The Work of Wolves

The Work of Wolves is an ambitious undertaking in its attempts to connect the disenfranchisement of Native Americans and the Nazi failed experiments with a 'master race' and the extermination of the Jews, as well as drawing parralels to the Abraham and Isaac story from the Bible. And a lot of other stuff too, actually. And the most amazing thing is that Kent Meyers pretty much pulls it off. The book's various subplots and disparate characters all hang together and gradually merge into a single story by the book's conclusion. There are probably some who would protest that the 'love story' part of the plot is left unresolved, and that bothered me a bit too, but I finally decided that element was really a 'means to an end,' a catalyst that show more drove the rest of the story, which, in my own mind was all about the age old problem of poor communication between fathers and sons, their excruciatingly sad inability to express love for each other. There was the story of Abraham asked by God to sacrifice Isaac, his only son. And, with the contemporary stories presented here - of sons Carson, Earl, Willi and Ted - the rest of that story, Isaac's story, finally gets told, often in the most heartbreaking fashion.

This is not a "happily ever after" kind of story, but it is a damn good one, and you will be thinking about it long after you close the covers. Kent Meyers is a writer who knew what he wanted to say, and he said it well. show less

I liked this book. There were some beautiful lyrical passages. There were thought provoking passages. There were interesting characters that I cared about. Somehow though the book didn't jell quite as much as perhaps it should have. Carson was such a smart, strong man starting from when he was a boy as the book opened that I felt that I expected more from him. That somehow even though he triumphed in some ways, in others he was blowing in the wind a bit. The book had such a strong beginning that I expected more at the end. More of an arcing inevitable bracketing in the end.

The characterizations were where the book really shone. Besides Carson, Earl Walks Alone was a stand out character. His was a clear shinning note, sort of an anti show more stereotype of an Indian. Norm, his uncle, and his mother were clearly drawn. Ted and Willi were also interesting characters. I also felt like the setting of western South Dakota was almost a character in itself.

Well it was absorbing and interesting for the most part. But I lacked that feeling of closing the book satisfied that all was wrapped up, every inevitable action had happened and everyone was right where they should be as I turned the last page. show less

The Work of Wolves is a beautifully written modern day western, complete with a cowboy hero and his new-found pals.

The book opens as 14-year-old Carson Fielding, already a smart and talented horseman, negotiates the purchase of a horse from a local wealthy and powerful rancher, Magnus Yarborough. Things go Carson’s way, but already we know Magnus doesn’t like anyone getting the better of him. Magnus, as it turns out, is a cruel, vindictive, and jealous man.

Fast forward 12 years and we meet two teens, Earl Walks Alone, a Lakota determined to get off the reservation and escape the prejudices of the locals, and Willi Schubert, a German exchange student entranced with the west and dealing with his own family’s secrets. Carson, now show more 26, is a horse trainer and when Magnus needs three horse trained as well as his young wife taught to ride, Carson agrees, if only to help with his father’s finances. A late night discovery soon brings the three young men together.

Initially, I thought Myers may have thrown a bit too much into the background of his characters. Sometimes the thoughts and background of Earl and Willi took me away from the main action, but the writing is eloquent and the characters well drawn and I soon felt engaged with their stories as well. Conflicts abound, some inevitable, and relationships, both good and bad, are at the heart of the story. The beauty and desolation of South Dakota makes for a well-described secondary character.

Fans of modern western/coming of age stories will love this book. A warning for the sensitive, though – this western is not necessarily kind to its livestock. show less

Ambitious attempt to bring the iconic power struggles of the American West, Native American mysticism and Nazi Germany together--and Meyers pulls it off far more successfully than I would have thought possible. There's some beautiful writing here, too, and a couple of truly memorable characters in the taciturn young cowboy Carson Fielding and the comparatively minor character Ted Kills Many. I'd have liked to have rated it higher, except couldn't get past feeling a lack of necessity in some of what passes for Necessary in the plot.

I read a blurb somewhere that said this book is about a horse trainer who gets involved with a rich land owner's wife (which, for all the description's worth, makes it sound like a knock-off of "All the Pretty show more Horses"--not to mention a zillion lesser books). Ever the fate of novels of ideas and character, I guess--literal plot description.

A warning I would've appreciated (course I never would have read the book if I'd heard it) is that every animal that puts in an appearance must, for some reason, die violently. show less

This book is sort of billed as a modern day western, but it's not. It the story of a boy who has a way with horses and a love of the ranch land he lives on. These are not traits that his father shares, nor many others he is in contact with. Carson, the main character buys his first horse from the richest landowner named Magnus, a man who is never happy unless he is getting the better of someone. He doesn't get the better of Carson with the sale of the horse, nor during any of their future interactions, and this angers Magnus, to the point of seeking cruel revenge. Carson is helped by an usual cast of characters, including Willi, a foreign exchange student. It is the side side of Willi, that prevented me from loving the book as I saw it show more as an unneeded distraction. Otherwise this book, is outstanding. The writing is beautiful, and places the reader among the characters and setting of the book perfectly. show less

Carson Fielding is a young man wise beyond his years especially when it comes to working with horses, and this grates against an evil core of jealousy and greed inside his neighbor rancher Magnus Yarborough. This coming-of-age novel touches on society's prejudices from many angles and the heart of people as they relate to each other and to the creatures of this world. Animal abuse is graphic.

Unbelievably powerful and lyrical story of a cowboy and his 2 friends, one a Lakota and one a German, who try to save the horses of a powerful and revengeful ranch owner.