The Red Wolf Conspiracy

The Red Wolf Conspiracy was the most enjoyable fantasy novel I've read for a few years. Redick's comfort with the building blocks of novel construction bely the books debut status, and it has me tearing through the sequels at a rate of knots.

Pazel is a refugee ship's boy with an unusual talent for acquiring languages. Through happenstance he finds himself on the last, greatest ship in the Empire - capable of carrying over a thousand people. But crushed amongst the sailors and tourists, there are agents for and against the powerful Arquali empire, and Pazel will find himself in grave danger before he's even left port.

The Red Wolf Conspiracy is both original, but also unashamedly old-school in its construction. Old school in the sense show more that it lacks a gimmick, or thinly disguised metaphor underneath its swashbuckling yarn. Equally, it lacks a kind of "gritty" masculine braggadocio that other writers like Steven Erikson takes to adolescent extremes. Perhaps this explains its lack of critical "oomph" on publication - though I note every reviewer that has read the book seems to like it.

What Red Wolf Conspiracy does have, though, is something much better. A fully fleshed-out world with a concrete sense of place and time. Wonderfully three-dimensional characters with believable, complex motivations, and the crucial fines herbes of a good fantasy novel (in my opinion): A strong narrative; a ripe sense of possibility and magic; and an undercurrent of romance or passion.

The two main protagonists, though young, are mature and suitably complex. Their backgrounds shape their reactions and emotions, but they also grow and change over the books. The same can be said of all the characters, really - The boat could become a metaphor for a voyage of personal discovery; a journey into the unknown where the traveller is changed long before the destination is reach, if there is one.

Indeed, under Redick's deceptively smooth prose, there's a philosphical bent to the book. It's not heavy-handed, and never overpowers a quite relentless narrative, but there's something allusive to it. Some reviews have mentioned the teenage protagonists as an attempt to gain cross-over appeal, but I vehemently disagree.

This is a book centred around discovery - for its characters, its races, and its nations. What age is better suited to a voyage of self discovery than adolescence? In this respect, despite the powerhouse plot, The Red Wolf Conspiracy put me in mind of Paul Park's Roumania quartet, one of my best reads of 2012. This series is certainly shaping up in the same vein, most recommended. show less

This was a super first novel, up in my top 5 favorites for the year so far. I love discovering new authors, especially since one or two of my favorites have not been delivering the goods lately (George RR Martin-write the book already and stop messing around and taunting your readers! Robin Hobb, write something else, preferably set in the Six Duchies!) Anyway, Robert V.S. Redick has satisfied my hunger for a fantasy world to match that of Martin's or Hobb's and it's populated with wonderful characters, not all of them human. Most of the novel was set on a ship, and I love a good seafaring tale. The plot is original, well-crafted, and the author didn't feel like he needed 150 pages of expository to set up the story. I got into it right show more away and lost sleep because I couldn't put it down. Can't wait for the sequel! show less

The Red Wolf Conspiracy
Robert V. S. Redick
Historical Fiction
Del Rey (2009), Hardcover
464 pages
Advance Readers Copy

The first moment I opened this book I could smell the salty sea spray and feel the snap of the heavy canvas sails in the wind. I could hear the creak of ageless magical timber and twisted hemp and the sound of a thousand activities as sailors scurried the deck of the Chathrand as it plied The Quiet Sea. Not since Raymond Feist’s “The King’s Buccaneer” or C. S. Forester’s “Hornblower” books have I had such fun on the high seas.

I truly enjoyed “The Red Wolf Conspiracy” and was pleasantly surprised and impressed by such a highly imaginative debut novel. I’m looking forward to all his future works. This is an show more historical seafaring romp with a magical/fantastical twist entwined with political intrigue which kept me turning pages at a furious rate. This is an enjoyable read with intelligently crafted characters, locations and scenes and was undeniably captivating. Best of all, there wasn’t a single misplaced or wasted word. I ask you to recall the first time you read “Lord Valentine’s Castle” or any of the “Pern” stories and you’ll begin to understand how wonderfully immersed in the fantasy I became while reading this tale.

My favorite characters were the tiny Ixhxchr which appear to be loosely based on Ireland’s “Little Folk” and Captain Nilus Rose, the stalwart skipper of the greatest ship to ever sail.

I can’t think of a single negative thing to say about this book. And, after an hour of thought I still can’t seem to find the right words to praise it highly enough.

5 of 5 stars

The Alternative
Southeastern Wisconsin show less

I picked up The Red Wolf Conspiracy because it has a picture of a full-rigged ship on the cover. As a passionate, but certainly not exclusive, reader of age-of-fighting-sail historic naval fiction, I am intrigued by the possibility of successful HNF/SF hybrids. There are some quite good cross-overs between HNF and mystery fiction, as well as espionage and even romance, but I'm still looking for the perfect mix of HNF with the genre I read avidly in my long-ago youth, Science Fiction. Taylor Anderson has produced an excellent SF/Naval Fiction series, but it is based on WWII destroyers – fun, but not my cup of sunshine. Tom Grundner did a creditable hybrid with the first book of his Sir Sydney Smith series, but then wrote out the SF show more elements when he republished. (I haven’t read Naomi Novik yet, but I have high hopes there. So little time…) The action of TRWC does take place on a sailing ship but, despite the occasional “stunsails aloft,” it is not really naval fiction. It is, however, a damn fine novel and I was forced to put my quirky expectations aside and enjoy it on its own merits.

The Chathrand is by far the largest ship in the world, the last survivor of a distant era, and she is being prepared for a mysterious voyage. She carries not only a variety of nationalities and classes, but a mixture of sentient species. The action centers around two young people, Pazel Pathkendle, a tarboy (the lowest of the ship's crew) and Thasha Isiq, the daughter of the ship's most exalted passenger. Everyone aboard has secrets and few people are what they seem.

Secrets are revealed as the characters pursue their competing ambitions and the reader is forced to confront questions about the nature of good and evil, loyalty and betrayal, life and death.

The world of Alifros is richly drawn and the action is compelling. As in the Philip Pullman His Dark Materials trilogy, young people struggle to be more than pawns in great schemes to which they are not privy. Like Pullman, Redick creates a sense of constant foreboding amid awareness of poorly understood menaces. Redick's readers, like Pullman's, cannot avoid that most imponderable of questions, “How can grown-ups be so stupid?” This first of four volumes, despite all the action, is really only exposition. Over the first three months of the Chathrand's voyage we achieve a better understanding of the characters and the issues that drive them, but the story doesn't come close to a resolution. I look forward to reading the rest of the series. show less

Another one of my favorites, Robert V. S. Redick spins a splendid tale on the high seas about the voyage of the Chathrand, the last remaining great ship which can sail across the Ruling Sea, and it’s assumed demise.

The Red Wolf Conspiracy is a book that had been on my radar for some time. I decided to finally give it a go this fall, and it quickly became one of the few novels I truly could not put down. I found myself sneaking around the house to get in another chapter – or even a page – when I was supposed to be doing something else (like tending to my four year old daughter or cleaning the dishes).

What was it about Red Wolf that I loved so much? First, I loved the writing. Robert V. S. Redick’s language brings you square into show more a fantasy pirate setting where you can taste the ocean spray on your lips, feel the sting of its salt in your eyes, and hear the tolling of the harbor bells as you drift past them on your loosely lashed together raft. The story is written so teens can enjoy it and adults can love it. No foul language fills these pages, just a lot of dreamy adventure. I haven’t read any of the Redwall series, but from what I do know of those beloved books I imagine this novel is similar in a lot of ways yet at a more advanced level appealing to both younger and older crowds.

The characters were defined quite well, and the fact that the main protagonist’s only magical power is the ability to understand other languages is quite unique. A talking animal (a mink I think) plays the part of a powerful sorcerer from another world on a mission to save both worlds from an evil wizard. Some may think talking animals amount to a childish story and not want to read it. Okay. Well you can feel that way, but you’ll be missing out on a great, great book!

The story line itself is linear, very orderly and filled with excellent scenes. One scene in particular (an underwater scene for those who have read it – but I won’t go further for fear of spoiling) left me stunned at the visualization and originality the author employs. Red Wolf Conspiracy is actually only the first part of a longer story, so you are left hanging a little – but in a place where you don’t feel you have missed out on anything. I can’t wait to read the next book – I just need to find the time now… maybe a babysitter or a house cleaner.

Due to the gorgeous writing style, in depth characterization, and unique magic powers, I am very pleased to give The Red Wolf Conspiracy 5 out of 5 stars. show less

In the Red Wolf Conspiracy, it appears that Redick was inspired by the great sea faring stories of the past, when men sailed the oceans through the grace of the wind and the strength of their sails; he added dollops of magic and political intrigue to create a book that draws you in from almost its opening words. With characters drawn from all levels of society, human and otherwise, he has populated the pages with the many faces of good and evil.

The Red Wolf Conspiracy” opens with a ‘Special Notice’ from The Etherhorde Mariner which speculates on the disappearance of the Chathrand. From here, the story is told in a standard third-person narrative through the multiple viewpoints of humans, woken animals and ixchel alike, while show more interjected with occasional excerpts from the Quartermaster’s secret journal, letters addressed from Captain Rose to his father, and an intercepted correspondence from Dr. Chadfallow to Thasha’s father Eberzam. Personally, I really liked these breaks from the normal narrative; they added variety and some interesting insights. However, I was a bit puzzled by the ‘Editors’ Footnotes’ that appear at times throughout the novel, which seemed out of place…

I really liked “The Red Wolf Conspiracy”. Robert V.S. Redick’s debut was fun to read, intelligently crafted, highly imaginative, and undeniably charming. In the end, what makes this story so captivating is Robert Redick's ability to bring this world to life. From storms at sea, everyday life aboard a ship, and life ashore, every scene is so lovingly detailed that you can almost smell the salt of the ocean, or feel the planks of the ship shudder beneath your feet as it weathers a blow. The Red Wolf Conspiracy takes its readers on a wonderful voyage of adventure that they won't regret booking passage on. I can’t wait to see what happens on The Chathrand Voyage in the rest of the trilogy. show less

When a new fantasy author is being compared to such standouts as George R. R. Martin, China Mieville, and Philip Pullman, there's bound to be quite a bit of buzz. Redick proves himself worthy of such buzz, but leaves plenty of room for improvement in the sequel to this nautical adventure fantasy. The book centers on a handful of characters human and animal sailing on the great ship Chathrand. These include Pazel, a teenage tarboy with the power to understand any language; the Arquali daughter of the ambassador to the other superpower, Mzithrin, whose marriage to one of the Mzithrini princes is meant to bring about a lasting peace; a sentient rat; and the queen of a race of tiny humanoid stowaways hoping to return to their home across show more the sea. As it gradually becomes apparent to these characters that the ships's captain and others in league with him are conspiring to somehow begin a war rather than induce peace, the various heroes must band together to thwart the conspiracy or risk the unleashing of an ancient evil upon the world.

"The Red Wolf Conspiracy" has two major strengths - it is a fine nautical adventure (from which comparisons to Mieville's "The Scar" spring, although Redick is nowhere as wildly imaginative or skilled at worldbuilding) and a complex, sympathetic teenage lead in Pazel (the Pullman comparisons). As other reviewers have commented, this is a good, fast-paced book that is hard to put down, but it fails to be a great book for several reasons. First and foremost, too much of the plot is revealed and advanced through huge chunks of character dialogue, especially limiting the appeal of what would otherwise have been an excellent tale of intrigue. There's a lot of "telling" rather than showing here, and at no point does this book rate anywhere close to George R. R. Martin's skill at court intrigue. Second, most of the characters, both good and bad, are rather one-dimensional and hard to distinguish, aside from Pazel, the ambassador's daughter Thasha, and Captain Rose. Overall, the book has its exciting moments and promises more in the following sequels. Here's to hoping Redick fixes the leaks in this literary ship and finishes the voyage with more favorable winds. Moderate violence, mild allusions to sex. Ages 13+. show less