Howl of the Wolf

"The concept behind 'Howl Of The Wolf' is absolutely fascinating. Telepathic wolves have been the dominant sentient life-form on the distant plant of Drako for untold years, and each member of the pack carries within them the voices of their ancestors; many lifetimes of soul and memory on which they may draw. One day, a colonisation initiative from Earth brings a strange new creature to the peaceful world - humans. They walk on just two legs and their minds are oddly silent, leading the lupines to conclude that these new arrivals are unintelligent. Hundreds of years pass, during which time the human society on Drako descends into feudalism with a hierarchical class system and a deep-seated hatred of technology. The wolves observe, maintaining their distance, until after decades of isolation another space vessel unexpectedly makes planetfall. The crew of the medical ship Zebulon, on the run from the Machiavellian Institute, have been augmented by many spans of transferring their consciousness into new clone bodies, and each of them now possesses superhuman abilities. Will they make telepathic first contact with the wolves? And what of the menacing Institute agent that has secreted himself aboard the Zebulon and means to destroy its crew? The plot thickens deliciously as the ageing King Halder, consumed by anger over the murder of his family, surprises everyone by naming Donovan, captain of the Zebulon, as his successor.'Howl Of The Wolf' is a richly imagined story which leads the reader on a journey through space and time, revealing a wonderful world that Diane lays out for us to play in. Characterization is clear-cut and highly communicative. The flow of the narrative is excellent... Highly recommended." Review by Xander Richards, Author