Sunday Times bestselling author Simon Winchester returns with a thought-provoking history of the wind, written in his edifying and entertaining style.

What is going on with our atmosphere? The headlines are filled with news of devastating hurricanes, murderous tornadoes, and catastrophic fires. Gale force advisories are issued regularly by weather services around the world.

Atmospheric scientists are warning that winds – the force at the centre of all these dangerous natural events – are expected to steadily increase in the coming years, strengthening in power, speed, and frequency. While this prediction worries the insurance industry, government leaders, scientists, and conscientious citizens, one particular segment of society received it with unbridled enthusiasm. To the energy industry, rising wind strength and speeds are seen as a pure advantage for humankind – a vital source of clean and ‘safe’ power.

Between these two poles – wind as a malevolent force and wind as the savior of our planet – lies a world of fascination, history, literature, science, poetry, and engineering which Simon Winchester explores with the curiosity and vigor that are the hallmarks of his bestselling works. In The Breath of the Gods, he explains how wind plays a role in our everyday lives, from airplane or car travel to the ‘natural disasters’ that are becoming more frequent and regular.

The Breath of the Gods is an urgently needed portrait across time of that unseen force – unseen but not unfelt – that respects no national borders and no vessel or structure in its path. Wind, the movement of the air, is seen by many as a heavenly creation and generally a force of essential goodness. But when it flexes its invisible muscles, everyone should take care and be very afraid.

Pages: 416, Dimensions: 15.3x15.3cm