The Silver Wolf is by Alice Borchardt. This is the first book in the Legends of the Wolves trilogy. Borchardt, the sister of vampire maven Anne Rice, spins an amazingly descriptive tale set in the waning years of the Roman Empire as Charles struggles to become Charlemagne and Hadrian struggles to remain pope. Regeane is a shape shifter, woman and wolf, cursed and blessed, hunter and hunted. Distantly related to Charlemagne she is betrothed to a barbarian chieftain she has never seen to secure a mountain pass needed to keep Charlemagne on the throne and Hadrian on the seat of Peter. Caught up in events beyond her control she struggles to retain her humanity in a world almost totally bereft of human decency. Never have I read a tale so full of plots within plots within plots. It graphically describes the poverty, cruelty, and barbarism of the Dark Ages and the struggles of a young woman to find freedom, and perhaps love. The tale starts slowly; but if you stay with it through Borchardt's intense description you will find a satisfying tale filled with suspense, violence, and hope.
Ratings: 11th grade - 8 out of 10 - P (profanity) - S (non-graphic sexual content) - V (violence) - AC (mature thematic content).
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