Wolfsangel by M.D. Lachlan (Book Depository, Powell’s Books, Indiebound) has a lot going on – it’s a Nordic epic as a young prince falls from grace and fights through the known world to find the woman he loves, it’s a historic journey through the Viking world, it’s an urban fantasy in a time and place without a true urban setting, it’s a classic tragedy about brothers separated at birth and star-crossed lovers, and it’s the mythic beginning of werewolves as the Norse god Fenrir seeks to fulfill his destiny to kill Odin with a little help from trickster, Loki.
Unfortunately, for me, even with such a variety of interpretations, Wolfsangel largely falls flat. I believe that this is due in large part to the characterization – I simply didn’t connect enough with any of the main characters to care much about the outcome. Additionally, the epic adventure across Viking lands fails to feel epic – it felt like an uninspired re-telling of a great story with an annoying teenager at the center. However, I think it was the unrealized potential that disappointed most – that and relatively high expectations from so many positive reviews.
In spite of my disappointment, I am rather excited to see where Lachlan goes from Wolfsangel. It appears that this will be an epic series that spans the ages as the main players are re-born again and again through history and into modern times. The series continues with Fenrir (Book Depository, Powell’s Books, Indiebound) with a Viking siege of Paris 100 years after events the events of Wolfsangel. Perhaps I’ll feel the potential is realized in these future volumes – I hope so.
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