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Wolfking (Wolfking Series Book 1) Kindle Edition

by Sarah Rayne (Author) Format: Kindle Edition

4.4 109 ratings

Book 1 of 4: Wolfking Series

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The Apocalypse has come – and it has left the World in ruins…

‘A smashing writer who really knows how to weave a tale…’ Booksellers’ Choice

Following the terror of the Apocalypse, life in the community of Tugaim, Ireland is simple – but controlled.

Families eke out their meagre livings from the blasted earth, carefully avoiding the forbidden patches of land that still shine with eerie light…

Joanna Grady is happy in this community, and has even met Flynn, whom she loves and hopes to be matched to. They dream of Ancient Ireland, a land of magic, royalty and terrible foes.

But bloodlines are carefully examined, and matches between families are only made to promote healthy breeding – preventing Mutant spawn.

Suddenly, Joanna’s father breaks the news that she has been matched to Muldooney, a pig farmer. She is devastated, but can’t fight what is happening.

She cannot bear it.

She flees – into the forbidden place, the Glowing Lands. But little does she know that the Forbidden Lands contain a rip in the Time Curtain, a portal to the past – to Ancient Ireland.

Now Joanna finds herself swept up in the life and myth of Cormac mac Airt, the Wolfking, as he fights to regain his throne and justice to ancient Tara.

Will Flynn pursue her through the Time Curtain?

Can they fight to restore right to Tara?

Wolfking is an epic fantasy adventure and the first of a gripping quartet of novels that invoke Celtic tones of Ancient Ireland. Join with Joanna as she learns of her ancient heritage to fight against evil and tyranny and bring balance and honor back to Ancient Ireland. It was originally published under the pen name Bridget Wood.

Praise for Sarah Rayne’s works:

‘Totally hypnotic… Grabs you from the start and builds to a gripping end…’ The Bookseller

‘Rayne writes with impressive authority, moving seamlessly through multiple perspectives, her expertly balanced prose creating sustained suspense…’ Kirkus

‘A smashing writer who really knows how to weave a tale…’ Booksellers’ Choice

‘Unputdownable…’ Western Daily Press

‘A positive feast of fast-moving action with unpredictable twists… An intelligent, gripping and enjoyable read…’ Mid Sussex Times

‘Rayne possesses superb story-telling skills…’ US Mystery Guild

Sarah Rayne is the daughter of an Irish actor. She began writing in her teens, and after a convent education, which included writing plays for the Lower Third to perform, embarked on a variety of jobs. She is also the author of a number of acclaimed psychological thrillers and contemporary horror books, as well as a haunted house series.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Life in Ireland after nuclear war is hard and colorless, governed by laws designed to curb the excesses that led to the Earth's near destruction. Among the war's legacies are eerily glowing patches of ground that, for unknown reasons, have become taboo. One such patch lies on the farm of Michael O'Connor, whose son Flynn dreams of Ireland's mythical past and yearns for Joanna Grady, who returns his longing. When Joanna is betrothed by her father to a pig farmer, she escapes into the Glowing Lands, followed by Flynn, who knows the truth--that the patches are gateways to the past. The fantasy that unfolds holds few surprises: it soon becomes clear that the two will succeed in returning the medieval Wolfking to his rightful throne. The pace, especially at first, is plodding. When Wolfking's enemies--the hideous Three Sisters of Muileann and the evil Erl-King--make appearances, the action picks up a bit, but some scenes are overly graphic, particularly one involving the cannibalization of live victims. This lengthy first novel finally winds down with a pat ending to a rather lackluster love triangle.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

In post-Holocaust Ireland, the glow of irradiated lands conceals doorways to the distant past. Fleeing a forced marriage, a young woman enters the mysterious realm of Celtic myth and becomes enmeshed in an ancient struggle for the throne of Tara. This first novel captures the feel of the Irish age of heroes. Wood's characters are both larger than life and supremely human in their loves and passions. Libraries with a demand for historical fantasy should consider this title.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product details

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B01ENC94JI
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Lume Books (April 21, 2016)
Publication date ‏ : ‎ April 21, 2016
Language ‏ : ‎ English
File size ‏ : ‎ 2042 KB
Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
Print length ‏ : ‎ 642 pages

Best Sellers Rank: #591,782 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- #2,765 in Historical Fantasy (Kindle Store)
- #2,777 in Historical Mystery, Thriller & Suspense Fiction
- #4,826 in Historical Fantasy (Books)

Customer Reviews:
4.4 109 ratings

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Bridget Wood
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Sarah Rayne
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Sarah Rayne's first novel was published in 1982, and for several years she juggled writing books with working in property, pounding an elderly typewriter into the small hours in order to meet deadlines.
Much of the inspiration for her dark psychological thrillers comes from the histories and atmospheres of old buildings, a fact that is strongly apparent in many of her settings - Mortmain House in A Dark Dividing, Twygrist Mill in Spider Light, and the eerie cliff-top ruins in The Bell Tower.
She has written more than 30 books to date, and her work has met with considerable acclaim, with Tower of Silence being long-listed for the 2005 Theakston's Award. Her books are also published in America, as well as having been translated into German, Dutch, Russian and Turkish.
Following eight widely-read stand-alone novels, in 2011 came the six haunted-house books, featuring the Oxford don, Michael Flint, and the antiques dealer, Nell West, who made their debut in Property of a Lady.
The video about the creation of these books can be seen here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kJijG-DqcZo
These were followed by the psychological thriller mystery series, with the music historian and researcher, Phineas Fox, at the heart of each book.
In 2023 Sarah launched the ‘Theatre of Thieves‘ series, which introduced the Fitzglens, who are very proud of their reputation as one of Edwardian London’s leading theatrical families – but who also pursue, very discreetly, another profession… When not on stage, they are extremely successful thieves.
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Several years ago Sarah greatly enjoyed writing six contemporary horror books, which have recently re-issued in e-Book format. In addition, her much-loved 'Wolfking' fantasy series has been re-issued in e-Book format.
To find out more about Sarah Rayne, visit her website, blog-site, or YouTube channel, or follow her on Facebook -
www.sarahrayne.co.uk
https://sarahrayneblog.wordpress.com/
www.facebook.com/SarahRayneAuthor
www.youtube.com/user/SarahRayneAuthor
See more on the author's page

Customer reviews

4.4 out of 5

109 global ratings

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Mary Lou Devriendt

A hard to put down adventure full of Irish mythology

Reviewed in the United States on September 9, 2017

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I have read several of Sarah Rayne's books, and she never disappoints. This one started slowly, and if I hadn't been sure this writer would tell a good story, I might have given up. However, I kept going, and it turned into a fantastic adventure. If you're interested in Irish mythology you will especially love this. It was hard to put down. There is some strong sex and violence, and some truly disgusting things, so this is definitely not for children. But if you're prepared for that, you will find it a wild and wonderful ride.

2 people found this helpful

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Mandie

Wonderful dark fantasy

Reviewed in the United States on February 24, 2020

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I loved this book, intriguing story and intense situations

Reviewed in the United States on December 10, 2016

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This book made me sick and I had night mares the night I finished it. I am sorry but you would have to be a sick person to even think the things that are in this book.

One person found this helpful

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S.Rod

Five Stars

Reviewed in the United States on July 21, 2016

Great book

Reviewed in the United States on June 14, 2019

Got this book from my dad who got it from my sister. It wasn't his style but oh boy was it mine! I lived reading the his book. So much so that I have replaced it many many times over the years (20+). Was so excited to find out there were 3 more books to read.

Reviewed in the United States on December 18, 2006

I have no idea how I came to own this book, but I was bored one day and was searching for something to read when I found it. I had passed over it several times because I thought that the plot would be rather dull--sort of Conan-esque. I read the back, then read it again. "Wait a minute," I thought. Did it really say it was post-Apocalyptic with time travel and a wolfman lover? I read the back again and I could not believe that I had missed this!

The premise turned out to be fascinating. I am interested in end-of-the-world-as-we-know-it books, as well as Celtic lore and mythical (and sometimes horrifying) beasts. Ms. Wood managed to combine these unlikely elements in a book that left me begging for more of her work. In the (not so far off future) of post-Apocalyptic Ireland, people have unfortunately returned to the days when men were superior and marriages were decided on by the parents. This didn't make the feminist in me too happy, but as it is entirely possible, given what I know about history and anthropology, I let it pass as being part of a different culture.

I forgot about my previous grumbles about the quirks of the society as I quickly became passionately invested in the characters. I alternated between shouting at them and cheering them on. All of the characters seemed fleshed out, with frailities and fears, but the reader is treated to a marvelous coming-of-age story as the young Joanna discovers strengths that she did not know she had.

The more I read, the more I NEEDED to know what would happen next. The plot twists had me re-reading a few times to be sure I grasped what had just happened, but I didn't mind reading fine prose again. The dialogue was snappy and believable, and while some parts of the book had a dark surrealistic theme, everything made sense within the context of ancient (to us) lore.

There are some heart-breaking scenes, as well as some grotesque and some erotic. The ending left me in tears, but I knew that in terms of literature, it had to happen like that.

I am telling you, neither the cover nor the back desciption can do justice to this work. My own paltry words can not express the greatness of this work. I began Wolfking with low expectations, but before I had read six pages, I was enthralled with this world.

This is an unusual book, in an unusual genre. If you are looking for something different, then I encourage you to find a copy of Wolfking at once.

4 people found this helpful

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Amazon Customer

Good story

Reviewed in the United States on July 27, 2016

Verified Purchase

Interesting story line and well written but some of the events were... weird... I would give it 5 stars otherwise

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Jacquie @ Rattle the Stars

I didn't love it, but I didn't hate it either.

Reviewed in the United States on May 18, 2016

I'm really conflicted about how I feel about this book. I didn't love it, but I didn't hate it either. I'm in that in between feeling of it was alright, like meh. I'm still debating if I should rate this book a 2, 2.5 or a 3. I just don't know! Ugh! I mainly requested this book from NetGalley because of the cover and title. It sounded and looked interesting, so why not? What did I have to lose?

The idea behind the story is intriguing. The world has suffered through a terrible catastrophic event and a small community in Ireland has reverted back to how humanity used to live, a time without technology and knowledge of the wider world. Throw in some time travel and it seems pretty cool! However, the author didn't fully catch my attention and drag me into her world or endear me to her characters. After a while, I just felt indifferent to what I was reading and that's never a good thing!

My main issue with the book was that some parts of the story were difficult to follow. The person speaking wasn't always clear and the points of view jumped around a lot. This sometimes meant that I had to reread parts or go back and forth between pages. In the end, it just didn't live up to my initial expectations and left me wanting more. If there is a second book, I probably will not pick it up.

4 people found this helpful

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Top reviews from other countries

Amazon Customer

Great read

Reviewed in Canada on February 12, 2019

Verified Purchase

This book was hard to put down! I hope their is a follow up, I am sure their will be.

Sue M.

Wolf king

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 28, 2018

Verified Purchase

This is a fabulous book, I was completely entranced from the first page. Was unable to put it down, read well into the night. I will definitely read more by this author.

One person found this helpful

Papa Inura

An exciting read!

Reviewed in Australia on May 29, 2022

Verified Purchase

Thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. Vast number of characters, all interesting, each with a place in the the wonderfully weird alternate world in the story! Definitely will appeal to lovers of fantasy fiction.

Margaret Bale

I enjoyed this book immensely. It is very well written and the author has a fantastic imagination with a superb ability to convey the magic of her tale to the reader. I could not put it down!

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 25, 2018

Verified Purchase

I look forward to reading more of this writer's work and recommending her to my friends. A thoroughly enjoyable read.

Pookie

One person found this helpful

Tarah Miller

WAY TOO DESCRIPTIVE!

Reviewed in Canada on March 19, 2018

Verified Purchase

I love reading and even love a really lengthy novel however this novel is WAY TOO DESCRIPTIVE! Every minute detail is described so specifically... THEN the character thinks about it, then explains WHY they are thinking about it, then explains why it is important to think about it... UGH too much.

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Wolfking (Wolfking Series Book 1) Kindle Edition

The Apocalypse has come – and it has left the World in ruins…

‘A smashing writer who really knows how to weave a tale…’ Booksellers’ Choice

Praise for Sarah Rayne’s works:

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