The Wolf and His King

Finn Longman
Completed 3/25/2026, Reviewed 3/29/2026
4 stars

This book is a queer retelling of the twelfth-century tale of Bisclavret the werewolf.  I had no knowledge of this legend but still enjoyed the book.  It is a well written tale of love, betrayal, isolation, and fealty.  Like many of the books I’ve been reading lately, the big conflict in this book is hiding truth out of fear.  In this case, it’s Bisclavret’s “wolf sickness.”  The prose is wondrous and the character development was excellent.  Longman made an interesting choice by only naming Bisclavret.  All the other characters are known only by their relationships to each other.  I still don’t know how I feel about that choice, but I did enjoy the book.  

Bisclavret’s father was lord in the kingdom.  When he died while his wife was pregnant with Bisclavret, his land reverted to the King since he had no male heir.  Bisclavret and his mother lived on a small cottage on the far end of the property that they were allowed to keep.  They had almost no interaction with anyone lest the secret of the wolf sickness be revealed.  Years later, the King has died and his son, the quasi-exiled Prince, ascends the throne.  Bisclavret’s cousin convinces him that he must go to the capital to pledge fealty to the new King.  (I’ll abbreviate the main character’s name to B going forward) B is reluctant because he has no control over his wolf sickness.  His cousin assures him that he will take care of him.  He also advises B that he may be able to ask for his father’s lands back as the male heir.  B reluctantly goes.  There he captures the fancy of the new King who can relate to being more or less exiled from the rest of the kingdom.  Not only does the King restore B’s lands but also makes him a knight after seeing B’s fighting prowess.  The cousin becomes the manager of the lands.  Then B suddenly disappears and the King is fraught with fear, despair, and disappointment until one day, an unusual wolf tamely befriends the King.  

Again, I didn’t know the original story, but I found this retelling exciting and engaging.  B’s disappearance made me reflect on my own embarrassment for ghosting people because I was afraid of what they would think of me if I revealed who I really was.  Whether it’s being gay, being depressed, being afraid, I found it easier to run rather than be honest.  It takes courage to be authentic.  This book did an excellent job of using metaphor to express this concept.

I also liked the unrequited love theme.  The new King falls for B and wants to do everything he can to keep him around.  B sees this to some extent, but does not acknowledge the King’s feelings, nor has the wherewithal to acknowledge it or any sense of love in himself.  When the “tame” wolf appears and the King senses it is pledging fealty to him, it broke my heart.  

There’s also a kink in the story where the King’s Ward, a young woman about B and the King’s age, declares love for B.  The courtship is odd.  B sees it more as duty than as love.  The Ward is insistent in her feelings, and the King had always promised he’d respect her right to marry who she chooses.  However, this is what precipitates B’s disappearance which throws everyone into chaos.  

Longman did an excellent job of developing believable characters in B, the King, the Ward, and the cousin.  I was completely sucked into the story.  My only complaint is that once again, the fatal flaw of the protagonist is fear of being honest.  It has appeared in so many stories I’ve read recently, including the gay hockey romances.  I’m beginning to grow tired of it, but it is pervasive throughout literature, and not just in romances.  I guess at my age, I’ve come to realize life is too short to be afraid to be authentic.  Books like this reaffirm that belief.  I give this book four stars out of five.