Wolf-Speaker (Tamora Pierce)

Author Biography

Tamora Pierce has written numerous renowned fantasy novels, set in either the “Tortall” universe or the “Circle” universe. In 2013 she received the Margaret A. Edwards Award for her body of work.

Published By: Atheneum Books for Young Readers

Year: 1994

ISBN: 0-689-31833-2

Reading Level: Grades 7 and up.

Reader’s Annotation:

Summoned to Dunlath Valley by its wolves, Daine finds its resources being depleted and a plot brewing against the crown. With her increasingly powerful wild magic, can she stop the villains in time?

Plot  Summary:

Dunlath Valley is being destroyed. Humans are cutting down trees, digging mines, enslaving both fellow humans and the local ogres, and laying waste to the wolves’ habitat. In desperation, wolf leader Brokefang psychically calls on the only human he knows who can communicate with animals: fourteen-year-old Daine Sarrasri. Daine answers the call, and along with her wizard teacher Numair, her pony Cloud, and her baby dragon Kitten, she confronts the nobles at Fief Dunlath. In doing so, she uncovers a plot led by a corrupt and powerful mage to overthrow King Jonathan.

While Numair sets out to warn the king, Daine stays behind to protect the wolf pack. As she travels with the wolves, she makes new friends and continues to hone her inborn wild magic, discovering that she can enter and control the minds of animals. She also continues to encounter the deadly Immortals, whose presence in Tortall might be connected to the plot to steal the crown… but which might not be quite as monstrous as they seem.

Critical Evaluation:

This second entry in the Immortals series works less well as a stand-alone piece than its predecessor, Wild Magic. This one is much more character- and atmosphere-driven than plot-driven you need to have read the first book to fully understand it. But it’s still an absorbing piece in its own right, particularly for animal lovers. Drawing on extensive, loving research on the behavior of wolves and other forest creatures, most of the action consists of young heroine Daine wandering with her wolf friends, carefully balancing their ways with her own humanity, and taking her wild magic to new levels, more exciting yet potentially dangerous than ever.

At the same time – in addition to thwarting the schemes of human villains – she learns more about the monstrous Immortals. In the process, she begins to see them as more than just the terrifying enemies they were in Wild Magic, befriending a basilisk and an ogre, and beginning to realize that even the dreaded Stormwings might not be innately evil, just at odds with her… the same way that wolves are dangerous, but not evil. It’s not made clear where this knowledge will lead her in future books, but we’re left anxious to know. But in the meantime, watching her save the day, become more magically powerful than ever, and bond with animals, humans and supernatural creatures alike is an absorbing process.

Curriculum Ties:

•Fantasy worlds

•Feminism

•Animal behavior

Challenge Issues:

•Mild profanity

•Violence

•Disturbing imagery

•Adultery

•Suicide

•Illegitimate birth references

•Bodily function references

Why This Book?

Both for fantasy lovers and for animal lovers, especially those with a passion for defending the reputation of wolves, this book is a compelling one and a worthy continuation of the Immortals series.