Review of Wolves of the Beyond #1: Lone Wolf

Wolves of the Beyond #1: Lone Wolf

If any animal is to be called overwritten and cliche in the animal fantasy genre, it would be wolves. But lo and behold, for here comes a new candidate! Enter Lone Wolf, the debut to Kathryn Lasky’s new four-book saga, Wolves of the Beyond. Long-awaited by fans of Guardians of Ga’Hoole, this spin-off series focuses on the wolf packs of the Beyond the Beyond.

What’s it about?

Faolan, a silver-furred pup, is born with a splayed paw, imprinted with a strange swirling design. Abandoned by his clan because of his deformity, the silver pup is found, nurtured and raised by Thunderheart, a grizzly who recently lost her own cub to preying cougars. Faolan’s happiness is short-lived however, when Thunderheart dies in an earthquake and he is once again left alone. Aided by Gwynneth, a Masked Owl and an artistic Rogue smith, he seeks to find the wolves of the Beyond, who he hopes will accept him into their pack as one of their own.

Praise

It was the waterfall they had passed on their way to the winter den. But now the cascades were frozen in the air, suspended like silver flames caught in a wintry eternity. —page 68, Chapter 8, Lone Wolf

Long Wolf was anchored and dominated by the eloquent descriptions that are the brand of Lasky’s style. Much like Jack London’s classic, The Call of the Wild, the novel does not make use of dialogue very often but instead translates its story through the animals’ behavior, thoughts, and most importantly, emotions.

The novel is complete with a two-page map of Beyond the Beyond and three beautiful two-page illustrations dividing three parts of the novel. It was nice seeing Richard Cowdrey, artist of Guardians of Ga’Hoole, come back and illustrate Wolves of the Beyond, albeit in a different style. This style of art isn’t quite like his cover art nor the inner illustrations in the owl series; perhaps (gasp) this art is even better!

Fans of Ga’Hoole will be delighted to know that Wolves of the Beyond, despite previous speculation, is not a retelling of the first gnaw wolf or other Hoolian legends. Instead, it is a step into the future, after the War of the Ember has long since finished. Expect to find references to important characters and events from the owl series sprinkled here and there; and even some descendants—Gwynneth turns out to be the daughter of the now-late Gwyndor.

Traditions & Research

An underlying element of animal series are new cultures and traditions between species of animals. Lone Wolf is no different in this aspect, expanding on the previously-written history of the wolves in Guardians of Ga’Hoole and introducing us to new terms and customs, not only those of wolves, but of bears as well.

A fictious culture is good to have, but how does the novel compare to the lives of real wolves? Not to fear, Kathryn Lasky clearly did her research well and she spews out facts generously throughout the book. But while these animal facts seemed to flow effortlessly in Guardians of Ga’Hoole, they now seem forced and out of context in Lone Wolf.

That’s not the only downfall of this book, however, since Lone Wolf is severely lacking in much more important areas, areas which most authors would usually choose to concentrate their efforts on. Let’s take a look:

Lack of Dialogue

A major setback of this novel was the obvious lack of dialogue. As mentioned, fans of Jack London might be impressed, but I certainly wasn’t. Evidently, when the book was named Lone Wolf, the lone part wasn’t exaggerated. The book is remote from almost any dialogue—Faolan is by himself close to three quarters of the book; and whenever he is with someone, they convey their words using loving looks, bared teeth, or silent signals. It is not until you truly miss dialogue that you start appreciating it, and it’s unfortunate that this novel should be the one to reinforce this lesson.

Conversations between characters are a vital part of novels: they advance the plot, help the protagonist cope with their emotions, and provide ample opportunity for comic relief. Without the exchange of words, the novel becomes a narrative, an overlong synopsis, a recapitulation of events—so that when dialogue does finally come up in Lone Wolf, it seems as though this “synopsis” is quoting from the “real” book. Truly, it was only Lasky’s good writing skills that saved the novel from being downright boring.

Lack of Confidant

We’ve already established that the reason the novel lacks dialogue is because Faolan is alone. Which brings me to my second criticism—no permanent confidant—no sidekick, no best friend, no guide, no constant presence to support the protagonist through his triumphs and failures. Firepaw has Graypaw, Soren has Gylfie, and Faolan has… no one.

Thunderheart acts only as a mother and dies later in the book. As for Gwynneth—her only major accomplishment was lifting her wing and whacking Faolan on the head (one of the precious few humorous parts of the book). Besides, Gwynneth wanted Faolan off her talons right away, since as they say, Rogue smiths are known for their solitary ways, not for engaging in conversation and creating dialogue.

A real confidant, someone with whom Faolan could freely converse, share his emotions, and figure out solutions with, could’ve immensely improved this novel. A confidant would’ve provided Faolan a chance to speak, instead of confining readers only to his thoughts and emotions. It would’ve spared Faolan the need to figure out everything on his own. Not to mention, a confidant could’ve provided romantic involvement, since we all crave romance in any genre. All in all, a more interesting story.

Lack of Plot

This is exactly the kind of thing I’d expect a spin-off series to suffer with, and it’s just too bad for Lone Wolf to make the same mistake. The lack of a stand-alone plot. I say stand-alone because a series is a sequence of books, not parts. Though consequent sequels may refer to previous events, each book must, by itself, have its own plot.

Taking a quick peek at Harry Potter shows us that although all the books are connected and should be read in proper order, each book focuses on a different year and a different set of adventures for Harry. It has a definite beginning and more or less a definite ending. Cliffhangers are possible, but even then, some part of the conflict in the book has to be resolved.

Lone Wolf has little conflict outside the theme of survival, so what is there to resolve? It’s clear that this book serves only as an introductory tome, preparation for the next three books, where (supposedly) the real action will begin. I don’t doubt that the series has an interesting plot overall, but it has been needlessly stretched out into a series, when it could be a thrilling, stand-alone 400-page novel instead.

Conclusion

So what’s the verdict? Clearly, this book doesn’t come close to Guardians of Ga’Hoole and gave me no reason to suspect future books will be different. Promises of a sequel that’s more exciting seem vague, since the only plot potential Lone Wolf left us with was a splayed paw with a strange silver mark (do I smell another old prophecy?) and the possibility of gnaw wolves getting a higher status in the society of wolves.

Wolves of the Beyond is to Guardians of Ga’Hoole as Seekers is to Warriors. Loyal fans will “upgrade” to the new version of their series with dedication, but new readers are not expected to become wholehearted fans. The sad thing is that owls, not wolves, remain the best of Kathryn Lasky. No, I’m not talking about Ga’Hoole; I’m talking about the owl scenes with Gwynneth in Lone Wolf itself. Yes, it’s sad, but it just shows where Lasky’s real expertise lies with.

Anyone can see that the book was a good effort on Kathryn Lasky’s part, who diligently did her research on wolves and hasn’t lost her touch when it comes to writing descriptions and poetry. But if Faolan really will rise up “to change forever the Wolves of the Beyond”, as the summary says, it’s certainly not going to be in this book. I suggest you take a break and come back to read the second book. Trust me, you won’t miss anything important.

Or will you? What are your thoughts about this new series, good friend?

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