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The Wolf Among the Wild Hunt
Skythulf wants to live. Raised in the fight pits, trained to kill or be killed, he yearns for freedom that's out of reach. He's a scythewulf: a wolf-shifter considered neither fully man nor beast, his life worth nothing to his keepers…until Brennus, knight-champion of Saorlland, rescues him from certain death and offers him a new life.
When he mistakenly kills a corrupted nun, Skythulf has one chance to redeem himself and restore his honor. He must run with the Wild Hunt: an age-old trial of blood and courage, where every step hides peril and carnage. If he survives, he will be pardoned. If he fails, Brennus will die brutally at his side.
Few have ever returned from the fae-haunted land, where horrors unnamed dwell beside the enchanted and the damned. There is no rest, no relent, and no mercy.
In the Wild Hunt, you run or you die.
When he mistakenly kills a corrupted nun, Skythulf has one chance to redeem himself and restore his honor. He must run with the Wild Hunt: an age-old trial of blood and courage, where every step hides peril and carnage. If he survives, he will be pardoned. If he fails, Brennus will die brutally at his side.
Few have ever returned from the fae-haunted land, where horrors unnamed dwell beside the enchanted and the damned. There is no rest, no relent, and no mercy.
In the Wild Hunt, you run or you die.
104 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 2, 2021
4 people are currently reading
303 people want to read
About the author
Merc Fenn Wolfmoor
28 books21 followersMerc Fenn Wolfmoor is an ace/aro ADHD/autistic non-binary author from Minnesota.
Merc is the author of several short story collections and the novella The Wolf Among the Wild Hunt. They have had short stories published in such fine venues as Lightspeed, Fireside, Nightmare, Apex, Beneath Ceaseless Skies, Escape Pod, Uncanny, and more.
They have been a Nebula Awards Finalist and have had short stories reprinted in several Year's Best anthologies.
They are part of the Chipped Cup Collective, of which Robot Dinosaur Press is an imprint division.
Merc also enjoys creating book covers.
Pronouns: they/them/theirs.
Honorifics: preferably none, but Mx. or Mr. are acceptable if necessary.
Merc is the author of several short story collections and the novella The Wolf Among the Wild Hunt. They have had short stories published in such fine venues as Lightspeed, Fireside, Nightmare, Apex, Beneath Ceaseless Skies, Escape Pod, Uncanny, and more.
They have been a Nebula Awards Finalist and have had short stories reprinted in several Year's Best anthologies.
They are part of the Chipped Cup Collective, of which Robot Dinosaur Press is an imprint division.
Merc also enjoys creating book covers.
Pronouns: they/them/theirs.
Honorifics: preferably none, but Mx. or Mr. are acceptable if necessary.
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews
August 14, 2023
Beautiful writing, fantastic and non-typical characterization, diverse rep, stakes both personal and high. Highly recommended, just be aware that pretty much every upsetting thing you can think of is included, although not always graphically.
October 21, 2021
Me reading The Wolf Among the Wild Hunt was a constant cycle between "wow that's FUCKED UP wtf??" and "omg I love them, I would die for them??" and anyway y'all should absolutely 100% read it if you're into dark fairytales and queerplatonic relationships! 🥰
August 23, 2021
Do you like stories of brave knights and gnarly witchers going on bloody adventures, but wish they were about lycanthropes instead? Then this book is for you.
February 22, 2026
i had a blast reading this !!! the way the relationship between sky and brennus is written makes me so happy, their friendships wonderful. the artwork in this book is also so beautiful . i gotta recommend this to my friends now
October 29, 2021
The ace rep!!! The friendship!!!! The illustrations!!!!
September 1, 2021
Read an ARC from the author
Content warning: blood, gore, body horror
Skythulf is a scythewulf, neither a man nor a beast, who must serve the Wild Hunt in order to regain his honor after killing an impostor nun. Told in flashbacks in a world where myths come to life, this dark fantasy light novel is not one to miss.
There is so much packed into this neat little horror package. The worldbuilding comes at you hard and fast, unfolding in vivid detail. Myths get introduced, stories told with folkloric prose, only to show up as character and plot events page later. It’s riveting and makes for a quick read, even with the short page count. The illustrations also lend a mythologic air to this story.
I also really enjoyed the relationships. There’s definitely a bit of a nature versus nurture when it comes to Skythulf and his thorniness. He has tenderness and honor in Brennus, and I loved the contrast in that relationship. One is very much of the world, while the other has been shunned by it. It’s beautiful amid the gory, violence pulled straight out of the aesthetics of Northern European folklore. I think what also helps is that the world is gentle towards those who are queer, and this bit of kindness doesn’t conflict with the otherwise intense story and world Wolfmoor presents.
Content warning: blood, gore, body horror
Skythulf is a scythewulf, neither a man nor a beast, who must serve the Wild Hunt in order to regain his honor after killing an impostor nun. Told in flashbacks in a world where myths come to life, this dark fantasy light novel is not one to miss.
There is so much packed into this neat little horror package. The worldbuilding comes at you hard and fast, unfolding in vivid detail. Myths get introduced, stories told with folkloric prose, only to show up as character and plot events page later. It’s riveting and makes for a quick read, even with the short page count. The illustrations also lend a mythologic air to this story.
I also really enjoyed the relationships. There’s definitely a bit of a nature versus nurture when it comes to Skythulf and his thorniness. He has tenderness and honor in Brennus, and I loved the contrast in that relationship. One is very much of the world, while the other has been shunned by it. It’s beautiful amid the gory, violence pulled straight out of the aesthetics of Northern European folklore. I think what also helps is that the world is gentle towards those who are queer, and this bit of kindness doesn’t conflict with the otherwise intense story and world Wolfmoor presents.
September 19, 2021
Content warnings (taken from the book):
3.5 stars
My thoughts on this book are extremely complicated. I cannot usually handle dark fiction and I knew it would be dark going in, but gods, everything else sounded so up my alley (aroace main characters in a queerplatonic relationship, one of them who is basically a werewolf, the other saving him from the horrors of his life to give him a better life) so I was like 'sign me up!' But yeah, the dark parts were just a lot, and honestly too much, for me to read and that is definitely a me problem, not the book's problem. If you're okay with dark fiction, I would definitely recommend it! Just please head the warnings.
The writing was super enjoyable and I absolutely loved Brennus and Skythulf's relationship, it was really wonderful, and I'm looking forward to reading more about them when the next book comes out.
3.5 stars
My thoughts on this book are extremely complicated. I cannot usually handle dark fiction and I knew it would be dark going in, but gods, everything else sounded so up my alley (aroace main characters in a queerplatonic relationship, one of them who is basically a werewolf, the other saving him from the horrors of his life to give him a better life) so I was like 'sign me up!' But yeah, the dark parts were just a lot, and honestly too much, for me to read and that is definitely a me problem, not the book's problem. If you're okay with dark fiction, I would definitely recommend it! Just please head the warnings.
The writing was super enjoyable and I absolutely loved Brennus and Skythulf's relationship, it was really wonderful, and I'm looking forward to reading more about them when the next book comes out.
June 9, 2023
it's got aroace wolf shifters, nonbinary knights, a ride-or-die qpr and such an inventive fantasy world! And illustrations!! So what are you wating for?!
October 14, 2021
HIGHLIGHTS
~turns out you can be a deadly wolf shapeshifter AND a cinnamon roll
~Mythic Horror = beautiful evil
~nonbinary knights ftw!
~heed the magpies
~don’t stop running
My relationship with horror is not complicated: I don’t read or watch it, because I’m a total wimp.
…Except. Sometimes. Sometimes a premise is just too fucking good. Sometimes a premise or line or snippet of passage is so fucking good that it makes me brave enough to take a breath and take the plunge.
Folx, I am so, so glad I risked it this time, because The Wolf Among the Wild Hunt isn’t just going on my best-of-2021 list: it’s going on my next Best of the Decade list.
…I don’t even know where to start. Gods.
Well, I’m gonna start with the worldbuilding, because worldbuilding is my Thing, ’kay?
WORLDBUILDING
The impression that Wolfmoor’s world is generically Medieval Western Europe-esque dies pretty much instantly: yes, there are castles and nobility and knights, but this a queernorm world right down to its bones. Not only are same-sex pairings not noteworthy in this setting, neither are nonbinary people – the honorific for whom, by the way, is Maurr – who get to just exist here; we have a major nonbinary character in the main cast, but many of the so-minor-they’re-unnamed background characters use they/them pronouns too, and you don’t realise how revolutionary that is until you’re reading it and seeing it treated as completely normal. And Wolfmoor goes even further: group marriage is a normal part of this world, too, and the society is utterly gender-neutral in the same casually powerful way that it embraces nonbinary people – I’ve read books where women can be knights before, I don’t know how to explain what it is about Wolfmoor’s version that makes the existence of women knights pack such a punch here, especially when we see just one or two of them fairly briefly. But it does – pack a punch, that is.
That is not even close to all of the delicious gender-fuckery in this book: women can be knights, yes, and they can be noble – but Wolfmoor’s gone and made the titles gender-neutral as well. ‘Lord’ can refer to a woman or a man or a nonbinary person, and I got such a fucking thrill when it was revealed that the King of the Wild Hunt is a woman. It’s such a small thing, letting women use traditionally male titles; it seems like it shouldn’t be a big deal. But it is, because no matter how forward-thinking we believe ourselves to be, ‘Lord’ and ‘King’ have different connotations in our heads than ‘Lady’ and ‘Queen’. They just do. And in Medieval-esque settings, ladies and queens typically had less power than lords and kings. That’s not the case in this book, but…but maybe that lingers in my mind, because it felt to me like these women using – claiming – having male titles were reaching for or embracing a quality or power not traditionally, typically granted to women.
We’ve seen women as evil Queens before. But as a terrifying dark King?
I don’t know how to say what I mean. Can I just say it’s awesome?
THE STORY
The Wild King is relevant because Skythulf – who is a kind of shapeshifter called a scythewulf, able to shift between wolf and human forms at will, and considered bestial and sub-human because of it – is offered the choice of execution or running with the Wild Hunt as punishment for displeasing his queen. As you might have guessed, the vast majority of those who choose to run do not come back; and although at first glance it seems like an easy choice – nobody comes back from execution, whereas with the Wild Hunt you have a chance – I…am not sure I’d be brave enough to choose the run, myself.
Because the run may not do you the mercy of actually ending you.
Read the rest at Every Book a Doorway!
~turns out you can be a deadly wolf shapeshifter AND a cinnamon roll
~Mythic Horror = beautiful evil
~nonbinary knights ftw!
~heed the magpies
~don’t stop running
My relationship with horror is not complicated: I don’t read or watch it, because I’m a total wimp.
…Except. Sometimes. Sometimes a premise is just too fucking good. Sometimes a premise or line or snippet of passage is so fucking good that it makes me brave enough to take a breath and take the plunge.
Folx, I am so, so glad I risked it this time, because The Wolf Among the Wild Hunt isn’t just going on my best-of-2021 list: it’s going on my next Best of the Decade list.
…I don’t even know where to start. Gods.
Well, I’m gonna start with the worldbuilding, because worldbuilding is my Thing, ’kay?
WORLDBUILDING
The impression that Wolfmoor’s world is generically Medieval Western Europe-esque dies pretty much instantly: yes, there are castles and nobility and knights, but this a queernorm world right down to its bones. Not only are same-sex pairings not noteworthy in this setting, neither are nonbinary people – the honorific for whom, by the way, is Maurr – who get to just exist here; we have a major nonbinary character in the main cast, but many of the so-minor-they’re-unnamed background characters use they/them pronouns too, and you don’t realise how revolutionary that is until you’re reading it and seeing it treated as completely normal. And Wolfmoor goes even further: group marriage is a normal part of this world, too, and the society is utterly gender-neutral in the same casually powerful way that it embraces nonbinary people – I’ve read books where women can be knights before, I don’t know how to explain what it is about Wolfmoor’s version that makes the existence of women knights pack such a punch here, especially when we see just one or two of them fairly briefly. But it does – pack a punch, that is.
That is not even close to all of the delicious gender-fuckery in this book: women can be knights, yes, and they can be noble – but Wolfmoor’s gone and made the titles gender-neutral as well. ‘Lord’ can refer to a woman or a man or a nonbinary person, and I got such a fucking thrill when it was revealed that the King of the Wild Hunt is a woman. It’s such a small thing, letting women use traditionally male titles; it seems like it shouldn’t be a big deal. But it is, because no matter how forward-thinking we believe ourselves to be, ‘Lord’ and ‘King’ have different connotations in our heads than ‘Lady’ and ‘Queen’. They just do. And in Medieval-esque settings, ladies and queens typically had less power than lords and kings. That’s not the case in this book, but…but maybe that lingers in my mind, because it felt to me like these women using – claiming – having male titles were reaching for or embracing a quality or power not traditionally, typically granted to women.
We’ve seen women as evil Queens before. But as a terrifying dark King?
I don’t know how to say what I mean. Can I just say it’s awesome?
THE STORY
The Wild King is relevant because Skythulf – who is a kind of shapeshifter called a scythewulf, able to shift between wolf and human forms at will, and considered bestial and sub-human because of it – is offered the choice of execution or running with the Wild Hunt as punishment for displeasing his queen. As you might have guessed, the vast majority of those who choose to run do not come back; and although at first glance it seems like an easy choice – nobody comes back from execution, whereas with the Wild Hunt you have a chance – I…am not sure I’d be brave enough to choose the run, myself.
Because the run may not do you the mercy of actually ending you.
Read the rest at Every Book a Doorway!
October 18, 2022
(Rounding up.)
I have mixed feelings about this book. On the one hand: the prose is a bit clunky (generic olden-tymes-y fantasy language, but slightly awkwardly wielded, complete with a misconjugation when a character uses "thou") and the worldbuilding feels a bit flat - too detailed to be waved off as mythic fairy tale type worldbuilding, not detailed enough to come off as much more than just "generic vaguely medieval-Celtic fantasy world, except more queernorm and less sexisms". Sometimes I see complaints that novellas feel like squished novels; this feels more like a stretched short story.
That said: the queernormity is excellent, the representation is great, Skythulf is extremely relateable. And - this is worth the rounding up in its own right - there's portrayal of physical intimacy in a context that's neither sexual nor romantic (!!!). I didn't even realise until I read it just how starved I'd been for that. I cannot think of a single other book I've read in which close friends actually touch each other. Like, hug, lean on each other for comfort, that sort of thing. Especially when one or more of them is male. Hell, it's shockingly rare to see that sort of thing portrayed even among siblings. So even while I have my complaints, a big part of me is just like "!!!! More like this, please!"
(I mean, close friends are kind of rare in fiction anyway, because for some reason people keep writing sex and romance into their relationships? Which is a big part of the problem, anyway.)
I have mixed feelings about this book. On the one hand: the prose is a bit clunky (generic olden-tymes-y fantasy language, but slightly awkwardly wielded, complete with a misconjugation when a character uses "thou") and the worldbuilding feels a bit flat - too detailed to be waved off as mythic fairy tale type worldbuilding, not detailed enough to come off as much more than just "generic vaguely medieval-Celtic fantasy world, except more queernorm and less sexisms". Sometimes I see complaints that novellas feel like squished novels; this feels more like a stretched short story.
That said: the queernormity is excellent, the representation is great, Skythulf is extremely relateable. And - this is worth the rounding up in its own right - there's portrayal of physical intimacy in a context that's neither sexual nor romantic (!!!). I didn't even realise until I read it just how starved I'd been for that. I cannot think of a single other book I've read in which close friends actually touch each other. Like, hug, lean on each other for comfort, that sort of thing. Especially when one or more of them is male. Hell, it's shockingly rare to see that sort of thing portrayed even among siblings. So even while I have my complaints, a big part of me is just like "!!!! More like this, please!"
(I mean, close friends are kind of rare in fiction anyway, because for some reason people keep writing sex and romance into their relationships? Which is a big part of the problem, anyway.)
July 10, 2022
Having read and enjoyed some of Merc Fenn Wolfmoor’s short stories in the past, I decided to seek out more of their work and was pleased to learn that they’d written a novella about the Wild Hunt, a piece of folklore I really enjoy. The Wolf Among the Wild Hunt follows Skythulf, a wolf shapeshifter who is sentenced to run the Wild Hunt after he kills the wrong person, a trial few have survived. This is a dark adult fantasy story that doesn’t shy away from gore and violence, but is also set in a queernormative medieval Europe-inspired fantasy world that includes a variety of queer characters. Skythulf himself is aromantic and asexual and the real heart of the story is his ride-or-die friendship with an aromantic asexual nonbinary knight. I thought the ending was a bit fast for me, but I enjoyed the dark folklore atmosphere and the illustrations included throughout, so I’ll keep an eye out for the sequel.
Representation: aromantic asexual protagonist; aromantic asexual nonbinary side character; various other queer side characters (lesbian, trans, polyamorous)
Representation: aromantic asexual protagonist; aromantic asexual nonbinary side character; various other queer side characters (lesbian, trans, polyamorous)
September 18, 2021
Dark, violent, and dripping with hidden stories. In short, this book is everything I want from a Wild Hunt story.
Rescued after years in the battle pits by Brennus, Shythulf the scythewolf pledges to Brennus and their ruler, the Cold Lady. Sky is sentenced to certain death after killing a nun and chooses to run the Wild Hunt on the slim chance they might survive. This is the Wild Hunt of old fae tales, and what happens in the Hunt is terrifying, gruesome, and your nightmares will thank you.
I particularly enjoyed the Hanging Tree with its unexpected history that blew away all other tree-creature tropes in my imagination.
Will I follow the Reaper-Hound and Gallant-Thistle anywhere they go? Yes. Yes I will. I'm also keeping my fingers tightly crossed for some side stories about Muroirav's adventures.
Rescued after years in the battle pits by Brennus, Shythulf the scythewolf pledges to Brennus and their ruler, the Cold Lady. Sky is sentenced to certain death after killing a nun and chooses to run the Wild Hunt on the slim chance they might survive. This is the Wild Hunt of old fae tales, and what happens in the Hunt is terrifying, gruesome, and your nightmares will thank you.
I particularly enjoyed the Hanging Tree with its unexpected history that blew away all other tree-creature tropes in my imagination.
Will I follow the Reaper-Hound and Gallant-Thistle anywhere they go? Yes. Yes I will. I'm also keeping my fingers tightly crossed for some side stories about Muroirav's adventures.
October 30, 2021
Welcome, unclean soul, says a chorus of voices overhead...Thou art granted passage into our land. Look not upon the Wild King with thine own eyes, else ye be blinded. Run true and speak not thine own name. If thou stray from the path, thy doom thou shalt earn, and thou shalt become one of the riders, unperishing.
★★★★
This book was really just like -- I present thee with a lycanthrope and a knight who are literally GOALS for queerplatonic life partners and watch! as they struggle to survive in a horrid gauntlet of bloody folklorish terrors all while trying to preserve the light that is their faith and love in each other in this seriously f*cked up world and honestly what more could you want out of a story?
— ♩♫♩ ~ Ufrior
June 8, 2022
This is solidly the queerest book I’ve ever read. It felt like there wasn’t a single allocishet character in these pages, and it was fantastic! You’ve got two aroace leads with a queerplatonic relationship, trans and nonbinary characters (and a ton of great gender stuff in general), lots of lesbians, polyamory, some gay, and probably some others I’m forgetting. Awesome awesome awesome! And while I’m not a huge fan of explicit violence/gore, I have to praise even those parts in a way, as they were just so strikingly written.
January 16, 2023
this was so good why was it so short ;-;
I really loved the world and the relationships, as well as the writing, it was so well-told. Queerplatonic wolf and knight, all these spiteful fae ladies, this weird fairytale world that sometimes felt quite small because it was so full of myth, it was a great read. And Brennus is wonderful!! I just wanted a lot more of them hah. Will definitely check out what else this author has done.
Edit: Had to come back to add I really liked the illustrations! Beautiful, and matched the tone perfectly.
I really loved the world and the relationships, as well as the writing, it was so well-told. Queerplatonic wolf and knight, all these spiteful fae ladies, this weird fairytale world that sometimes felt quite small because it was so full of myth, it was a great read. And Brennus is wonderful!! I just wanted a lot more of them hah. Will definitely check out what else this author has done.
Edit: Had to come back to add I really liked the illustrations! Beautiful, and matched the tone perfectly.
June 21, 2022
I got this free via the author's newsletter, thank you! Alas, though I got to 49%, I am now slinking away, defeated by the language, but mostly by the trips back in memory plus the somewhat convoluted language. I don't have a very good feeling for the MC or for anyone he interacts with, except the knight, who is the best character.
I need main characters I can feel for. That's hard when I can't quite grasp the essence of one, any direction or desire beyond vague service. Ah well. I tried.
I need main characters I can feel for. That's hard when I can't quite grasp the essence of one, any direction or desire beyond vague service. Ah well. I tried.
October 19, 2024
This was a lot of fun to read. The characters are very visceral and the world is dark but enticing. Skythulf is a compelling character, and Brennus is sweet and an excellent friend to him.
Only reason it’s not 5 stars is because we go in in media res and I feel like I didn’t get a lot of answers to questions I had about the lore of the world, but I hope that in reading further chronicles I can learn.
Only reason it’s not 5 stars is because we go in in media res and I feel like I didn’t get a lot of answers to questions I had about the lore of the world, but I hope that in reading further chronicles I can learn.
October 26, 2021
This book has a dark-fantasy, folklorish vibe that I really enjoyed. And the novella format keeps the storytelling tight from start to finish. I'll be looking out for the next instalment: The Wolf Against the Court of Stone.
March 31, 2022
This is a bit darker and more violent than I usually go for, but the violence is in service to a powerful story of self-acceptance, so I didn't mind. The heartwarming ace relationship at the center of the story didn't hurt, either!
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June 30, 2022
September 25, 2022
The weird, strange, scary vibes of the fae world were really well done - lots of great details - but I didn't fall in love with this novella overall. I should've known going in that it was going to be too dark for me...
August 11, 2024
4.75 ⭐️
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February 12, 2024You know you’re in a little corner of the internet when you’ve seen a book recommended So Many Times that you’re sure it’s a bestseller and then you find it on Goodreads and it only has a few dozen ratings!
Anyway, this was…I hesitate to say delightful, because it was dark and gory, but it was a quick read that I enjoyed. The queerplatonic relationship (and general casual queerness of the world) was refreshing. I suspect more avid readers of fantasy would pick up connections to the genre that I missed.
Anyway, this was…I hesitate to say delightful, because it was dark and gory, but it was a quick read that I enjoyed. The queerplatonic relationship (and general casual queerness of the world) was refreshing. I suspect more avid readers of fantasy would pick up connections to the genre that I missed.
Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews