The Winds of Khalakovo

The above image has the feel of the unpublished novel I just read. The painting is by Ruan Jia, an amazing Chinese artist. I am a huge fan of his and please visit his website at:
http://ruanjia.com/home.asp


The Winds of Khalakovo by Brad Beaulieu

I just finished reading, The Winds of Khalakovo, an unpublished novel by my friend and author, Brad Beaulieu—a Writers of the Future winner. It’s like A Song of Ice and Fire meets Earthsea. Winds was so awesome and I'm very fortunate to be one of the first people in the whole world to have gotten to read it and provide feedback to the author. I can't wait for Brad to sell this book. It's such an amazing work of epic fantasy set in a very unique world. Think of a fantasy Russia during the time of the czars with flying sailing ships that ply the freezing winds of an unforgiving world. The Winds of Khalakovo was a page-turner and Brad is such a great writer. The novel was 175,000 words, but it read really fast. As far as epic fantasy, this is the kind of book I look for—strong characters in lots of danger. There is a cool, satisfying ending, though we need more. Much more.

I’ve never read a fantasy with a Russian slant to it before, and the magic system of the book was so fascinating as well. I don’t want to give anything away, so I should stop writing, but suffice it to say that Brad’s book is tense and exciting. He keeps you guessing and wondering up to the very end. I know he and I are both working on perfecting some of the same things in our writing, so his style just gets me. I wish I was as good a writer as he is, and I’m thankful that he helps me edit my own projects.

Here’s a description of the novel that I found on Brad’s blog:

“The Winds of Khalakovo is an epic Russian fantasy, a tapestry that portrays the story of a once-unified nation marching steadily toward the brink of civil war, of a blight that is eroding the traditional way of life on the archipelagos, of a culture that against their most ardent beliefs is driven to acts of extreme violence. It is a story of two unlikely allies, a Prince and a young, autistic savant, who together set the wheels of the story in motion.”

What Brad does not mention is that besides the Prince, the other main characters are two incredibly strong women. Atiana and Rehada are totally different, but are both fascinating.

Let’s all hope that a major publisher snags this book and puts it out soon. I can’t wait to see the cover art for it. I think Donato Giancola or Brom would be perfect to paint the cover.

Best wishes,

Paul Genesse
Author of The Dragon Hunters
www.paulgenesse.com