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What the Wind Brings
Out of the fires of Caribbean revolution, shipwrecked onto the shores and jungles of Ecuador, a slave, a captive, and a shaman fight Inquisition-era Spain for freedom. In times like these, when power spends blood like pennies, what chance do these disparate underdogs have to create an independent nation? Chance, no. Intelligence, daring, tactics, and magic, yes. A sweeping slipstream historical epic from Matthew Hughes.
414 pages, ebook
Published December 15, 2019
4 people are currently reading
116 people want to read
About the author
Matthew Hughes
202 books283 followersBorn in Liverpool, his family moved to Canada when he was five years old. Married since late 1960s, he has three grown sons. He is currently relocated to Britain. He is a former director of the Federation of British Columbia Writers.
A university drop-out from a working poor background, he worked in a factory that made school desks, drove a grocery delivery truck, was night janitor in a GM dealership, and did a short stint as an orderly in a private mental hospital. As a teenager, he served a year as a volunteer with the Company of Young Canadians.
He has made his living as a writer all of his adult life, first as a journalist in newspapers, then as a staff speechwriter to the Canadian Ministers of Justice and Environment, and, since 1979, as a freelance corporate and political speechwriter in British Columbia.
His short fiction has appeared in Alfred Hitchcock’s, Asimov’s, The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, Postscripts, Interzone, and a number of "Year’s Best" anthologies. Night Shade Books published his short story collection, The Gist Hunter and Other Stories, in 2005.
He has won the Arthur Ellis Award from the Crime Writers of Canada, The Endeavour Award for his historical novel What the Wind Brings, and the Global Book Award in the dark fantasy category for The Ghost-Wrangler.
A university drop-out from a working poor background, he worked in a factory that made school desks, drove a grocery delivery truck, was night janitor in a GM dealership, and did a short stint as an orderly in a private mental hospital. As a teenager, he served a year as a volunteer with the Company of Young Canadians.
He has made his living as a writer all of his adult life, first as a journalist in newspapers, then as a staff speechwriter to the Canadian Ministers of Justice and Environment, and, since 1979, as a freelance corporate and political speechwriter in British Columbia.
His short fiction has appeared in Alfred Hitchcock’s, Asimov’s, The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, Postscripts, Interzone, and a number of "Year’s Best" anthologies. Night Shade Books published his short story collection, The Gist Hunter and Other Stories, in 2005.
He has won the Arthur Ellis Award from the Crime Writers of Canada, The Endeavour Award for his historical novel What the Wind Brings, and the Global Book Award in the dark fantasy category for The Ghost-Wrangler.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews
August 24, 2023
A good book that I wanted to like more than I did. Worth reading, but the village shaman spirit-guardian stuff was too much like "The Teachings of Don Juan" for my taste. For me, 3.3 stars. Here's a review that's close to my reaction:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I read the book after seeing Linda Nagata's enthusiastic recommendation: https://www.goodreads.com/author_blog...
Excerpt:
"Matthew Hughes has based his story on a historical [16th century] event: the shipwreck of a Spanish galleon on the unsettled coast of Ecuador.
Aboard that ship are African slaves. They survive the shipwreck and escape to freedom — but can they stay alive? And can they stay free?
The story is far-ranging, touching on the expanse of the slave trade, the depredations of disease in the new world, life among the tribal peoples of lowland Ecuador, and the Spanish takeover in the highlands."
Another good review: https://locusmag.com/2020/04/russell-...
-- which is also well worth reading. So there's a good chance you will like the book more than I did.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I read the book after seeing Linda Nagata's enthusiastic recommendation: https://www.goodreads.com/author_blog...
Excerpt:
"Matthew Hughes has based his story on a historical [16th century] event: the shipwreck of a Spanish galleon on the unsettled coast of Ecuador.
Aboard that ship are African slaves. They survive the shipwreck and escape to freedom — but can they stay alive? And can they stay free?
The story is far-ranging, touching on the expanse of the slave trade, the depredations of disease in the new world, life among the tribal peoples of lowland Ecuador, and the Spanish takeover in the highlands."
Another good review: https://locusmag.com/2020/04/russell-...
-- which is also well worth reading. So there's a good chance you will like the book more than I did.
June 17, 2019
What the Wind Brings by Matthew Hughes is a historical fiction epic about slaves, Ecuadorian natives, and Spanish invaders that combines colonization with religion and the fight for life and death. While there wasn’t the great showdown at the end that I was expecting, I was surprisingly happy with the calm ending. It was a fun read that kept me interested all the way through to the end.
Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with a free copy in exchange for an honest review.
Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with a free copy in exchange for an honest review.
August 1, 2019
Interesting historical saga involving a group of escaped slaves, the indigenous people they are permitted to join up with and the Spanish invaders who are attempting to convert natives and recapture the slaves. This is set in the northern part of South American and the 3 maior storytellers are the escaped slave, a shaman and a monk.
Thanks to Net Galley, the publisher and the author for the ARC. I really enjoyed it.
Thanks to Net Galley, the publisher and the author for the ARC. I really enjoyed it.
Read
November 17, 2021Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a review copy!
I usually dont pick up historical fiction but this one sounded so different and I was intrigued. Unfortunately this book didnt work for me. I just felt uncomfortable with the writing style most of the time. We follow multiple characters and some of them are written in third person and another character in first person. I found this really jarring and it bothered me so much that it took me out of the story sometimes.
However, this book has a really interesting premise and if it intrigues you, I do recommend checking it out!
I usually dont pick up historical fiction but this one sounded so different and I was intrigued. Unfortunately this book didnt work for me. I just felt uncomfortable with the writing style most of the time. We follow multiple characters and some of them are written in third person and another character in first person. I found this really jarring and it bothered me so much that it took me out of the story sometimes.
However, this book has a really interesting premise and if it intrigues you, I do recommend checking it out!
June 12, 2019
What the Wind Brings is an intriguing novel - part history, part fantasy, with a splash of adventure. Set in the northern part of South America, the story follows a group of escaped slaves and the indigenous population that accepts them. The story is told from three main perspectives: an escaped slave, a "shaman", and a monk. None are what they seem and together they form a new world.
Proper review to come later.
Proper review to come later.
December 9, 2019
Canadian author Matthew Hughes, whose tales of Raffalon the thief have been very favorably received, and who has written over 20 novels and short-story collections, has come out with a book my fellow Amazing Stories® columnist R. Graeme Cameron calls a “slipstream” novel. That is, it’s historical fiction with a twist—in this case, it’s history that might have occurred on a parallel timeline. Unlike the stories of Harry Turtledove, which can be called SF, this one has more fantasy elements than SFnal ones. In this novel, Hughes has proven that a small incident in a somewhat neglected part of the world can hold a reader’s interest just as well as an alternate version of a big historical battle like the American Civil War.
According to Hughes, in the 16th or 17th century (and a few Google shots would seem to bear him out), a group of real people who are referenced in this book, set in motion certain events that had a major effect on what is now present-day Ecuador (specifically, around the mouth of the Rio Esmeraldas (River of Emeralds), on the Northest coast of Ecuador. What is now historical fact is well-mixed with fiction, as Hughes—after a lot of research; one can tell—leads us through the events as they might have happened. (Because the natives told the Spanish that there were emerald mines up the river, the Spaniards—who were every bit as ambitious as empire builders as the British later came to be, and a lot more rapacious—named the river after these fictitious jewels. The natives were just trying to get the damned Spaniards to move on and stop enslaving them.)
Here are the facts as I understand them. A young man, called Alonso Illescas (captured as a very young child from the Mandinka tribe in Africa and raised by a noble Spanish family as more or less part of the family) has been sent to ferry a cargo of live pigs and other goods to Lima from the family plantation on the island of Hispaniola. Alonso has been raised the way a young Spanish cousin of the family might be, but is conscious of his own dark skin and the fact that he is not the family’s equal. Alonso has made a career out of “making himself useful” to ensure that he has a place, no matter how junior, in the family. He is also in charge of a coffle of African slaves, kept chained under lock and key, in the hold of the ship La Virgen.
But La Virgen is still days away from the port of Lima, and they’re running out of food and fresh water, so the captain makes a decision to put ashore for a brief time at the mouth of the river to get fresh water and perhaps scavenge some foodstuffs from a failed colony at the mouth. The African slaves are sent ashore under armed guard (arquebuses and cutlasses) to do the heavy work; Alonso goes with them as their supervisor. While they are all engaged in this work, a sudden storm comes up and, since La Virgen is too close to a reef near shore, the boats (minus the guards, Alonso and the slaves) are ordered to return to the ship immediately. A decision is made to tow the ship to safety. Alonso, the guards and slaves, are told to remain onshore until the danger has passed.
But the winds are too sudden and too fierce, so the boats that are trying to tow the ship are upset and overturned, and the ship is dashed to the reef, and breaks up. During the brief, but furious, tropical storm and blinding rainfall, the African slaves fall upon the sailors guarding them and kill them. The pigs and all the other sailors and Spanish or Portugese men and women on the ship are killed, and the slaves, led by the giant Anton, make their way into the jungle; Alonso manages to convince them that he can be useful to them and, partly because he, too, is dark-skinned, is taken along as an interpreter in case they need one. That much is, apparently, history.
What is not historical, but is made up from fragments of knowledge—the local Indios (indigenous peoples), called Nigua, are all gone and their language lost, but Hughes used words from their neighbouring Indios to fill in. Likewise, their culture has been lost through time, but again, Hughes has filled in. He has managed to bring to life not only the historical persons, but the fictional ones he has created, and the culture of not only the Nigua, but also the Spanish culture of the time. He’s done some meticulous research, and it shows. There are two characters he’s added: a hermaphroditic healer (not a functional hermaphrodite), and a monk of a Spanish Christian sect called the Trinitarians, who—practically alone of all the “Christians” in the book—is actually a practicing Christian who follows the teachings of Christ. (The other priests, mostly, are typical 16th-century Spaniards, more interested in power, wealth, and empire-building than following their putative god.) The hermaphrodite is called Expectation, and is able to do amazing things with her spiritual gifts, including spiritual as well as physical healing. She (as Alonso calls her) is one of the more interesting characters in the novel; Alonso himself is also one of the really interesting and fully-fleshed-out characters.
Alonso himself has a backstory that figures into this novel; how he came to finally be the leader of the Zambos (see next paragraph), and the conflict between him and Anton is a fascinating footnote--though partially made up by Hughes, since the historical record is silent on that part--to the actual history of Ecuador.
The way the slaves and the Nigua (and later neighbouring tribes) came together to form a culture where Africans and Ecuadorians—who, especially the bi-racial children, came to call themselves Zambos—formed an alliance that beat back the Spaniards with their higher technology and better arms and armour, and formed their own government (under the aegis and with the permission of Philip, King of Spain). All that is historical fact, though much of how it happened is fiction. It’s a very involving book, and a worthwhile read. I highly recommend it. (If I were to rate it, I’d give it five flibbets out of five: ¤¤¤¤¤!) Hughes himself has told me he considers it his masterwork, his magnum opus, and I think he’d have a hard time topping it. I also think it could make a pretty interesting movie, too.
According to Hughes, in the 16th or 17th century (and a few Google shots would seem to bear him out), a group of real people who are referenced in this book, set in motion certain events that had a major effect on what is now present-day Ecuador (specifically, around the mouth of the Rio Esmeraldas (River of Emeralds), on the Northest coast of Ecuador. What is now historical fact is well-mixed with fiction, as Hughes—after a lot of research; one can tell—leads us through the events as they might have happened. (Because the natives told the Spanish that there were emerald mines up the river, the Spaniards—who were every bit as ambitious as empire builders as the British later came to be, and a lot more rapacious—named the river after these fictitious jewels. The natives were just trying to get the damned Spaniards to move on and stop enslaving them.)
Here are the facts as I understand them. A young man, called Alonso Illescas (captured as a very young child from the Mandinka tribe in Africa and raised by a noble Spanish family as more or less part of the family) has been sent to ferry a cargo of live pigs and other goods to Lima from the family plantation on the island of Hispaniola. Alonso has been raised the way a young Spanish cousin of the family might be, but is conscious of his own dark skin and the fact that he is not the family’s equal. Alonso has made a career out of “making himself useful” to ensure that he has a place, no matter how junior, in the family. He is also in charge of a coffle of African slaves, kept chained under lock and key, in the hold of the ship La Virgen.
But La Virgen is still days away from the port of Lima, and they’re running out of food and fresh water, so the captain makes a decision to put ashore for a brief time at the mouth of the river to get fresh water and perhaps scavenge some foodstuffs from a failed colony at the mouth. The African slaves are sent ashore under armed guard (arquebuses and cutlasses) to do the heavy work; Alonso goes with them as their supervisor. While they are all engaged in this work, a sudden storm comes up and, since La Virgen is too close to a reef near shore, the boats (minus the guards, Alonso and the slaves) are ordered to return to the ship immediately. A decision is made to tow the ship to safety. Alonso, the guards and slaves, are told to remain onshore until the danger has passed.
But the winds are too sudden and too fierce, so the boats that are trying to tow the ship are upset and overturned, and the ship is dashed to the reef, and breaks up. During the brief, but furious, tropical storm and blinding rainfall, the African slaves fall upon the sailors guarding them and kill them. The pigs and all the other sailors and Spanish or Portugese men and women on the ship are killed, and the slaves, led by the giant Anton, make their way into the jungle; Alonso manages to convince them that he can be useful to them and, partly because he, too, is dark-skinned, is taken along as an interpreter in case they need one. That much is, apparently, history.
What is not historical, but is made up from fragments of knowledge—the local Indios (indigenous peoples), called Nigua, are all gone and their language lost, but Hughes used words from their neighbouring Indios to fill in. Likewise, their culture has been lost through time, but again, Hughes has filled in. He has managed to bring to life not only the historical persons, but the fictional ones he has created, and the culture of not only the Nigua, but also the Spanish culture of the time. He’s done some meticulous research, and it shows. There are two characters he’s added: a hermaphroditic healer (not a functional hermaphrodite), and a monk of a Spanish Christian sect called the Trinitarians, who—practically alone of all the “Christians” in the book—is actually a practicing Christian who follows the teachings of Christ. (The other priests, mostly, are typical 16th-century Spaniards, more interested in power, wealth, and empire-building than following their putative god.) The hermaphrodite is called Expectation, and is able to do amazing things with her spiritual gifts, including spiritual as well as physical healing. She (as Alonso calls her) is one of the more interesting characters in the novel; Alonso himself is also one of the really interesting and fully-fleshed-out characters.
Alonso himself has a backstory that figures into this novel; how he came to finally be the leader of the Zambos (see next paragraph), and the conflict between him and Anton is a fascinating footnote--though partially made up by Hughes, since the historical record is silent on that part--to the actual history of Ecuador.
The way the slaves and the Nigua (and later neighbouring tribes) came together to form a culture where Africans and Ecuadorians—who, especially the bi-racial children, came to call themselves Zambos—formed an alliance that beat back the Spaniards with their higher technology and better arms and armour, and formed their own government (under the aegis and with the permission of Philip, King of Spain). All that is historical fact, though much of how it happened is fiction. It’s a very involving book, and a worthwhile read. I highly recommend it. (If I were to rate it, I’d give it five flibbets out of five: ¤¤¤¤¤!) Hughes himself has told me he considers it his masterwork, his magnum opus, and I think he’d have a hard time topping it. I also think it could make a pretty interesting movie, too.
May 22, 2020
Wait, before you click past yet another five-star review so that you can find a review with some teeth, let me explain.
I don’t give five stars to many books. Ok, yes, I gave A God In Chains five stars and now I am giving another book by the same author five stars, but this is different, really. See, there are five star books, and then there are Five. Star. Books. This is one of the latter.
Matthew Hughes is a talented story teller. I am always tickled when a new issue of (the magazine of) Fantasy & Science Fiction shows up in the mailbox and it has a Matthew Hughes story in it. I’ve enjoyed the adventures of Baldemar and misadventures of Raffalon. Those are always enjoyable, light stories.
A God in Chains was enjoyable too, but it was considerably more dense, as you’d expect in a full length novel. So yes, I am a fan of his story telling and world building.
This book, however, is head and shoulders, and torso, hips and thighs above anything I’ve read by Hughes in the past. This is not a novel so much as it is a labor of love, and it is so evident in the reading.
In his monthly newsletters, Hughes teased us with hints of the coming book, saying it was a novel some forty years in the making. I am glad he did not finish it sooner. It wouldn’t have been the same. He is so much better as a writer now, than forty years ago, I am sure. That, and after forty years of simmering in the background, what he has produced here deserves the label of magnum opus.
In the afterword, Hughes says that he tends to write about social outliers. Much of the book’s cast fall into that category. I don’t know how many books I’ve read. Far more than I have shelved here. From those books I have a short list of characters who are standouts. These are characters who have, in some way, touched me and made my world a better place by being a part of it. They come from all genres. Cory Makenson, Goodman Durnik of Sendaria, Cheerwell Maker, and Egwene al'Vere, to name a few. Many of them are also outliers. Looking at the list above, I realize that only Che falls into that category, but the list is not exhaustive.
Now I have another to add to that list. Expectation simply has to join the ranks of characters that I will remember fondly for a very, very long time. From the opening paragraphs of the story, I was captivated by Expectation’s story. I don’t think characters come much more outlier than Expectation. My hat is off to you, Mr. Hughes for taking someone like that and then weaving the tale you wove. And then the ending . . . you went and made me all emotional. That was really uncalled for, but thank you. Thank you for sharing your tale at long last.
So there you have it. Well, no . . . I have it and I am going to re-read it now. You go get your own copy.
I don’t give five stars to many books. Ok, yes, I gave A God In Chains five stars and now I am giving another book by the same author five stars, but this is different, really. See, there are five star books, and then there are Five. Star. Books. This is one of the latter.
Matthew Hughes is a talented story teller. I am always tickled when a new issue of (the magazine of) Fantasy & Science Fiction shows up in the mailbox and it has a Matthew Hughes story in it. I’ve enjoyed the adventures of Baldemar and misadventures of Raffalon. Those are always enjoyable, light stories.
A God in Chains was enjoyable too, but it was considerably more dense, as you’d expect in a full length novel. So yes, I am a fan of his story telling and world building.
This book, however, is head and shoulders, and torso, hips and thighs above anything I’ve read by Hughes in the past. This is not a novel so much as it is a labor of love, and it is so evident in the reading.
In his monthly newsletters, Hughes teased us with hints of the coming book, saying it was a novel some forty years in the making. I am glad he did not finish it sooner. It wouldn’t have been the same. He is so much better as a writer now, than forty years ago, I am sure. That, and after forty years of simmering in the background, what he has produced here deserves the label of magnum opus.
In the afterword, Hughes says that he tends to write about social outliers. Much of the book’s cast fall into that category. I don’t know how many books I’ve read. Far more than I have shelved here. From those books I have a short list of characters who are standouts. These are characters who have, in some way, touched me and made my world a better place by being a part of it. They come from all genres. Cory Makenson, Goodman Durnik of Sendaria, Cheerwell Maker, and Egwene al'Vere, to name a few. Many of them are also outliers. Looking at the list above, I realize that only Che falls into that category, but the list is not exhaustive.
Now I have another to add to that list. Expectation simply has to join the ranks of characters that I will remember fondly for a very, very long time. From the opening paragraphs of the story, I was captivated by Expectation’s story. I don’t think characters come much more outlier than Expectation. My hat is off to you, Mr. Hughes for taking someone like that and then weaving the tale you wove. And then the ending . . . you went and made me all emotional. That was really uncalled for, but thank you. Thank you for sharing your tale at long last.
So there you have it. Well, no . . . I have it and I am going to re-read it now. You go get your own copy.
June 1, 2024
Matthew Hughes' What the Wind Brings is a compelling tale of slaves shipwrecked on the coast of Ecuador attempting to secure their freedom by establishing their own nation (it's based on a true story). It's also a captivating tale of outsiders trying to find their place in a frequently hostile world. And it's historical fiction with engaging dashes of magical realism.
This is the work of an experienced, accomplished writer working at the top of his game. Hughes believes it's his best work; I will not argue the point. Hughes clearly put a lot of thought, effort and research into What the Wind Brings and it shows in the best possible way. The detail is entirely convincing and not overbearing; Hughes knows how to evoke a place and time while getting on with the interesting bits.
But the story, while fascinating and expertly told, is not the best part. The best part is the characters. Alonso, desperate to make himself useful. Anton, an escaped slave turned war chief and possibly his own worst enemy. Alejandro, a young Trinitarian monk seeking captives to shepherd, entirely without guile. And most compelling of all, Expectation, a Nigua hermaphrodite and healer, and our guide to the spirit world, tolerated (if not hated) by those who benefit from her unique skill set. Along with a host of other characters no less expertly drawn despite less page time.
What the Wind Brings was published by Pulp Literature Press, a Canadian Small Press (one of the few left). They only started releasing novels in 2017. The quality of the physical copy I read (the trade paperback edition) is on par with that of any publisher, large or small. The book is lovingly put together, from its Willem van de Velde cover art (I do love a nice matte cover) to its professionally copy edited interior, always a joy (and relief) to see.
What the Wind Brings is a superb book by a skilled storyteller that I strongly suggest you move to the top of your Want To Read list.
This is the work of an experienced, accomplished writer working at the top of his game. Hughes believes it's his best work; I will not argue the point. Hughes clearly put a lot of thought, effort and research into What the Wind Brings and it shows in the best possible way. The detail is entirely convincing and not overbearing; Hughes knows how to evoke a place and time while getting on with the interesting bits.
But the story, while fascinating and expertly told, is not the best part. The best part is the characters. Alonso, desperate to make himself useful. Anton, an escaped slave turned war chief and possibly his own worst enemy. Alejandro, a young Trinitarian monk seeking captives to shepherd, entirely without guile. And most compelling of all, Expectation, a Nigua hermaphrodite and healer, and our guide to the spirit world, tolerated (if not hated) by those who benefit from her unique skill set. Along with a host of other characters no less expertly drawn despite less page time.
What the Wind Brings was published by Pulp Literature Press, a Canadian Small Press (one of the few left). They only started releasing novels in 2017. The quality of the physical copy I read (the trade paperback edition) is on par with that of any publisher, large or small. The book is lovingly put together, from its Willem van de Velde cover art (I do love a nice matte cover) to its professionally copy edited interior, always a joy (and relief) to see.
What the Wind Brings is a superb book by a skilled storyteller that I strongly suggest you move to the top of your Want To Read list.
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April 17, 2020I wouldn't presume to write a review of my own book, but the eminent critic Russell Letson reviewed What the Wind Brings in Locus magazine's March 2020 issue, and now the mag has posted his full review on line.
https://locusmag.com/2020/04/russell-...
https://locusmag.com/2020/04/russell-...
May 4, 2020
3.5 stars, Metaphorosis Reviews
Summary
A Spanish ship wrecks on the west coast of South America, leaving lives overturned, and both former slaves and their keeper searching for new roles and purposes - finding a home for themselves while making a place among both peaceful and violent indigenous peoples while also fending off the encroaching power of Spain.
Review
I encountered Matthew Huges via one of his first books, Fool’s Errant, a fantasy distinctly influenced by the style of Jack Vance – so much so, in fact, that I’ve generally seen Hughes as an imitator rather than an original writer. He’s a fairly good imitator, but the world only needs one Jack Vance, and we had one. A few other dips into Hughes’ work over the years didn’t change my impression. (No doubt Mr. Hughes would strongly disagree with this account, but these are my impressions, and I stand by them.) At the same time, he struck me as a skilled enough writer that I wished he’d just develop a style of his own.
Well, he’s gone and done it. Not, to be honest, in a way that excites me – this is historical fantasy with a faint sheen of the speculative – but I do get the impression that, at last, this is his own voice, which I give him credit for.
The book is slow to get going – very slow. It’s competently laid out, but there’s not much spark to draw interest. Eventually, however, the characters develop, and we get more and more engaged by what they’re doing and what will happen to them. Hughes splits the book into three primary perspectives – an African-born Spaniard, an Ecuadorian shaman, and a Trinitarian priest (who come in late), and it’s probably a good decision – bring a little variety into the slow beginning, and allowing both for some variation in interpretation, and for the light speculative element.
The book ends with more of a fade than a resolution (and with a lazy solution to one key character), but it still feels fulfilling – more of a ‘decade in the life’ kind of book than a defined character arc. Hughes explains in the afterword that it’s closely based on historical characters and events – much more so than I would have suspected – which likely put some limits on his options. In any case, it’s an effective fictional study of a few key lives in the history of an Ecuadorian coastal village facing pressure from Spanish colonists, as well as an able confirmation that Hughes is a good writer. I wish he’d done more of this kind of thing – not historical fiction per se, but writing on his own terms, in his own voice. I’m certainly much more open to looking at his new titles now, in the hopes that they’ll be in a similar (but speculative) vein.
I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review.
Summary
A Spanish ship wrecks on the west coast of South America, leaving lives overturned, and both former slaves and their keeper searching for new roles and purposes - finding a home for themselves while making a place among both peaceful and violent indigenous peoples while also fending off the encroaching power of Spain.
Review
I encountered Matthew Huges via one of his first books, Fool’s Errant, a fantasy distinctly influenced by the style of Jack Vance – so much so, in fact, that I’ve generally seen Hughes as an imitator rather than an original writer. He’s a fairly good imitator, but the world only needs one Jack Vance, and we had one. A few other dips into Hughes’ work over the years didn’t change my impression. (No doubt Mr. Hughes would strongly disagree with this account, but these are my impressions, and I stand by them.) At the same time, he struck me as a skilled enough writer that I wished he’d just develop a style of his own.
Well, he’s gone and done it. Not, to be honest, in a way that excites me – this is historical fantasy with a faint sheen of the speculative – but I do get the impression that, at last, this is his own voice, which I give him credit for.
The book is slow to get going – very slow. It’s competently laid out, but there’s not much spark to draw interest. Eventually, however, the characters develop, and we get more and more engaged by what they’re doing and what will happen to them. Hughes splits the book into three primary perspectives – an African-born Spaniard, an Ecuadorian shaman, and a Trinitarian priest (who come in late), and it’s probably a good decision – bring a little variety into the slow beginning, and allowing both for some variation in interpretation, and for the light speculative element.
The book ends with more of a fade than a resolution (and with a lazy solution to one key character), but it still feels fulfilling – more of a ‘decade in the life’ kind of book than a defined character arc. Hughes explains in the afterword that it’s closely based on historical characters and events – much more so than I would have suspected – which likely put some limits on his options. In any case, it’s an effective fictional study of a few key lives in the history of an Ecuadorian coastal village facing pressure from Spanish colonists, as well as an able confirmation that Hughes is a good writer. I wish he’d done more of this kind of thing – not historical fiction per se, but writing on his own terms, in his own voice. I’m certainly much more open to looking at his new titles now, in the hopes that they’ll be in a similar (but speculative) vein.
I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review.
September 8, 2019
Hughes is not shy about calling What the Wind Brings his magnum opus. It’s a novel that’s been over twenty years in the making, the author not wanting to publish the work until he felt it was ready to meet the public. That time is here, and Hughes has produced a novel worthy of his ambitions for it.
My favourite character was Expectation, the nigua shaman. They’re an outsider because of their vocation, but even more so because of their gender and identity. None of the other characters quite know what to do with or about Expectation or even what to call them. Accordingly, some characters identify Expectation as she, some as he, and some identify them by their vocation, or, pejoratively as a witch.
Expectation doesn’t care. They know who they are and what they need to do, and they find a way to persevere despite the antagonism of Anton and the other Africans who have taken positions of power within the new community after the shipwreck.
Expectation has a spirit guide, who counsels them in their work. They heal sickness in the community and they, in turn, counsel the community’s leaders.
They’re pivotal to the melding of the Africans, the nigua, and the other tribes eventually brought into the larger Esmeraldas community. Expectation also plays an important role in Alonso’s story arc when they recover Alonso’s lost spirit guide, and in Alejandro’s arc, when they trepan the Trinitarian monk’s skull after a severe head injury endangers his life.
What the Wind Brings is, in my opinion, Expectation’s story. They’re the character that does the most to bring the community together and ensure its continued harmonious survival. While Expectation’s shamanism is the source of the novel’s speculative elements, they also display a healthy scientific curiosity, thinking about the nature of illness and contagion. These ponderings enable Expectation to adapt to other ways of thinking and healing and help them to remain relevant in the changing political structure of the Esmeraldas community.
Hughes writes with candour and compassion about the African slaves, the Ecuadorian indigenous peoples, and even the Portuguese and Spanish colonizers. His characters are, first and foremost, people with relatable fears and goals, flaws and better qualities. He does not shy away from the harm his characters do to one another, purposeful or inadvertent. There is great violence in the novel, but also great moments of compassion and love.
My favourite character was Expectation, the nigua shaman. They’re an outsider because of their vocation, but even more so because of their gender and identity. None of the other characters quite know what to do with or about Expectation or even what to call them. Accordingly, some characters identify Expectation as she, some as he, and some identify them by their vocation, or, pejoratively as a witch.
Expectation doesn’t care. They know who they are and what they need to do, and they find a way to persevere despite the antagonism of Anton and the other Africans who have taken positions of power within the new community after the shipwreck.
Expectation has a spirit guide, who counsels them in their work. They heal sickness in the community and they, in turn, counsel the community’s leaders.
They’re pivotal to the melding of the Africans, the nigua, and the other tribes eventually brought into the larger Esmeraldas community. Expectation also plays an important role in Alonso’s story arc when they recover Alonso’s lost spirit guide, and in Alejandro’s arc, when they trepan the Trinitarian monk’s skull after a severe head injury endangers his life.
What the Wind Brings is, in my opinion, Expectation’s story. They’re the character that does the most to bring the community together and ensure its continued harmonious survival. While Expectation’s shamanism is the source of the novel’s speculative elements, they also display a healthy scientific curiosity, thinking about the nature of illness and contagion. These ponderings enable Expectation to adapt to other ways of thinking and healing and help them to remain relevant in the changing political structure of the Esmeraldas community.
Hughes writes with candour and compassion about the African slaves, the Ecuadorian indigenous peoples, and even the Portuguese and Spanish colonizers. His characters are, first and foremost, people with relatable fears and goals, flaws and better qualities. He does not shy away from the harm his characters do to one another, purposeful or inadvertent. There is great violence in the novel, but also great moments of compassion and love.
August 30, 2019
I decided to chose something different to read from my normal women's style genre and I was pleasantly surprised by this novel. It was extremely well researched but the author didn't bog the book down in all the historical facts, they let the characters and scenery lead the story. The on,y thing the author couldn't get to grips with was time. Once they had set up camp I believe many years were passing but it wasn't communicated particularly well and none of the main characters seem to age although children were being born around them and growing up.
The ending was very abrupt too. Just like this review!
The ending was very abrupt too. Just like this review!
August 10, 2022
It's F-ing fantastic.
Hughes has always been one of my favorite writers (I have labeled him a national treasure in some of my published reviews) but up to now, that's mostly been for his darkly funny SF or serious (and award-winning) mysteries. This novel, based on an actual incident in early colonial Ecuador, is at a whole other level. It took Hughes twenty-five years to write, he got Canada Council money to finish it (i.e., stamp of approval by other high-end authors), and he considers it his magnum opus because, well, because it is. I don't see how he is ever going to top this.
If you want action-adventure, then it has that. Lots of edge-of-the-seat stuff here. If you're into character-driven stories, then here are three fully-realized viewpoint characters, each with completely different worldviews who are dealing with a first-contact situation. (Well, more like third or fourth contact, but trying to put aside what they think they know about the other group and move on from there.) Even the secondary non-viewpoint characters (like the leader of the escaped slaves) are compelling character studies.
If you're looking for total emersion into a historical novel, then you'll love how the settings have been researched down to the smallest detail, such that you can reach out and touch wherever his viewpoint character is standing. If you want cultural diversity, this is a story about cultural clashes and accommodation. If you want magic realism, then you'll love the shaman's viewpoint character. If you want something a little meatier than your typical SF or mystery, than this historical novel serves that up. If you want light reading, then I have to say this is one of the most accessible "literary" works I've read. (Yeah, it's possible to be both accessible and literary--did you not see this was published by Pulp Literature? Go read their magazine if you don't subscribe already. Everything they publish is this good.)
Best book I read last year and a contender for top five of that decade--and I only read 4 & 5 star books. If you're already a Hughes fan, then picking this up is a no-brainer, just don't be surprised it's neither SF nor a mystery. If you've never heard of Hughes before, then, well, start here. Unless you're the sort who roots for the conquistadors, this is pretty much a book for everyone.
Hughes has always been one of my favorite writers (I have labeled him a national treasure in some of my published reviews) but up to now, that's mostly been for his darkly funny SF or serious (and award-winning) mysteries. This novel, based on an actual incident in early colonial Ecuador, is at a whole other level. It took Hughes twenty-five years to write, he got Canada Council money to finish it (i.e., stamp of approval by other high-end authors), and he considers it his magnum opus because, well, because it is. I don't see how he is ever going to top this.
If you want action-adventure, then it has that. Lots of edge-of-the-seat stuff here. If you're into character-driven stories, then here are three fully-realized viewpoint characters, each with completely different worldviews who are dealing with a first-contact situation. (Well, more like third or fourth contact, but trying to put aside what they think they know about the other group and move on from there.) Even the secondary non-viewpoint characters (like the leader of the escaped slaves) are compelling character studies.
If you're looking for total emersion into a historical novel, then you'll love how the settings have been researched down to the smallest detail, such that you can reach out and touch wherever his viewpoint character is standing. If you want cultural diversity, this is a story about cultural clashes and accommodation. If you want magic realism, then you'll love the shaman's viewpoint character. If you want something a little meatier than your typical SF or mystery, than this historical novel serves that up. If you want light reading, then I have to say this is one of the most accessible "literary" works I've read. (Yeah, it's possible to be both accessible and literary--did you not see this was published by Pulp Literature? Go read their magazine if you don't subscribe already. Everything they publish is this good.)
Best book I read last year and a contender for top five of that decade--and I only read 4 & 5 star books. If you're already a Hughes fan, then picking this up is a no-brainer, just don't be surprised it's neither SF nor a mystery. If you've never heard of Hughes before, then, well, start here. Unless you're the sort who roots for the conquistadors, this is pretty much a book for everyone.
August 7, 2020
I've loved Matthew Hughes' Vancian-like stories and books in the past, so I was intrigued to see him try his hand at historical fiction.
Where Guy Gavriel Kay writes sweeping, epic romantic sagas set in worlds that closely mirror ours, they are also clearly very fictional.
In this book, it feels like the author has done a lot of research to get everything to feel very authentic. From life aboard a slave ship, to the customs and culture of indigenous South American peoples, to the imperialism and bureaucracy of Spain's golden age of exploration and conquest, it all feels vividly realized.
The descriptive language used is evocative, the dialog compelling and entertaining. I thoroughly enjoyed the stories of survival and change in the New World; Expectation and Alonso were great characters. I absolutely loved the mystical elements.
I don't think it's too much praise to say, aside from the mystical elements, it felt like I was reading a work of literature that would be much talked about later, something reminiscent of say Conrad's Heart of Darkness or Nostromo. Perhaps that's the equivalent of me claiming an illustration is a work of art (it is) but that's how I feel about it.
Recommended.
Where Guy Gavriel Kay writes sweeping, epic romantic sagas set in worlds that closely mirror ours, they are also clearly very fictional.
In this book, it feels like the author has done a lot of research to get everything to feel very authentic. From life aboard a slave ship, to the customs and culture of indigenous South American peoples, to the imperialism and bureaucracy of Spain's golden age of exploration and conquest, it all feels vividly realized.
The descriptive language used is evocative, the dialog compelling and entertaining. I thoroughly enjoyed the stories of survival and change in the New World; Expectation and Alonso were great characters. I absolutely loved the mystical elements.
I don't think it's too much praise to say, aside from the mystical elements, it felt like I was reading a work of literature that would be much talked about later, something reminiscent of say Conrad's Heart of Darkness or Nostromo. Perhaps that's the equivalent of me claiming an illustration is a work of art (it is) but that's how I feel about it.
Recommended.
September 11, 2020
The Review
The author does a fantastic job of crafting a narrative that draws its strength from intricate and memorable characters. The use of historical figures as the protagonists was an inspired choice and made it easier for readers to connect with the characters overall.
What really makes this story stand out is the time period for which the narrative is based around. The setting of 16th century South America and the tumultuous time that came from the Spanish colonization efforts that resulted in conquered peoples, enslavement, and eventually rebellion and bloodshed gave readers a rarely seen point in time to learn about and connect with. The strength it took for the African escaped slaves and the indigenous people to come together and face the many obstacles they did to become an independent state are fascinating to read about.
The Verdict
A lengthy yet powerful read, author Matthew Hughes's novel “What the Wind Brings” is a must-read historical fiction read. The way the author took in the various belief systems and cultures of those involved in the narrative and how they both clashed and came together made this a one-of-a-kind story. This is a fascinating read that will engage with readers who love history, so be sure to grab your copy today!
The author does a fantastic job of crafting a narrative that draws its strength from intricate and memorable characters. The use of historical figures as the protagonists was an inspired choice and made it easier for readers to connect with the characters overall.
What really makes this story stand out is the time period for which the narrative is based around. The setting of 16th century South America and the tumultuous time that came from the Spanish colonization efforts that resulted in conquered peoples, enslavement, and eventually rebellion and bloodshed gave readers a rarely seen point in time to learn about and connect with. The strength it took for the African escaped slaves and the indigenous people to come together and face the many obstacles they did to become an independent state are fascinating to read about.
The Verdict
A lengthy yet powerful read, author Matthew Hughes's novel “What the Wind Brings” is a must-read historical fiction read. The way the author took in the various belief systems and cultures of those involved in the narrative and how they both clashed and came together made this a one-of-a-kind story. This is a fascinating read that will engage with readers who love history, so be sure to grab your copy today!
March 25, 2020
I've read several books by Matthew Hughes, all of which are science fiction. This book is most definitely not SF, rather historical fiction with some minor fantasy elements. It's based on an incident that happened in the mid-1500s, the beginning of the Spanish conquest of Ecuador. A group of African slaves were shipwrecked on the Ecuadorian coast and, in a reversal of the usual turn of events, create an independent state.
The story itself focuses on three people - Alonso, a "free" African, a local shaman and a Spanish monk who was descended from Spanish Jews. Hughes invented an interesting back story for all three characters, although all named characters are real. I found it a fascinating look at an obscure part of history.
The story itself focuses on three people - Alonso, a "free" African, a local shaman and a Spanish monk who was descended from Spanish Jews. Hughes invented an interesting back story for all three characters, although all named characters are real. I found it a fascinating look at an obscure part of history.
February 5, 2020
What the Wind brings is a beautiful book about a small group of slaves that escape from a ship when it crashes along the coast of South America. It is there that they figure out to assimilate with the local indigenous tribe. Through all this the reader discovers how these tribes are exploited by other countries to work as slaves or be enslaved. An intelligent read. Special thanks to NetGalley for giving me an opportunity to read this book in exchange for my honest review.
February 4, 2020
As always, this author never disappoints. If you've read any of his other work, this is more serious than you are used to. Nevertheless, thoroughly enjoyable. Read this if you enjoy a historical context, characters that overcome adversity with cleverness and style, and a setting that fires your imagination.
January 23, 2020
An Exciting Adventure Story
I recommend this historical novel to anyone who enjoys a great adventure story. It also illuminated a part of South American history with which I was completely ignorant. A great read.
I recommend this historical novel to anyone who enjoys a great adventure story. It also illuminated a part of South American history with which I was completely ignorant. A great read.
August 28, 2020
Excellent! Great story (based on historical fact) and characters, deals with racism and colonialism, also features mysticism so well done that even an old fantasyphobe like me thoroughly enjoyed. Highly recommend!
January 29, 2020
An interesting historical novel about an alliance between native americans and escaped slaves that resisted colonization by the Spanish.
August 28, 2020
Excellent!
January 25, 2020
With the exception of a few short crime stories, I have only read SF by this author, so this story was definitely a change of pace for me. I know this author prefers his stories grow organically as he writes, rather than tightly plotting it before writing, but this book was very well-paced and more importantly, kept surprising me. It never went where I was expecting it to go.
I have found most historical fiction that I have read seems to have one or more evil villains who are evil just to contrast the good characters. (I especially hated The Pillars of the Earth for this.) In this book there were no evil villains per se, just people motivated by greed and justified by religion and a feeling of moral/racial superiority. Father Cabello came closest to being a villain, but was really more of an asshole with too much power. With the exception of Cabello, I liked most of the characters, good and bad, and felt more sorry than angry at the way things worked out for Anton (and Alonso for that matter). I loved the honest portrayal of men and their motives. The Inquisition was never really about heretics, it was about having an excuse to steal money from Jews, and then witches.
I also loved the subtle interweaving of religion, magic and "science" (blood-letting was science back then). It added to the mixing of the cultures and made the story even richer.
Hughes' wry wit is almost completely missing for this book, in keeping with its more sober content, but it does peek through occasionally.
With the exception of Miriam being an expert shot with a weapon that she had never seen or used before, I thought this was a pretty damn fine piece of historical fiction, and highly recommend it.
I have found most historical fiction that I have read seems to have one or more evil villains who are evil just to contrast the good characters. (I especially hated The Pillars of the Earth for this.) In this book there were no evil villains per se, just people motivated by greed and justified by religion and a feeling of moral/racial superiority. Father Cabello came closest to being a villain, but was really more of an asshole with too much power. With the exception of Cabello, I liked most of the characters, good and bad, and felt more sorry than angry at the way things worked out for Anton (and Alonso for that matter). I loved the honest portrayal of men and their motives. The Inquisition was never really about heretics, it was about having an excuse to steal money from Jews, and then witches.
I also loved the subtle interweaving of religion, magic and "science" (blood-letting was science back then). It added to the mixing of the cultures and made the story even richer.
Hughes' wry wit is almost completely missing for this book, in keeping with its more sober content, but it does peek through occasionally.
With the exception of Miriam being an expert shot with a weapon that she had never seen or used before, I thought this was a pretty damn fine piece of historical fiction, and highly recommend it.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 5, 2020
I was so excited to discover at the end that this novel was based mostly in fact, and there had been a entity in this early time period made up of escaped African slaves and native nations - well why not? It had worked in 19th century Florida - but not organized to this degree. Hughes, who I know from his short stories in Fantasy & Science Fiction, has brought together a selection of misfits - people who straddle worlds. There is a monk whose family is converso - evilly eyed by the Inquisition. There's a slave who was a general, and another who was adopted into a wealthy Spanish family. And one hermaphrodite who can walk the spirit world as easily as the physical world. The issue of belonging is the main concept. The wonders of native healing I thought were beautifully depicted, though we do not have complete information about this (Europeans believing at the time in "humors" of the body, are mocked only in their condescension). And Hughes manages to insert his trademark humor; I love the part where Pahta informs Alonso that he has just declaimed "we fart" instead of "we hope". Expectation is probably the most complex character, not only because of her temperament but her training. "I had long ago learned that the best way to give a false answer to a question was to give a true answer to a different one" she says. Alonso also understands that the right way to speak to the Spanish invaders is to say little.
Hughes puts out the idea that African slaves were weakened by not being able to retain their individual tribal customs and languages, yet portrays a new state that manages to not only integrate the different tribal origins but assimilate new Ecuadorian ones. The Zambo are not weak in his story. Still with all the history in this novel, it remains entirely character-driven storytelling, like that of an author Hughes and I both like: Cecelia Holland.
Hughes puts out the idea that African slaves were weakened by not being able to retain their individual tribal customs and languages, yet portrays a new state that manages to not only integrate the different tribal origins but assimilate new Ecuadorian ones. The Zambo are not weak in his story. Still with all the history in this novel, it remains entirely character-driven storytelling, like that of an author Hughes and I both like: Cecelia Holland.
May 2, 2021
What the Wind Brings
by Matthew Hughes
From Pulp Literature press
This is a dark look into the slave trade. A group of slaves headed to Lima Peru during the height of the Caribbean slave trade has crashed on the shores of Ecuador. The Spanish Conquistadors and the sailors are lost between the full brunt of a squall when they land to replenish their water supplies after another storm had driven their boat north. Alonso is a family representative on the voyage. An Honored slave or servant who finds himself alone on the voyage to Lima Peru, because his benefactor is ill in the Caribbean. The story is partly told from his perspective as he sees mistreatment by the Spanish sailors, and the African slaves he is transporting. When he survives the storm and the mutiny by the slaves he has to renegotiate his place in the world. It's an interesting concept, of the levels of trust, and expectation between Alonso and Anton, the leader of the slaves. The book also looks at the Nigua, the native tribe in the area of Ecuador. They have found the Conquistadors to be a rather confusing but brutal bunch of men. They have lost many men to the forced labor and mining camps of the White strangers. Their abusive practices are not welcomed by the natives. The question is are the dark skinned strangers that land on their soil the same as their white counterparts. Is a triumphant tale of human response the extremely brutal and unjust times. The formation of the unified society of the Dark Spaniards, and the Nigua shows how two separate cultures can find respect and mutual loyalty against the strongest of enemies.
June 24, 2019
Thank you as always to NetGalley and the publishers for a free copy in exchange for an honest review. My opinion was not affected by the free copy.
I'm sorry, but I had to check out at 40%. I hate doing this because I do love historical fiction, but I could never get engaged into the story or the characters. After a while I felt like I was forcing myself to keep going, and I don't like doing that. Maybe it's just because I'm unfamiliar with the cultures and the moment in history this is referencing. On the plus side, this book has made me curious about the actual history and events. I realize that there are certain artistic liberties taken when writing a novel about a historical event, but I can't help feeling like a lot more were taken with this one.
I think one of my bigger issues is with how this book was written. I don't mind it focusing on various characters, but why was one of them in first person and the others in third person? I always find that distracting whenever it comes up in novels. Either have them all be third person limited or all first person. I know there's probably a reason the author chose to present the story this way, but it just wasn't my taste.
Other ARC receivers seem to have enjoyed this, so I would still suggest reading it yourself. If nothing else, you will be introduced to a moment in history you might not have known about before.
I'm sorry, but I had to check out at 40%. I hate doing this because I do love historical fiction, but I could never get engaged into the story or the characters. After a while I felt like I was forcing myself to keep going, and I don't like doing that. Maybe it's just because I'm unfamiliar with the cultures and the moment in history this is referencing. On the plus side, this book has made me curious about the actual history and events. I realize that there are certain artistic liberties taken when writing a novel about a historical event, but I can't help feeling like a lot more were taken with this one.
I think one of my bigger issues is with how this book was written. I don't mind it focusing on various characters, but why was one of them in first person and the others in third person? I always find that distracting whenever it comes up in novels. Either have them all be third person limited or all first person. I know there's probably a reason the author chose to present the story this way, but it just wasn't my taste.
Other ARC receivers seem to have enjoyed this, so I would still suggest reading it yourself. If nothing else, you will be introduced to a moment in history you might not have known about before.
February 9, 2023
I'm a mixed opinion on this. Some of the writing/story was excellent, beautiful even, and engaging. It drew you in and made you want to see what happened. Other parts felt blunt, quick, and more like a divulging of information than a story. The ending in particular came fast and felt out of place in the flow of the story not to mention didn't resolve much of the narrative. Additionally there were narrative elements that came out that felt like they were setups for future conflicts, but were then discarded and never brought up again.
It's hard to either recommend or not recommend this book in particular, even though in general I recommend checking out the author.
It's hard to either recommend or not recommend this book in particular, even though in general I recommend checking out the author.
August 13, 2019
Thank you to Netgalley for the chance to read and review this book in advance.
I was very intrigued and excited to read this book. It is historical fiction/fantasy with three different main characters, a slave, a captive and a shaman fighting for freedom during the Spanish Inquisition.
There is enough adventure and action to keep the reader entertained as we journey along with this group of misfits. I have not read much about this time in history so I always like a book that takes me somewhere new.
I was very intrigued and excited to read this book. It is historical fiction/fantasy with three different main characters, a slave, a captive and a shaman fighting for freedom during the Spanish Inquisition.
There is enough adventure and action to keep the reader entertained as we journey along with this group of misfits. I have not read much about this time in history so I always like a book that takes me somewhere new.
Read
February 27, 2020very different from the sly humour of my favourite SF stuff from my friend Matthew. I was fascinated by the plot and found it moved along briskly. Unusually, I felt the author showed a certain sympathy for even the villains he described... well rounded characters generally.
May 4, 2021
At the end of the book is an Afterward. I wish I had read it first because it would have made the experience richer for me.
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