Alain Damasio’s cult French science-fiction novel *The Horde of the Counterwind*, a key inspiration for *Clair Obscur: Expedition 33*, will receive its first English translation later this year. Its release matters because the book’s distinctive prose has long been considered exceptionally difficult to translate, allowing English-speaking readers to access a modern French sci-fi classic that influenced the successful role-playing game.

Abrams Books will publish the hardback edition in the US on 13 October 2026, while Amazon currently lists a UK release date of 12 November, pending publisher confirmation. The 2004 novel follows explorers battling a relentless wind to find its source after 33 previous expeditions failed; it won the 2006 Grand Prix de l’Imaginaire and is translated by poet and scholar Alexander Dickow.