Step into the imaginative world of Matthew Hughes, a celebrated Canadian author of science fiction and fantasy whose works have captivated readers and critics alike. With a career spanning decades, Hughes has crafted an impressive array of speculative fiction novels, including Fools Errant, Black Brillion, Majestrum, The Damned Busters, and Barbarians of the Beyond—an authorized companion to Jack Vance’s iconic Demon Princes series. In fact, George R.R. Martin himself praised Hughes, saying, “He does Jack Vance better than anyone except Jack himself.”Hughes’s magnum opus, What the Wind Brings, is a groundbreaking historical novel infused with magical realism. It made history as the first Canadian work to win the prestigious Endeavour Award, a project over forty years in the making and supported by a $25,000 grant from the Canada Council for the Arts.A master storyteller, Hughes has been shortlisted for nearly every major speculative fiction award, including the Nebula, Locus, and Philip K. Dick Awards. In 2020, his contributions to the genre were honored with his induction into the Canadian Science Fiction and Fantasy Association’s Hall of Fame.Before becoming a full-time author, Hughes spent thirty years as British Columbia’s top speechwriter, crafting words for political leaders and corporate CEOs. Since 2007, he’s embraced a nomadic lifestyle, housesitting in twelve countries and drawing inspiration from his global adventures.Join us as we explore Hughes’s journey, his literary influences, and the creative process behind his richly layered worlds. Whether you’re a longtime fan or new to his work, this is your chance to dive into the mind of a writer who has been called the “heir apparent” to the legendary Jack Vance.The Kino Isaac Podcast featured in FeedSpot Top 25 South Africa Entrepreneur Podcasts