Wolf's Rite

by Terry Persun

The life of a New York advertising executive, Llewellyn Smith, is turned inside out when he is forced to experience a Native American vision quest. Accused of murder after the experience, he confronts the damage done to family and friends by his former self.

Genres: Fiction

241 pages, Paperback

Published June 1, 2011

About the author

Terry Persun is a former airborne navigation equipment specialist and electronics engineer presently freelancing for science and technology magazines. He has won nine awards for his fiction and was a finalist in another seven awards—IPPY, Book Excellence, Foreword Reviews, USABookNews, and others. Terry is a multi-genre author of intelligent, tech-forward fiction with clearly drawn characters and thought-provoking themes. You can find him at www.TerryPersun.com

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LIST OF MY BOOKS
Science Fiction: Biomass series:
BIOMASS: Rewind
BIOMASS: Sky People (coming soon)
BIOMASS: Alive (coming soon)
Science Fiction: Neal and Mavra series:
Revision 7: DNA
Backyard Aliens
Science Fiction: Tempest Eugene Nesbit series:
The Killing Machine
The Humanzee Experiments
Science Fiction Stand-Alones
Hear No Evil
Cathedral of Dreams

Fantasy: Doublesight series
Doublesight
Memory Tower
Fugitives
Gargoyle
Fantasy: Shaman Detective series
The NSA Files
The Voodoo Case
Stealing Childhood

Mystery/Suspense: Stand-Alones:
Coming Clean
Mistake In Identity
Man Behind the Door

Historical Novel: Stand-Alones:
Sweet Song
Ten Months in Wonderland

Magical Realism: Stand-Alones:
The Witness Tree
Wolf's Rite
Giver of Gifts
To Our Waking Souls

General Fiction: Stand-Alones:
The Perceived Darkness
Deception Creek

Poetry:
Horse Logic
Balancing Act
Navigating Wind
Broken Fingers
Beautys Run Road
Sentences
And Now This
Every Leaf
Barn Tarot

Reviews

[Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

Llewellyn "Lew" Smith is a hot-shot New York advertising executive. He is also obnoxious, controlling, manipulative and willing to walk over anyone to get what he wants. In short, he is a thoroughly dislikable person, the sort of person who deserves to die in the early part of the novel.

One day, his boss sends him to New Mexico to do some pro bono advertising work for a group of Navajo indians. When he arrives, a couple of other Native Americans, who have no liking for white men, put him in their truck and head for the mountains. Lew quickly realizes that something is wrong; the thought of being murdered and dumped somewhere desolate crosses his mind more than once. They end up in a place that isn't just in the middle of Nowhere, it's many miles from Nowhere. To make a long story short, Lew is forced to undergo a Native American vision quest.

The thought of walking back to civilization is out of the question, so Lew is stuck. He spends the next several days thinking about his life, and doing battle with various personal demons. There are a few periods of altered consciousness. Slowly, Lew begins o realize what a mean, inconsiderate person he has become and doesn't like what he sees. When he ends the quest, and is returned to civilization by the same people who put him there, he is immediately arrested on a murder charge.

Another Native American was found dead in the vicinity of Lew's vision quest. Maybe Lew killed him during one of his periods of altered consciousness. Gary, a lawyer and one of the few people who can tolerate Lew's moods, gets Lew cleared. Lew doesn't know that Gary knows that Gary's wife, Lynne, has cheated on him a number of times, including with Lew.

When Lew tries to show the people he knows that he has changed, he is met with universal scorn and disbelief. It gets worse when he tries to express his sincere sympathy for Gary's suicide. Among those who don't believe Lew are his ex-wife and young son, who he has disappointed many times in the past. Slowly, very slowly, attitudes toward Lew begin to change. He stays in the Southwest, with a couple of advertising clients of his own, but focusing only on honorable clients. He gets involved in teaching Native American spirituality to others.

This is well worth reading. Not only is it a very good Native American story, it also shows how even the most incorrigible person can change. Two thumbs up.

[Non Pantalones · Rating 3 out of 5]

So I read this book, not knowing what to expect. It was full of very vivid imagery, and the author has a very distinctive voice. I would recognize reading their work when I read anything by them again.

My challenge with this book (as well as others by this author) is that you can tell they had one concept... and rode it HARD throughout. It became a little tedious, just because they made SURE you got the idea. GET it? Did you GET it? I'm going to say it again so that you GET IT.

Not a bad thing... just very on-the-nose. But with that being said, very well-written.

[Julia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very deep

A personal transition of change in a life and how actions melt together...great read. I found it to be inspirational and uplifiting.

[Timothy · Rating 4 out of 5]

More character study than novel, "Wolf’s Rite" is a dive into the spiritual makeup of a man who likes to win no matter who gets hurt along the way. Lew goes by the handle Wolf, a name his friends have adopted for him. But when he is sent to make a client of a mysterious band of Native Americans, Lew is taught some hard lessons about being wolf.

Spirituality is a central theme. Persun paints a vivid picture of the journey his central character travels. Several references from Wolf’s perspective contrast European understanding of faith and God with the Native American notion of divine spirits and the inner struggle.

Plot elements are added in timely fashion adding touches of both mystery and suspense at key moments. Whether or not one can accept the premise of a sociopath transformed, Wolf’s Rite is a great read for anyone who likes to get inside a strong character’s head.

[Stephen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Every time while on vacation, I try to find a book from a local author. When I picked it up, I didn't realize that the author was from the town where I bought it... Port Townsend, Washington.

The character was interesting, the plot a bit mystical in the native-american lore variety, and the details and backgrounds were well conceived. I enjoyed the book but didn't feel that anything was exceptional.

The plot centered around a narcissistic ad-executive who worked hard at manipulating and positioning others toward his ends. When his boss sends him away to work with a Native-American group, he is manipulated into a vision quest which breaks him down, exposes his flaws, and shows him the pain he causes to others.

There are several twists and turns, but overall the reader knows how it will end. It is worth a read and did receive several regional awards.

[Guy Allen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the story of a ruthless but successful advertising executive, who undergoes a spiritual trip under the guidance of a group of Native Americans. When confronted with a murder charge and the responsibility for a friend's suicide, he undergoes a struggle to modify his agressive behavior and relate to people in a positive manner.
Wolf's Rite is an interesting and well-written story. The development of Wolf as the main character is entirely three-dimensional and believable. Individual development of the Native personalities and descriptions of the mystical procedures add much to the narrative. I had a bit of trouble accepting the extent of Wolf's transformation. Otherwise, this is an excellent read

[Veronica Winternheimer · Rating 5 out of 5]

The rich hard big shot Lew was a favorite character right from the start for me. I liked something about him , I loved how they developed the story of his life (ex wife , child , and the best friends) right off .
Left you not wondering who and what happened .
I did not like how the "spiritual trip" ended left me wondering what was going why it happened and what is had to do with much of the story.
I did give it 5 stars for the fact that I will re read it at some point and that I would recommended for anyone to read this book no matter the type of book they like !

[Cheryl · Rating 5 out of 5]

Every once in a while you read a book that not only touches you, but evokes you. This is a once in a while book. In Wolf's Rite, we are shown the good in the bad and the victory of such a finding. A book that not only advocates stopping to smell the roses, but listening to them too. A Shamanistic Vision Quest changes the life of Llewellyn "Wolf" Smith and in turn, those around him. A warm spirituality that brings you down to earth and then blends you in to it.