Firekeeper was five years old when her remote village burned down, with her as the only survivor. She was taken in by wolves who are larger than the usual wolf, more intelligent—as is only natural since they are royalty. It’s ten years later when an expedition from beyond the mountain pass come looking for the settlement. It had been founded by the disinherited youngest son of the king, whose other heirs have since died. The expedition finds Firekeeper living in the wilds of the mountains and, curious, she goes with them back to civilization, with them believing her to the daughter of the prince, and therefore the king’s true heir.Unfortunately, Firekeeper gets more than she bargains for. Living among humans isn’t only about plentiful food, nice clothing, and warm houses, there is also the political maneuverings of a family she never knew she had, which is a danger much more foreign to her than the obvious behavior of the wolves. Everyone questions whether Firekeeper is the real Lady Blysse, and at the same time, the royal wolves want her there as a potential liason with the humans—but what are they planning?Characterization is Lindskold’s strongest feature, the most interesting character being Firekeeper herself. Her struggle as she moves from the wolf world into the mystifying behavior of humans is interesting to watch as she tries to find her place among them. She often compares human behavior to wolf behavior, prefers to go barefoot, and her attitudes about everything from eating to traveling to fighting are all interesting.Unfortunately, the last three-quarters of the book doesn’t have much of Firekeeper in it, as though Lindskold has forgotten who the book is about in favor of other characters. The other characters can be interesting as well, but aren’t told with the same depth as Firekeeper. And there are so many of the royal family plotting to become the new heir, some of whom are rarely seen, that I got lost in all the familial connections--even the chart didn't keep me from getting confused.Plotting is simple and straightforward and, frankly, a little bland. The setting is fine, although the way Lindskold presents history and the familial connections are bewildering. A great deal of the back history and politics is told through expositional dialogue or beginning-of-chapter recitations that’s so dull I want to skip to the action. Lindskold’s prose is readable, but she has some rough spots where she stumbles with formalness, making it sometimes sound a little ridiculous when she could have written it more straightforward.Through Wolf’s Eyes is the first book in the Wolf series, and despite it being in a series, is easily readable as a standalone, as there's no cliffhanger or other obnoxious ending to the book.
In typical epic fantasy style, Through Wolf's Eyes is both long and filled to the brim with characters to remember. There are lots of battles and backstabbings, too. Additionally, there is a hint of magic, not the spell kind, but a subtler magic, talents certain people have for gardening or healing or working with animals. The world building here is excellent and I liked the idea of the girl raised by wolves and of the Greater animals. (There are Great wolves, the kind who raised Firekeeper, who are smarter and larger than regular wolves; the same is true of other animals, like falcons.)The cast of characters, too, is quite likable, although I did not get too especially attached to most of them. Firekeeper is interesting, but not yet really a fitting heroine. She is too much wolf yet to have any romantic entanglements with her own kind or to involve herself too deeply. Derian, who becomes responsible for her training, is a good guy, who I think could become quite a good fellow later on. My favorite character by far is Doc, Jared; he's just such an intelligent sweetie pie. I actually quite liked King Tedric, as well. Lady Elise started out as a bit of an airhead, but grows into a much better character. Lady Sapphire is a bit tetchy and whiny, but kicks serious ass.For those who do not read epic fantasy, I should warn that with this novel especially, but also the genre generally, the plot often moves kind of slowly. There will be exciting battles here and there, but there is a lot of necessary back story and plot development to get through, so there will almost always be some parts that drag and some completely irritating characters you have to follow along with. Through Wolf's Eyes definitely has slow parts and has less action than most, focusing primarily on the search for an heir to Hawk Haven, although I promise there are battles and such later on.So far this is a good read, if a bit slow, and I look forward to reading the next, which is good, because I'm planning to read through the whole series.
What do You think about Through Wolf's Eyes (2002)?
I'm in two minds of whether this book warrants a review or not. It's an easy, lazy read with no challenges to what you might consider right or wrong, a straight-forward plot and love between the right people. But what makes me want to say a few words about it anyway is the unusal heroine, Firekeeper. Yes she's young and female, yes she has a Gift that makes her able to talk to animals, yes she is thought to be the lost heir of a throne. But... I can't help liking her. She really IS that tough and has the scars to prove it. She was the only surviver after a fire in the wilderness and was brought up by very special wolves, and she needs to re-learn being human. She does so without adding the typical female heroine vulnerabilities. I rejoice in her reactions and diplomacy and her strenght. Any other author would have taken away her wolf-like qualities as she is integrated into society, but Jane Linskold does not. Sure, there are negative things about the book, I only gave it three stars after all, but let's not dwell on these things and pick up a book that does empower a woman.
—Annika Astradsson
Obviously, there are five thousand stories carrying along the basic idea of a child raised by wolves. Still, I must say it is somewhat appealing - which is probably why it's been written about so many times - although I do prefer an original plot compared to one that is taken from a common idea.Still, even with this, it was a very interesting and unique view on a common subject. This book is highly political and interesting in that aspect, if with a fairly predictable ending.All in all, I enjoyed the book, but even I found it a bit slow at the beginning. I realize much of the information at the beginning is vital in understanding the political standings of every possible heir to the throne of Hawk Haven, but it still dominated the book - whereas the interesting content - action, etc. - was surprisingly short-lived.I enjoyed this book some but I do not know if I will continue on reading this series. If the rest of the books resemble this first one, it might not be worth it. Then again, I have not yet read them, and they could catch me by surprise.
—King Haddock
The day job has been grueling to say the least for the past couple of weeks. As spring ramps up, our business booms. In itself a good thing, as it means more money and gorgeous weather. On the downside, I don't read nearly as much as I would like and usually fall irreparably behind on my 75 books a year goal. It really does not help when I hit a reading slump at that exact moment as well. I have been reading fast and furious all year. There have been many new authors that I am so excited to have been introduced to, but sometimes you just need the good, old classics. I'm talking cracking-spine, dogeared goodness. To get out of my slump, I decided to pull an original off my shelf. The very book that introduced me into devouring fantasy novels for the adult reading level--Through Wolf's Eyes. It was introduced to me by a dear friend who has become a published author in her own right during our senior English class when I sought book recommendations. I was tired of the general literary fiction and wanted to read something from an author who hadn't been under dirt for more than a decade.It is the reason I read fantasy fiction to this day. The world development and detail without being monotonous is wonderful. I get swept away all over again in my re-read. I have been away from this series for so long I really got to appreciate the details from a new stance in a new decade of my life (and couldn't recall anything of what was going to happen). These new life experiences really made this oldy a fabulous new goody with new perspectives. Also, reading it as a reviewer put a shine to it. The book is still as good as when I first read it, if not better.We meet Firekeeper, a girl raised by wolves. Enough said on the awesome. There is political intrigue abounding and magic. The setting seems medieval while the costuming seems American Revolution. Fascinating that I never really noticed those details 12 years ago. The characters are intricate and interact well with each other. There are multiple nationalities and cultures including the four-legged and winged. All the threads weave into a beautiful tapestry. We don't lack in some action with our dialogue too.The greatest part about this novel--all of the novels have been published!! Where I had to wait a year or more between the original publications, (and admittedly would forget storylines since I read so much in between) I can now greedily consume all the series in a row. As can you, which I highly recommend doing. Binge read away!
—Amy
