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Charmed #12

Spirit of the Wolf

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1st edition Pocket 2002 paperback, vg++ In stock shipped from our UK warehouse

192 pages, Paperback

First published May 1, 2002

8 people are currently reading
995 people want to read

About the author

Diana G. Gallagher

156 books54 followers
Diana G. Gallagher was an American author who wrote books for children and young adults. She also wrote the space opera The Alien Dark (1990), but was best known for her tie-in work for television properties including Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, Sabrina the Teenage Witch, Charmed, Star Trek and The Secret World of Alex Mack, among others.

She was also a prolific filk creator, winning Pegasus Awards in 1986 and ’94. Gallagher won a Hugo Award for Best Fan Artist in 1988 under the name Diana Gallagher Wu. She sometimes also wrote under the name Diana Burke.

Born in 1946, in Paterson, New Jersey, she lived in Florida with her husband, the writer Martin R. Burke, who predeceased her in 2011. Gallagher was married four times; her third marriage was to author William F. Wu (divorced 1990).

Gallagher died December 2, 2021 of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease at 75 years of age.

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5 stars
263 (34%)
4 stars
186 (24%)
3 stars
248 (32%)
2 stars
61 (7%)
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7 (<1%)
Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews
Profile Image for Thibault Busschots.
Author 6 books206 followers
October 17, 2022
Money is tight in the Halliwell household. When the opportunity arises for Phoebe and Paige to earn some extra cash, they’re quick jump on it. As freelance reporters, the two sister make their way to the opening of a remote resort in the Sierra Nevada Mountains. But the resort was built on sacred ground. And there’s rumors of a Native American spirit haunting it.


The concept is definitely strong and the wolf spirit in particular is quite cool and at times slightly spooky. The execution of the plot feels like it could have benefitted from being expanded a bit, but it’s still very solid. Phoebe and Paige camping in the woods is atmospheric and at times a bit reminiscent of certain horror movies in all the right ways. Piper and Leo’s part starts out quite small but it perfectly serves as a sweet and feel good, slice of life distraction in between the more gripping scenes that are set in the woods. Add in a spirit wolf on the prowl and a demon hunting Cole, and there’s a lot to enjoy.


Overall, a pretty cool little story with the Charmed Ones. This could have easily been a TV episode, which is what a book like this should always aim for.
Profile Image for Liza Koppens.
201 reviews16 followers
October 19, 2020
Warning: I really love charmed and everything witches. Wich will be affecting my way of rating/revieuwing this book.

Once somethimes twice a year I like to try and rewatch most if not all of the tv show. And since itd oktober this seemed like the lerfect time. Wich is when I rememberd, the Charmed classics I borrowd from the library years ago and I absolutly loved.

I owned this book for a while and since my headaches are a bit overwelming lately. I choose the read one (maybe more) of them instead of watching the show.

Wich I whole hartedly reccomend. If you wabt something a bit different. I don't know why I expected a retelling of one of the episodes I have seen so manny times, but I did. And was pleasantly suprised.

This book is a bit different from the series, wich was nice. Yes the sisters still feel the same and I loved to see a bit more of the adjuting period with paige in, phoebe and pipers life after the loss of prue.

What I liked most was the slightly different way the story was set up. No obvious enemy or danger comming their way. But some seemingly natural dissasters, a lot of lore and a satisfying conclusion to the story. It makes me want to read more of the books, and possibly.... Oh who am I kidding probably will be buying more of them and the classics.
Profile Image for Deanie Nelder.
1,131 reviews24 followers
Read
January 22, 2023
Spirit of the Wolf is one of the better entries in the Charmed series, but it's not without its flaws. Getting the sisters involved in the conflict involved some highly improbable events. Phoebe, who had been Prue's assistant at previous photography shoots, gets hired as a photographer by 415 magazine, with Paige as her assistant. Also, the Charmed ones get confused at one point as to who their actual innocent is, and I feel like that might be reminiscent of the author's thought process at that point.

However, overlooking those bits, the story is interesting, the characters are well written, and the plot is well-paced. It's a good, solid effort, better than a lot of the Charmed books, and worthy of a re-read.
Profile Image for Randall.
23 reviews6 followers
April 6, 2022
I just thought it was okay, but then again, I'm not the intended audience.
Profile Image for Rianne Heartfilia.
500 reviews29 followers
March 4, 2017
It is actually a shame that this book took me so long to read. Since this is one of my favourite books of Charmed. I can't say that yet officially since I haven't read them all but well this was the first one I bought myself. Buying some left and right, getting them when my dad or friend Iris got them double. So yeah didn't really collect them. I did collect the Prue versions because here in my country there are only six. So that wasn't too much money. But if you ask me, quite expensive books for such short stories.

I think I did enjoy Spirit of the Wolf the most because of the Native American influence. My theory though about the sisters was.. sort of true and sort of not true. There wasn't one sister separated from the others but none of them were attacked or kidnapped or anything so basically it was true, but not entirely what I meant. It is quite a nice side project if you ask me to go along with.

Well on to Garden of Evil. At some point I have to finish them all this year. I might have to hurry!
Profile Image for Megan.
1,736 reviews199 followers
June 28, 2016
A pretty good story. I liked how it took place mostly away from San Francisco, with the exception of most of Piper and Leo's scenes, which is a nice change from the TV show.

The storyline was okay, not terrific but not terrible either. I thought the ending was a little blah, but for anyone missing the show and hasn't read the books yet this is a nice read.

3.5 stars
Profile Image for Courtney Gruenholz.
Author 13 books24 followers
July 7, 2025
Rounded up to 3 stars.

What a way to start reading this Charmed book... Rest in Peace Julian McMahon :(

Cole makes an appearance in this one because we are in Season 4. First tie-in novel with Paige and an original story as Charmed Again was novelization of the two-part season premiere.

The B-plot of the book is Piper wanting to spend some alone time with Leo without sisterly A.M. wake-up calls now that Paige actually lives with her sisters. The romantic weekend doesn't go as planned and then they are both pulled into the main storyline.

Phoebe wants to have a job to help out her sisters and decides to take over as doing a photo story that Prue was set to work on for 415 Magazine before her untimely death. A new resort is opening up in the Sierra Nevada Mountains where people pay to have a nature experience. A press tour is under way and Phoebe asks Paige to go with her to do sisterly bonding and get out of Piper and Leo's hair for a while.

Sierra Sojourn is built on land that use to belong to a Native American tribe and the remaining people were mostly uprooted. The company behind the resort did the same thing to Indigenous people in Florida for a similar "experience" and Phoebe wants to explore that story instead of the puff piece a reporter is doing for "health and exercise".

It turns into Charmed One business because "pranks" are being pulled before the place even opens to the public. The police think it is the thirty or so Sinoyat still in the area, but some things seem...supernatural. Trees that burst into flames, an animal skull oozing blood from the empty sockets and a wolf appearing and then disappearing like a ghost to the staff at the resort.

Paige ends up falling for Ben Waters, a Sinoyat who works at the resort driving the recreational bus, after seeing him in a general store before she and Phoebe headed out with the other reporters and photographers. Phoebe and Angie Swenson from 415 Magazine do not hit it off well when seasoned journalist Mitch Rawlings seems to be interested in Phoebe to Angie's chagrin despite her flirting.

Once Angie learns from Phoebe that she has boyfriend Cole back home three hours away, the rift melts a little, but Angie still has no clue about the wilderness. For his small part, Cole is still evading bounty hunters from The Source of All Evil and worried they might go after Phoebe to get to him.

Once there at Sierra Sojourn, there are bats in the cabins, skeletons glowing in the woods, snakes in the toilets and Phoebe starts having dreams of a Native American warrior accompanied by a wolf.

Paige uses her orbing power to stop both a rockslide from injuring people and escaping from the bus when a rainstorm threatens to flood the river and Phoebe has a vision of no one surviving.

Talking with Ben, the sisters learn of a legend about the powerful shaman named Glooscap who would get rid of those who do not respect nature and those of evil like demons and witches. He is also the keeper of Native American secrets so is his presence here to get the land rightfully back to the Sinoyat people or to drive them away with deadly consequences?

Now the Power of Three must learn from the spirit of the wolf how to stop a war of legality before innocent blood can be shed.

Spirit of The Wolf does read like an actual Charmed episode, but I just wasn't really as into it as I thought I would be. The plot of Piper and Leo's ruined romantic weekend was far more enjoyable and even the C plot of Cole running from a very noxious bounty hunter intersecting with the A plot and B plot was way more interesting.
Profile Image for Tommy Verhaegen.
2,983 reviews5 followers
January 8, 2025
Dit is boek 2 uit de tweede reeks van Charmed. De eerste reeks is met Prue (Sharon Stone in de tv-reeks) en loopt tot en met haar dood. Om het nog complexer te make hebben de vertalers er voor gekozen om voor extra verwarring te zorgen, wat echt ergerlijk is voor wie de boeken in chronologische volgorde wil lezen. En dat is aan te raden want de schrijfster bouwt in elk deel op gebeurtenissen uit het verleden.
Deel 1 van de orginale reeks (Charmed Classics):
De betovering begint - The power of three
Deel 1 van de nieuwe reeks
De macht van drie - Charmed again
Daarbij komt nog dat 4 delen van de Classics serie niet in het Nederlands zijn uitgebracht.

In dit boek zijn de drie (half)zussen nog naar een evenwicht aan het zoeken tussen hun nieuwe rol, nieuwe machten, nieuwe job, nieuwe liefdes en nieuwe zus(sen). Dat zorgt voor heel wa verwarring, misverstanden, mislukkingen en dus heel veel gevaar van de demonenwereld.
Leo en Cole zijn al gevestigde vaste karakters, terwijl dat in de tv-serie over meerdere afleveringen gespreid werd. Dus niet enkel chronologisch lezen helpt, het is ook handig (en dat zeg ik erg zelden als fervent lezer) om eerst de tv-reeks te bekijken.

De focus ligt hier voor wat het horror-aspect betreft op een oude indiaanse legende, en het duurt tot op het einde voor er een link met de demonenwereld opduikt. Het gros van het boek gaat eigenlijk over de al dan niet gelukkige amoureuze plannen van de zusjes Halliwell.

We krijgen wel een interessante kijk op de rol van de media bij het promoten van een nieuw vakantieparkt. Journalisten zijn ook maar mensen die houden van geld, eten en drinken en daar liefst zo weinig mogelijke moeite voor doen. Dat die plannen fout kunnen lopen, blijkt wel uit dit verhaal.
Maar echte een hoog horror-gehalte heeft dit boek niet. Er zijn enkele bovennatuurlijke verschijnselen, die aan sabotage door de indianen worden toegeschreven, waar niemand echt bang van wordt.
Dat maakt het boek eerder een aangenaam intermezzo in deze over het algemeen spannende reeks en het is zeker geen uitblinker.
Psychologisch blijft het een beetje rommelig, er is wel wat aktie maar niet van de heel spannende soort en er kan bij momenten wel een lachje af.
Profile Image for Harley.
878 reviews35 followers
April 22, 2023
I think this is my least favorite Charmed book I’ve read and I’ve read most of them. The plot just felt lacking.

There’s mysterious things happening at this newly built resort on Native American lands but because it’s Charmed there has to be some kind of demon behind it but it literally takes the whole book to discover that. I would have liked to learn more about this Native American spirit or legend whatever he was and what exactly he does.

I also didn’t enjoy the fact that the Charmed Ones were separated for most of the book. Phoebe was invited to photograph the event from Prue’s former bosses at 415 magazine because she was going to be her assistant once and she needs a job, she invites Paige to go with her leaving Piper and Leo sister free at the house but of course things go wrong there. So for most of the story Phoebe and Paige are in the middle of nowhere and Piper and Leo are squatting in a motel due to circumstances. Oh and then we also have Cole who’s on some whole side plot of having a demon after him so he just randomly pops up with the demon on his tail.

I just didn’t like how the whole story flowed but the sisters personalities still shines through and it felt Charmed.
Profile Image for Terese.
977 reviews30 followers
Read
February 3, 2025
I don't understand the people who ordered these books. Prue left the show yes, but these are books... so when a Prue plot comes along, why not just make an 11th Prue book, instead of forcing a plot like this on Phoebe?

Like what makes more sense - making another Prue book, or having Prue's employers go - oh, one of our photographer's died, we need her for a story, what if we call up the sister she used some times as an assistant and MAYBE is capable of taking photos too?

They really want you to think that being a photographer is just about the point and click. No skills required. Which is quite insulting.

The story itself is quite fun if you get over the contrivance above, Phoebe isn't a terrible character yet, though both she and Paige appear to have forgotten that Paige could've orbed to Leo, when they couldn't reach him? I don't know. The book feels a bit confused, again, as if it was meant to be Prue and Phoebe (unable to orb) and not Phoebe and Paige. It is also a bit confused about who is the innocent for a while, but turns it around. The overall product is fine, I read it on the train as I commute to work and books like this is perfect for a tired after-work brain.

Like all of these though, this is for fans for sure. Not lukewarm audiences.
Profile Image for Ceejay.
555 reviews18 followers
July 1, 2018
Here in the States, the TV show Charmed is about to get a relaunch for the 2018/2019 season. Because of that I've done a couple of things. First, I went to Netflix and caught up with all the episodes of the original series. Secondly, I'm reading some of the novels based on the original characters. I guess this book would be Charmed 1.2 because it features Paige, the witch/whitelighter. This is a light, fun read. Paige and Phoebe attend the soft opening of a survival camp. This leads to their becoming involved with the spirits of Native American legend. On a lighter note, Piper and Leo, with two of the sisters gone, see a chance to have a week-end alone. Be careful what you wish for! This is a quick, enjoyable book for folks who would like to enjoy adventures of the Charmed Ones that weren't covered in the TV series!
Profile Image for Sathishya Navarani.
Author 1 book1 follower
November 12, 2019
The problem I have with these types of stories is that it can easily be a hit or a miss. Some stories tend to manage to work within the confines, while other stories feel like they are too big for the page count.

This, unfortunately, was one of those latter stories. There was a lot of potential for this story, that felt like it was limited by the page count. I liked the mystery element, and the hints of horror, that may have been something more if it could have had more space to wiggle.

Also, it felt like the story needed more tell than show because of how much it was trying to say.

Though, I still gave it four stars because I liked the story. I just wish there could have been more.
Profile Image for Petra Schweiger.
166 reviews1 follower
November 25, 2020
Ab und an ging es der Autorin mit den Namen etwas durcheinander, aber ansonsten kein schlechtes Buch um die Zauberhaften Schwestern wobei ich persönlich mir gerade am Ende noch etwas mehr erhofft hatte aber grundsätzlich hat es auch so gut gepasst :-)
Profile Image for Alyce Caswell.
Author 18 books20 followers
May 5, 2022
This is actually quite a good story, possibly because those extra few pages helped add some complexity. The unabashed use of Native American culture is typical for the era, but the dedication hints that Gallagher tried a bit harder than some others.
Profile Image for Lauren.
798 reviews4 followers
December 31, 2023
Sadly, I really didn’t enjoy this Charmed novel. The plot felt very all over and choppy. The Charmed Ones being separated for half the book wasn’t enjoyable. The ending felt very flat.
Profile Image for Christy Roberts.
1,512 reviews49 followers
December 29, 2021
I wanted to give this a 5 star rating but I couldn't because in some spots it seemed to have left something out or just was in a rush.

Phoebe got an assignment from 415 magazine that she'd planned to go on with Prue before her death. instead she takes Paige but nothing went right from the start. The bus crashed on way to the place for starters. There was snakes and bats too.

The big thing was Gloosap and his brother the wolf who was trying to get help to save their land. The wolf was whole reason I wanted read this one.

The sisters and their men came through and now maybe Piper and Leo get the down time they tried for throughout the book.
Profile Image for Noa.
138 reviews
March 24, 2015
Another entertaining read in the Charmed series, which played out like an episode of the show. I enjoyed this book, I really did have good time reading this book, but it just wasn't as good as the previous ones. Like some episodes of the show, it's good but not amazing.

The story was pretty unique and I didn't know what was going to happen the entire time. I mean how would have suspected the main badguy. The book built well on the characteristics of the sisters and you can see in the writing that their individual personalities are spot on.
Profile Image for Melissa T.
616 reviews30 followers
July 3, 2011
I feel badly about reading this in fits and bursts, rather than all in one sitting. I like them better when I read these all at once because I like the continuous action. This was an interesting story, though my reading it in fits and starts took away from it somewhat. The most interesting oddity of this story was the thought to throw garlic powder at the demon chasing after Cole. Surprisingly enough it deterred it.
Profile Image for Maud.
771 reviews191 followers
April 2, 2012
I enjoyed this book quit a lot, I don't read much stories with a Native American influence in but I do enjoy the myths of it which made this book fun to read. I begin to start to like Paige, while I disliked her in the tv series so I'm very happy about that. Piper was just being all the same as usual and same goes for Phoebe. A nice novel, don't have much else to say about it besides that.
Profile Image for Gwen.
155 reviews
January 2, 2015
Like all the other Charmed novels, a great book, and just as good as the actual show.
18 reviews
September 26, 2016
Choppy writing. The only reason I finished it was because it was a super short book with a barely-there plot line.
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