Via Justine De fant

The Wolf and His King

By Finn Longman

4.5 / 5 Stars

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Rating: 4.5 out of 5.

Cursed with lycanthropy since he was a child, Bisclavret is doomed to shift into a wolf against his will. The transformation is as unwelcome as it is sporadic. There is neither time nor place that will predict when he will shift next and no pattern to identify that might ease the anxiety of his painful transformation.

Afraid of the control he loses when he is a wolf, he exiles himself from the life he’s always dreamed of: knighthood, brotherhood, belonging.

It isn’t until his cousin, a knight himself, convinces Bisclavret to swear his fealty to their new king that he embraces a hope for a future he once thought was beyond his reach.

The king, a man not much older than Bisclavret, ascends to the throne against his wishes, not feeling fit for the large shoes his father left behind. But upon meeting Bisclavret, he is instantly captivated by his stoic mien and reserved yet noble demeanor. Driven partly by Bisclavret’s own request for knighthood, but mostly by a clawing desire to keep him close, the king knights him soon after.

But the king is not alone in his growing affections for this stranger. Others in the court have also taken notice, including his beautiful and beguiling ward.

What follows is a poignant retelling of betrayal, unrequited love, longing, isolation, and monstrosity—all working together to capture the raw yearning of two men learning to come into their own identities.

Bisclavret is the Norman word for werewolf. It is his name that brings him back to his humanity, that gives his body and mind their shape. When he is a wolf, he is nameless. Wild. Untethered to his mortal identity. His name gives him meaning, and this is why he is the only character in the novel with a proper name.

Despite this narrative choice, the king is the anchor of the narrative for me. The themes of loneliness, loyalty, and salvation are more intentionally explored through his eyes. It is his longing that compelled me to turn the next page.

In his actions and thoughts, we see him as a kind man with a desire for peace in a war-hungry world, an unfavorable sign of weakness in a court that yearns to fight and to earn honor and glory through violence. He finds it difficult to connect with those around him, not just because of his lack of bloodlust and their desire for it, but because of his crown, which separates him from feeling true camaraderie. This ache mirrors that of Bisclavret, who also yearns to belong. In their respective sections, I feel their emotions—their pain, their hopes, their betrayals, and their doubts. It is wonderfully executed through Longman’s writing that is grounded and introspective.

The king’s sections are written in second person, immersing the reader in the story. Bisclavret’s chapters are written in third person affording us some distance from the depths of his emotions unlike that of his counterpart, and his wolf form is written in a poetic, disjointed rhythm that vacillates between coherent thought and animal instinct.

My only issue—though it’s one that does not take away from the overall impact the novel had on me—is that the relationships did not feel wholly believable or realized. While I can see why Bisclavret’s noble and mysterious character endeared him to those around him, I felt like everyone fell under a spell and admired him way too fast. His brief time at court was not enough to warrant the unyielding devotion and love the king feels for him almost right away.

Tiny Spoiler Ahead

Second to that is the love and loyalty Bisclavret displays for the king, which becomes more pronounced after he is trapped in his wolf form following the betrayal of his wife and his cousin, characters whose swift change of heart also feels unearned, or perhaps unexplored. Though it was clear why they did what they did, it felt as if the love that they had displayed so earnestly for Bisclavret dissolves solely to move the plot along.

End of Spoiler

Regardless, this did not take away from my enjoyment of the novel because the king and Bisclavret’s feelings were the focal point of my attention. It is through their devotion to one another, through their journey toward healing and self-love, that renders every other aspect of the story secondary.

If you like longing, grounded prose, emotionally driven characters, and lyrical retellings of myths, you’ll likely enjoy this story.

Note: This is a retelling of the classic 12th-century medieval tale Bisclavret, originally written as a Breton lai by Marie de France.