Windhaven by George R.R. Martin and Lisa Tuttle

This one was an interesting concept with some compelling character development. The premise is that, centuries before the events depicted, a spaceship crashed on an Earth-like planet. This planet was poor in natural resources, covered almost entirely in ocean, and the ocean contained sea monsters. The descendents of the survivors from the crash lived on islands dotting the expansive ocean, but transit between islands by boat was dangerous, and transit between distant islands was time-consuming and even more dangerous. The people discovered at some point that, using special metal scavenged from the spaceship wreckage, they could build gliding wings. Because of the low gravity, thick atmosphere, and strong winds, these wings could keep a skilled individual aloft for long journeys, and these "flyers" became valued as messengers. Windhaven consists of three novella, all in the life of one flyer who is working to create change within the social structure of the flyers and the relationship between flyers and the rest of the populace.

While character development is strong, the plot drags on a bit in each of the three sections. The third act is, unfortunately, weaker than the first two. Still, this is a pretty good book.