Vikings are laying siege to Paris, They want the Count's sister, in return they will spare the rest of the city, Can the Count really have ambitions to be Emperor of the Franks if he doesn't do everything he can to save his people Can he call himself a man if he doesn't do everything he can to save his sister AT LAST I FINISHED IT!! I thought I would never ever finish this book.
The setting of this story was good but not as good as the first one, This one was far more darker and dull which didn't please me, only some terrifyig disgusting details made this book cool,
The characters. Oh my I didn't like any of the characters and I can't believe the first book characters incarnated to what they are in Fenrir UGH that was just terrible!!! I only liked Oefeti but the rest were meh and Odin's witch servant was SCARY which I loved but the rest as I said didn't like them at all they were flat, nothing deep and no connection to them.
The plot. I found the whole thing as chasing chasing everyone is chansing the other and the end was just like re telling what happened in the first book.
This book went down hill if you compared it to Wolfsangel I really loved that book Last book left Lord of Slaughter which ofc I will read to conclude this series and see if they can succeed this time to escape their destiny.
Author interview: sitelink ly/qBFcit
Also published under The Ranting Dragon
Fenrir is the sequel to M, D. Lachlans brilliant fantasy debut, Wolfsangel, and the second installment in his unnamed Norse werewolf series, Now, many readers will have but one question regarding this book: “Is it as good as Wolfsangel” The answer, in my opinion, is an emphatic “yes.
” While the two novels are quite different in a number of ways, Fenrir lives up to the high expectations set by its predecessor, and, in many cases, exceeds them.
A struggle throughout the ages
Fenrir is set approximatelyyears after the events of Wolfsangel, in an early medieval Paris set alight by the torches of Viking invaders.
The hordes lay siege to the city, yet strangely their leaders demand not slaves or riches, but the Counts sister, Aelis, They are not alone in seeking the young womanthe raven priests of Odin also hunt her, as does a mysterious wolfman lurking in the shadows.
Unbeknowst to Aelis, her role in these events is due to no mere machination of politics but serves a greater, more sinister purpose.
The crippled and blind living saint, Jehan, is given the task of speaking to the girl and perhaps convincing her to accept her fate.
However, Aelis and Jehan are about to become pawns in a mad gods schemes, In their future lies death, madness, dark magic, and the monstrous Fenris wolf, fated to kill Odin at Ragnarok,
A new perspective on the familiar
Once again, Lachlan delivers a dark and thrilling tale incorporating Norse gods and monsters, historical detail, and sinister magic into a tragically human struggle against fate.
It is these human elements that stand out in this book when compared to the last, The characters are more developed and their relationships are more complex, Some old characters reappear e, g. Loki, and we are introduced to many new ones, as well as some that are simultaneously new and familiarthe reincarnations of those in Wolfsangel.
This in and of itself is one of the most interesting aspects of the novel, as we learn more about each of the major players from an entirely different perspective.
We see who they have become and how they react in vastly different circumstances, For instance, Adisla is no longer a farmers daughter but the highborn lady Aelis, and as a result, she acts quite differently in some regards while still retaining certain characteristics from her previous incarnation.
In other cases, the differences are even more pronounced, and Lachlan keeps the reader guessing who is actually who in relation to the previous novel.
Often he manages to surprise in this respect,
Enhanced characterization
While the characters in Wolfsangel were already believable and human, Lachlan takes his characterization to a whole new level in Fenrir.
Each character develops as an individual, has their own flaws, and almost every one displays some degree of moral ambiguity, The protagonists are never completely irreproachable, while the antagonists never come across as wholly evil or without motivation for their actions, In many cases you may well find yourself sympathizing with a character you initially wrote off as irredeemable,
Another noteworthy improvement regards the female protagonist Aelis/Adisla, who takes on a much greater role than she did in Wolfsangel.
She evolves from being possibly the least developed of the protagonists to one of the most well characterized, In addition, she displays greater agency and is much more proactive character instead of being a hapless victim dragged into a struggle not of her own making.
Personally, I found this made her much easier to relate to and a much more wellrounded character than she was previously, There is also a much greater focus on the feelings and internal struggles of the characters in this book, as they come to understand much of what is happening to them, and endeavor to fight against their fates.
Can they really rebel against the inevitable and defy a god Theres only one way to find out
Evocative prose and an immersive atmosphere
Lachlans writing, already proficient in Wolfsangel, is further perfected in Fenrir, fully immersing the reader in this strange world of gods and monsters.
There were moments when I could almost hear the dripping of moisture in a dark cave or see the light streaming down through the canopy of a forest.
Lachlan excels at creating atmosphere and pays great attention to historical detail, effortlessly evoking a bygone age, Although lyrical and flowing, the writing never distracts from the story and the historical aspects are incorporated seamlessly into the plot, For instance, we are not told about the differences and conflicts between Christian and Norse religion, but come to understand them through Jehans interactions with his companions.
In fact, some of the more amusing moments in what is otherwise quite a dark novel involve the Vikings pragmatism in response to Jehans attempts to convert them theyll believe in his god if his god brings them a shelter or makes them fiercer warriors or misinterpretation of each others customs.
A dark and brutal tale
Fenrir is even darker and more intense than its predecessor, and includes a few somewhat disturbing and rather graphic scenes that I would not recommend to anyone with a weak stomach.
Nevertheless, these scenes are used in context with the rest of the story and often play important roles in the progression of the narrative.
Though many of the events depicted throughout the novel are undeniably violent and often horrific, they are never depicted in an overly gratuitous manner or included purely for shock value with no relation to the plot.
The novel is set in a brutal age and Lachlan does not try to sugarcoat this, provide an idealized version of history, or glorify bloodshed.
Often, I felt this added to the authenticity of the story and made the fantastical elements more believable, Additionally, the juxtaposition of the more tender human moments with the gory or violent scenes increased the impact of the story as a whole.
A more linear, character driven plot
Fenrir is a longer book by aroundpages than Wolfsangel, and the plot unfolds in a primarily linear fashion, without as many jumps between timeframes.
Some readers have mentioned the pacing of Fenrir is also marginally slower however, I see this an inevitable byproduct of the greater focus on character development.
Personally, I felt getting to know the characters betterand, as a result, caring more about what happens to themmore than compensated for a slower pace.
All things considered, the plot is still thrilling, the world still fascinating, and the pace quite fast compared to many other novels.
When reading Fenrir, one must keep in mind that this is but the second book in a longer series the exact number of installments is not yet finalized, and as such may not offer the reader the closure they may desire.
Those hoping for a decisive conclusion to the overall storyline are setting themselves up for disappointment, Personally, I am thrilled that there are to be more books after Fenrir and was quite satisfied with the ending, It provides a conclusion to this chapter in an ongoing struggle and hints
at how circumstances may change in the books that follow.
Why should you read this book
If you havent already done so, I would strongly suggest you read Wolfsangel before picking up Fenrir.
In fact, if you havent read Wolfsangel, why are you wasting time reading this review Stop immediately, go get your hands on a copy, and read that instead.
If you read and loved the first book like I did, I would definitely recommend you read this one as well, as, in my opinion, it is even better.
While Fenrir is an engrossing and wellwritten story in its own right, it is an excellent second book in what is shaping up to be a brilliant multivolume series.
Honestly, the worst thing about this novel is the fact I now have to wait for the next one, .
Grasp Fenrir (The Wolfsangel Cycle #2) By M.D. Lachlan Depicted In Electronic Format
M.D. Lachlan