Wolf And Iron (Mass Market Paperback)

by Gordon R. Dickson (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal
The U. S. has been devastated by worldwide financial collapse. Civilization as readers know it has disappeared. Marauding bands are terrorizing the countryside, killing and looting. Jeremy Bellamy Walthers' goal is to cross 2,000 miles of ravaged countryside to reach the security of his brother's Montana ranch. En route he befriends a wolf who becomes a partner and companion via verbal and nonverbal communication. The story deals with Jeremy's interaction with the wolf and the other human survivors of the economic collapse. Dickson has created another superior novel; it's colorful, well written, and peopled with well-developed, multidimensional characters. The wolf is especially fascinating. YAs who have cut their teeth on such works as George's Julie of the Wolves (Harper, 1972) or Mowatt's Never Cry Wolf (Little, 1963) will enjoy this survival story in sci/fi clothing. --John Lawson, Fairfax County Public Library, VA
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 448 pages
• Publisher: Tor Books (March 15, 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0812533348
• ISBN-13: 978-0812533347
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.1 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (21 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #88,288 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

25 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Gritty, October 23, 1998

By	dsrussell "greyhater" (Corona, CA. United States) - See all my reviews

I foundGordon Dickson's "Wolf and Iron" to be a gritty view of aworld thrown into chaos from world financial collapse. The story begins with Jeebee running for his life from a town that he has lived and worked in for five years. He leaves Indiana to seek his brother who lives in Montana, and what follows is basically a "coming of age" story. During his travels and his constant search for food and the daily fight for survival, his path crosses that of a lone wolf. Together they share a bond that is the heart of this story.

A man alone, with only an enigmatic wolf for company, creates a fascinating premise that, because of its theme, is extremely sparse on dialogue. Although laborious at times, it is never dull. Dickson has a clear writing style that is not the least bit flowery or poetic, nor should it be for this type of theme. Dickson creates a rugged, bleak, violent-infested world where people don't have the luxury to trust, so it's a `shoot first and ask questions later' type of mentality. However, Dickson also has the tendency to `rehash' certain points over and over, which slows the pace of the novel.

There is much to like and learn in "Wolf and Iron", not only about the behavior of the wolf, but also about basic survival. The theme of human societies dissolving down to its most basic level is certainly not new, but is dealt with admirably. Jeebee is no super hero. He is just a young man plunged into a world where everyone and every situation can be extremely dangerous. This reader felt the cold, the fear, the hunger, the lonliness and desperation.

The relationship of Jeebee and Merry was interesting, yet, I believe Dickson missed a real opportunity here. Several scenes were done well, yet had potential for so much more. I wished Dickson spent a little more time showing the growth and tension in their relationship--maybe it was a lack of down-to-earth human passion at pivotal moments. These scenes could have sparkled and added greatly to the novel, but alas, they just sort of wavered, then fizzled.

All in all, I really enjoyed "Wolf and Iron". Its only element of science fiction is the post apocalyptic setting. It is an adventure story, a coming of age story of survival and bonding. From 1 to 10, I give it a marginal 7. Dickson's "Time Storm", another post apocalyptic novel written 13 years earlier and similar in structure, sparkles in the areas that this novel came up short.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of my favorite books!, July 17, 2002

By	Tony DeRosa (Madison, WI United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I read this book for the first time about 10 years ago. I have read it twice more since. It is simply one of the most enjoyable reads I have ever had. I have been hoping that Gordon comes back to these warm, great characters of Jeebe & Wolf and gives us a second book. It is just a great book. If you share my view of this try to find a copy of Sterling E. Laniers "Hiero's Journey" another great tale of comraderie between a man and his best friend who isn't quite human...
Gordon Dickson's a great writer.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A Different Kind of Dickson Novel!, December 27, 2008

By	Archie Mercer "Archie" (Yorba Linda, CA) - See all my reviews

I've always been a big fan of the apocalyptic, end-of-the-world-and-beyond type of story. From older books like Earth Abides and A Canticle for Leibowitz, to newer stories like The Wild Shore: Three Californias (Wild Shore Triptych) and Eternity Road. So finding "Wolf & Iron" by Gordon R Dickson, and knowing what a great author he was, I had high expectations. Unfortunately, I'm sorry to say, what started out good ended average at best.

The premise is that the country, and supposedly the world, had a complete and total financial meltdown causing society to fall back to almost a feudal type of culture. Cities and towns became fortresses where strangers are met with suspicion and hostility, where bands of outcasts terrorize the countryside robbing & killing indiscriminately, and where there is no law except survival of the strongest. The main character is Jeebee who is trying to travel to Montana in the hopes that his brother's ranch might be a safe haven for him. Along the way he somehow picks up a wolf and together they head west. The story takes the two into very dangerous situations as they must both trust, and learn from, the other for survival.

What works in the story is that Dickson takes his time to develop not only the characters but the overall disaster that has fallen on society. He doesn't paint a rosy picture of people and situations but instead shows us a bleak, almost hopeless portrait of how desperation can bring out the worst in human nature. At the start of the book Jeebee is almost completely unprepared for the hardships he will have to face. The story takes us through his growth as a person and survivor as he has to make hard choices in his quest to find safety.

What fails here is pretty much the last third of the book. The story becomes boring and even silly at times. The pace of the story begins to slow down making it very hard for the reader to stay interested. And his "reunion" with the young girl Merry is completely unbelievable. Without spoiling the story too much, a disaster leads her to try and find him weeks after he left her family. Along the way she is held captive by another family causing her, you would think, to fall even further behind him. And yet, after escaping, she somehow gets ahead of him while hiking in a snowstorm where he ends up finding her. The final resolution of the book, while showing a somewhat hopeful future for Jeebee and Merry (and Wolf of course) is actually disappointing to a certain extent. I really expected more.

Overall, it's not a bad book, just one I wouldn't recommend too strongly. If you are into these types of stories you will find this to be somewhat enjoyable. But if you are a Gordon R Dickson Sci-fi fan, you'll probably be disappointed with this effort.