A Wind From the Wilderness

Watchers of Outremer #1

by Suzannah Rowntree

Hunted by demons. Lost in time.

Welcome to the First Crusade.

Syria, 636: As heretic invaders circle Jerusalem, young Lukas Bessarion vows to defend his people. Instead, disaster strikes.

His family is ripped apart. His allies are slaughtered. And Lukas is hurled across the centuries to a future where his worst nightmares have come true...

Constantinople, 1097: Ayla may be a heretic beggar, but she knows one thing for sure: nine months from now, she will die. Before then, she must avenge her father's murder--or risk losing her soul.

Desperate to find their way home, Lukas and Ayla join the seven armies marching east to liberate Jerusalem. If Lukas succeeds in his quest, he'll undo the invasion and change the course of history.

But only if he survives the war.

Only if his enemies from the past don't catch him.

And only as long as Ayla never finds out who he really is.

Genres: Fantasy, Historical Fiction, Historical Fantasy, Historical, Fiction, Time Travel, Young Adult

422 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 22, 2018

About the author

Hi! I live in a big house in rural Australia with my awesome parents and siblings, drinking fancy tea and writing historical fantasy fiction that blends real-world history with legend, adventure, and a dash of romance.

​If you like the historical fantasy of Gail Carriger, S. A. Chakraborty or Naomi Novik, you'll probably like my stories too!

You can visit me online at https://suzannahrowntree.site

GOODREADS FRIEND POLICY: I'm afraid I don't accept every single friend request I receive, unless we already know each other, or it looks like we have tastes broadly in common. However, please feel free to follow and interact.

Reviews

[Suzannah Rowntree]

Re-read in preparation for drafting the sequel. So excited to spend some more time with my utterly disastrous child Lukas Bessarion.

Also news: A WIND FROM THE WILDERNESS just made SPFBO 6 semifinalist! The Fantasy Hive kindly referred to this branchild as "a remarkable piece of historical fantasy, which demands further attention." WHAAAAAAT:

--

*flails* IT'S COMING!

Four years in the making. The first instalment of my dearest brainchild, a meticulously-researched epic historical fantasy adventure spanning the 200-year history of the medieval Crusader States. Dear Reader, I am screaming!

Releasing October 29th - mark your calendars, watch out for the preorder!

[Anna Mussmann · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have tremendous respect for fiction authors who take research seriously, and the historical knowledge behind this book shines. The attitudes and beliefs of the characters ring true--a feat that sounds simple but isn’t. The author neither demonizes nor glamorizes the crusaders and their Byzantine allies. Instead, she humanizes them. Intriguingly, Rowntree combines real historical personages with fantasy elements, and the two go together quite well. The impact of magic on the plot is is restrained. It could almost be seen as a personification of the spiritual forces at work in everyone’s lives but also avoids any hint of ham-handed allegory. The writing is good and the cast of characters well-balanced.

This story of romance, time-travel, and crusading warfare is told from three perspectives. The POV I liked best is that of a middle-aged Frankish knight determined to atone for his sins by reaching Jerusalem. His character felt nuanced, engaging, and fresh. I am totally down for more books about him. Even though the other leads--a Christian boy and a Muslim girl who are officially enemies but find themselves highly attracted to each other--ought theoretically to be more sympathetic, I didn’t find their arc quite as enjoyable. There is something a bit distant and mechanical to their romance, as if the author’s heart wasn’t entirely invested in it. However, by the end of the book, their relationship is more personalized and works better. They also begin the story thinking and behaving like children. By the end, they have matured and are handled by the author more like adults. Perhaps this is another reason why the romance is stronger in the end than the beginning.

It’s difficult to fully evaluate the story because it is the first in a series and reaches only a limited amount of plot pay-off. However, it’s another solid contribution from an author whose work I continue to enjoy; and it’s a lovely example of well-researched, sensitive historical fiction. It also happens to have a winged demon/jinn/fury thingy chasing people at key moments, which is cool.

Content Note: Since the births of my children, I have found it difficult to read stories that use harm to babies or young children as plot points; and this book includes a scene that bothered me. It’s not overly graphic but it’s there. Just FYI for those with a similar sensitivity.

[Lukasz · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a stunning cover! I mean, just look at it. Glorious. And, even better, it ties with the story, shows the setting and the story's Byzantine inspirations. The Wind from The Wilderness tells an engaging story of Lukas Bessarion - son of a Roman aristocrat who finds himself transported to a world where he has no family or connections. Enemies from the past are closing in on him, and his only ally has good reasons to kill him. All of this happens in the times of the First Crusade.

I rarely read historical fantasy and I don’t care about historical details so I won’t comment on this aspect of the story. I’m more interested in characters, intrigue, and pacing. Rowntree intertwines her protagonists’ stories with real events. We get characters who should be enemies but get close to each other. We get romance, redemption, self-exploration, and growth. And a richly detailed world. While the pacing could be better in places, the story immersed me and made me root for the cast.

Lukas alone wouldn’t gain my full sympathy - he starts way too pompous and arrogant to be relatable. Happily, Ayla - a resourceful and honorable Turkish girl makes up for his shortcomings. Plus, they have great chemistry, and they’re fun together. The third important character, Raymond St Gilles, the crusading count engaged in the complex strategizing and politicking felt more distant to me. He’s so focused on his obligations to God, his people, and his oaths that we rarely see his more relatable side.

Rowntree’s prose is elegant without getting flowery. Don’t let the dense prologue mislead you - the story reads well and has (mostly) a good pacing. In AWftW, historical elements outweigh fantasy elements. The theurgic magic system is there, but it’s not fully developed. Or understandable. Supernatural beings (angels, demons, saints, and djinn) have their hands in the described events, but they remain in the background. Instead, the story focuses on people and their beliefs about the supernatural.

I suspect some fantasy readers would prefer to get a clearer look at the magic system, and perhaps they’ll have a chance in the sequels.

By turns tragic and triumphant, poignant and joyful, this is ultimately an engrossing read. Rowntree combines historical adventure with fantasy and excels at portraying the emotionally charged interplay of her memorable characters.

[Mark Lawrence]

I haven't read this book, yet, but it's a finalist in this year's Self-Published Fantasy Blog-Off, so it must be good!

See the finalist board here:

https://mark---lawrence.blogspot.com/...

[Kitty G Books · Rating 2 out of 5]

*This is one of the finalists for the #SPFBO and I read it as a judge*

This book is a hard one to talk about as it's definitely not going to appeal to everyone, but I think big fans of Guy Gavriel Kay are going to really resonate with this. The story is incredibly historical and the history is throughout the whole plot, following real events with fictional characters and fictional events which enhance the history. It focuses on the Turks, Greeks and Syria at the time of the first crusade 636, and also Constantinople in 1097.

We follow two major characters, the first is Lukas Bessarian, a young man who gets stranded in a new timeline from hs own and has to make a way for himself in a hostile new world.
The second character is Ayla who is orphaned and on a revenge quest to do something to honour her murdered family. Lukas and Ayla meet when Lukas is transported through time, and they end up spending large parts of the plot together, although really they're not sure if they're rivals or not.

What I do want to praise here is the depth of history which is rich and enticing and if you like this time period and warfare then you'll almost certainly enjoy it. The pity for me is I had little interest in the warfare (which is a huge part of the story) and not much knowledge or passion for the time periods. Sadly for me the history didn't resonate enough to keep me excited, and I found it got rather overwhelming and slightly frustrating at times to have to read all of the details, although it shows how meticulously researched it was.

The characters are the element which I think for me could have made this a better story, but unfortunately I was conflicted on them throughout and I never fully liked either of them or trusted them. They are also fairly on edge with one another for most of the plot and never truly open up, which left me a little lack-lustre on the two of them.

I think generally this is much more history than it is fantasy. Although there's mentions of sorcery and some small moments of it I felt like I was really reading a historical fiction book for most of the time. That's not necessarily bad, but it's definitely an acquired taste and for me it didn't hit the points I needed with pacing and characters to really keep my interest.

In the end, I think this will work amazingly for some people, but I wasn't one of those people. I found it a bit of a slog at times and I don't think it's really my personal taste, but the writing is very solid and I think if this author tried some other periods of history I was more interested in I may have enjoyed this far more. I'm giving it a very middle-of-the-road rating, therefore, of 5/10 or 2.5*s.

[Zamil Akhtar · Rating 5 out of 5]

First of all, I have to commend the author's beautiful prose. I am a sucker for vivid descriptions, clever phrasing, and sharp dialog, and the author hit it out of the park on that front. Her attention to detail and command of language transported me to the time and place she was writing about, and what a time and place it was!

The story starts during the Arab conquest of Syria and puts the reader in the shoes of a young Syrian noble whose entire civilization is about to be overrun by a heathen horde. I was immediately hooked. Then we time travel to the First Crusade and get to experience it from the POV of this Syrian noble, who is stuck out of time, as well as the POV of a Turkish girl who is struggling to get by in a world racked by war.

A slew of colorful characters enter the picture, including the Eastern Roman emperor and his top general, various famous crusaders, and even some magical characters. It's a fine blend of history and magic, though definitely leans more toward its historical inspirations.

And that's the strength of this novel: it truly does feel like a dramatization of history. The politicking between the crusaders and the Eastern Romans is so compelling that I was sucked into the fraught world the crusaders had suddenly found themselves in as they marched through a foreign land, beset by enemies and intrigues.

My only sticking point: I would have liked more characters from the Seljuk Turk side. It would have been so cool and unique to read a dramatized scene between Armen and Sultan Kilij Arsalan, for example. While the author brought the Eastern Romans and the Frankish Crusaders to life, the same can't be said for the Seljuks, who were the dominant power in Anatolia politically and, yes, even by population (Turks became the majority in Anatolia just before the First Crusade). It made the various battles that the author dramatized less interesting since the Turkish side was devoid of characterization, other than their terrifying battle tactics. The absence of portraying the unique culture of the Seljuks of Rum, which blended Roman, Greek, Turkish, Arabic, and Persian traditions (this is the incredible culture that produced the 12th-century poet Rumi, who is arguably the most popular poet in the West today) was a missed opportunity, and perhaps something the author can address in future novels with more culture-focused research.

I must commend the author for using Muslim beta readers and accurately representing the Islamic religion -- well done, and she definitely did way more research on Islam than most Hollywood movies with huge budgets. The description of the Bridge to Paradise (Al-Sirat), for example, was so vivid and detailed that it gave me Sunday school flashbacks. To reiterate my sticking point, I wish the unique Muslim cultures of the time period were given as much research as the religion, but as an indie author myself, I can't ever fault the author because she clearly devoted an incredible amount of time and energy to the research and writing for this project -- which reads like a labor of love -- and one blind spot doesn't hurt this magnificent story in the least.

I will be reading the sequel, and I'm interested to see where the author will take her unique blend of history and fantasy. Will she go in a more fantastical direction, or stick to historical accuracy? Will she explore more contrasting POVs amid the wider conflict between east and west? Very excited to find out!

[Christina Baehr · Rating 5 out of 5]

Whatever you thought about the First Crusade, this novel is going to surprise you, keep you up late reading, and wring your heart.

Some things I love about Suzannah Rowntree’s novels, very much on offer in TWFTW:

1. She doesn’t just give you the accurate historical details of clothing, battles, etc - she really helps you see how people thought and felt in other time periods, while keeping it easily relatable.
2. Thematic unity. She always uses her fast-paced plots to build up really fascinating and chewy themes that resonate long after you’ve finished turning pages to find out what happens in the end.
3. Battles. Normally I really don’t enjoy battle scenes. I find them technical and hard to follow. SOMEHOW, I can always effortlessly follow her battle scenes, and they are exciting. (It’s nice not to feel stupid.)

I’m so excited to watch this projected 9 book saga unfold. I’m sure she has a breathtakingly epic journey planned for the Watchers of Outremer.
(Please don’t die!)

[Adam · Rating 4 out of 5]

Imagine the story of Romeo and Juliet during the Christian pilgrimage to free Jerusalem from the Turks in 1099. Add a struggling old codger of a military count who is trying to do right by the Lord before his body gives out on him. Throw in a centuries-spanning vulture death queen to spice things up, and you have a, ahem, birds-eye view of Suzannah Rowntree’s spirited historical fantasy tale.

This is a story set in a time in place I have little previous knowledge of, and this helped me better relate to Lukas, a Christian boy who finds himself thrown into a century and country he knows little about. We discover this new world together, a foreign and frightening place that is centuries removed from our own. His adjustment from a noble upbringing to a withdrawn, holder of secrets an interesting transformation and his character’s actions are believable. He’s a dumb teenager who makes stupid mistakes: eager to prove himself, brave, in love, and follows his heart more than his brain.

Ayla is a young Turk, growing up on the streets after her family has abandoned her. She is sharp with a sling, clever of tongue and somehow knows she only has a few months to live. Her path crosses with Lukas early in the story, and even though they are fated enemies due to their heritage, they build a friendship that neither of them has ever had before. She has secrets of her own, and is torn between what she wants, and what she feels she has to do.

Count Saint-Gilles is one of the richest counts in all of the Roman empire; a one-eyed, battle-hardened general who is sacrificing everything dear to himself in order to fulfill his God-given mission to free Jerusalem from the heretics. He employs Lukas as a translator in his months-long pilgrimage, while another allied coalition employs Ayla. The three of them struggle through courtly politics, racism, classism, age-old religious warfare, love, loyalty and betrayal along the war-torn path to salvation. It’s exciting stuff.

The battle scenes are standout. The skirmishes between the Turkish archers and the Christian cavalry made me feel like I was a camp follower caught in the middle of the pitch, arrows flying overhead, horses kicking up mud around me. Rowntree’s writing of these battles is sudden, quick, and well-choreographed.

One strike against this book is the heavy cast of generals and nobles that Saint-Gilles mucks about with. Other than a couple of major players – his sidekick of sorts, and a certain gold-nosed antagonist – I felt that many of the dukes and counts and what-have-yous were shallow and interchangeable. By the time I was three-quarters through the book, it was hard to remember which Duke Ellington helped to capture what city or prevented someone from getting the booty they deserved.

Overall, A Wind from the Wilderness is the start of a page-turning story, epic in scope, that is just beginning to reveal its many secrets. It kicks off a series of three concurrently written crossover trilogies, so it’s clear that this is a beloved time period that Rowntree is eager to share with us. It is well-researched, yet contains more than enough fantasy elements that separates it from historical fiction. A well-paced love story, visceral war scenes, painfully relatable religious strife, and quite a bit of history you’ll learn along the way. And an evil time-traveling vulture death lady. Don’t forget about her! Never forget about her.

8.5 / 10

[Olivia Atwater · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Wind from the Wilderness has been on my to-read list since the beginning of SPFBO. Since then, it's turned into a finalist, which has finally pressured me into making the time for it. It should now be no spoiler to say: this book obviously deserved to be a finalist.

This novel is a time-travel historical fantasy, most of which is set during the medieval crusades. It primarily follows Lukas Bessarion, a Syrian boy of noble birth who is part of the Watchers, a semi-secret society of supposedly godly men whose job it is to prevent the corruption of society (and the wrath of God which would follow such corruption). In the very beginning of the novel, Lukas' family becomes privy to the knowledge that the Watchers have themselves become corrupted. A prophetic Messenger declares that the Watchers must submit themselves to the keeping of the Bessarion family, whose hearts are purer than the rest. This goes predictably poorly, even before they are all attacked by an evil sorcerer. In the ensuing magical chaos, Lukas loses consciousness, only to wake up several hundred years in the future, in an entirely different city. At this point, he meets Ayla, a plucky Turkish girl who will become his sometimes-friend, sometimes-enemy and his love interest.

A Wind from the Wilderness gushes with historical research. It's easy to see Rowntree's painstaking love for the subject matter, and her characters' behaviour and personalities are informed by first-person resources. Some of the characters' choices may seem strange to readers who are not familiar with the era's truly obsessive focus on honour, godliness, and absolution, but there is a real humanity underlying these archaic ideals that still expresses itself plainly. Rowntree adeptly bridges this gap of understanding with compelling characters and difficult situations that stir the reader's empathy for both sides of the ongoing war. By the end of the novel, the reader will probably find themselves wishing that this war would just stop already--but Rowntree does a fantastic job of explaining just why that's unlikely to happen, no matter how much unnecessary suffering still lies ahead. I should warn readers now, however, that this is more historical fantasy than it is romance; a number of characters die in the war, and more than one of them is relatively innocent. If you are looking for a warm happily-ever-after, this is certainly not your cup of tea.

Overall, this was a fantastic novel and a beautiful way to learn more about the time period, though I did have two minor quibbles. The first quibble is that I suspect the chapter headings would have benefitted from having the point-of-view character clearly named from the get-go, which probably would have helped the reader more quickly gain a handle on each point-of-view switch. The second is that I am... not sure I like how one of the characters died near the end. I am absolutely sure that it was an intentional authorial choice, but it made me feel at the time that the character existed solely to inform Lukas' understanding of the other side--because once he fully empathized, the character was no longer needed, and was immediately thrown on the chopping block in order to further develop his characterization. That said, this character was a fully-developed, richly-researched character in their own right, with a sideplot of their own, so this quibble is more minor than it may sound. Overall, this book was a rich read and a riveting way to spend an afternoon. I highly recommend it to anyone looking for something a little outside of the ordinary.

[Manuel Alfonseca · Rating 3 out of 5]

ENGLISH: First installment of the series about the Watchers, which combines historical novel with fantasy. In this book, the protagonist is Lukas Bessarion, who has been thrown almost half a millennium into the future, from the Muslim invasion of Syria in 636, to the year 1097, during the First Crusade.

The historical part is very well documented and explained, especially in those chapters where there is no intervention of magicians, or demons (such as Lilith), for then the historical part is diluted and we pass into the realm of fantasy.

Personally, I like the historical part of the novel, especially the description of battles, which is colorful and detailed, but not so much the fantasy, which involves demons, djinns, and the mysterious Watchers, who are supposed to fight them, but usually oppose the protagonists.

ESPAÑOL: Primera entrega de la serie sobre los Vigilantes, que combina novela histórica con fantasía. En este libro, el protagonista es Lukas Bessarion, que ha sido lanzado casi medio milenio hacia el futuro, desde la invasión musulmana de Siria en 636, hasta el año 1097, durante la Primera Cruzada.

La parte histórica está bien documentada y es fiel a la realidad, especialmente cuando no intervienen magos o demonios (como Lilith), porque entonces la parte histórica se diluye y nos trasladamos al reino de la fantasía.

Personalmente, me gusta la parte histórica de la novela, especialmente la descripción de las batallas, que es muy colorida y detallada; no me gusta tanto la parte fantástica, en la que intervienen demonios, djinns, y los misteriosos Vigilantes, que se supone que luchan contra ellos, pero que a menudo se oponen a los protagonistas.

[Patrick Samphire · Rating 5 out of 5]

4 1/2 stars.

I'm going to post a longer discussion of this on my newsletter, but in the meantime:

A Wind from the Wilderness, at the time of writing this review, is a semi-finalist in the current SPFBO (Self-Published Fantasy Blog-Off), a competition to find the best self-published fantasy book, and it deserves its place.

This is a historical fantasy, mostly set during the first crusade as a Frankish and Greek army makes its way towards Jerusalem. It focuses mainly on three characters, A Syrian boy, Lukas, a Turkish girl, Ayla, and a Frankish count, Saint-Gilles. Lukas is a refugee in time, cast forward by dark magic four hundred and some years from his own time and caught up in the crusade. Ayla is looking for revenge against the Watchers, a group who killed her father.

The book follows their journey.

The book that this most reminded me of was A Game of Thrones (not surprising, perhaps, with A Game of Thrones being strongly influenced by history and historical fiction itself), not in the specific events but in the style of story. We have that same mixture of the young people (Lukas and Ayla) trying to get home and get revenge, joined with the battles and political scheming, mostly shown through Saint-Gilles' point of view. The writing is vivid and lush. I don't know much about the period, but the author convinced me that she did, and the details are immersive.

Oddly, as a fantasy fan, the part of the story that interested me least was the magic. It lacked the believability and the richness of the historical parts of the book, and sometimes I wished this was a straight historical novel. I had a few minor nitpicks. Although the writing was very good, there were a couple of places where Lukas spent a lot of time swallowing and gulping, and there were a few repeated words and phrases. All of this would be easy to fix in another copyedit, but it didn't distract from my enjoyment. There were also a couple of chapters from other points of view that didn't really add anything for me.

This is an extremely strong book. If you like historical fantasy or just historical fiction, I highly recommend this. Beware, though, if you can't cope with harm to children, because there is one incident that may distress you, but I don't want to give spoilers.

I'm looking forward to the sequels, which I understand will follow other members of Lukas's family who have also been lost in other time periods.

[kartik narayanan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Review coming in Feb!

[Claire · Rating 5 out of 5]

My reasonable review: this is a masterwork of incredibly researched historical fantasy fiction, with multiple povs, cool battle scenes, and three main characters that steal your heart in an astonishing way, amazing start to a series!!!

My emotional review: ASDFGHJKL;EIDBEIDNDISBCKGNDKSOJFJD!!!!!!! HOW DARE, MY EMOTIONS, also I need to lie down forever

Conclusion: IM UPSET

[Camillea Camillea · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I first began A Wind from the Wilderness, I wasn’t sure what I going to expect. I’m not fully familiar with the history of the Crusades, so this book was a chance to familiarize myself with the history before grabbing a non-fiction book.

To say that I adore this book would be an understatement. In fact, I want to shove this book into everyone’s hands and have them read it. Historical buffs will enjoy the retelling and the discordant characters who just jump out at you! As for fantasy lovers, you will oogle over the richly described yet vague magic that blankets the story. 

From the beginning I loved Lukas and Ayla’s interactions. While I found Lukas' character interesting, I also thought he was quite, uhm, annoying. The privilege he had enjoyed as a Watcher is blatant in all his actions. He constantly whines about what he deserves, and yet doesn’t not recognize that he might just not yet be ready? In spite of his current conundrum, he doesn’t seem to understand having to “humble” himself. Still, he was a likable character because you know he is trying his damnedest to do right. 

Because of the war between the Crusaders and the Turks, the latter being Ayla’s people, Lukas and Ayla were torn between loyalty to their heritage and their friendship. Ayla is quite the complex character. Imaging the broody YA hero with a tragic past, the jerk with a golden heart, now imagine it a woman. There are so many questions regarding Ayla's character. I couldn't properly figure her out, but I loved how she always spoke the ugly truth. 

I loved reading Saint-Gilles' perspective. For one, the political arguments and power struggle within the army. Saint-Gilles was an exciting character to follow - one who has to confront his own ambitions and his motive for the holy cause. In fact, much of the book raises the questions about the morality of the war, and the characters "holy cause."

A Wind from the Wilderness is rich with characters who deal with their own conflicted aspirations in the midst of a war. Like with any historical novel I read, A Wind from the Wilderness required a lot of concentration on my part as I wasn’t familiar with the history or the historical figures. Still, it was an amazing chance to delve into the world and the war in . For me, it was a chance to learn and Suzannah Rowntree made it worth every page.

While I loved the book I also had a bit of problem with understanding Lilith. She seems to be a fluttering character throughout the book which makes me feel confused regarding her motives. I find it hard to fear her as equally as Lukas and Ayla do. However, none of this deterred me from enjoying the book. Rowntree paints a colourful story of love, war, and loyalty in A Wind from the Wilderness.

I received an e-copy of this book from the author, however, this does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review. Camillea Reads || Twitter || Instagram

[Mariangel · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very enjoyable historical novel with a fantasy element in it. Set in the time of the first crusade, we follow the Frank armies from Constantinople to the siege of Nicaea, and finally to Antioch, where this first book ends. The two main characters are fictional: a Turkish girl named Ayla who has a mission to fulfill, and a Syrian youth named Lukas, who has found himself separated from his family (in a way I will not disclose) and is trying to rejoin them by following the crusaders as an interpreter for Raymond of Toulouse. The relation between Ayla and Lukas, at times saving each other's lives during the journey, at times confronted as enemies with opposite goals and beliefs, keeps the interest high throughout the novel. At the same time, we learn a lot about the crusade, the knights and their motivations, and the battles.

[Filip · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is part of the Fantasy Hive's SPFBO 5 review of our semi-finalists, you can read the full piece here.

They say "You cannot judge a book by its cover," but... Wind's is a very fine cover that immediately forecasts subject matter and conflict both: see the domed shape in the foreground, and the crescent moon resting atop it? On the smaller domes are crosses, two of them, perhaps reflecting the dual Christian fates at display in the book, Orthodox and Catholic. Here’s the main conflict we will face, at one of its bloodiest phases, the First Crusade. To the left and to the right are ruins of the Old World — they come into play.

An excellent composition, that much is certain. Whatever shall we say for the rest?

Lukas’s flaws made of him a character I invested heavily into; to Theo’s note that he’s pompous and proud, I nod with affirmation; I would argue, however, that to reconcile to the hard times Lucas has fallen upon any faster than he did wouldn’t be realistic. The world of the eleventh century lacks social mobility — a lesson beaten into Lukas again and again. To learn it quickly would go against who he is, exactly because Lukas comes from a place of the greatest privilege in the seventh century. The notion that he would be treated as anything less than his position in that other time demands is as alien as the notion of a knight dueling with a peasant would be to a Frankish nobleman.

As for our young Turk, Ayla is a phenomenal character whose arc is nothing short of breathtaking — for many different reasons. Her conflict, her need to make a difference before the hour of her death, her relationship with Lukas (and his with her) made for one of the most believable, memorable and downright likeable characters I’ve come across in a while.

Saint-Gilles is great fun, but I liked Bohemond even more — his is a fascinating story of ambition, success and failure, and Rowntree captures that well. He might lean towards the villainous due to our limited perception of him through Saint-Gilles, but the man is very much a tragic hero in his own narrative, and his ambition…well, off you go to Wikipedia, then.

Indeed, it’s difficult to divorce many of these characters from the historical records we have of them — and that should be the greatest compliment to Rowntree. This isn’t just great low fantasy; it’s brilliant historical fiction, down to the verisimilitude of the dialogue these characters use. Brilliantly-captured is the conflict between the leaders of the First Crusade (also known as the Princes’ Crusade, which should tip you off to the strength and egoes of the personalities involved).

A main question of Christianity is that of predestination. In Islam, a similar concept exists – Qadar. Predestination is hotly contested by various theologians and religious scholars; but for the purpose of this, I’ll look to the Calvinist doctrine. The Calvinist Westminister Confession of Faith states that God “freely and unchangeably ordains whatsoever comes to pass.” The Islamic philosophical school of the Jabariyah held to a similar belief: “that humans are controlled by predestination, without having choice of free will” (as per Wikipedia).

It might be hard on the modern reader to accept the concept of predestination, for it eschews the notions of individual human agency which are the foundational blocks of modern Western society. But this is a different society in a world far removed from the one we know, and it’s on this basis that I disagree with Beth about this late twist’s necessity. It is a brutal, painful moment to read; but it is a brutal and painful world where the force of the individual cannot overcome the weight of prophecy. This twist is one final brush in the Abrahamic fresco that Rowntree draws for the reader, and, ugly as it is, it’s a very fine finishing touch which unifies the fantastic with the religious motifs.

The understated magic, I’d argue, is a great boon to Rowntree’s rendition of the First Crusade. The influence of sorcery is just out of sight, but it defines no small amount of what is going on. It’s this influence that propels Ayla on her path, and it is direct sorcery that propels Lukas forwards in time. True, only a few moments will stun with overwhelming displays of it, but magic is imbued in the very DNA of this story. Rowntree banks on the notion that less is more, and that’s a calculated risk that pays off dividends — if she had embraced the use of greater feats of sorcery throughout, this would no longer have the merits it does as historical fiction; the faithful rendering of the Princes’ Crusade would’ve turned very different indeed.

My favourite quote has to be this one:

They were on opposite sides of something much, much bigger than themselves. Something that had begun before either of them was born, and would go on long after both of them were dead. Something that not even love would conquer.

He reached out, slowly. All the generations of this war weighed on his back, and Lukas felt as ancient as the hills. Gently, he took Ayla’s hand in both his own and pressed it to his bowed forehead. When he looked up, there were tears in her eyes.

Better to leave it all unsaid.

In the span of picking our finalist, I have argued to the effect that it’s not the quantity of magic that matters but its quality. I struggle to judge this book harshly because it has chosen a minimalist approach towards its fantasy elements. In the fragmented response to some of what Rowntree has done here, you, dear reader, should see a writer whose authorial decisions are — whether you like or dislike them — brave. Despite the possibility of creating dissent in the readers of her work, Suzannah Rowntree has told the story she set out to.

You have to respect that, one way or another.

[Sarah Seele · Rating 4 out of 5]

*weeps* someone did it. someone wrote historical fantasy the way i want it written. and about the first crusade, no less??? guyyyys. even if this hadn't had really good characterization and prose and themes and a frankish count who's just up in here tryna keep his people alive on this pilgrimage that he feels like he has to take for the good of his soul (ahhhh the delicious inner conflict i live for!!!), i would've been in love.

i've wanted to read suzannah rowntree for ages. mostly because of her fairy-tale retellings. i'm sure those are great, but THIS is what i live for and i will definitely be finishing this series first because it's historical fantasy emphasis on the well-researched actual history that did not annoy me even once.

[Julia Sarene · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had a bit of a problem getting into the prologue with A Wind from the Wilderness.

As soon as I got to the first chapter (and the second main character) I was hooked however.

I loved the time period and setting. I can't say I've remember any fantasy book there before!

I loved the female main character, and had a harder time to care for the male POV. But not as in him being badly written, rather in his attitude not being someone I personally click with easily. And the combination of the two just made the whole story feel more real to me.

The writing was beautiful, the plot intersting all the way, even though it is slow going and has quite some politics, which I'm not especially a fan of. The dialogues however where really well done, so I didn't mind the bickering between different factions but instead was glued to the pages.

The end was both exactly what I expected and yet surprising, and left me with that perfect "oh wow" feeling that keeps books in my head for years after I finished.

Highly recommended if you enjoy low magic alternate history with just some fantasy elements!

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

http://www.bookwormblues.net/2020/09/...

I am going to admit right up front, the entire reason I read this book was due to the cover. That cover art is amazing. Something about the colors and the shapes just works for me. So, to sum this particular paragraph up: Anyone who says that covers don’t matter is lying.

Anyway, as soon as I cracked the book and realized this is a historical fantasy, I was hooked. This was the book for me. I love history. Love. It. And any good retelling of some gripping historical period is something that will assuredly put my butt in my chair. What is more gripping than the Crusades? Tragedy, drama, greed, devotion… it’s all there. And reader, it’s all here, in this book, as well.

“We could have reconciled them through love, but we persecuted them through fear. Is it any wonder that they turned to destroy us?”

I write my own style of historical fantasy. Though I set my books in secondary worlds, they are all based on real world history you can research and learn about, and I don’t hide any of that at all. I will say, as one author who writes historically influenced novels, about another, the research process that goes into writing historical fantasy is not something that should be minimized. There’s a lot you have to get right, and a lot that takes a ton of really rigorous hours to learn, not to mention the time spent talking to experts, as well as the google searches, the books read, and the like.

I know first-hand what it’s like, how hard, and how high the payoff is when it is done right. And that payoff, you ask? Well, it’s all in the details. Small things that might not matter to anyone else, but they all work together to make this world the author has created come to vibrant life for the reader. It’s not just knowing the culture and beliefs of the day and age, the rough outline of the important information, if you will. You’ve also got to know what people typically ate, the norms regarding treatment of women, clothing styles, weaving styles, how people spent the day, the push and pull of aspects of life that were in flux, all the way down to the houses people lived in and so much more (so. much. more.). All of this brings the story to life so you, the reader, can feel fully immersed in it.

(Example: I spent two hours researching how houses were typically built in the countryside of Ukraine in the 1920’s and 1930’s for two sentences you’ll eventually read in An Elegy for Hope. People, the amount of random research that goes into writing a book is just surreal. You probably won’t notice them, but I sure will.)

“Power is a two-edged blade, Raymond. Even if one man could command this whole immense army, I’m not convinced that he should.”

Anyway, the entire point of my minor tirade there is to tell you that the research Rowntree did to write this book is not only in depth, but also richly layered into her world and the story she’s written here. Nothing was overlooked. I almost felt like I could smell the air in the cities, and see the food, feel the walls all around me. It was marvelous, and woven into the book so effortlessly, you’d not really notice how much work went into creating something that realistic and dimensional unless you really stop to think about just how the author managed it. Folks, it’s research. It’s tons and tons of research, and an uncanny ability to know when to add details and facts, and when to let readers fill in the blanks. It was incredibly well done all around.

The story in A Wind from the Wilderness is a lot of things: romance, redemption, self-exploration, and growth all set against the turbulent era of the Crusades, when war was prevalent, and men went to war in an effort to save their souls. People suffered, and people loved, and people endured tragedy and triumph. This is a rife, ready period of history to set a book. There’s so much fodder here from which authors can draw from, and I was delighted to see how well Rowntree dealt with this time period, staying true to its immediate and wider conflicts and issues, while bringing to life the very personal, very complex stories that are impacted by all that is going on around them. From two youth who should be enemies, overcoming that which should stand between them, to a knight who is on a quest to reach Jerusalem in an effort to atone for his sins, these stories not just give a human aspect to this larger than life period, but they humanize it as well.

What I really enjoyed about this book was how well Rowntree played these huge, important events against the intimate stories of individuals. It was fascinating to me, how events helped shape people, but also how she showed people influencing events rather than getting lost in them. One stone thrown into a pond might seem small and inconsequential, but the ripples that roll out from it create lasting change. Ultimately, I felt like that was what was happening here. Her characters were stones thrown into this sea of events, causing huge ripples, and yet she never lost sight of them and who they were. She never dropped any of those balls she was juggling.

“The children of earth have grown wise of late, and have driven us out of their temples. But if they can no longer be deceived, they can be corrupted. They will butcher each other for God’s sake, and I will drink and be satisfied.”

There are fantasy elements in this book, in the form of magic and time travel, but I will say I felt like the book more flirted with fantasy rather than leaning into it. This actually ended up being a positive to me. I like books that straddle the line between genres and refused to be pinned down or boxed up. Is this fantasy? Is it historical fiction? Is it both? You decide. Dare to stray from the path, you diamond. There are fantasy elements there, but I felt they were more of a perfume rather than an overwhelming plot device. That isn’t to say you’ll be disappointed if you read this book wanting magic and the like, it does exist, but if you’re a reader who wants a gentler touch with fantastic elements, this might be worth checking out.

The pacing is very measured. Never a dull moment, never a wasted page. The prologue will likely be the one where readers struggle most. You’re thrust into the center of a conflict and conversation without anything to go on. You’ll eventually make sense of it all, but you’ll likely feel a bit lost throughout reading it. The first chapter is easy to sink into. There’s a clear introductory point, and the story flows from there. Likewise, the ending had a very “first book in a series” feel to it. There’s a resolution offered, but just enough of one to keep you going through the next book. I didn’t mind that at all, because I fully intend on reading the first book. However, I figure it should be noted.

I want to talk a bit about Rowntree’s prose. She knew when to lean into the description, and when to back off. Straightforward, with spurts of beauty, The Wind from the Wilderness was incredibly well balanced, not just in plot, characterization, research, and worldbuilding, but also in the prose. Occasionally toeing the line into purple (which didn’t bother me at all because, hello, have you read my books?), she never quite crossed it, though. This balance also served her very well in making the quiet, intimate moments and the larger, louder ones far more atmospheric and meaningful all around. There were a lot of times in the reading of this book where I forgot I was just a passive observer, rather than living the story as it unfolded.

“His mouth twisted into a bitter smile. ‘Family is everything. Right?’
His words brought stinging tears to her eyes. ‘It’s not everything,’ she whispered. ‘It’s not you.’”

All in all, I was pleasantly surprised by how much I loved this book. A delightful mix of engaging and atmospheric, topped off with vivid prose and characters that were a complex mix of layers and flaws, A Wind from the Wilderness was an absolute delight to read in every respect.

Highly recommend.

[Jonathan Pembroke · Rating 4 out of 5]

(In the interests of full disclosure, I'll say my first draft of this review was all over the place, kind of like my feelings for this book.)

First, I will say I enjoyed the backdrop against the First Crusade. Not only is it an uncommon setting, but Rowntree must also have done a painstaking amount of research about historical events and the cultures of the time. It wasn't just accurate but *felt* organic and natural. Historical fiction is daunting because it is so easy to get things wrong but near as I can tell, AWFtW nails it.

The narrative is mostly told through the POV of three characters: Lukas, a boy doing the "fish out of water" routine; Ayla, a girl with a predetermined death date; and Saint-Gilles, a leader of the Frank crusaders. I ultimately ended up liking all three characters (though I didn't get behind Lukas until about the 75% mark), and all three enjoyed a decent if varying amount of development. There was a love angle between Lukas and Ayla that felt a bit forced, though that aspect was well-used for dramatic effect in places.

The prose flowed well and I didn't have any issues keeping plugged in or following the action (and the numerous action scenes were well-written). The fantasy elements of the story are a bit light for my taste. Last, I will say that while I enjoyed the chapters for Saint-Gilles and his handling of the crusade, it felt like a separate (if related) story to those of Lukas and Ayla, whose threads were much more tightly bound. Maybe it will tie together in later volumes but for this one, it did feel like competing stories, rather than complementary ones.

Overall, though, I enjoyed it. I would recommend this to someone who interested in historical fiction with a less common backdrop (Eastern Med/Middle East), and low fantasy.

[Liz Koetsier · Rating 5 out of 5]

I did not expect to plunge into this world. I'm not sure what I expected, but I was pleasantly surprised. This was such a clever and engaging tale. I was impressed by the amount of research the author did on the story, and the world and characters were original. I was not sure what to make of Ayla at first, but she really grows on you! There was nothing cliche about her and Lukas, which I really appreciated. There was a good balance of suspense, action, and fun throughout. (I laughed a lot at Lukas and Ayla!) I'm really looking forward to the next book.

[Nils | nilsreviewsit · Rating 3 out of 5]

Review on The Fantasy Hive for SPFBO 6 - https://fantasy-hive.co.uk/2020/10/a-...

[RedJorgAncrath · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've been reading some of the entries in this year's SFPBO, this being the third. I didn't know it was going to be historical fiction, but that came as a pleasant surprise! I didn't really know if it was going to be my thing after, say, the prologue, but things started to get more and more interesting and intriguing as the pages turned.

I appreciate that the author did her utmost to keep as much historical accuracy as possible, which can be hard when you factor in sorcerers and an unexpected jump of time travel. There are quite a few characters to keep track of, and I almost thought a dramatis personae might have been helpful (still do, actually).

It's intelligent, interesting and entertaining, which is most of what I look for in a book. I definitely recommend it and look forward to further books from this author!

[J.F. Mehentee · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Wind from the Wilderness is a first in series historical novel set during the First Crusade—this, time travel and dark magic are what drew me to the book.
Lucas Bessarion witnesses the sacking of his Syrian town. He is then flung four hundred years into the future and Constantinople, 1097. Before he knows it, he’s marching east to Jerusalem in the hope of reaching his former home and a way back to his time period.
From the moment he arrives in Constantinople, Lucas has to be saved countless times by a heretic girl, Ayla. Lucas’s and Ayla’s friendship turns to love, although both keep secrets from each other, secrets that risk driving a wedge between them.
I don’t read many historical novels—the last one was James A Michener’s, The Source, and that was a long time ago! That didn’t stop me from enjoying A Wind from the Wilderness. It’s apparent that
Suzannah Rowntree has done her history homework (lots of it!), but she doesn’t let it slow the storytelling. I learned a lot about what motivated men and their families to travel to far off lands and risk all kinds of danger in the name of religion. The book also describes how those in power manipulated such motivations for their own gain.
The story’s characters are well developed, the battle scenes realistic but not gratuitous, the dialogue strong and the developing love story doesn’t get in the way of the main plot. I did, however, want to know more about the evil vulture woman, Lilith, her background in relation to the two main faiths at war—Lilith hails from a time before Christianity—and her stake in the story. I'm sure I'll learn more about her in Book 2.
A Wind from the Wilderness is a great start to a really interesting series.

[T.A. · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a book I've seen floating around and had heard a lot of good things about, so I wasn't surprised when it became a finalist in this year's ongoing SPFBO competition. A friend loved it and recommended it, so I decided to give it a try.

Historical fiction isn't usually my thing, and this particular time period isn't one I've ever really had an interest in, so it did take me a while to really sink into the story and get invested. You can tell it has been meticulously researched, and if you like an emphasis on the historical with a few sprinklings of fantasy elements mixed in, you'll definitely enjoy this one. The story is set during the Crusades and does a good job of examining the cost of those battles and the impacts on those involved in them.

We follow three main characters throughout the story. Lukas Bessarion is our primary protagonist, thrust out of his own time and sent into the future by a magical ritual gone awry. While trying to find a way back home, he meets a girl named Ayla who is counting down the days until her predetermined death and trying to find a way to make her life mean something before that happens. Then we have Raymond Saint-Gilles, a French leader in the Crusades (and an actual historical figure, apparently). I was immediately more invested in Ayla's character than I was in the other two, and it took me longer to really warm up to them. By the end, though, I was very interested in seeing what would happen to each character. Ayla and Lukas have an especially compelling dynamic, and while some of the developments in their relationship did feel very rushed to me, it was still interesting to watch that play out.

For me, some of the emphasis on the historical elements did make the pacing drag a little, but other readers might not be bothered by that so much. The book is well-written and Rowntree's prose flows smoothly throughout the story. There's a great care and attention to detail here, with little things coming back up or coming full circle later on in the story, so you'll want to pay attention if you do decide to read this. Overall it was a solid and enjoyable read, and a worthy contender for the SPFBO competition. I've already picked up the next book in the series and will be looking forward to seeing how everything plays out.

[Alias · Rating 4 out of 5]

Yes! Another epic tale from Suzannah Rowntree! Dazzlingly rich historical detail mixed with thrilling fantasy, complex characters, and intense action all beautifully interwoven with subtle but meaningful themes. Favorite quotes:

“We could have reconciled them through love, but we persecuted them through fear. Is it any wonder that they turned to destroy us?”

“Do you understand? You don’t lead men by lording it over them. You lead men like Christ did. You wash their feet.”

“His mouth twisted into a bitter smile. ‘Family is everything. Right?’
His words brought stinging tears to her eyes. ‘It’s not everything,’ she whispered. ‘It’s not you.’ ”

[Mark · Rating 4 out of 5]

A excellently researched and very well written historical fantasy, set in the time of the 1st crusade in the Middle East.

The storyline just flows and I got just sucked into the story, couldn’t put it down.

Well deserved finalist in this years spfbo 6. A very strong contender to win in my opinion.

Highly recommended to all my good read friends.

[Jamie Edmundson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Among the many books that got some attention in the most recent SPFBO, this was one of those that got my ears to prick up. Set in the First Crusade? Hells, yeah! I'm the audience for that! Of course, should go without saying, that means it's not right for other readers in the broad church of fantasy. If you prefer lots of magic with no connection to a historical period or place, this may not be your bag.

So, starting with the setting, we have the crusaders making their way from Constantinople to the Holy Land. Raymond of Toulouse is one of the 3 pov characters and you have Bohemond and all the gang as well. The characterisation and historical research is excellent. The political manoeuvring of those involved feels so real, as do the military engagements featured, and the desperate hardships of the endeavour. Top notch historical fiction.

Overlying this is the tale of Lukas Bessarion, a Greek noble teenager transported to these events from 7th century Byzantine Empire, where he meets Ayla, a Turkish girl. It's this storyline that has the magical elements - sorcerers are interested in the outcome of the crusade. The magic is there in the background, but the dish is spiced just right, given the historical element. Initially, I was unsure if I was going to enjoy Lukas and Ayla's story as much. It has a much more YA feel to it at times than the historical goings on. But I did, and it's really a testament to the author's skill and writing chops that she is able to blend so many elements into one novel and keep it as a cohesive whole. I tip my hat to the sheer work that must have gone into this book.

This is the first in a series which features other members of Lukas' family - perhaps also transported out of time. It seems they are all related, but standalone, in nature.

Anyway, this is the kind of book where you probably know if a medieval historical fiction/ fantasy crossover is something you'll like. If you've been unsure up to now, here's hoping I've convinced you.

[Jared Abbott · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of the best fantasy novels I have read in a long time! It's never predictable. It would appeal to fans of historical, fantasy, adventure, and supernatural fiction. And this is only book one! There are at least two more books to come according to Suzannah Rowntree's author website.

[Hanna-col · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review hopefully to come ... For now, looking for an epic historical fantasy saga based in the Medieval ages? You can't fail with this one.