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The First Wolf Pack: A Dog's Fable
An exciting and emotional journey into the ancient history of man and the wolf to discover the genesis of tolerance, cooperation, and loyalty.
It was the age of the lone wolf, a time of isolation and hostility. When the most powerful of all wolves, Arn and Versa, fight a fierce battle to a draw, they lay upon the battlefield near death. These mortal enemies quickly realize that only by helping each other they might live. Once healed, they become The First Wolf Pack, a hunting machine dominating all lands they choose.
Lone wolves, pressed to survive, form alliances in an attempt to destroy The First Wolf Pack. While their adversaries assemble, Arn and Versa must teach their extraordinary offspring the secrets of pack life, especially the gifted Tria. Forced to grow up quickly when banished for defying authority, Tria battles her own deep flaws while countless foes try to destroy her.
Embarking on an epic sojourn, she struggles to overcome her unparalleled power, brutality, and suspicious nature—but can she fulfill the improbable destiny that awaits her and change the course of history?
It was the age of the lone wolf, a time of isolation and hostility. When the most powerful of all wolves, Arn and Versa, fight a fierce battle to a draw, they lay upon the battlefield near death. These mortal enemies quickly realize that only by helping each other they might live. Once healed, they become The First Wolf Pack, a hunting machine dominating all lands they choose.
Lone wolves, pressed to survive, form alliances in an attempt to destroy The First Wolf Pack. While their adversaries assemble, Arn and Versa must teach their extraordinary offspring the secrets of pack life, especially the gifted Tria. Forced to grow up quickly when banished for defying authority, Tria battles her own deep flaws while countless foes try to destroy her.
Embarking on an epic sojourn, she struggles to overcome her unparalleled power, brutality, and suspicious nature—but can she fulfill the improbable destiny that awaits her and change the course of history?
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Published November 5, 2021
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About the author
J. Daniel Reed
2 books17 followersAfter a successful commercial real estate career, J. Daniel Reed now embraces his love of creative writing, dedicated to entertain and enlighten readers through his works of fiction.
Born on the Northwest side of Chicago, into a three-generation household, he was raised by a committee—grandparent, parents, and three older siblings.
Joe lives in suburban Chicago with his publisher wife, Barbara and their Bouvier des Flandres, Keera. When not writing, he loves outdoor photography, taking walks with Keera, nature hikes, gardening, birdwatching, cooking, and grilling.
Favorite books include: For Whom the Bell Tolls, The Red Badge of Courage, The Old Man and the Sea, Being There, Colors of the Mountains, Odd Thomas, Unbroken, The Silent Corner, The Art of Racing in the Rain, The Complete Sherlock Holmes.
Born on the Northwest side of Chicago, into a three-generation household, he was raised by a committee—grandparent, parents, and three older siblings.
Joe lives in suburban Chicago with his publisher wife, Barbara and their Bouvier des Flandres, Keera. When not writing, he loves outdoor photography, taking walks with Keera, nature hikes, gardening, birdwatching, cooking, and grilling.
Favorite books include: For Whom the Bell Tolls, The Red Badge of Courage, The Old Man and the Sea, Being There, Colors of the Mountains, Odd Thomas, Unbroken, The Silent Corner, The Art of Racing in the Rain, The Complete Sherlock Holmes.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
October 23, 2022
This is the tale of the first wolves to form a pack, as told by a dog who has been granted the ability to talk to humans. He also seems to have been granted the entirety of human knowledge – he uses human words and phrases that would mean nothing to a dog, knows human history and cultural quirks, understands things like military rankings and protocols, and so on. I disliked this as it meant he came across as far too human himself.
The story is somewhat disjointed and feels very rushed, with one-note characters whose praises are continuously being sung. I realize it’s supposed to be a dog idolizing his mythical ancestors, but I was both bored and frustrated with repeatedly hearing about how they are the strongest, bravest, cleverest, most magnificent animals that ever existed. The character of Tria, in particular, is ridiculously over-powered – despite male wolves being larger and stronger than females, she repeatedly defeats them in physical combat, at one point killing fourteen other wolves by herself!
There are some additional factual errors in the book, besides the obvious ones necessary for the plot and the fantastical ones like giant eagles and wolves with thousand-year lifespans. A couple that particularly irritated me were wolves with blue eyes, and the reference to a “bull stag,” which makes no sense. “Bull stag” means “male male,” with no indication of what species is being talked about. There are also a couple of spelling mistakes, such as “gate” in place of “gait,” and some missing and incorrect punctuation.
This book wasn’t completely terrible (and I’ve read plenty that are!), but it wasn’t very good. I wouldn’t bother reading it unless you’re really desperate for something wolfy and can’t find anything better.
The story is somewhat disjointed and feels very rushed, with one-note characters whose praises are continuously being sung. I realize it’s supposed to be a dog idolizing his mythical ancestors, but I was both bored and frustrated with repeatedly hearing about how they are the strongest, bravest, cleverest, most magnificent animals that ever existed. The character of Tria, in particular, is ridiculously over-powered – despite male wolves being larger and stronger than females, she repeatedly defeats them in physical combat, at one point killing fourteen other wolves by herself!
There are some additional factual errors in the book, besides the obvious ones necessary for the plot and the fantastical ones like giant eagles and wolves with thousand-year lifespans. A couple that particularly irritated me were wolves with blue eyes, and the reference to a “bull stag,” which makes no sense. “Bull stag” means “male male,” with no indication of what species is being talked about. There are also a couple of spelling mistakes, such as “gate” in place of “gait,” and some missing and incorrect punctuation.
This book wasn’t completely terrible (and I’ve read plenty that are!), but it wasn’t very good. I wouldn’t bother reading it unless you’re really desperate for something wolfy and can’t find anything better.
March 17, 2025
Regular readers of animal fiction, like myself, will be familiar with these kinds of books having a chapter or two devoted to the featured species’ religious beliefs and creation myths. ‘The First Wolf Pack’ is that idea stretched into a full novel, and it has to be said that it doesn’t really work. It feels like it should be part of a longer story rather than the entirety of it. It dragged somewhat and I found it rather boring.
There were some factual errors (though at least some of these can be excused as necessary for the fantastical elements of the plot), and also some spelling and grammatical mistakes. The framing device, a dog telling the tale of his mythical ancestors to us, humans, also doesn’t work very well as he seems very un-canine-like, apparently knowing all about human society and history. I think it might have worked better framed as a mother dog telling her puppies a story.
There were some factual errors (though at least some of these can be excused as necessary for the fantastical elements of the plot), and also some spelling and grammatical mistakes. The framing device, a dog telling the tale of his mythical ancestors to us, humans, also doesn’t work very well as he seems very un-canine-like, apparently knowing all about human society and history. I think it might have worked better framed as a mother dog telling her puppies a story.
January 25, 2022
J Daniel Reed’s tale of The First Wolf Pack draws the reader into an imaginary world of two mighty predators who must decide to survive together or fight to the death.
When an accidental hunting convergence brings two of the ancient great wolfs into mortal combat, they realize they are so equally matched they must use their great intelligence to seek a common goal: survival. Versa and Arn begin to care for each other and together derive the Wolf Ways.
Told in the manner of the great sagas, the narrator, a contemporary dog named Bingley, reveals the secret of contemporary dog heritage to his audience. Bingley’s tale is filled with lofty wisdom and bits of advice on how to be a family, not just any family but the best at parenting, the best at sharing the role of alpha couple in a pack, the best at finding nutritious food and cooperation—the first Wolf Way. Versa and Arn are notably the first at many things, including digging an inground den in which to raise their first litter.
As the family grows into the First Pack, Versa and Arn form the first wolf council, the Magnificent Ones, and establish the first Wolf Utterance. Soon the offspring grow toward maturity and ponder their parents’ ways. Why do they prosper and live in a pack and work together and not fight like the lone wolves? When an intruder is assimilated into the alpha family, they teach him their ways. The story occasionally lapses into buzzable page-turning moments such as when Versa turns to Arn and asks, “Are you as amazed at this crazy, unique life we created? There are no lone wolves who live like we or that know what we know.”
Maturity has its leaps and drawbacks, and as the pups reach adulthood, the alpha offspring male and female must be driven off to begin their own pack. Jett soon finds his mate and begins a family even while he and his sister Tria maintain a close relationship and develop wolf speak, which humans foolishly call howling.
Eventually other lone wolves outside the First Pack hatch a plot to attack, and the scattered family packs reunite hoping initially to make peace and teach the others the Wolf Ways. However, the alpha daughter, Tria, suffers from hatred, or poisoned blood, and her turmoil and anger threaten her brother’s young family and the First Pack with her vigilante ways. It takes her father to remind her of her greatness and uniqueness and why she’s driven. “Only you, daughter, share our genes, strength, and cleverness,” he tells her, “and only you can teach the wolf ways.” The advice changes his daughter’s heart, much like taking a Dale Carnegie class, the narrator explains.
The battle ensues between the First Pack and their friends, and the lone wolves who align with malicious creatures to attack the First Pack. Find out if the First Pack can maintain its integrity and survive against these as well as strange new odds.
The author has created a legend, an epic saga the likes of Gilgamesh, Beowulf, or other Norse legends of old, even faintly reminiscent of Eden and the first humans. We learn how humans and wolves intertwine. Those who love poring over those tales will thoroughly enjoy The First Wolf Pack: A Dog’s Fable.
When an accidental hunting convergence brings two of the ancient great wolfs into mortal combat, they realize they are so equally matched they must use their great intelligence to seek a common goal: survival. Versa and Arn begin to care for each other and together derive the Wolf Ways.
Told in the manner of the great sagas, the narrator, a contemporary dog named Bingley, reveals the secret of contemporary dog heritage to his audience. Bingley’s tale is filled with lofty wisdom and bits of advice on how to be a family, not just any family but the best at parenting, the best at sharing the role of alpha couple in a pack, the best at finding nutritious food and cooperation—the first Wolf Way. Versa and Arn are notably the first at many things, including digging an inground den in which to raise their first litter.
As the family grows into the First Pack, Versa and Arn form the first wolf council, the Magnificent Ones, and establish the first Wolf Utterance. Soon the offspring grow toward maturity and ponder their parents’ ways. Why do they prosper and live in a pack and work together and not fight like the lone wolves? When an intruder is assimilated into the alpha family, they teach him their ways. The story occasionally lapses into buzzable page-turning moments such as when Versa turns to Arn and asks, “Are you as amazed at this crazy, unique life we created? There are no lone wolves who live like we or that know what we know.”
Maturity has its leaps and drawbacks, and as the pups reach adulthood, the alpha offspring male and female must be driven off to begin their own pack. Jett soon finds his mate and begins a family even while he and his sister Tria maintain a close relationship and develop wolf speak, which humans foolishly call howling.
Eventually other lone wolves outside the First Pack hatch a plot to attack, and the scattered family packs reunite hoping initially to make peace and teach the others the Wolf Ways. However, the alpha daughter, Tria, suffers from hatred, or poisoned blood, and her turmoil and anger threaten her brother’s young family and the First Pack with her vigilante ways. It takes her father to remind her of her greatness and uniqueness and why she’s driven. “Only you, daughter, share our genes, strength, and cleverness,” he tells her, “and only you can teach the wolf ways.” The advice changes his daughter’s heart, much like taking a Dale Carnegie class, the narrator explains.
The battle ensues between the First Pack and their friends, and the lone wolves who align with malicious creatures to attack the First Pack. Find out if the First Pack can maintain its integrity and survive against these as well as strange new odds.
The author has created a legend, an epic saga the likes of Gilgamesh, Beowulf, or other Norse legends of old, even faintly reminiscent of Eden and the first humans. We learn how humans and wolves intertwine. Those who love poring over those tales will thoroughly enjoy The First Wolf Pack: A Dog’s Fable.
November 24, 2021
What a lovely and uplifting book! I loved wolves and dogs before I read this book and now I love them even more. The characters are complex and well-developed. I especially liked the strong female characters. And the historical twist toward the end came as a complete, but welcome surprise.
October 11, 2023
I loved this book. It’s a wonderful tale of the shift from lone wolves to pack-style life. It’s told in a fashion that could regale young children when read aloud while still engaging the adult reader. I hated for the tale to end. I appreciated it introduced the role of humans and their impact and ongoing relationship with wild wolves-an often maligned wild creature.
January 6, 2025
DNF. Lost interest.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews