Through Wolf's Eyes, a review

I must confess this is not the book I thought it was. Once upon a time, I remembered reading a middle grade book about a girl who was raised by wolves and went looking for it. I found this and thought, "Maybe this is it?"

It was not.

However, I am not mad about what I found instead. Through Wolf's Eyes is an excellent read. From the first pages, I connected to Firekeeper and Derian Carter. They were excellent main characters, carrying me along into their medieval world of castes and complicated politics. The story brought to the forefront what it means to be human, in a sometimes humorous way. Sometimes in a more devastating way. What is justice, and when is it actually acceptable to take another's life? Firekeeper was an excellent foil to civilization, yet noble in her own right. Likewise, Derian Carter's rise in position from carter's son to lady's keeper and further on in the story was a great way to illustrate what it means to be valuable as a person. I thoroughly enjoyed the book, and hope to read the follow-up novel as well.

Jane Lindskold has written around 15 books of her own, and co-written about the same number. She started publishing in the 1980s, back when self-publishing didn't really exist. As far as I can tell, she is still publishing through a traditional publishing house. And she is definitely still writing. You can find her most recent books on all the major platforms.

As far as I can tell, she divides tastes like a knife divides butter. If you go and look at her reviews online, it's almost funny how everyone seems to fall into one of two camps: one camp says she spent way too much time on the heraldry, the family connections, and the additional characters in Through Wolf's Eyes. The other camp says she's great, a nice change from the usual epic fantasy books that have survived the editing grinder that renders everything the same.

I happen to be in the second camp. Through Wolf's Eyes was published in 2001. That was the era of books I probably love best. Self-publishing hadn't taken off yet. Traditional publishers hadn't figured out online marketing, nor had readers. Everything went through the slaughterhouse of agents and editors and publishers, but the big houses weren't yet threatened with closures and ever-dwindling profits. They were willing to take a chance on books that were maybe a little...odd.

I don't think if this book were written today, and certainly if it were written by someone unknown, that it would be chosen for publication. Firekeeper isn't very romantic, Derian is devoted to her, but not in a typical way. The major players are all shades of grey, and while I found the Big Bad character detestable, I also found some of the "good" characters a little difficult to like.

That did not affect my overall enjoyment of the book. In fact, it enhanced it. If you are looking for the typical trope-y characters that we are all coming fast familiar with, this book isn't for you. If, however, you are sick to death of every other character being described in the trendiest catch phrase (i.e. "shadow daddy" or "short king"), you might want to check out Through Wolf's Eyes.

Firekeeper is a girl of approximately fifteen years old who has spent the last several years living with wolves. She doesn't speak any human language, can't read, and has little to no memory of ever living with humans. She is in a distant forest, across the Iron Mountains, where the animals are larger, smarter, and wiser. Her wolves stand almost as tall as a pony, have their own way of communication and their own hierarchy.

A group of men from over the mountains come into her forest home in search of survivors of a human settlement from previous years. Firekeeper is the only survivor of that settlement. The men assume she is a lost princess, and possible heir to the throne in their home country. One of their company, young Derian Carter, is able to forge a kind of tenuous friendship with the wild girl. Through him, she is coaxed into returning to the human lands with them.

Firekeeper is still a wild girl though. She brings with her a wolf companion named Blind Seer, and a peregrine falcon named Elation. Derian becomes her keeper, as he is the only one she is truly at ease with. The path into the human lands takes her into the heart of a highly contested race for the throne in a medieval setting.

There is a lot of focus on the royal extended family. There is a family genealogy chart at the front of the book... let's just say, you'll likely need to reference it a lot! If you don't like high court politics, this might be a problem for you. Fair warning!

I found Firekeeper to be an intelligent and respectfully written character. She develops at pace with the story. She remains true to her wolf-raised backstory. By that, I mean that all the features of that raising don't drop off in the story the moment it becomes convenient!

Derian Carter is also a well-written character. He starts out a young man, unsure of his place in the world and eager to prove himself. He wrestles with his own ego and self-worth throughout the story. In end, his development as a person feels right. I never felt like his growth was stunted or rushed, something I can't often say.

If you really like character development over a long story arc, you will love this book.

The other thing that has to be mentioned about the story itself is the justice! There are some moments of justice for characters that I found so satisfying! Has anyone else read something where a side character just didn't get what they deserved? Some may disagree with me, but I was quite happy with how those pesky, undeserving side characters were dealt with in this book! There are a couple of exceptions, but I suspect they will be dealt with in the follow up books.

Through Wolf's Eyes is the first in a series of eight novels. I'm really excited to pick up the next one!

I always try to add content warnings, and there must be one added for this book. There is a character who is sexually assaulted midway through the story. While the reader isn't "in the room" when it happens, a different character sees the victim right after. It's not gratuitous, but there is a scene of consensual sex before it happens that is a little more detailed. I should also say, it's not written to be titillating. It makes you dislike an unlikeable character even more. That said, I still could have lived without that scene entirely. Regardless, this book is an adult-only read.

The last thing I wanted to say about this book is more about the author. Jane Lindskold has a bio page on her own website, and it read's like a who's who of sci-fi/fantasy writers at different points. She has known and/or worked with some really well-loved authors over the years. Apparently, she's a long-time tabletop gamer, and used to be in a gaming group with George R. R. Martin, if that gives you an idea of what I mean!

As always, I have a copy of Through Wolf's Eyes available on my website for sale! You can find the listing for it here.

If/when that one sells, you can also use my ambassador code at Pangobooks to find a copy, or any other used book here. My code is WEIRDOLDBOOKS. If you choose to use my code, you save $5 on your first order (and I get $2 off of my next one! We both win!).