David Clement-Davies

PHENOMENAL. I have read this book three times since I first picked it up when I was thirteen years old, and it has been an incredibly powerful read every time. It reads like a creation myth told from the first person narrative of one of the mythic first animals. Every scene drips with portent, prophecy, and the sense that were the main character to turn around quickly enough, they would be nose-to-nose with a god. An unsung masterpiece of high fantasy.

I've discovered that what most people think when they look at this book is "It's an epic fantasy about deer? Well, unless you're some kind of deer lover, it's got to be boring, right?"

Wrong.

In his debut novel, Clement-Davies spins a world of incredible, realistic fantasy. Much as he did later in "The Sight," he populates this world with prophecies, myths, dark forces, spirits, gods, and unlikely heroes and heroines. And the result never ceases to amaze me.

High in the hills of Scotland, amid show more one of the herds of proud red deer, a fawn is born to the stag captain Brechin. On that same night, Brechin is murdered in a dark plot by the tyrannical Drail, who seeks to make the herd, and eventually all the deer in the valley, his own. But Brechin's calf, Rannoch, is in grave danger. For he is born with a white oak leaf on his forehead: the sign of a prophesied hero who will rise to bring the true ways of the wild back again. But not before he has endured an unimaginable quest.

In a tradition as epic as any ancient mythical hero, Rannoch and his friends, a wonderful and diverse cast of characters that are fantastically written, must travel into the heart of the wilderness to seek sanctuary from Drail. Like "Watership Down," this book makes you take a closer look at an often dismissed animal, into you are pulled so completely into the adventure you can't believe you ever thought deer were boring. show less

If you want really good animal fantasy, David Clement-Davies delivers, both with this awesome novel, and his other "Fire Bringer".

Sometimes the pace is slow, and the book is indeed long and detailed, but anyone who looks closely will see that this is mostly because of how intricate it is. Real wolf fact blended with creative folklore fiction on every page; I think this book does what every great animal fantasy should: make you look at the natural world through new eyes. It's chilling, with show more the dark fairy tales and horrific cults of blood and sacrifice. It's relatable, with characters as kind as Larka and Kar and as hateful as Morgra. It's eye opening, with the choices the wolves make and the great revelations it gives us about life, religion, and the human purpose. All in all, I can read "The Sight" over and over, (and have) and still find new things to love about it. show less

I really doubt I ever finished this as a child? But it was super influential on me. The reread was wild. wolf jesus. Really multiple wolf jesuses. jesi. and the ending has a throwaway line earnestly linking these wolves telekinetic powers to nuclear energy and the atom bomb. David you can't just give me that one sentence and walk away from it.

Almost dnf'd at about the halfway point so it has a supremely soggy middle but glad I pushed through; the ending was fun. Also not a furry but surely show more this must be a staple of the furry literary canon right. Like if it's not they are missing out. show less