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Bartram's Maw
The Wolf and the She-Bear
Mercenary Samantha Redwyne has seen too much blood spilled by her sword. She travels to the frigid north to get away from her ghosts, but doesn't find peace for long. The job: help deliver a wagon of wolf skins to a nearby village. The complication: a band of cutthroats on the hunt for a missing wagon with a priceless package hidden within.
Pursued by ruthless men who believe her a thief, Samantha finds herself double-crossed, wounded and alone in a deadly forest. Armed with just her wits in a fight for survival, she discovers that some bloody habits are hard to break.
But it's the longest night of the year, and man isn't the only thing chasing Samantha. The woods are lovely, dark and deep—the place folktales come from, where monsters dwell—and before the night is over, Samantha will have to confront not only death, but the unknown lurking just beyond the safety and sanity of the civilized world.
Pursued by ruthless men who believe her a thief, Samantha finds herself double-crossed, wounded and alone in a deadly forest. Armed with just her wits in a fight for survival, she discovers that some bloody habits are hard to break.
But it's the longest night of the year, and man isn't the only thing chasing Samantha. The woods are lovely, dark and deep—the place folktales come from, where monsters dwell—and before the night is over, Samantha will have to confront not only death, but the unknown lurking just beyond the safety and sanity of the civilized world.
192 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 22, 2021
46 people are currently reading
223 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 36 reviews
February 17, 2023
A solid fantasy heist-type story, that quickly turns into something much more unusual. Loved the characters, and Morgan Stang writes great combat scenes. There's a good sense of humour too - a couple of moments not entirely my thing, but for the most part I really enjoyed this. Definitely worth the price and the time, and I'll be interested to read more about Red.
December 8, 2022
Samantha (nickname She-Bear Mercenary) wants no trouble, but she gets into it, anyway. She’s a giant woman with a big sword and a brooding disposition. She’s also rather good at killing.
The Wolf and the She-Bear is short, quick to read, and gritty. The pacing is mostly good, although some passages in the middle slow the pace down and bring little to the table. While the story gets graphic and brutal in places, it’s also quite funny in a deadpan way (and in one place we get a pure gutter humor.)
In all, it was an enjoyable read.
The Wolf and the She-Bear is short, quick to read, and gritty. The pacing is mostly good, although some passages in the middle slow the pace down and bring little to the table. While the story gets graphic and brutal in places, it’s also quite funny in a deadpan way (and in one place we get a pure gutter humor.)
In all, it was an enjoyable read.
April 12, 2024
A well told story in less than 200 pages. Straightforward writing and plot, with some interesting characters. A nice short read that presents an interesting world that I would gladly revisit.
7/10
7/10
July 24, 2022
A really solid short story that has an interesting plot and even more interesting characters that feel fleshed out.
If you’re looking for a quick read, I recommend this! Looking forward to reading more Stang.
If you’re looking for a quick read, I recommend this! Looking forward to reading more Stang.
September 15, 2022
After reading the preview of 2.5 chapters on Amazon I bought it. A bit pricey for a novella, but the writing was that good.
Kudos to Grimdark Magazine for writing an article about this book, otherwise, I would have never known about this author.
Morgan Stang writes top notch characters and fantastic world building. I absolutely loved Red and The Misfit.
It's hard to nail down the world in one genre. Judging by the cover I thought this was a Western novel. I thought she was an outlaw. At the very beginning when we're introduced to Red she's smoking a tobacco pipe and there's only 6 buildings in town. Sounded like the wild west to me. Until I find out she carries a sword. Then there's Fae and some post-apocalyptic going on.
There was some twisted humor that I found extremely entertaining. Morgan Stang stepped a bit out of the box, and I'm glad he did.
Kudos to Grimdark Magazine for writing an article about this book, otherwise, I would have never known about this author.
Morgan Stang writes top notch characters and fantastic world building. I absolutely loved Red and The Misfit.
It's hard to nail down the world in one genre. Judging by the cover I thought this was a Western novel. I thought she was an outlaw. At the very beginning when we're introduced to Red she's smoking a tobacco pipe and there's only 6 buildings in town. Sounded like the wild west to me. Until I find out she carries a sword. Then there's Fae and some post-apocalyptic going on.
There was some twisted humor that I found extremely entertaining. Morgan Stang stepped a bit out of the box, and I'm glad he did.
Want to read
August 26, 2021🎁 FREE on Amazon today (8/26/2021)! 🎁
January 6, 2023
I was surprised by how much I loved this novel! Characters were great and the writing flowed so easily. Had some great surprises too and a nice wintry, snowy setting that was perfect for the season.
August 29, 2021
A fast paced and well written novella.
A highly recommended read.
Wonderful characters and world building. I look forward to reading more from the author in the near future.
This one goes straight to the favorites pile.
A highly recommended read.
Wonderful characters and world building. I look forward to reading more from the author in the near future.
This one goes straight to the favorites pile.
December 13, 2022
My rating may seem a little harsh, but such is the nature of a limited system. This was an okay read with some fun moments.
Starting with the good, I enjoyed the mercenary protagonist and her character development over a short timeframe. She's someone I'd be interested in reading about again. The worldbuilding was mysterious and compelling, lending itself to future discovery. The overall tale was vaguely, vaguely like Die Hard in the frosted woods and I think leaning into that concept would have worked great with more of a trap/ambush nature.
For some negatives, the writing was simplistic and clunky at times. I didn't enjoy the setup that started the story because Samantha's motivation for involving herself seemed dubious at best, even with more clarity at the end. The fighting was overtly fantastical. Yes, this is a fantasy book, but without a realistic or magical explanation, even large, strong individuals can't go around cleaving a person in two and felling a tree with one broad stroke. Perhaps there's an explanation elsewhere in the series, but for now it just makes my eyebrows raise.
If you're looking for some straightforward, fantasy fun, this may be a book or series for you. There are enough intriguing elements to keep the reader engaged.
Starting with the good, I enjoyed the mercenary protagonist and her character development over a short timeframe. She's someone I'd be interested in reading about again. The worldbuilding was mysterious and compelling, lending itself to future discovery. The overall tale was vaguely, vaguely like Die Hard in the frosted woods and I think leaning into that concept would have worked great with more of a trap/ambush nature.
For some negatives, the writing was simplistic and clunky at times. I didn't enjoy the setup that started the story because Samantha's motivation for involving herself seemed dubious at best, even with more clarity at the end. The fighting was overtly fantastical. Yes, this is a fantasy book, but without a realistic or magical explanation, even large, strong individuals can't go around cleaving a person in two and felling a tree with one broad stroke. Perhaps there's an explanation elsewhere in the series, but for now it just makes my eyebrows raise.
If you're looking for some straightforward, fantasy fun, this may be a book or series for you. There are enough intriguing elements to keep the reader engaged.
October 26, 2022
Fun twisty dark fantasy
I'm not a big grimdark fantasy reader, but this was a nice change of pace. I found Red a little frustrating at the start because it seemed like she was walking into very obvious traps, but she has much more agency in the second half and it was very satisfying to see her back in her groove. Stang does a good job setting up twists and leads that reveal themselves later, or in future books, and the fantasy with some sci-fi elements in the world building are interesting. It is rather gory and violent, but I do love me some bloodthirsty women, and giant ones even more so. The humour swings from deadpan (which I love) to crass (which I could do without), and it's a solid twisty dark read overall.
I'm not a big grimdark fantasy reader, but this was a nice change of pace. I found Red a little frustrating at the start because it seemed like she was walking into very obvious traps, but she has much more agency in the second half and it was very satisfying to see her back in her groove. Stang does a good job setting up twists and leads that reveal themselves later, or in future books, and the fantasy with some sci-fi elements in the world building are interesting. It is rather gory and violent, but I do love me some bloodthirsty women, and giant ones even more so. The humour swings from deadpan (which I love) to crass (which I could do without), and it's a solid twisty dark read overall.
December 15, 2022
Starts a bit slow
A bit of a slow burn to start with, with a few character reveal. I can't say I genuinely liked the characters but it was a really good read all the same. I enjoy the world building and would like to see more in the next book
A bit of a slow burn to start with, with a few character reveal. I can't say I genuinely liked the characters but it was a really good read all the same. I enjoy the world building and would like to see more in the next book
September 26, 2023
Little after the picture was taken, my poor Kindle crashed to the ground. That backing cover is already paying for itself.
Note: This is a multi-sectioned review, it’s long. Jump to where you want, I’m not your mom.
Very minor spoilers in this review that I didn't feel warranted the tag. The major ones are spoiler-tagged, however. I spoiler-tagged the Nutshell to be safe, however.
Link to review on blog: (Please read it on the blog, it's more readable there and there's cat pics) https://cannedbreadblog.wordpress.com...
Spoiler-free Blurb: A mercenary takes on the job of transporting wolf pelts and something goes wrong that may affect her life and career.
Characters and Terms:
You as Arwulf: The wolf that follows Red in the story. Honestly, it was about time we stopped denying the furry in you. Just admit it, Kyle.
Samantha Redwyne aka Red: Mercenary that has a name for herself. Has unresolved problems of her past.
William: A liar that Red doesn’t trust. Wants to move wolf pelts for some reason to Pinewood.
Pinewood: The City they need to sell the furs to. The nearest town from Windhold.
Windhold: Starting point city.
Bucket: Stand-in leader for the Cobbler’s gang. Trying to find missing loot stolen from them.
Hilda: The second-in-command who always carries a clarinet reminds her of home.
Cobbler: One gang of the Northern Kingdom and one of the most feared. They do not take prisoners. Ever.
“Lamplight Murder Mysteries”: Stang’s dark cozy mystery books that came out recently.
“Giants”: Short for “She Topples Giants” by Morgan Stang
Faerie: Trapped faerie.
Reading “The Wolf and the She-Bear” in a Nutshell:
Imagine you woke up one day to find your entire world was turned upside down, but instead of being royalty, you’re at the bottom.
Alone.
A mass genocide took place and you, the 3rd removed cousin are now the ruler of a dead dynasty.
The wolf magic dies with you…
A few days pass...
While wandering near a town in the hope of some scraps, you see an odd sight. A red-haired woman with a giant sword. You feel a nagging memory of someone that rhymes with Butts, yet you can’t quite remember.
This old memory excites you so you go take a piss and come back to observe this creature.
She’s gone.
Did you just imagine that? You haven’t seen red hair on these monkeys before.
It’s your hunger. Yeah, that’s it...
You creep close to the inn and you see the red hair again. There’s a creep of pity on the creatures.
The red-haired monkey seems tired while the gold-haired monkey is nothing but trouble. You have a bad feeling about this, so you decide to tail their journey to ensure the ginger doesn’t go harmed.
...Though on second thought, the blonde one is sure annoying...
After a few hours of tailing them, you go get a rabbit for a snack and find the ginger surrounded by a lot of mean-looking monkeys. There’s one in the back...that looks terrifying.
The fur on your back bristles as you see something that doesn’t even look...monkey.
She looks like death and the plague reincarnated. You don’t want to mess with her for miles.
That said, somehow, the ginger gives them the slip and runs. Some manage to get close to her but you tear them to shreds before they even get close.
Before you go, you stay the night near the enemy camp and listen to the thoughts of the second-in-command, Hilda. You feel for her and her sad back story...that you somehow can tell reeks off of her. You also wonder how far that “flute” goes. You like want to play fetch with it...But then she grabs someone’s balls and you feel your own balls shrivel up... Before you realize you don’t have any...Time to run.
Anyway, your fur is cold, so you go warm up by following Red. You continue to tail her for miles, witnessing gruesome encounters, and finally...come face to face with her.
This world is old. And it has been for some time that you haven’t met any human quite like her. She needs help remembering who she is. So you give her a reminder in blood and you pay the price and pass out in a fox hollow. Cries of blood and murder are heard in your dreams...
Upon waking, you remembered your promise to her and went after her.
... only to wish you never woke up because you witnessed an operation so bizarre that you decide to go back to the fox hollow and wait.
When you get out, you find Red on a big dog walking to the village. You want to go with her but, she refuses you, no matter how this journey ends with this monkey, you decide to still follow her because...
How often do you meet someone that reminds you so much of yourself?
___________________________
Real Thoughts:
I was nervous and excited since I loved “Lamplight Murder Mysteries” to hell and back and wanted to see how well Stang’s debut improved to today. However, I had very low expectations when I came across this book. I knew Stang said this was her debut book so I wasn’t expecting LOTR quality.
Yet, I was still enamored by this little world she created but it’s not the deepest worldbuilding I’ve seen. It’s a dark-low fantasy until it switches genre a few times in the book by inserting dark encounters and other elements along the way. All the while, I wanted to know more about countries, like Kantor and the other characters mentioned.
And fitting all this world in a small 190-page package? Girl, that’s a gift.
I’ll be reading the rest of the series curious to see where she goes with it. And it’s a completed trilogy to boot!
But...I’m scared
...That wolf better not die...
Cover Art:
r/Fantasy - Review: “The Wolf and the She-Bear” by Morgan Stang | Med School Never Signed Anyone Up For That
Unfortunately, I couldn't find who did the art for Stang's debut. Either way, for being a debut, it still gives off a dark fantasy vibe with a half face portrait. Classic, but effective. Multiple other Photoshop filters applied that really sinks in the feel of the cover. Great work!
Tags:
Dark, Lowish Fantasy, Gore, Death, Eldritch Horror, Horror Occasionally, Blood, Horse Deaths, Elderly Death, Murder, Major Character Deaths, Sexual Rape mentioned off-screen. (I could have been hallucinating if this was mentioned, but I’m putting this tag here just on the off chance it was.)
Plot:
That faerie...You know, when I was thinking where the faerie went, if not flown away since we were talking about it with William plenty...my first thought was it was in his mouth or armpit...not his ass. Like everyone in that confrontation, my mouth just dropped and I laughed so hard. I loved the plot, it was slightly a little episodic, however, showing us various snapshots of what Red was up to, what Bucket’s team was doing, and what Hilda was thinking about. I did like the unexpected turns we had with William and Hilda showing how much of a disgusting piece of shit they both can be. (Mostly William)
Characters:
Loved all the characters. (Except William. Fuck William) I’ve done a comparison of Stang to Sanderson before and it’s still no joke. She gets you to care about her characters in a few short sentences and, while they are human and deep in their own way, we only get a nibble because of how short the story is. This may change in the trilogy, will have to wait and see.
Pacing:
If you ignore the book being short, the pacing starts slow for the first few chapters and then we’re thrown amid murder, weird shit happening. There were some dips because of the story with Bucket’s crew, but other than that, you can expect this book to be a page-turner and I finished this book in one day (Ignore the fact I read the first 3 pages and stopped for a few days.)
Prose:
Bit messy compared to Stang’s current work. Especially in the beginning.
I couldn’t get much chance to breathe in the atmosphere and setting that she was sometimes portraying. Which was a shame, I love snowy environments.
However, for some reason, it smoothens itself out once we get to the first major encounter that turns the story and then there are barely any hiccups. I don’t know what happened, if she switched editors halfway through, or Kantor abducted them, but either way, after the major encounter, at around the 20% point, it straightens itself out and you barely notice anything wrong with it.
Basically, it’s fine after the beginning, don’t worry.
Vibe:
Snow everywhere, trees everywhere. Dark snowy nights constantly and blood. Lotsa blood. And gore. Everywhere. If you loved “Lamplight” for the dark horror elements Stang brings, you might want to consider this book…
Let’s just say Stang’s debut ramped up Lamplight horror and gore quite a few notches.
That said, don’t read this for the comfy vibes. I mean, it was comfy for me, but that might be an opinion here.
Worldbuilding:
Stang knows what I’m about to say... She has good worldbuilding, even though it’s barely a few sentences long at most.
The most worldbuilding we get is about the Cobbler, Kantor assassins, and Old World artifacts that may have related to a futuristic society. That’s it. BUT I WANT MORE OF IT OMG AAAAA
I’ve mentioned this in “Lamplight Express” that I understand that this book was short and there wasn't much space to work with. Though, her next book is 500+ pages long so maybe it gets fixed? We’ll see. So far I’m tentatively going to finish the series, but I have to see how “Giants” sways me.
What you can expect when you get the worldbuilding is that we’re in a low fantasy setting with dark horror elements weaved in through. It has a similar structure to “Blacktongue Thief”, but Stang has more cohesion to her story.
This book uses the Sprinkling Method which means, small bite-sized pieces of worldbuilding that can barely become a text of its own if put back to back. It’s similar to Orderly, but the size is different.
Fix It AU:
Honestly, a lot of things Stang had problems with originally, she fixes it to her current work. Her prose in her newest books is polished and rivals Sanderson’s levels. That’s literally how good she is (Girl, go find a publisher that looks at you the same way Tor looks at Sanderson already.) I would have liked to be with the characters a little longer but again, short book, not enough time, I get it.
The only thing I nag on is Worldbuilding, but I’ve explained the “problems” of it in the past. And honestly, it’s probably a good problem to have. If I have to live with her dangling tiny pieces of info in front of me, so be it. It just means I care about her work.
So, Who Should Read This?
Read if you wanted Guts from “Berserk” to be a woman and you didn’t want as many rapey elements of “Berserk” (For context, I love Berserk). You also wanted “Berserk” to be a low-ish fantasy and a wolf as a buddy towards the end. You love BAMFs and you can’t get enough of them so what are you waiting for? See what Red is up to this time and maybe she’ll crush an asshat with her stone 2x4.
4.2/5
PS: RRR (Reviewless Review Recs) will be up this Saturday 12 PM CT so stay tuned!
Link to previous review, "The Rithmatist": https://cannedbreadblog.wordpress.com...
Note: This is a multi-sectioned review, it’s long. Jump to where you want, I’m not your mom.
Very minor spoilers in this review that I didn't feel warranted the tag. The major ones are spoiler-tagged, however. I spoiler-tagged the Nutshell to be safe, however.
Link to review on blog: (Please read it on the blog, it's more readable there and there's cat pics) https://cannedbreadblog.wordpress.com...
Spoiler-free Blurb: A mercenary takes on the job of transporting wolf pelts and something goes wrong that may affect her life and career.
Characters and Terms:
You as Arwulf: The wolf that follows Red in the story. Honestly, it was about time we stopped denying the furry in you. Just admit it, Kyle.
Samantha Redwyne aka Red: Mercenary that has a name for herself. Has unresolved problems of her past.
William: A liar that Red doesn’t trust. Wants to move wolf pelts for some reason to Pinewood.
Pinewood: The City they need to sell the furs to. The nearest town from Windhold.
Windhold: Starting point city.
Bucket: Stand-in leader for the Cobbler’s gang. Trying to find missing loot stolen from them.
Hilda: The second-in-command who always carries a clarinet reminds her of home.
Cobbler: One gang of the Northern Kingdom and one of the most feared. They do not take prisoners. Ever.
“Lamplight Murder Mysteries”: Stang’s dark cozy mystery books that came out recently.
“Giants”: Short for “She Topples Giants” by Morgan Stang
Faerie: Trapped faerie.
Reading “The Wolf and the She-Bear” in a Nutshell:
Imagine you woke up one day to find your entire world was turned upside down, but instead of being royalty, you’re at the bottom.
Alone.
A mass genocide took place and you, the 3rd removed cousin are now the ruler of a dead dynasty.
The wolf magic dies with you…
A few days pass...
While wandering near a town in the hope of some scraps, you see an odd sight. A red-haired woman with a giant sword. You feel a nagging memory of someone that rhymes with Butts, yet you can’t quite remember.
This old memory excites you so you go take a piss and come back to observe this creature.
She’s gone.
Did you just imagine that? You haven’t seen red hair on these monkeys before.
It’s your hunger. Yeah, that’s it...
You creep close to the inn and you see the red hair again. There’s a creep of pity on the creatures.
The red-haired monkey seems tired while the gold-haired monkey is nothing but trouble. You have a bad feeling about this, so you decide to tail their journey to ensure the ginger doesn’t go harmed.
...Though on second thought, the blonde one is sure annoying...
After a few hours of tailing them, you go get a rabbit for a snack and find the ginger surrounded by a lot of mean-looking monkeys. There’s one in the back...that looks terrifying.
The fur on your back bristles as you see something that doesn’t even look...monkey.
She looks like death and the plague reincarnated. You don’t want to mess with her for miles.
That said, somehow, the ginger gives them the slip and runs. Some manage to get close to her but you tear them to shreds before they even get close.
Before you go, you stay the night near the enemy camp and listen to the thoughts of the second-in-command, Hilda. You feel for her and her sad back story...that you somehow can tell reeks off of her. You also wonder how far that “flute” goes. You like want to play fetch with it...But then she grabs someone’s balls and you feel your own balls shrivel up... Before you realize you don’t have any...Time to run.
Anyway, your fur is cold, so you go warm up by following Red. You continue to tail her for miles, witnessing gruesome encounters, and finally...come face to face with her.
This world is old. And it has been for some time that you haven’t met any human quite like her. She needs help remembering who she is. So you give her a reminder in blood and you pay the price and pass out in a fox hollow. Cries of blood and murder are heard in your dreams...
Upon waking, you remembered your promise to her and went after her.
... only to wish you never woke up because you witnessed an operation so bizarre that you decide to go back to the fox hollow and wait.
When you get out, you find Red on a big dog walking to the village. You want to go with her but, she refuses you, no matter how this journey ends with this monkey, you decide to still follow her because...
How often do you meet someone that reminds you so much of yourself?
___________________________
Real Thoughts:
I was nervous and excited since I loved “Lamplight Murder Mysteries” to hell and back and wanted to see how well Stang’s debut improved to today. However, I had very low expectations when I came across this book. I knew Stang said this was her debut book so I wasn’t expecting LOTR quality.
Yet, I was still enamored by this little world she created but it’s not the deepest worldbuilding I’ve seen. It’s a dark-low fantasy until it switches genre a few times in the book by inserting dark encounters and other elements along the way. All the while, I wanted to know more about countries, like Kantor and the other characters mentioned.
And fitting all this world in a small 190-page package? Girl, that’s a gift.
I’ll be reading the rest of the series curious to see where she goes with it. And it’s a completed trilogy to boot!
But...I’m scared
...That wolf better not die...
Cover Art:
r/Fantasy - Review: “The Wolf and the She-Bear” by Morgan Stang | Med School Never Signed Anyone Up For That
Unfortunately, I couldn't find who did the art for Stang's debut. Either way, for being a debut, it still gives off a dark fantasy vibe with a half face portrait. Classic, but effective. Multiple other Photoshop filters applied that really sinks in the feel of the cover. Great work!
Tags:
Dark, Lowish Fantasy, Gore, Death, Eldritch Horror, Horror Occasionally, Blood, Horse Deaths, Elderly Death, Murder, Major Character Deaths, Sexual Rape mentioned off-screen. (I could have been hallucinating if this was mentioned, but I’m putting this tag here just on the off chance it was.)
Plot:
That faerie...You know, when I was thinking where the faerie went, if not flown away since we were talking about it with William plenty...my first thought was it was in his mouth or armpit...not his ass. Like everyone in that confrontation, my mouth just dropped and I laughed so hard. I loved the plot, it was slightly a little episodic, however, showing us various snapshots of what Red was up to, what Bucket’s team was doing, and what Hilda was thinking about. I did like the unexpected turns we had with William and Hilda showing how much of a disgusting piece of shit they both can be. (Mostly William)
Characters:
Loved all the characters. (Except William. Fuck William) I’ve done a comparison of Stang to Sanderson before and it’s still no joke. She gets you to care about her characters in a few short sentences and, while they are human and deep in their own way, we only get a nibble because of how short the story is. This may change in the trilogy, will have to wait and see.
Pacing:
If you ignore the book being short, the pacing starts slow for the first few chapters and then we’re thrown amid murder, weird shit happening. There were some dips because of the story with Bucket’s crew, but other than that, you can expect this book to be a page-turner and I finished this book in one day (Ignore the fact I read the first 3 pages and stopped for a few days.)
Prose:
Bit messy compared to Stang’s current work. Especially in the beginning.
I couldn’t get much chance to breathe in the atmosphere and setting that she was sometimes portraying. Which was a shame, I love snowy environments.
However, for some reason, it smoothens itself out once we get to the first major encounter that turns the story and then there are barely any hiccups. I don’t know what happened, if she switched editors halfway through, or Kantor abducted them, but either way, after the major encounter, at around the 20% point, it straightens itself out and you barely notice anything wrong with it.
Basically, it’s fine after the beginning, don’t worry.
Vibe:
Snow everywhere, trees everywhere. Dark snowy nights constantly and blood. Lotsa blood. And gore. Everywhere. If you loved “Lamplight” for the dark horror elements Stang brings, you might want to consider this book…
Let’s just say Stang’s debut ramped up Lamplight horror and gore quite a few notches.
That said, don’t read this for the comfy vibes. I mean, it was comfy for me, but that might be an opinion here.
Worldbuilding:
Stang knows what I’m about to say... She has good worldbuilding, even though it’s barely a few sentences long at most.
The most worldbuilding we get is about the Cobbler, Kantor assassins, and Old World artifacts that may have related to a futuristic society. That’s it. BUT I WANT MORE OF IT OMG AAAAA
I’ve mentioned this in “Lamplight Express” that I understand that this book was short and there wasn't much space to work with. Though, her next book is 500+ pages long so maybe it gets fixed? We’ll see. So far I’m tentatively going to finish the series, but I have to see how “Giants” sways me.
What you can expect when you get the worldbuilding is that we’re in a low fantasy setting with dark horror elements weaved in through. It has a similar structure to “Blacktongue Thief”, but Stang has more cohesion to her story.
This book uses the Sprinkling Method which means, small bite-sized pieces of worldbuilding that can barely become a text of its own if put back to back. It’s similar to Orderly, but the size is different.
Fix It AU:
Honestly, a lot of things Stang had problems with originally, she fixes it to her current work. Her prose in her newest books is polished and rivals Sanderson’s levels. That’s literally how good she is (Girl, go find a publisher that looks at you the same way Tor looks at Sanderson already.) I would have liked to be with the characters a little longer but again, short book, not enough time, I get it.
The only thing I nag on is Worldbuilding, but I’ve explained the “problems” of it in the past. And honestly, it’s probably a good problem to have. If I have to live with her dangling tiny pieces of info in front of me, so be it. It just means I care about her work.
So, Who Should Read This?
Read if you wanted Guts from “Berserk” to be a woman and you didn’t want as many rapey elements of “Berserk” (For context, I love Berserk). You also wanted “Berserk” to be a low-ish fantasy and a wolf as a buddy towards the end. You love BAMFs and you can’t get enough of them so what are you waiting for? See what Red is up to this time and maybe she’ll crush an asshat with her stone 2x4.
4.2/5
PS: RRR (Reviewless Review Recs) will be up this Saturday 12 PM CT so stay tuned!
Link to previous review, "The Rithmatist": https://cannedbreadblog.wordpress.com...
June 29, 2023
Pretty good, good pacing. Lots of promise with the tiny taste of world building, so curious to read the next entries.
March 22, 2022
Not the strongest writing, the story was a little simplistic, and the world building somewhat weak. But the main character, Red, has some draw, and there are some entertaining moments, both of humor and fighting. The final scenes and especially the very end contain the most engaging and fleshing-out portions when it comes to Red; she almost felt like a supporting character the rest of the book. Sometimes the dialogue was a little off-putting and unnatural. It felt contrived at times. I felt like the attempts at providing context regarding the guilds, political situation, character backgrounds, etc., were there, but they weren't as complete as they could have been. And I fear trying to beef them up may have resulted in over-exposition. The timeline was quite tight, so it felt like a very contained story of small scope, while attempting to create a more expansive world for it to take place in. Maybe it could've been tightened further and been a more solid short story or novella. (Maybe it qualifies as a novella? Not sure how long it was exactly.)
All that said... If I may: for what I believe is an independent and self-published author, it was a decent story with some heavy-hitting scenes. Aside from being a little off put at the somewhat strange-at-times juxtaposition of carefree writing tone and grimdark scenes and what I felt was a somewhat slow start, I found myself getting more and more into it as I read. (It did take me several months to read...) There is some good stuff to work with here and I imagine if the author continues to write, improvement and more good things will come.
My two stars seems negative, but I'm maintaining that it does still mean the book still "okay" to me—which is not bad. I'd even say it's two and a half stars, for what it's worth. I did like parts of it, but I think overall not enough to warrant a three. Happy to have come across it on r/fantasy and to have been able to read it.
All that said... If I may: for what I believe is an independent and self-published author, it was a decent story with some heavy-hitting scenes. Aside from being a little off put at the somewhat strange-at-times juxtaposition of carefree writing tone and grimdark scenes and what I felt was a somewhat slow start, I found myself getting more and more into it as I read. (It did take me several months to read...) There is some good stuff to work with here and I imagine if the author continues to write, improvement and more good things will come.
My two stars seems negative, but I'm maintaining that it does still mean the book still "okay" to me—which is not bad. I'd even say it's two and a half stars, for what it's worth. I did like parts of it, but I think overall not enough to warrant a three. Happy to have come across it on r/fantasy and to have been able to read it.
January 24, 2022
For all of its brevity, there is a lot of awesomeness packed into this novel. Samantha, better know as Red, is a mercenary of some growing renown, who has traveled to the frigid north to escape her demons. There she has a chance encounter with a man named William, who in turn sets her on a direct collision course with a veritable host of murderers, psychopaths, and other unseemly characters all out for her blood. Though not a western, the entire story has a very western feel to it, while at the same time still being distinctly a fantasy work in the tradition of classic sword and sorcery works.
The setting for the story is also rather intriguing, straddling the divide between high and low fantasy. While there is no overt magic in this world (at least, none that was present in this particular volume), the world is also rife with fairies and extra-dimensional entities that prey upon the unwary. Riding beneath the current of Red’s immediate predicament is also a rather deep trench of worldbuilding, setting up something that only hints at its grandness of scale by the story’s end.
It isn’t often that I finish a book in a single sitting, so this work has already joined a rather elite group on my bookshelf. I’ll definitely be checking out Red’s other adventures in the near future.
The setting for the story is also rather intriguing, straddling the divide between high and low fantasy. While there is no overt magic in this world (at least, none that was present in this particular volume), the world is also rife with fairies and extra-dimensional entities that prey upon the unwary. Riding beneath the current of Red’s immediate predicament is also a rather deep trench of worldbuilding, setting up something that only hints at its grandness of scale by the story’s end.
It isn’t often that I finish a book in a single sitting, so this work has already joined a rather elite group on my bookshelf. I’ll definitely be checking out Red’s other adventures in the near future.
February 23, 2021
The Wolf and the She-Bear is brutal. I can't count the number of times that my eyebrows jumped into my hairline, and I stopped to utter "holy crap" before resuming my read. And I'm not just talking blood and guts.
Brutal twists, brutal betrayals, brutal choices. And yes, brutal killings. Nearly every chapter of this book dragged me in deeper, and these were short chapters. This was a short book.
I won't say I was struck with particularly deep characters, but as short, amoral fantasies with wonder, mystery, blood, and awesomeness go, The Wolf and the She-Bear rips and tears. More please.
Brutal twists, brutal betrayals, brutal choices. And yes, brutal killings. Nearly every chapter of this book dragged me in deeper, and these were short chapters. This was a short book.
I won't say I was struck with particularly deep characters, but as short, amoral fantasies with wonder, mystery, blood, and awesomeness go, The Wolf and the She-Bear rips and tears. More please.
March 13, 2021
I picked this one up a few weeks ago because it was absolutely free for a day on amazon. It's only 153 pages, so a quick read, but it's packed with the good stuff.
Not only is there a ton of tension, stress, and action, but the author writes really interesting characters. Not one dimensional, easy to forget characters. It definitely did have a Coen brothers feel, which I've seen the author mention, and I liked that a lot.
It's still only $2.99 and well worth it, I definitely recommend this one!
Not only is there a ton of tension, stress, and action, but the author writes really interesting characters. Not one dimensional, easy to forget characters. It definitely did have a Coen brothers feel, which I've seen the author mention, and I liked that a lot.
It's still only $2.99 and well worth it, I definitely recommend this one!
February 19, 2022
3.75
Banter was entertaining and this was really well written! I love the amount of character growth in such a short amount of time. Felt very natural. I just wish it explained a bit more about why a lot of the fighting happened (don’t want to spoil The Who or The Why that was provided).
I am not one for horror and gore - tried to branch out a bit here but ultimately failed. I had to skip over almost all of it. I really enjoyed the writing style and the distinct personalities. Could have done with one less POV, or maybe swapping out Hilda for Reaper POV. That would have been *chefs kiss*.
Banter was entertaining and this was really well written! I love the amount of character growth in such a short amount of time. Felt very natural. I just wish it explained a bit more about why a lot of the fighting happened (don’t want to spoil The Who or The Why that was provided).
I am not one for horror and gore - tried to branch out a bit here but ultimately failed. I had to skip over almost all of it. I really enjoyed the writing style and the distinct personalities. Could have done with one less POV, or maybe swapping out Hilda for Reaper POV. That would have been *chefs kiss*.
March 19, 2021
Fast paced novella, with colorful characters and well written (especially the different styles of prose depending on the character). Things aren't what they seem at first, there's plenty of surprises and few mysteries are left unexplained (for other books I suppose).
For the first 25%, I thought I'd enjoy this book throughout. But, things took a much darker turn for my tastes. I'd recommend the book for those who enjoy dark fantasy and humor.
For the first 25%, I thought I'd enjoy this book throughout. But, things took a much darker turn for my tastes. I'd recommend the book for those who enjoy dark fantasy and humor.
July 30, 2022
I loved this book so much. So much great character work and worldbuilding in a small package. I can't wait to read more of this world. This story is funny and brutal all at the same time. Also The Misfit of Kantor might be giving me nightmares for quite some time. I can't recommend this enough.
December 28, 2021
For a relatively short book, this packs a big punch. The characters are well developed, the pace is a steady page-turner, the dialogue and personalities were enjoyable, and the folklore/fantasy elements worked really well as a support for the plot and effective worldbuilding. Definitely recommend!
April 11, 2024
In a strange way, this is about a mercenary who gets her groove back. Samantha Redwyne goes up north to get away from some bad memories. All she wants is to be left alone. She runs into an old acquaintance who needs help delivering a wagon through the forest to another town. Unfortunately, the wagon is also wanted by a band of cutthroats.
The winter forest is just as much a character as the people. The cold is debilitating, and there are frightful things lurking there.
Samantha goes through a lot of changes that wouldn't have happened if she had just sat around and sulked for a few months. This life or death situation pushes her into making choices she wouldn't have taken.
What really impressed me was the shades of evil depicted by the other characters. The author is brilliant at showing who these people really are, not just telling. They're not all mustache twirling villains either. They're all awful in their own way.
Don't let that discourage you from reading the book. It's dark, but there are flashes of hope through out. There was one scene that made me bust out laughing.
The writing flowed nicely, but I wanted more of the wolf. That was a missed opportunity. I still want to read more about Samantha.
The winter forest is just as much a character as the people. The cold is debilitating, and there are frightful things lurking there.
Samantha goes through a lot of changes that wouldn't have happened if she had just sat around and sulked for a few months. This life or death situation pushes her into making choices she wouldn't have taken.
What really impressed me was the shades of evil depicted by the other characters. The author is brilliant at showing who these people really are, not just telling. They're not all mustache twirling villains either. They're all awful in their own way.
Don't let that discourage you from reading the book. It's dark, but there are flashes of hope through out. There was one scene that made me bust out laughing.
The writing flowed nicely, but I wanted more of the wolf. That was a missed opportunity. I still want to read more about Samantha.
October 27, 2025
I've read several of this author's books now (entire Lamplight series to date) and love how Stang's books tend to have a solid story, characters I can actually picture and great lore without becoming overly complicated or turning into "homework" like books I come across from time to time in fantasy and sci-fi.
The Wolf and the She-Bear highlights these qualities in his books. The story is simple but contains deep characters and creative world building. Battle/ fight scenes can be brutal and a particular scene involving the main character Red and twins had me take a moment from continuing reading just to process how epic the scene truly was.
I read this book and intend on moving forward with the rest of the Bartram's Maw series. After reading the Lamplight series I was unsure whether the author's writing style and engaging content I found in the Lamplight series would translate to this book and the Bartram's Maw series and I am happy to say that so far this appears to be the case.
The Wolf and the She-Bear highlights these qualities in his books. The story is simple but contains deep characters and creative world building. Battle/ fight scenes can be brutal and a particular scene involving the main character Red and twins had me take a moment from continuing reading just to process how epic the scene truly was.
I read this book and intend on moving forward with the rest of the Bartram's Maw series. After reading the Lamplight series I was unsure whether the author's writing style and engaging content I found in the Lamplight series would translate to this book and the Bartram's Maw series and I am happy to say that so far this appears to be the case.
January 18, 2025
4.5 out of 5 stars
While the tone of this is more serious compared to Lamplight Mysteries, I still found it enjoyable to follow.
Despite it being less than 200 pages, the novella was able to give compelling characterizations to a few seemingly minor characters like Hilda and William. This is my first read in this series and Samantha Redwyne is a compelling enough character that I'm happy to explore more of the books in the series.
You think too little of yourself, and too much of the world. Don't apologize for yourself, for the world won't apologize back.
While the tone of this is more serious compared to Lamplight Mysteries, I still found it enjoyable to follow.
Despite it being less than 200 pages, the novella was able to give compelling characterizations to a few seemingly minor characters like Hilda and William. This is my first read in this series and Samantha Redwyne is a compelling enough character that I'm happy to explore more of the books in the series.
November 9, 2024
I unfortunately went through a reading slump right around the time that I was wanting to start this, but that has absolutely nothing to do with the contents of this short novel. I love everything I've read by this author, and I think this would have been a 5 star read if I was in a different headspace. Nevertheless, this was an enjoyable and quick read, and Stang continues to be one of my favourite indie authors!
December 22, 2022
A dark survival tale
I enjoyed Samantha’s character and her battle with who she is very much. The author slowly let us see more and more into her life as the plot unfurled.
The post apoc nature of the world was interesting as well.
Recommended to those who enjoy dark fantasy with survival aspects. Especially those who like multiple POVs
I enjoyed Samantha’s character and her battle with who she is very much. The author slowly let us see more and more into her life as the plot unfurled.
The post apoc nature of the world was interesting as well.
Recommended to those who enjoy dark fantasy with survival aspects. Especially those who like multiple POVs
January 19, 2023
Weird and wonderful
I wasn't sure what to expect when I opened this book, but it drew me in right away and held my attention until the end. It's lyrical and blunt, violent and poignant. I read it in a single sitting. I wasn't sure what to expect, but this story exceeded those expectations anyway.
I wasn't sure what to expect when I opened this book, but it drew me in right away and held my attention until the end. It's lyrical and blunt, violent and poignant. I read it in a single sitting. I wasn't sure what to expect, but this story exceeded those expectations anyway.
July 31, 2024
This was a lot of fun. It begins as a fairly mainstream vaguely medieval northern european fantasy, but there's slow and clever world-building that lead to questions that I dearly hope will be answered when I read the rest of the series. I didn't feel that the number of POVs was entirely necessary, but it was cool to see the disparate threads and watch them weave back together.
February 9, 2025
A really enjoyable read
Really enjoyed this. A story in the vein of Red Sonja, complete with red hair and big honking sword and with a sprinkling of mysticism for added flavour.
It may be a relatively short read, but I was hooked from the preview and completely drawn in by the story. Recommended reading.
Really enjoyed this. A story in the vein of Red Sonja, complete with red hair and big honking sword and with a sprinkling of mysticism for added flavour.
It may be a relatively short read, but I was hooked from the preview and completely drawn in by the story. Recommended reading.
January 30, 2023
Characters jumped out immediately as real.
Within the first page, I was struck by the individual personalities of the characters. Since they were all pretty much rotten, this was quite extraordinary.
Within the first page, I was struck by the individual personalities of the characters. Since they were all pretty much rotten, this was quite extraordinary.
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