Wolf Who Rules (Elfhome, Book 2)

It is a great story for those who like some romance with their fantasy. Don't want to spoil it for anyone who is reading it for the first time, but it is a story that I would like to insert my self into. So many elements that would be in my personal fantasy. Have a great time meeting all the characters for the first time. Enjoy!

The first book of this duology, Tinker, made me hunt up ALL of Wen Spencer's other works. The action and background are different than when Tink was human, and she seems more tentative in her new role as an elf, but naturally she comes through with flying colors (called dragons.) I admit without shame that I like books where the protagonist is successful. Don't give me dark tragedy and expect me to enjoy it; there's more than enough of that in the real world. If you liked Tinker, you will certainly enjoy this sequel.

Wolf Who Rules is the second book in a series that starts with Tinker. Although not as innocent as Tinker, remember Tinker was a slave to the Oni, this book is just as fun as the first book. I hope book number 3 doesn't take 2-3 years to come out like Wolf Who Rules did, but it is well worth the wait. Like her husband Windwolf, in High Elf he is named Wolf Who Rules thus the title, Tinker is now an Elf. She thinks she has succesfully destroyed the gates between Earth, Elfhome the homeworld of the elves, and the Oni homeworld, but a disturbance outside Pittsburgh won't go away and apparently keeps a window open to the Oni homeworld. Tinker musts close this window while fending off Oni; Tengu, a subspecies created by the Oni that mixes human and crow genes and allows them to fly, the 3 Elflords of the Stone Clan who are brought in to put down the Oni invasion; and protect the human citizens of Pittsburgh from the Elves executing Oni left and right. Oh yes she must also fend off 2 dragons as well. Wen Spencer creates a fascinating blend of Western Elvish Mythology and Japanese and Chinese Mythology with modern technology and magic. Her charcters are very well developed, the twists and turns of the plot are very unpredictable and the pace is very intense. Windwolf's turning the human teenager Tinker into an elf and then marrying her has created lots of complications in Tinker's life, and this 18 year old child geniuse's struggles to bring her life back under control is fun to watch. I am also enjoying the development of human and elven societies' rules and regulations to live with each other is just as fun to watch as the story of Windwolf and Tinker.

I went into this novel expecting it to be centered on the Title Character. I wasn't far wrong, however the execution of this theory was unique. It certainly gave us a much deeper insight into Wolf Who Rules (aka Windwolf) psyche. But not by following his character the way Tinker (the novel) followed Tinker (the character.) Tinker, herself, was still the main vehicle of the novel as she is plunged into the mystical world of elven life. life tended to get in the way of the physics as she had to learn to understand the complex relationships between the castes and kin of the elves and to a bewildering extent the tengu as well, in addition to her own newly discovered familial (or perhaps I should say genetic) relations. Struggling to absorb the different aspects of her life and new physiology (expecially her new magical/mystical vulnerabilities through her transformed elven genetics), Tinker takes us on a organic ramble through the elven country-side of Pittsburg instead of the scientific race that we gasped through in the first novel. All in all WWR's was a highly interesting look into Windwolf's life (the life of a domi on elfholme) through Tinker's eyes. Different in flavor from the novel "Tinker" but a solid and highly enjoyable sequel.

This could be a standalone book but you'll enjoy it more if you've read "Tinker". We get more of a background on Elvish culture and their clan structure. Sure Tooloo shared her point of view with Tinker but she never tells the truth. Windwolf gives a more balanced view of what happened with the Skin Clan and how the domana and the sekasha came to be. Windwolf also gets to do some time as the main character and we get to 'hear' what he is thinking. Tinker does some growing up in the short time that we're with her in this book. Space of about nine days with lots of action thrown in. She learns that her actions can have very negative consequences on those around her when she inadvertently causes the death of a former friend. There's more on the tengu in this book as well. It really would be cool to be able to fly as they do. Tinker also agrees to have them be 'beholden' to her without understanding the full scope of how many there are of the tengu. This doesn't feel like the end of a series but a nice further foundation laying of a new world to enjoy. I'll be checking Wen's LiveJournal to hopefully learn more about the next book - Endless Blue that may be the third in this series.

I ran across 'Tinker' on the Baen website and read it. When I learned that a sequel was on the horizon I could only wait with growing desire for it to come out. Wen Spencer has not disappointed me. 'Wolf Who Rules' takes up shortly after 'Tinker' left off. Now that Tinker has saved Elfhome she needs to repair the damage. The only problem is her dreams are coming straight out of the Wizard of Oz. Who are the tin-man, cowardly lion, wizard, and wicked witch in real life? Why is she dreaming about her mother who was lost on one of the exploration ships sent from Earth? A great blend of fantasy and science fiction, this book is a must for 'Tinker' fans. If you haven't read the first book then do so!