The Wolf

by Leo Carew

Overview

A young lord faces off against an ingenious general in an epic fantasy that's "twisty in its political maneuverings, gritty in its battle descriptions, and rich with a sense of heroism and glory." (Publishers Weekly)

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.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780316521376
Publisher:	Orbit
Publication date:	04/03/2018
Series:	Under the Northern Sky , #1
Pages:	512
Sales rank:	346,581
Product dimensions:	5.45(w) x 8.25(h) x 1.55(d)

About the Author

Leo Carew is a Cambridge graduate of Biological Anthropology, currently studying medicine. Apart from writing, his real passion is exploration, which led him to spend a year living in a tent in the High Arctic, where he trained and worked as an Arctic guide.

Editorial Reviews

★ 12/18/2017
Carew’s gripping and ambitious epic fantasy debut introduces a world closely mapped to Viking-era Europe, with intriguingly differences. Roper Kynortas becomes the leader of the Black Kingdom, the home of the nature-loving, pragmatic race of giants known as the Anakim, after seeing his father killed in their first military defeat in thousands of years. Young, inexperienced, and grieving, Roper has to find a way to secure his nation against the invading human Sutherners while solidifying and consolidating his power against the threat posed by heroic Uvoren, the ambitious leader of the Anakim sacred guard. His human antagonist, Bellamus, an upstart commoner who specializes in knowledge of the Anakim, is delightfully clever. The book is twisty in its political maneuverings, gritty in its battle descriptions, and rich with a sense of heroism and glory that fans of Saxon-derived poetic tradition will appreciate. The depth of Anakim culture is thoroughly developed, including shadow organizations run by women that may threaten the heavily militarized male-focused power structure. The finale of this installment perfectly sets the stage for a larger story, and readers will excitedly anticipate the rest of the series. (Apr.)

Publishers Weekly

"Full of dark conspiracies, larger-than-life characters, and tense battles, Leo Carew has created a rousing cross between The Magnificent Seven and Game of Thrones."—Paul Hoffman, author of The Left Hand of God

"As bleak and brutal as the northern snows, a new voice in epic fantasy"—Gareth L. Powell

"An action-packed and blood-splattered tour de force . . . . Carew is the real deal - an exciting new voice in fantasy."—Kirkus

"Gripping and ambitious . . . twisty in its political maneuverings, gritty in its battle descriptions, and rich with a sense of heroism and glory."—Publishers Weekly (starred review)

"The Wolf is a work of extraordinary imagination and perhaps the most captivating first novel I've ever read."—Michael Dobbs, author of House of Cards

"Carew's brisk and engaging narrative, with its mixture of gritty violence and political intrigue, will remind readers of George R. R. Martin, David Gemmell, or a less-bleak Joe Abercrombie."—Booklist

"Carew's worldbuilding skills are strong and his ability to infuse even the grittiest battle scene with emotion and drive is impressive."—RT Book Reviews

From the Publisher

2018-02-06
A grand-scale historical fantasy set in the frigid wilds of the Black Kingdom, Carew's stellar debut novel—about a young lord forced into a perilously complex situation after his father is killed in battle—is an action-packed and blood-splattered tour de force.The Black Kingdom, inhabited by a race of giant warriors, lies in the northern reaches of the realm of Albion, separated from its enemies, the Sutherners, by a great river. The Sutherner populace is terrified of their neighbors to the north, who wear virtually impenetrable bone armor and are mythically long-lived. But when the legendary leader of the Black Kingdom—the Black Lord—is killed in battle and his 19-year-old son, Roper, is forced onto the throne, the entire kingdom is thrown into chaos. One of his father's most revered soldiers, the war hammer-wielding Uvoren, wants the throne for himself—and will do anything to get it. As Suthern forces roam the Black Kingdom killing its residents and burning everything to the ground, Roper must maneuver his way through a treacherous political labyrinth, leading a society on the brink of civil war while also formulating a plan that will push the interlopers from the land. Quickly marrying into a respected family and gathering powerful allies strengthen Roper's position, but the odds are still stacked against him. Featuring a memorable cast of (predominantly male) characters, exceptional worldbuilding, meticulously choreographed battle scenes, and relentless pacing, the narrative does has some minor flaws. The author's strength in describing the Black Kingdom sometimes gets neglected in the novel's later chapters as he focuses on the fight scenes, and the story arc revolving around the relationship between Roper and his wife is two-dimensional at best. The novel's strengths, however, ultimately outweigh these weaknesses. Carew is the real deal—an exciting new voice in fantasy.

Kirkus Reviews

Narrator Matt Addis’s textured British baritone delivers listeners onto the atmospheric Northern battlefields on which much of this story unfolds as two opposing nations seek to annihilate each other. The first in Leo Carew’s historical fantasy series covers three seasons in parallel narratives featuring Roper, heir apparent to the Northern Black Kingdom of the Anakim, and Bellamus, a Suthern upstart and Anakim expert with political aspirations. Addis’s keen and commanding performance conveys Roper’s evolution into a leader as he struggles against memorably characterized opponents. Well-paced action sequences and home-front intrigue engage listeners in the ultimate outcome. A sense of unease permeates the ominous epilogue, setting the stage for the next installment. J.R.T. © AudioFile 2018, Portland, Maine

JUNE 2018 - AudioFile

Narrator Matt Addis’s textured British baritone delivers listeners onto the atmospheric Northern battlefields on which much of this story unfolds as two opposing nations seek to annihilate each other. The first in Leo Carew’s historical fantasy series covers three seasons in parallel narratives featuring Roper, heir apparent to the Northern Black Kingdom of the Anakim, and Bellamus, a Suthern upstart and Anakim expert with political aspirations. Addis’s keen and commanding performance conveys Roper’s evolution into a leader as he struggles against memorably characterized opponents. Well-paced action sequences and home-front intrigue engage listeners in the ultimate outcome. A sense of unease permeates the ominous epilogue, setting the stage for the next installment. J.R.T. © AudioFile 2018, Portland, Maine

JUNE 2018 - AudioFile