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    The Wolves of Winter
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    The Wolves of Winter
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    The Wolves of Winter
    Audiobook8 hours

    The Wolves of Winter

    Written by Tyrell Johnson

    Narrated by Jayme Mattler

    3.5/5

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    About this audiobook

    Station Eleven meets The Hunger Games in this ruthless, captivating story of a young woman’s survival in the frozen wilderness of the Yukon after the rest of the world has collapsed.

    As the old world dies, we all must choose to become predators. Or become prey.

    The old world has been ravaged by war and disease, and as far as Lynn McBride is concerned, her family could be the last one left on earth. For seven years, the McBrides have eked out a meagre existence in the still, white wilderness of the Yukon. But this is not living. This is survival on the brink.

    Into this fragile community walk new threats, including the enigmatic fugitive, Jax, who holds secrets about the past and, possibly, keys to a better future. And then there’s Immunity, the pre‑war organization that was supposed to save humankind from the flu. They’re still out there, enforcing order and conducting experiments—but is their work for the good of humankind or is something much more sinister at play? In the face of almost certain extinction, Lynn and her family must learn to hunt as a pack or die alone in the cold.

    Breakout debut novelist Tyrell Johnson weaves a captivating tale of humanity stretched far beyond its breaking point, of family and the bonds of love forged when everything else is lost. Reminiscent of Station Eleven and The Hunger Games, this is a classic and enthralling post‑apocalyptic adventure and a celebration of the human spirit.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherSimon & Schuster
    Release dateJun 5, 2018
    ISBN9781982107727
    Author

    Tyrell Johnson

    Tyrell Johnson is a twenty-nine-year-old writer and editor who grew up in Bellingham, Washington. He received his MFA from the University of California, Riverside, where he studied fiction and poetry. An avid outdoorsman, he currently lives in Kelowna, British Columbia, northeast of Vancouver with his wife, two kids, and a Siberian husky. The Wolves of Winter is his first novel.

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    Reviews for The Wolves of Winter

    3.5/5

    106 ratings18 reviews

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    • 4/5
      Fast-paced dystopian story about a young woman and her extended family trying to survive in the Yukon wilderness. When a stranger shows up, their first reaction is fear and distrust. The storyline includes a group of scientists developing a vaccine to fight a spreading virus, the backstory of how the family arrived at their present circumstances, and a harrowing journey. Along the way, we learn how modern civilization had been destroyed. The writing is atmospheric. The harsh conditions and winter climate are beautifully rendered. The plot is moved forward by mysteries and secrets, which are gradually revealed. It is well-paced. The characters are interesting. Protagonist Lynn, in particular, is striking. She acts in rebellious and impetuous ways and is a strong young female protagonist. It is a bit more action-packed than most of my reads and there are a few plot “holes” (or at least questions that arose in my mind about believability, e.g., is it really as easy as it seems here to survive alone in the snowy wilderness?). But overall, I enjoyed the journey.
    • 4/5
      The Wolves of Winter by Tyrell Johnson is dystopian story of survival. The world has finally pushed itself to the breaking point with nuclear wars that were followed by an epic pandemic. The story is told by Lynn, a feisty 23 year old, who, along with her remaining family have taken refuge in the Canadian Yukon. The family started in Chicago, then moved to Alaska all the while seeming to avoid contact with any government agency. When the flu took her father’s life, her uncle moved them into the Yukon wilderness.Now living in rustic log cabins and surviving by hunting and fishing, they avoid contact with others until one day a young man and his dog arrive. Jax seems to have many secrets and when more men arrive that are apparently hunting Jax, a life and death struggle occurs with Jax demonstrating almost unbelievable skills. Lynn is attracted to Jax, but secrets within her own family come into play as now both Jax and Lynn become hunted by this shady group who seem to have very dark motives.I enjoyed The Wolves of Winter as the story moved quickly and the setting was very atmospheric. The author infused the book with a strong sense of family holding together against disaster and overall, this was a fresh and interesting look at an apocalyptic future.
    • 4/5
      I look forward to continuing this series
    • 5/5
      A well written debut novel about surviving a nucelar war and a flu pandemic in a winter climate of the Yukon. The heroine is Lynn McBride who longs for the simpler times of living in Alaska. Now like others after the destruction of most cities. Everything is fine until one day Lynn brings home a man who calls himself Jax who is different from all other men. When a group of men from Immunity arrive looking for Jax, Lynn's life and that of her family not be the same. .
    • 4/5
      Lyn Mctell is in the Canadian wilderness following a fort of nuclear war, times are hard and it is struggle to survive especially as there is a disease spreading throughout the remaining population. Out of the blue a rider appears near the camp called Jax. She becomes intrigued by this new face and introduces him to her family, he seems very unlike anyone else she has met, could he be the link so saving not just themselves but the wider world?So what were the standout parts? Well, the descriptions of the bleak environment really were stunningly written and I am always a sucker for an apocalyptic book. Not really sure what I thought of this book, and bordered on 3 or 4 stars. It flowed well, had an interesting story and the plot kept me entertained. However it seemed a bit young adult at times and there were no real surprises, you could see the 'twists' far in advance. If there is a second novel I think I would pick it up.
    • 2/5
      Another reviewer called this YA-ish, and I wholeheartedly agree. It has the prose of a YA book, the family dynamics of YA, the PG of sex and a relationship, the lack of depth of YA, even though the protagonist is officially 23. Without that last bit of detail, the character might as well be a teenager. Aside from all that, the story is a bit shallow. There's the clear-cut bad guys, the clear heroes, the turn-coats, the righteous indignation, predictable "mystery" and tear-jerking, typical misadventure and phoenix-rising victory. Probably a good novel for a younger (than me) reader who is transitioning from YA to adult novels. Not for the well-read and discerning adult.
    • 2/5
      More Lord of the Flies than Jack London.
    • 5/5
      What do you do when society has crumbled to the point of near-extinction leaving a seemingly endless white wilderness in its wake where only the strong survive?
      Simple....SURVIVE...only it's not THAT simple.

      I was HOOKED on this one, right from the start. It's bleak and foreboding setting. The heinous side of the civilized turning truly cruel all in the name of "hope" (and I use that in quotation marks simply because it wasn't hope for all but for some). Lynn was a great leading lady, full of inner strength, and determination, but not without faults. Jax, her eventual co-conspirator of sorts, may be using more of his brain than most, but still has a lot to learn about human interaction. Again, no one was perfect, even if engineering was involved on some level. (Nope...not telling!)

      The scary part is that the world presented here isn't that hard to believe. The circumstances that created the unending winter, the raging infections with no cures, the search for an answer but only for the highest bidder...none of it is beyond believe. The author does a great job putting us right there in the midst of everything and showing us the darkness of humanity without snuffing out the potential for light. Good and evil are always there...it's the choice we make that have one or the other come forth. So make the choice...take a chance on this debut author and a story you won't soon forget.


      ***copy received for review
    • 4/5
      I am giving this book a 4 because it does what it sets out to do which is to entertain. This writer could be the new Blake Crouch and maybe we will get a trilogy out of this.
    • 5/5
      THE WOLVES OF WINTER is set in a post apocalyptic future after the world collapses. The wars throughout the years have destroyed the very foundation our world was built on. Nuclear bombs wiped out entire cities leaving death and destruction in its wake. The future of the world looked very bleak. Once the flu epidemic hit, it caused major death and destruction across the world. People either died or they fled trying to stay one step ahead of getting sick. The flu was on such a grand scale, nothing of the likes have ever been seen before. It was very rare that someone survived once the flu hit their system.

      The story starts off seven years after it all started. Gwendolynn McBride, or Lynn, as she likes to be called is living in the Canadian Yukon Valley with her mother, uncle, brother, and a family friend. Life has been hard, but they make due with the provisions the earth has provided for them and what little they carried on their pack animals when they fled Eagle, Alaska when the flu epidemic hit their isolated town. Lynn’s father, once a vibrant man, succumbed to the flu prior to when they fled.

      Lynn was very much a daddy’s girl and often reflects back on the times she had shared with her dad. He taught her how to survive and how to live and to let nothing ever stand in her way. Lynn still carries around and reads a collection of poems by Walt Whitman. A book her father had once given her. In a way, reading the poems helps her stay connected to her dad. He was the only constant left in the world that has any significance to her.

      Lynn is only twenty-three years old, but seems so much older considering what she has been through in such a short life span. She is a hunter, often going out alone in the wild to bring home food for her family. While she may not be content, she does what she has to do in order to survive. Lynn often thinks about leaving and exploring the world and the cities, finding other survivors and seeing what is left out there. While out one morning she has a chance encounter with a stranger, Jax. He brings something new to the table and a thirst to see what else is out there. Will Jax bring with him a whole new host of problems to their tiny little community or will he help open Lynn’s eyes to a world and a future that she is destined to become a part of?

      THE WOLVES OF WINTER offers its readers a glimpse into the future of what could actually happen in our world. It is done in such a realistic way that makes you really step back and ask yourself, “Could this really happen?” What if nuclear bombs did destroy the world and life as we knew it ended? The realism of the story is phenomenally done. There is a scattering of science fiction thrown in, but again, done in such a way that is believable and really enhanced the story.

      Lynn could not be any more of a perfect character and as the story progresses you can really see her growth and potential. She learns a lot about herself and grows as a strong capable woman ready to tackle the world. I really loved how Lynn grew into her character. Sure, she was a bad ass crossbow wielding hunter, but she was also human, with human traits such as fear, fear of the unknown. Little by little she goes through a metamorphosis before our eyes, learning more about herself along the way. She is a remarkable heroine that stands out and one that you will not easily forget.

      The atmosphere in the story really made you feel as if you were right there. Snow crunching under your feet, the bitter cold chilling you to the bone. Winter was harsh and never changing the one constant that could always be counted on. Time moved on as the seasons blended into each other. Calendars and times were a thing of the past. You relied on nature and the weather to predict your seasons. The angle of the sun to predict time. It’s like living life completely off the grid and completely removed from people and the outside world. All you have is what is right in front of you and all you could rely on was staring at you right in the face. You learn to adapt and to survive. In this kind of environment, you had to.

      THE WOLVES OF WINTER is a gripping and thought provoking story that will leave such a huge impact on you, especially with the way the world is going right now. Tyrell Johnson created a fictional world that almost feels too real and too believable. The words just flow through the pages in an almost poetic sense. Kudos to Mr Johnson for a remarkable and standout debut novel. I would really love a sequel and I think many readers will feel the same way. I cannot wait to see what comes next and I can honestly say that this story will be one of my top reads of the year.
    • 4/5
      There's a new Canadian sf writer and his debut novel is pretty good. There are a few plot holes but nothing major and I really liked the strong female character at the centre of the story. I'll be looking for more from Tyrell Johnson.This is a post-apocalyptic thriller somewhat like The Road but it takes place in the Yukon and the winter is even harsher than is experienced there right now. The McBride family (mom Mary, uncle Jeryl, brother Ken, Gwendolynn our central character) and Ramsey, the son of a friend of Jeryl's escaped from Alaska into the Yukon after a pandemic virus killed almost everyone who caught it including Gwendolynn's father . Gwendolynn (who prefers to be called Lynn) was 16 when they came to the Yukon. Now it is 7 years later and she is sort of bored with existence away from civilization and especially away from potential mates. Ramsey isn't related but the one time Lynn made a move on him he cried. The only other non-related male in the vicinity is a crude thug named Conrad who Lynn won't even consider. Then one day when she is out hunting she meets a stranger with a dog. The stranger is named Jax and he is heading north with only the dog for company. Lynn invites him to come for some food with her family and he accepts. While he is still there a group of men show up claiming to be traders but they seem to be too interested in Jax and he starts shooting them. One manages to get away and Jax is determined to stop him getting word back to his headquarters. Jeryl decides to go with him and then Lynn follows them. Slowly revelations about who Jax is and why the McBrides left Alaska start to come out. Jax and Lynn may hold the key to curing the deadly virus but not everyone who wants them is motivated by the good of mankind.I think I can sense a sequel coming and maybe that will explain some of the areas I found puzzling.
    • 4/5
      A world devastated by nuclear war and a deadly flu pandemic is the setting for Tyrell Johnson’s debut novel, The Wolves of Winter. Lynn McBride was a girl just old enough to remember what the world was like before everything changed. Now she is a young woman living with her family in the snowy wilds of the Yukon where they have fled war and disease. After 7 years of isolation, their comfortable routine is shattered by the arrival of Jax and his large dog, Wolf. Although suspicious, the McBrides take Jax in. When more men posing as traders appear, a calm scene erupts into violence and Jax proves to be unusually highly physically skilled as well as adept with weapons. Jax reveals he is being hunted by the shadowy organization Immunity and that if they discover the McBrides location, all of their lives are in danger.Lynn can’t be sure of Jax’s loyalties, but she knows she feels an attraction to him and that she has grown tired of her routine existence. She impulsively takes off after Jax and her uncle, who are on the trail of the men from Immunity. Johnson skillfully mixes the post-apocalyptic setting with action and mystery that deepens as the novel progresses. Jax’s origin and Immunity’s mission are among the mysteries to be solved. As Lynn treks across the wilderness, she learns more about Immunity’s purpose as well as secrets that lie both in Jax’s past as well as her own; particularly that of her father, a former scientist.Johnson paints a vivid, cinematic picture of a wintry, desolate Canadian landscape. The sense of isolation and danger is ever present, lending added gravity to the plight of anyone living and traveling there. The desire to find out what really happened in the past and what is going on in the present compels Lynn forward and the reader comes along for the ride. Johnson adds plenty of action and surprises along the way and pairs it with compelling characters that keep you invested from beginning to end. This is a great debut and a fine piece of dystopian fiction.The audiobook is narrated by Jayme Mattler who captures the mood of the book and conveys both the emotion of the characters as well as the isolated setting. Her vocal characterizations are outstanding and convey the nuance of both the protagonists as well as the antagonists.I look forward to reading more by Tyrell Johnson. Highly recommended.I was provided a copy of this audiobook by the publisher.
    • 3/5
      Short Summary: After a nuclear war and a devastating pandemic, Lynn McBride and her family are surviving in the wilds of Canada, but secrets her parents kept hidden are suddenly seeing the light of day and those secrets endanger everyone.Thoughts: This can easily be compared to all the big names: The Road, The Passage, Ashfall, etc. because despite my continued love for the genre, it’s been done to death; however, Johnson manages to still make this a worthwhile tale (especially with the added help of narrator Jayme Mattler).Verdict: As a debut author, Johnson’s pick of genre may be overdone but his writing skills shine with possibility for future novels.
    • 4/5
      In a post-apocalyptic world devastated by nuclear war and a deadly flu pandemic, humanity has been almost completely wiped out. To escape the disease which doesn’t seem to thrive as well in cold weather, twenty-three-year-old Gwendolyn (Lynn) McBride has fled with her family, first to Alaska and then to the Yukon where there were only two seasons… the cold season and the stay-inside-and-try-not-to-freeze-your-ass-off season.Even after seven years, they rarely see other people in the area. Then one day, she sees a stranger (Jax) pass by with his dog (Wolf) and, despite the possible danger, she invites him back to her family’s compound. Her family is not pleased that she has brought them home but, when her mother learns he is wounded, she insists he stays until he heals.Shortly after Jax’s arrival, several more men appear claiming to be traders but, after a deadly battle between them and Jax, he reveals that they were from Immunity, a supposed group of specialists that claims to be searching for a cure for the flu but may have more sinister plans. They seem to know who Jax is and are determined to capture him alive. It also becomes clear that Lynn’s mother knows more about the group than she will say and is just as unsettled by their arrival as Jax.The Wolves of Winter is the debut novel by Tyrell Johnson and, oh, what a gripping debut it is. It is one thrilling roller coaster of a ride full of action, excitement, and plot twists that are sure to keep you glued to the pages. The characters are all interesting but the setting itself is one of the strongest as Johnson uses the frozen and unpredictable landscape to amp up the tension. I was completely sucked into the story and will definitely be looking for more from this author in the hopefully not-to-distant future because he clearly has mad skills.*Trigger Warning: There is a great deal of violence including killing of animals as well as language that some may find offensiveThanks to Netgalley and Simon & Schuster Canada for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review
    • 4/5
      I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It was a very fast read. I like how Mr. Johnson focused on just one family with a few characters. This way, it allowed me to grow a close connection to Lynn and her family. Additionally, what else I enjoyed about this book is that Mr. Johnson does not try to imitate the Hunger Games. Mr. Johnson ushers in a new take on the post apocalyptic genre with the Wolves of Winter. Lynn is a great strong female lead. She is smart as well. Jax is a mysterious man. I feel like there is still more to him. I can't wait to find out more about him in what I hope is the next book. There is a hint of romantic feelings between Jax and Lynn but no action was taken. This allowed the main focus to be on survival for Lynn, her family, and the rest of the population. Which Lynn will need to be focused if she is to stop the Immunity. My only complaint is that I would have liked to know more about the world that this story is based upon. Yet, I still enjoyed this book a lot.
    • 2/5
      I really wanted to like this novel. But I didn't. It wasn't terrible by any standards, but it just wasn't as gripping or unique as I wanted it to be. The story was pretty much like your average dystopian tale: there's a girl who is learning to survive in a new environment and through a turn of events discovers that she is different and could potentially save the world. And there's the love interest that conveniently comes along and becomes a part of the adventure. It's something I've already seen so many times so it was hard for this book to hold my interest.

      Now, not everything was the same. For instance, Lynn is older than your usual teen protagonist - she is 23 years old and is no longer a child. But for some reason, her voice didn't show the maturity of someone her age. I understand that she has been living only with her family for a number of years and has been isolated from others her age, but that doesn't mean that she should have the maturity of a 16-year-old. The age factor might have been a unique feature of the story but since the author didn't give her a mature voice, Lynn resembled every other teen protagonist from a dystopian story. It also doesn't help that Lynn was bland. Even though the story is written entirely from her perspective, and the author tried to include snippets from her past to give her a more defined personality, I didn't really get anything from it. She bored me and it was really hard for me to get through the novel. 

      The story was also different in that there were two parts to it: not only was there nuclear warfare that turned the world into a wasteland, there was also a disease that led to the deaths of many people. This was interesting ... but perhaps not necessary. Only one of these conditions really mattered and got carried through in the story.

      I also had an issue with the relationship between Lynn and Jax. There didn't need to be one. There was no chemistry to be detected between the two and their exchanges were awkward and cheesy. I got no satisfaction from seeing them thrown together because they were both such bland characters. It didn't help that all of the other characters in the story were also stereotypically portrayed. There was no nuance or depth to it at all and it made it really hard for me to enjoy this story. 

      In the end, I just didn't enjoy this dystopian story. There were too many stereotypical elements to it for it to be unique and all of the characters had a one-dimensional personality. I'm pretty sure there is going to be a sequel to this story based on the way it ended, but I'm probably not going to check it out. Unfortunately, this book gets 2/5 stars from me.

      Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.
    • 4/5
      Ahh, Tyrell Johnson, you had me at post apocalyptic. Johnson's debut novel is The Wolves of Winter - and it's one you're going to want to read.Nuclear war and disease have decimated society and the world as we know it. Seven years on, Lynn McBride and her family are still surviving. They fled to an isolated area of the Yukon. and Lynn's hunting and survival skills are now finely honed. When a stranger named Jax stumbles into their part of the forest, Lynn is curious and does what she shouldn't - she approaches him and takes him back to the homestead. But Jax has brought trouble with him - and now it's on the McBride doorstep.....Johnson has created a great lead character in Lynn - she's tough physically and mentally. But, on the flip side, she's lonely and isolated - and her world is about to change - again.Johnson's post apocalyptic world building is believable and perhaps not that far away. The cold of the Yukon seeps into the reader's fingers with Johnson's detailed descriptions. But the beauty as well.The Wolves of Winter is action packed - the tension increases with each new chapter and plot development. There's a great cat and mouse game played out and an epic battle scene. Johnson takes his plotting in an inventive direction that I didn't see coming, but was just right.Comparisons have been made by the publisher to The Hunger Games. And I agree, it's in the same vein, but puts it's own stamp on world building, a strong female lead, supporting male characters, danger, survival, intrigue and yes, romance.The Wolves of Winter ends on a satisfying note. But, I wonder Tyrell......could there be there be more to Lynn's story? Pretty please? An excellent debut, and I look forward to Johnson's next book.
    • 5/5
      Thank you to Simon & Schuster Canada and NetGalley for providing me with an e-galley of The Wolves of Winter by Tyrell Johnson in exchange for an honest review. Let me start by saying that post-apocalyptic fiction has never been one of my favorite genres. Having said that, I thoroughly enjoyed this novel. It is well-written in such a way that one can almost feel the cold. This is the story of a world that has all but been annihilated by wars and disease. The few remaining people have migrated to the Yukon and must use survival skills and endurance to stay alive in this rugged environment. Lynn McBride finds herself in the North with her mother and brother and a few other men. Days are spent hunting, gathering wood and water and just trying to keep fed and warm and out of sight till the next day and so on. They are managing to eke out an existence until the day that they are approached by a group of strangers on horseback who want to interfere with their meager way of life. Lynn and her companions find themselves in a fight for their lives and their way of life. The pace of the book effectively creates tension and suspense and keeps the reader totally committed. This is a first novel for Tyrell Johnson and hopefully there will be many more to come. Highly recommended.