I requested a digital copy in order to sample the prose on my phone (since I don't have a eReader) before requesting a physical copy for review. My review will be based on the physical ARC I read (if I qualify)

Tries to balance the action with the political but it skews heavily towards the former in terms of time and also success. Carew struggles to nail the political nuances but does alright when it comes to the bloodier aspect of fantasy plotting.

An interesting and pretty well-written debut novel. Carew writes pretty good action/battle scenes. I wanted to like this more than I ultimately did, however. It's only the first in a series, so I expect later volumes will improve (in fact, I've heard this from others). There's a lot of detail, some interesting world-building, etc. But ultimately it just didn't quite click for me.

The Wolf is an exceptional work of epic fantasy, featuring expertly drawn battles, strong worldbuilding, and a protagonist who works tirelessly to take the reins of a kingdom he stumbles into leading. It’s compelling, thrilling, and everything you could want from a great epic.

A DIFFICULT BILDUNGSROMAN

At its essence, The Wolf is the story of a young man growing into a leadership role he was unexpectedly forced into after the death of his father. Roper starts at the bottom of the ladder with no supporters and an active opposition trying to replace him. It’s no small task to inspire respect within the Anakim people, making his battle all the more epic. We see him grow exponentially throughout the book, changing from a scared, angry boy to a confident, powerful young man. There are conflicts and revelations aplenty that live up to the expectations of a well-written fantasy epic.

STRONG WORLDBUILDING

The two kingdoms battling for supremacy couldn’t be more different. To the South, you have the Southerners, a race of humans with average lifespans who fear their neighbors to the North. Thanks to the manipulations of a shady figure quickly shouldering his way up the ranks, they decide to invade the North to take it for themselves. Where the South is a typical fantasy kingdom straight out of a King Arthur tale, the North is anything but. The Anakim are a fascinating people with a well-formed culture who live for centuries. The have deep connections to the land, creating a mysterious landscape that seems to bend at their will. While they have cities aplenty, the real gem is the Hindrunn, a massive city made of stone that is nearly impossible to attack. It’s epic to imagine and makes for a fitting setting for the constant political maneuvering and internal conflicts.

INTRIGUE GALORE

Beyond the battlefield, the war for the Anakim leadership provides heavy doses of thrills and drama. Through heated discussions, tense back alley negotiations, constant meddling, and assassination attempts, we see the danger of Anakim politics and what it takes to lead such a fierce people. Roper must work around the clock to find people he trusts and to keep hold of the throne that is rightfully his. 

EPIC BATTLES

Finally, the battles are everything you could want and more. They’re written expertly, complete with smart military strategy, questionable decisions by those in charge, and heroes who stand out amidst the many.

Epic fantasy is the fiction of my heart. Yet as much as I love it, it’s often tough to find a book that doesn’t just rehash the same tropes (not that there’s necessarily anything wrong with that—tropes in just another word for tools, after all). When I first opened Leo Carew’s The Wolf and was greeted with a suspiciously Britain-shaped map of Albion, I thought I knew what to expect, and it may have given me pause. I couldn’t help but wonder: am I in the mood for another fantasy set in a fantasy analogue of a European country?

Well, I am here to tell you, friends: never mind the shape of that map. You don’t want to miss this one: Carew’s debut is remarkable in its ambition, and does not disappoint where character and worldbuilding are involved.

Albion is an island divided. The Black Kingdom, located north of the Abus river, is wild and untamed, populated by a fearsome race of beings literally born for war. Living twice as long as humans, and towering above most of them at around seven feet in height, the men of the Anakim are born with bone plate armor just under the skin of their chests. They are a warrior people. Much like the Spartans of ancient Greece, every man serves. Every man fights. South of the Abus lies Suthdal, populated by more familiar humans, plentiful in number, though softer, and more interested in wealth than in war.

Unexpectedly, it is the Sutherners who break the tenuous peace between the two peoples; they inavade Anakim territory, killing the Anakim leader, the Black Lord. Roper, the Black Lord’s heir, young and unready as he is, faces an ultimate test of life and death. To survive, he must succeed in his rule, or risk death at the hands of he who would challenge his rule—the captain of the Sacred Guard, Uvoren the Mighty. But Roper also facing a cunning foe from the south in Bellamus, a crafty politician who has fomented war with the Anakim in a strange attempt to both learn the race’s secrets and eradicate them from the land. Bellamus is secretly backed by the Queen of Suthdal, and her motivations are as yet unclear.

Carew’s plotting is remarkable. Many epic fantasies begin with, and are organized on the back of, a quest narrative. More often than not, the climactic moment is a large battle, and the winner of said battle (whether it comes at the end of the book or the end of a trilogy) is the ultimate victor, forever and ever. The Wolf begins with the epic battle, which we experience through the flawed, fumbling leadership of Roper, who makes terrible choices, revealing just how green he is as a leader. His struggles do not end on the battlefield, and as he learns to wage a more intimate sort of war—one of politics and personalities—he makes yet more dangerous blunders. He chooses dubious allies who might, in the end, be more deadly than those he’s ostensibly fighting. The question remains, can Roper figure out how to succeed in both open warfare and in the political theater?

Women are largely absent from the narrative, but don’t be deceived into thinking they don’t have just as an important role to play as Roper and his male allies. Early on, Roper makes a marriage of politics to the daughter of his most powerful ally, Tekoa. But his bride, Keturah, is no object to be bartered with. Her father and her husband both defer to her choice to enter into the union, and she proves to be more skilled at the game of politics than her new husband. She enters the marriage willingly and with eyes wide open. For the two of them, it’s an alliance meant to strengthen their country; at this level of leadership, that’s more important than a love match, and their relationship of mutual respect carries through the novel. Given Keturah’s interest in the secrets of the Anakim, and what she begins to uncover in The Wolf, I fully expect her to have a much large role in the balance of this planned trilogy. Yes, this particular book focuses on epic battles between two nations, and yes, the armies are comprised solely of male characters, but enough hints are dropped about women making moves behind the scenes that I’m very much looking forward to seeing how it all plays out.

The world of the Anakim is fascinating. It’s got a very Scandinavian feel, but is alien enough to stand on its own. The descriptions of the Anakim’s intimate, almost spiritual ties to the land are often breathtaking and completely immersive. This is epic fantasy with a touch of grimdark, populated by fierce warriors and smart women. Fans of Joe Abercrombie’s novels—particularly The Shattered Sea trilogy—will eat it up like…well, you can imagine.

The Anakim dwell in the desolate forests and mountains beyond the black river, the land under the Northern Sky.Their ancient ways are forged in Unthank silver and carved in the grey stone of their heartland, their lives measured out in the turning of centuries, not years.By contrast, the Sutherners live in the moment, their vitality much more immediate and ephemeral than their Anakim neighbors.Fragile is the peace that has existed between these very different races - and that peace is shattered when the Suthern armies flood the lands to the north.These two races revive their age-old hatred and fear of each other. Within the maelstrom of war, two leaders will rise to lead their people to victory.Only one will succeed. - GoodreadsI read this book with Nora over at Paper Tea and Books. And if I did not have her to read it with, then I would have DNF this book 20% in.Throughout the entire book, it felt as the author is describing to you what the book is about as opposed to telling a story. It felt like the author was trying to convenience you that this is a book was depth, war, betrayal and some form of redemption. But the only thing this book had was a lot of world building, a lot of politics and a grown man being babied.Roper gets into the leadership position because of his father's death at battle. Although he is very intelligent when it comes to war, he is soft. He is one of those leaders that need other people to do the dirty work because it isn't cut out for him. He comes off as a 12 year old and when people don't do what he wants, how he wants he pouts and stomps his feet until they say Okay.But that isn't even the worst. In one case, he is to go hunting and he stuns the animal and keeps thrown across the other side of the forest. His father in law comes and praises him and is like well you didn't kill it, I did but you did a good job -_- I was ready to throw my phone because Roper doesn't do anything on his own and somehow every battle always wins.Another issue with this book is there is no thrill. The author downplays the entire thing. Like no one is fearing for their life at the intensity it should. No one is stabbing people in the back. Everyone is being civil. Which is crazy to me because this is suppose to be war; a external and internal war.Also regards the other characters, SO MUCH POTENTIAL! The author dropped the ball on developing the surrounding characters who play a huge role in the story. It felt like he was so focused on simply introducing the characters that he forgot to actually develop them into a well thought out story.This book was a DNF for me but I enjoyed talking to Nora about it that I finished it. The plan was to give book two a try because there is potential in this book. But those last few chapters killed it for me.Overall,1 Pickle

This one wasn't for me. I had to put it down, it was very dense and not much happened so I admit I gave up.

This one had its strong points, but the weaker elements are the ones that stood out too me.

This book is a military based story, and the writer is strong in the art of War. I found myself immersed in those pound of the story, it was painting a grand picture in my head.

The rest of the book was a different story. There was a lack of strong female characters, which I have come to look for in every book that I read. It also felt a little disjointed. I’m not sure if it was the writing style, or the flow of the story, but I wasn’t able to sink into it.

Thank you for the opportunity to review this book! I hope another reader enjoys this story.

Thanks to Orbit/Hachette Book Group for my review copy of The Wolf.

The Wolf is the debut work of Leo Carew, and the first of the Under the Northern Sky series. The Wolf is an interesting read from a military perspective - Carew does tremendous work narrating the field of pitched battle, captivating from one moment to the next. I personally enjoy character-driven fantasy, and much of The Wolf isn't. Fans of historical fiction and battlefield tactics will enjoy The Wolf to the fullest.

The Wolf opens with an enormous battle - The Black Legions of the Anakim, a race of mysterious, bone-plated warriors, pitched against the teeming armies of human Sutherners. The son of The Black Lord Kynortas, our main character Roper is new to battle and seeks to learn from his father. But after a cunning attack by the Suthern forces led by the upstart Bellamus, Roper finds himself suddenly in command of the thousands of Anakim legionaries.

Having tasted victory for the first time, the Sutherners grow emboldened and sweep into the Anakim homeland. Defeated and disgraced in his first battle, Roper faces threats without and within, his supposed allies seeming more enemy than friend with the title of Black Lord at stake.

The first quarter or so of The Wolf hooked me. Everyone loves an underdog, and I cheered for Roper to win through nearly insurmountable odds. Where the book falls flat is in the middle 50%. Unnecessary plots, several wooden characters, and stakes that mattered, then suddenly didn't, bogged down the reading experience for me. Much of Roper's character progression happens "offscreen", with narration about him leading men or setting an example but very few actual scenes of him doing so. Some of the consequences of battle seemed inconsequential too - namely, how were the Sutherners able to lose so many men and never seem to run out? I also wanted to explore interesting parts of the story that weren't addressed (like bone plating), but my hope is that they'll be explained in future books.

Even though I don't think it's for me, The Wolf is a solid book. If you love military reads and are a fan of historical fiction, The Wolf is right up your alley.

If you've read The Wolf, keep an eye out for Book 2, The Spider, set to release April 18th, 2019 (UK).

In many ways I think I'm at a disadvantage because I don't have a close relationship with the landscape and geography of England, much less the rest of Europe, and despite decades of Anglophilia I'm no closer to overcoming that obstacle. I assume, however, that if I *did* know more about these things that I would appreciate Carew's "The Wolf" far more than I did the first time through, in much the same way I'd likely fall for a fantasy epic set in the Blue Mountains outside of Sydney, the Arkansas Ozarks, or Northwest Montana. Having admitted this failure of my imagination, I still think there's much to prevent me from fully embracing "The Wolf."

Two specific things, really: "The Wolf" is weighed down by its toxic white masculinity, and defanged by its over-reliance on the whole "telling, not showing" thing. By which I mean: "The Wolf" is almost entirely dialogue interspersed with summary description, and it feels overstuffed and clumsy as a result. This may have been an editorial choice, but it was not one which helped me appreciate the characters or feel invested in the action.

About that toxic masculinity thing: perhaps the term is too strong in that it ascribes some sort of blame to Carew himself. I think we all have a tendency to lean into the easiest tropes when we're rushed or phoning it in, and when it comes to the Western fantasy epic, there are simply oodles and oodles of tropes informed by toxic masculinity to lean into. Connect the dots between J.R.R. Tolkien and George R.R. Martin--tolerably good individuals who happened to write popular Western fantasy--and you have a whole slew of fantasy authors, filmmakers, readers, and audience members who more or less equate "epic fantasy" as a term with a (usually) white, (usually) male, (usually) coming-of-age swords-and-sorcery tale. The tropes are so ingrained that you could more or less write a fantasy epic by filling in the blanks.

Is that what Carew has done in "The Wolf"? I can't speak to motivations and intent, but I do know that I've pretty much seen it all before when it comes to the plot, characters, and scaffolding of this book. A young man, thrown unexpectedly into a position of power and influence within a white, male-dominated, and European-inflected society must scrap and battle to ascend to his rightful place with the assistance of allies and in the face of much opposition. A cunning enemy with a Littlefinger-ish flair for the dramatic, on the rise and rallying another white, male-dominated, and European-inflected society to his will, rounds out the main talking points. Perhaps I would have cared more if Carew had introduced a diverse cast earlier on in the book, and if the first woman hadn't been brought on stage after 5o pages ... and if she hadn't have been such a terrible librarian. Seriously, is Genevieve Cogman's "The Invisible Library" the only ongoing fantasy series to treat librarians as something more than serious shhhhers? It really stings to see my own career field reduced to this, and subjugated to yet another young white boy's political ascendancy. Seriously, this is not at all a thing that librarians are likely to enable.

I realize I'm sounding rather harsh, here. And my feelings are harsh. But I hope that Leo Carew writes more books and that I have a chance to read them. Even a most cursory glance at Carew's website (https://leocarew.com) is proof that he leads a fascinating life full of the kind of fodder to fuel truly terrific science fiction and fantasy. Some people might write blindingly fantastic debuts, and some people might write superior books later on in their publishing arc. I happen to think Carew is among the latter group.

Here's to Carew's next book!

You know when you start a book and you just know that no matter what story the author is telling, you are going to love it because it has the kind of writing you just want to experience? I had that moment with The Wolf. After a few pages, I knew I would enjoy a detailed narrative about the proper maintenance of home gardens in Antartica if it were written by Carew. This immediate connection with the writing made it too easy to finish this over four hundred page historical fantasy.

The Wolf is a dark fantasy novel about war, loyalty, and leadership. The world-building is incredible. The setting is so realistic, you finish the book with a sense of having actually been to the harsh lands of The Black Kingdom. The intensity of the battle scenes leaves you breathless.

The characters have a lot of depth. Each character is a three-dimensional person with motives and intentions that are not always clear. The women are powerful and have depth rare in the fantasy realm. 

I really enjoyed this book and look forward to the upcoming series. Given this is his first novel, Carew will be a fantasy author of note very quickly. Thank you to Orbit Books, Leo Carew, and NetGalley for a copy of this book for review. I am eagerly away the sequel.

This didn't feel like a debut. I enjoyed it so much that I actually read it on my Kindle at home, which is rare for me. I much prefer paper.
Fascinating world-building, interesting character development, great action. If you dig politics and war, give it a shot.

Another month, another debut Fantasy novel. But once this one has built up steam it is a great read.

From the publisher:

“Leo Carew’s debut novel The Wolf, the first book in the Under the Northern Sky series, is a masterpiece in epic historical fantasy – a new voice to rival David Gemmell or George RR Martin.

A great war has come to the land under the Northern Sky.

“Beyond the Black River, among the forests and mountains of the north, lives an ancient race of people. Their lives are measured in centuries, not decades; they revel in wilderness and resilience, and they scorn wealth and comfort.

By contrast, those in the south live in the moment, their lives more fleeting. They crave wealth and power, their ambition is limitless, and their cunning unmatched.

When the armies of the south flood across the Black River, the fragile peace between the two races is shattered. On a lightning-struck battlefield, the two sides will fight – for their people, for their land, for their very survival.

Two sides. One victor.”

Getting beyond the publicity, The Wolf is a good book, but shows many of the usual issues with a debut novel. The beginning is a little wobbly, but once the book gets into its groove it works well. The characters, though starting as fairly nondescript traditional tropes, do develop into something more than the typical.

The story is a typical revenge tale, which at the basic level has Roper, a prince of the ancient Anakim, determined to avenge his father’s death, defend his Kingdom against the invading army from the South and seek recompense from those who treated him badly when he came to power.

From the wider viewpoint, The Wolf is not only a clash of characters, but a clash of cultures. The differences between the more human ‘Sutherners’ (ugh) and the towering Anakim is more than just appearance. The Anakim have a rigid social order of valour, based around fighting and conflict and a long lifespan. It made me think of the Spartans, which may be deliberate. By contrast, the humans, though seemingly less rigid, are the typical medieval-esque society most Fantasy novels relate to, with Kings, Queens and a court of dubious malcontents.

This all sounds wonderful, and I’m sure that many Fantasy fans will love it – so why am I not whole-heartedly recommending this novel? Well, it fell foul of some of my usual bugbears with many novels, especially debuts. Firstly, I had issues with some of the names, although admittedly not enough to kill the book for me. Some of the name usage is rather random – there are Nordic surnames, mixed up with place-names such as ‘Albion’. Whilst I concede that this may be an attempt by the author to mix things up, so to speak, and be different, it didn’t work for me.

In addition I found, for example, that the name ‘Roper’, instead of inspiring and engaging the reader, is a name that instead brings to my mind someone from a Northern kitchen-sink type drama, which may be appropriate but does not bode well. Worse, the invading force are ‘Sutherners’, a nomenclature which rather grated on me. In my opinion it would have made more sense, and would have been less disconcerting, for the author to make up his own nomenclature.

Secondly, the plot has a number of issues which read as untrue to me. I found the idea of Roper being placed into the middle of a major battle on his first outing, so to speak, an unrealistic situation. Surely the youngster, knowing of his potential future, would at least have been trained or seen battle from a safe distance beforehand? There’s also a concern that the book’s characters veer between extremes – from one minute being thoroughly charming to the polar opposite, which gives a rather schizophrenic feel to some of the characters. In the end I felt that there’s a lot of surface but little depth.

Of the plot there are times where things just seem to happen too easily and too conveniently. The ascendance of Roper, from a child watching his first battle to being the leader of thousands of men seems to be much faster, and with less effort, than I would expect.

Allowing for these issues, though, there’s a lot to like about this book generally. Some of the battle scenes, of which there are many, are written confidently and hold the reader’s attention admirably, even over forty pages at times. The relationships between the warriors and their wives is not as jarring as I thought it could have been, and adds a little more depth to what otherwise could be superficial.

To be frank, and despite what some comments would say, this is not an author who is the next GRRM, nor Terry Brooks, nor any other popular Fantasy writer you can think of. It is a good book from a debut author, who I think will develop with experience – he is only twenty-six years old, and should be applauded for his efforts, even if they are not entirely to my taste.

What is perhaps most important is that, on balance, The Wolf has more positive points than negative points, and those were not enough to derail my interest. Despite my issues and my quibbles, I did enjoy it and the pages kept turning after that wobbly start. There’s also a cliffhanger ending which means that we should expect a second book.

The Wolf is a novel full of military strategy, political intrigue and characters that capture your attention and won’t let it go. The Anakim and the Sutherners are pit against each other and we’re dropped straight into a battle that turns everyone on its head. The Black Lord is lost and his son, Roper, must take up the reins mid-battle and make a decision that the Anakim hadn’t ever made before. Retreat. His inexperience leads to other’s challenging his place as the new Black Lord.

It’s easy to see that hours of research went into crafting this novel. The Anakim and the Sutherners had well developed cultures. For an author to put that much time and effort always pulls me in deeper into the story. The only down side to this was that some aspects read like a history book. It was a bit dry and with too much detail that bogged me down. It made me skim through parts, which in turn means I no doubt missed some of the more important details. Like some character appearances, bits of their personality were no doubt lost because of this.

Overall I did enjoy this book. I will be looking forward to the next book.

I received a free eARC copy of this from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Transposed over a somewhat familiar geographic locale with denominations to set the tone and theme, The Wolf by Leo Carew is an epic fantasy and clash of cultures/races.

The Anakim and Sutherners are ancient enemies whose peace has now been broken.
The power struggles are both within and without as each side face their own internal strife.

Brutally depicted warfare and predominantly male oriented with just a few minor female characters that I wish would have been more developed. The style and pacing of the tale varies from long vivid descriptions to abrupt changes, but overall works very well. Looking forward to the next installment in the series.

The island of Albion is divided by the River Albus. To the north lies the Black Kingdom, cold and wild, the home of the Anakim, a giant and long-lived (if not killed in battle) race of giant warriors while the Sutherners, shorter, more ‘civilized’, occupy the warmer southern realm of Suthdal. The two races have clashed in the past but now share an uneasy peace. But a clever upstart Suthern commoner, Bellamus, is determined to change this. He has convinced the king that recent events including unusual weather portend an invasion by the Anakim and, if Suthdal is to survive, the Sutherners must take the war to the north.

It is the first battle for Roper, the 19-year-old son of the Black Lord, leader of the Anakim and, to his horror, he watches as his father is killed and the legionaries thrown into disarray by the Sutherners. Suddenly, Roper is forced to take command over the first military defeat the Anakim have suffered in thousands of years – a source of great shame to a race devoted to war and one that Uvoren, the popular captain of the Sacred Guardsmen, ‘a role every aspiring warrior dreams of playing’ will happily exploit in an attempt to win the black throne from the inexperience youth.

The Wolf: Under the Northern Sky is the first book in one compelling epic fantasy series by author Leo Carew. It is hard to believe that this is Carew’s debut novel - the world building is impressive, the characters are interesting, and the battles well-thought-out. As other reviewers have mentioned, the one area where the novel falls short is in the character of Roper who, even at the end, seems less a successful leader than a lucky one but I found him likeable enough that I suspect or hope he will grow into his role in future books and this did not interfere with my overall enjoyment of the tale. As in most series, the ending lays the groundwork for the next installment and I will definitely be looking out for it.

<i>Thanks to Netgalley and Orbit Books for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review</i>

A brutal war with political intrigue? Yes. Sign me up. I had been needing something heavier and grittier than what I had been reading. This book didn’t quench my thirst but it scratched an itch. Ya feel me?

The thing I liked most about this book were the two main characters, both of which had a hand in narrating the story. There is Bellamus, who is a Sutherner, and a man who lives and breaths war. He studies the Anakim and it’s almost like he wants to be one of them, even though he has made it his mission to exterminate them. Getting to go inside his mind while he thinks strategies is a very interesting experience. He kind of made me want to read The Art War (almost…). I think the book is written in a way that made you feel for both races and warriors. I, however, rooted strongly for Roper.

Roper is the King of the Anakim. The Anakim are over 7ft tall and live twice the normal human lifespan. Roper only became king when he was 19! The Anakim are a warring people. It is what they excel in, and almost nothing else. Though Roper shows more depth and character than his fellow people. He feels for them. He wants to be a good king. Don’t get me wrong, he is BA at strategy. It’s what his blood line is for. He went to war a boy and came back a changed man. I loved it.

What I didn’t love: some of the plot didn’t make sense. Like, why do the Sutherners keep trying to dominate the Anakim?! They had a peace treaty and Bellamus was like, “Hmmm, I’m bored. Let’s go commit genocide.” Like, what?! Why? Random. And I really wanted more world building. I felt as though the author concentrated (and did a good job) on the Anakim history, but they are only on one island. What’s in the rest of the world?

All in all, I really liked this book. It was gritty and bloody and just what I was in the mood for. I liked that the two races paralleled England and the Vikings. I wanted a little bit more from the plot, but overall it was interesting. If you are looking for a High Fantasy, this isn’t it. It’s more like an embellished, different earth, almost historical, type of Fantasy. I happened to find it entertaining and I will definitely be reading the sequel!

I received a complimentary ARC copy of The Wolf (Under the Northern Sky #1) by Leo Carew from NetGalley and Orbit/Hatchette Book Group in order to read and give an honest review.

Intense, gripping and an adventure not to be missed.

When young Roper, son of the Anakim's Black Lord watches his father slaughtered in battle, he is thrust into the role of leader of the Black Kingdom's Army and new Black Lord of the Kingdom. When forced to retreat or lose thousands of soldiers he becomes a disappointment and is mocked by everyone in the kingdom.  Their opponents, the Sutherners, after the death of their commander, are left in the hands of Bellamus, referred to by the kingdom as an "upstart" or "nobody". Both sides fates being left to men who are sorely underestimated and who must prove their worth's to their kingdoms.

Roper faces opposition at every turn by the Black Kingdom's fiercest and most decorated soldier,  Uvoren.  Uvoren, feels the kingdoms should be rightfully his and will go to any length to obtain it.  After basic posturing, humiliation and a smear campaign by Uvoren, Roper must find a way to become a hero to his people and gain confidence in himself.  He does everything in his power to not only become a great warrior but to become a great and fair leader to his people.   

In his debut novel, Carew does an impeccable job of creating a foreboding frozen northern landscape along with masterfully depicting the lifestyle and culture of the Anakim people who live there. His characters feel genuine, flawed and incredibly believable. Fraught with intriguing political twists and battle scenes that are as vivid as they are powerful this book will keep you engaged in Carew's world right to the end. The end leaves not on a cliffhanger but open to the next instalment which I for one will be eagerly waiting for. 

Although I read urban fantasy and am not a regular reader of Epic Fantasy I loved The Wolf, I found it intense and captivating.  If you enjoy epic fantasy such as George RR Martin's Game of Thrones this series might appeal to you.

Ahoy there me mateys! I received this fantasy eARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. So here be me honest musings . . .

the wolf (Leo Carew)
Title: the wolf
Author: Leo Carew
Publisher: Orbit Books
Publication Date: TODAY!! (paperback/e-book)
ISBN: 978031652137
Source: NetGalley

While I enjoyed this book while reading, I find that overall my impression is that it is just an okay read. The book has a very Norse feel to it (in me limited experience) and is about two cultures at war.

The Anakim are the Northerners who have a culture of battle and a deep-seated love of nature. They are long-lived, have an oral tradition, and have very little art. The Suthern folk are more like medieval humans. Both sides dislike the other but have been at a limited peace. Then an upstart Suthern commoner, Bellamus, has a plan to use the Anakim in a plot to gain power and fame. The Northerner, Roper, is suddenly thrust into a position of power when his father is killed. Can he keep the Anakim intact with also fighting a civil war from within?

I felt that the characters, battles, and politics were a little flat. Me favourite sections were the discussions of the culture of the Anakim and particularly their relationship with nature and hardship. I also liked the civil war elements of the Anakim sections and the parts that took place at the Northern keep. Roper's wife was awesome and I wish she would have played a bigger part. While in general I cheered for the Anakim side, I did occasionally find Roper to be a ineffectual leader whose successes seemed more lucky than skillful. Also the set-up for the next book was a bit abrupt in the end. I will potentially be reading the next book in the series but will wait for me crew's reviews before making that decision.

Side note: I wish that fantasy authors would stop using the North as lands of ice, snow, and barbarians and the South as lands of heat, culture, and learning. There be other cardinal points, folks!

So lastly . . .
Thank ye Orbit Books!

Goodreads has this to say about the novel:

Violence and death have come to the land under the Northern Sky.
The Anakim dwell in the desolate forests and mountains beyond the black river, the land under the Northern Sky. Their ancient ways are forged in Unthank silver and carved in the grey stone of their heartland, their lives measured out in the turning of centuries, not years. By contrast, the Sutherners live in the moment, their vitality much more immediate and ephemeral than their Anakim neighbors. Fragile is the peace that has existed between these very different races - and that peace is shattered when the Suthern armies flood the lands to the north. These two races revive their age-old hatred and fear of each other. Within the maelstrom of war, two leaders will rise to lead their people to victory. Only one will succeed.

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Yer Ports for Plunder List

My luck with debut novels seems to keep holding strong, and Leo Carew’s The Wolf is the latest in this string of fortunate encounters, an epic fantasy story set in what looks like an alternate version of Britain, called Albion, where baseline humans and outlandish warrior races compete for primacy through bloody wars.

Readers are plunged straight into the midst of one of these wars, pitting the Sutherners against the Anakim, a northern tribe of veritable giants, long-lived and quite strong thanks to the inner bone plates that armor their chests: knowing that superior numbers will not be enough against the Anakim’s battle prowess, the Sutherners devise a trap that works successfully, forcing their foes into an unheard-of retreat after their leader, the Black Lord, is killed in action leaving his 18-year old son Roper in command of the army. The defeat weighs heavily on the Anakim’s morale and gives Uvoren, the highest-placed general and a renowned hero, the opportunity to lay the blame on Roper and seize the leadership: Roper will have to learn the subtleties of politics and authority very quickly as he fights a war on two fronts – the inner one, where his clash with Uvoren fast escalates into deadly territory, and the outward one, as the Sutherners, emboldened by the recent victory, rekindle their expansionist plans.

The Wolf is a novel that satisfies both in world-building and in characterization: in the island of Albion the river Abus works as a demarcation between the Sutherners and the Anakim, the former viewing the latter as monsters, fallen angels, barbarous savages, while the Anakim see their historical opponents as weak and lacking in honor. Both are wrong, of course, mostly because of ignorance on either side: we readers instead enjoy the opportunity to get to know them better, and to see how land and living conditions can shape a people and forge their mindset.

The South enjoys a more agreeable climate, fertile lands, and therefore its inhabitants have created a more laid-back society, but also one in need of demographics-related expansion, so they inevitably turn their gaze toward the territory of their long-time enemy and, through the old strategy of demonizing the adversary, mount a campaign of invasion, plunder and destruction with the goal of beating the Anakim into submission. The northern warriors, on the other hand, have built their society on military prowess and on a strong link with the land they dwell in, a symbiotic bond that in some cases prevents them from giving in to the invading army, choosing death rather than relinquishing their foothold.

A the heart of the Black Lands, the Anakim territory, lies the Hindrunn fortress, a massive construct of stone that no enemy could breach and inside which the Anakim seek not so much a form of security as a way of isolating themselves from the rest of the world, the microcosm in which they feel truly attuned to the land in which they live. The glimpses we are afforded inside the Hindrunn’s walls speak of a complex, lively society that belies the Sutherners’ prejudice about the Anakim’s savagery.

On this fascinating background move some interesting figures, drawn with such skill that the main antagonists – Roper the fledgling Black Lord and Bellamus, the upstart who gained command of the Sutherner army – come across as equally sympathetic so that it’s difficult, if not impossible, to pick a favorite. Roper is young and quite inexperienced: his father enjoys little narrative space before his demise in battle, but he seems like a harsh, unforgiving man and one not too prone on passing on some wisdom to his son. So being both inexperienced and young, Roper initially flounders in his role as ruler of the Black Lands and risks to be easy prey to Uvoren’s power play; he rebounds quite easily though, finding a few allies and heeding any sensible advice that his directed his way. He learns on the fly, and he’s as ready to treasure what he learns just as he’s ready to acknowledge his mistakes: as ruthless as he needs to be, he remains able to elicit the reader’s sympathy all throughout the book, growing in depth and complexity as the story progresses.

Bellamus, for his part, must struggle against his humble origins to emerge in a society that pays more attention to circumstances of birth rather than skills: his liaison with Queen Aramilla plays an important part in his ascent toward command of the Sutherner army, but he reaches the goal through sheer determination and a years-long study of the Anakim, for whom he harbors more than the interest of a military commander analyzing his adversary. There is an uncommon form of respect, almost fascination, in Bellamus’ keen interest in all things Anakim, so that, once he realizes than despite the long years of study he only scratched the surface of this adversaries' culture, and did not understand what the Anakim soul truly is, the ensuing frustration weighs more heavily than any defeat.

With such focus on battles and military prowess one might think there is little or no space for women in The Wolf, but although they are not exactly prominent, what we see of them in Anakim society makes for intriguing glimpses I hope will be given more space in the next novels. While Sutherner women seem relegated in the traditional roles this medieval-like milieu allows them, Anakim women, though apparently enjoying only a supporting position in their society, are afforded more freedom and are shown repeatedly as its backbone: one of the glimpses I was talking about concerns the office of Historian, the women to whom the totally oral traditions and past of the Anakim are entrusted, since they have no written language worthy of that name; they are the holders of their people’s collective memory and so the custodians of all that makes the Anakim what they are.

And then there is Keturah, the woman Roper marries to sign a political pact and who quickly becomes his partner, his confidante and his best ally: when we first meet her we see her as quite outspoken and bold, then we slowly learn about her cunning political sense and her ability to create a web of useful relationships. The fact that she’s universally treated with respect and even affection by her peers speaks loudly about this side of Anakim society, and is another detail that begs a deeper look.

All of the above might seem like scattered notions, and in a way they are because it’s difficult to take in all of the complexities of this novel and the story it tells, but I believe that The Wolf must be enjoyed as I did, with as little information – or preconceptions – as possible: this way it will be easier to get happily lost in this fascinating world. And to come out of it with a strong desire to know more.