The Horde of Counterwind

Alain Damasio

(La Volte, 520 pages, 2004)

*** English translation sample available ***

*** FULL ENGLISH TRANSLATION AVAILABLE UPON REQUEST FOR EDITORS ONLY ***

*** Rights sold to Germany, Italy, and Russia ***

*** 300,000 copies sold ***

*** #12 out of 100 readers’ choice le monde ***

Within the deafening noise of the wind, on the Lower Slopes, an elite group of twenty-three children were raised for the sole purpose of facing the ever-blowing gusts, climbing up windwards for the rest of their lives. Their only purpose: to find the mysterious source of the wind in the Upper Reaches. There have been thirty-three attempts in eight hundred years, thirty-three Hordes that have failed.

The Horde of Counterwind follows the twenty-three members of the thirty-fourth – and most likely last – Horde. Predominately told by Sov, the Horde’s scribe, Damasio plunges us directly into the daily preparation of these children who must  focus on and gather their strengths while coping with their differences, their love and hate for one another. Each Horde member has their own strong and assertive personality and a very precise duty in the Horde that they occupy during training and missions.

The author alternates between breathtaking descriptions of the unique and bewildering world he created – ruled by seven types of wind, classified by their forces – and intensely rhythmic dialogues that makes us as much a member of the Horde as any of the characters. As the story progresses, the suspense intensifies around Golgoth the trailbreaker, Erg the defender, Oroshi the aeromaster and the rest of the group, for they must face not only the unpredictability of nature, but also enemies from other clans determined to see their defeat.

Brilliantly mixing genres, Alain Damasio adds a philosophical and political touch to his work, freely inspired by French Theory thinkers. The Horde of Counterwind is a best-selling dystopian literary novel with a large, adoring, and dedicated fan base.

Alain Damasio is a French writer who published three novels, all best sellers in France: La Zone du Dehors (1999 and 2007, 100,000 copies sold) – winner of the European Utopiales Prize 2007, the Imaginales high-schoolers Prize 2006 and was adapted for the stage in 2016 –, La Horde du Contrevent (2004, 300,000 copies sold) – winner of three literary prizes including the Grand Prix de l’Imaginaire 2006 in the category “Francophone novel” and adapted into a graphic novel in 2017 –, and Les Furtifs (April 2019, 100,000 copies sold).