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    Promise of the Wolves: Wolf Chronicles Book One
    Unavailable
    Promise of the Wolves: Wolf Chronicles Book One
    Unavailable
    Promise of the Wolves: Wolf Chronicles Book One
    Audiobook (abridged)6 hours

    Promise of the Wolves: Wolf Chronicles Book One

    Written by Dorothy Hearst

    Narrated by Justine Eyre

    3.5/5

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this audiobook

    What is the promise of the Wolf? Never consort with humans. Never kill a human unprovoked. Never allow a mixed-blood wolf to live. At least that's what the wolves of the Wide Valley believe. Until a young wolf dares to break the rules-and forever alters the relationship between wolves and the humans who share their world.

    This is the story of such a wolf. Born of a forbidden mixed-blood litter and an outcast after her mother is banished, Kaala is determined to earn a place in the Swift River pack. But her world is turned upside down when she saves a human girl from drowning. Risking expulsion from their pack and exile from the Wide Valley, Kaala and her young packmates being to hunt with the humans and thus discover the long-hidden bond between the two clans. But when war between wolves and humans threatens, Kaala learns the lies behind the wolf's promise. Lies that force her to choose between safety for herself and her friends and the survival of her pack-and perhaps of all wolf- and humankind.

    Set 14,000 years ago, Promise of the Wolves takes us to a land where time is counted in phases of the moon, distance is measured in wolflengths, and direction by the scent of the nearest trail. Years of research into the world of wolves combines with mythical tale-telling to present a fantastical adventure set in a world filled with lore.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherPenguin Random House Audio
    Release dateJun 3, 2008
    ISBN9780739328989
    Unavailable
    Promise of the Wolves: Wolf Chronicles Book One
    Author

    Dorothy Hearst

    Dorothy Hearst is the author of the Wolf Chronicles trilogy. She loves writing about canine characters, birds, and other creatures who can give us the chance to see ourselves in new ways. She is an acquiring editor, a martial artist, a self-defense instructor-in-training, an avid hiker and reader, and a dog lover. She is not entirely domesticated, but is very food motivated.

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    Reviews for Promise of the Wolves

    3.5/5

    91 ratings8 reviews

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    • 3/5
      As someone who isn't of the millions of dog-lovers in the world, I had less of an affection for this book and more of an understanding of it. To love this book I think you must be more than just indifferent to dogs.

      I could not find my suspension of disbelief for how intelligent these wolves are; I don't think animals' minds process in the same way as ours do and cannot appreciate when a human makes it seem so. If this writer, who has a lovely story and good ideas, were to make the narration and actions closer to how a wolf might think, I could get behind it. As it stands in the canon of YA fantasy works, I am less than impressed and feel there are many issues that should have been resolved and ideas that might have been more carefully planned and developed.
    • 2/5
      Had I read this 10, 8, even a few years ago, I might have rated it higher...then again, since I'm sure I'd found Tamora Pierce, at least, quite some time ago, maybe not. Not bad, but nothing special in the realm of human-animal magical communication/friendship/whatever, not all that original or well-written, but again not terribly-written and while it shares many common elements of this sort of book, it at least isn't too much like any one book in particular, as far as I can tell. Probably good for younger readers though, and for teens I'd sooner recommend Tamora Pierce's Immortals series (of which Wild Magic and Wolf-Speaker would have most in common with this series). Or, actually, a closer match is Michelle Paver's Chronicles of Ancient Darkness series, which is better-written, more inventive, and has an altogether more complete world, plot, and cast of characters. Paver's books also feature a human-wolf pair, a prehistoric world, magic, etc--but, as I've said, better. I know this is a review for Hearst's book, but I don't plan to read the next in the series, and anyway, whether you keep on with this series or not, you'd best take a look at Palmer's series if you haven't yet.

      Oh, and though it features cheetahs rather than wolves, Tomorrow's Sphinx, by Clare Bell, is another YA book of a similar breed, and well worth the reading (as are her other books).
    • 3/5
      You know, I didn't actually hate this. When I got it in the mail to review, I kind of went "oh god, not some damn book about talking animals," but it was really pretty interesting. Definitely an easy read*, and clearly sets up a sequel, but a lot better than I expected.

      If you're going to read one anthropomorphic-wolf novel this year, it should probably be [book:A Companion to Wolves] by Sarah Monette and Elizabeth Bear, but if you have it in you to read another one, this wouldn't be a complete waste of time.

      Oh and also, it has a blurb from [author:Temple Grandin], so she must have gotten the wolf pack behavior stuff right.

      *Also, for my teen librarian friends out there, this would be a great crossover book for YA readers. In fact, I'm not sure why they didn't just publish it as a YA novel in the first place.
    • 4/5
      An excellent book. I love wolves to begin with, and am therefore attracted to any fantasy book that has wolf in the title. Not everyone can carry it off, though. Dorothy Hearst can. I think the strength of this book are her characters. Kaala and Ázzuen in particular are easy to love. Her second strength is the bond between the characters. At first the bonds exist only between the wolves. It is heartening to see Kaala and Ázzuen become like siblings. Marra also joins their group, but most of the time she's a bit of a nonentity. Filler, you might say. Later on, the humans get into the mix. The bond between the wolves and the humans almost makes me jealous. Who wouldn't want such a partnership? Combine all of that with mystery and danger, and you end up with Promise of wolves. I'm looking forward to the next book!
    • 2/5
      This book suffers from all the weaknesses of a first person narrative. The narrator, a young wolf, knows far more than it is logically possible to know, and events are awkwardly constructed to allow her to gain more information. The close observation of wolf behaviour is very interesting; on the other hand the wolves talk to each other. The naturalistic detail does not mesh comfortably with the quite human conversations.The story line is predictable, and suffers from the added weight of a prequel, supernatural forces and characters who may or may not be wolf "gods". In short, this was a good story idea that with closer editing and a stronger focus might have succeeded better.
    • 4/5
      Promises of the Wolves is an endearing tale of a misfit wolf because of her parentage. Kaala struggles to be accepted and become "pack". But the pack leader is too afraid of what may become of the wolves if she is allowed to become a full member. The Great Wolves have prevented Ruuqo the pack leader from killing Kaala out right. THe Great wolves hold secrets that the others do not know about and it is their secrecy tht might ultimately cause the destruction of wolves and humans as well. Told from the point of view of the young wolf Kaala, gives some insight into the follies of humans and wolves alike. While the story moves quickly enough, the climax temds to be somewhat anti-climatic. Considering this is the authors first novel, some leeway can be granted, but I would have liked to see a more defined ending.
    • 3/5
      I wanted to like this book more than I did. It's narrator is a wolf pup in prehistoric times, marked with an ominous moon crescent. At the time, wolves and man keep separate because once when wolves helped man, man learned to hunt in packs and become a far more effective killer and wolves got nothing in return. The problem with having such a young, naive narrator is that they don't have much to add to the mix. And the overall descriptions of the forest and life weren't enough to make up for the simplicity of the characterizations and repetitiveness of the plot. There were few surprises and a tiny bit of mysticism. This is not clan of the cave bear with wolves, this feels more like a book for 5th graders. I was disappointed. C+
    • 5/5
      I selected this book from the vine program because I expected it to be like “The Fire Bringer,” “Watership Down,” or even “Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH” - books that anthropomorphize animals. And to a degree it was. The wolves of the story do think and reason. The opening page of the review copy has a message to the reader, …”you will accept (and almost forget) that Kaala and her companions are wolf. Or, you’ll forget that you are not.” This statement could not be more true! While “Promise of the Wolves” is like the books I mentioned, it is more like The Earth’s Children series, in particular “Clan of the Cave Bear,” by Jean Auel – it was that good. Kaala is a mix with “outsider blood.” She should have been killed at birth, as Ayla should have been left for dead. Both are rich stories of young females fighting for their place in a pack (clan) that does not want them. Both defy tradition to make themselves stronger. And they will cause monumental changes to the world. The different species of animals are akin to the different clans and tribes Ayla encounters. The manner in which the story is told is also similar. Hearst uses introductory sentences like “The legends say that…” and “It is said…” This is common in literature of this nature. It is almost as if Hearst read Earths Children and asked herself, what would that time have been like from an animal’s perspective? I do not mean to say that this is a rip-off. It is wholly original and unique, the author just took a good idea in an entirely new direction. Both books have simple stories – young girls trying to survive in a brutal world. Yet, they are engrossing. You find yourself turning page after page – I read this in one night.Wolves opens with a prologue set 40, 000 years ago, describing a 3-year long winter that is broken when a young female wolf defies the law to hunt with a human to provide food for her family, and his. This is part of a legend that will influence the heroine, Kaala, introduced in Chapter 1. The novel is told from her perspective, though not in first person. The alpha wolf Ruuqo wants to kill Kaala because she is a danger to the pack. But, the “Greatwolves” step in and spare her life. Yet, it will be an uphill battle to survive because while Ruuqo will not kill her outright, he won’t help her either (as pack should). The wolves of Wide Valley are bound to a covenant to avoid humans, but not harm them, because long ago Wolves helped humans learn more than they should and it caused a war that threatened creation itself. This covenant is a challenge because wolves are drawn to humans. Kaala feels this pull more than the other wolves. She suspects something is wrong with the legends, and the actions of the Greatwolves. Her secret friendship with a human girl will reveal lies that have been told, and change her pack forever.“Wolves” reminded me of another great book, “The Heavenly Horse from the Outermost West” by Mary Stanton. In that, horses not only were sentient, they had legends, gods, laws and more. They had a society, just as Hearst has given her wolves. In both books, the reader forgets that these are not people – because they are. Kaala is an engaging protagonist. The dialog among the wolves is realistic, as are her inner thoughts. She struggles with doubt, loneliness and even depression. She is determined. The wolves talk of family, teach their young, journey together. There is death to contend with. And there are friends. Kaala is not completely alone. As a young pup, she protected the runt of the litter to ensure he lived. And Azzuen loves her as his sister. And the raven Tlitoo, who is also touched by outsider blood, is there to provide humor, guidance and some old fashioned fun. The cast of characters is well developed. Even minor characters are fleshed out more than usual. Though this is the first part of a trilogy, the ending was satisfying. There is no gut wrenching cliff-hanger, just the knowledge that there will be more to see of Kaala.Overall, “Wolves” is an excellent novel that will grab a reader. It is difficult to believe this is the author’s first novel. My only criticism of the book was that it ended to soon! I eagerly await the rest of the trilogy.