was shocked when i read this book this book just make me go crazy and exciting at the same time when i read it to the end i was pissed because i want to know what happen more like are they safe will they be one again like in the oldies days eek i want those two book im hunger for itso thank you OLIVER NEUBERT for giving me, the deaf girl, this first book i have falling love with it :D <3 :D <3 :D <3
I won this book off a friend's blog about a month ago, and finally finished reading it today.
This was a very interesting book, and would be great for tweens and young teens. The main character Timo, shows courage and does what is right (even if he is a bit reckless).
I liked the book, and liked the characters, they were well written and seemed real.
I would definitely recommend this book to friend's with younger children.
enjoyed this thoroughly. COncept is very fresh..not everyday i read about flying people lol. Characters were likeable. Timo starts off like your everyday teen with angst. Val and Dino are not just sidekicks but are also special in their own way. i'll definitely get the cotinuing book!
I'd recommend this book to readers. Now that's saying something, eh? What do I mean by that specifically? Well, If you read, you'll probably enjoy this awesome tome.