Customer Reviews

Wolf Hunting

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Ms. Lindskold continues to write literate, well thought out fantasy. This continuation of the "Firekeeper and Blind Seer" saga proves to be the best yet. Ms. Lindskold refuses to be predictable. Besides the Wolf series she has written enough unrelated books such as "Child of a Rainless Year", to prove the extent of her imagination. An imagination that does not need to construct unbelievable scenarios and long descriptive passages to carry you into her world. The story alone carrys you with it. We are lucky indeed to have such a writer.

With the fifth installment of the "Firekeeper" series, Jane Lindskold continues to uphold her tradition of fine storytelling. In order to understand the full background of the Firekeeper universe, I would recommend reading the rest of the series in order. While there are enough references and history provided to allow the book to stand on its own, readers will certainly benefit from reading the previous four books in this series.

I found that this book in particular set itself apart by introducing a completely new venue and various new subplots. It did deviate somewhat from the previous books in that Lindskold narrowed her focus somewhat, zeroing in more tightly on some key characters. Lindskold is particularly adept at character development, so the tighter focus gives even greater depths to already likable (if not downright charming) characters.

While set in a "sword and sorcery" universe, it is not the typical fantasy novel one would expect. More intellectually and relationship oriented, Lindskold draws the reader in and really endears the reader to her characters, promising a delightful book that is literally impossible to put down at times.

WARNING: May cause drowsiness due to the inability of the reader to put the book down. May also cause post-story depression once the reader finishes the book and is once again returned to real-life.

I think I liked this as much as book 1. Maybe more because I already knew the main characters. I'm releaved about this, because I really didn't care much for the in-between books.

Still, Jane is one of the better fantasy authors at creating real worlds with believable, fully-fleshed characters. It's 2:30 AM, and I just finished reading -- even though my work will suffer, tomorrow. I really couldn't put it down.

I got a 58 on an exam because of this book. I seriously could not put it down. Jane Lindskold writes in a way that absolutely captivates the reader, drawing them fully into the story, surrounding them in a world that holds a plethora of surprises. Her imagery is so keen that I see every little detail of her world in my mind's eye, from the colour of Derian Carter's hair to the wild battles that they must fight.

In this installment of the Firekeeper series Lindskold continues to develop the increasingly intriguing story arc that has been going on through each of her novels. Magic and the Old World, which were only mentioned with disgust in the first installment of the series, now begins to take an increasingly important role in the lives of Firekeeper and our friends. While the book can stand on its own, I would highly recommend reading the first four books so you can completely understand all of the undertones and references this one has.

Lindskold's characters are seamless and completely relatable, even though they may be a wolf, a feral child and a carter's son. At times I find myself more interested in the character development than the actual story, but that is not a bad thing in the least. Her characters are so well developed that they actually seem like real people, like one day I could wake up and Derian Carter would be walking down the street. If Lindskold suddenly decided to end her current plot and simply write about the characters lives, I could honestly say that I would not mind. In this installment, without giving too much away, we get a visit from a few old friends, a disease that threatens the life of our protagonists, and a transformation that will leave Lindskold's readers shocked.

The final installment of this series will be a bittersweet read for me. On the one hand I am incredibly anxious to see how she concludes her story arc and to witness the final developments of her characters. On the other hand, I will be devastated to know that it is the end of the line. Lindskold's plot and characters are so gripping that it will be like saying goodbye to good friends when I turn the final page.

Wolf Hunting has been one of my favourite installments of this incredible series and I would recommend it to anybody, even if you are not a fantasy lover.

I, too, felt the need to slog through this dense novel instead of enjoy it. I didn't skip the parts with Derian and other characters - as another reviewer said here. Plik is a true delight! And Derian, well, you'll have to read the book. He and his struggles may be worth the price of admission, alone. I've read all the other Firekeeper books and I will read Wolf Blood, but perhaps not immediately. This book did seem to meander, as a book with an unknown quest, to an unknown place to find unknown people, with some unreliable information givers as sources might. But the whole thing left me a bit unsettled, unsure of what happened, a bit frustrated, when I finished the book.

Wolf Hunting (2006) is the fifth fantasy novel of the Wolf series, following Wolf Captured. In the previous volume, Shivadtmon killed Wahn, but was captured and turned over to the u-Liall to tell the whole plot. The Wise Dolphins brought back Dantarahma's body and let it float ashore. Rahniseeta was selected as his replacement in the u-Liall, so her engagement to Derian was now socially and politically impossible. Derian and Barnet are later returned to the north to carry word to their monarchs and the families of the lost sailors.

Several of the maimalodalum died during the intrusion, including Questioner. Still, Questioner remained alive and awake long enough for Firekeeper to have a final conversation with him. Then she and Blind Seer ran out into the wilderness for a long while.

In this novel, the Wise Jaguar diviner Truth has been lost in the possibilities for over a year. She hears a mocking voice calling her and follows through the threads. Then she finds herself blocked by a door. She calls out for Firekeeper and the maimalodalum hear her.

Firekeeper and Blind Seer have been roaming the Misheemnekuru islands for a full year. They have been visiting various packs, helping where needed, and gaining reputations for courage and wisdom. They have even acquired a pack of their own, with Dark Death and the pregnant Moon Frost joining them. Then young Rascal comes to them and Moon Frost has two pups that live; the others die of the deformities common to the island inhabitants.

One day in the heat of the summer, Lovable the Wise Raven comes to the pack to summon Firekeeper and Blind Seer to the maimalodalum council. The summoned pair start off to Central Island immediately and the rest of the pack follows more slowly. Some days later, Firekeeper and Blind Seer climb the hill to the sacred buildings where the maimalodalum headquarters is located.

The council informs Firekeeper and Blind Seer of Truth's condition and recent words. Powerful Tenderness takes them to where Truth is confined in her madness and Firekeeper attracts the attention of the jaguar. Upon returning to reality, Truth tells them of the door and its placement within the house that is not a house. Blind Seer recognizes the setting and they return to the council to plan the excursion.

Firekeeper, Blind Seer, Powerful Tenderness and Plik locate the door, learn how to open it, and enter a small suite that has been occupied, but is currently empty. They rescue Truth from behind another door and search the rooms and contents. The main room contains a small library and Firekeeper finds six statues, two of which are broken, hidden within a pool of running water.

Firekeeper and Blind Seer recognize four of the statues. The two broken statues were of persons who had delved deeply into forbidden magic. After hearing Truth's experiences, the team decides to take back everything portable to Center Island.

In this story, the beast-souled maimalodalum search their own archives for information related to the recovered items and to Truth's story. One interesting bit of information concerns the identity of the voice that Truth has been hearing. The writings recovered from the hidden rooms had been defaced to remove all names, but the tales themselves were about someone who matched stories in the archives about the Meddler, a semi-divine entity who had originally been human.

The maimalodalum council cannot identify the two unknown statues. Although the clothing carved on the figures shows a Liglim influence, it does not quite match any illustrations in the archives. The council decides to solicit the assistance of the Liglimom in the search and sends Plik -- who can pass for human at a distance when clothed -- with Firekeeper, Blind Seer and Truth to talk to the u-Liall.

When Firekeeper returns to the mainland, she finds Derian has also come back. Now he is chief advisor to the Bright Haven ambassador. She swiftly brings him up to date.

The Liglim archives are also unable to identify the nationality of the unknown statues, but the clothing styles suggest that they probably come from a citystate south of their border. Derian, Harjeedian and the Wise Horse Eshinarvash join the party when they head south. Derian and Harjeedian make the initial contact with the leaders of these states, but firekeeper and the yarimaimalom are the main attractions in the temples along the way.

This story strongly involves magic. Firekeeper despises all magic, but has sufficient experience with the art -- particularly with blood magic -- to recognize certain patterns in its usage. Since she doesn't speak human languages all that well or often, she mostly demonstrates her ideas by actions rather than words.

The Meddler -- who prefers to think of himself as only one of many meddlers -- lives up to his cognomen by intervening at key points within the story. Although he tries to convince everyone that his actions are motivated by compassion, most suspect that he has ulterior motives. Nonetheless, he has proven useful so far.

Highly recommended for Lindskold fans and for anyone else who enjoys tales of intelligent animals, strange magics, and mysterious entities.

-Arthur W. Jordin

Someone mentioned that this installment of Firekeeper's story has gone far afield. I guess that's my biggest gripe with it. They go through a portal to another land and it's an almost totally new set of characters around them. Then with many of the new characters I wasn't satisfied with the level she developed them, such as the twins and the two wolves they freed. I really hope in the next book she brings Firekeeper and Blind Seer back to their original turf (Hawk Haven, I believe it's called). I had come to really like the character of Sapphire and I want to see how married life is treating her. :)

All of the books I've read by this author have been fabulous. I highly recommend this whole series of the intelligent wolves.

Enjoyed continuing the story and meeting new people. Not as much politicking and it opened up the world more, which is always fun.

Things I didn't like:

--Continued to belabor Firekeeper's lack of vocabulary and reading ability. It's okay, WE GET IT ALREADY. (Though, quite frankly, given how smart Firekeeper is, I don't see the point in this character choice except to make her have some flaws, which is rather shallow.)

--Tended toward catch-up flashbacks for people who haven't read the first books. A line or two is fine at the beginning, but they should read the previous books if they want the full story.

I'm a bit nit-picky, but there you go. I hope this helps.

This is an wonderful saga. The author keeps you part of the story with deals and descrition that make me want to be there with her and blind seer.