Way Of The Wolf 

                                                by Jonathan Yanez

Review by Katy Grant

On an M class planet, three resides a race of beings that hold magic within their bodies, Marcus Walker and his son Jack, are two such beings. They live in the Outlands, using their services to protect others. Others… there are shadow spirits, walking dead soul snatchers, mutated creatures (evolution or man created?), vampires and witches, mages and more unknown as yet. Charlotte Sloan is the Captain of the Queen’s guard, a hard-won position, even harder to hold as a female amongst the men. Aareth Emerson, once a security guard for the Queen, within the walls of the city of New Hope, turned assassin after the death of his wife. Queen Eckert is at the center of New Hope’s clean up. Over the past decade, she has supported the growth of technology with mechanics and mages working side by side, enforced fair treatment for all within the city walls, while replacing those who would work only for their own welfare. Now she wishes to reach out to those who live in the Outland to encourage growth and bring about a better world for all. There are others you will meet, but these are the players at the center for now.

 The Queen has called these four together to go into the Outland city of Burrow Den, who has requested help dealing with a wild creature on a rampage, that has killed so many. It will be a long hard journey, that will see one dead before it is over. There is one, within the city walls, who would see them fail!

 And so, the journey begins…

 There is much going on in this dark, gritty, mystical tale. Along with its atmosphere of mystery, gloomy horror, beasties that terrorize, and evil scientists, the main characters show grit and tenacity that will carry them forward.

 The four hold their secrets close as they grow along the way, with others joining the journey, even as they face unexpected dangers. Along their foray they encounter a strange adversary who strength, speed and agility could overpower them. When they reach Burrow Den they encounter mistrust, lies, mysteries, curiosities and supernatural creatures whose existence is only in part explained. Horror stalks them in the night, sent by those whose only concern is for their own power and control while having not a care for those they would experiment on.

 I found camaraderie and experienced loss of some I had grown to care about, terror and new technology to wrap my head around.  At times some of the mechanics made me think steampunk, as I when rode the steam powered locomotive and then the magical, geared bicycles. I found a few scenes that made me think of Dr. Moreau. Inhabitants of the Outland made me think of less advanced societies. I had to stop a few times to reimagine, to wrap my head around what I just read and listened to.  Magical beings, creatures not to be found on our world and parts where I had to stop and reimagine what the magical creatures, gnomes might look like, even how the environment, weapons and machines might appear.  I enjoyed reading the book even as I listened along with the three narrators who told the story. This is the first in the series, so the ending leaves one part answered and waiting for the next journey to begin. I found myself wrapped up in the story of the characters for each shares a bit of themselves as the story goes on, the world that is so different from my own, but really gives my imagination a good run. This is a complex tale, so get ready to suspend logic, give your imagination free reign and if you enjoy horror, magic, sic-fantasy and mysteries, I suggest you might give this one a try.

 

The three narrators did a good job with the read aloud. I had not difficulty understanding or differentiating between characters. It was well paced. Over all one I could easily follow as I was driving and mindless housework.