The Tempering of Men (Iskryne World, #2)

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The Tempering of Men (Iskryne World #2)

by Sarah Monette, Elizabeth Bear (Goodreads Author)

3.63 of 5 stars 3.63 · rating details · 314 ratings · 58 reviews

In Iskryne, the war against the Trollish invasion has been won, and the lands of men are safe again…at least for a while.Isolfr and his sister, the Konigenwolf Viradechtis, have established their own wolfhaell.Viradechtis has taken two mates, and so the human pack has two war leaders.And in the way of the pack, they must come to terms with each other, must become brothers...more

Hardcover, 304 pages

Published August 16th 2011 by Tor Books

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Feb 12, 2013 Wealhtheow rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy, queer-characters

In Companion to Wolves, Bear and Monette presented a dark and grim twist on the classic fantasy trope of telepathic bonds with animals. Men were forced to give up their expected lives and occupations when one of the gigantic wolves chose them, and lived instead the fierce but short lives of troll-fighters. In Companion to Wolves, (view spoiler) In this sequel, the men are left with t...more In Companion to Wolves, Bear and Monette presented a dark and grim twist on the classic fantasy trope of telepathic bonds with animals. Men were forced to give up their expected lives and occupations when one of the gigantic wolves chose them, and lived instead the fierce but short lives of troll-fighters. In Companion to Wolves, (view spoiler) In this sequel, the men are left with the question of what to do with themselves once their original reason for existing is gone. Even as they struggle with this question, a new threat appears: the endless armies of the Rhean.

The story is told through the eyes of Skjaldwulf and Vethulf, who must share both the title of wolf-jarl and Isoflr's bed. A completely boring subplot about the aelfs is told via Brokklfr, who never seems to do anything; even his romance with Kari goes nowhere. And really, that's the basic problem with this book: it's all either clean-up of problems from the last book or set-up for the next book. There are a couple skirmishes, but it's all pretty low-key. Even the emotions and characters feel tamped down. All the pov characters talked and thought in similar ways, so I had a hard time keeping Skjaldwulf and Vethulf apart, even though supposedly they're completely different. (My other character related problem was that the wolves and the humans have similar naming conventions, so it was sometimes hard to remember which species someone belonged to.) The only character I was interested in was Fargrimr, who was born female but raised to be the male heir. The idea of a "sworn-man" is intriguing, but Fargrimr himself felt a bit like Aragorn back when he was Strider, and I super loved him.

I'll read the next book in the series, because I'm already tense about the clash between the wolfthreats and the pseudo-Roman armies. But the characters and their interactions aren't interesting me; I hope Monette and Bear put a little more work into them.(less)

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Aug 22, 2011 heidi rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: ebook

My what a middle book this middle book is. There's nothing wrong with it, mind you. It's just, middly. We change focus from Isolfr, who was a pretty appealing character, to Vethur, who no one really liked in the first book, and Skajldwulf, who I kind of liked, and how they find comfort in each other. For a few pages at least, and then it's all roadtrip.

We see the problems of the third book building, how will they remake themselves, what are we going to do about the not!Romans, etc. I think the t...more

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Aug 08, 2011 April (CSI:Librarian) rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: arc

(Originally posted @ CSI:Librarian.)

3.5 Stars - What both authors gave me was well worth reading and waiting for and everything about the book was solid and well-executed. And yet while virtually every page had something for me to highlight, applaud, commend, and/or appreciate in terms of writing or world-building skills... There just wasn't a lot that I could just flat-out love, gush, and/or rant about in a happy, gleeful way.

For example, I appreciated the importance of the wolves as well as th...more (Originally posted @ CSI:Librarian.)

3.5 Stars - What both authors gave me was well worth reading and waiting for and everything about the book was solid and well-executed. And yet while virtually every page had something for me to highlight, applaud, commend, and/or appreciate in terms of writing or world-building skills... There just wasn't a lot that I could just flat-out love, gush, and/or rant about in a happy, gleeful way.

For example, I appreciated the importance of the wolves as well as the men as individuals because I feel like that definitely made them all vivid and believeable. But I didn't love --or even like-- being relentlessly teased over and over again with the promise of the possibility of something happening between the male human characters gaining more forward momentum or at least a focus.

Since finishing A Companion to Wolves over a year ago I had been very eager to learn what had happened with Isoflr, Skjaldwulf, and Vethulf. The results were certainly interesting and very well done over all, but I found a lot of the side effects to be quite an unwelcome, disappointing surprise. For one thing, Isolfr was even less likable here in the second book than he ever was in A Companion to Wolves and nothing was really even from his point of view. Even when I got over the fact that the three of them were never going to have a very worthwhile relationship all together, Skjaldwulf was constantly very far away somewhere and had maybe two scenes total with Vethulf. Two great scenes, mind you, but I wouldn't have minded more of them.

Similarly, I wanted to see more of whatever was going on between Brokklfr and Kari at the beginning but that too went in a very different direction than I'd hoped. which isn't the same thing as not liking what the authors did, but I find it extremely tragic that the one book where I would have liked something romantic to be allowed to flourish was the one book where it was never allowed to really do so. I know there were hints of that or even the occasional interlude, but I didn't find that to be particularly satisfying.

I also have to note that the original terms which, while interesting, were sort of jarring as they were used rather relentlessly throughout the length of this fairly short novel. I already know beyond a shadow of a doubt that both authors are accomplished and skilled. I already know that the world they're writing about is, quite literally, made of awesome. I also know I feel quite idiotic even bringing this up but having every single page littered with original terms in addition to original names I couldn't pronounce or often tell apart in some cases gave me a headache. So while this might not bother other readers, I have to admit that this aspect of the writing and world-building definitely kept me from ever getting completely lost or immersed in the story.

In conclusion, The Tempering of Men was quite good. It was quite frustrating too, but I still think the Iskyrne series is worth checking out if only for the world Monette & Bear have created. I definitely think that the third book has the potential to be totally awesome given what happened in the second book and I'll be eager to revisit Iskryne once it comes out.
(less)

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Feb 24, 2013 Trix rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: action, adventure, angst, bi-sexual, fantasy, hard-copy, mm-novels, non-explicit, suspense, sword

I was so looking forward to reading this! I was left astounded by the intricate relationship and story telling in the first novel. And having to wait the order the second novel to arrive felt unbearably long.

And now I kind of feel cheated of my expectations out of this book.(view spoiler)...more I was so looking forward to reading this! I was left astounded by the intricate relationship and story telling in the first novel. And having to wait the order the second novel to arrive felt unbearably long.

And now I kind of feel cheated of my expectations out of this book.(view spoiler)[ I was ready to continue the adventures alongside Isolf and Viradechtis. Instead they only played a secondary role (at best) while everyone else took stage front center. My attention was spread between each adventure and character so much that it was easy to break from the world and find my thoughts wandering. Whereas the first book kept me hooked, totally absorbed in the world, re-emerging only after finishing, The Tempering of Men was opposite spectrum. It was interesting to view the world from different eyes and better understand the dynamics within the wolfheall but it clashed with my expectations and ruined the reading.

I spent half the book hoping Isolf would finally take charge. Instead, he was presented as hating (or close enough) everything having to do with the wolfheall and his responsabilities in it. If it were up to him, he would just sit with Viradechtis and nothing else. Sure, he shied from attention and praises but I had to remind myself of that.

A second novel was bound to enrich the world and bring into play politics and relationship with other powers in the lands but again, it tugged my attention in various directions and distracted rather focused me on the story. Half the characters were involved in breaking truce with a lost colony of alfar and the other half in discovering the Roman... I mean Rhean threat closing in on them and urging wolfjarls, jarls and other leading figures in joining for another war.

Which pretty much obliterated any romantic infusions in the story. My remaining hope that I might learn more of the fragile trio formed between Isolf, Skjaldwulf and Vethulf evaporated, leaving Isolf cold and aloof (as his name indicated) with Skjaldwulf and Vethulf happy to bond with each other instead of keeping Isolf in the group. I got the feeling the author shied away from exploring that complex relationship and much rather took Isolf completely out of the equation, making the other two oh so happy and misty eye dreaming of each other. The book started with the two of them sighing wistfully after Isolfr and ended with them in bed, disregarding Isolfr totally. Way out of range of anything I could have imagined. And very much displeasing. (hide spoiler)]

So, in the end, I can only say I started the book with fervent excitement and finished it struggling to keep a 3 star rating. The plot itself is worthy but my expectations concerning the direction of the story and character development were at opposite poles from what the book delivered. Sad, really.(less)

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Aug 24, 2012 Meg rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: ridiculously-fantasy

The Tempering of Men
OR
We Ran Out of Trolls, Now What?

I find it interesting how A Companion to Wolves was a strong stand alone book, but The Tempering of Men is anything but stand alone. It leans heavily on both the first book and a book that hasn't even been written yet.

It's not that the plot is thin. The plot is quite thick. It's that the plot isn't remotely finished. Oh, we reach AN ending point by the time the book closes and its not even a forced ending. It's a fine ending. It's just not the...more

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Apr 11, 2012 Kari rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy

While I liked learning more about the world, and what comes after the trolls, I had some big issues with this book that marred my enjoyment. Number one, it definitely falls prey to middle-book syndrome. There was no resolution, just more and more problems. Two, as much as I enjoyed the POV characters we get, Isolfr is not one of them.

And number three, and my biggie: WTF is up with Vethulf, Skajldwulf, and Isolfr? I get that Isolfr is uncomfortable with attraction to men, but in A Companion to W ...more

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Feb 26, 2012 Miss rated it 3 of 5 stars

Definitely suffering from middle book syndrome. I liked it though. A lot of it was build up for what I presume will be the battle against the Rheans in the next book but it was competent build up that kept my interest. It's a bit strange in that I believe one of the threads was supposed to be Vethulf and Skjaldwulf coming to an understanding and stabilizing the new co-jarl relationship they have after the events of the last book? Except it plays out as about thirty pages of relationship dramaz,...more

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Dec 13, 2011 Amanda rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: trashy-fantasy

Well, that was a quick and disappointing read. Despite my problems with the first book, I wanted to find out what happens next, especially to Isolfr and Viradechtis.

HAHA say the authors, TIME FOR LOTS OF POV CHARACTERS, NONE OF WHICH ARE ISOLFR!

Also, gah. The plots were less developed and interesting this time, probably because there were three distinct plots going on. The characterization was also worse. Maybe it's because the POV swapped around too much for the authors to really get deep into...more

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Dec 05, 2011 Ruth rated it 3 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Oct 18, 2011 DM rated it 4 of 5 stars

I agree with several other reviewers that Tempering felt very much like setting the stage, very different from the previous novel, which was the main event and had all the very high stakes and drama that comes with that. I knew from the start that for all the risky adventures and injuries, from a couple of battles with dangerous wild beasts, to the discovery of an unknown svartalf clan, to the capture of one of the main characters, there wouldn't be any hard losses or great victories or big reve...more I agree with several other reviewers that Tempering felt very much like setting the stage, very different from the previous novel, which was the main event and had all the very high stakes and drama that comes with that. I knew from the start that for all the risky adventures and injuries, from a couple of battles with dangerous wild beasts, to the discovery of an unknown svartalf clan, to the capture of one of the main characters, there wouldn't be any hard losses or great victories or big revelations this time around.

But that was actually okay, as while this installment wasn't thrilling, it was satisfying. It steps out of the hard north so readers can learn more about the wider world the wolves and men inhabit, a world where inhuman threats and allies are meaningless in the face of the usual human ambitions: land, treasure, power. We get a peek at an alternate Rome on a quest of imperialistic expansion and everything they won't see coming in the lands of Northmen. I thought the decision to change the perspective from the previous novel's singular character to the three in this book was a smart move, broadening the scope of the narrative along with the scope of the universe, and by the end of it I was invested in and liked all three characters a lot more than I was expecting (and I already liked them in passing the previous novel). And don't be fooled by the ending of the last book or the start of this one, I was pleased to find that there was very little slogging through interpersonal drama, which you may either appreciate or miss, depending. I for one was happy that this trilogy isn't going to turn itself into a soap opera with a thin sheen of plot anytime soon; it was all story, all the time.

In a lot of ways, this book is milder than its predecessor, less about high-tension war and sex and the revealing of an unusual world, more about travel, friendship and politics within the established backdrop of that world. Sometimes a story can get trapped in the struggle to top itself, but Tempering merely expands upon what's already been shown without unnecessary emphasis. There are still wolves and men and their bonds to each other, Vikings getting it on, asskicking, and genderbending, but you should expect that by now. What Tempering promises in this intermediary set-up is a battle for survival bigger than anything the Northmen have seen yet, and firmly establishes the major players and elements for that battle. It really got me looking forward to what's to come.

One challenge from the first book that may be worse because of the changing perspectives is keeping track of the complicated Norse names and titles. Took concentration on my part, but managed not to be as annoying as it could have been. Well, you notice I didn't attempt to repeat any of it here, but I could recognize who and what where while reading. And I will say it helped with immersion. All in all, a worthwhile read.(less)

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Oct 13, 2011 Meredith rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy

I was so glad Monette and Bear teamed up to write a sequel to A Companion to Wolves, which was a fantasy novel that--while in no way perfect--stuck around with me for far longer than most books do. I think the best fantasy novels are the ones you still think about long after you've read them--maybe you inhabit the world in your daydreams, or imagine what the characters would be doing right now.

This is clearly the middle book in a trilogy, so don't expect a resolution. What surprised me (happily...more

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Oct 03, 2011 Peggy rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: gay-bisexual, historical-fantasy

This book was a big disappointment. I'd been looking forward to it for awhile, and then it was just a blatant and entirely boring setup for the third book in this series. And look, the middle piece of a trilogy does not have to be bad - Two Towers and Empire Strikes Back are the best of their respective series. But this book was disjointed and, quite frankly, boring. It inexplicably did away with Isolfr's POV and introduced a handful of characters to tell the story. And I didn't really care abou...more

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Sep 28, 2011 Abigail Hilton rated it 4 of 5 stars

I have loved everything I've read by this pair of authors, including the short stories on which they've collaborated.

I really enjoyed this book, too, which is a credit to the authors, because it's pretty piecemeal. You get the idea that the authors thought they were done after one book, and the readers said, "More!" And the authors were like, "Really? Because what comes next isn't that exciting." And the readers said, "We want to know anyway!" So the author's said, "You got it."

This book deals...more

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Mar 05, 2012 Mayday rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: action, adult, medieval, fantasy, romance, slash, favorites

I found my self engrossed in this book. Yes, I got distracted every now and then, but refusing to dwell too much on other things. I kept thinking, why my brain refused to absorb those names and terms the author so boldly used. I remember (well, almost) every wolfcarls, trellwolves and wolfless men from the first book, but I can't remember the names, it's so hard since the names are all so weird to me but I am willing to understand Scandinavian. I only remember wolfcarls' and trellwolves' deed an...more I found my self engrossed in this book. Yes, I got distracted every now and then, but refusing to dwell too much on other things. I kept thinking, why my brain refused to absorb those names and terms the author so boldly used. I remember (well, almost) every wolfcarls, trellwolves and wolfless men from the first book, but I can't remember the names, it's so hard since the names are all so weird to me but I am willing to understand Scandinavian. I only remember wolfcarls' and trellwolves' deed and that's how I recognize them. Which was a big problem when people from book one showed their noses here.

I pronounced every words silently and linked it with the universal language I understand, English. Like when I finally realized that Othin was actually Odin. Yes, stupid me. I didn't realize until I softly spelled it and thought, "Don't say it's actually Odin?". And Why not, this is Norse Mythology anyway (even when the author said the setting was not on Earth), Freya and Thor were mentioned, even Jotun (now, where did I found this Jotun? Must be in Thor fandom). And when I googled and found that Othin was really meant Odin, I felt stupid.

I didn't use my dictionary when reading this one, unlike the first book. That I realized was the thing that made me frustrated with book one. Because when I found word that I didn't know, I kept looking up, and then found the word didn't exist. Good Lord, that was so frustrating. So when I found unknown words here, I just kept going. I didn't care anymore. I would have know what its mean by understanding the context.

That's why I love Sarah Monette so much. She is so literate and I always love smart people. And this book is not merely about gay romance, well, yes, there is more romance in this book than the previous one. This book for me is always be about the warriors and their strong bonds with the wolves. It's cute and amusing. Sarah Monette could always make crack with strange (for me) but funny lines :))

Enough rambling about my penchant for languages, now, about the book it self.

Skjaldwulf and Venthulf didn't get along

The opening paragraph led me thinking that way, but Sarah is sly, she kept surprising me. This book is not about Isolfr and Viradechtis anymore, this book is about character development and understanding other characters beside Isolfr and our wolf-queen. This one were from Venthulf, Skjaldwulf and Brokklolrf's point of view. You'd find many surprises here.

Isolfr was still as cold as ever, even towards his consorts, it was like his world is only Viradechtis and other trellwolves. It was still surprised that his indifference toward his won love life could lead other characters to paths I didn't even think could happen in the slightest.

You'll find that Brokklolfr, a character I wouldn't have thought would have big role anywhere, was sweet and understanding as his wolf-sister, Amma. And that Venthulf was as funny and hot headed (tsundere) as red head could get. He was desperate, just like Skjaldwulf, of Isolfr's attention. His jealousy and love were also amusing and that's why I call him tsundere. He also wanted to be a good wolfjarl he pushed himself too far.

Skjaldwulf that didn't stand out too much in book one had the biggest role here, I think. There were no more trolls to fight and here Skjaldwulf would find other things that our warriors and their wolves had to fight. He was all about politic and influencing people. Next novel will be about things that Skjaldwulf started here. And don't forget that Isolfr still did his role as main character and surprised you :))

I am so looking forward for the next book.(less)

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Jul 12, 2012 Aldi rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy, gay-or-gender-interest

(This contains some spoilers.)

More wolves! More swartalfs! More territorial wolfjarl pissing contests, many many journeys, and not quite as much – but still quite a lot – gay wolf-bonded viking sex. Good times. I really like the unique premise of these books and that they don't play coy with some of the more controversial issues. And I enjoy the sly sense of humour shared by many of the characters. I could explore this world for quite a bit longer than the books actually spend playing in it (but...more (This contains some spoilers.)

More wolves! More swartalfs! More territorial wolfjarl pissing contests, many many journeys, and not quite as much – but still quite a lot – gay wolf-bonded viking sex. Good times. I really like the unique premise of these books and that they don't play coy with some of the more controversial issues. And I enjoy the sly sense of humour shared by many of the characters. I could explore this world for quite a bit longer than the books actually spend playing in it (but more on that later).

Generally I enjoyed the switch in POVs. It was great to get more insight into Isolfr's two wolfjarls, especially Vethulf who was something of an enigma in the first book. And I love me some Skjaldwulf with his level head and wry sense of humour and rueful reflections on how he's older than dirt at the senile age of thirty-six (okay then, mate). Vethulf and Skjaldwulf coming to a more beneficial arrangement than growling at each other and secretly pining for a guy neither of them can ever really have was also nice to see, although I do wish more time had been spent on developing that. It started off great with their conversation about Isolfr but then almost immediately the plot sends them to different locations for almost the entire duration of the book, which felt like a bit of a let-down in terms of seeing a proper development of their relationship. (Though the way they started playing the "What Would Skjaldwulf/Vethulf Do" game across hundreds of miles and obviously missed each other was admittedly lovely and alarmingly close to being adorable).

(Also, by wanting more development, I don't mean I wanted to see lots of them sitting around and talking about their feelings – I realise that would have been out of character. But I expected more than an entire book of physical separation with a quick shag on either end.) I did really like where they ended up, though (with Isolfr matchmaking, no less!), and I still think the entire relationship - Isolfr, Vethulf and Skjaldwulf plus wolves - is such a refreshingly unique and issues-ridden configuration. ~~Oh Isolfr, why so very straight.~~

I wasn't sure about Brokkolfr at first, but he quickly grew on me, and Amma with her boundless love for puppies of all species was just precious. His and Kari's adventures with the hidden swartalfar tribe were fascinating – it was wonderful to get more insight into their culture and background. And that cave/warren was an awesome setting. Nicely unique variation on the metal-mining elf type.

I did miss Isolfr as a POV, I have to say. His perspective in the first book as someone who is never going to be quite comfortable with his role in this society and had some hard choices to make because of that was so complex and interesting and I missed being in his head and learning how he feels about the current situation. By necessity he came off mostly as "aloof, unavailable ice prince" in this second book as viewed by the other characters, and it was quite the contrast from the first book where we got to experience his own insecurities and conflicts first-hand.

In a related vein, I found myself wishing more than once that these books were longer and that various plots and developments were more fleshed out. I don't mean bloated tomes like George R.R. Martin's latest few, but sometimes the narration is so perfunctory, almost summarising, when I would have loved for it to linger a bit and explore events more fully. I do like when an author knows which parts can be safely skipped or wrapped up quickly, but sometimes this made me feel like I was being much too quickly herded from one plot point to the next when I wanted to stay and play.

The introduction of Otter was a major asset! One thing I felt was missing from the first book was the presence of any major human female characters – which kind of comes with the premise and I accepted it, but Otter's appearance was a very welcome surprise anyway. Loved her attitude and the rapport she had with Skjaldwulf. Can we hook her up with Isolfr please? Those two kids both deserve something good.

Fargrimr was another character I enjoyed, although I was somewhat torn about the sworn-son arrangement – it was fascinating as a concept but in a world already so heavily male-focused, it'd have been extra-awesome if s/he could have held a position and commanded respect without having to completely deny her actual gender.

I'm still struggling with the naming conventions in these books. I like intricately built societies with their own languages in fantasy, but I also really like clarity in world-building, so I wish these books had a glossary, given the sheer wealth of foreign-language concepts that are frequently used but less frequently explained. After two books, I'm still not entirely sure of the exact differences between a wolfheofod and a wolfheall and a wolfthreat, to name just one example. And a lot of the characters are not fleshed out enough to be particularly distinguishable, which isn't exactly helped by the fact that every single man is named something that ends in "wulf" or "olfr". Some terms (like "Franangfordthreat") are also just ridiculously unwieldy but that's a minor nitpick.

All in all, this had a bit of a "middle book" vibe but it was still solid entertainment and I enjoyed it thoroughly, criticisms notwithstanding. Next, please!
(less)

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Feb 08, 2013 zjakkelien rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, ebook, wolves

To be quite truthful, I didn't really need this book. Don't get me wrong, it was nice. But I loved the first book. This book was less brutal than the first and less harsh, but it also missed some of its beauty. The world is expanded and we get to know more about the humans in the warmer south. The wolfheallan need a new purpose now that all the trolls are gone and this book is about them rebuilding their halls and finding a purpose, as well as identifying a new (human) threat. Unfortunately, I w...more

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Mar 14, 2012 jess7ica rated it 5 of 5 stars

I love Sarah Monette, and I adored the first book of Iskryne, A Companion to Wolves. I didn't dare hope that we would be gifted with more novels from this world. It's a fantastic setting with dynamic characters. There are a lot of homo-erotic aspects to the story, which I only say because I know that such depictions are not to everyone's taste. I never found the sex in the novels gratuitous. It always felt right and necessary and fitting to me. It was also an interesting change to see this world...more

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Jul 09, 2012 Jamie rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy, kindle

A pretty good read, but not as compelling as the first book. The point of view changes from Isolfr to that of Vethulf and Skjaldwulf, which I was looking forward to, but I was a little disappointed in the external view of Isolfr.

Plotwise (the sex is a minor element in this one) the wolf pack is worried that they’ll become obsolete since there are no more trolls to fight (another parallel with Dragonriders of Pern). Luckily a new enemy appears in the form of a pseudo-Roman invasion force. The end...more

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Aug 29, 2011 Kaje Harper rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: m-m, fantasy

3.5 stars. I loved the first book in this series, A Companion to Wolves, (although be warned there is some dub-con sex in that one that is very disturbing to some people depending on how dubious you perceive the consent to be.) This book was more rambling, with the main characters separated again, delaying the emotional interactions that needed to happen to bind them into a working relationship. It is definitely only to be read after the first, or you will drown in the names and designations. Wh...more

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Sep 07, 2012 E rated it 2 of 5 stars

This follows directly on A Companion to Wolves, where a Viking-like society soul bond with wolves to fight trolls, and occasionally have Viking sex with each other. The sequel has lost a lot of the id-scratching appeal of the first book, it spreads out the POVs to three secondary characters from the first book and divides the narrative as well. There's an increased focus on world-building which was interesting, also I appreciated the attempts to deal with finding a purpose for our wolf pack afte...more

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Dec 24, 2011 Bryek rated it 4 of 5 stars

I enjoyed the second book in this series but not as much as I did the first book. My main reason for this is because it doeesnt feel like a complete book. This book is mainly a setup for the book three. Nothing really happens except that they solve one problem and they find more the the elves (that is what i am going to call them as i could never pronounce their real name - those who have read the first book will know who i am talking about).
The entire book is a platform for the third book to s...more

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Aug 27, 2011 SA rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2011

Very uneven, and a book that would have benefited from a stronger editing hand. It feels like a bridging novel--like something SM Stirling would do in his epic, eight-part books--except this is a trilogy, and the story doesn't really work better for widening the lens of influence.

All that to say, I did like Skjaldwulf and Vethulf, but the whole thing was just an exercise in lack of follow through from the authors. Why set up this whole relationship at the end of Book 1 if you're going to spend...more

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Sep 11, 2011 Renee rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: read-in-2011

4.5 stars

A wonderful visit back to the Iskryne world. It's such a fascinating civilization. I love what Monette/Bear do with the sexual politics and gender roles. Yet while those issues never overtake the story itself, they greatly inform the plot and culture. Vethulf and Skjaldwulf's stories really shed a lot of light on their characters. It was great to learn more about them, and their relationship dynamics are so interesting. I found myself reading slower and slower as the book progressed, so...more

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Oct 04, 2011 Nakki rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: au-world, fantasy, pr0n

OMG, A SEQUEL!!!!!!!!! *runs off to buy*

Oh I love this series! The 1st book was left open ended but with a great conclusion so it didn't even occur to me that they would be writing another book. This one only spans a couple month, whereas the first spanned many years, which isn't a bad thing. The narrative shifted between three different characters (none of them Isolfr) so the shortened time period was necessary to cover all that went on in three different locations. This book greatly expands th...more

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Dec 16, 2012 Jain rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012-reads, american-literature, fantasy, fiction, lgbt, northamerican

This feels like a middle book in a trilogy (which it is), but without annoying me as such things usually do. The book is transitional, but the characters' lives are also in transition, so it ends up feeling entirely appropriate to the circumstances. And, though the conflicts in this book are less epic, that doesn't make them less important: the characters are focused (at least temporarily) not on the immediate demands of war but on questions of their self-identity, their place in society, and th...more

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Jun 11, 2013 Clare rated it 4 of 5 stars

The Tempering of Men focuses on the struggle of a community to redefine themselves after their defining enemy is eliminated, with the threat of invasion by faux-Romans to have one of the war leaders question his very society. The worldbuilding expands gloriously, but, alas, the novel falls into the trilogy trap of having your second installment only serve to set up your third, instead of serve as its own story on top of doing that. That’s disappointing, but this series is definitely still worth...more

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Mar 01, 2012 Mysterious rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy, m-m, menage-and-multiples, consent-problems

Trolls defeated, this novel branches off to follow several major characters on their separate adventures with bears, wyverns, a lost tribe of elves and the Roman army. As another reviewer mentioned, it's interesting to see Isolfr through everyone else's eyes.

Though "Tempering of Men" is decently engaging, it's not nearly as revelatory to read as the first. The first book had a robust, self-contained story; this one is much shorter and spends more time setting up the next book than it does develo...more

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Aug 20, 2011 Sarah Castillo rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy, fiction

The sequel to A Companion to Wolves, The Tempering of Men by Elizabeth Bear and Sarah Monette deliver another emotional, action packed and thought provoking novel.

Everything I liked about the first book was in this book. The subtle politics of the wolf pack, the exploration, and the sensitive portrayal of gender-queer and homosexual individuals make this book a real stand out.

In this book another interesting gender topic comes up. The introduction of sworn-men; an analog of the Sworn Virgins of...more

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Aug 19, 2011 Eisheth rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy, m-m, magics-afoot, soldiers-and-warriors, vikings, wolves

I started this book with equal parts eagerness and trepidation, because I truly adored A Companion to Wolves, so I was surely setting myself up for disappointment with unreasonable expectations. And I was right, kind of.

I did like this book. These are the same fantastic settings and characters that I loved from before, and we get to learn more about their fascinating world and follow on more of their crazy shenanigans. And there were some awesome new things; brilliant layers added to this alrea...more I started this book with equal parts eagerness and trepidation, because I truly adored A Companion to Wolves, so I was surely setting myself up for disappointment with unreasonable expectations. And I was right, kind of.

I did like this book. These are the same fantastic settings and characters that I loved from before, and we get to learn more about their fascinating world and follow on more of their crazy shenanigans. And there were some awesome new things; brilliant layers added to this already rich and intricate world. Some sequels leave me wishing I'd stopped after the last book, but that was not the case here.

But I do I feel like it suffered from a distinct lack of focus. Companion felt very tightly plotted to me; it had a strongly woven central plot, revolving around Isolfr and his integration into a wolf-bonded, troll-killin' band of warriors during a time of war and upheaval. The Tempering of Men didn't seem have as much focus. It spun out in a lot of different directions, and I never got a strong impression of what the book was really about at its core, besides the further adventures of Wolf-Vikings and Co. Elements were touched on with some significance, only to trickle off into obscurity. Obstacles were raised, with little or no resolution. It felt like a lot of stage-setting for the next installment, so maybe my issues will settle down a bit with a third book under this series' belt.

I feel that the writing slipped a bit from the "authentic" feel of the first. I hesitate to say "authentic," because of course this is a fantasy, not a historical. I don't know or frankly care how accurate the old-timey Scandanavian-ish details are. But this book, at times, had a more contemporary feel to the prose, and sometimes jarringly modern-sounding dialog. For instance, a character starting a monologue with "So I was thinking..." (Which just feels very current in style to me, but maybe I'm wrong.)

All in all, a good book. Enjoyable, but not quite as riveting as the first. A definite link in the chain, that will flounder a bit in my estimation until it is joined by a strong third book to the series, which I await with eagerness.(less)

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Apr 01, 2012 scarlettraces rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fiction, yay-for-libraries

did the editor veto the BL? there's not nearly as much as there should be. it also felt mostly like set-up for the next one (although i see that's called An Apprentice to Elves, which sounds like it'll be about Alfgyfa) and the focus was a little too scattered. i liked all of the characters but felt I didn't spend quite enough time with any of them, or get the alternative payoff of lots of Isolfr through their eyes. loooking forward to the next book though, especially if it's back to Wolves leve...more

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About Sarah Monette

I was born and raised in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, one of the secret cities of the Manhattan Project. I studied English and Classics in college, and have gone on to get my M.A. and Ph.D. in English Literature. My novels are published by Ace Books; I also have a collaboration with Elizabeth Bear, A Companion to Wolves, from Tor. My short stories have appeared in lots of different places, including Lady...more

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Books by Sarah Monette

A Companion to Wolves (Iskryne World, #1)

The Mirador (Doctrine of Labyrinths, #3)

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The Tempering of Men (Iskryne World #2)

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