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Wolf in Shadow
Contemporary fantasy adventure. An ordinary young woman finds a haunting and dangerous world of demons and shapeshifters on the streets of modern day London.Urban fantasy in one of the world’s greatest cities.
Rhian, a girl from the Welsh valleys on the run from tragedy and herself, finds a new home in the modern East End of London, where the world’s largest financial center spins a web of money and power from glistening towers of chrome and glass. Beneath the digital façade lurks the old East End where the layers of two thousand years of dramatic and violent history slide over one another like glaciers, spilling out in avalanches that warp the real world.
As bodies begin to litter the East End streets, The Commission dispatches its best enforcers to deal with the situation: Karla is not human, and Jameson left his humanity behind in pieces in Northern Ireland and Afghanistan. Rhian makes new friends, dangerous friends; and where Rhian goes, the wolf is always in her shadow, just a heartbeat away.
Among the bankers and traders of the East End walk demons in human form and who is to say which are the monsters? London is a magical bomb waiting to explode and somewhere a fuse is hissing.
Rhian, a girl from the Welsh valleys on the run from tragedy and herself, finds a new home in the modern East End of London, where the world’s largest financial center spins a web of money and power from glistening towers of chrome and glass. Beneath the digital façade lurks the old East End where the layers of two thousand years of dramatic and violent history slide over one another like glaciers, spilling out in avalanches that warp the real world.
As bodies begin to litter the East End streets, The Commission dispatches its best enforcers to deal with the situation: Karla is not human, and Jameson left his humanity behind in pieces in Northern Ireland and Afghanistan. Rhian makes new friends, dangerous friends; and where Rhian goes, the wolf is always in her shadow, just a heartbeat away.
Among the bankers and traders of the East End walk demons in human form and who is to say which are the monsters? London is a magical bomb waiting to explode and somewhere a fuse is hissing.
416 pages, Paperback
First published June 15, 2013
8 people are currently reading
76 people want to read
About the author
John Lambshead
41 books16 followersEducated Brunel University of Technology, West London, retired career research scientist British Museum (Natural History), London.
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
June 28, 2013
Do you see the cover? Notice the trio? Guy on the right, girl on the left, a wolf front and in the background a misshapen London.
Well, this cover is both true and false. :)
My first impression was: wow, UF set in London. Great. Let's grab it. Thank you very much, Baen.
My second impression was: ok, I'm dumb. I should have noticed that on the cover the guy on the right is definitely Bond(esque).
Then, ah ok. The chick in leather IS not the heroine. She's a Bond girl, well a vamp bond girl, but still.
Then, again: ah, ok. The wolf is the heroine...?
Then, it was simply WTF all over.
Let's start again. Yes, the cover shows you the truth. Expectations are a bitch tough, and I read it wrong. Unfortunately for me, I read wrong all the book.
After a while, reading it became a chore. At 40% I wanted to DNF it. I dragged myself on. At 60% again I was ready to leave it to hell. The story is set on two parallel roads and two Povs, let's call them leading guy and leading lady. Both have a sidekick (or two). All of them read absolutely robotic to me. I could not connect to these characters. I wonder if it's a case of tell (rather than show), as I could not feel them.
The leading lady is a wolf (but not a shifter). We are told something of her past, but not enough to understand why she self-inflict pain, for example. She is both uneducated and at times stupid. I couldn't understand some of her actions.
The leading guy. Oh God. The leading guy. I've watched Bond films on tv. Never read a book though. I do wonder now...how could you... He has his own Bond(ed) girl. A vamp whom The Commission has experimented on and linked (bonded to him). He's a walking cliche. Flat doesn't cover it. You get some flashback from his "war" actions, but they only drag the story, they do not do much for his depth.
And here comes an other problem. The plot is vague at best, and at half of it you don't really have an idea of where is going. (And it's not a mystery/detective.) Yes, you read the story, gets the hint, still the overall plan is ...my point exactly.
Again, this could be less of a problem if the story hadn't been dragged down by constant (and I mean constant) "lectures" on everything. What should be nice tidbits on London, get to be never-ending lectures on.. life. You get lessons on the Met, the slang, history of London, mythology. God, I love all this stuff, but this book should be on a girl who turns wolf. Kind of.
At the moment I'm going to put this book back on the shelf. I'll try to go on reading it. I can't swear I'll succeed though. If I do, I'll rate it and move to the read file.
You know what they say about life and hope....
Update. Ok, I couldn't take this book again as it is. I cheated. I skim-read the remaining 40%. I read one page every 6-10 where there was some action. (yes, there was some movement once out of every 6 pages...)
So I did finish it. If you can call it so. My opinion didn't improve. We got a long lesson on history too (when they time-traveled in the Other dimension, thrice. Three seminars too), plus one on Germanic literature.
Guys, I've got a major on English Literature (and History). I love this stuff, but not this way. If I want a lesson, I'll get a non-fiction book.
I found the ending (and the epilogue too) particularly confusing. But then maybe I wasn't that involved to be really reading.
I'm giving it a ok rating for the sheer knowledge he put into this UF. Where's Kate?
Well, this cover is both true and false. :)
My first impression was: wow, UF set in London. Great. Let's grab it. Thank you very much, Baen.
My second impression was: ok, I'm dumb. I should have noticed that on the cover the guy on the right is definitely Bond(esque).
Then, ah ok. The chick in leather IS not the heroine. She's a Bond girl, well a vamp bond girl, but still.
Then, again: ah, ok. The wolf is the heroine...?
Then, it was simply WTF all over.
Let's start again. Yes, the cover shows you the truth. Expectations are a bitch tough, and I read it wrong. Unfortunately for me, I read wrong all the book.
After a while, reading it became a chore. At 40% I wanted to DNF it. I dragged myself on. At 60% again I was ready to leave it to hell. The story is set on two parallel roads and two Povs, let's call them leading guy and leading lady. Both have a sidekick (or two). All of them read absolutely robotic to me. I could not connect to these characters. I wonder if it's a case of tell (rather than show), as I could not feel them.
The leading lady is a wolf (but not a shifter). We are told something of her past, but not enough to understand why she self-inflict pain, for example. She is both uneducated and at times stupid. I couldn't understand some of her actions.
The leading guy. Oh God. The leading guy. I've watched Bond films on tv. Never read a book though. I do wonder now...how could you... He has his own Bond(ed) girl. A vamp whom The Commission has experimented on and linked (bonded to him). He's a walking cliche. Flat doesn't cover it. You get some flashback from his "war" actions, but they only drag the story, they do not do much for his depth.
And here comes an other problem. The plot is vague at best, and at half of it you don't really have an idea of where is going. (And it's not a mystery/detective.) Yes, you read the story, gets the hint, still the overall plan is ...my point exactly.
Again, this could be less of a problem if the story hadn't been dragged down by constant (and I mean constant) "lectures" on everything. What should be nice tidbits on London, get to be never-ending lectures on.. life. You get lessons on the Met, the slang, history of London, mythology. God, I love all this stuff, but this book should be on a girl who turns wolf. Kind of.
At the moment I'm going to put this book back on the shelf. I'll try to go on reading it. I can't swear I'll succeed though. If I do, I'll rate it and move to the read file.
You know what they say about life and hope....
Update. Ok, I couldn't take this book again as it is. I cheated. I skim-read the remaining 40%. I read one page every 6-10 where there was some action. (yes, there was some movement once out of every 6 pages...)
So I did finish it. If you can call it so. My opinion didn't improve. We got a long lesson on history too (when they time-traveled in the Other dimension, thrice. Three seminars too), plus one on Germanic literature.
Guys, I've got a major on English Literature (and History). I love this stuff, but not this way. If I want a lesson, I'll get a non-fiction book.
I found the ending (and the epilogue too) particularly confusing. But then maybe I wasn't that involved to be really reading.
I'm giving it a ok rating for the sheer knowledge he put into this UF. Where's Kate?
Read
June 11, 2013I couldn't get into this, it opens up with a lot of telling not showing. The writing style is too blunt, and a lot of info dumping.
I will not be reading this, it's not my cup of tea.
I got this off Netgalley.
I will not be reading this, it's not my cup of tea.
I got this off Netgalley.
June 20, 2013
All Rhian wants is a place where she can live and work through the loss of James, the only man she’d ever found who believed in her. There are only a couple of things working against her. The Sidhe want to invade London, and her landlady is a witch. Oh yes, there is that turning into a wolf thing, though she’s not a werewolf.
Between helping her landlady with spells on sick office buildings and working at the local pub, Rhian doesn’t have much time left over for saving the world. Still the daemon who calls her Snow White thinks it may just be Rhian’s job.
Wolf in Shadow is a slick urban fantasy from John Lambshead. The characters are rich and convoluted. While Rhian is the star of the novel there is not shortage of interesting people who surround her. The city of London also shines and is almost a character in its own right.
The magic is consistent and well thought out. The plot is sprinkled with plenty of humour but it isn’t over done. I thoroughly enjoyed the book. I’d recommend it to all lovers of urban fantasy.
Between helping her landlady with spells on sick office buildings and working at the local pub, Rhian doesn’t have much time left over for saving the world. Still the daemon who calls her Snow White thinks it may just be Rhian’s job.
Wolf in Shadow is a slick urban fantasy from John Lambshead. The characters are rich and convoluted. While Rhian is the star of the novel there is not shortage of interesting people who surround her. The city of London also shines and is almost a character in its own right.
The magic is consistent and well thought out. The plot is sprinkled with plenty of humour but it isn’t over done. I thoroughly enjoyed the book. I’d recommend it to all lovers of urban fantasy.
September 24, 2024
Would have given it 3 stars but there are a few self-hurt scenarios where it is presented in a positive manner and I found that disturbing/disappointing. It’s not to say self-hurting doesn’t occur and the people doing it don’t find pleasure. But, I think it’s important in a fantasy genre where young people may read the book to be careful on the presentation and ideally have the character seek help.
I would be careful sharing this book with teens/ young adults.
I would be careful sharing this book with teens/ young adults.
February 18, 2023
Two government agents, a man and a flighty vampire, investigate the paranormal. A young woman with werewolf like tendencies moves to London to escape her past. A vampire on the moral sidelines and a conspiracy of world destroying levels brings them together. This was fun as a thriller and it has an interesting take on vampire and werewolves.
June 20, 2017
I thoroughly enjoyed this urban fantasy.
July 29, 2013
Before starting Wolf in Shadow, I read some of the reviews to get an idea what the book was about since the blurb was confusing. Jenny compared Wolf to Kate Griffen's Matthew Swift books; another reviewer mentioned two points of view, and a deceptive cover. This urban fantasy was written by a man, so if you like hearts and flowers with your UF, this might not be the book for you. Romance is present, but is not a large presence. The cover indicates the two points of view, which do finally merge a bit around the last fourth of the book. The cover is deceptive, since there is a major character that is not depicted. The world building is fascinating, and I was quickly sucked into the story. I found myself agreeing with Rhian that some of the history and desciptions, while necessary, seemed long. Rhian has problems, and struggles to find her place. Jameson has problems, and struggles with the place he has found.
Wolf in Shadow has humor, tragedy, magic, horror, psycopathic elves, vampires who are not vampires and definitely do not sparkle, a wolf who is not a werewolf, and a witch who deserves a happily ever after. I hope Lambshead has further adventures planned for Rhian, Max, Frankie, Gary, Jameson and Karla.
While doing a search for John Lambshead to see if there will be a sequel to Wolf in Shadow, I found a Commission prequel available on Amazon. As Black As Hell tells of the beginning of Jameson's and Karla's partnership.
Wolf in Shadow has humor, tragedy, magic, horror, psycopathic elves, vampires who are not vampires and definitely do not sparkle, a wolf who is not a werewolf, and a witch who deserves a happily ever after. I hope Lambshead has further adventures planned for Rhian, Max, Frankie, Gary, Jameson and Karla.
While doing a search for John Lambshead to see if there will be a sequel to Wolf in Shadow, I found a Commission prequel available on Amazon. As Black As Hell tells of the beginning of Jameson's and Karla's partnership.
December 16, 2013
John Lambshead really knows London. Rhian is a young woman whose boy friend was murdered about the same time she discovered a medallion that lets her turn into a wolf. Leaving Wales she arbitrarily decides to stop in London’s East End and ends up renting a room from Frankie a witch retired from the Commission that tries to keep control of Magic. Then one day, walking home from the Pub she worked at, she meets an elf and is almost killed. She is saved by Max, a vampire who fought off the Elves during Roman times. At the same time an Agent for the Commission Jameson and his vampire partner Karla, who is actually bonded to him, investigate the murder of a banker by supernatural means. Gateways to the Otherworld are being opened and may allow the Elves to return. Rhian discovers her talents and how to control her Wolf in Shadow (trade from Baen).. The otherworld has parts that mimic London’s past and Rhian and Frankie find themselves trying at one point to survive in Roman times and during the Zeppelin bombing of London in World War I. I really loved the brazen fun of this impossible-to-put down Printed by the Philadelphia Weekly Press
October 1, 2014
Great urban fantasy
Rhian flees Wales and her past, exploring the seedy side of London's east end where she takes a temporary job as a part-time barmaid and the first room on offer. A room that other tenants abandon when they learn their landlady, Frankie, is a witch. Rhian, however, is more concerned with her own secrets and the ancient broach that transforms her into a wolf.
Jameson is a worldly wise and weary ex-guards officer, working as an enforcer for the Commission to protect Britain from vampires such as his partner, Karla, and other monsters out of myth and racial memory.
Their paths and lives intersect with the sinister and charming Protector, Max, when blood magic weakens inter-dimensional barriers, opening London to daemons from the shadow realms beyond.
Wolf in Shadow is an enjoyable page-turner, which takes a wry look at London and Londoners through the different layers of history magically shadowing the present. Well written and full of humour. I look forward to a sequel.
Rhian flees Wales and her past, exploring the seedy side of London's east end where she takes a temporary job as a part-time barmaid and the first room on offer. A room that other tenants abandon when they learn their landlady, Frankie, is a witch. Rhian, however, is more concerned with her own secrets and the ancient broach that transforms her into a wolf.
Jameson is a worldly wise and weary ex-guards officer, working as an enforcer for the Commission to protect Britain from vampires such as his partner, Karla, and other monsters out of myth and racial memory.
Their paths and lives intersect with the sinister and charming Protector, Max, when blood magic weakens inter-dimensional barriers, opening London to daemons from the shadow realms beyond.
Wolf in Shadow is an enjoyable page-turner, which takes a wry look at London and Londoners through the different layers of history magically shadowing the present. Well written and full of humour. I look forward to a sequel.
January 26, 2014
This book needs some serious editing, lots of duplicate prepositions and clauses, as if the author chose a different word or rearranged a phrase, but no one was there to delete the old "to". Anyway, I liked that the characters came together into a little family of sorts. This book would be rated PG-13 nowadays for language in it's frequency of F-bombs and sexual situations. The concept is a little meta for science fiction (really Dr. who) and definitely so for British lit. I'd probably read something by this author again.
May 19, 2013
I read this as an eARC from Baen and enjoyed it. It's a fun mix of urban fantasy, time travel, and lots of delicious London history tidbits. If you love Kate Griffin's books, I think you will like this one.
June 29, 2013
A young lady can turn into a wolf, but isn't a werewolf teams up with a ex-government witch, and get into a large amount of trouble, quite accidentally. Best new urban fantasy this year. I particularly liked the soldier/vampire odd-couple- hope we get more about them.
October 9, 2013
This maybe the best Urban Fantasy/Science Fiction I've read this year. Loved it. Stayed up till 6:30 am when I finished the book. Want to read more like this!!! Hope John Lambshead write more. Don't miss this book, not a piece of fluff.
January 25, 2016
A good book, even though the ending seemed rushed, and without the epic battle I was expecting (there was a battle, but it didn't seem epic)
I've since discovered this isn't the first book written in this universe, so I plan on tracking down the others to read and compare them.
I've since discovered this isn't the first book written in this universe, so I plan on tracking down the others to read and compare them.
Read
September 20, 2015Seems to be the start of a new series, like Jim Butcher but set in London with a female protagonist and a lot more historical depth. Can be repetitive and the characterization is nothing too deep... but can be enjoyable light summer reading that doesn't insult your intelligence.
March 26, 2013
Fantasy in contemporary setting, based on magic in England following in the same world as "Lucy's Blade." Well written and well developed, much action. Recommend both books.
August 13, 2013
Fairly standard Masquerade trope story.
November 23, 2023
Very entertaining story and looking forward to a sequel to take the story forward.
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews