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Wolfwalker #6
Wolf in Night
“Tara K. Harper’s Wolfwalker novels are particular favorites of mine.”—Anne McCaffrey
Raised on a foreign world where telepathic wolves hunt in the mountains and mysterious aliens guard against the encroachment of humanity, Nori has grown up scouting in the wilderness. Like her mother before her, she searches for dangers that could devastate the isolated towns scattered across the countryside.
But the wolves have already encountered those forces. Now, disturbed by the sense of death along the broken cliffs of Ariye, they reach out to one who can help them. Unsuspecting, Nori answers the Grey Ones’ call–only to find herself mentally bonded to a half-grown, ferocious wolf.
Spies and assassins stalk the scouts and wolfwalkers while a deadly threat, once thought to be contained, spreads across the land. Caught between the wolves and the horror of plague, and with hired hunters at her heels, Nori is hounded deep into the wilderness to begin a journey that must end in victory . . . or death.
Raised on a foreign world where telepathic wolves hunt in the mountains and mysterious aliens guard against the encroachment of humanity, Nori has grown up scouting in the wilderness. Like her mother before her, she searches for dangers that could devastate the isolated towns scattered across the countryside.
But the wolves have already encountered those forces. Now, disturbed by the sense of death along the broken cliffs of Ariye, they reach out to one who can help them. Unsuspecting, Nori answers the Grey Ones’ call–only to find herself mentally bonded to a half-grown, ferocious wolf.
Spies and assassins stalk the scouts and wolfwalkers while a deadly threat, once thought to be contained, spreads across the land. Caught between the wolves and the horror of plague, and with hired hunters at her heels, Nori is hounded deep into the wilderness to begin a journey that must end in victory . . . or death.
494 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 2005
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
January 6, 2025
I'm going to break this review into 2 parts, because I have a lot to say about this wonderful book. Part One will focus on this book alone. Part Two will be dedicated to things like my nostalgia for 90s SciFi written by amazing women and the narrative devices that I think more authors could take notes on.
PART ONE
"Wolf In Night" tells a story of duty and secrecy wrapped up in the children of legendary parents. It explores the misconceptions we have about the people we interact with daily, simply because they only allow us to see what they want us to see. It is in the unguarded moments where they don't believe they're being watched where keen observers begin to understand that not everything is as it seems.
This book has one main character, Nori, but the writing style allows us a glimpse of her through the eyes of all around her. As the reader, it's fun for us to get to see many different sides of her and have everyone else's opinions as well.
There is a Love Interest, Condari/Con/Hunter, and he gets quite a bit of time to shine as well. He's pretty much the only person to ever give Nori pause or makes her question their intent like no other. It's a fun cat/mouse game they play with one another, because he has no idea what 'subtlety' is, or just doesn't care to employ it.
Other than them, most of the other characters are given highlighting moments, but are otherwise left to give us their commentary narratively, which I enjoyed. Payne and Kettre are great friends who know how to support Nori, and also add some much needed levity. The Uncles are described so well that you feel as close to them as Nori, and as understanding of their history.
For me, the highlight of this book was all the overlaying plots. As the back of the book describes, Nori is dealing with being newly bonded to Rishte, a yearling wolf, the fact that the plague is climbing out of its hiding places and she can't tell anyone before she tells her mom (except her brother), and on top of that there are massive political machinations that has triggered ongoing chaos thanks to evil assassins. The allies and stories she has to maintain between the people she encounters is a constant balancing act, and no one is totally honest with everyone else. I loved it!!
There is, also, a romance subplot. But that's what it is: a subplot. Con's place in the story could be just as meaningful if he never developed feelings for Nori. Her chaotic feelings for him wouldn't be any clearer, because the unwilling trust she has to place in him when she knows he's hiding things from her would absolutely exist even if there was no romantic tension. So neither character would cease being who/what they are if the romance simply vanished. It just makes it more ... interesting.
Also, Con absolutely calls her on her shit like no one else, but also missteps more than he thinks, lol. It's a fun dance to watch.
My only real complaint about this book is that I want another one. STAT.
PART TWO
I've been looking for more Tara K. Harper books since I acquired "Grayheart" in my teens. It's been difficult. In fact, my copy of this book once belonged to a library and had been marked for destruction. Someone took pity on my wolf-loving little soul and had thrifted it instead, which is how it came to be in my possession. And boy am I glad it did!
As someone who has not been able to find, much less read, the wolfwalker books in order, this is only my second venture into this world and I'm just as enamored with it as I was after my first read (and many rereads) of "Grayheart". (Which I will now reread again, because I want more of this world right now.)
One of the truly wonderful things about this world is that it exemplifies everything about the marriage between SciFi and Fantasy. This is a world where humans, genetically enhanced wolves, and even some other invasive species were all brought here, and have since battled it out with the native residents. Yet, this is a world where everything has expanded, new societies were allowed to grow and flourish, and new politics have emerged in a world less technologically advanced, which we often associate with Fantasy.
I've complained in the past about head-hopping. How authors randomly jump from one person to another within paragraphs or even the next page without proper warning. I usually have an immense dislike to this narrative method. The reason?
CUZ NO ONE DOES IT LIKE MY '90s GIRLS DID IT!!
This is one of the rare examples I have of head-hopping done RIGHT. The character shifts happen a little suddenly, so it still might not be some people's cup of tea, but they're done IN THE MOMENT. This isn't 'let's insert a completely banal and useless paragraph of scene-setting while we switch gears to a character who is a thousand miles away'. (Yes, that happened in a book and I'm still salty about it.)
What we see here is a case of the story benefitting from multiple points of view within the same scene, presenting all the different ways words, tones, and intentions can be interpreted. It was wonderfully done. Even characters we, the reader, have already been introduced to are reintroduced to us through the eyes of another protagonist so that we know how their mind tags them.
It was beautifully done in that every perspective only added to the narrative, it didn't distract or detract from the stakes and the story.
Another aspect of the writing that I love is the mutedness of the love story. Even in "Grayheart" it's not overt. It's actually quite subtle. (And I'll say more on that in its own review.) Here, it is an aspect of the story and serves as a minor driving force behind some of Hunter's actions, but his storyline would be just as complete had he no feelings for Nori. And THAT is what I appreciate the most: that the storyline is enhanced by the love story, but the love story is not required to keep the story together. This is also something that I've noticed mostly in 90s SciFi. Love stories are great, fun, and endearing. But they're not necessary for the plot to exist. Frankly, I miss that.
To wrap this up, overall I'd give 4 stars to the story itself (which is what I mostly judge anyway) but it gets a full 5 stars because the way the story was told was perfection.
PART ONE
"Wolf In Night" tells a story of duty and secrecy wrapped up in the children of legendary parents. It explores the misconceptions we have about the people we interact with daily, simply because they only allow us to see what they want us to see. It is in the unguarded moments where they don't believe they're being watched where keen observers begin to understand that not everything is as it seems.
This book has one main character, Nori, but the writing style allows us a glimpse of her through the eyes of all around her. As the reader, it's fun for us to get to see many different sides of her and have everyone else's opinions as well.
There is a Love Interest, Condari/Con/Hunter, and he gets quite a bit of time to shine as well. He's pretty much the only person to ever give Nori pause or makes her question their intent like no other. It's a fun cat/mouse game they play with one another, because he has no idea what 'subtlety' is, or just doesn't care to employ it.
Other than them, most of the other characters are given highlighting moments, but are otherwise left to give us their commentary narratively, which I enjoyed. Payne and Kettre are great friends who know how to support Nori, and also add some much needed levity. The Uncles are described so well that you feel as close to them as Nori, and as understanding of their history.
For me, the highlight of this book was all the overlaying plots. As the back of the book describes, Nori is dealing with being newly bonded to Rishte, a yearling wolf, the fact that the plague is climbing out of its hiding places and she can't tell anyone before she tells her mom (except her brother), and on top of that there are massive political machinations that has triggered ongoing chaos thanks to evil assassins. The allies and stories she has to maintain between the people she encounters is a constant balancing act, and no one is totally honest with everyone else. I loved it!!
There is, also, a romance subplot. But that's what it is: a subplot. Con's place in the story could be just as meaningful if he never developed feelings for Nori. Her chaotic feelings for him wouldn't be any clearer, because the unwilling trust she has to place in him when she knows he's hiding things from her would absolutely exist even if there was no romantic tension. So neither character would cease being who/what they are if the romance simply vanished. It just makes it more ... interesting.
Also, Con absolutely calls her on her shit like no one else, but also missteps more than he thinks, lol. It's a fun dance to watch.
My only real complaint about this book is that I want another one. STAT.
PART TWO
I've been looking for more Tara K. Harper books since I acquired "Grayheart" in my teens. It's been difficult. In fact, my copy of this book once belonged to a library and had been marked for destruction. Someone took pity on my wolf-loving little soul and had thrifted it instead, which is how it came to be in my possession. And boy am I glad it did!
As someone who has not been able to find, much less read, the wolfwalker books in order, this is only my second venture into this world and I'm just as enamored with it as I was after my first read (and many rereads) of "Grayheart". (Which I will now reread again, because I want more of this world right now.)
One of the truly wonderful things about this world is that it exemplifies everything about the marriage between SciFi and Fantasy. This is a world where humans, genetically enhanced wolves, and even some other invasive species were all brought here, and have since battled it out with the native residents. Yet, this is a world where everything has expanded, new societies were allowed to grow and flourish, and new politics have emerged in a world less technologically advanced, which we often associate with Fantasy.
I've complained in the past about head-hopping. How authors randomly jump from one person to another within paragraphs or even the next page without proper warning. I usually have an immense dislike to this narrative method. The reason?
CUZ NO ONE DOES IT LIKE MY '90s GIRLS DID IT!!
This is one of the rare examples I have of head-hopping done RIGHT. The character shifts happen a little suddenly, so it still might not be some people's cup of tea, but they're done IN THE MOMENT. This isn't 'let's insert a completely banal and useless paragraph of scene-setting while we switch gears to a character who is a thousand miles away'. (Yes, that happened in a book and I'm still salty about it.)
What we see here is a case of the story benefitting from multiple points of view within the same scene, presenting all the different ways words, tones, and intentions can be interpreted. It was wonderfully done. Even characters we, the reader, have already been introduced to are reintroduced to us through the eyes of another protagonist so that we know how their mind tags them.
It was beautifully done in that every perspective only added to the narrative, it didn't distract or detract from the stakes and the story.
Another aspect of the writing that I love is the mutedness of the love story. Even in "Grayheart" it's not overt. It's actually quite subtle. (And I'll say more on that in its own review.) Here, it is an aspect of the story and serves as a minor driving force behind some of Hunter's actions, but his storyline would be just as complete had he no feelings for Nori. And THAT is what I appreciate the most: that the storyline is enhanced by the love story, but the love story is not required to keep the story together. This is also something that I've noticed mostly in 90s SciFi. Love stories are great, fun, and endearing. But they're not necessary for the plot to exist. Frankly, I miss that.
To wrap this up, overall I'd give 4 stars to the story itself (which is what I mostly judge anyway) but it gets a full 5 stars because the way the story was told was perfection.
Read
November 17, 2020I picked this up at a 2nd-hand book store for $2. Don't know why I picked it but just a mere glance through its pages was enough to convince me it wasn't for me. I consider the loss of $2 far outweighs the hours I might have wasted in valuable reading time.
Keen observers will see that I haven't rated it. I didn't want to unfairly affect its current 4 star rating by giving it minus 1,000 stars - simply because it's a genre that doesn't appeal - to me.
Keen observers will see that I haven't rated it. I didn't want to unfairly affect its current 4 star rating by giving it minus 1,000 stars - simply because it's a genre that doesn't appeal - to me.
November 30, 2023
Somewhere between 3 and 3.5 stars.
This is the first book in the series that I read, which probably impacts how much or little I enjoyed it.
I think the high level idea on this series universe is not too difficult to grasp, despite my starting at book 6. A lot of the details take some time to figure out and remember.
The main problem is that the book starts very, very slow. 50 pages into it, Nori is still running, seemingly almost aimlessly. No wonder this book is almost 500 pages long. I almost gave up. Around page 130 is when the story finally goes somewhere, and it starts to catch my interest when she meets Hunter and Fentris and is finally reunited with her brother. After that, it becomes tedious again, even though there are a lot of things going on. Occasionally, there are some fairly interesting dialogs to spice things up, but mostly the author relies on the plot and a bunch of words that are supposed to be part of this universe. The end of the book is pretty much like it starts, with Nori running. Unsurprisingly.
This is the first book in the series that I read, which probably impacts how much or little I enjoyed it.
I think the high level idea on this series universe is not too difficult to grasp, despite my starting at book 6. A lot of the details take some time to figure out and remember.
The main problem is that the book starts very, very slow. 50 pages into it, Nori is still running, seemingly almost aimlessly. No wonder this book is almost 500 pages long. I almost gave up. Around page 130 is when the story finally goes somewhere, and it starts to catch my interest when she meets Hunter and Fentris and is finally reunited with her brother. After that, it becomes tedious again, even though there are a lot of things going on. Occasionally, there are some fairly interesting dialogs to spice things up, but mostly the author relies on the plot and a bunch of words that are supposed to be part of this universe. The end of the book is pretty much like it starts, with Nori running. Unsurprisingly.
April 20, 2014
This continuation of Tara K. Harper's Wolfwalker series is a great addition, it further expands on the lore, politics, medicine and advanced technology that could be easily described as magic. Its a satisfying blend of old and new, set in the far future, where colonist from oldEarth have generations past settled a wild and dangerous planet. Bringing with them some earth creatures and modifying them, not the least of which are Wolves who can bond telepathically with Wolfwalkers. The advanced tech from oldEarth is largely lost and the people rely on bows and arrows, and beasts of burden. This seventh book speaks of the children of the first books protagonists. It was a quick paced and exciting read, with interesting and diverse characters in a vividly realized setting. If you haven't read the other books in the series you ought and if you have, I think you'll really enjoy this latest chapter.
August 22, 2010
This is a good book, but to read it you will have to read the ones that came before or you will be lost. Though you can still get lost in this one that is why I gave it three stars instead of four. The editing of the book left something to be desired, and the mistakes are very confusing. At some points there are only two people then they mention other like they where there but they are not there making for a lot of confusion, as well as saying one item belonged to someone else when it did not. All in all it’s a good read but not a great one.
August 31, 2014
One of my favorite wolf walker books! It's interesting to see the Calling happen, to witness that growing bond between wolf and human, and to see the "taint" is even more present in daughter than mother. Good yarn, plenty of action, fun characters.
I loved meeting Nori and Grey Rishte, and was really looking forward to the next two volumes in this new Wolfwalker trilogy... but they never materialized! Ghost Wolf had an ISBN number, had a publication date... and then disappeared! Would really appreciate info on this. I fear something must have happened to Tara K Harper... :(
I loved meeting Nori and Grey Rishte, and was really looking forward to the next two volumes in this new Wolfwalker trilogy... but they never materialized! Ghost Wolf had an ISBN number, had a publication date... and then disappeared! Would really appreciate info on this. I fear something must have happened to Tara K Harper... :(
December 23, 2010
I really enjoyed this otherworld fantasy about telepathic wolves, those who are linked to them, and the mix of political intrigue and interesting characters. My only disappointment is that Book 2 is not ready, yet. :(
March 21, 2009
This is a VERY good book. All of Tara K. Harper's books are very good.
Read
August 29, 2010A little dry at first but it gets much better if you keep at it
October 9, 2016
Great Story. Characters are refreshing. New story line.
June 29, 2025
I think this is probably the most well written book in the Wolfwalker series. I could definitely see that Tara K. Harper's writing abilities had developed a LOT (and since the first book in the series is still my favorite, and also very well written that is saying quite a bit about her writing abilities...).
It took me a while to get past the first 20% (in fact, I paused reading it for a month at 19% - and then finished the rest in one day 😅), but once you get past that, it's easy to fall in love with the characters. Nori is so smart and such an interesting character, and so is her brother Payne. It's easy to see that they are talented in their own right, but even I, as the reader, compared them to their parents and wanted to see them. I guess after 5 book with Dione and Aranur, it's hard to give them up while still staying in this world... I really wish they had a cameo, at least. Maybe it was planned for the next book, which unfortunately seems to have disappeared into the aether, despite having an ISBN and a publication date in 2008!
Anyway, for amy fans of the Wolfwalker series, this is a must-read - as long as you're aware the series is unfinished and you might never get your closure...
It took me a while to get past the first 20% (in fact, I paused reading it for a month at 19% - and then finished the rest in one day 😅), but once you get past that, it's easy to fall in love with the characters. Nori is so smart and such an interesting character, and so is her brother Payne. It's easy to see that they are talented in their own right, but even I, as the reader, compared them to their parents and wanted to see them. I guess after 5 book with Dione and Aranur, it's hard to give them up while still staying in this world... I really wish they had a cameo, at least. Maybe it was planned for the next book, which unfortunately seems to have disappeared into the aether, despite having an ISBN and a publication date in 2008!
Anyway, for amy fans of the Wolfwalker series, this is a must-read - as long as you're aware the series is unfinished and you might never get your closure...
October 20, 2019
I haven't read the other books by this author about this universe, mostly I think they deal with her mom, but I really liked this one. It seems as if I've been waiting pho-evah for the second one in this series to come out.
April 12, 2010
At the time, I didn't realize that this was #7 in a series. :( I'm positive that I would have liked it much more if I'd known what in the world was going on. Definitely not a stand-alone in the series.
April 10, 2016
Really good story, great characters. Looking forward to reading more of this series.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews