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Through Wolf's Eyes
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(2 Votes)From Publishers Weekly
This engrossing tale of feral myth and royal intrigue from Lindskold (Changer; Lord Demon and Donnerjack with Roger Zelazny) offers plenty of action as well as fascinating anthropological detail on the social behavior of wolves. From the wilderness to a kingdom bereft of royal heirs the ambitious Earl Kestrel brings Firekeeper, a young woman raised by magically enhanced wolves who promised her mother their care and her eventual reintroduction to human society. Firekeeper's new companions under the earl's protection include Derian Carter, who becomes her tutor and adviser; her wolf brother, Blind Seer (named for his un-lupine blue eyes, thought a deformity in puppyhood), who is now of an age to leave the pack and ramble; and the falcon Elation, another magically enhanced being, who spent a year as a captive hunter among humans and is adept at interpreting human language and actions. Many nobles dismiss Firekeeper as "little more than a freak," but wolf society proves a useful preparation for court intrigue: she "seemed to have no difficulty interpreting the relative degrees of importance" in social situations. Though she knows she'll never discard her wolf nature entirely, she finds mingling with her biological kind oddly rewarding, especially after dancing and music raise her opinion of the two-legs. Magic plays a minor if increasingly significant role. Maps and a family tree enhance a beautiful and complex book. (Aug. 29)Forecast: With blurbs from Charles de Lint as well as David Weber and S.M. Sterling, plus good word of mouth, this novel could run ahead of the pack on genre bestseller lists.
Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.
From Library Journal
The search for an heir to the throne of Hawk Haven ends with the discovery of a young woman named Firekeeper, who has spent her childhood in the company of wolves and has no knowledge of the ways of humans. When her rescuers expose her to a life of polished manners and royal politics, they place her in a position of extreme danger as she becomes a pawn in the hands of power-hungry nobles and warring kingdoms. The author of Changer has created a gifted and resourceful heroine who approaches her plight from a wolf's point of view. Innovative and imaginative, this series opener belongs in most libraries' fantasy collections.
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.
17/08/2001
Jane Lindskold's THROUGH WOLF'S EYES may well be her best tale yet. Reminding me as much of Clavell's SHOGUN as Zelazny's NINE PRINCES IN AMBER or Turtledove's BETWEEN THE RIVERS, this almost-600-page novel kept me eagerly reading until the last page, and now I'm rabid for a sequel and purchasing copies for my friends!
Twelve years ago, King Tedric disowned his third child, Prince Barden, when the prince defied his father and led a small expedition beyond the Iron Mountains to live outside the King's micromanaging grasp. The kingdom lost contact with the colony, and Prince Barden's name was blotted from the books. Now, however, the two interceding heirs have died, the King is unwell, and infighting reigns at court. Earl Kestrel mounts a rescue party to bring back Prince Barden's daughter, Lady Blysse, of the right age and bloodline to press a claim for the throne - under Kestrel tutelage, of course.
The party finds the colony burned to the ground, but discovers a sole survivor, a young woman of the right age to be Blysse, who has been raised I can't wait). Lindskold keeps the reader riveted with Firekeeper's discovery, reminiscent of Clavell's Blackthorne exploring Tokugawa Japan in SHOGUN. As always, Lindskold populates her world with a wealth of interesting characters that develop to charm the reader into wanting to hear just a little more from them. (There are lots of characters - Firekeeper observes that keeping track of all the different people makes her head hurt - but the author subtly handles them so that there's always a reminder of who they are somewhere on the page.) These very real characters deal with disturbing psychological situations (such as the frightening control a manipulative mother exhibits over her children - is it sorcery or not?) as well as the evolving political situations in a way that has the reader asking their questions with them, and caring about the answers. Is Firekeeper really Prince Barden's daughter? Can she adapt to and survive in court society? How will Tedric's kingdom of Hawk Haven respond when its neighbor and enemy is attacked leaving him to realize that he has to get up for work in two hours! This is one fine story.
09/08/2001
Many years have passed since Prince Bardon and his followers journeyed from the relative safety of Hawk Haven to establish a colony. The group traveled to the wilderness beyond the nearby mountains. However, no one ever heard from the Prince again.
In the present, controversy over regal succession rules so Earl Kestrel leads an expedition to find the Prince or learn what happened to him. The search excursion fails to find the Prince, but a teenage woman calling herself Firekeeper enters their camp carrying Bardon's dagger. The Earl realizes she is most likely the Prince's daughter and places her under his protection. Apparently, Firekeeper, now called Lady Blysse by her fellow humans, lived with a special breed of wolves. On the trek back, a distinguished falcon and one of the intelligent wolves accompany Blysse to her new home. In the human royal court, everyone competes to gain Blysse's favor with most thinking she is an ignorant primitive. Her time with the wolves trained her quite well for dealing with a pack of nobles, but her preference remains turning into a real wolf.
THROUGH WOLF'S EYES is a powerful gender bending Jungle Book that works because the kingdom, the magically embellished animals, the nobles, and the heroine feel real. The charcaters make the plot seem plausible. On top of a strong fantasy adventure, readers gain a political infighting subplot that anchors the prime theme to a reality base. The weakness of Jane Lindskold's fascinating novel is that this almost six hundred page complex story line compels the reader into one finishing it in one sitting.
Harriet Klausner
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