The Wolf Review

The Wolf by Leo Carew is the first of three books in the Under the Northern Sky series. In this dark political fantasy, the Sutherners are pitted against the almighty giants of the north called the Anakim. If memory serves me correctly, this fantasy closely resembles the Brits’ fight against the Vikings of the early Middle Ages. Besides just the physical size differences between the two, many other similarities are inherent and reused, such as their physical land location, culture and economy. The Wolf got me very interested and hooked right from the beginning by highlighting the differences and issues between the two cultures. It wasn’t anything new per se, as we get the same old war of the land between the two, such as the north being controlled by the Anakim and the south by the Sutherners, but rather, the political machinations kept me wanting to learn more.

“If you do not consider what drives you, you will not notice your own flaws.”
Gray

Unfortunately, there isn’t much else to really talk about. I think The Wolf did everything right to keep me turning the pages, but at the end, it couldn’t persuade me enough to continue on with the series. Well, at least for the time being. I think Bellamus and Roper are interesting enough characters to play that human chess game with each other. Although large-scale battles and warfare are something I’ve given up reading about, they were done quite well here. Action sequences were kept to a good but limited amount to prevent things from dragging on. I mean, there are only so many ways one could render a foe helpless with a sword on a battlefield. The Wolf paid a lot more attention to the Anakim’s than to the Sutherners, and I’m assuming things will switch in the second book. I’m sure Bellamus will have his turn to shine there. For someone looking for a good dark fantasy with political intrigue and warfare sprinkled in, I think The Wolf can serve them quite well.