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Clair Obscur: Expedition 33’s “untranslatable” inspiration is finally getting an English release after 22 years
Developed over time first seen 3 months ago
Alain Damasio's 2004 French science-fiction and fantasy novel La Horde du Contrevent is due to receive its first official English-language edition. Abrams Press will publish Alexander Dickow's translation as Horde of the Counterwind: An Epic Voyage to the Upper Reaches on 13 October 2026. The original follows 23 members of a travelling horde attempting to reach the source of the powerful winds that dominate their world; 33 previous expeditions have failed over eight centuries. Its shifting narrators, invented vocabulary and extensive wordplay contributed to its reputation as exceptionally difficult to translate.
The announcement also gives English-speaking players of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 access to a literary work cited by Sandfall Interactive as an influence on the game's story. In an Unreal Engine interview, the studio described Damasio's novel as inspiration for its account of explorers entering the unknown on a hazardous journey, alongside influences from role-playing and action games. The forthcoming book is not an adaptation of Expedition 33; rather, it is an earlier work whose expedition-based premise and themes helped inform part of the game's development.
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In short
- Alain Damasio's 2004 novel will be published in English for the first time.
- Abrams Press plans to release Alexander Dickow's Horde of the Counterwind on 13 October 2026.
- Sandfall Interactive has identified the novel as one influence on Clair Obscur: Expedition 33's story.
How this story developed
- 3 months ago Alain Damasio's 2004 French science-fiction and fantasy novel La Horde du Contrevent is due to receive its first official English-language edition. Abrams Press will publish Alexander Dickow's translation as Horde of the Counterwind: An Epic Voyage to the Upper Reaches on 13 October 2026.
Explained simply
La Horde du Contrevent is a French science-fiction and fantasy novel by Alain Damasio, first published in 2004. It follows 23 travellers crossing a world ruled by powerful winds, trying to reach the winds’ source after 33 earlier expeditions have failed.
The book is known for its changing narrators, made-up words and wordplay, which have made it difficult to translate. It is also one of the works that Sandfall Interactive has cited as an influence on Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, whose story follows explorers on a dangerous journey into the unknown. The game is not an adaptation of the novel.