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The Phoenix Legacy #3
House of the Wolf
The triumphant conclusion to the magnificent saga of an empire that spans the stars… Jael. The son of a thief, he became the servant of the highest destiny of all… Lady Adrien Eliseer. A woman of fragile beauty and tragic legacy, she hid behind a veil of secrets and carried the burden of an unspeakable dream. Alex Ransom. Once a Lord, he sacrificed everything vital to his life in order to save the Concord, and must now face the ultimate sacrifice . . .
336 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1981
18 people are currently reading
153 people want to read
About the author
M.K. Wren
34 books52 followersMartha Kay Renfroe was an Oregon writer, author of mystery and science fiction under the penname M.K. Wren. Her work included the "Conan Flagg" mystery series and the post-apocalyptic novel A Gift Upon the Shore, set along the Oregon coast.
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
December 15, 2016
SERIES REVIEW: The Phoenix Legacy
5 Stars
Every once in a while, I will find a book at a used book store, buy it, and decide to bump it to the front of my reading list. See, most of the books on my list were recommended to me, and I like to have the joy of discovery, occasionally reading a book that I come into with no expectations. Books like the Phoenix Legacy trilogy are why I do it! I had never heard of this series or the author, and knew nothing about the books except (A) I could get them for $1.25 apiece, and (B) The covers were the kind of deliciously bad that could only be accomplished in the 80s. What I found is a series that will likely go down in my top 5 sci-fi series of all time. I now need to track down everything M.K.Wren has ever written.
First off, you should know that these books are not perfect. While the prose is excellent throughout, there are some decisions the author makes that I can't imagine ever getting past an editor. There is a trend that pervades the books of skipping key emotional scenes or action scenes and telling about them in flashback. For example, at one point, a character gets captured by the police. Instead of showing that scene though, the story jumps from a rather serene scene in a chapel featuring that character to a scene in a police station where an officer observers a random prisoner brought in. You must infer that the character brought into the station in this scene is the same character you left in the chapel on the last page, and you don't get confirmation until later. The scene of him being arrested is conspicuously left out. Writing decisions like this pop up throughout the series. I found myself wanting the "extended version" of the book that had all of the missing scenes.
So with that, how can I give the series 5 stars, especially when none of the individual books got that rating? The answer is simple: this is a story worth telling about characters that you can respect. Alexand, Rich, Adrien, Jael, Erica... these characters found their way into my heart almost instantly, and I found myself reading for hours past when I should have stopped because I needed to know what happened to them. The overarching story is also great, and asks a question that you could only get away with in Sci-Fi: Can a society be changed by peaceful evolution, rather than violent revolution? The way that theme is woven throughout each page is masterful.The scene-to-scene plot is also excellent, starting in book 2. The story takes surprising twists and turns, and does not worry about "playing it safe". That may not seem revolutionary in post-Game of Thrones fantasy/sci-fi, but what sets this series apart is that it does so without having to resort to being gritty and depressing.
So overall, the series gets 5 stars. I will never sell my copy back; it has earned a permanent place on my shelf. Now, for this particular entry.
HOUSE OF THE WOLF (4.5 Stars)
The pacing in this book was excellent, and the tension was so thick that I found myself unable to put it down. I read the entire book in 2 weekdays.
This is where the story reaches its culmination, with Alex Ransom and Alexand DeKoven Wolf now the same person, with Adrien now a part of the Phoenix, and with Ussher pulling off his desperate gambit. The ending is one of the most powerfully subversive endings I have ever read, with Alexand stopping a riot through the simple act of praying.
There are a few points that keep this book from perfection though. First, the attempted assasinations of both Alexand and Adrien are swept under the rug plot-wise. One should be enough to peacefully overthrow Ussher prior to his madness, and the other should have been enough to peacefully overthrow Selasis. In fact, the final scene could have been Adrien appearing to the Concord Directorate and, through the very virtue of being alive, unmasking all of the plots and conspiracies, thus saving Alexand's life. That would have tied up all of the loose ends in the story and brought everything to an emotional close. I'm sad that Wren did not do that, and instead chose to tell the final scene through the eyes of Blackwood and Ivanoi, both nothing more than side characters. Why not switch back and forth between your main characters: Alexand, Adrien, Jael, and Erica? Second, it is never made entirely clear why Alexand had to let Ussher do his militarized strike, and what purpose it accomplished. The explanation is there if you dig for it, but for such a central plot point, it could have been spelled out a bit better.
Now that I am at the end of the series, I actually have a strange wish. I would like to see these books rewritten and perfected. The story is one of the best I have read, and the characters are ones that will stick with me for years to come. This series was put out by a no-name author, and for whatever reason, has not stood the test of time. If it could be restructured, have the "missing" scenes added back in, and marketed again for a new generation, I feel like this could make major waves. I am so glad to have read it.
5 Stars
Every once in a while, I will find a book at a used book store, buy it, and decide to bump it to the front of my reading list. See, most of the books on my list were recommended to me, and I like to have the joy of discovery, occasionally reading a book that I come into with no expectations. Books like the Phoenix Legacy trilogy are why I do it! I had never heard of this series or the author, and knew nothing about the books except (A) I could get them for $1.25 apiece, and (B) The covers were the kind of deliciously bad that could only be accomplished in the 80s. What I found is a series that will likely go down in my top 5 sci-fi series of all time. I now need to track down everything M.K.Wren has ever written.
First off, you should know that these books are not perfect. While the prose is excellent throughout, there are some decisions the author makes that I can't imagine ever getting past an editor. There is a trend that pervades the books of skipping key emotional scenes or action scenes and telling about them in flashback. For example, at one point, a character gets captured by the police. Instead of showing that scene though, the story jumps from a rather serene scene in a chapel featuring that character to a scene in a police station where an officer observers a random prisoner brought in. You must infer that the character brought into the station in this scene is the same character you left in the chapel on the last page, and you don't get confirmation until later. The scene of him being arrested is conspicuously left out. Writing decisions like this pop up throughout the series. I found myself wanting the "extended version" of the book that had all of the missing scenes.
So with that, how can I give the series 5 stars, especially when none of the individual books got that rating? The answer is simple: this is a story worth telling about characters that you can respect. Alexand, Rich, Adrien, Jael, Erica... these characters found their way into my heart almost instantly, and I found myself reading for hours past when I should have stopped because I needed to know what happened to them. The overarching story is also great, and asks a question that you could only get away with in Sci-Fi: Can a society be changed by peaceful evolution, rather than violent revolution? The way that theme is woven throughout each page is masterful.The scene-to-scene plot is also excellent, starting in book 2. The story takes surprising twists and turns, and does not worry about "playing it safe". That may not seem revolutionary in post-Game of Thrones fantasy/sci-fi, but what sets this series apart is that it does so without having to resort to being gritty and depressing.
So overall, the series gets 5 stars. I will never sell my copy back; it has earned a permanent place on my shelf. Now, for this particular entry.
HOUSE OF THE WOLF (4.5 Stars)
The pacing in this book was excellent, and the tension was so thick that I found myself unable to put it down. I read the entire book in 2 weekdays.
This is where the story reaches its culmination, with Alex Ransom and Alexand DeKoven Wolf now the same person, with Adrien now a part of the Phoenix, and with Ussher pulling off his desperate gambit. The ending is one of the most powerfully subversive endings I have ever read, with Alexand stopping a riot through the simple act of praying.
There are a few points that keep this book from perfection though. First, the attempted assasinations of both Alexand and Adrien are swept under the rug plot-wise. One should be enough to peacefully overthrow Ussher prior to his madness, and the other should have been enough to peacefully overthrow Selasis. In fact, the final scene could have been Adrien appearing to the Concord Directorate and, through the very virtue of being alive, unmasking all of the plots and conspiracies, thus saving Alexand's life. That would have tied up all of the loose ends in the story and brought everything to an emotional close. I'm sad that Wren did not do that, and instead chose to tell the final scene through the eyes of Blackwood and Ivanoi, both nothing more than side characters. Why not switch back and forth between your main characters: Alexand, Adrien, Jael, and Erica? Second, it is never made entirely clear why Alexand had to let Ussher do his militarized strike, and what purpose it accomplished. The explanation is there if you dig for it, but for such a central plot point, it could have been spelled out a bit better.
Now that I am at the end of the series, I actually have a strange wish. I would like to see these books rewritten and perfected. The story is one of the best I have read, and the characters are ones that will stick with me for years to come. This series was put out by a no-name author, and for whatever reason, has not stood the test of time. If it could be restructured, have the "missing" scenes added back in, and marketed again for a new generation, I feel like this could make major waves. I am so glad to have read it.
February 13, 2016
I loved this series. It took me a while to get into it, but once things really start to take off in the latter part of book one (The Sword of the Lamb) it gets really hard to put down until you get to the end of the series. I loved how the climax of the series works out and the coda at the end leaves the reader in a good place for a story that could have continued on for many more books (although not at the breakneck pace that the latter part of the story proceeds at).
July 24, 2011
A good solid ending to the trilogy. While there are several twists and turns, we get to see a realistic ending. Adrien plays a small but important role and Jael and Alexand figure prominently. I enjoyed this series and would recommend it to any science fiction fan who enjoys Asimov and the like.
June 1, 2025
Really enjoyed the finale in the trilogy, wrapped up nicely although I feel after 3 books it could’ve done with a bit more time talking about the results of all the events.
The characters, world building and clans are great.
Didn’t have the same frustrations of this one as I did for the last 2, where it seemed a cycle of someone getting captured or being ‘killed’ and then rescued.
The history stuff works a bit better in this one, but overall just doesn’t work too well.
The characters, world building and clans are great.
Didn’t have the same frustrations of this one as I did for the last 2, where it seemed a cycle of someone getting captured or being ‘killed’ and then rescued.
The history stuff works a bit better in this one, but overall just doesn’t work too well.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 5, 2019
Basic idea was fine, execution was not. To the end the dialogue felt clumsy, the historical essays like getting hit with a bludgeon. The plot was fine but not compelling. The characters just missed, like they'd have potential but I never really cared about them - but the setup of the characters would be interesting. Not bad, but really not all that good.
May 1, 2022
4 stars, Metaphorosis Reviews
Summary
The founder of the Society of the Phoenix, and its most brilliant mind, is free, but at what cost? The Phoenix's hope for the future is badly injured and tormented by word of his lover's death, and the Society itself is largely in the hands of his rival, a psychotic who is launching a war the Phoenix cannot win.
Review
The Phoenix Legacy finishes largely as it began – with no great surprise, but with pageantry, drama, and emotion. It’s a strong finish to a strong series, and well worth reading. The characters stay true to themselves, and loose ends are carefully tied up. What you think will happen (and want to happen) happens.
The one surprise is in the epilogue, where Wren aims more closely at realism than I recalled or anticipated. In keeping with the long societal history provided by the documentary interludes, the political situation for the Phoenix (and the Bonds they’re fighting for) is … muddy and not at all certain. While Wren left a path open for a sequel here, I don’t think that’s what she intended. Instead, I read the series as being a romance on the individual level, with happy ending, but as a political book on the societal level, with a much more tenuous grip and far less optimism. It’s not a downer by any means, but it does leave one with the distinct feeling that “… and then they rolled up their sleeves and got to work”.
There are also quite a lot of appendices – some interesting (chronology of the history whose sequence I frankly lost track of), some glossaries, some demographic data, and quite a bit about clothing (which clearly interested Wren, but that I passed by in the story whenever possible). Much of this is material I wish I’d had earlier, and that would have been a boon as part of a single volume edition. That and the re-read has made me reconsider my plan to split the e-book omnibus I bought into its individual volumes. I think they’re just better as a single large piece.
In any case, a worthy ending to a worthy series that should be much better known as a classic of science fiction than it is.
Summary
The founder of the Society of the Phoenix, and its most brilliant mind, is free, but at what cost? The Phoenix's hope for the future is badly injured and tormented by word of his lover's death, and the Society itself is largely in the hands of his rival, a psychotic who is launching a war the Phoenix cannot win.
Review
The Phoenix Legacy finishes largely as it began – with no great surprise, but with pageantry, drama, and emotion. It’s a strong finish to a strong series, and well worth reading. The characters stay true to themselves, and loose ends are carefully tied up. What you think will happen (and want to happen) happens.
The one surprise is in the epilogue, where Wren aims more closely at realism than I recalled or anticipated. In keeping with the long societal history provided by the documentary interludes, the political situation for the Phoenix (and the Bonds they’re fighting for) is … muddy and not at all certain. While Wren left a path open for a sequel here, I don’t think that’s what she intended. Instead, I read the series as being a romance on the individual level, with happy ending, but as a political book on the societal level, with a much more tenuous grip and far less optimism. It’s not a downer by any means, but it does leave one with the distinct feeling that “… and then they rolled up their sleeves and got to work”.
There are also quite a lot of appendices – some interesting (chronology of the history whose sequence I frankly lost track of), some glossaries, some demographic data, and quite a bit about clothing (which clearly interested Wren, but that I passed by in the story whenever possible). Much of this is material I wish I’d had earlier, and that would have been a boon as part of a single volume edition. That and the re-read has made me reconsider my plan to split the e-book omnibus I bought into its individual volumes. I think they’re just better as a single large piece.
In any case, a worthy ending to a worthy series that should be much better known as a classic of science fiction than it is.
July 20, 2022
A fun, fast-paced read with plenty of plot twists/surprises.
Similar in many ways to the original Dune trilogy - science fiction, futuristic feudal system of government with a strong religious element for certain segments of the population.. not as grand in scope but well worth a read (along with the other two books in the trilogy)
Similar in many ways to the original Dune trilogy - science fiction, futuristic feudal system of government with a strong religious element for certain segments of the population.. not as grand in scope but well worth a read (along with the other two books in the trilogy)
October 22, 2021
Overall this book was good, not 4 stars but perhaps a 3.5.
Good ending to the story and realistic to show that it is not always happy ever after.
The bonds are still under their lords heels, the old traditions of the elite are still in place, and the slow grind of political change is underway.
Good ending to the story and realistic to show that it is not always happy ever after.
The bonds are still under their lords heels, the old traditions of the elite are still in place, and the slow grind of political change is underway.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 27, 2017
An excellent Finale to a superb series. I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It is magnificent.
November 16, 2020
A very good end to this series of three books. Like the first two books, this book was full of suspension and action. I really liked it.
November 6, 2025
Alexand deKoven Woolf is heir to the family holdings but is presumed dead by his family, particularly the current patriarch, his father Phillip and his betrothed Elise. Assuming the name Alex Ransom, he is now commander of Phoenix forces, a subversive group intent on recasting the whole of society and in particular the lives of the serf/slaves known as Bonds. But the Phoenix has been taken over by the ambitious and insane Predis Ussher while Ransom was absent as a prisoner of the ConCord. Meanwhile there is trouble in that camp too as a lord of the Selasis house schemes to be rid of the current leader Lord Galinin, who just happens to be Alex’s grandfather. A botched assassination attempt on Galinin leaves him comatose and Alex, while trying to bring peace between the Phoenix and ConCord forces, is blamed for the attempt. M. K. Wren’s trilogy comes to an exciting end with the results up in the air until the last few pages. Part romance, part space opera, it is an epic of family conflicts among the higher-ups. Unfortunately for the much-maligned Bonds, they do not end up being any freer (from what I can tell) and have served only as a lever for violent conflict. I strongly recommend reading all three books reasonably close together as I was a while catching up.
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October 23, 2025The triumphant conclusion to the magnificent saga of an empire that spans the starsJael. The son of a thief, he became the servant of the highest destiny of all Lady Adrien Eliseer. A woman of fragile beauty and tragic legacy, she hid behind a veil of secrets and carried the burden of an unspeakable dream. Alex Ransom. Once a Lord, he sacrificed everything vital to his life in order to save the Concord, and must now face the ultimate sacrifice . . .
Want to read
February 6, 20222 copies
May 13, 2008
The final installment. Buy it and enjoy. I can say nothing more and do not wish to ruin any of the plot with spoilers. Just read it.
September 11, 2009
Book 3 of the Pheonix trilogy.
March 31, 2011
A satisfying conclusion
July 30, 2015
Best of the trilogy - I'd probably rank them in the series order ascending.
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews