Guest Review: Pam Nuzum reviews Wolf of the Highlands by Bill Howard

(Blurb): When Ray Barrett turns away from a life which had brought him nothing but heartache and disappointment, he is a shell of who he was and has completely lost his way. He wanders off into the mountains where he encounters a lone wolf that begins to follow him as a wolf during the day, but comes to him as a man at night.

He is called MacGregor and is one of the Sidhe, the mound people of Celtic folklore. He becomes a guide for Barrett and whenever MacGregor visits Brock is transported into another world or a dream and is given a task to complete. Each task is a part of either a major historical event or a common life in a part of history

Book Information:

Publisher: Senserial Publishing
Genre: Adventure, Fantasy, War
Type: Episodic
Length: 1 Season - 5 episodes



Guest Review by Pam Nuzum:

The Wolf of the Highlands, by Bill Howard, is a unique twist of the usual chapter-style book. It follows an 'Episodic' style, much like a television series, where by you are treated with entirely new episodes instead of continuing chapters. An episode may not pick up exactly where the last episode left off, there may be time in between or events that happen entirely in narrative between episodes. The book's aspects of time-travel, allow for this to happen pretty fluidly.

Wolf of the Highlands focuses on the character Ray Barret and his character development. While he does face a sort of antagonist, the majority of the journey you take with this book is based instead upon the moral, ethical and psychological development of Ray. For example; early in the story you meet MacGregor and the Wolf, but you spend most of time unclear as a reader if these two are illusions or actual people. In either case their purpose in the book seems to be that of gatekeeper, taking the reader on this journey with Ray.

What I liked:
The high points of this book are the depths of History, that Bill Howard boils down in to simplistic language that any reader could follow. As well as the character development of our Protagonist. He takes journeys through time, in which we are treated with the author's vast historical knowledge. All the while Ray Barrett is faced with overcoming the hurdles put before him by the other three main characters of this book.

What I didn't like:
Speaking of the characters, of which there are many minor characters but really only four major ones. This is where we begin to get a little 'shaky' in the series. MacGregor, a Scotsman, is perfect for comedic relief and is a new twist on the old 'wisened sarcastic sensei' role of asian fiction note. He never gives a straight answer and this just seems to complicate his interactions with the quick to ire Ray. While Alexia, the wolf, that "Spirit Guide" foil that fits perfectly as the sidekick of MacGregor. However despite the depths and warmth you get from those two, the 'antagonist' is weak and not really defined. 'Fasser,' spends a majority of the book trying to creatively kill Ray. The trouble is that despite the depths of which Bill Howard spends defining the history and the locations, Fasser is ill defined and leaves you with more questions than answers. Not in a good way. In a 'I'm not sure I understand what's going on' way.

Our journey with Ray is an interesting one. As we progress through the series we jump through time and see how Ray will face and deal with the possibility of death differently in each scenario. While this is, honestly, an amazing concept - The follow is a bit distorted and hard to follow. To the casual reader it is going to seem that we are haphazardly jumping through time. Never quite delving in to any one world that Ray encounters. I was left feeling that each 'episode' should be broken down, expanded upon, rather than ended abruptly, leaving me with a soured taste in my mouth for the entire 'episodic' take on a book series.

At the end of the story, Episode 12, we finally get all the answers we (and Ray) have been searching for. This final episode is the saving grace of the book. It is a mixture of seriousness, character development resolutions from Ray and perfect humor from MacGregor. The problem is I am not sure the average reader will hang with the book long enough to reach this perfect ending.

Rating:









About the Guest Reviewer: Pam Nuzum

A former probation officer/social worker in Florida, Pamela Nuzum now enjoys the quiet tranquility of Northern Indiana with her husband and two kids; where she spends her time reading, gardening, and being with family.