This book had two five star ratings on Smashwords, and was also Free. I saw that it was the beginning of a series (now up to five books I believe) and I thought I'd give it a shot. I've never been a true fan of paladins, but one of the reviewers said that Dalglish did a good job writing them. Plus, I needed a fantasy book to read, and this seemed interesting enough. I mean, it had wolf people, so that's always a bonus.First off, the reviewer was right. Dalglish does a fantastic job writing paladins. Anyone who has grown up with any D&D books, be they Forgotten Realms, Dragonlance (with its own brand of holy knights), and the other worlds, will be familiar with this class. They will also be familiar with how annoying they could be, and how boring they were to play. However, Dalglish has done an amazing job making his paladins something more than just holy knights. He made them human, and gave them all the traits you would expect from a human who relies on their faith as a weapon/shield.However, as well as Dalglish writes the paladins, he does a lesser job on Redclaw I found. Though the Wolf King was a good antagonist, when I reached a point about half way through the book where suddenly Redclaw is plagued with fears, I was surprised. Here was a character that for the first part of the book was portrayed as a fearless leader full of conviction and courage, only to suddenly find out he was riddled with fear. (or so it seemed) This broke me away from his character, and felt like a bid to make him more sympathetic as a villain. Unfortunately, all it did was make him less interesting. Had his character had this trickle of fear throughout the novel, his character would have been wonderfully flawed and easier to relate to.Another element that caught me off guard was the suddenness of events involving Jerico's order. They seem to suddenly occur and everyone seems fairly quick to assume what they do about Jerico and his people. I found it weird that everyone suddenly seems to know what they do, and even Jerico himself seems partial to believing it himself. True or not, having so many people present the same idea as fact with no one really fighting against it just feels unnatural rather than the normal flow of things.Dalglish does a great job with the combat scenes in this book. They flow easily, each moment moving seamlessly to the next. They are easy to picture in one's head and don't get bogged down with endless details. Each was filled with the right amount of excitement, bloodshed and the unknown that keeps the reader turning the pages. The spacing between scenes was also handled well and kept the general flow of the novel smooth.'Night of Wolves' was a fun and enjoyable fantasy novel to read. I have already purchased the second book 'Clash of Faiths' and put the third and forth in my 'to buy' list once I am done the second tale. If you love fantasy, this book is for you. You can't beat the price (and if you don't like it, you lost time and nothing more), and if you like paladins, then that's more of a bonus. I have already recommended this book to my friends that are into fantasy, and I suggest you pick it up as well. Night of the Wolves is the first book in “The Paladins” series, and it features two interesting characters – Jerico a Paladin for Ashhur, and Darius a Paladin for Karak. The two follow rival deities, but they put their differences aside to protect a village from invading wolf-men.I thought this was a solid fantasy story with lots of action, an interesting look at the two paladins and their gifts of faith, and a unique perspective as the author gives voice to the wolf-men. If possible, I would give this book 3.5 stars because it is better than average, but there were a few jarring things. One was the use of names like Bobby and Gary, which seemed out of place. Also, the story seemed to lack some details in this opening book to explain the two rival deities, and why there are opposed to each other.The book contains some cussing and battle violence, but it is free from sexual content. Overall, I enjoyed the book, and am definitely looking forward to the next book in the series.
What do You think about Night Of Wolves (2011)?
Awesome story. Brings me back to the days of rolling dice and slaying besets.
—Kate
One of the better fantasy books I have read in a long time.Well done David.
—mandy
Would have given all 5 stars but got tired of the language in it.
—TomLannen
