Wolfsangel

January 17, 2011
Sorcery and savagery fuel this rousing historical fantasy, the first volume in a planned multivolume epic. Acting on the witch Gullveig's prophecy, Viking raiders kidnap two infant brothers from a village. Wily and clever Vali is groomed to be Viking king Authun's heir, while Feileg is raised ferally as Gullveig's werewolf protector as she schemes against the god Odin. The boys enjoy adventures peculiar to their different upbringings until their mutual affection for farmer's daughter Adisla draws them together as comrades in arms as well as rivals in love. Lachlan (a pseudonym for Mark Barrowcliffe) keeps supernatural inflections to a minimum, opting instead for a colorful and credible evocation of the Norse world as one where the paths of gods and men frequently cross. Vivid in its rendering of the primitive historical past, this entertaining adventure will have readers eagerly anticipating the next book in the series.

February 15, 2011

Viking ruler Authun, following a prophecy, steals twin boys from a Saxon village and raises one of them as his heir. When the brothers later meet, heir Vali and berserker-raised Feileg discover that they both have been touched by the curse of the wolf. When the woman they love is taken by raiders, the two search for her, linked in a bond of hate and love. Writing under a pseudonym, mainstream fiction and nonfiction writer Mark Barrowcliffe (The Elfish Gene) recasts the werewolf legend in the trappings of Norse culture and legend. VERDICT This somber series debut echoes the brooding atmosphere of Scandinavian myth and should appeal to a wide readership.

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