Wolf Who Rules

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Synopsis

When girl genius Tinker, a human from Pittsburgh who was only recently turned into an elf by her new husband, Wolf Who Rules, destroyed the inter-dimensional gate that allowed the entire city to travel back and forth from Earth to Elfhome, she didn't expect it to leave a mysterious anomaly. Now called the Ghostlands, no one, including Tinker, knows what might be inside it. After being attacked by an oni dragon while trying to determine the exact nature of the anomaly, though, she's worried that there may be enough of the gate left to allow the brutal and sadistic oni to send their armies through to wage war on the elven home-world. As she puzzles out the science and magic behind it all, Tinker is plagued by nightmares that seem to be trying to give her a message. Meanwhile, as viceroy of the Wind Clan, Windwolf must call on the help of the other elf clans in case the oni actually do attack, but it all requires delicate political calculations. He must find a way to provide for the needs of all the inhabitants of Elfhome, from the elves themselves, to the humans who are possibly now stuck there permanently, to the half-onis and tengu who are merely trying to escape oppression at the hands of the oni, while also keeping the peace between all the different factions.

Review

Wolf Who Rules is the second full-length novel in Wen Spencer's Elfhome series. It takes place on the planet of Elfhome, which, as its name suggests, is the home-world of the elves, but thanks to a special inter-dimensional gate, the city of Pittsburgh has been transported there, only returning to Earth one day out of the month. That all changed, though, at the end of Tinker, the first book of the series, when Tinker, girl genius and now princess of the elves thanks to her marriage to Wolf Who Rules, viceroy and leader of the Wind Clan, built a second gate and created a resonance between them that destroyed them. This resulted in the human inhabitants of Pittsburgh now being stranded on Elfhome, as well as an anomaly they call the Ghostlands. Tinker is worried that somewhere in that anomaly enough of a gate may be left to make it possible for the brutal, sadistic oni to launch an incursion. Her theory seems to be borne out when an oni dragon attacks Tinker and her sekasha (guards) while she's trying to ascertain the exact nature of the anomaly. As she puzzles out both its scientific and magical origins, she comes across information that reveals more about her parents, and she also begins having nightmares that seem to be trying to tell her something, which requires careful interpretation. Meanwhile, knowing that they might be attacked by the oni at any moment, Windwolf must ask for the help of the other elf clans, which leads to arguments and calculated political negotiations over the future of Pittsburgh and its inhabitants. Through it all, he must try to find a careful balance between his duty to his people, and keeping the peace between them and the humans, the half-oni who view themselves as humans, the tengu who are trying to escape slavery at the hands of the oni, and a pair of oni dragons.

In the first book, Tinker went from the human girl genius who owned the local junkyard and created fun inventions to being turned into an elf by Windwolf and elevated to princess status when she went through the elven mating ritual. In this second installment, she has still retained most of her human mentality and struggles to adapt to elven culture, learn how to control her magical powers, and find a balance between the new expectations that are being placed on her and still wanting to be just plain Tinker. In the midst of this existential crisis, she's also faced with the knowledge that because of her previous actions, many humans are now stranded on Elfhome. Additionally her destruction of the gate created a mysterious anomaly, which could pose a grave threat to all people who live on the planet if the oni manage to use it to muster an attack. Then there are the dreams, most of which are nightmares, that seem to be trying to tell her something, the new revelations regarding her family, the need to choose her sekasha, and her growing feelings for her first Hand, Pony. It's a lot of responsibility for a young new princess to deal with, but most of the time, Tinker manages admirably. Sometimes, she loses it a little, which is understandable given the circumstances, but Windwolf is there to comfort her when he can be, and when he can't, she has Pony, although as a former human, she finds it strange and confusing to be having feelings for two men at once, even though the elves don't blink an eye at it. Mostly though, we get to see the brainiac in action, trying to figure out the anomaly and what her dreams are trying to tell her, and later, saving a spaceship full of people and the entire city of Pittsburgh.

As viceroy of the Westernlands, which include Pittsburgh, and leader of the Wind Clan, Windwolf must figure out how to best serve the people, both elf and human who are counting on his leadership. With the threat of oni attack a very real possibility, he must call for help from the other elf clans. However, some of them, especially the leaders of the Stone Clan, expect a steep price for their help while also having a strong difference of opinion on how things should be handled. While Windwolf trusts Tinker implicitly, the other clans view her as an outsider because of her formerly human status. Then there are the half-oni who consider themselves to be human and the tengu who are fighting for their freedom from oni oppression. The elves mostly lump them all in with the oni, seeing them as a threat that must be eliminated, but as the story progresses, Windwolf begins to see them through new eyes and must find a way to handle their needs as well. Since the first book was entirely from Tinker's perspective, I enjoyed getting Windwolf's POV as well, and getting to know him a little better. He's a strong leader who understands the power of negotiation and diplomacy. While he, too, initially views the half-oni and tengu as threats, I like that he was open-minded enough to see the truth of the matter and change his mind. Even though he struggles with finding a balance between his duties as a clan leader and those to his new wife, I appreciated that he still loves Tinker and trusts her, not hesitating to place lives in her hands when necessary. I love that he treated her as his equal and never hesitated to stand up to others who would put her down for her origins.

I felt that Wolf Who Rules got off to a somewhat sluggish start. I was liking the story, but it wasn't drawing me in as much as I wanted it to. It was a little slow-paced, as the author spends a lot of time setting up for the big reveals later in the story and the showdown at the end. There's also a great deal happening in many different areas. There's Tinker's struggles in her new life as an elf, her trying to interpret her dreams, and her figuring out what went wrong to have created the anomaly and trying to fix it before the oni can strike. Then we have Windwolf's political maneuvering and fighting a few battles of his own, both physical and diplomatic. It takes a bit of brainpower to keep up with all of it. However, I'd say about two-thirds of the way into the story, the pace picks up quite a bit, events start meshing together, and the story became really engaging. From there, it was a very exciting read, as new things are revealed, Tinker finds herself in a race against time to save people, both in space and in Pittsburgh, and battles are waged against powerful foes. In the end, I loved how Tinker belies her youth by becoming a strong leader in her own right and how Windwolf stands firm beside her. There's a touch of romance in Tinker's ongoing relationship with Windwolf, and also in her evolving relationship with Pony. I wasn't quite sure what to think of this initially since she'd just mated Windwolf, but when it became clear that the elves in this universe are more fluid in their sexuality and don't really think anything of having more than one lover, it didn't bother me as much, seeming more like consensual polyamory. There are many intriguing elements to the story, a colorful supporting cast, and plenty of excitement in the end, so overall, Wolf Who Rules ended up being another enjoyable read in this series that has left me interested to see where the story goes next.

Note: This book contains a scene in which a supporting character relates the story of his mother being repeatedly raped, which could distress sensitive readers.

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Wen Spencer