The Wolf of Tebron (The Gates of Heaven, #1) by Susanne C.S.Lakin

Title: The Wolf of Tebron

Author: Susanne C.S. Lakin

Series: 1st in planned series

Published: August 13, 2010 by AMG Publishers

Pages: 272

ISBN: 9780899578880

 Source: sent for review

Description: A young blacksmith must undertake a perilous journey to the four ends of the world to rescue his wife, who is held captive by the Moon. Along the way, he befriends a powerful wolf who encourages, protects, and ultimately sacrifices his life to save his human friend. A stirring allegory of Gods love in classic fairy tale tradition.

 I Give This ...

 

I was intrigued by the email I received pitching this book.  It was described as being along the same lines as The Chronicles of Narnia and The Lord of the Rings.  So, I accepted.  I'm glad I did.  I loved the fantasy world the author was able to create.  It felt very real and definitely had the same feel and The Chronicles of Narnia.  I loved how each journey was set up and how the scenery changed with each one.

The characters were interesting.  I was surprised at how fast Joran decided to take his journey.  But, he did whine about it a lot along the way.  It was a constant battle of not knowing what he was doing, were he was going, or why he was doing it.  Sometimes it wasn't very convincing why he continued on.  Ruyah, the wolf was fabulous.  He was the backbone of the story I felt.  His actions proved his loyalty to Joran.  In fact there was lots of animal interactions that I thought contributed to the story greatly.

It was a wonderful story with Joran journey to the house of The Moon, The Sun, and The South Wind.  Each interaction was beautifully set up.  Joran learns a lot about himself and about humans in general and each location.  Along the way, Ruyah provides thoughtful words of advice and anecdotes.

The only draw back for me was the ending.  I just didn't feel it like I thought I should have.  It left me wondering if I didn't connect with the characters as much as I thought.  But, overall a wonderful story that draws some interesting parallels and really makes you think.