I gave a rave review for "Tinker" and continue to do so for "Wolf Who Rules". I did find it somewhat funny that Ms. Spencer decided to call the book after Wolf, as there is actually very little of his presence in the book. He is mostly playing politics throughout the book, until the end, when you finally get to know a bit more about him, and come to realize just how special he really is, given the society in which he was raised. He is developing to be a truly good and kind person, and I like that - a LOT.***********SPOILERS ALERT************************************Tinker herself learns a lot more about her family in this edition. Unlike some of the reviewers, I really, really liked the Alice references, AND the dream sequences. Dreams have often been a huge part of fantasy, as well as aural and mythological history. Ms. Spencer's grasp of mythology and history are excellent, and utilizing the dreaming sequence to develop the Tengu characters, as well as the space scene was, in my estimation, some of her best work in this book.Tinker has had to learn an incredible amount, incredibly quickly. Ms. Spencer is developing her relationships with the new people in her life slowly, while allowing her to learn from her mistakes, and take more time thinking before she 'jumps'. This should stand her in good stead as she chooses her own Hand. I also love how Ms. Spencer has brought Tinker so close to Discord and Pony. Pony is entirely loveable, loyal, and dedicated - honestly, my favorite character besides Tinker. Discord is right up there with him, a perfect foil for Tinker's tough yet gentle persona. It will be interesting to see whom else Tinker chooses for her Hand. I am thinking Cloudwalker, but we shall see. THANK GOODNESS she can turn down Blade - what an ASS.The situation with the Tengu, in my estimation, could not have been handled better. Unlike other writers whom I could mention (do NOT get me started on Hamilton's Anita Blake series . . . grrrrr) Spencer doesn't have her heroine offer protection to others, then go out of her way to make her leave her protectees hanging out to dry! (Oh, Please oh, Please oh, PLEASE Ms. Spencer, don't let that happen in Elfhome!) I also look forward to Wolf and Tinker, as well as the other elves and the Tengu, protecting the oni halfbreeds and the humans who were so brutalized by the oni. Kill the oni? Oh, Hell Yes! But a child is not their parent, and shouldn't be punished for the horrors and brutalities they have been forced to survive. There is a point, near the end of the book, where Wolf is rescued by a half-oni (I won't say whom, so it won't totally ruin things for you if you haven't read the book and still read this review) in which these lines are said: "Wolf had never considered that the half-oni wold think of themselves as human. How could he refute the difference that mind-set made in a person? . . . If the half-oni had the capacity for human compassion, then it had to be logical that they could be revolted by the oni's lack of it." I LOVE that series of lines. They set out, in three sentences, what I feel is the whole point of the difference between Wolf and the other elves. Wolf can see, truly See, that there IS a difference - that just because you are born of a monster and a human, that does not automatically make you a monster.Hooray for Ms. Spencer for her insight, and for allowing her main characters to grow, learn, and use their strengths to protect the weak. Hooray, hooray, hooray!I also hope we see more of Oilcan in the next book. He is a very special human being, with unique talents of his own, and his relationship with Tinker has been shown somewhat, but I would really like to see him have a bigger part in future books, as well as Lain and some of the other characters that we have met, and not yet truly come to know. Love it, love it, love it. Off to the shopping cart to buy my copies, and a preorder for "Elfhome", then am going to curl up in bed and re-read starting with the first page of "Tinker". I don't need no stinkin' sleep! LOL
What a tease! To come SO close to dealing with polyamory, then skip back! I guess it's just been too long since I read Tinker, but I don't really remember any hints of polyamory there at all. In this book, though, it's made very clear that elven society has found monogamy to be an unreasonable model for people who normally live thousands of years. Anybody who hasn't read Tinker shouldn't read this review, because there are spoilers for that book - but hey, that's to be expected in the review for a sequel. Just knowing that certain characters live and marry is a spoiler!Anyway, Tinker may be an elf now, but she was raised as a human, and apparently the half-elven quasi-nursemaid Tooloo who has always been part of her life either doesn't know about the difference in societal expectations, or never saw fit to mention it. That isn't so surprising, as Tooloo is depicted as several tacos short of a combo plate. But why, when some of the elves (especially Stormsong) are shown to be familiar with human culture, haven't any of them anticipated this as a source of trouble in Tinker and Wolf's marriage? Why doesn't anybody ever just sit down and say, "Look, honey, the rulers only choose guards with whom they get along well, and with opposite-sex guards, that can mean getting along with sexually. Your new husband has had sex with all of his female bodyguards in the past, and it's expected that you'll eventually take your own male Sekasha as lovers, too. Deal." (I'm not even starting on how very heteronormative everything is. You're telling me there's all that lucious pretty and thousands of years in which to experiment, and nobody ever crosses those streams, so to speak? Yeah, right.) There's a perfect opening for such a speech in the book, a point when the need for it is made very, very obvious--but I suppose having it all out in the open would remove a source of conflict. Why are so many authors so bloody timid about laying things out like that, about showing healthy communication between people? Yes, we can imagine the most amazing advances in technology, and societies very different from our current ones, but by Goddess we must continue to show people screwing up their relationships in exactly the same way as in Shakespeare's day or nobody could relate to them!
What do You think about Wolf Who Rules (2006)?
"Wolf Who Rules" was as fun of a ride as "Tinker". Very fast paced, both in how it felt, and the actual time that has passed since the beginning of "Tinker". I'm so bummed that there isn't a book #3 waiting for me. This series has great potential to be a long unending series. (By these two books, this is a continuing read-in-order type of series, rather than a series of stand-alone stories in the same universe.)There are characters that are clearly evil, those that are clearly good, and a lot of grey hats in the middle just trying to survive. Friends can become enemies, and enemies become allies. In the first book, we followed Tinker's perspective, even though the book was written in third person. In this book, we alternately follow Tinker and Windwolf, still in third person, the differences being highlighted by the names that are used for individuals around them.Lots of "Alice in Wonderland" and "Wizard of Oz" references in this one. Tinker and some of the other characters start having prophetic dreams that must be sorted out.I love how we learn about Elvin politics and morals as Tinker does. The relationship between Tinker and her hand, her bodyguards, is especially intriguing. Can't think of a single complaint except there isn't a pile of books in this series waiting for me to read. Write faster, Wen.
—mlady_rebecca
In part 2 of the Tinker series we are right at the point that "Tinker" leaves off - Tinker is trying to adjust to her new life and having very strange dreams and Windwolf is navigating tricky political waters with the elves and the humans. I guess that the book is named Wolf Who Rules because this book is more about his elf world than Tinker's human one and much of the book has Tinker having to flail about and find her way really quickly and without much instruction. Unfortunately in the end I felt shocked because I was actually disappointed in this book compared to Tinker. Which is a big deal because I love this author and I love her plots and amazing ideas (interdimensional Pittsburgh? elves? oni? spaceships? - I love it), but I felt like I expected Tinker to be take charge like she was in book 1 that seeing her out of sorts for what felt like much too long in book 2 just made the story drag. I think trying to get the plot to fit in with the strange Alice in Wonderland-ish dream and a Wizard of Oz-ish dream that Tinker has just didn't work. Still - as usual Spencer gets big points for worldbuilding. More details in my book blog - http://janicu.livejournal.com/21107.html
—Janice (Janicu)
Spoiler Alert! Since this review is for Book 2 of the Tinker Series, it carries spoilers for Book 1.And so the story of Elfhome continues, with Beloved Tinker of Wind and her husband Wolf Who Rules Wind. At the end of the previous book, Tinker had managed to win free of the oni, create a land-based gate that destroyed the gate in orbit... permanently stranding Pittsburgh on Elfhome, and had killed the oni leader Lord Tomtom. Wolf Who Rules, Tinker Book 2, continues the story of the once-human and now elf Tinker ze domi as she tries to clean up the mess left behind.Complete with references to Alice in Wonderland as well as the Wizard of Oz, Tinker's nightmares are keeping her from sleeping... she hasn't had a good night's rest since the gate came down. Unfortunately, that is leading her to react slowly and instinctively to the world around her, which isn't the best thing when the political structure of the city is collapsing around her and the elves are determined to rid their world of any remaining oni. Once Tinker starts to make sense of her dreams, she realizes that must continue to follow the yellow brick road to save the lives of even more people.This is a great sequel to Tinker... since the main character introductions and motives are explained in the first book, this second book is free to introduce new characters and bring in the politics of the Court as well as continue on previous storylines including Tinker's feelings toward her sekasha Pony. We also see Riki again and learn more about the Tengu, their history, and how they fit into Elfhome's future. Tinker brings a path of destruction as usual, but she also brings love and hope into the lives of others. But will she be able to close the Ghostlands and save the lives of all of those affected by the gate's collapse?
—E. VanZwoll
