REVIEW: Wolfsangel by M.D.Lachlan

Wolfsangel by M.D.Lachlan
Paperback: 448 pages
Publisher: Gollancz; trade paperback (20 May 2010)
ISBN-10: 0575089598
ISBN-13: 978-0575089594
Copy: Bought online
Reviewer: Cara

Summary:
Wolfsangel is a story of Vikings and mad gods, a story about hunger – for love, for life and for death.

Wolfsangel opens with a raid on a Saxon settlement led by Authun, a Viking King cursed with the inability to produce an heir. Having sought the counsel of the witches of the Troll wall, he leads his warriors on a mission to steal a child born of the gods. But he finds two babies, identical twins, and takes them both, along with their disfigured mother, back to his lands. There the twins are separated, one, Feileg, is given to the witches and the other, Vali he keeps to raise as his heir.

We follow both boys as they grow to maturity. Feileg lives the cruel life of a berserker child till the age of seven when he is given over to the wolves. Vali leads a more (relatively) pampered existence as King Authun’s heir, fostered in the realm of King Forkbeard. Determined to prove his love for Adisla, Vali captures Feileg, not knowing they are twins, and brings him back to Forkbeard’s village. There, Adisla shows kindness to the captive wolfman and when she is captured by raiders, the brothers unite to find her and rescue her from slavery.

A tale in the tradition of the Norse sagas, Wolfsangel evokes the harsh, cruel world of the Vikings, with their fierce warrior culture and dark, demanding gods. Life is harsh, particularly for Feileg, and M.D.Lachlan does not hold back in his descriptions of raids and battles, capturing the bloodlust and ruthlessness of the men, for whom death holds no fear. A counterpoint to the visceral reality of the warriors is the female witch cult hidden behind the Troll wall. The Witch Queen is a sinister character, her mind twisted and warped by the tortuous feats of endurance that enhance her magical abilities. This is no sparkly magic but rather the magic of nightmares and demanding gods.

There is a twist in Wolfsangel, but one which has been highlighted in the pre-release publicity (though I will not reveal it here, just in case). I would have preferred to come upon this through reading the book rather than the plot summaries, as it would have been a spectacular revelation. But this is only a minor complaint and did not spoil my enjoyment of the novel. The book begins as an historical narrative, with occasional glimpses of magic and the role of the gods, but as the story gathers pace, the gods interfere and we are promised more of Odin, Fenris and Loki in the series to come. I particularly liked Loki, the trickster god, who had a minor role here and, I hope, will feature more in subsequent books.

I appreciated M.D.Lachlan’s style of writing. There was an almost journalistic, factual feel to the prose, which was intercut with more dreamlike sequences. I found this reflected the lives of the main characters with their harsh and practical reality yet supernatural belief in the gods and their powers. The plot races along at a cracking pace, delivering an action-packed, exciting read. Wolfsangel will appeal to anyone who is interested in Norse mythology and Viking life. It is a quest novel at heart, but also a story of love and humanity. The exploration of the relationships between the three main characters was very well done and added emotional depth to an all-action adventure without slipping into sentimentality.

Having been aware of Wolfsangel for some time, I was pleased that it did not disappoint. I was fascinated by the gods Odin and Loki and their influence on the human characters. The witches too were deliciously dark and sinister and I would love to see more of them in the next book in the series. Overall I thoroughly enjoyed reading M.D.Lachlan’s fantasy debut. A quote from Joe Abercrombie on the back of the book sums up Wolfsangel perfectly:

Part fantasy, part horror, part historical adventure, bound up with a tight, lean style and featuring some of the strangest and most sinister magic I’ve encountered.

Plot: 7
Characters: 8
Style: 8

Overall rating 8/10