A Black Fox Running

A review I wrote in February 2020:

Black Fox Running by Brian Carter (5 stars)

Wulfgar is a wily dark-furred fox of Dartmoor. His friend Stargrief is a seer and a veteran of 9
winters old. All of the foxes of Wulfgar’s territory are terrorised by Scoble, a trapper and seasonal
labourer, and his mad hunting dog, Jacko. Set around 1947, Scoble, shell-shocked from his time
serving in the war, has a drink-fuelled intense hatred of wild animals and foxes in particular.
Against local laws, he sets out to trap and kill as many foxes as he can.

At times quite grim and relentless, Brian Carter tells his story and depicts the Dartmoor flora and
fauna in such a beautiful lyrical way it’s impossible to not fall into the story and be caught up in
the show more fate of the foxes. While not what you would call a page-turning novel, the prose is poetic and
atmospheric, it’s the most stunning read. show less

Wulfgar, the dark-furred fox roamed far and wide over the wilds of Dartmoor. He spoke with other foxes, conversed with otters by the rivers and exchanged greetings with the badgers at dusk. He was happy with his lot, had managed to escape the relentless pursuit of the hunt, and had now found the love of his life, Teg. But life was not going to be easy for the pair. The man trying to catch him was Scoble, an ex-veteran from the war with a drink problem. His streak of cruelness and with the assistance of his dog, Jacko, they had it in for the foxes in particular, as well as wildlife in general with their traps, gins and snares.

The talking animals makes this feel like a children's book, but the scenes within are not. The is as much about show more death as it is about living life and is as full of the tangled emotions that go to make this up. Carter's lyrical writing has an intensity to it, you feel the wind ruffle the fur, understand the smells of the night as they track their prey and share the euphoria of being alive racing across the Tors. The writing is firmly grounded in the granite bedrock of Dartmoor and he brings the natural world alive to the reader. This re-published edition has a stunning cover, with a beautiful introduction by Melissa Harrison on how it inspired her to become a writer. 3.5 stars show less

This is a book in the tradition of Watership Down, but about Foxes. The hero of this story is a black fox named Wulfgar and of his nemesis, Scoble the trapper, in the seasons leading up to the pitiless winter of 1946. It is both a portrait of place and a gripping story of survival. He's sort of the badass alpha male (yet sensitive) of the foxes who reside around these particular moors in England. All isn't too great for him though because there is murderous hunting dog, The Lurcher, who is owned by an equally deranged trapper who would like to kill the poor fox.

The Lurcher quite possibly steals the show when the book focuses on him as a main character. He likes to kill things, and all of his thoughts are crazy, must kill everything to show more make the voices in my head and the stars up above happy variety.

One of the decent humans is a small boy, who we learn at the end of the book has the same first name as the author. The book, while written in 1982, takes place in the late 1940's, making it not just a meta-fiction trick but rather a re-imagining of what the author saw as a boy and mythologizing it. As breathtaking in its descriptions of the natural world as it is perceptive in its portrayal of damaged humanity. show less

A story that completely took me by suprise; full of passion, life, even romance. I frequently forgot that I was reading a book set from a foxes point of view, due to the depth of emotions and personality the author managd to convery from the animals perspective - so much so, that it was a jolt every time the story switched to a human narrator.

As soon as I finished A Black Fox Running, I was already envisioning my re-read of the story; I am excited to pick up interesting details I surely missed my first time round, in my haste to finish.

Started reading 30/12/21

Finished reading 05/12/22