Wolfbreed

by S.A. Swann

Book Overview

In this captivating reinvention of the werewolf novel, S. A. Swann propels readers into the darkest days of the Middle Ages, weaving a rare blend of soaring romance, historical intrigue, paranormal thrills, and spiritual questioning to tell a story that forever changes those who hear it. When a monk inadvertently discovers a lair of werewolf young, he unleashes what will become the Church's most powerful--and secret--weapon. Clandestinely raised by...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0553807382
• ISBN13: 9780553807387
• Release Date: August 2009
• Publisher: Spectra Books
• Length: 383 Pages
• Weight: 0.75 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 5.5" x 8.4"

Customer Reviews

A Breed Apart

An exceptional read, very well done. A nice blend of history and genre, with plenty of action that never feels gratuitous despite buckets of blood, and a healthy dollop of emotional insight. Swann never takes it easy on his characters or himself. Recommended to readers with a fondness for gritty adventure, unlikely romance, or historical fiction.

Challenging What It Means to Forgive and To Be Human

This interesting tale of a werewolf girl in medieval Prussia is paced in such a way that putting the book down after the first fifty pages or so becomes very difficult. The book's plot is concise yet its philosophical undertones are rich. What does it mean to be 'human'? This is a central question in the book because we see so-called humans, even 'godly' humans, who exhibit little but savagery and lack all semblance of empathy. On the other hand there are the werewolves, creatures who are branded as monsters simply for being different. The Christian knights aren't interested in understanding them, but merely using them for their own violent and ultimately secular ends (cloaked in disingenuous Christian rhetoric). The book can just as easily be viewed as a cautionary tale on the misuse of religion. As a Christian I found the acts of many of the so-called Christian knights in this book to be deplorable, but it did not in any way detract from the book. If you've read any scholarship on the medieval period, particularly Manchester's A World Lit Only by Fire, then you'll be aware of the unfortunate misuse of religion, and particularly Christianity, as a dangerous force of ignorance and superstition during the medieval period. Lilly and Udolf are excellently drawn characters who come across as strong yet vulnerable and at once likable. The idea of knowing truly what it means to forgive tests both characters and plays a central role in the storyline. One character has to learn what it is to forgive oneself while another character has to learn to overcome visceral fear and hatred too. The drama is all the more poignant because these characters' lives are thrown into tragic situations not of their own making, and even as we wonder whether these characters will make the morally ideal choices, we understand, given the flawed worlds in which they live, that they may prove to be as imperfect as their environment.

Wonderful Knock-off

First off, I've got to say this. S.A. Swann has delivered one white knuckle of a werewolf novel, full of intense emotion, violence, romance and drama. His concept for werewolves, while not groundbreaking, are extremely well handled. The novel is rich in detail and is obviously a labor of love. I enjoyed it. However, there's something I would like to point out. The author said he was heavily influenced by the anime and manga Elfen Lied in the acknowledgments section Both Elfen Lied and Wolfbreed feature main female characters who are under lock and key and the beginning and who are capable of great graphic violence against humans. Both feature a male main character whose traumatic past is linked with the main female character. There are a number of other similarities, but even as a knock-off, Wolfbreed is a fun fast paced read and I will be waiting for the sequel.

Excellent book

I really enjoyed this book. You know when a book makes you tear up it is great. I usually read books based on what I read in reviews by romantic times. Luckily I hadn't read the reviews in the scifi section or this one would have been looked over (i only read 4 and above reviews generally). I saw this book in the sci-fi section yesterday, and read it last night. There is no way this is a 3 star book. It is very well written, has a different type of plot and characters from most werewolf books and very real moral and ethical conundrums despite the fantastic setting. This is well worth the cover price and I highly recommend it. 5 stars.

Moving and tightly-plotted historical fantasy

Lilly is one of a litter of werewolf children being raised by the Knights of the Teutonic Order in 13th century Prusa (later Prussia). The wolfbreed, as they are called, are subjected to horrifying abuses and trained to become brutal weapons of war. Their purpose: to help the Order massacre Prussia's remaining pagan strongholds. A theological debate rages between the Order and the Church regarding the nature of the wolfbreed. Are they simply animals, soulless but trainable and possibly useful? Or, are they minions of Satan? The one possibility no one considers: human. When Lilly escapes from her master in the town of Johnsburg, she is taken in by a farm family and treated as an ordinary young woman. Their kindness breaches Lilly's defenses, and she begins to look at herself through new eyes and to question her upbringing. Her peaceful time with them, however, is not to last. The Church and the Order are hunting her. The horrors within Lilly's mind may be even harder to escape. Can she forgive herself for the violence in her past, and would those who love her be able to forgive her if they knew everything she'd done? This is a gritty, violent novel, yet there are themes of love and redemption that are often absent from the grittier sort of fantasy. S.A. Swann shows us the worst that humanity can do, but also the best. The surrounding horrors make the moments of beauty all the more effective. The story is told through several alternating third-person points of view. The different point-of-view sections often overlap in time, allowing the reader to see the same event from different perspectives. This device works well in Wolfbreed, and all of the point-of-view characters have distinct voices. I highly recommend this moving and tightly-plotted historical fantasy. It won't be for everyone; the gore, rape, and child abuse may be off-putting to some. I should also mention that many of the Christian characters are pretty unsavory, which also might not sit well with some readers. These aspects of the story didn't bother me personally -- I felt that they were realistic in the gritty medieval setting -- but your mileage may vary. As for me, I loved Wolfbreed. As soon as I finished it, I found myself recommending it to friends, and I'd say that's a pretty good sign!