The M. D. Lachlan novel Wolfsangle preceded his novel Fenrir and are both concerned with the nordic myths surrounding Ragnorok. Since I had read and reviewed the second novel first, I realized that with this review things had taken a distinct Wagnerian turn, not only in the subject matter, but also in the order of the reviews. Wolfsangle is the first of three novels in a trilogy centered on the nordic myths surrounding the monsterous offspring of the god Loki, the Fenris wolf and Ragnorok or the twilight of the gods.
The book begins promisingly enough with the search for a magical child by the Volsung, Authun. Lachlan is a master of the craft, producing a story that is engaging and action-filled. His portrait of life in a Viking village apart from the magical elements is so well drawn that the action takes on a “real” historical feel and interestingly enough makes the fantastical elements more believable.
The one problem that I experienced with Wolfsangle and with Fenrir is that the story arcs in the two books are very similar even though many of the details differ. It gave me a distinct deja vu feeling, like sitting through the first three operas of Wagner’s Ring and getting to the beginning of Goetterdamerung, the fourth and final opera, only to find the three Norns retelling the whole story from the beginning. I’ll reserve final judgement on this point until I’ve read the just released Lord of Slaughter, which is the third and final book in this series.
The book is a good read and I recommend it.
