The Wolf Age (Morlock Ambrosius, #3) in Sword & Sorcery: "An earthier sort of fantasy"

Mar 12, 2025 Bryn Hammond rated it it was amazing

Shelves: sword-and-sorcery

I wish I had my brains about me to write a better review, but I’ll have other opportunties as – celebrations – there’s the next set of three Morlock books.

Still, this one is special. I’ve seen a few reviews (on the wider internet circa 2010) agree this is ‘best yet’, and it is a knockout, such that Morlock, already voted my most-liked contemporary S&S character (at least of those who have a hefty run of tales), has advanced into the territory of me thinking, You know what? I enjoy him at least e I wish I had my brains about me to write a better review, but I’ll have other opportunties as – celebrations – there’s the next set of three Morlock books.

Still, this one is special. I’ve seen a few reviews (on the wider internet circa 2010) agree this is ‘best yet’, and it is a knockout, such that Morlock, already voted my most-liked contemporary S&S character (at least of those who have a hefty run of tales), has advanced into the territory of me thinking, You know what? I enjoy him at least equivalently to your well-knowns from your famous second-wave classics. And also thinking, This novel in particular – I know Sword & Sorcery isn’t huge on novels, but this is right up there on my list of them. In short it’s one of my favourite S&S works.

It’s first up for a re-read, of the three Morlock books so far (order doesn’t matter – this isn’t epic fantasy with a vast plot you have to follow, this is episodic S&S). If asked, I’d probably urge it on others too, to try out first. In part because the initial section, up to and in prison, struck me as great Sword & Sorcery writing, in its deft, fast avoidance of the clogging detail, while being as swift to engage my emotions and make me care. The latter, mostly by Enge’s eye for a lifelike glimpse even of bit characters, the understated ethical tugs Morlock has to respond to in his taciturn way, nothing idealised and nothing grimmed into caricature, but hard-hitting, real-feel situations.

Morlock is more brain than brawn, with his fantastic science of invention that to me conjoins the pleasures of SF and F, but he is gritty as get-out when he has to be. He has frailties, notably his drinking, which makes a terrible return in these pages. His creator has the knack of changing registers from tragic to comic and everything in between, which continues to remind me of my most beloved T.H. White. This was quite a hefty book yet the ride was wild and weird and changeable in the Sword & Sorcery way -- it was a trip.

It happens that I retain a childhood fear of werewolves, which my hindbrain still seems to believe in; I think this one has cured me, not because his werewolves weren’t real but the opposite: they were people, too.

Can’t wait to read it again. ...more

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Apr 27, 2011 Mike rated it really liked it

James Enge’s The Wolf Age is the third novel to feature the hero Morlock Ambrosius. I read the first, Blood of Ambrose, back in April of 2009 though I skipped the second outing This Crooked Way. I read Blood of Ambrose long before I had heard of Black Gate Magazine, the periodical which has been the home to Morlock on multiple occasions, and I suppose I have (consciously or otherwise) set out to make sure I follow authors read in the pages of Black Gate in longer forms whenever possible. The Wol James Enge’s The Wolf Age is the third novel to feature the hero Morlock Ambrosius. I read the first, Blood of Ambrose, back in April of 2009 though I skipped the second outing This Crooked Way. I read Blood of Ambrose long before I had heard of Black Gate Magazine, the periodical which has been the home to Morlock on multiple occasions, and I suppose I have (consciously or otherwise) set out to make sure I follow authors read in the pages of Black Gate in longer forms whenever possible. The Wolf Agepays tribute to the sword and sorcery stories of old without ever feeling stale.

Where in The Blood of Ambrose readers joined Morlock as he journeyed back amidst civilization The Wolf Age sees Moorlock on sort of self-imposed exile as his presence tends to draw the attention of his father Merlin. While traversing the wilderness Morlock discovers a raiding party from the werewolf city Wuruyaaria and though Morlock intercedes on behalf of the villagers under attack he finds himself captured and imprisoned. At the same time Morlock is being employed, without his knowledge, by forces far more powerful than he suspects; forces who see the destruction of Wuruyaaria and its mysterious founder as an absolute necessity.

The Wolf Age is awesome. In a place and time where vampire are all the rage in just about every genre under the sun it is a refreshing change of pace to see someone dust off werewolves. Enge weaves a fantastic tale of action, adventure, sword, and fang easily crafting a story full of equal parts wonder and excitement. Limited time is spent on exposition with brief interludes as we occasionally view things through the eyes of the Strange Gods, personified abstractions of basic human drives and emotions. These brief views allow us to take a step back and view things from a broader perspective while still maintaining an air of mystery and wonder. Tender morsels of hints were dropped regarded the pasts of these Strange Gods. Tantalizing little bits of information that I would love to see Enge explore in other novels but serve well to whet the appetite and keep you reading here.

Morlock is a fascinating creation. Willful to the point of being nearly a force of nature himself there were points of this story where his sense of justice as he sees it reminded of recent characterizations of a certain Time Lord. He isn’t without flaws of course and the kind act of a friend in The Wolf Age helps uncover one of those facts leading to moments both tragic and comic. Morlock is what modern terminology would dub a functional alcoholic. Not a laughing matter and the person he is sober and the person he is drunk are similar in one sense and completely different in another. Alcohol magnifies aspects of Morlock’s personality seemingly without inhibiting his ability to perform. Watching a drunk Morlock take flight to assault an attacking airship is part horrifying and partly hilarious.

Ghosts-in-the-eyes, the werewolf who founded Wuryaaria, is an absolutely fantastic creation. I don’t want to spoil things but Enge crafted a fantastic counterpoint to Morlock in the werewolf maker. While the inscrutable werewolf maker is mentioned early in the novel he remains, appropriately, something of a ghost throughout the entirety of the novel. A slightly tangible but still nebulous presence over the course of the book Ghosts-in-eyes plays a satisfying and completely surprising twist towards the novel’s end.

Werewolves, airships, flying wings, mad wizards, swords, action and more The Wolf Age by James Enge is a fine novel that scratches old school sword and sorcery itch without ever feeling stale. It had a more focused feel than Blood of Ambrose and the near solitary focus on Morlock worked quite well. The Wolf Age also takes a subtle narrative approach as a story being told someone; an effect evoked in the novel’s first line, “Listen Iacomes. This is what I see.” and not referenced again until the novel’s conclusion. I greatly look forward to more stories of Morlock the Maker and hope more people hungry for adventure and wonder will take a look at the stellar work of James Enge. ...more

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Dec 02, 2013 Joseph rated it really liked it

The Morlock books just keep getting better. This time Morlock is imprisoned in a city of werewolves (whose name I'm not going to even attempt to spell), psychically crippled and driven to the brink of madness. Then things get worse. Werewolf politics (surprisingly complicated, those), any number of layers of deeply-hidden antagonists (who may or may not actually be antagonists), his own inner demons and possible world-ending catastrophe are only some of the issues Morlock faces this time around. ...more

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Aug 12, 2019 Ty rated it it was amazing

A wizard warrior (sort of) finds himself imprisoned within a city of werewolves and must find a way to escape and lash out in revenge. Along the way he makes friends and enemies, the politics of the werewolves is slowly revealed, a war of sorts breaks out, and all the while the gods are watching and scheming. And that description barely touches the tip of the iceberg of everything that's going on here. I admit it took me nearly a hundred pages to be pulled in by this story, but once I was, I was ...more

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Feb 17, 2023 Derek rated it really liked it

Shelves: sword-and-sorcery

The way these things have turned out so far is that I start each one remembering very little of the previous, and with only the barest concept of Morlock Ambrosius and his setting. And no matter what it works. Morlock is powerful, he has a phenomenally screwed-up family, he is an addict in recovery unless he backslides, and beyond that each book seems fully enclosed and complete. He's in Werewolf Country now. Go.

Enge writes with a style that mixes the dark with the ironic but not hopeless and ma ...more

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