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Wolf and Iron
After the collapse of civilization, when the social fabric of America has come apart in bloody rags, when every man's hand is raised against another, and only the strong survive. "Jeebee" Walther was a scientist, a student of human behavior, who saw the Collapse of the world economy coming, but could do nothing to stop it. Now he must make his way across a violent and lawless America, in search of a refuge where he can keep the spark of knowledge alive in the coming Dark Age. He could never make it on his own, but he has found a companion who can teach him how to survive on instinct and will. Jeebee has been adopted by a great Gray Wolf.
468 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1990
116 people are currently reading
1397 people want to read
About the author
Gordon R. Dickson
587 books376 followersGordon Rupert Dickson was an American science fiction author. He was born in Canada, then moved to Minneapolis, Minnesota as a teenager. He is probably most famous for his Childe Cycle and the Dragon Knight series. He won three Hugo awards and one Nebula award.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 134 reviews
August 12, 2015
This was a pleasant surprise from BookBub. I read the blurb and am always attracted to wolves so decided to try it. It's an Oddeysey that takes place after the world ends with a whimper. What no no more electricity, no more technology, no more gasoline, etc. so people are scattered, civilization is destroyed and one lone scientist heads to Montana to his. Brothers ranch, it's slow going and one has to be co scantly on the lookout for danger. But he picks up a wolf and meets some people. Quite remarkably written.
September 16, 2021
Un 2,5, mai curînd, pentru că autorul cam ezită între tema distopică și cea a relației om-natură. intereasante informațiile despre lupi, totuși.
February 7, 2016
2.5 stars - Metaphorosis Reviews
After the collapse of civilization, a social scientist attempts to work his way across North America to his brother's ranch with a wolf as his companion.
I know Gordon Dickson's work largely from his excellent Dorsai books, and the (less-effective) rest of the Childe Cycle books. I've tried out a few of his other works (e.g., Time Storm, The Dragon and the George), but been less impressed. I'm sorry to say that Wolf and Iron fits in that latter category.
The prose is smooth, the characters engaging. Dickson has obviously done his research, as attested to in a foreword by the wolf expert he consulted. Unfortunately, it doesn't come across well. The novel was written well before Wikipedia existed, but Wolf and Iron feels like nothing so much as a thorough regurgitation of Wikipedia pages. Protagonist Jeebee Walther is chock full of clever ideas and practical tips that he picked up and remembered through thorough reading, and for every situation he encounters, he remembers one easily and accurately.
Part of the book's problem is that there's never really much tension. Jeebee starts off well-stocked with gadgets, and rapidly loses almost all. In fact, he's so certain to lose them that Dickson almost forgets to tell us. For example, he starts with a high-tech water filter - surely a crucial item that he would rely on daily. Yet at one point, Jeebee, in need of water, suddenly remembers that he lost this vital item some time back. Dickson also loses track of the story in other ways, inadvertently suggesting some incredible coincidences that are probably just editorial errors.
Jeebee's carelessness doesn't matter, because we always know that this bookish city boy will overcome any obstacle. This despite the fact that he is evidently less prepared for survival than every other person he encounters. The stock ultra-competent young woman he meets loves him despite his at best anachronistic “hold her close until she stops fighting love” approach to courtship. Dickson throws in some hand-waving to create some relationship-building time, but it isn't really credible.
The problem is that Dickson becomes so enamored of the practicalities of survival that it becomes the core of the story, and he throws in ever trick he can think of. The book is essentially a rewrite of Robinson Crusoe in Montana, complete with makeshift fortress and source of bounty - except that in Jeebee's case, that's not a ship, but a nearby ranch, and Friday is a wolf. The ranch is where the book loses its storyline most thoroughly. Rather than move into the handy abandoned ranch, Jeebee spends chapters dragging material to a more rustic cave, and doesn't even do it efficiently. While it's meant as a temporary shelter for one winter, he immediately plans to establish a smithy. While he's nominally trying to stay silent and inconspicuous to the neighbours who are certain to come, whenever he's not dragging material back and forth, he's out shooting cattle. Even the man-wolf relationship, otherwise the saving grace of the book, is secondary to description of day-to-day chores (though Dickson is much more shy of body parts). Much of the space it does take is either Jeebee worrying about what Wolf's actions mean – until Wolf isn't quite as useful anymore – or protecting his belonging's from Wolf's apparently insane curiosity. For example, he sleeps on top of a metal ladder, because otherwise, Wolf would apparently eat it for dinner.
The book is mildly interesting because it is well-researched, but there's not much here that Daniel Defoe didn't already cover in a different setting..
* A note on the Start Science Fiction e-book edition – it's evidently OCR based, with less than perfect proofreading. There are a fair number of typos, and one spot in which an editorial note has been left [bracketed] in the middle of the text to clarify one obvious and easily fixed original typo. It's less than impressive for a book that's not that old.
After the collapse of civilization, a social scientist attempts to work his way across North America to his brother's ranch with a wolf as his companion.
I know Gordon Dickson's work largely from his excellent Dorsai books, and the (less-effective) rest of the Childe Cycle books. I've tried out a few of his other works (e.g., Time Storm, The Dragon and the George), but been less impressed. I'm sorry to say that Wolf and Iron fits in that latter category.
The prose is smooth, the characters engaging. Dickson has obviously done his research, as attested to in a foreword by the wolf expert he consulted. Unfortunately, it doesn't come across well. The novel was written well before Wikipedia existed, but Wolf and Iron feels like nothing so much as a thorough regurgitation of Wikipedia pages. Protagonist Jeebee Walther is chock full of clever ideas and practical tips that he picked up and remembered through thorough reading, and for every situation he encounters, he remembers one easily and accurately.
Part of the book's problem is that there's never really much tension. Jeebee starts off well-stocked with gadgets, and rapidly loses almost all. In fact, he's so certain to lose them that Dickson almost forgets to tell us. For example, he starts with a high-tech water filter - surely a crucial item that he would rely on daily. Yet at one point, Jeebee, in need of water, suddenly remembers that he lost this vital item some time back. Dickson also loses track of the story in other ways, inadvertently suggesting some incredible coincidences that are probably just editorial errors.
Jeebee's carelessness doesn't matter, because we always know that this bookish city boy will overcome any obstacle. This despite the fact that he is evidently less prepared for survival than every other person he encounters. The stock ultra-competent young woman he meets loves him despite his at best anachronistic “hold her close until she stops fighting love” approach to courtship. Dickson throws in some hand-waving to create some relationship-building time, but it isn't really credible.
The problem is that Dickson becomes so enamored of the practicalities of survival that it becomes the core of the story, and he throws in ever trick he can think of. The book is essentially a rewrite of Robinson Crusoe in Montana, complete with makeshift fortress and source of bounty - except that in Jeebee's case, that's not a ship, but a nearby ranch, and Friday is a wolf. The ranch is where the book loses its storyline most thoroughly. Rather than move into the handy abandoned ranch, Jeebee spends chapters dragging material to a more rustic cave, and doesn't even do it efficiently. While it's meant as a temporary shelter for one winter, he immediately plans to establish a smithy. While he's nominally trying to stay silent and inconspicuous to the neighbours who are certain to come, whenever he's not dragging material back and forth, he's out shooting cattle. Even the man-wolf relationship, otherwise the saving grace of the book, is secondary to description of day-to-day chores (though Dickson is much more shy of body parts). Much of the space it does take is either Jeebee worrying about what Wolf's actions mean – until Wolf isn't quite as useful anymore – or protecting his belonging's from Wolf's apparently insane curiosity. For example, he sleeps on top of a metal ladder, because otherwise, Wolf would apparently eat it for dinner.
The book is mildly interesting because it is well-researched, but there's not much here that Daniel Defoe didn't already cover in a different setting..
* A note on the Start Science Fiction e-book edition – it's evidently OCR based, with less than perfect proofreading. There are a fair number of typos, and one spot in which an editorial note has been left [bracketed] in the middle of the text to clarify one obvious and easily fixed original typo. It's less than impressive for a book that's not that old.
July 19, 2025
Cea mai frumoasă carte în care apare un lup-personaj principal pe care am citit-o, asta până în momentul în care l-am descoperit pe Ochi Întunecați din trilogia Farseer scrisă de Robin Hobb și pe care cititorul din mine l-a adoptat într-o clipită. Ochi Întunecați era carismatic, avea simțul umorului, putea comunica telepatic cu oamenii care aveau acest har, un personaj aparte din toate punctele de vedere, în timp ce animalul lui Dickson este doar un lup… normal. Care, dintre toți lupii normali din toate cărțile pe care le-am citit și în care aceștia apar, este de departe preferatul meu.
Poate că această comparație nu este una corectă, lupul lui Hobb era un personaj fantastic și bineînțeles că și-a căpătat imediat statutul de vedetă iar lupul lui Dickson nici măcar nu are un nume deosebit, îl cheamă doar Lup și atât. Dar dacă ar fi să mă “înhăitez” cu unul dintre ei, l-aș alege fără să clipesc pe Lup, celălalt rămânând doar un prieten imaginar dintr-un roman fantasy.
Câteva cuvinte despre roman? Post-apocaliptic, înfățișând o lume pe care o vom găsi repede dacă vom continua să ne distrugem planeta în acest ritm, o carte despre oameni buni – puțini și despre oameni răi – mulți, un ghid de supraviețuire cu sau fără un prieten Lup lângă noi.
Superbă, absolut superbă această carte!
Nota acordată romanului : 10
http://www.bucurestifm.ro/2021/11/01/...
Poate că această comparație nu este una corectă, lupul lui Hobb era un personaj fantastic și bineînțeles că și-a căpătat imediat statutul de vedetă iar lupul lui Dickson nici măcar nu are un nume deosebit, îl cheamă doar Lup și atât. Dar dacă ar fi să mă “înhăitez” cu unul dintre ei, l-aș alege fără să clipesc pe Lup, celălalt rămânând doar un prieten imaginar dintr-un roman fantasy.
Câteva cuvinte despre roman? Post-apocaliptic, înfățișând o lume pe care o vom găsi repede dacă vom continua să ne distrugem planeta în acest ritm, o carte despre oameni buni – puțini și despre oameni răi – mulți, un ghid de supraviețuire cu sau fără un prieten Lup lângă noi.
Superbă, absolut superbă această carte!
Nota acordată romanului : 10
http://www.bucurestifm.ro/2021/11/01/...
September 3, 2017
This is a rather strange book. The original barely logical plot of traveling to some long-lost brother's ranch is quickly abandoned in favor of survival porn: endless descriptions of scavenging and rigging weapons and shelter. Normally, that'd be pretty tense and interesting, but the main character stumbles across the post-apocalyptic equivalent of Home Depot in an abandoned ranch that provides him with all the supplies he could need for the last third or so of the book, so it's more like reading some prepper's blog about a weekend out in a nature preserve.
For how much research Dickson put into this novel, it's strange how often the little details seemed to escape him. Jeebee starts the novel stocked with a handful of futuristic survival devices that simply vanish from the narrative with no more than a passing thought of, "Oh, I can't find it." In the middle of the novel, he's gifted a giant sword-like Bowie knife and even given knife fighting lessons. The other character warns Jeebee to never get into close combat unless he absolutely must, and that he should never use this megasword for chopping wood or other mundane things, only to kill. Oh man, I thought, surely this was going to pay off in some epic life-or-death scene where Jeebee has to machete chop somebody to death. Sweet! Nah. The knife gets strapped to his boot and is never mentioned again.
So, for how heavily the book relies on the relationship between Jeebee and Wolf for its interest, tension, and progress, very little is done with it. I started the book thinking it would be something more along the lines of "A Boy and His Dog" and was pleasantly surprised to find it was a more realistic depiction, but I still feel like the interactions between human and wolf suffer from the same pitfalls as the survival writing: bland lists of researched details couched in the thinnest plot.
As a rather silly aside: This is probably the first book to make me exclaim "move on already" aloud while reading it. Strangely enough, it wasn't the scene where the main character eats wolf vomit that did it, but the birthing scene. Granted, I have a strange phobia/hatred of anything pregnancy related, but the details Dickson selected for his otherwise rather sparse descriptions were rough to get through.
For how much research Dickson put into this novel, it's strange how often the little details seemed to escape him. Jeebee starts the novel stocked with a handful of futuristic survival devices that simply vanish from the narrative with no more than a passing thought of, "Oh, I can't find it." In the middle of the novel, he's gifted a giant sword-like Bowie knife and even given knife fighting lessons. The other character warns Jeebee to never get into close combat unless he absolutely must, and that he should never use this megasword for chopping wood or other mundane things, only to kill. Oh man, I thought, surely this was going to pay off in some epic life-or-death scene where Jeebee has to machete chop somebody to death. Sweet! Nah. The knife gets strapped to his boot and is never mentioned again.
So, for how heavily the book relies on the relationship between Jeebee and Wolf for its interest, tension, and progress, very little is done with it. I started the book thinking it would be something more along the lines of "A Boy and His Dog" and was pleasantly surprised to find it was a more realistic depiction, but I still feel like the interactions between human and wolf suffer from the same pitfalls as the survival writing: bland lists of researched details couched in the thinnest plot.
As a rather silly aside: This is probably the first book to make me exclaim "move on already" aloud while reading it. Strangely enough, it wasn't the scene where the main character eats wolf vomit that did it, but the birthing scene. Granted, I have a strange phobia/hatred of anything pregnancy related, but the details Dickson selected for his otherwise rather sparse descriptions were rough to get through.
February 12, 2017
This review is from the Kindle edition of the Start Science Fiction First Edition published October 15, 2013. I enjoyed this novel to a degree even though there are some problems and short comings. One problem is that the way the novel is described on Amazon's site could lead some to believe that they are purchasing a novel of a different type than this actually is. A quote from a featured review in the description, "En route he befriends a wolf who becomes a partner and companion via verbal and nonverbal communication." Another blurb talks about the wolf adopting Jeebee and teaching him. There is nothing mystical about this wolf. It is just a wolf which was raised by humans. It does not respond to or engage in verbal communication. A large part of the novel deals with Jeebee's attempts to understand Wolf because he met Wolf when he was lonely and needed companionship. As one may gather from this, there is very little action in the novel. A large portion of the book occurs inside Jeebee's head. Long portions describe the various things Jeebee does to survive including much detail about the things he builds. In this area it is a little similar to Swiss Family Robinson but not as well written. I have liked Dickson since high school but he does not compare favorably with Johann David Wyss. In my opinion, Dickson's work is stronger when he writes actual science fiction which this novel is not.
September 7, 2011
I only know one stanza of T.S. Eliot's poetry, and the most popular one at that: "This is the way the world ends, not with a bang, but a whimper." Of all the apocalyptic scenarios that I've read about, the one invoked by this line seems to me to simultaneously be the most likely, the most interesting, and the most overlooked. The world won't tumble into anarchy and decay from a comet, or from nuclear war, or a supervirus, or overpopulation. Instead, it will slowly sink into a bog of smaller social problems, letting the human race loose it's infrastructure piece by piece rather than all at once.
"Wolf and Iron" intrigued me because it is based in just such a scenario. The setup is familiar to fans of PA: the end of the world has come and gone, and now America is a land without electricity, gasoline, or communication. Through this world, our main character Jeebee travels with his aquired pet wolf, Wolf (simple names for simple times, I guess). Together, the unlikely pair learn to redefine their relationship towards each other and toward other humans as they trek across the midwest United States.
Dickson does a good job of walking through the nitty-gritty details of survival, but very quickly the book becomes too focused on these points without evidently trying to use them for any higher purpose. Chapter after chapter slowly detail each step that Jeebee takes in his journey, but at almost no point is there a sense of progression or purpose... that is, until the unfortunate end of the book. Here, the timescale of the plot is blown out of proportion. Where the first four hundred pages of the book cover a timescale of perhaps four months, the next thirty cover six, and the final thirty cover an entire year. It is here that Wolf and Iron hurredly throws in some potentially interesting plot developments, and even has some wonderful closing scenes, but they are far too rushed to be enjoyed. If the entire novel had focused on these parts, I might have enjoyed it more.
Altogether, it's a book that needs a rewrite. Post-apocalyptic landscapes are constantly in danger of being boring, since there's a strong emphasis on solitude and dehumanization, but I wouldn't expect an author like Gordon Dickson to hit such an obvious pothole. Some parts of the book need to be cut out and some need to be expanded, and while I wait for that rewrite to occur, I'm sure there are more interesting PA books to read.
"Wolf and Iron" intrigued me because it is based in just such a scenario. The setup is familiar to fans of PA: the end of the world has come and gone, and now America is a land without electricity, gasoline, or communication. Through this world, our main character Jeebee travels with his aquired pet wolf, Wolf (simple names for simple times, I guess). Together, the unlikely pair learn to redefine their relationship towards each other and toward other humans as they trek across the midwest United States.
Dickson does a good job of walking through the nitty-gritty details of survival, but very quickly the book becomes too focused on these points without evidently trying to use them for any higher purpose. Chapter after chapter slowly detail each step that Jeebee takes in his journey, but at almost no point is there a sense of progression or purpose... that is, until the unfortunate end of the book. Here, the timescale of the plot is blown out of proportion. Where the first four hundred pages of the book cover a timescale of perhaps four months, the next thirty cover six, and the final thirty cover an entire year. It is here that Wolf and Iron hurredly throws in some potentially interesting plot developments, and even has some wonderful closing scenes, but they are far too rushed to be enjoyed. If the entire novel had focused on these parts, I might have enjoyed it more.
Altogether, it's a book that needs a rewrite. Post-apocalyptic landscapes are constantly in danger of being boring, since there's a strong emphasis on solitude and dehumanization, but I wouldn't expect an author like Gordon Dickson to hit such an obvious pothole. Some parts of the book need to be cut out and some need to be expanded, and while I wait for that rewrite to occur, I'm sure there are more interesting PA books to read.
July 8, 2014
I have always enjoyed Dickson, but found this one to be exceptional. post-apocalyptic, but concentrating mostly on the story of one man. An academic who understood a bit about what was coming, but still was not prepared. The story of him and the wolf he befriends was quite enjoyable along with the little contact he has with others as he tried to travel to his brother's farm. The foreword from an expert on wolf behavior tells of his time working with Dickson to help him to get the wolf-behavior details right. This really adds to the story which seems so true-to-life in a way most post-apocalyptic isn't. Maybe because it concentrates more on relationships than the catastrophe.
October 21, 2012
Post-apocalyptic, Man & Dog (well, wolf), Gordie Dickson: what's not to love!
It's years since I read this, but it had a profound effect on me, and I really want to find a copy.
***
Edit: I got hold of a copy.
I'm fascinated by the depth of research that went into the Man/Wolf relationship (somewhat forced on him by his wolf researcher, Dr. Harry Frank, who wouldn't let him get away with anything!) but perplexed how at times he gets even the simplest things wrong. For the second time in a week (the first author who did it was forgettable and forgotten), I read how it was important to stay "upwind" of a predator so that it couldn't smell you. No, you stay "downwind": just as water flows from "upstream" to "downstream", air flows from "upwind". And speaking of "upstream", when Jeebee follows a stream uphill, and finds himself at a branch where two streams flow downhill, how can he possibly even have to investigate to know that one of those streams is man-made? Honestly, Gordie, it can't happen in nature.
That said, I loved the book when I first read it, and I still do on re-reading. The ending doesn't actually make much sense to me, but the journey does, and I love the interaction of man and wolf.
It's years since I read this, but it had a profound effect on me, and I really want to find a copy.
***
Edit: I got hold of a copy.
I'm fascinated by the depth of research that went into the Man/Wolf relationship (somewhat forced on him by his wolf researcher, Dr. Harry Frank, who wouldn't let him get away with anything!) but perplexed how at times he gets even the simplest things wrong. For the second time in a week (the first author who did it was forgettable and forgotten), I read how it was important to stay "upwind" of a predator so that it couldn't smell you. No, you stay "downwind": just as water flows from "upstream" to "downstream", air flows from "upwind". And speaking of "upstream", when Jeebee follows a stream uphill, and finds himself at a branch where two streams flow downhill, how can he possibly even have to investigate to know that one of those streams is man-made? Honestly, Gordie, it can't happen in nature.
That said, I loved the book when I first read it, and I still do on re-reading. The ending doesn't actually make much sense to me, but the journey does, and I love the interaction of man and wolf.
April 21, 2014
I really did enjoy this book - even though I am on to my second copy of it. The first was ruined when there was a huge section missed from the printing - I would say that over a chapter was gone.
The book really is your standard journey of redemption which the world falls apart and reverts back to a most simplistic and as you would expect barbaric age. The real star of the book though is the wolf. I will admit apart from finding the animal majestic and terrifying I grew up with dogs - big dogs and have their companionship and loyalty has always impressed me (and amazed me when you look at the cruelty the suffer at our hands too). So when the two team up to continue their journey and adventures I think you see the start of amazing team all the way up to the final confrontation. To me Gordon Dickson is the creator of the Dorsai series, one of the pillars of the science fiction genre - however he has written many books over a very long career and this book is a perfect example which to me reminds me that every once in a while I need to look past the famous names and titles and look at little closer at what else they have done.
The book really is your standard journey of redemption which the world falls apart and reverts back to a most simplistic and as you would expect barbaric age. The real star of the book though is the wolf. I will admit apart from finding the animal majestic and terrifying I grew up with dogs - big dogs and have their companionship and loyalty has always impressed me (and amazed me when you look at the cruelty the suffer at our hands too). So when the two team up to continue their journey and adventures I think you see the start of amazing team all the way up to the final confrontation. To me Gordon Dickson is the creator of the Dorsai series, one of the pillars of the science fiction genre - however he has written many books over a very long career and this book is a perfect example which to me reminds me that every once in a while I need to look past the famous names and titles and look at little closer at what else they have done.
October 21, 2021
I'm going to give this a 5 star review, not because it's a perfect book but because I had such a great time reading it. I was enthralled with this story and that doesn't happen every day.
This review will be short as it would be too easy to give away major plot points. This is the story of a young man who befriends a wolf after the collapse of society and civilization, and their efforts to survive.
There are no instances of anthropomorphic treatment of Wolf, and the author has clearly studied behaviors of wolves and how a wolf might reasonably and realistically interact with a human.
This is a survival story, not a violent end-of-the-world novel. There are instances of violence but it is not excessive. Anything like that is told in the interests of moving the story forward. If I were to rate the level of violent action in this book, it would rank below average for stories of this type. I'm giving this information because there's a whole genre of post-civilization stories out there and it's good to know what you're getting into. I would recommend it to anyone 13 or older, but it is definitely not a "young adult" novel.
I became attached to our lead character Jeebee and was fascinated to see where the story would go next. I found myself frustrated with some of his decision-making about a third of the way through, a sure indicator that the book was holding my interest and that the characterization was on point.
The story begins after society collapses, and we do not get a clear picture of what happened. It won't matter much once you become invested in this tale. This might be the best Gordon R. Dickson novel I've ever read. I can't go much further without spoiling anything, so if you like post-apocalyptic survival, this is for you.
PS I am 100% certain the creators of Fallout read this book. The way Jeebee becomes partnered with Wolf is almost identical to the way Dogmeat becomes your companion in Fallout.
This review will be short as it would be too easy to give away major plot points. This is the story of a young man who befriends a wolf after the collapse of society and civilization, and their efforts to survive.
There are no instances of anthropomorphic treatment of Wolf, and the author has clearly studied behaviors of wolves and how a wolf might reasonably and realistically interact with a human.
This is a survival story, not a violent end-of-the-world novel. There are instances of violence but it is not excessive. Anything like that is told in the interests of moving the story forward. If I were to rate the level of violent action in this book, it would rank below average for stories of this type. I'm giving this information because there's a whole genre of post-civilization stories out there and it's good to know what you're getting into. I would recommend it to anyone 13 or older, but it is definitely not a "young adult" novel.
I became attached to our lead character Jeebee and was fascinated to see where the story would go next. I found myself frustrated with some of his decision-making about a third of the way through, a sure indicator that the book was holding my interest and that the characterization was on point.
The story begins after society collapses, and we do not get a clear picture of what happened. It won't matter much once you become invested in this tale. This might be the best Gordon R. Dickson novel I've ever read. I can't go much further without spoiling anything, so if you like post-apocalyptic survival, this is for you.
PS I am 100% certain the creators of Fallout read this book. The way Jeebee becomes partnered with Wolf is almost identical to the way Dogmeat becomes your companion in Fallout.
May 19, 2022
"It's being helpless, not being able to do anything, he told himself. Men aren't built to be helpless. Of course, women aren't either. No creature is."
I mostly know Dickson through the Dorsai! series of military SF, and his wonderful novel Time Storm, and only read this one because a) it's post-apocalypse fiction, which is my jam, and b) it is supposedly one of his best works. "Apocalypse" might be a bit much, as there are no aliens, no radioactive fallout or demons scurrying about. The alternate reality of Wolf and Iron (no date is ever specified but it clearly falls into the early 90's, when the novel was written) is much more chilling because it is so believable: the economic breakdown of modern civilization leading to the collapse of all infrastructure, including fuel, electricity, law and order.
This book was not what I was expecting (hoping for?) so I was a little let down. It does not follow the conventional roller coaster template of an adventure story. There is none of the chapter-to-chapter episodic format of The Postman and it does not share the massive cast of characters of Swan Song. It is a much more personal narrative. Jeebee isn't really a hero in the mythological sense. As a wanderer of the wasteland, he avoids confrontation at all costs. He avoids people in general (we discover why very early on) until he is literally forced to confront them through a stroke of fate. He is highly intelligent, educated, a social scientist who saw the end coming and prepared, and still made it out of the city only by the skin of his teeth before it all hit the fan, and then only because his neighbors were literally shooting at him. We join Jeebee midway on a journey across the country from Michigan to his brother's ranch in Montana, where he believes he will be safe.
Spoiler alert:
This is a common trope I've noticed in the author's stories: Men who set out with a purpose, are denied that purpose, forced to find a new purpose, and grow as human beings in the process. He's really good at writing melancholy dudes. Jeebee is an incredibly thoughtful, kind soul in a world gone cruel. He doesn't know if he could kill someone if he had too, and he doesn't want to find out. His motivation for survival, beyond basic survival, is the self-assured idea that the knowledge in his brain is so important to getting humanity "back on track" that he must go on living at all costs.
One thing I found really curious was that whenever he came across a dead body (or the bodies of an entire family, in one instance), he absolutely refuses to touch them, much less bury them, to the extent of even outright ignoring them-- even if he has to step over them repeatedly. I'm not sure if it was an oversight by the author, but this aspect of his character is never addressed and left mysterious, and I like that. He is "soft", and one of the main themes throughout was about finding the right balance of book smarts and street smarts, "knowledge" versus "action", in a world gone to hell. Self-education is a major through-line here; while bandits and marauders sack entire towns for food and supplies, they leave their libraries intact. Books have no value to them. You can be the smartest man alive, but you can't outsmart a bullet. Meanwhile, Dickson still struggles with writing women who aren't either villains or victims (or in this case, independent women who finally give in and settle down to motherhood). This was the least egregious version of his habit I've read so far, as Merry is still a badass who suffers through hell to earn her place of safety and comfort, so she gets a pass from me.
My biggest complaint would be that the book is overlong. If I had been Dickson's editor I could have easily cut the book in half. He is way too descriptive in every little action the main character takes. Everything is described in excruciating detail to the point of ad nauseum. There is simply not enough action here to justify the final page count. I can tick off on one hand all the major things that happened throughout. Now, if you get a thrill out of endless pages of, "The door was locked. He'd need a key to get through. He'd need a key to get past the locked door. The locked door barred his way. He needed a key. He couldn't get past the door without a key. Without a key he would never get past this door. He had found a key. Someone had forgotten his key. A key lay on the desk. He smacked his foot with the door. He cursed. The feeling hit him like a point blank shot through the toes" then do I have the book for you! I am of course exaggerating, but not by much. It can get a little... repetitive.
Still giving this one a recommendation because Gordon is nonetheless very good at coming up with stories. He's just not always great at telling those stories. This is a mostly PG-13 entry in terms of content. There is a fairly explicit birthing sequence toward the end, but, as with much of the story, it is not played for shock but to bring us into this visceral experience through the eyes of the characters, who are experiencing it for the first time themselves. They have done their homework, and we want them to make it.
There is none of the raping or plundering that you usually get from this genre. Most of the violence is viewed from a safe distance. I appreciate how, at least in his non-military fiction, Gordon always manages to squeeze some semblance of a happy ending out of the most dire situations, which is frustratingly absent from a lot of contemporary, "edgier" Sci-Fi. This is a book about human ingenuity and perseverance in the face of oblivion. There are no mustache-twirling psychopaths to be found, just lots of desperation. The real villain here is the elements. This is hardcore Jack London territory: the characters spend more time preparing than anything else, which is believable for a world that has almost completely and utterly been robbed of its reliance on the creature comforts of the digital age. Winter is always out there, looming on the horizon, and all the money in the world won't pay the heating bill, so you might as well use it as kindling.
Yes, one of the main characters is a wolf. Yes, he is the best character. You will learn a lot about wolves from this book. And blacksmithing. And gun maintenance. And architecture. And insulation. And carpentry. And statistics. And hunting. And skinning. And midwifing. And all manner of basic science. This is less a thriller and more a survivalist handbook. Hell, there are pages and pages devoted to the main character perfecting a crossbow. Somewhere buried in all of that fascinating authorial research is a decent adventure story.
I mostly know Dickson through the Dorsai! series of military SF, and his wonderful novel Time Storm, and only read this one because a) it's post-apocalypse fiction, which is my jam, and b) it is supposedly one of his best works. "Apocalypse" might be a bit much, as there are no aliens, no radioactive fallout or demons scurrying about. The alternate reality of Wolf and Iron (no date is ever specified but it clearly falls into the early 90's, when the novel was written) is much more chilling because it is so believable: the economic breakdown of modern civilization leading to the collapse of all infrastructure, including fuel, electricity, law and order.
This book was not what I was expecting (hoping for?) so I was a little let down. It does not follow the conventional roller coaster template of an adventure story. There is none of the chapter-to-chapter episodic format of The Postman and it does not share the massive cast of characters of Swan Song. It is a much more personal narrative. Jeebee isn't really a hero in the mythological sense. As a wanderer of the wasteland, he avoids confrontation at all costs. He avoids people in general (we discover why very early on) until he is literally forced to confront them through a stroke of fate. He is highly intelligent, educated, a social scientist who saw the end coming and prepared, and still made it out of the city only by the skin of his teeth before it all hit the fan, and then only because his neighbors were literally shooting at him. We join Jeebee midway on a journey across the country from Michigan to his brother's ranch in Montana, where he believes he will be safe.
Spoiler alert:
This is a common trope I've noticed in the author's stories: Men who set out with a purpose, are denied that purpose, forced to find a new purpose, and grow as human beings in the process. He's really good at writing melancholy dudes. Jeebee is an incredibly thoughtful, kind soul in a world gone cruel. He doesn't know if he could kill someone if he had too, and he doesn't want to find out. His motivation for survival, beyond basic survival, is the self-assured idea that the knowledge in his brain is so important to getting humanity "back on track" that he must go on living at all costs.
One thing I found really curious was that whenever he came across a dead body (or the bodies of an entire family, in one instance), he absolutely refuses to touch them, much less bury them, to the extent of even outright ignoring them-- even if he has to step over them repeatedly. I'm not sure if it was an oversight by the author, but this aspect of his character is never addressed and left mysterious, and I like that. He is "soft", and one of the main themes throughout was about finding the right balance of book smarts and street smarts, "knowledge" versus "action", in a world gone to hell. Self-education is a major through-line here; while bandits and marauders sack entire towns for food and supplies, they leave their libraries intact. Books have no value to them. You can be the smartest man alive, but you can't outsmart a bullet. Meanwhile, Dickson still struggles with writing women who aren't either villains or victims (or in this case, independent women who finally give in and settle down to motherhood). This was the least egregious version of his habit I've read so far, as Merry is still a badass who suffers through hell to earn her place of safety and comfort, so she gets a pass from me.
My biggest complaint would be that the book is overlong. If I had been Dickson's editor I could have easily cut the book in half. He is way too descriptive in every little action the main character takes. Everything is described in excruciating detail to the point of ad nauseum. There is simply not enough action here to justify the final page count. I can tick off on one hand all the major things that happened throughout. Now, if you get a thrill out of endless pages of, "The door was locked. He'd need a key to get through. He'd need a key to get past the locked door. The locked door barred his way. He needed a key. He couldn't get past the door without a key. Without a key he would never get past this door. He had found a key. Someone had forgotten his key. A key lay on the desk. He smacked his foot with the door. He cursed. The feeling hit him like a point blank shot through the toes" then do I have the book for you! I am of course exaggerating, but not by much. It can get a little... repetitive.
Still giving this one a recommendation because Gordon is nonetheless very good at coming up with stories. He's just not always great at telling those stories. This is a mostly PG-13 entry in terms of content. There is a fairly explicit birthing sequence toward the end, but, as with much of the story, it is not played for shock but to bring us into this visceral experience through the eyes of the characters, who are experiencing it for the first time themselves. They have done their homework, and we want them to make it.
There is none of the raping or plundering that you usually get from this genre. Most of the violence is viewed from a safe distance. I appreciate how, at least in his non-military fiction, Gordon always manages to squeeze some semblance of a happy ending out of the most dire situations, which is frustratingly absent from a lot of contemporary, "edgier" Sci-Fi. This is a book about human ingenuity and perseverance in the face of oblivion. There are no mustache-twirling psychopaths to be found, just lots of desperation. The real villain here is the elements. This is hardcore Jack London territory: the characters spend more time preparing than anything else, which is believable for a world that has almost completely and utterly been robbed of its reliance on the creature comforts of the digital age. Winter is always out there, looming on the horizon, and all the money in the world won't pay the heating bill, so you might as well use it as kindling.
Yes, one of the main characters is a wolf. Yes, he is the best character. You will learn a lot about wolves from this book. And blacksmithing. And gun maintenance. And architecture. And insulation. And carpentry. And statistics. And hunting. And skinning. And midwifing. And all manner of basic science. This is less a thriller and more a survivalist handbook. Hell, there are pages and pages devoted to the main character perfecting a crossbow. Somewhere buried in all of that fascinating authorial research is a decent adventure story.
Read
August 20, 2015Man and Wolf Against the Universe
Wolf and Iron is a post apocalyptic novel wherein rather than suffering a catastrophic disaster, civilization had suffered an economic collapse. The protaganist, JeeBee, was a scientist, a social economist, who had been studying social phenomena and had predicted the collapse.
As society falls apart he begins a journey to reach his brother's ranch in Montana to ensure the survival of the scientific discoveries that he and his group have arrived at and that should reduce the time of descent into what he calls the Iron Time (shades of Hari Seldon).
Along the way this weak and unprepared scientists grows into someone capable of surviving in the wilderness, meets people helpful and harmful, and forms a bond with a wolf. Dickson has done considerable research into wolf behavior for this book and the interactions between JeeBee and the aptly named Wolf form the basis on most of the book and are based in the latest science.
This is an excellent survival story, well written, and full of compeling, fully drawn characters.
Wolf and Iron is a post apocalyptic novel wherein rather than suffering a catastrophic disaster, civilization had suffered an economic collapse. The protaganist, JeeBee, was a scientist, a social economist, who had been studying social phenomena and had predicted the collapse.
As society falls apart he begins a journey to reach his brother's ranch in Montana to ensure the survival of the scientific discoveries that he and his group have arrived at and that should reduce the time of descent into what he calls the Iron Time (shades of Hari Seldon).
Along the way this weak and unprepared scientists grows into someone capable of surviving in the wilderness, meets people helpful and harmful, and forms a bond with a wolf. Dickson has done considerable research into wolf behavior for this book and the interactions between JeeBee and the aptly named Wolf form the basis on most of the book and are based in the latest science.
This is an excellent survival story, well written, and full of compeling, fully drawn characters.
January 7, 2009
I read this book sometime after it first came out and it has influenced my thinking about surviving in a post nuclear war life ever since. I became aware at how unprepared I would be to live in a new Iron age without technology. I am not a survivalist, so I would need to rely on other people who have scout or wilderness survival training. With all the modern survival equipment I wonder if life would be better, or easier, than Jeebee's tremendous efforts.
Think what life would be like without electricity! How would you manage? Do you feel that you need to hook up to solar and wind power right now so you could still have it, if catastrophe hits?
I reread this last month with renewed interest. The amount of detail sometimes made it heavy going, but it was worth the effort.
Think what life would be like without electricity! How would you manage? Do you feel that you need to hook up to solar and wind power right now so you could still have it, if catastrophe hits?
I reread this last month with renewed interest. The amount of detail sometimes made it heavy going, but it was worth the effort.
August 26, 2017
Dickson triumphs right here on Mother Earth
Gordon R. Dickson at his best right here on Earth. A post-apocalyptic story of a man who treks cross-country from Michigan to Montana. Along the way he encounters a wolf who soon becomes a travelling companion. The story goes into detail about how this relationship works. Eventually our hero, Jeebee, meets up with human travelling companions. Why five. Stars? First of all, the characters are memorable. You will want to spend an evening getting to know them in person. You will want the story to go on. You will learn a lot about a fascinating animal whose ancestors became our first animal companions. You will encounter truly good and truly evil people. You will want to talk about this book. So read it.
Gordon R. Dickson at his best right here on Earth. A post-apocalyptic story of a man who treks cross-country from Michigan to Montana. Along the way he encounters a wolf who soon becomes a travelling companion. The story goes into detail about how this relationship works. Eventually our hero, Jeebee, meets up with human travelling companions. Why five. Stars? First of all, the characters are memorable. You will want to spend an evening getting to know them in person. You will want the story to go on. You will learn a lot about a fascinating animal whose ancestors became our first animal companions. You will encounter truly good and truly evil people. You will want to talk about this book. So read it.
January 19, 2016
What I learned from this book:
If you are a nerd who survives the end of the world, get you a pet wolf to sick on people.
My review:
I think what facinated me most about this book was that this college student majoring in economics is able to predict the fall of civiliztion in time to "get out of dodge". For 15 years I have been wondering what economic conditions would trigger (or at least what economic indicators would signal) armegeddon. Now I know! Wow, maybe ignorance really is bliss...
Otherwise this is pretty generic male-survival escapist fantasy. Boy-and-dog alone against the world...blah,blah,blah...Though I found it an enjoyable read at the time.
If you are a nerd who survives the end of the world, get you a pet wolf to sick on people.
My review:
I think what facinated me most about this book was that this college student majoring in economics is able to predict the fall of civiliztion in time to "get out of dodge". For 15 years I have been wondering what economic conditions would trigger (or at least what economic indicators would signal) armegeddon. Now I know! Wow, maybe ignorance really is bliss...
Otherwise this is pretty generic male-survival escapist fantasy. Boy-and-dog alone against the world...blah,blah,blah...Though I found it an enjoyable read at the time.
January 20, 2020
I read this book years ago, and remembered re name and author well... Just had to find it and read it again. Tell characters are well drawn, including Wolf, and a testament to man, s strong desire to make a successful life for him/herself.
Very well researched and the Dickson flair is definitely there. This is a Very much less gory than many other apocalyptic others. Almost comforting.
Very well researched and the Dickson flair is definitely there. This is a Very much less gory than many other apocalyptic others. Almost comforting.
February 6, 2011
The end of civilization as we know it driven by economic collapse ... a little too close to comfort right now. The story is entertaining, but in many ways is too pat, driven by coincidences that stretch the boundaries of one's willing suspension of disbelief.
Don't get me wrong, I liked the book, but I don't think the post-collapse future would be as tidy as Dickson makes it out to be.
Don't get me wrong, I liked the book, but I don't think the post-collapse future would be as tidy as Dickson makes it out to be.
July 19, 2025
Dickson is a fine writer. But this novel is not without problems. For me, many seem to be premises the author sets that don't work for me.
1. The main character, who is able to see the collapse of society before it happens fails to take any precautions. This is adequately explained by his character and he is specifically asked this question in the book and has to think about it. What I find more problematic is that after the collapse of society, he feels he somehow has to keep his knowledge alive. This has no adequate explanation as he can easily write down his information and work on placing it somewhere safe where it can be discovered later. Additionally, he seems to have no analysis from hist model on where the best places/pockets will be for re-establishing a society.
2. The connection of wolf to the main character is rather accidental. But I can accept this and it has various explanations. His fascination with wolf also makes sense in that he is a scientific omnivore and is studying and learning from wolf as well as receiving companionship in a way that he never seems to previously have had. But there is a certain looseness and distrust that continues through the story on his part and which he seeks books to try and understand. He does not really seem to understand the social compact that he and wolf make and for a person who does social analysis of a large scale society, I'd think he'd come to understand more of their compact without the books. I can accept to some extent the importance of the wolf books to him but his decision to go get them still seemed wrong overall for the general cautiousness of his character displayed at other times.
3. Why is he trying to get to his brother's ranch? Maybe as an initial idea when he flees the town he is originally living in it makes sense, but once he is on the road, I would have expected more ongoing revision of this as a goal or any timeline for for reaching that goal. Again, I wanted something more about his social insights to come forward. If the social compact is broken, how do you go about re-establishing it on a small scale. What are the values of that small scale compact? What needs does it fulfill? The relationship with wolf, previous society, and current society should all be ongoing comparison and contrasts to each other.
4. Two encounters with bears? Sort of believable but being in bear country, why did he not encounter them due to his food he is carrying? They don't have to be enraged, but they certainly will tear about a bundle to get at a pile of bacon.
5. He was warned against shooting cattle and yet that is what he mostly does.
6. He is extremely incautious with his former society items. For example, he is using his water cleaning tablets way too much when he has time and resources to prepare his water in other ways.
7. His relationship with the horses is never explored to any extent. There is certainly a bond that develops for many people with their horses. Again, this would be another point of comparison and contrast.
8. Why is he not interested in making bow and arrows earlier?
9. From a survival instinct, he is looking and finding pre-collapse materials. But he really does not seem to work at survival materials. Small animal traps, a hatchet, fishing gear, the ability to make fire without matches, ability to find and recognize edible plants all seem to get short shrift.
In the end, I find the character's survival very much accidental and his re-education from social scientist to actual survivalist also accidental. He is truly unable to wrap his brain around his new reality despite his scientific skills but he is able to learn.
An entertaining adventure overall, despite the parts I find hard to believe and not as unrelentingly dark as many other post-apocalypse scenarios and man-against-nature stories are.
1. The main character, who is able to see the collapse of society before it happens fails to take any precautions. This is adequately explained by his character and he is specifically asked this question in the book and has to think about it. What I find more problematic is that after the collapse of society, he feels he somehow has to keep his knowledge alive. This has no adequate explanation as he can easily write down his information and work on placing it somewhere safe where it can be discovered later. Additionally, he seems to have no analysis from hist model on where the best places/pockets will be for re-establishing a society.
2. The connection of wolf to the main character is rather accidental. But I can accept this and it has various explanations. His fascination with wolf also makes sense in that he is a scientific omnivore and is studying and learning from wolf as well as receiving companionship in a way that he never seems to previously have had. But there is a certain looseness and distrust that continues through the story on his part and which he seeks books to try and understand. He does not really seem to understand the social compact that he and wolf make and for a person who does social analysis of a large scale society, I'd think he'd come to understand more of their compact without the books. I can accept to some extent the importance of the wolf books to him but his decision to go get them still seemed wrong overall for the general cautiousness of his character displayed at other times.
3. Why is he trying to get to his brother's ranch? Maybe as an initial idea when he flees the town he is originally living in it makes sense, but once he is on the road, I would have expected more ongoing revision of this as a goal or any timeline for for reaching that goal. Again, I wanted something more about his social insights to come forward. If the social compact is broken, how do you go about re-establishing it on a small scale. What are the values of that small scale compact? What needs does it fulfill? The relationship with wolf, previous society, and current society should all be ongoing comparison and contrasts to each other.
4. Two encounters with bears? Sort of believable but being in bear country, why did he not encounter them due to his food he is carrying? They don't have to be enraged, but they certainly will tear about a bundle to get at a pile of bacon.
5. He was warned against shooting cattle and yet that is what he mostly does.
6. He is extremely incautious with his former society items. For example, he is using his water cleaning tablets way too much when he has time and resources to prepare his water in other ways.
7. His relationship with the horses is never explored to any extent. There is certainly a bond that develops for many people with their horses. Again, this would be another point of comparison and contrast.
8. Why is he not interested in making bow and arrows earlier?
9. From a survival instinct, he is looking and finding pre-collapse materials. But he really does not seem to work at survival materials. Small animal traps, a hatchet, fishing gear, the ability to make fire without matches, ability to find and recognize edible plants all seem to get short shrift.
In the end, I find the character's survival very much accidental and his re-education from social scientist to actual survivalist also accidental. He is truly unable to wrap his brain around his new reality despite his scientific skills but he is able to learn.
An entertaining adventure overall, despite the parts I find hard to believe and not as unrelentingly dark as many other post-apocalypse scenarios and man-against-nature stories are.
January 25, 2024
I am genuinely glad to have discovered and read this book, and it was a 5-star read for me. While the focus shifts from the prototypical cross-country, post-apocalypse trope into an end-of-the-world adjacent survival novel, it was engaging throughout, and incredibly detailed. I recognize that it won’t be everyone’s cup of tea, particularly the singular focus, and characterization of the only female character, but I really enjoyed the survival aspect, both early on, staving off hunger, and later on, thriving.
Wolf and Iron tells the tale of Jeebee, an intellectual who was chased out of his outpost in Michigan, and his trip towards Montana to find his brother’s ranch…initially at least. Armed with his intelligence and a few fancy college gizmos, he barters his way into a packmate, Wolf. Wolf is skittish at first, and Jeebee wanders for a spell, hungry and alone. Initially, him and Wolf locate a traveling sales wagon, with seemingly the only woman in 1,000 miles, as well as her father, and a crotchety old employee. There, he learns about horses, and Merry. The meat of the novel, for me at least, occurs when he veers off on his own, leaving the wagon behind, to chase down his brother, with Wolf in tow.
It was obvious from the foreword, and the text itself, that the author did quite a bit of research into wolf temperament and behavior. I liked being able to visualize the progression of Wolf and Jeebee, from two hungry animals, to members of a pack. Once they split off from the wagon, they grew closer, and defended each other. There is an incredible amount of detail regarding his trip from this point, especially carving a hole into a mountain, and utilizing the ruins of a ranch below to make a home, complete with a wife and baby in tow(eventually).
Was it cheesy and unbelievable at times? Yes. Did I still like it? Also yes. It’s kinda like a mishmash of McGyver and Robinson Crusoe, and at a certain point, the apocalypse and the quest for his brother is only adjacent to the story, and not involved in the endgame of the pack surviving on the mountain together.
Perspective-wise, it was also refreshing to read a novel singularly focused on one character, as opposed to jumping around to a bunch of different people and timelines. I didn’t find Jeebee’s backstory particularly engaging, but it didn’t have to be, him and Merry forging and knitting in the hills was adventure enough for me
Wolf and Iron tells the tale of Jeebee, an intellectual who was chased out of his outpost in Michigan, and his trip towards Montana to find his brother’s ranch…initially at least. Armed with his intelligence and a few fancy college gizmos, he barters his way into a packmate, Wolf. Wolf is skittish at first, and Jeebee wanders for a spell, hungry and alone. Initially, him and Wolf locate a traveling sales wagon, with seemingly the only woman in 1,000 miles, as well as her father, and a crotchety old employee. There, he learns about horses, and Merry. The meat of the novel, for me at least, occurs when he veers off on his own, leaving the wagon behind, to chase down his brother, with Wolf in tow.
It was obvious from the foreword, and the text itself, that the author did quite a bit of research into wolf temperament and behavior. I liked being able to visualize the progression of Wolf and Jeebee, from two hungry animals, to members of a pack. Once they split off from the wagon, they grew closer, and defended each other. There is an incredible amount of detail regarding his trip from this point, especially carving a hole into a mountain, and utilizing the ruins of a ranch below to make a home, complete with a wife and baby in tow(eventually).
Was it cheesy and unbelievable at times? Yes. Did I still like it? Also yes. It’s kinda like a mishmash of McGyver and Robinson Crusoe, and at a certain point, the apocalypse and the quest for his brother is only adjacent to the story, and not involved in the endgame of the pack surviving on the mountain together.
Perspective-wise, it was also refreshing to read a novel singularly focused on one character, as opposed to jumping around to a bunch of different people and timelines. I didn’t find Jeebee’s backstory particularly engaging, but it didn’t have to be, him and Merry forging and knitting in the hills was adventure enough for me
May 1, 2019
I chose this novel because it had been a very long time since I first read it. All I really could remember was that the novel had pleased my younger fascinations. I was not wrong.
WOLF & IRON is all about a single man’s journey across the desolation that is America. Everything lies in ruins as modern technology has been taken away from society. We’re really back to basics.
Jeebee Walter, an academic, escapes the chaos and ruin of his university town to travel west to the reassuring safety of his older brother's ranch in Montana. Along the way he begins to realize the dangers he must try to avoid. In one encounter, as he escapes , he sets free another chained soul – a wolf. This wolf befriends him on his journey but not as a pet and more of a partner. Jeebee understands that he can’t treat the wolf as a pet.
Through the initial stages of their trek, he learns some of the qualities and quirks of befriending this wolf.
A highlight of his journey is when he comes across a travelling caravan. He is accepted by the leader and so becomes a working member of the group. Here he acquires some invaluable skills that will help him survive. As well, he falls in love with the old man's sensible daughter. Jeebee sticks to his goal of reaching Montana. So they part.
As he continues westward he tries to avoid other people and tries to get to Montana before winter and the snow falls. He is beset by injuries and fights to survive. |He has to stop and heal and prepare for the winter he was trying to avoid.
This novel is an enjoyable account of one man’s struggle to survive in a new world. It can be considered an updated version of ROBINSON CRUSOE, but also an interesting discovery of some of the required survival techniques.
WOLF & IRON is all about a single man’s journey across the desolation that is America. Everything lies in ruins as modern technology has been taken away from society. We’re really back to basics.
Jeebee Walter, an academic, escapes the chaos and ruin of his university town to travel west to the reassuring safety of his older brother's ranch in Montana. Along the way he begins to realize the dangers he must try to avoid. In one encounter, as he escapes , he sets free another chained soul – a wolf. This wolf befriends him on his journey but not as a pet and more of a partner. Jeebee understands that he can’t treat the wolf as a pet.
Through the initial stages of their trek, he learns some of the qualities and quirks of befriending this wolf.
A highlight of his journey is when he comes across a travelling caravan. He is accepted by the leader and so becomes a working member of the group. Here he acquires some invaluable skills that will help him survive. As well, he falls in love with the old man's sensible daughter. Jeebee sticks to his goal of reaching Montana. So they part.
As he continues westward he tries to avoid other people and tries to get to Montana before winter and the snow falls. He is beset by injuries and fights to survive. |He has to stop and heal and prepare for the winter he was trying to avoid.
This novel is an enjoyable account of one man’s struggle to survive in a new world. It can be considered an updated version of ROBINSON CRUSOE, but also an interesting discovery of some of the required survival techniques.
January 29, 2017
An incredibly detailed post apocalypse survival story
I've been a Gordon R. Dickson fan for decades, since the late 1960s. This book caught my attention because of the subject matter - Wolf behavior and how it would tie in to a very human survival story after the crash of civilization. In fact, the only thing that got glossed over during the course of the story was the crash itself. Sure, it was mentioned and even discussed but I'm not sure I caught onto the actual causes. But that's no problem because really it's more like background for the rest of the book.
Jeebee is sort of an unlikely hero. A former academic who had predicted the crash and still almost gotten killed by former neighbors when things got bad. He moves out, on his own, to try to locate an older brother living in Montana. Along the way he learns quite a bit, most of which is discussed in great detail. He also ends up partnering with a young male wolf who had been taken from the human family that raised it by some unsavory characters that now seemed determined to do harm to Jeebee. The pair escape together and the story ensues.
Without describing the whole story, I will say that this was a good book. It covers a lot of deep thought concerning what it would take to survive in the wilderness and how the mind of a wolf works. It's obvious Dickson did his homework before writing this novel. I didn't read it with an overly critical eye. Didn't keep track of how many times Jeebee fired his rifle or how many shells he had left. Although it seemed like he should have run out at some point. If you like almost painfully detailed descriptions of how things are done by someone trying to survive the wilds with a wolf as a companion you might enjoy this book.
I've been a Gordon R. Dickson fan for decades, since the late 1960s. This book caught my attention because of the subject matter - Wolf behavior and how it would tie in to a very human survival story after the crash of civilization. In fact, the only thing that got glossed over during the course of the story was the crash itself. Sure, it was mentioned and even discussed but I'm not sure I caught onto the actual causes. But that's no problem because really it's more like background for the rest of the book.
Jeebee is sort of an unlikely hero. A former academic who had predicted the crash and still almost gotten killed by former neighbors when things got bad. He moves out, on his own, to try to locate an older brother living in Montana. Along the way he learns quite a bit, most of which is discussed in great detail. He also ends up partnering with a young male wolf who had been taken from the human family that raised it by some unsavory characters that now seemed determined to do harm to Jeebee. The pair escape together and the story ensues.
Without describing the whole story, I will say that this was a good book. It covers a lot of deep thought concerning what it would take to survive in the wilderness and how the mind of a wolf works. It's obvious Dickson did his homework before writing this novel. I didn't read it with an overly critical eye. Didn't keep track of how many times Jeebee fired his rifle or how many shells he had left. Although it seemed like he should have run out at some point. If you like almost painfully detailed descriptions of how things are done by someone trying to survive the wilds with a wolf as a companion you might enjoy this book.
August 1, 2017
If you are looking for a Macgyver in a post apocalypse world, look no farther. "Jeebee" Walther, a scientist, is fleeing the remnants of civilization as he tries to make his way to his brothers farm. His goal is to find a way to protect his knowledge that predicted the collapse of society and store it for when it is needed in the future.
The novel starts out strong, as Jeebee is a fish out of water, and he ends up rescuing and befriending a wolf. A large amount of the start of the novel explores their relationship and really is a treaty on wolves and their social interactions. This was probably the highlight of the novel. The low for me is when he's on his own towards the middle of the novel, is injured, and begins a long recovery mixed with Macgyver-ing absolutely everything. It's interesting, reminiscent of The Martian, but personally no where near as interesting to me. The novel lacks a lot of tension, and really just sort of ends with Jeebee deciding to stay where he is and never move on. It doesn't feel fulfilling or really live out the expectations established by a man who knows the science that can predict the end of the civilized world.
Overall, Wolf and Iron is a solid novel, but unless you are interested in a novel ending with domestic bliss and a pages of the main character turning a cave into a house, I might recommend passing this novel. The wolf parts were pretty interesting, I have to admit that at least.
The novel starts out strong, as Jeebee is a fish out of water, and he ends up rescuing and befriending a wolf. A large amount of the start of the novel explores their relationship and really is a treaty on wolves and their social interactions. This was probably the highlight of the novel. The low for me is when he's on his own towards the middle of the novel, is injured, and begins a long recovery mixed with Macgyver-ing absolutely everything. It's interesting, reminiscent of The Martian, but personally no where near as interesting to me. The novel lacks a lot of tension, and really just sort of ends with Jeebee deciding to stay where he is and never move on. It doesn't feel fulfilling or really live out the expectations established by a man who knows the science that can predict the end of the civilized world.
Overall, Wolf and Iron is a solid novel, but unless you are interested in a novel ending with domestic bliss and a pages of the main character turning a cave into a house, I might recommend passing this novel. The wolf parts were pretty interesting, I have to admit that at least.
October 17, 2021
Gordon R Dickson... one of my favorite authors as a young man. This was a slight departure from his usual sci fi, space opera, alien encounters, etc. "JeeBee" is sociologist/scientist/mathematician, who, along with his think tank members, foresees the crash of civilization. The story picks up in post-apocalyptic America as JeeBee is attempting to cross country to find his rancher brother. There's thin explanation for exactly why the apocalypse has come, "not a bang, but a whimper," ... a failure of financial trust, infrastructure falls apart, and the next thing you know people are killing each other, eating the family pets. That's a bit frustrating as a reader. But even more frustrating is the absolute excruciating detail Dickson gives to things like building a forge, packing a horse or building a shelter. I guess that gives a shot of realism, but it's far from thrilling to read. More interesting is the wolf behavior the book revolves around. JeeBee befriends a human-reared wolf. The intro by a legitimate wolf behavior expert testifies that Dickson really did his homework, and it shows throughout the story. The wolf dynamic is the best part of the story, but the apocalypse takes a back seat, seems almost irrelevant, except for that most people just want to kill you to steal your stuff. Maybe this would have been better framed in a "Jeremiah Johnson" or "Grizzly Adams" genre, where a guy just gets fed up and decides to escape from society.
January 15, 2018
Allow me to preface: I love Dickson, first of all, and second, I'm fully aware this book is a prize-winning novel. I love his attention to detail, and his wanting to make sure he imparts that he studied diligently the nature of wolves, how they act in the wild and in the social circle of humans. I appreciate that he wants to explain the nature of natural childbirth, and how to use weapons and shoot firearms. In reading, I'm tolerant of some of those expanded details. But, here it is slightly tedious, and at times bordering on OCD. As a writer, I identify more with lean and mean. Saying that makes it seem I didn't like the story; I did immensely. It pulled me through it quite successfully in fact. It's just that there was a wide dichotomy in the elements; what works, works powerfully on the level of WOW! What doesn't work brings on cosmic eye rolling. There are moments it reads like non-fiction with the author annoyingly present, but with the main scenes and the character and story arcs, it is some of the best I've ever read. I can see why it won an award, but there are parts that simply should have been left out, yet there is all evidence of economy. This was an interesting read and a good read. It's overall a worthy addition to any post-apocalyptic reading list, but it isn't your typical post-apocalyptic treatment.
September 28, 2018
My wife turned me on to this book. She reads lots on Kindle. She knows I'm interested in wolves and "roughing it" it (from the safety of my armchair) by reading Jack London and the like.
What I liked most about this book were the scenes with Wolf, the canine character, which revealed wolf behaviors, at least for a solitary young male wolf. What I liked least were the author's detailed descriptions of procedures and processes, like building things, that had little to do with drama, and got tiresome. (The author's got a gift for describing things, no doubt, but I had to slog through these sections in hope of some human drama and more Wolf action.)
The story picked up towards the end with a dramatic wildlife encounter, like one might experience back in the 1700s or 1800s as the West was being explored and settled. This post apocalyptic story is not as creepy as The Road, by Cormac McCarthy.
If you're interested in reading this book, I'd suggest getting a copy from your local library first before donating to the Jeff Bezos estate. Read the first 50-100 pages to see if you're committed.
From what I can see of this author's SciFi repertoire, this book seems pretty down-to-earth in comparison. I've yet to read anything else he's written, and at present am not inspired to do so. So many books, so little time!
What I liked most about this book were the scenes with Wolf, the canine character, which revealed wolf behaviors, at least for a solitary young male wolf. What I liked least were the author's detailed descriptions of procedures and processes, like building things, that had little to do with drama, and got tiresome. (The author's got a gift for describing things, no doubt, but I had to slog through these sections in hope of some human drama and more Wolf action.)
The story picked up towards the end with a dramatic wildlife encounter, like one might experience back in the 1700s or 1800s as the West was being explored and settled. This post apocalyptic story is not as creepy as The Road, by Cormac McCarthy.
If you're interested in reading this book, I'd suggest getting a copy from your local library first before donating to the Jeff Bezos estate. Read the first 50-100 pages to see if you're committed.
From what I can see of this author's SciFi repertoire, this book seems pretty down-to-earth in comparison. I've yet to read anything else he's written, and at present am not inspired to do so. So many books, so little time!
March 5, 2025
This book on Kindle was only available with "locations", instead of pages...but on Amazon it said print length was equivalent to 468 pages. Well, that was at LEAST twice as long as it needed to be. It was THE most detailed instruction book on how to be a survivalist than any post-apocalyptic book I've ever read (and I have read a few that were like instruction books as opposed to novels)...but also the most unrealistic. I, literally, skimmed the last 200 pages. I was careful to look for any story, and found a bit here and there. But my gosh, what a slog. I finished it because I kept thinking something would redeem it and the ending might be worth the work of getting there. Nope. Those 468 pages got unsatisfyingly wrapped up in one page. That's it; story is over. I think the author got tired of it too.
I want to write a detailed review, but there's just too much to say. If you're a post-apocalyptic fan, read every one star review already written on Amazon and you'll pretty much see what I thought. I'm really glad this was included with Kindle Unlimited because I would have been very sad if I'd bought it.
I want to write a detailed review, but there's just too much to say. If you're a post-apocalyptic fan, read every one star review already written on Amazon and you'll pretty much see what I thought. I'm really glad this was included with Kindle Unlimited because I would have been very sad if I'd bought it.
April 2, 2020
I love Dickson's social science fiction ideas, but parts of the plot were a bit unbelievable. The forward explains his extensive wolf research, so I believe all of those interactions are possible. Decisions like that one made me wonder if Jeebee was as smart as he seemed, but he's often in awe of the strong women around him and tries to learn from them whenever possible. Unfortunately, I had to suspend my disbelief for the latter third of the book because there is absolutely no way he could have accomplished so much within a few weeks. I don't care how sandy the soil is or if he only slept a few hours a night. There is absolutely no way he accomplishes that much while still hunting and caring for his horses. Time also collapses quite a bit towards the somewhat predictable happy ending. Definitely a good read for quarantine if you like survival stories with a little romance.
December 10, 2018
Terrible... I picked up this book because it was on a list of books about intelligent animals and I like post-apocalyptic books, and I had heard of Gordon Dickson and that he had several highly rated books.. This is the first book I have ever read by Dickson, I hope his other books are better... The forward is written by a wolf researcher who commented about the extensive research Dickson had done on wolf behavior, maybe he spent so much time researching wolves that he did little or no research on ranch life, bears, or Montana weather.
The plot line is jumbled and too predictable, the characters are not well defined, and make too many stupid choices or decisions, and do too many unrealistic things..
The book is also way longer than it should be, in needs a good editor to go through and remove the extraneous and unnecessary passages.
The plot line is jumbled and too predictable, the characters are not well defined, and make too many stupid choices or decisions, and do too many unrealistic things..
The book is also way longer than it should be, in needs a good editor to go through and remove the extraneous and unnecessary passages.
May 3, 2025
Read the short story, 'In Iron Years' first.
At least if you are a fan of Cold War science fiction. It is more intense, more raw, and somehow, to me, more realistic.
Wolf and Iron is beautifully researched, it even has referenses (in the text), and has been brought up to date.
But, fellow readers, we never doubt that Wolf is nice, we never doubt that the Main Character will make it. We never doubt that civilization will return.
In Iron Years the world might well be actually ending, the Main Character might die after we leave him.
Oh? That makes me a nasty person?
I think it makes me a realistic old woman who actually remembers the Cold War.
We live in interesting times. We do well to remember history, least it repeats itself. Again.
At least if you are a fan of Cold War science fiction. It is more intense, more raw, and somehow, to me, more realistic.
Wolf and Iron is beautifully researched, it even has referenses (in the text), and has been brought up to date.
But, fellow readers, we never doubt that Wolf is nice, we never doubt that the Main Character will make it. We never doubt that civilization will return.
In Iron Years the world might well be actually ending, the Main Character might die after we leave him.
Oh? That makes me a nasty person?
I think it makes me a realistic old woman who actually remembers the Cold War.
We live in interesting times. We do well to remember history, least it repeats itself. Again.
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