5 Intriguing Fantasy Books With Wolves to Read

Whether they’re mythical creatures or ones seen in our world, animals leave their paw prints across the pages of fantasy books. Dragons seem to be the most popular ones, but what about fantasy books featuring wolves?

If you’re curious what fantasy novels shine a spotlight on these noble creatures, this post has a list for you.

Here are 5 intriguing fantasy books with wolves to read:

The Tiger and the Wolf by Adrian Tchaikovsky
Assassin’s Apprentice by Robin Hobb
Through Wolf’s Eyes by Jane Lindskold
Wolfwalker by Tara K. Harper
Journeys to the Heartland by William Horwood

I’ve included book descriptions, readers’ ratings and summaries of positive and negative comments for each one of the books in this list below.

But if you’d prefer a quick summary, here’s a comparison chart.

The Tiger and the Wolf by Adrian Tchaikovsky

Description

In the bleak northern crown of the world, war is coming.

Maniye’s father is the Wolf clan’s chieftain, but she’s an outcast. Her mother was queen of the Tiger and these tribes have been enemies for generations.

Maniye also hides a deadly secret. All can shift into their clan’s animal form, but Maniye can take on tiger and wolf shapes. She can’t disown half her soul, so escapes – with the killer Broken Axe in pursuit.

Maniye’s father plots to rule the north, and controlling his daughter is crucial to his schemes. However, other tribes also prepare for strife. It’s a season for omens as priests foresee danger, a time of testing and broken laws. Some say a great war is coming, overshadowing even Wolf ambitions. But what spark will set the world ablaze?

What Do Readers Say?

Goodreads Rating: 3.98

Most Common Rating: 4

Positive Comments

The first story on our list of fantasy books with wolves is The Tiger and the Wolf. This novel gripped fans with its politics-based plot and its fascinating, ever-clashing cultures.

Hearing about the various clans, their schemes and battles intrigued these readers. Moreover, The Tiger and the Wolf‘s world, readers said, was both beautiful and brutal. As such, fans described how this impacted the protagonist emotionally as powerful and nuanced.

Negative Comments

No book is without it’s critics, so if readers didn’t enjoy The Tiger and the Wolf, what did they tend to say?

Overall, they said they didn’t get the sense that the story had a clear direction and driving force building toward it. Instead, the plot struck them as a series of episodes. Because of this, these readers didn’t feel gripped by the story.

Assassin’s Apprentice by Robin Hobb

Description

In a faraway land where members of the royal family are named for the virtues they embody, one young boy will become a walking enigma.

Born on the wrong side of the sheets, Fitz, son of Chivalry Farseer, is a royal bastard, cast out into the world, friendless and lonely.

Only his magical link with animals – the old art known as the Wit – gives him solace and companionship.

But the Wit, if used too often, is a perilous magic, and one abhorred by the nobility.

So when Fitz is finally adopted into the royal household, he must give up his old ways and embrace a new life of weaponry, scribing, courtly manners; and how to kill a man secretly, as he trains to become a royal assassin.

What Do Readers Say?

Goodreads Rating: 4.16

Most Common Rating: 5

Positive Comments

Another story on our list of fantasy books with wolves is Assassin’s Apprentice, where Fitz, the protagonist, has a wolf companion.

Readers who loved this book enjoyed the slow burn nature of the story, which focused heavily on character growth and world-building. Although a fantasy book about assassins, Assassin’s Apprentice is primarily the story of a boy growing into adulthood without the love of a family.

As such, Fitz’s journey provoked deep feelings from these readers, who found themselves strongly invested in the characters and sharing their hopes and fears.

In addition, they also remarked that there wasn’t a single character they felt apathetic about. Even though Fitz is the main character, fans said that – whether it was love or hate – they felt something for all the characters in the cast.

Negative Comments

If you’re a reader looking for an action-packed, adrenaline-charged adventure, readers confirmed that Assassin’s Apprentice won’t be your cup of tea.

Expecting action and suspense, readers who didn’t enjoy the novel found its pacing slow. Plenty of tragic events happen in Fitz’ life, but they seemed more like meanderings than building blocks serving a larger narrative purpose.

Others mentioned that Fitz, despite aging around ten years, doesn’t seem to change much character-wise. Readers get to know him, but not see him change or to grow based on what happens. This made it difficult for some of these readers to connect to him.

Through Wolf’s Eyes by Jane Lindskold

Description

Born human, raised by wolves, Firekeeper seems the last person anyone would choose to back as a candidate for heir apparent to a royal throne.

Nonetheless, when Firekeeper and her wolf “brother,” Blind Seer, travel with Earl Kestrel’s expedition into the kingdom of Hawk Haven, the earl thrusts the wolf-woman into the midst of the heated intrigue surrounding who will be chosen as the heir of elderly King Tedric.

Soon, the only thing the competing factions seem able to agree upon is that Firekeeper is an enemy. Firekeeper may not be able to read or write. She may struggle to speak a coherent sentence. However, if there is one thing the wolf-woman has learned from her life among wolves, it is that a strong pack needs an even stronger leader.

Will Firekeeper win the fight for the throne? Whatever happens, the wolf-woman’s part in the contest will forever change it, even for those who do not see through wolf’s eyes.

What Do Readers Say?

Goodreads Rating: 3.97

Most Common Rating: 4

Positive Comments

Next on our list of fantasy books with wolves is Through Wolf’s Eyes. Fans of this novel enthused over its incredible characters, all of whom felt flesh-and-blood.

Readers described these characters, whether main characters or supporting ones, as capturing their hearts and stirring their emotions. Their interactions with each other, their history and growth were touching and organic.

In addition to that, other readers praised the book for its political intrigue. Richly detailed and nuanced, fans were delighted and eager to find out how each new twist and turn would impact the characters.

Negative Comments

What did critics say about Through Wolf’s Eyes? Well, several of them said that the book included too many world-building or character details. However, most of them were generally readers who didn’t enjoy political fantasy.

These readers found the scheming uninteresting and, given that the majority of the book revolves around politics, disengaged with the story.

Wolfwalker by Tara K. Harper

Description

Dion was a healer and a wolfwalker, and the unique telepathic bond that she shared with the wolf Gray Hishn sometimes seemed to amplify her sensitivity to her patients.

But she never guessed how strong that bond could be, or what kind of power it could wield, until she found herself lost in the wilderness, with angry slavers at her heels and war on the horizon.

Suddenly she and her fellow travelers were fighting for their lives in the snowy winter wastes, where the wolves were their only guides, the greatest secret of the ancients their only salvation…and Dion their only hope to survive.

What Do Readers Say?

Goodreads Rating: 3.99

Most Common Rating: 5

Positive Comments

Fourth on our list of fantasy books with wolves is Wolfwalker. This novel captured readers’ imaginations with its intriguing characters and suspenseful, fast-paced story.

Fans enthused over its main characters, saying that each was unique and intriguing. Experiencing the story’s adventure through their perspectives was a treat.

Paired with that, Wolfwalker had a vividly described tale that kept them reading on the edge of their seats. Fans often said they felt completely transported into its world and gripped by its intensity.

Negative Comments

What did critics say? Overall, these readers focused on an aspect of the plot. For instance, some mentioned that the second half of the book seemed unrelated to the first part.

However, others said that the story seemed driven by the characters reacting to outside forces instead of driving the story forward themselves.

Journeys to the Heartland by William Horwood

Description

An age of heroes is dawning…

The time has come for the wolves of Europe to take back their ancient Heartland. For centuries is has been corrupted and poisoned by the Mennen and by the evil Magyar wolf-pack. Only by reclaiming it can the true gods be reborn and the natural order restored.

All over Europe, wolves are beginning the quest in answer to a mystical summons. Together they become the Wolves of Time. Together they will herald a new age…

What Do Readers Say?

Goodreads Rating: 3.94

Most Common Rating: 5

Positive Comments

And last on our list of fantasy books with wolves is Journeys to the Heartland. Told from the perspective of wolves, this story delighted readers with its unique points of view, characters and world.

Fans said this story was an epic journey, set in a place full of lore, history and described with breathtaking beauty. They felt completely immersed in the tale until the very end.

Negative Comments

What did critics say? In general, these readers said that the journey came across as slow or repetitive in some areas.

However, others said that they tended not enough to feel deeply enough for the characters to be invested in what happened to them.