REVIEW: A Pack of Wolves by P. L. Stuart
P.L. Stuart establishes himself as the heir apparent to George R.R. Martin with A Pack of Wolves, the fifth entry in his planned seven volume epic fantasy series, the Drowned Kingdom Saga. Inspired by the legend of Atlantis, the Drowned Kingdom Saga follows Prince Othrun as he establishes a new empire on foreign soil after losing his island kingdom to the depths of the sea. Othrun’s conquests are driven by more than personal glory: he considers himself on a divine mission to convert his new subjects to the monotheistic worship of his Single God.
The comparison to George R.R. Martin is not something I offer lightly. With his expansive and intricate worldbuilding, nuanced character development, and unputdownable story, the Drowned Kingdom Saga is a worthy successor to Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire.
Stuart includes a direct allusion to A Game of Thrones near the beginning of A Pack of Wolves: “True winter was coming. It was in the air. The kind of winter that froze one’s bones to the point they were afire.”
The contradiction inherent in this quote also serves as an appropriate metaphor for Othrun himself. Although he is a cold, despicable character in many ways, Othrun also burns with a fiery passion and surprising level of self-awareness.
Othrun is proving to be one of the most complex and well-realized protagonists in modern fantasy. He is adamant yet self-reflective, impulsive yet introspective. With a spectrum of morality encompassing every shade of gray, Othrun is a grimdark anti-hero on par with Tyrion Lannister from A Song of Ice and Fire and Jorg Ancrath from Mark Lawrence’s Broken Empire series. Like Jorg, Othrun combines deeply evil tendencies with a glimmer of hope that points to an ultimate redemption arc. Othrun’s character has developed remarkably over the first five books. Despite his many persistent faults, I found Othrun to be a genuinely likeable and sympathetic character for much of A Pack of Wolves.
Returning to my George R.R. Martin comparison: the publication of A Game of Thrones in 1996 set the template for epic grimdark fantasy with its innovative worldbuilding, complex political machinations, and deeply flawed yet well-realized cast of characters. P.L. Stuart embraces everything that made A Game of Thrones great while also putting his own innovative stamp on the subgenre. One of the qualities that strikes me most about the Drowned Kingdom Saga is that it doesn’t rely on violence for creating a genuine grimdark experience. Yes, there is plenty of action, and some of it is violent. But overall, Stuart opts for a more nuanced form of grimdark, focusing on Othrun’s moral dilemmas as elucidated through his inner monologue. Stuart’s portrayal of Othrun is a psychological tour de force that would make Fyodor Dostoevsky proud.
A Pack of Wolves has plenty of surprises in store for readers, especially in the latter part of the novel. Stuart kept me on the edge of my seat throughout, with several major revelations that completely transformed my view of Othrun and helped me to understand some of the more confounding plot elements from the previous volume, A Lion’s Pride. By the end, A Pack of Wolves builds up to the most epic and consequential battle thus far in the Drowned Kingdom Saga, a battle that will pit brother against brother and freedom against slavery.
Another highlight of A Pack of Wolves is Othrun’s son, Othrun the Younger, prince of Eastrealm and first in line to the throne. Othrun the Younger serves as narrator for much of the first part of the novel. I enjoyed getting to know him as he struggled with self doubt, viewing himself to be a poor replica of his father. A Pack of Wolves truly shines in showing both the contrast between the two Othruns and, ultimately, the love and respect they have for each other.
Altogether, A Pack of Wolves is P.L. Stuart’s finest literary achievement to date. The Drowned Kingdom Saga reminds me of why I first fell in love with epic fantasy, and I can think of no higher compliment than that.
This review of A Pack of Wolves was first published in Grimdark Magazine Issue #41
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