The Silver Wolf by Alice Borchardt

by Shanyn
(Washington, DC)

This beautiful novel, written by the sister of Anne Rice, uses flowing, delicate prose to describe a topic generally neglected by literature: werewolves.

Set in the fall of the Roman Empire, the story is magical realism at its finest, detailing the personal struggle of the main character, Regeane, to come to terms with her personal identity and the lifelong abuse incurred at the hands of her uncles due to the secret of her twilight identity.

This is intertwined with the political battles of the Pope Hadrian to maintain control of the crumbling empire, and an eloquently written, understated romance with the mountain king Maniel.
The cast of characters and grand storyline, alternating comedy with drama, is fantastic and believable, even if the subject matter is not. Alice Borchardt uses poetry to elaborate a plot line that grasps the reader from the first page until the end and for days after. It is sheer beauty and wonderful reading.