Excellent start to an epic fantasy tetralogy. The characters are appealing, the worldbuilding is complex and interesting, in a way that affects the plot. It's a fat fantasy (560 pages), but it does not get boring. ( )

Book started slow. I actually put it aside the first time. Glad I gave it another chance. Looking forward to the sequel. ( )

http://bactra.org/weblog/algae-2011-02.html#red-wolf ( )

This was a super first novel, up in my top 5 favorites for the year so far. I love discovering new authors, especially since one or two of my favorites have not been delivering the goods lately (George RR Martin-write the book already and stop messing around and taunting your readers! Robin Hobb, write something else, preferably set in the Six Duchies!) Anyway, Robert V.S. Redick has satisfied my hunger for a fantasy world to match that of Martin's or Hobb's and it's populated with wonderful characters, not all of them human. Most of the novel was set on a ship, and I love a good seafaring tale. The plot is original, well-crafted, and the author didn't feel like he needed 150 pages of expository to set up the story. I got into it right away and lost sleep because I couldn't put it down. Can't wait for the sequel! ( )

This was a fun easy read. High adventure, good world building, strange magic and "wakened" animals (animals who achieve intelligence). Oh, and there are the Ixchel, thumb sized humans. I really liked the Ixchel, they reminded me of Tom Thumb and/or [b:The Borrowers|348573|The Borrowers (The Borrowers, #1)|Mary Norton|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1308945559l/348573._SX50_.jpg|802336].

Our main protagonist, Pazel Pathkendle, is a young boy whose family was lost in a war. He becomes a "tar boy" (basically a gopher) on merchant ships. Along his adventures we meet a host of characters, both good and evil and Pazel becomes wrapped in a conspiracy which will envelope the world in another war.

More Young Adult then High Fantasy as stated on the MPG. This was [a:Robert V.S. Redick|2845500|Robert V.S. Redick|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1302130643p2/2845500.jpg]'s first novel and I think he did well here. I will continue the series. This first book convinced me that Redick has the chops to grow and become better at his craft. ( )