Book Review: Wolf-Speaker (Tortall 2023 Reread)

“If you rush me, I’ll do something we’ll regret.”

Numair

In which Tammy’s titles get shorter and my reviews do the same.

Ha.

Just kidding.

Or maybe not. We’ll see how this one stacks up to the rest.

Wolf-Speaker is book 2 in The Immortals quartet, aka Daine’s quartet. It picks up about a year and a half after the events of Wild Magic. Daine is fourteen and a half. She’s gotten much more confident of herself. And shit has picked a bit.

This was always one of my least favorite books as a kid. It was boring. Daine spends the time running around the dome—yes, there’s a giant invisible dome, Stephen King can suck it with his brilliant idea—and it all felt very low stakes. It’s set out in the boonies of Tortall, there’s a pack of wolves and some ogres who are in danger, there’s a subplot with Carthak, meh.

Rereading, my assessment definitely changed. It’s still not one of my favorites, but I definitely appreciate it a whole lot more. And it actually is a lot more high stakes than I first thought as a kid, probably because I’m rereading it in the hellfire (literally) that is 2023, where we are in the mid-game of the climate crisis that will change everything and affect every single being on this little blue spaceship.

Wolf-Speaker is Tammy’s cli-fi novel, set in a middle grade fantasy but no less high stakes.

To put some things in context, the book was published in 1993. In the early 90s, many of the national natural treasures were in danger of being parceled out and destroyed—there was a huge gold mine proposal that threatened Yellowstone with toxic runoff. in 1992, Henry Kendall wrote “The World Scientists’ Warning to Humanity,” saying that humans were on a collision course with the natural world. About 1700 scientists co-signed it. The conversation on global warming was really starting to pick up, and the main crisis at the time was the giant hole in the ozone layer. There was the heightening realization that humans could not continue exploiting the earth—something had to give, and that something was really starting to give.

I’m speculating here, but I can’t for the life of me not see how these worlds events didn’t affect Pierce in her writing, not when she was crafting a world focused on human-animal connection, particularly one focused so closely on wolves.

Let’s dive in.

As always, spoilers abound.

The Plot, in a Nutshell

For real this time!

Daine and Numair are summoned to the far eastern fief of Dunlath, on orders from the King to investigate some weird shit going down there, specifically, the disappearance of several groups of soldiers sent to investigate. Also, Diane had gotten news from her old pack that they needed help—they had moved to Long Lake Pass from Gala after their old hunting grounds were no longer welcome to them. The humans were doing weird things, and they weren’t going to move again. But in order to survive the Big Cold, they needed help. They needed Daine, who was Pack and was also a two-legger.

Immediately, Brokefang, the chieftan of the Long Lake Pack, breaks down to tell Daine what is happening. Humans are destroying the environment with mining and logging. They are driving the game away. They are fucking up the rivers. It’s not right. It needs to stop.

Daine is visited by the badger, who helps her unlock some new powers. If she tries, Daine can enter the minds of animals—and she might be surprised with what she finds! Daine tests out her new skills.

Daine and Numair find the remains of the soldiers. The fief, when they come to it, is heavily guarded by way more than the forty men-at-arms legally allowed. Clearly, there are some things happening, but Numair is like “we must resolve this the human way” and he drags Daine to the village to get answers, and they are invited to dinner by the keep’s nobles.

There, Numair has a blast from his past in Tristan, his old school mate, and we learn alllll about Numair’s studies and see firsthand how Numair has changed over the years. Tristan is one of the best war mages in Carthak, and Emperor Ozorne’s buddy, although he tells Numair that he’s his own man now, thankyouverymuch. Numair is like, mhm, sure bud. Also, we meet Lady Yolane, who is both pretty and a bitch (a common theme in Tortall, apparently), and her husband (who gives a fuck what his name is), and her younger half-sister, ten-year-old Maura, and two other “merchants” (whose names also don’t matter).

Yolane is a bitch to Daine for no reason. Daine feels extremely out of place because she’s a commoner and not as polished as the adults. Numair is an aloof dick trying harder not to ruffle feathers than to get down to business. Daine finally has her say to defend the land and animals and Yolane laughs are her like she’s a stupid child.

Numair and Daine leave the fief, Numair is like—we gotta go, now. Apparently Tristan tried to poison him with a sleeping draft. They head out to the caves where the wolves are, and Numair tells her they have to report to the King and get reinforcements. Diane is like, no, my duty is here. Reluctantly, Numair agrees, and they split up.

The next morning, the searchers are out in force. Daine and the wolves are attacked by a terrifying immortal called a Coldfang, and are saved by a basilisk-scholar named Tkaa. Daine discovers that the wolves are stealing tools from the humans in order to stop their work, and the Coldfang was sent to track down the thieves. Daine hides as stormwings descend on Tkaa, and Cloud tells Daine that she can’t kill the stormwings because they haven’t given her any cause yet.

Then she stumbles into Maura, and she’s like, “what the hell are you doing, kid?” Maura is like, “I’m running away,” and refuses to return home even though it will be safer for her to be at the keep. But the girl refuses to head back. Daine learns more about her new powers, and finds that her body parts keep changing into animal form.

The next morning, the valley is surrounded by a huge massive dome that no human or animal can get through—but an immortal can! Tkaa and Kitten (the dragon kit from book 1). As Numair rallies troops from the outside—it’s gonna take a while—Daine maps the valley and conducts recon.

After lots and lots of recon and rallying, Daine discovers the true plot: Maura has learned that her sister is planning treason. In addition to illegally mining black opal (a stone that pulls magic really, really well) and shipping it to Carthak, Yolane has decided that her excellent bloodline makes her a perfect candidate to become the next Queen. She’s miffed Jon didn’t wed her (never realized she was in the running, tbh) and is going to rule all of Tortall instead (but with what army, tho). She’s planning on poisoning the river with blood rain, and it doesn’t matter because she’ll be in Corus and ruling over everyone.

The troops arrive. The dome is fallen thanks to Daine and her cat friend. Daine has gathered her forces on the inside: ogres brought over from the Divine Realms as forced labor; villagers who are like fuck you Yolane; animals from across the valley determined to fight for their home; the wolves; and several other bands of people.

There’s a showdown between Tristan and Numair. Daine is exhausted. Numair is playing nice and trying to get Tristan to surrender and join the Tortallan side when Tristan attacks Daine—and Numair turns him into a tree. The other mages are murdered. Yolane’s husband commits suicide. Yolane flees, and Daine tracks her down with the wolves.

The story wraps with Daine and Numair leaving for home, and Dunlath, once a place of hellish work conditions and on the brink of environmental collapse, is on the road to being a hallmark for how immortals, humans and animals can live in harmony together. All ruled by Maura (with help from friendly adults, in both immortal, human and animal form).

The Human-Nature Connection

One of the hugest themes of The Immortals quartet is the human-nature connection. It comes to highest prominence in this book, where (bad) humanity is literally at odds with the world. Human greed is exploiting and destroying without any thought to the short- and long-term consequences, resulting in short-term profits and near-immediate losses. But that’s okay if they destroy that place—they can just pick up and move to another location and start all over again.

This book is a huge commentary on something that indigenous communities have always known: we are all connected.

Calling animals the People is symbolic in placing animals on par with humans. Animals connected to Daine gain a greater sentience, becoming more human in their thought-process but, unlike humans, never losing their connection to themselves or the world they live in. Their growing sentience allows them to connect to humans on an ever greater level, turning them into equals instead of creatures to be valued only for their benefits to humans—which in turn makes some of the humans realize that animals are precious if they are smart or not. That their lives, and the natural world around them, matter.

What I adore about this book is that it starts as a cli-fi disaster novel, and ends as something of a climate utopia. By working together and bringing diverse groups in harmony, the environment with thrive. Everyone wins. No one loses. It’s complicated negotiating and hard work, but it’s worth it.

The Immortals

A secondary theme running through this book is the theme of displacement.

If Wild Magic focused on the humans who were immigrants to Tortall, this book focuses on the animals and immortals making their homes in Tortall. The wolves have moved a very long distance to a new home, to this valley that is almost perfect in every single way (until the humans start humaning). The ogres who came willingly came because they were promised farmland and new homes, and because opportunities in the Divine Realms were stark.

Other immortals were brought over for less savory purposes, but nevertheless, they too are displaced from their homes. Some seem okay with it—more prey, more death!—but others seem confused and alarmed. Others, like Tkaa, are there to study what is happening.

Throughout is the sense that many of the immortals possess a sentience on par with humans. They have agency. They have needs. They have things they want to do that often come in conflict with humans. Who was there first doesn’t really matter—what matters is that they are there now, and there is no going back to where they came from. They are going to defend their family and their new home. So they have to figure out how to live together, or everyone suffers (if that isn’t an allegory to current times)—and in doing so, they have to remove the systems of oppression placed upon them (Yolane, Tristan and company).

The system that ends up working in the end is more egalitarian than it was, but only because Maura and the remaining humans have understood the importance and “humanity” (words aren’t wording) of the other creatures. The solution is new, but it’s a system that still is within the original framework of what “works” in Tortall—a good noble taking care of their people.

As Cloud tells Daine over (and over and over), “Learn tolerance.” More radically, learn acceptance and embrace difference.

Maura, and Bravery

As a kid (I’m gonna be saying this a lot for this quarter, prepare yourself), I sided with Daine a lot.

Maura was an obnoxious, close-minded brat who was a noble and spoiled and afraid of everything. She was ten and therefore got in the way and should have stayed home where she was.

As an adult, I can authoritatively say that both myself and Daine are very clearly in the wrong. Also, Maura was hilariously only four years younger than Daine—a lot can happen in four years in childhood development, but Maura, like Diane, was forced to grow up a lot sooner than she needed to. And Maura, unlike Daine, is a noble who has had chivalry force-fed down her throat since she was a baby.

Maura is shown to be an open-minded child. She’s beloved by the servants. She’s adored by the stormwings, who hate everybody (but like cherish children). She even gets over her fear of mice and wild animals, although the wolves continue to give her pause. She makes alliances with the ogres. She gets over her fears rapidly and asserts herself as a leader at ten.

Moresoe, the second she learns of Yolane’s treason she decides she must do something. It’s not just self-preservation for herself, but for everyone caught in the crosshairs—treason is punishable by death and judgment is relatively indiscriminate. Plus, if Yolane succeeds, many, many people are going to die. She runs away from home to alert the king, heading into what she knows is danger—full knowing she could be caught and killed by Tristan and his mages or by the hurrucks or by wild animals. It’s on par with Kel fighting down the spidren at the river (we’re getting to that), except the fate of the realm is at stake.

And in the end, she decides to stay and fix her home. She knows she needs help, that she doesn’t know it all, and reaches out for help from people she trusts.

Anywho, #TeamMaura.

Pour one out for the Maura novels we are probably never going to get.

The Magical Necklace Trope

This last bit isn’t necessarily tied directly to this book, but it’s a theme that’s popped up in (now) three of the series: that of the magical, god-given necklace.

I can’t remember Beka having one, but Alanna has her famous ember stone given by the Mother Goddess; Numair has his ruby from the Hag; and Daine has the silver claw from the badger. I mean, the meanings are pretty obvious here: the necklaces are the signs of favor from the gods.

Wrapping Up

Overall, this was a tightly paced, tightly focused novel. While there are head hops in POV, it’s mostly restricted to Daine and Brokefang, with pops from other characters. I know I should probably mention Daine and Numair’s relationship (at this point, student-teacher), but really it just feels kinda blah and underdeveloped? Maybe I’ll talk about it in book 3, when the gross stuff starts to appear.

Side note: in checking to see if Beka had one, I stumbled across a Tortall continuity thread on Reddit that is pretty fantastic. Yes, I’ve noticed continuity errors, but I’m also reading by book internal chronology, not by publication order, so the errors aren’t as glaringly obvious. Plus, in some instances there’s enough time distance that some things can be hand-waved away I feel (the changing nature of Gift detection is fascinating, however).

In summing up, this was a solid entry. I liked it more on the reread than I did in previous rereads (and particularly as a kid). This time, I was less intrigued by the wolves (although fascinated by all the research she did on wolf behavior) and more interested in the politics and environmental aspects.

Final Rating: 🌲🌲🌲🌲/5

Previously in my 2023 Tortall Reread Series:

• Beka Cooper’s Trilogy:
  • Terrier (book 1)
  • Bloodhound (book 2)
  • Mastiff (book 3)
• Song of the Lioness Quartet:
  • Alanna: The First Adventure (book 1)
  • In the Hand of the Goddess (book 2)
  • The Woman Who Rides Like a Man (book 3)
  • Lioness Rampant (book 4)
• Tempests and Slaughter
• The Immortals Quartet:
  • Wild Magic (book 1)