A Companion to Wolves
By Elizabeth Bear & Sarah Monette
- Release Date: 2008-07-29
- Genre: Epic Fantasy
Description
A Companion to Wolves is the story of a young nobleman, Isolfr, who is chosen to become a wolfcarl -- a warrior who is bonded to a fighting wolf.
Isolfr is deeply drawn to the wolves, and though as his father's heir he can refuse the call, he chooses to go. The people of this wintry land depend on the wolfcarls to protect them from the threat of trolls and wyverns, though the supernatural creatures have not come in force for many years. Men are growing too confident. The wolfhealls are small, and the lords give them less respect than in former years.
But the winter of Isolfr's bonding, the trolls come down from the north in far greater numbers than before, and the holding's complaisance gives way to terror in the dark. Isolfr, now bonded to a queen wolf, Viradechtis, must learn where his honor lies, and discover the lengths to which he will to go when it, and love for his wolf, drive him.
At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.
Reviews
Difficult read
2By Other sci-fi guyThe insight and imagination in this book are deep and clear but getting to them is an extraordinary battle. I almost feel as if I were eavesdropping on a conversation between the authors who are speaking a foreign language. Characters are often introduced by name only (quite a few of which are unpronounceable in English) with the reader left to determine the sex and species via context. A very good memory is required to keep all the identities straight, especially because many of the names change in the course of the story. Added to that, the titles and descriptive nouns are made up of derivative syllables in a vaguely Nordic or Germanic way. Navigating the ambiguous identities reminds me of the first time I tried to read 100 Years of Solitude. Maybe it is the authors' intention that the book be reread or maybe the reader is meant to be disoriented, but the result is not an engaging experience unless one is looking for a challenge.Blindsided
1By AUK54This was an interesting and extremely well written story, but frankly, I was blindsided by the overt homosexual acts depicted in the story. This part of the story line was completely unnecessary and added nothing to deepen the understanding of the relationship between the men and their bonded wolves. Tension between the protagonist and his father could have easily been explained without a thesis on how to perform male on male copulation with multiple partners. If the author felt that explicit homosexual sex was important, then a warning to readers of the content is in order.Great, but...
5By ShiroKatanaI was a bit turned off by some of the 'requirements' when bonded to a wolf. It was a good story nevertheless.
