Through Wolf's Eyes (Firekeeper Saga, #1)

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Through Wolf's Eyes (Firekeeper Saga #1)

3.92 of 5 stars 3.92 · rating details · 3,100 ratings · 155 reviews

Firekeeper only vaguely remembers a time when she didn't live with her "family," a pack of "royal wolves"-bigger, stronger, and smarter than normal wolves. Now her pack leaders are sending her back to live among the humans, as they promised her mother years ago.

Some of the humans think she may be the lost heir to their throne. This could be good-and it could be very, very...more

Paperback, 579 pages

Published June 17th 2002 by Tor Fantasy (first published August 18th 2001)

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Oct 13, 2008 rivka rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: ebooks, other-spec-fic

Child raised by wolves. Where have we heard that one before?

But it's really, really good. Well-plotted, good characterization, lots of court intrigues and politics . . . actually, too much of both for my taste, which is why I downgraded it to three stars. An enjoyable read, but I am unlikely to buy any of the sequels.

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Dec 03, 2008 Zarakoda rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: books-i-own, fantasy

Obviously, there are five thousand stories carrying along the basic idea of a child raised by wolves. Still, I must say it is somewhat appealing - which is probably why it's been written about so many times - although I do prefer an original plot compared to one that is taken from a common idea.

Still, even with this, it was a very interesting and unique view on a common subject. This book is highly political and interesting in that aspect, if with a fairly predictable ending.

All in all, I enjoye...more

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Jan 14, 2009 Nytetyger rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2009-challenge

This would have been a really fantastic book if the author's editor had sat her down and explained that writing is NOT the SCA, that no, you do NOT need to have every filial relationship detailed, you do NOT need to give us a course on the Heraldry of the characters, and that adding characters does NOT make the plot better.

The original plot was great-- a woman has been raised by the creatures of the forest, as her parents, and those who served them were killed in a fire. These are not common ani...more

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Feb 12, 2009 Foomy rated it 3 of 5 stars

The first in a series about a girl raised by wolves. Sounds cliché but there is some magic in this world and the wolves are "royal" wolves which basically mean they are bigger and smarter and are able to teach the girl a bit more than regular wolves might be able to.

The story of Firekeeper (the girl) is pretty interesting, seeing how she learns about humans and finds her place in the world as something not wolf, but not human either. Unfortunately that story is surrounded by the story of a bunch...more

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Sep 07, 2012 Catherine Fitzsimmons rated it 2 of 5 stars

An expedition to discover the fate of the entourage of a wayward prince finds a sole survivor, a young woman who has been living with wolves for most of her life, and who is believed to be the heir to the kingdom. As she’s brought back and slowly taught to re-integrate into civilized society, the battle for ascension between her and other contenders heightens, and becomes even more complex as the neighbouring kingdom, a longstanding rival, stakes its claim for the throne, resulting in war.

I must...more

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Feb 09, 2011 Megan rated it 5 of 5 stars

Good character development and good plot are very important to me when I read; I felt that Through Wolf's Eyes had both of these qualities and more. The plot concept of a child raised in the wilderness is one that has been used quite a few times, yes. But where Jane Lindskold rises above the rest is in what comes after that premise: the child is potentially of royal blood and is brought back to "civilization" where she has to learn how to be royal for the competition for the throne, no matter ho...more

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Jul 15, 2010 Camille rated it 4 of 5 stars

The aging king of Hawk Haven knows that his time is almost up. However, his two oldest sons have died and the youngest, Prince Barden, was sent into exile in a fit of royal temper. Now, as the court nobles squabble about who will inherit the throne, an expedition is led into the Iron Mountains to find the colony that Prince Barden supposedly founded.
Bardenville has been burnt to the ground, leaving only one survivor - a young girl who has been raised by wolves, which she insists are as intellige...more

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Jul 13, 2011 Annika Astradsson rated it 3 of 5 stars

I'm in two minds of whether this book warrants a review or not. It's an easy, lazy read with no challenges to what you might consider right or wrong, a straight-forward plot and love between the right people.

But what makes me want to say a few words about it anyway is the unusal heroine, Firekeeper. Yes she's young and female, yes she has a Gift that makes her able to talk to animals, yes she is thought to be the lost heir of a throne. But... I can't help liking her. She really IS that tough an...more

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Jul 26, 2010 Chris rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: dog-and-canines-fiction, fantasy-high

There is something about girls and animals. At least, that's what I'm thinking as I try to come with this review. When you think about fantasy, there is something about girls and animals. You have Anne McCaffrey and Pern; you have Mercedes Lackey and Valdemar; you have all those horse stories about the wild stallion who gets ~~gelded~~ tamed by a young girl who lets him go at the end; you have those girl and dog stories; girl and cat stories.

Stories about boys and animals, like The Wolfling: A Docum ...more There is something about girls and animals. At least, that's what I'm thinking as I try to come with this review. When you think about fantasy, there is something about girls and animals. You have Anne McCaffrey and Pern; you have Mercedes Lackey and Valdemar; you have all those horse stories about the wild stallion who gets ~~gelded~~ tamed by a young girl who lets him go at the end; you have those girl and dog stories; girl and cat stories.

Stories about boys and animals, like The Wolfling: A Documentary Novel of the Eighteen-Seventies or My Friend Flicka, seem to be less emotional, less fantasy, more real.

I like both types, though I tend to be wary these days about magical telepathic girls and animals. It seems a bit over done and annoying. Though, there is most likely some big pyschological thing behind it, having to do with freedom of social roles and power. Needless to say, I was so wary that I didn't pick this up until years after it had been published.

It's pretty good. Firebringer isn't telepathic with all animals, just mostly the magic animals that raised (and they all magical). Firebringer, herself, might have some magical ability, but she is hardly the only one in the book who does (Lindwold does seem to owe something to Lackey in terms of her magic system). The companionship between Firebringer, her pack mates (in particular Blind Seer) and her hawk friend is well done. While Blind Seer and Elation might speak in a somewhat polished telepathic voice, they sound like animals. They think like animals. Animals with intelligence, yes but animals. Their behavior isn't very far, if any, out of the bounds of normal. (My doberman not only knew what the Christmas tree meant, but he also knew what 'not until morning' meant).

Firebringer is not, as the blurbs on the book correctly state, a normal fairy tale princess. Lindwold's resolution to the question of Firebrigner's birth is well done. In fact, the weakest part of the book is the battle at the end, but part of that seems to be though point of view. The court politics are well done.

What I enjoyed most, however, is the three examples of different type of young women. There is Firebring, who becomes house broken, but not tamed. There is Elise, who is a "girly" girl, but who speaks for the postive side of that and shows bravery. There is Sapphire, who comes across as spoiled, but matures and presents a mid point between Firebringer and Elise. I liked that. It's good to see true friendship between women in a book, where they are not talking about men or sex when they get together.(less)

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Sep 17, 2012 Jen3n rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy

If I could, I would give this three-and-a-half stars. I liked it more than three but not quite enough to say four.

I liked it. It suprised me because I'd been really, really dissapointed over the past year-ish with my reading material. For every four star book I read, there were three or four two (or even one) star books thrown in there. A few made me table-flipping angry. But this one caught me out. When I finished it I was wearing my "not bad" face and nodding a little.

So this book is, for most...more If I could, I would give this three-and-a-half stars. I liked it more than three but not quite enough to say four.

I liked it. It suprised me because I'd been really, really dissapointed over the past year-ish with my reading material. For every four star book I read, there were three or four two (or even one) star books thrown in there. A few made me table-flipping angry. But this one caught me out. When I finished it I was wearing my "not bad" face and nodding a little.

So this book is, for most of the way through, two books. Or, rather, it really IS one book but the two main plotlines are so different in style and focus that the transition was sometimes a little jarring. Both storylines are directly related and dependant on each other, but don't really become a cohesive whole until the last third of the book, where the two stories braid themselves together into one and the whole world goes to war. That was both an analogy and a simplistic description of the last third of this book.

The first story line is about a fifteen (ish) year-old girl who has been raised by wolves for the last twelve years since the a fire destroyed the settlement she was living in and killed everyone in it but her. The wolves who raised her are giant, magic wolves, called Royal Wolves. They are much bigger and much more intelligant than their cousins, the smaller, normal woves that royal wolves refer to as cousins. The wolves promised her dying mother that they would care for her and return her to the human world if anyone came looking for her. Well, a party of humans from the other side of the mountains come looking for any survivors of the party that was destroyed because (gasp-and-shock) the disowned Crown Prince was the leader of the settlement that burned and, now that there are some serious inheritance/line of sucession problems back in the kingdomn on the other side of the mountains, it would be GREAT if someone found that Prince Belden was still alive ... or that a member of his family still lived because a direct decendant of the king showing up to become heir would clear-up the in-fighting between all the nieces and nefews and grand nieces and nefews and maybe cause at least a little bit of peace.

What's this? A feral girl who was the only survivor of the disaster which killed all of Prince Beldens settlement? A girl who is the right age to be Prince Belden's daughter? Let's give her a bath and take her back to civilization and try to throw her on the throne!

So while the civilization of the wolf-girl storyline is going on (with her brother/boyfirield wolf Blind Seer tagging along, and a very interesting mix of characters there to support and teach her), the other storyline is the one where all the cousins are plotting against each other to try to prove they deserve the throne more than anyone else does. There are arranged marriages and dark and secret sourcery and plotting and intrigue and really long passages where it's just a couple of characters sitting around talking about bloodlines and the deeds of ancient ancestors and a few conversations that read like the "and so-and-so begat whatsis who begat thingie-bob who begatdingle-berry" book from the old testament of the bible. It's very like some other hyper-political sci-fi fantasy, such as portions of the Dune series.

The funny thing is, both stories are enjoyable. Sometimes I had to go back and re-read the last few pages of one chapter and then the first few pages of the next to try and easemyself into the transition, but they are both good plotlines and the resulting third, entwined plotline are are quite readable.

Not terribly original, and the dialog is sometimes silly; but all the characters felt real enough and it was well-written enough to engage me throughly. I'll certianly give the next book a try.

Recommended, if you're into this sort of thing.(less)

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Mar 31, 2012 Joe Martin rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy, fiction

I download this book for free, several years, ago as part of a Tor.com giveaway. I read it then and enjoyed it. I was always interested in the sequels but never quite got around to tracking them down. (There are a few series that I read but I’m generally pretty bad about tracking down sequels.)

...more

Recently, I was visiting a used bookstore in preparation for air travel. I saw both this book and it’s sequel, Wolf’s Head, Wolf’s Heart. I really wanted to just pick up the sequel, to read on the airplane. But I discovered that I really couldn’t remember anything about the first book. So I bought both and had to start by rereading this one.

Jane Lindskold plays with one idea: a child raised by wolves. But, just for fun, don’t make this a Jack London story about a child raised by wild wolves. This is, after all, a fantasy novel. No, these wolves are Royal Wolves. They are bigger and stronger than normal wolves. Most importantly, they’re smarter. They have a shared culture and language and are at least as intelligent as humans, even if it is in a very wolfian manner. Make the girl be the keeper of fire, leading the wolves to call her Firekeeper. And give her a friend: a Royal Falcon named Elation. Also bigger, stronger, and smarter than your average falcon.

Now, bring Firekeeper back to the kingdom of Hawk Haven. King Tedric is elderly, without a clear heir. Earl Kestrel believes that Firekeeper is the king’s heir. The court, predictably, disagrees. Now, add in tensions with the neighboring kingdom of Bright Bay. Mix all of these ingredients together, stir, and simmer for the length of one novel.

Overall, I think this recipe works. True, it was slow moving. There was a lot of talking, as a girl accustomed to wolf society needed to have human society explained to her. There was a lot of political maneuvering too. While some of that is based in action most of it is also based in talking. But, after all, this books is titled “through wolf’s eyes”. It was all about depicting the kingdom of Hawk Haven from the perspective of a non-human outsider.

Yes, it was slow moving. But the book was entertaining nonetheless. Now that I know how the story starts, I can read Wolf’s Head, Wolf’s Heart to see what happens to Firekeeper next. I see that the series has expanded to 6 books. I don’t know yet whether or not I’ll read all of them. A lot depends on what I think of the next book. And none of us will know how that turns out until I take my next trip by air.

(less)

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Jun 06, 2011 Christina (A Reader of Fictions) rated it 3 of 5 stars

In typical epic fantasy style, Through Wolf's Eyes is both long and filled to the brim with characters to remember. There are lots of battles and backstabbings, too. Additionally, there is a hint of magic, not the spell kind, but a subtler magic, talents certain people have for gardening or healing or working with animals. The world building here is excellent and I liked the idea of the girl raised by wolves and of the Greater animals. (There are Great wolves, the kind who raised Firekeeper, who...more In typical epic fantasy style, Through Wolf's Eyes is both long and filled to the brim with characters to remember. There are lots of battles and backstabbings, too. Additionally, there is a hint of magic, not the spell kind, but a subtler magic, talents certain people have for gardening or healing or working with animals. The world building here is excellent and I liked the idea of the girl raised by wolves and of the Greater animals. (There are Great wolves, the kind who raised Firekeeper, who are smarter and larger than regular wolves; the same is true of other animals, like falcons.)

The cast of characters, too, is quite likable, although I did not get too especially attached to most of them. Firekeeper is interesting, but not yet really a fitting heroine. She is too much wolf yet to have any romantic entanglements with her own kind or to involve herself too deeply. Derian, who becomes responsible for her training, is a good guy, who I think could become quite a good fellow later on. My favorite character by far is Doc, Jared; he's just such an intelligent sweetie pie. I actually quite liked King Tedric, as well. Lady Elise started out as a bit of an airhead, but grows into a much better character. Lady Sapphire is a bit tetchy and whiny, but kicks serious ass.

For those who do not read epic fantasy, I should warn that with this novel especially, but also the genre generally, the plot often moves kind of slowly. There will be exciting battles here and there, but there is a lot of necessary back story and plot development to get through, so there will almost always be some parts that drag and some completely irritating characters you have to follow along with. Through Wolf's Eyes definitely has slow parts and has less action than most, focusing primarily on the search for an heir to Hawk Haven, although I promise there are battles and such later on.

So far this is a good read, if a bit slow, and I look forward to reading the next, which is good, because I'm planning to read through the whole series.(less)

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Jun 28, 2012 Cory rated it 4 of 5 stars

I found this a little slow to get into but was glad I did. Like many of my favorite fantasy series (Hobb's Farseer, Carey's Kushiel) this starts out with a lot of palace intrigue and has the potential to expand into something much larger. As a devoted Hobb fan, I was glad to see how different a book this is from the first three Farseer books. They have a lot in common: set in a European-esque feudal kingdom, main character can talk to animals and is a dangerous potential claimant to the throne....more

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Nov 05, 2012 Christina Parker rated it 5 of 5 stars

I must say this book is the exception to the rule of "don't judge a book by its cover". I picked it up on a whim because of my middle school love of wolves and of the beautiful artwork on it's cover. The summary sounded so enticing too! A search for a lost heir to the throne who has been raised by wolves? Who wouldn't want to give this a try? I fell in love with the characters, the medieval setting and the mystical animals with subtle hints of magic. I like that it doesn't rely on magic to sell...more

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Jun 13, 2012 Lauren Mcvey rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: books-1-12

Firekeeper: a human teenage girl raised by royal wolves. Firekeeper does not remember much about her life before she lived with the royal wolves. The royal wolves are stronger, bigger, and smarter then regular wolves. They had made a promise to Firekeeper's mother before she died that they would take care of her and should other humans show up that they were to take Firekeeper to them./ Firekeeper does not know anything about living in a civilized worldd with other people. She has to learn how t...more

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Feb 02, 2012 Rachel rated it 2 of 5 stars

Less annoying and derivative than I thought it would be.

Not the most ringing of endorsements, I know, but it starts out with a woman literally raised by telepathic, intelligent wolves, and who has to integrate into high society. I almost threw it against the wall for the Mary Sueish setup alone.

It's not a great book, but it's less awful that I would've predicted from the cover and the first chapter or two. I liked how Firekeeper's integration into human society was treated much more realistica...more

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Feb 02, 2010 Kevin rated it 2 of 5 stars

An old college friend recently informed me that her roommate Jane became a popular science fiction writer. I remember them both being huge sci fi fans and I actually tried reading a few books sci fi books while in college to see what all the hoopla was about.Actually never did see what the fascination was all about. But after 25 years I figured it couldn't hurt to pick up one of Jane's books and give the genre another try.
I've always been fascinated with wolves so I selected Through Wolf's Eye...more

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Mar 18, 2009 Kristi Thompson rated it 3 of 5 stars

Not what I thought it was. I was expecting another of Jane's Athanor novels, or something similar. Instead, something more like Pat Murphy's Wild Angel - a feral child book, although in a fantasy setting.

Why so many feral wolf women books, I wonder? I seem to have read quite a few lately. Continued aftereffects of pop psychology like _Women who run with the Wolves_? Seems a healthy subgenre, but it's not exactly producing blockbusters.

The ending was not very good. Bad Ending! Bad! No cookie!

I wa...more

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Mar 07, 2011 Dale rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy-mythology

Fantasy child raised by wolves meets Pride and Prejudice meets Dangerous Liaisons without much danger. 500+ pages about who is related to whom and doing what to gain position within whatever circle -- then sometimes someone runs somewhere or does something somewhat energetic for a second.

It's a good story for fantasy readers who also like royal watching and royal genealogies, but not so much for those of us who want to follow the hero/heroine on a villain-bashing adventure (and yes, the author d...more

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Apr 17, 2010 Ryan rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy

The story is about a girl raised by talking (sort of) wolves… so I wasn't terribly optimistic going into it. I found myself pleasantly surprised by this book. The story is actually more about court intrigue that wolves, and probably the better for it. The author managed to avoid many (but not all) cliches that would have been easy to fall into given the subject matter.

My primary complaint is that it took me a little while to figure out who the secondary characters were and where they fit into th...more

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Apr 29, 2013 Colleen rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: favorites

Wow, what an awesome book! The plot moves so quickly and builds beautifully. The interplay between the political world and the hierarchy of the wolf world is great. All the characters feel very real as people, and it's easy to care about them. Our main character, Firekeeper, is such a wonderful character in so many respects - very fiercely her own person, and beautifully layered, and always surprising. I was not able to predict the twists and turns of this book, which was great. It felt very rea...more

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Sep 18, 2011 Jensownzoo rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2011-reads, fantasy

Girl essentially raised by wolves, reintroduced to human society by those who want to use her for their own political agenda. It's a nice, long fantasy book (with many more in the series) with likable protagonists. Some infodumps, particularly regarding history and culture -- mildly irritating but provided understandable motivations for the political machinations. The little bit of magic addressed in the book seemed unnecessary for this novel but hinted at a more prominent role in future additio...more

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Apr 03, 2011 Karen rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy

I really enjoyed the premise of this book -- An orphaned child in the wilderness is raised by a pack of wolves. Explorers seeking the lost village find her and believe she could be the missing heir of the kingdom. They bring her back to the castle and court to rejoin society. Political power plays and jockeying for position in the King's favor ensue. From her wolf upbringing, she has interesting views on "normal" human behavior. I was rather bored by the lengthy passages of family lineage for th...more

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Oct 26, 2009 Unwisely rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2009, fantasy

This is Fat Fantasy, with sometimes-clunky exposition and animals. Which makes it sound like something I'd completely hate. But I was completely engrossed, and stayed up far later than I intended several nights reading it. The wolf-girl lead character is completely engaging, the supporting characters feel real, and the world is clearly well thought out. (The backstories for the countries are the parts where the writing got particularly awkward, as if she had all this stuff thought up and had to...more

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Sep 22, 2012 Margaret rated it 4 of 5 stars

I thoroughly enjoyed this high fantasy. I really liked seeing Firekeeper's view of life with the wolves, and how she communicated with many animals species. I also enjoyed her integration into human life, and seeing her through their eyes as well. I confess I skimmed through some of the longer passages on political intrigue and battle details, but the action was very clearly defined. The author doesn't pull punches - bad things happen to good people, and the bad guys don't always get the worst t...more

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May 07, 2008 Rebecca Farrell rated it 3 of 5 stars

I love these books!

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Feb 09, 2011 Donna Jo Atwood rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy

Firekeeper aka Lady Blysse has been raised by super wolves, but she is now found by members of Hawk Haven's nobility who think she may be the long-lost heir to the throne. Other members of the nobility are violently opposed to the idea, especially since it puts them out of the running for the throne.
Before too much infighting goes on, one of Hawk Haven's allies becomes a problem and military action becomes necessary.
And when a potential princess looks at politics through a wolf's eyes, life ca...more

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Aug 18, 2010 Jenn rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2010-finished, fantasy

Overall this was an enjoyable read. I could've done without the excess amount of politics which took up quite a bit of the story. It was needed but I felt that the author drug it out a little too much and took away from Firestarter's story line.

I enjoyed the concept of a human who lived among wolves for most of her life. It is a story that has been done before, but I enjoyed how Firestarted communicated with her pack and friend, Blind Seer.

For the most part this was a quick read and it was a pa...more

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Feb 14, 2013 Nora rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: high-fantasy, z-pub-2001

Okay, so, to start: This book includes (1) a world map, (2) a royal family tree, and (3) a glossary of characters. Any guesses as to why supplementary materials like these are included in so many fantasy novels? SO THAT EXTRANEOUS WORLD-BUILDING FACTOIDS DON'T NEED TO BE REVEALED THROUGH OVERLY-EXPOSITORY NARRATION OR DIALOGUE.

And yet that constituted 40% of the book.

There was a scene in which one cousin recounts to another HIS WHOLE FAMILY'S NAMES. To his cousin. Who has known this family all h...more

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May 20, 2011 Tracey rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy, wolves

Three and a half stars, curse Goodreads' rating system. Oh well.

I can't help feeling this must have been kind of a hard sell. "The primary heirs to the throne have all died, and a nobleman decides to make a play for greater power by going in search of a missing, disinherited prince and his family, and finds what appears to be the prince's daughter, who has been raised by wolves since about the age of five..."

Making it less ridiculous an idea is that this *is* a fantasy novel, in which the wolv...more Three and a half stars, curse Goodreads' rating system. Oh well.

I can't help feeling this must have been kind of a hard sell. "The primary heirs to the throne have all died, and a nobleman decides to make a play for greater power by going in search of a missing, disinherited prince and his family, and finds what appears to be the prince's daughter, who has been raised by wolves since about the age of five..."

Making it less ridiculous an idea is that this *is* a fantasy novel, in which the wolves involved in the raising are a higher order of creature - royal wolves, smarter, faster, stronger, etc. They have raised the girl as one of their own as far as they can, sorely lacking in the depth of senses but compensated by abilities even greater wolves cannot attain. She is Firekeeper, which is self-explanatory.

There has always been a prophecy among the wolves that she would return to her own kind, and she does so when she braves the camp of Kestrel, the aforementioned nobleman. The first person she meets is Derian Carter (in this world one's surname generally indicates profession), and before he knows what hit him he is her bodyguard and teacher, trying to instill in her as much civilized behavior and language as possible.

This could have been deeply annoying. So often use of pidgin or elementary English rings false and serves only to cause irritation, and many writers make the unfortunate choice to linger over the character's misadventures with fork and ballgown; this wasn't bad. If anything, I thought Firekeeper advanced a little too quickly, but what do I know? Maybe she's just that clever and Derian is just a very good teacher.

The relationships in and around the keep are well done. I keep expecting it to be more George R.R. Martin, as there are a few similarities in worldbuilding and tone, but this is a brighter world, with more people who can be trusted (seemingly). Firekeeper makes a few friends quickly, and while this had me flinching at first, I soon found it safe to stop: she does not seem likely to come to harm with them.

Firekeeper is a fascinating character, and rings true: an intelligent young woman who would rather be like the only family she has ever known, but who accepts the duty of being human and among nobles (for the time being). She is never ashamed of not being human, nor of not being wolf - wolves don't feel shame, therefore neither does she. I like that that isn't drummed out of her; I could wish it would rub off on some of her friends. She does well enough with learning to speak, but reading and art appreciation escapes her: wolves also don't rely heavily on visuals to get by in the world. Her best friend, Blind Seer, is wonderful, all wolf and gorgeous, and the peregrine falcon who also watches her back is nicely done - anthropomorphism at its best. Among the humans, the bad guys are a little cliched and gloating evil-for-evil's-sake, but the protagonistic characters are good folk. I like Derian, a great deal. The Duke who takes her as his ward had his own interests at heart from the beginning - but he also takes very seriously the duties he took on with her. He won't cast her off just because she might not become what he hoped.

Things were going along very nicely, the climax was winding down, when suddenly Chapter 28 came along like a solid brick wall. Suddenly the book goes from fairly solid story-telling to ... infodump. Pure and unadulterated infodump. It could be construed as being Allister's ponderings, but no: I can't think of a more perfect example of infodump. And I think it's safe to say that, having skimmed it, it wasn't really necessary. There had to have been other ways to get that information out than to spend five dense pages talking about the past several monarchies. Bad, bad idea, and one major reason I didn't go higher with my rating.

More extensive review on my blog...(less)

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About Jane Lindskold

Jane M. Lindskold is an American writer of fantasy and science fiction short stories and novels. Lindskold grew up in Washington, D.C. and Chesapeake Bay. She studied at Fordham, where she received a Ph. D. in English, concentrating on Medieval, Renaissance, and Modern British Literature. Mentored by her friend, Roger Zelazny, she started publishing stories in 1992, and she published her first nov...more

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Books by Jane Lindskold

Wolf's Head, Wolf's Heart (Firekeeper Saga, #2)

The Dragon of Despair (Firekeeper Saga, #3)

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“Is she become a rag doll? Are the wolves become children? It seems quite possible, there on the twilight fringes of dying. With some faint spark of herself, the little girl holds on to the idea. Even a rag doll has more life than does a dying child.” — 17 people liked it

“Well done, Sister," Blind Seer said. "I look forward to meeting this One above Ones. Now, you must make ready. I, of course, am already perfect.” — 17 people liked it

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BBCode	[url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/66317.Through_Wolf_s_Eyes?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book][img]http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1312036865l/66317.jpg[/img][/url] [url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/66317.Through_Wolf_s_Eyes?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book]Through Wolf's Eyes by Jane Lindskold[/url]

Through Wolf's Eyes (Firekeeper Saga #1)

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