Night of the Wolf

This is a terrific novel, that blends historical fiction with fantasy and magic. It is a pre-quel to "The Silver Wolf", in that it goes back about 800 years to tell us Maeniel's story. Although he is what could be termed, a 'werewolf', this is in no means your typical werewolf novel. There is no all-out horror as may be expected, but this novel focuses more on drama and human experience, as well as terrific historical detail from the time of Caesar, Cleopatra and Mark Antony. There are also plenty of gory fights and battles. Add to this, the magical scenes...for example, Calpurnia riding off on Pegasus after she has died, and the strange 'other-world' visited by Dryas, and you have what makes for a wonderful absorbing read. Highly recommended.

Like the title says, I'm rather biased in favor of both wolves & Ms.Borchardt so please remember to tkae all this _cum grano salis_(with a grain of salt). I read this book from my local library, just as I've done with Ms.Borchardt's other works & I enjoyed reading them all. If I had been the publisher I might have recommended adding a subtitle "Maeniel: the early years" but I believe readers wil be smart enough to deduce this for themselves. What I wouldn't give to have been there at that time just to be with Maeniel, Regeane & the pack. Summing up I say this is a book very much worth reading so go out & get yourself a copy. What her sister Anne Rice did for vampires, Ms.Borchardt does for werewolves. A-WOOO!

I waited a long time for this book to come out in paperback. The story of Maeniel is a powerful one. Way back in the fog of time, during the reign of Julius Ceasar, a wolf became a man. His animal innocence was destroyed when he joined the ranks of humanity. Maeniel learned treachery, cruelty, hate, jealousy, and a whole bunch of other horrible human traits. But he also learned love, a very good characteristic to have. Sent to kill Caesar, this wolf/man runs into lots of trouble and makes new friends. It is a wonderfully complex story.This novel is the sequal to The Silver Wolf, one of my all-time favorite books. I have been waiting impatiently for the past year or so for this book to come out in paperback so I could buy it. I will admit it's kind of hard to follow sometimes, so you might have to go back and read it again, but then again i'm not that much of a history person and so didn't pick up on everything the first time around. I was hoping that the story would include the characters from The Silver Wolf, but they were not present. Romantic that I am, I wanted to see what would happen between Regeane and Maenial, but I guess I'll just have to wait for the next one to come out.I highly reccomend this to anyone and everyone, for it is a wonderfully written tale.

I loved this book. It was a bit slow to get into, but once started, I couldn't put it down! Yes, it had some sort of erotica in it, but all with a purpose behind it, herding the story along. It was about human nature....and very well written. I had expected to be dissapointed, because I would have rather read about what happened to Maenial and the Silver Wolf, not Maeniel's past, but it was really very interesting. I loved this book and all the twists in it. When is Alice Borchardt coming out with a new wolf book?

The Druids worry as the forces of Julius Caesar's troops overwhelm the island. Desperate to save their heritage, Archdruid Mir sends assassin Dryas to kill Caesar. However, before departing for Rome, Dryas must murder the werewolf Maeniel who has brutalized the Celts and the Romans when his beloved Imona vanished after a battle. Maeniel searches for his missing lover who taught him to embrace his human side as much as his wolf side. However, instead of slaying the shapechanger, Dyras becomes a partner to Maeniel. Traveling together, they journey onto the continent, heading to the Imperial City for a final confrontation with Caesar on the Ides of March. NIGHT OF THE WOLF is an interesting dark mixing of history, Shakespeare, and fantasy into an entertaining tale. The story line is filled with action, but slows down when Dryas provides soliloquies on a woman's right to hold any job such as soldier and assassin. References from the Bard add to the tale, yet the characters of Caesar and his wife seem stale. Maeniel makes the novel as his dual personality fight in a way that modern psychiatry would enjoy observing. That split personality ever warring with itself turns the NIGHT OF THE WOLF into a fun to read historical fantasy.Harriet Klausner