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Morlock Ambrosius #3
The Wolf Age
city of werewolves, whose raiders range over the dying northlands, capturing human beings for slaves or meat. where a lone immortal maker wages a secret war against the Strange Gods of the Coranians. a democracy where some are more equal than others, and a faction of outcast werewolves is determined to change the balance of power in a long, bloody election year. Their plans are laid; the challenges known; the risks accepted. But all schemes will shatter in the clash between two threats few had foreseen and none had fully a monster from the north on a mission to poison the world, and a stranger from the south named Morlock Ambrosius.
451 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2010
15 people are currently reading
425 people want to read
About the author
James Enge
48 books158 followersJames Enge lives in northwest Ohio with his wife and a philosophic dog-detective. He teaches Latin and mythology at a medium-sized public university. His stories (frequently featuring Morlock Ambrosius) have appeared in
Black Gate
, in the Stabby-Award-winning
Blackguards
, in
Tales from the Magicians's Skull
, in
F&SF
, and elsewhere. His first novel,
Blood of Ambrose
was nominated for the World Fantasy Award in 2010 and its French translation was shortlisted for the Prix Imaginales in 2011.
Look for more Morlock stories this year in Tales from the Magician's Skull and Old Moon Quarterly .
You can reach James Enge on Twitter (as jamesenge) or, if all else fails, via (jamesenge.com).
Look for more Morlock stories this year in Tales from the Magician's Skull and Old Moon Quarterly .
You can reach James Enge on Twitter (as jamesenge) or, if all else fails, via (jamesenge.com).
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 33 reviews
March 15, 2025
I wish I had my brains about me to write a better review, but I’ll have other opportunties as – celebrations – there’s the next set of three Morlock books.
Still, this one is special. I’ve seen a few reviews (on the wider internet circa 2010) agree this is ‘best yet’, and it is a knockout, such that Morlock, already voted my most-liked contemporary S&S character (at least of those who have a hefty run of tales), has advanced into the territory of me thinking, You know what? I enjoy him at least equivalently to your well-knowns from your famous second-wave classics. And also thinking, This novel in particular – I know Sword & Sorcery isn’t huge on novels, but this is right up there on my list of them. In short it’s one of my favourite S&S works.
It’s first up for a re-read, of the three Morlock books so far (order doesn’t matter – this isn’t epic fantasy with a vast plot you have to follow, this is episodic S&S). If asked, I’d probably urge it on others too, to try out first. In part because the initial section, up to and in prison, struck me as great Sword & Sorcery writing, in its deft, fast avoidance of the clogging detail, while being as swift to engage my emotions and make me care. The latter, mostly by Enge’s eye for a lifelike glimpse even of bit characters, the understated ethical tugs Morlock has to respond to in his taciturn way, nothing idealised and nothing grimmed into caricature, but hard-hitting, real-feel situations.
Morlock is more brain than brawn, with his fantastic science of invention that to me conjoins the pleasures of SF and F, but he is gritty as get-out when he has to be. He has frailties, notably his drinking, which makes a terrible return in these pages. His creator has the knack of changing registers from tragic to comic and everything in between, which continues to remind me of my most beloved T.H. White. This was quite a hefty book yet the ride was wild and weird and changeable in the Sword & Sorcery way -- it was a trip.
It happens that I retain a childhood fear of werewolves, which my hindbrain still seems to believe in; I think this one has cured me, not because his werewolves weren’t real but the opposite: they were people, too.
Can’t wait to read it again.
Still, this one is special. I’ve seen a few reviews (on the wider internet circa 2010) agree this is ‘best yet’, and it is a knockout, such that Morlock, already voted my most-liked contemporary S&S character (at least of those who have a hefty run of tales), has advanced into the territory of me thinking, You know what? I enjoy him at least equivalently to your well-knowns from your famous second-wave classics. And also thinking, This novel in particular – I know Sword & Sorcery isn’t huge on novels, but this is right up there on my list of them. In short it’s one of my favourite S&S works.
It’s first up for a re-read, of the three Morlock books so far (order doesn’t matter – this isn’t epic fantasy with a vast plot you have to follow, this is episodic S&S). If asked, I’d probably urge it on others too, to try out first. In part because the initial section, up to and in prison, struck me as great Sword & Sorcery writing, in its deft, fast avoidance of the clogging detail, while being as swift to engage my emotions and make me care. The latter, mostly by Enge’s eye for a lifelike glimpse even of bit characters, the understated ethical tugs Morlock has to respond to in his taciturn way, nothing idealised and nothing grimmed into caricature, but hard-hitting, real-feel situations.
Morlock is more brain than brawn, with his fantastic science of invention that to me conjoins the pleasures of SF and F, but he is gritty as get-out when he has to be. He has frailties, notably his drinking, which makes a terrible return in these pages. His creator has the knack of changing registers from tragic to comic and everything in between, which continues to remind me of my most beloved T.H. White. This was quite a hefty book yet the ride was wild and weird and changeable in the Sword & Sorcery way -- it was a trip.
It happens that I retain a childhood fear of werewolves, which my hindbrain still seems to believe in; I think this one has cured me, not because his werewolves weren’t real but the opposite: they were people, too.
Can’t wait to read it again.
October 13, 2011
When I first saw the cover for The Wolf Age by James Enge I knew that I wanted it to be included in Werewolf Appreciation Month. Broody looking hooded figure with a magic sword fighting off hordes of evil looking werewolves. It looked like it would be an absolutely perfect fit. I couldn't help but love this book could I? I immediately rushed off to Amazon and purchased an imported copy, I'm not sure but I don't think the book has been officially released in the UK?
Unfortunately I'm sorry to admit that I didn't manage to finish the book. This is a pretty rare occurrence for me. In fact thinking about it I can't remember the last time it happened. Why? Well the main problem I had was that when I bought the book I didn't do enough research and was blissfully unaware that this was the third novel featuring this character. There certainly isn't any indication anywhere on the outside of the book. The further I read the more I realised that I was missing important chunks of the Morlock's backstory. He is a complex individual and I've gleaned from the publishers website that he has quite a long history. In The Wolf Age, there are a group of powerful entities who are very interested in Morlock, but the reasons behind their interest were never fully explained. I also learned that Morlock's blood appears to be flammable, but again, I'm not really sure how or why.
This made it increasingly difficult for me to engage with the character and his journey. I should stress however, that I believe this fault to rest solely on my shoulders. Enge has written something that I am sure will no doubt delight readers of the previous work. Personally however, I found the writing quite dense and slow going. Morlock suffers great hardship, and even starts to fear for his sanity at one point, but by that stage I was having difficulty empathizing with his situation.
That's not to say that I hated the novel. I did try to persevere, and there are some elements that worked well irrespective of my lack of insight. There is a prison break that came across as exciting, and gripping to read. The cut and thrust of a werewolf society is described in a brutal, violent manner, and this also appealed.
When in werewolf form, characters sing to one another. It is a nice touch that the sound the werewolves make, they consider to be singing, rather than howling. The author has obviously thought long and hard about how a city of werewolves would function. It is clearly evident that a lot of research into how real world wolves interact, and he has tried to mirror this in the Werewolf society. On a more human note, there are interesting snippets detailing economics, gender politics and class struggle which did keep me reading for a while, but after around two hundred pages I had to concede defeat and give up.
I am going to have to admit to a certain amount of disappointment, but I think I have learned a valuable lesson. In future, I will think long and hard about jumping into the midst of an established on-going series. I may even consider checking out Enge's earlier Ambrosious novels. I think that having read the previous two releases, my experience with The Wolf Age would have most definitely been a far more positive one.
Unfortunately I'm sorry to admit that I didn't manage to finish the book. This is a pretty rare occurrence for me. In fact thinking about it I can't remember the last time it happened. Why? Well the main problem I had was that when I bought the book I didn't do enough research and was blissfully unaware that this was the third novel featuring this character. There certainly isn't any indication anywhere on the outside of the book. The further I read the more I realised that I was missing important chunks of the Morlock's backstory. He is a complex individual and I've gleaned from the publishers website that he has quite a long history. In The Wolf Age, there are a group of powerful entities who are very interested in Morlock, but the reasons behind their interest were never fully explained. I also learned that Morlock's blood appears to be flammable, but again, I'm not really sure how or why.
This made it increasingly difficult for me to engage with the character and his journey. I should stress however, that I believe this fault to rest solely on my shoulders. Enge has written something that I am sure will no doubt delight readers of the previous work. Personally however, I found the writing quite dense and slow going. Morlock suffers great hardship, and even starts to fear for his sanity at one point, but by that stage I was having difficulty empathizing with his situation.
That's not to say that I hated the novel. I did try to persevere, and there are some elements that worked well irrespective of my lack of insight. There is a prison break that came across as exciting, and gripping to read. The cut and thrust of a werewolf society is described in a brutal, violent manner, and this also appealed.
When in werewolf form, characters sing to one another. It is a nice touch that the sound the werewolves make, they consider to be singing, rather than howling. The author has obviously thought long and hard about how a city of werewolves would function. It is clearly evident that a lot of research into how real world wolves interact, and he has tried to mirror this in the Werewolf society. On a more human note, there are interesting snippets detailing economics, gender politics and class struggle which did keep me reading for a while, but after around two hundred pages I had to concede defeat and give up.
I am going to have to admit to a certain amount of disappointment, but I think I have learned a valuable lesson. In future, I will think long and hard about jumping into the midst of an established on-going series. I may even consider checking out Enge's earlier Ambrosious novels. I think that having read the previous two releases, my experience with The Wolf Age would have most definitely been a far more positive one.
May 16, 2011
James Enge’s The Wolf Age is the third novel to feature the hero Morlock Ambrosius. I read the first, Blood of Ambrose, back in April of 2009 though I skipped the second outing This Crooked Way. I read Blood of Ambrose long before I had heard of Black Gate Magazine, the periodical which has been the home to Morlock on multiple occasions, and I suppose I have (consciously or otherwise) set out to make sure I follow authors read in the pages of Black Gate in longer forms whenever possible. The Wolf Agepays tribute to the sword and sorcery stories of old without ever feeling stale.
Where in The Blood of Ambrose readers joined Morlock as he journeyed back amidst civilization The Wolf Age sees Moorlock on sort of self-imposed exile as his presence tends to draw the attention of his father Merlin. While traversing the wilderness Morlock discovers a raiding party from the werewolf city Wuruyaaria and though Morlock intercedes on behalf of the villagers under attack he finds himself captured and imprisoned. At the same time Morlock is being employed, without his knowledge, by forces far more powerful than he suspects; forces who see the destruction of Wuruyaaria and its mysterious founder as an absolute necessity.
The Wolf Age is awesome. In a place and time where vampire are all the rage in just about every genre under the sun it is a refreshing change of pace to see someone dust off werewolves. Enge weaves a fantastic tale of action, adventure, sword, and fang easily crafting a story full of equal parts wonder and excitement. Limited time is spent on exposition with brief interludes as we occasionally view things through the eyes of the Strange Gods, personified abstractions of basic human drives and emotions. These brief views allow us to take a step back and view things from a broader perspective while still maintaining an air of mystery and wonder. Tender morsels of hints were dropped regarded the pasts of these Strange Gods. Tantalizing little bits of information that I would love to see Enge explore in other novels but serve well to whet the appetite and keep you reading here.
Morlock is a fascinating creation. Willful to the point of being nearly a force of nature himself there were points of this story where his sense of justice as he sees it reminded of recent characterizations of a certain Time Lord. He isn’t without flaws of course and the kind act of a friend in The Wolf Age helps uncover one of those facts leading to moments both tragic and comic. Morlock is what modern terminology would dub a functional alcoholic. Not a laughing matter and the person he is sober and the person he is drunk are similar in one sense and completely different in another. Alcohol magnifies aspects of Morlock’s personality seemingly without inhibiting his ability to perform. Watching a drunk Morlock take flight to assault an attacking airship is part horrifying and partly hilarious.
Ghosts-in-the-eyes, the werewolf who founded Wuryaaria, is an absolutely fantastic creation. I don’t want to spoil things but Enge crafted a fantastic counterpoint to Morlock in the werewolf maker. While the inscrutable werewolf maker is mentioned early in the novel he remains, appropriately, something of a ghost throughout the entirety of the novel. A slightly tangible but still nebulous presence over the course of the book Ghosts-in-eyes plays a satisfying and completely surprising twist towards the novel’s end.
Werewolves, airships, flying wings, mad wizards, swords, action and more The Wolf Age by James Enge is a fine novel that scratches old school sword and sorcery itch without ever feeling stale. It had a more focused feel than Blood of Ambrose and the near solitary focus on Morlock worked quite well. The Wolf Age also takes a subtle narrative approach as a story being told someone; an effect evoked in the novel’s first line, “Listen Iacomes. This is what I see.” and not referenced again until the novel’s conclusion. I greatly look forward to more stories of Morlock the Maker and hope more people hungry for adventure and wonder will take a look at the stellar work of James Enge.
Where in The Blood of Ambrose readers joined Morlock as he journeyed back amidst civilization The Wolf Age sees Moorlock on sort of self-imposed exile as his presence tends to draw the attention of his father Merlin. While traversing the wilderness Morlock discovers a raiding party from the werewolf city Wuruyaaria and though Morlock intercedes on behalf of the villagers under attack he finds himself captured and imprisoned. At the same time Morlock is being employed, without his knowledge, by forces far more powerful than he suspects; forces who see the destruction of Wuruyaaria and its mysterious founder as an absolute necessity.
The Wolf Age is awesome. In a place and time where vampire are all the rage in just about every genre under the sun it is a refreshing change of pace to see someone dust off werewolves. Enge weaves a fantastic tale of action, adventure, sword, and fang easily crafting a story full of equal parts wonder and excitement. Limited time is spent on exposition with brief interludes as we occasionally view things through the eyes of the Strange Gods, personified abstractions of basic human drives and emotions. These brief views allow us to take a step back and view things from a broader perspective while still maintaining an air of mystery and wonder. Tender morsels of hints were dropped regarded the pasts of these Strange Gods. Tantalizing little bits of information that I would love to see Enge explore in other novels but serve well to whet the appetite and keep you reading here.
Morlock is a fascinating creation. Willful to the point of being nearly a force of nature himself there were points of this story where his sense of justice as he sees it reminded of recent characterizations of a certain Time Lord. He isn’t without flaws of course and the kind act of a friend in The Wolf Age helps uncover one of those facts leading to moments both tragic and comic. Morlock is what modern terminology would dub a functional alcoholic. Not a laughing matter and the person he is sober and the person he is drunk are similar in one sense and completely different in another. Alcohol magnifies aspects of Morlock’s personality seemingly without inhibiting his ability to perform. Watching a drunk Morlock take flight to assault an attacking airship is part horrifying and partly hilarious.
Ghosts-in-the-eyes, the werewolf who founded Wuryaaria, is an absolutely fantastic creation. I don’t want to spoil things but Enge crafted a fantastic counterpoint to Morlock in the werewolf maker. While the inscrutable werewolf maker is mentioned early in the novel he remains, appropriately, something of a ghost throughout the entirety of the novel. A slightly tangible but still nebulous presence over the course of the book Ghosts-in-eyes plays a satisfying and completely surprising twist towards the novel’s end.
Werewolves, airships, flying wings, mad wizards, swords, action and more The Wolf Age by James Enge is a fine novel that scratches old school sword and sorcery itch without ever feeling stale. It had a more focused feel than Blood of Ambrose and the near solitary focus on Morlock worked quite well. The Wolf Age also takes a subtle narrative approach as a story being told someone; an effect evoked in the novel’s first line, “Listen Iacomes. This is what I see.” and not referenced again until the novel’s conclusion. I greatly look forward to more stories of Morlock the Maker and hope more people hungry for adventure and wonder will take a look at the stellar work of James Enge.
December 7, 2013
The Morlock books just keep getting better. This time Morlock is imprisoned in a city of werewolves (whose name I'm not going to even attempt to spell), psychically crippled and driven to the brink of madness. Then things get worse. Werewolf politics (surprisingly complicated, those), any number of layers of deeply-hidden antagonists (who may or may not actually be antagonists), his own inner demons and possible world-ending catastrophe are only some of the issues Morlock faces this time around.
December 8, 2012
It is really fun to fall in love with a writers work all over again. This book has so much world depth. The language of the were-wolves (not like any you've read before), the history of their city, Morlock's life. Fabulous book. It embodies good fantasy, it has a lot of the old style sword and sorcery to it, but with so much more personality depth and the quirks of James Enge's personality woven through it.
Want to read
October 7, 2011so bad...
I got it because of the reviews on Amazon and I should know better.
It's on my kindle and every other week or so I open it up in hopes that I've gotten to the good part.
If you think you can get through a book where the protagonist's name is "Morlock Ambrosius", then this may be the type of crap for you.
I got it because of the reviews on Amazon and I should know better.
It's on my kindle and every other week or so I open it up in hopes that I've gotten to the good part.
If you think you can get through a book where the protagonist's name is "Morlock Ambrosius", then this may be the type of crap for you.
August 13, 2019
A wizard warrior (sort of) finds himself imprisoned within a city of werewolves and must find a way to escape and lash out in revenge. Along the way he makes friends and enemies, the politics of the werewolves is slowly revealed, a war of sorts breaks out, and all the while the gods are watching and scheming. And that description barely touches the tip of the iceberg of everything that's going on here. I admit it took me nearly a hundred pages to be pulled in by this story, but once I was, I was hooked, and I was sad to see this novel end. Morlock makes a fantastic main character, and a number of the other characters were as interesting and entertaining. My only real complaint about this novel was some of the names of the werewolves; often those names were long, complicated and too similar to the names of other characters, so it wasn't always easy to follow. But you know? That's a pretty mild complaint for what was otherwise and excellent novel of swords and sorcery.
February 17, 2023
The way these things have turned out so far is that I start each one remembering very little of the previous, and with only the barest concept of Morlock Ambrosius and his setting. And no matter what it works. Morlock is powerful, he has a phenomenally screwed-up family, he is an addict in recovery unless he backslides, and beyond that each book seems fully enclosed and complete. He's in Werewolf Country now. Go.
Enge writes with a style that mixes the dark with the ironic but not hopeless and manages to leaven it with just enough wit. Brutality is applied in the most surgical manner.
Here he explores the strange culture of the Werewolves--a stratified pack with distinction between the day selves and night selves and the hierarchies that form, while also drawing in the alien existence of the Strange Gods, whose being are full of symbolic expression and manifestations and other concepts that hug right up to understanding but are never thoroughly explained.
Enge writes with a style that mixes the dark with the ironic but not hopeless and manages to leaven it with just enough wit. Brutality is applied in the most surgical manner.
Here he explores the strange culture of the Werewolves--a stratified pack with distinction between the day selves and night selves and the hierarchies that form, while also drawing in the alien existence of the Strange Gods, whose being are full of symbolic expression and manifestations and other concepts that hug right up to understanding but are never thoroughly explained.
June 1, 2018
Not sure about this one. I might have to read the books in the series.
April 26, 2011
I love werewolf books. I'm not sure what it is about them, but of all the shifters I find wolves the neatest. This book is unique because, unlike almost all current lycanthrope books, it's not an urban fantasy. It's a true sword-and-(kinda)-sorcery fantasy. Almost the entire book takes place in a werewolf city. What a concept. I'd never read anything like it. I loved it!
It also happens to be the third in a series and I haven't read the first two (whoops – serves me right for buying a book simply because the cover's cool). Thankfully, it stands alone. Besides the main character, Morlock, only one other person shows up from the previous books, and they're history is well explained. Although it takes awhile to grasp Morlock's abilities and personalities, it does not distract from the story.
Pros -
Werewolves. Lots and lots of werewolves. In fact, except of Morlock and a few nameless others, all the characters were werewolves. And Enge made them such a unique blend of werewolves! Some were “standard” ones, others were forever stuck in one of the shapes, or in some strange blend of the two (i.e. wolfish face but human legs). And they thought like werewolves! Thank you, Enge! One of my biggest pet peeves is when a non-humans act just like we do. These had their own culture, their own language, history, etc. It was great.
Morlock was a truly unique hero. I really can't begin to describe all the quirks to him. He uses a magic sword, but not the typical kind. And, although he does use magic, it's almost like he's an inventor or a scientist. He makes things, several times using trial and error. In fact, the werewolves call him a maker (I don't know if that's a common term for his type of magic, or if it's just used by the wolves). He's definitely not the Gandalf-type of mage, yelling incantations at his foes. Nor was he perfect and all powerful. He made mistakes. He managed to be superhuman, and all too human at the same time. I couldn't wait to see what he'd do next.
Cons -
The writing took a bit to understand. The first chapter was told from the perspective of the Strange Gods. Since they're gods, they don't “speak,” they “signify.” They indicate emotions. Enge actually writes it like that. “Death indicated indifference and readiness to begin...” I had to force my way through the first chapter with no idea of what was happening, as War, Death, Wisdom, and others signified to each other what they thought might happen and what should happen. It got better once I got the hang of it. But I'll be honest, at first I was baffled.
The names. Oh my, the names. I get that they're werewolves, and their names are similar to Native American names, where they tell you something about the person. But, holy moly, the names here were a mouthful. Some examples: Khretvarrgliu, Iuiolliniu, Yaarirruuiu, Luyukioronu, etc, etc, etc. It goes on and on. Several times I got confused who was who. And I didn't even try to pronounce any of them.
The ending. Most of the book was supurb, then the ending just … fizzled out. For most of the novel, we follow one main plot line. That resolved approxiamately 2/3rds of the way through. Then another minor plot, which had barely been touched upon up until that point and that Morlock had no knowledge of, suddenly became the main struggle. And a mysterious figure is revealed … and he's very disappointing. Everything seemed very scattered. It just got weird.
Even with the weirdness of the ending, I really enjoyed this book. I think anyone who enjoys unique cultures will love this and it's a must-read for any werewolf lover.
Follow my reviews at Urban Fantasies Read and Reviewed.
It also happens to be the third in a series and I haven't read the first two (whoops – serves me right for buying a book simply because the cover's cool). Thankfully, it stands alone. Besides the main character, Morlock, only one other person shows up from the previous books, and they're history is well explained. Although it takes awhile to grasp Morlock's abilities and personalities, it does not distract from the story.
Pros -
Werewolves. Lots and lots of werewolves. In fact, except of Morlock and a few nameless others, all the characters were werewolves. And Enge made them such a unique blend of werewolves! Some were “standard” ones, others were forever stuck in one of the shapes, or in some strange blend of the two (i.e. wolfish face but human legs). And they thought like werewolves! Thank you, Enge! One of my biggest pet peeves is when a non-humans act just like we do. These had their own culture, their own language, history, etc. It was great.
Morlock was a truly unique hero. I really can't begin to describe all the quirks to him. He uses a magic sword, but not the typical kind. And, although he does use magic, it's almost like he's an inventor or a scientist. He makes things, several times using trial and error. In fact, the werewolves call him a maker (I don't know if that's a common term for his type of magic, or if it's just used by the wolves). He's definitely not the Gandalf-type of mage, yelling incantations at his foes. Nor was he perfect and all powerful. He made mistakes. He managed to be superhuman, and all too human at the same time. I couldn't wait to see what he'd do next.
Cons -
The writing took a bit to understand. The first chapter was told from the perspective of the Strange Gods. Since they're gods, they don't “speak,” they “signify.” They indicate emotions. Enge actually writes it like that. “Death indicated indifference and readiness to begin...” I had to force my way through the first chapter with no idea of what was happening, as War, Death, Wisdom, and others signified to each other what they thought might happen and what should happen. It got better once I got the hang of it. But I'll be honest, at first I was baffled.
The names. Oh my, the names. I get that they're werewolves, and their names are similar to Native American names, where they tell you something about the person. But, holy moly, the names here were a mouthful. Some examples: Khretvarrgliu, Iuiolliniu, Yaarirruuiu, Luyukioronu, etc, etc, etc. It goes on and on. Several times I got confused who was who. And I didn't even try to pronounce any of them.
The ending. Most of the book was supurb, then the ending just … fizzled out. For most of the novel, we follow one main plot line. That resolved approxiamately 2/3rds of the way through. Then another minor plot, which had barely been touched upon up until that point and that Morlock had no knowledge of, suddenly became the main struggle. And a mysterious figure is revealed … and he's very disappointing. Everything seemed very scattered. It just got weird.
Even with the weirdness of the ending, I really enjoyed this book. I think anyone who enjoys unique cultures will love this and it's a must-read for any werewolf lover.
Follow my reviews at Urban Fantasies Read and Reviewed.
September 12, 2011
I picked up The Wolf Age because it seemed silly and I wanted to see how silly it actually was; the back cover mentions the werewolf city of Wuruyaaria, that is to say a city populated by werewolves. I started to read it and I couldn't put the damn thing down and if the library wasn't closing I probably would have stood there reading for hours. The story starts off with Morlock Ambrosius, a wizard maker, freeing some villagers captured by werewolf raiders by way of stabbing them with the cursed sword, Tyrfing. Wow, that sounds cool. That sounds goddamn metal. Shortly thereafter Morlock rips a savage werewolf's head off with his bare hands while in werewolf prison! It gets more ridiculous from there, the prison escape, the whole werewolf politics, the plotting of the previously mentioned gods, and the plotting against them by a long lived maker werewolf. The Wolf Age is a great fun read. It's chock full of blood, mayhem, and really interesting things made by Morlok and a few others. Near the end stuff rushes at you like a particularly exuberant dog greeting you, but that isn't as bad as it sounds. I really liked the world building, no relying on "A Planet Similar to Earth," or anything lame like that. One of the appendices gives the reader the rundown on the calender and astronomy of Laent.
January 11, 2012
Third book about Merlin's cranky, alcoholic son, now abruptly kidnapped by werewolves. Unlike the previous book, this is unquestionably a novel. Morlock Ambrosius is not unquestionably the protagonist; I think he winds up being the weird foreign sidekick of his werewolf cellmate. Hint: they escape. Battles and electoral politics ensue. (Werewolves love elections. They're pack sapients! Who can fight to the death and heal it all back at moonrise! Now imagine what their election rallies are like.)
There is also an evil wizard and a bunch of very Leiberian gods, none of whom I am particularly convinced by. Unfortunately the wizard sort of takes over the plot, and not in a good way. It's still a fun book, and I am thoroughly charmed by a (good) wizard whose first reaction to any problem is to *invent*, but I feel like each of these books is a mix of story and random crap the author thought would be cool to throw in. I'd love it if the random crap seemed to be *going* anywhere, arc-wise.
Footnote: Okay, I get it that the cosmology is not remotely Copernican or even Aristotelian. I'm still not comfortable with the sun rising in the west, not unless we get a non-solar account of what "west" means.
There is also an evil wizard and a bunch of very Leiberian gods, none of whom I am particularly convinced by. Unfortunately the wizard sort of takes over the plot, and not in a good way. It's still a fun book, and I am thoroughly charmed by a (good) wizard whose first reaction to any problem is to *invent*, but I feel like each of these books is a mix of story and random crap the author thought would be cool to throw in. I'd love it if the random crap seemed to be *going* anywhere, arc-wise.
Footnote: Okay, I get it that the cosmology is not remotely Copernican or even Aristotelian. I'm still not comfortable with the sun rising in the west, not unless we get a non-solar account of what "west" means.
July 5, 2011
A lot of authors struggle with the concept of the anti-hero. Dark fantasy, of course, requires it, and since dark fantasy is pretty much all we’ve got these days, every writer with visions of royalty checks dancing in his head has to start with a semi-bad guy who readers will somehow come to love.
James Enge has the done one of the better jobs in that department with Morlock, a centuries-old wizard who wanders through a world filled with various evil beings, strange gods, plenty of magic and lots of violence. Morlock is a great fighter, which helps him out immensely in “The Wolf Age” (Pyr, $17, 470 pages), but come to think of it, his ability to kill things came in pretty handy in his other adventures (“Blood of Ambrose” and “This Crooked Way,” a collection of stories).
Morlock also has what we in the 21st century would call issues, but Enge manages to make his world-weariness, nearly fatal flaws and propensity for violence interesting enough that these three books are among my favorites in recent years. Even better, each is pretty much self-contained, and you could read “The Wolf Age” before “Blood of Ambrose” and not spoil anything.
James Enge has the done one of the better jobs in that department with Morlock, a centuries-old wizard who wanders through a world filled with various evil beings, strange gods, plenty of magic and lots of violence. Morlock is a great fighter, which helps him out immensely in “The Wolf Age” (Pyr, $17, 470 pages), but come to think of it, his ability to kill things came in pretty handy in his other adventures (“Blood of Ambrose” and “This Crooked Way,” a collection of stories).
Morlock also has what we in the 21st century would call issues, but Enge manages to make his world-weariness, nearly fatal flaws and propensity for violence interesting enough that these three books are among my favorites in recent years. Even better, each is pretty much self-contained, and you could read “The Wolf Age” before “Blood of Ambrose” and not spoil anything.
June 17, 2016
This is the third book in a series, and there is no indication anywhere about it that mentions this fact. I found it on the shelf at the library, inspected the front, back and inside - no mention of a series. This isn't the first time this has happened to me, but it is the last straw. The publishers are doing their customers a great disservice by doing this. I'll not be reading the rest of hte series, nor will I recommend it to anyone.
Now. the book itself; In all honesty I enjoyed it. I probably would have enjoyed it more if I had read the rest of the series. The plot was well done, the characters interesting, and the way the author worked the magic system in his world was very cool. My only critique of the book itself is that the naming conventions the were wolves used mad it difficult to keep track of minor characters.
So, in all it wasn't a bad book, but I am off put byt the fact that the publisher did not indicate that it is a series someplace on the book itself.
Now. the book itself; In all honesty I enjoyed it. I probably would have enjoyed it more if I had read the rest of the series. The plot was well done, the characters interesting, and the way the author worked the magic system in his world was very cool. My only critique of the book itself is that the naming conventions the were wolves used mad it difficult to keep track of minor characters.
So, in all it wasn't a bad book, but I am off put byt the fact that the publisher did not indicate that it is a series someplace on the book itself.
January 23, 2011
Well. I never actually thought that a book with werewolves would be this boring. I dont know, maybe it was the fact that I havent read the other books? maybe its just my taste? maybe it was indeed boring. Anyway, the book has terrible descriptions. I mean seriously, even with the awesome cover I had a very difficult time picturing how the hell werewolves looked, making me reshape the image of every character in almost every scene, that was frustrating and annoying. To be fair though, the last chapters of the book were awesome. They ALMOST made up for the whole frustrating read it was. The final chapters manage to do a twist i personally did not expect even in the deepest corner of my mind. However i recommend it even for the sole purpose of spending the time. After all, if you dont read books you dont like then how will you appreciate the really good ones out there?
July 5, 2020
An excellent, weird third novel of Morlock Ambrosius . . .
I was introduced to Morlock Ambrosius through the Goodman Games "Tales From the Magician's Skull," celebrating the kind of sword-and-sorcery fantasy fiction that was the core of the " Appendix N" of Gary Gygax - and I loved them, so now I've been acquiring as many of the Morlock stories as I can find. I really liked the first volume of this set, the second was very good but a very different format (short stories with a number of different perspectives, rather than a coherent single narrative), and now this weird third volume takes place in a very alien civilization - a city of werewolves, with a well-thought-out society and set of languages (different dialects used for humanoid and wolf forms). Very cool stuff. Highly recommended.
I was introduced to Morlock Ambrosius through the Goodman Games "Tales From the Magician's Skull," celebrating the kind of sword-and-sorcery fantasy fiction that was the core of the " Appendix N" of Gary Gygax - and I loved them, so now I've been acquiring as many of the Morlock stories as I can find. I really liked the first volume of this set, the second was very good but a very different format (short stories with a number of different perspectives, rather than a coherent single narrative), and now this weird third volume takes place in a very alien civilization - a city of werewolves, with a well-thought-out society and set of languages (different dialects used for humanoid and wolf forms). Very cool stuff. Highly recommended.
August 12, 2012
It's strange how although plenty of horrible things happen to Morlock in this book, you're never really worried for him. He always has an answer for every problem, and if he doesn't, he'll either stumble across one, or his enemies will hand him one, or if all else fails he'll just summon Tyrfing and wreck something; nevermind the talic backlash, which never really fazes him no matter how big a deal Enge makes of it.
Morlock's just a teense too indestructible, and everyone around him is a teense too fragile- being a friend to Morlock Ambrosius is only marginally safer than being his enemy, and that's not saying much.
That said, the story was enjoyable and imaginative, and the werewolf society was interesting, especially in a world with multiple moons.
Morlock's just a teense too indestructible, and everyone around him is a teense too fragile- being a friend to Morlock Ambrosius is only marginally safer than being his enemy, and that's not saying much.
That said, the story was enjoyable and imaginative, and the werewolf society was interesting, especially in a world with multiple moons.
January 30, 2013
The front page of the book,"The Wolf Age", is what drew me to this book. The book is written in an interesting style but the characters are what keep you reading(particularly the agenda of the Strange Gods)! The book is part of a trilogy, the third book in the series, so it was a little difficult for me to jump in full swing. Other than that the book is rather interesting to read and introduces an action pact plot of constant battles. The story surrounds a man named Morlock as he travels the Northlands and finds himself imprisoned by werewolves of the city of Wuruyaaria. He and a group of outcasts within the werewolves rise up and challenge the ruling caste, whilst the Strange Gods implement a plan that could change everything for everyone!
December 14, 2011
This is not your typical werewolf book. These werewolves have there own city and culture which fits them perfectly. Enge is a great writer, not just because of his imagination, because of his knowledge on mythology. Morlock is an amazing character with more depth than some people I know. As the son of Merlin(I think), Morlock is an excellent fighter and sorcerer. Enge's twist on fantasy makes for a great and unpredictable read. I also enjoy how the magic is more subtle and scientific than some fantasy realms. If you're expecting the classic knight in shining armor you will be disappointed with Morlock, and that makes me like him all the better.
April 18, 2011
Morbid, but entertaining.
Simple, but skillful.
Abstract, but familiar.
Honest, but somewhat restrained.
A complex work with many common fantasy elements, but with such a dark tone and odd twists that it becomes something entirely different than what the average reader is used to. Somewhat disturbing at times, but also rather humorous. At some points, the magic of this world almost comes across as science fiction. This book is imaginative and quite well done, though not perfect. Mr. Enge satisfies, and should write more.
Simple, but skillful.
Abstract, but familiar.
Honest, but somewhat restrained.
A complex work with many common fantasy elements, but with such a dark tone and odd twists that it becomes something entirely different than what the average reader is used to. Somewhat disturbing at times, but also rather humorous. At some points, the magic of this world almost comes across as science fiction. This book is imaginative and quite well done, though not perfect. Mr. Enge satisfies, and should write more.
January 30, 2011
The werewolf politics were fascinating. In the end, even the nemesis proved a complex character. The Strange Gods started off as somewhat contrived, but I felt that resolved itself in the end. Only vexed because, while I checked the book for indication that it was part of a series and found none, it turned out to be #3 in a series. The book does stand well on its own, but now I have to read Morlock Ambrose's story out of chronological order, which always vexes me.
July 16, 2015
James Enge does a great job bringing his fantasy world to life. I liked his dark twist on the story and how he wove all his characters together. I really liked his writing style and his voice. I do wish the writer would disclose rape scenes- I feel these are not necessary (a trope at best) and would not have picked up this book for this reason alone. My recommendation would be limited because of this scene. This was the main reason for the 3.5 stars.
January 28, 2011
In brief: Enge's best book yet. Fun and in some ways profound, a great read all-around. I talk about the book in my SFSignal column: http://www.sfsignal.com/archives/2011... . An excellent novel!
February 3, 2011
This was a pretty good book, especially if you like Germanic mythology. The only problem I had with it is that when almost everyone is a werewolf, then the book seems to cease being about werewolves. Nevertheless, the characters are interesting and there is a lot of surprising magic in it.
March 20, 2014
review will be posted at www.fantasyliterature.com
March 9, 2011
This is the best Morlock book so far.
May 20, 2011
a great read with some odd characters
March 15, 2015
Would be 4 stars if it had been 100 pages shorter. Amusing sword & sorcery novel, well written with interesting world and characters. Just way too long than it needed to be.
April 29, 2012
Strange gods, magic, werewolves- a well written, enjoyable adventure with plenty of villains, heroes, tragedies and fighting, and some twists along the way. I liked the three main characters a lot.
September 13, 2013
LOVED it
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