Wind

by Barry Alexander Brown

Wind is High Fantasy. It is the first book of an epic story of discovery set 10,000 years ago in a forgotten place and time. A legendary war chief's last descendent, Aeon the Leaf, is plucked from the prison island where his Tor'oc people have lived for a thousand years and lured back into Aemira, the Out World. The Tor'ocs were once a nation of warriors, every man, woman and child. They lived to conquer but after a millennium of self-reliance, they are now a much different people. We follow the main character through a dangerous land, full of wonder and mystery, he travels without knowing the reason -- until his final destination when he finds that Aemira's people are in deep trouble. To double the problem, they need the very thing he might not want to give them.

The book was written with a sophisticated reader in mind. It can certainly appeal to young adults but the goal was to tell a captivating, imaginative story that would hook the reader who loves fantasy as well as those who never thought they would ever read a fantasy novel and enjoy it. The book has just been released in France (in French) and we are finding that it is accomplishing that goal - we have gotten dozens of comments from non-fantasy readers who have been pulled into the story and have enjoyed the book right up to the last page.

Genres: Fantasy, Coming Of Age, Spirituality, Epic, Politics, Ecology, Adventure

441 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 21, 2025

About the author

Barry Alexander Brown is an Oscar-nominated filmmaker, editor, and writer from Montgomery, Alabama. British-born, he was raised in the Deep South, where his mother’s family has lived since immigrating to America in the 17th century. Barry began his career with the feature-length documentary The War at Home, which he directed and produced. The film, focused on the anti–Vietnam War movement, earned him his first Academy Award nomination. Best known as a film editor, Barry has collaborated extensively with longtime friend Spike Lee, editing many of Lee’s most celebrated works, including Do the Right Thing, Malcolm X, Crooklyn, He Got Game, Summer of Sam, 25th Hour, Inside Man, BlacKkKlansman, and Highest2Lowest. His work on BlacKkKlansman earned him a second Oscar nomination. Barry has also worked closely with acclaimed Indian director Mira Nair, editing her landmark debut Salaam Bombay!—an Academy Award nominee for Best Foreign Language Film—as well as The Laughing Club of India, Monsoon Wedding, and Queen of Katwe. As a director, Barry has explored both documentary and narrative film. His recent projects include Fasting and The Longevity Revolution, a documentary inspired by the work of world-renowned scientist Dr. Valter Longo. He also wrote and directed Son of the South, a feature film shot in his hometown of Montgomery, based on the memoir of civil rights activist Bob Zellner. Barry is currently developing a dark fantasy feature set in Italy, slated for release in 2026. He is also the author of Wind, his debut novel and the first in a trilogy that includes The Un-Winding and The Only Way Back, both forthcoming. He divides his time between New York City and his home in St. Rémy de Provence, France.

Reviews

[Jerome Camblain · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a blast of poetry, imagination, good vibes and value wrapped into a very imaginative tale.
The world where the story evolves is original and the connections both between people and between people and nature, whether we're talking trees or animals, are positively refreshing. A page-turner with a well constructed story that made me rejoice thanks to the core values of the leading characters.

[Noelle M. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kid I babysit loved it.

[Shannon · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was interesting, but not really my genre type.

[la_parenthese_litteraire · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wind, premier volet de la saga du Peuple du vent, est une oeuvre envoûtante et poétique qui revisite les codes de la fantasy avec une rare délicatesse. Dans ce roman, Barry Alexander Brown nous transporte onze mille ans après l'exil du peuple tor'oc, jadis brutal et conquérant, désormais devenu un peuple sylvestre, en harmonie profonde avec la nature et le souffle du vent.

Au coeur de ce récit, Æon la Feuille, dernier héritier d'une lignée de seigneurs de guerre, incarne un protagoniste atypique : doux, introspectif, presque fragile. Son départ du sanctuaire forestier vers le « Monde du dehors » sonne comme une rupture mais aussi comme un appel. À travers lui, l'auteur crée une quête teintée de mélancolie, de sagesse ancienne et de tension intérieure.

L'un des aspects les plus réussis du roman est sans doute son univers sensoriel : les descriptions du lien entre les Tor'ocs et le vent sont d'une grande beauté, presque chamaniques et poétiques. le vent y devient personnage à part entière, messager, mémoire, guide… Un symbole de transformation et de liberté, mais aussi d'oubli et de danger. La plume, élégante et fluide, soutient cette atmosphère éthérée sans jamais tomber dans l'emphase.

Au-delà de la fantasy, Wind interroge l'héritage, la violence enfouie et la possibilité de rédemption. Æon est un héros qui refuse la brutalité de ses ancêtres, mais qui devra pourtant affronter ce passé pour trouver sa place dans un monde en mutation. le roman nous laisse avec une impression d'équilibre fragile, comme suspendu entre deux souffles.

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