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The Wolf in the Whale

Jordanna Max Brodsky (Goodreads Author)

4.12 · Rating details · 269 ratings · 121 reviews

A sweeping tale of clashing cultures, warring gods, and forbidden love: In 1000 AD, a young Inuit shaman and a Viking warrior become unwilling allies as war breaks out between their peoples and their gods-one that will determine the fate of them all.

"There is a very old story, rarely told, of a wolf that runs into the ocean and becomes a whale."

Born with the soul of a hunt ...more

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Paperback, 544 pages

Published January 29th 2019 by Redhook

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· 269 ratings · 121 reviews

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Jan 06, 2019 Nils | nilsreviewsit rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

‘I am no longer scared of being a woman — it doesn’t make me any less a man. I am both. I am neither. I am only myself.’
🐺
The Wolf in the Whale by Jordanna Max Brodsky is the story of a young Inuit shaman, living on the edge of the world, trying survive in a devastatingly hostile environment. WOW! This was one powerful, dark, atmospheric but absolutely beautiful read, and one I fell in love with instantly.
🐺
The world building in this book was incredible, I could really appreciate the amount of res ‘I am no longer scared of being a woman — it doesn’t make me any less a man. I am both. I am neither. I am only myself.’
🐺
The Wolf in the Whale by Jordanna Max Brodsky is the story of a young Inuit shaman, living on the edge of the world, trying survive in a devastatingly hostile environment. WOW! This was one powerful, dark, atmospheric but absolutely beautiful read, and one I fell in love with instantly.
🐺
The world building in this book was incredible, I could really appreciate the amount of research that was shown here. The barren landscape of the Arctic was so well described, and I loved the inclusion of the animals found there, most of all the WOLVES!! Brodsky’s prose was a real pleasure to read. She fantastically weaved together so much culture and mythology, and spiced it all with such a melancholic tone, which really made me feel for the main character, Omat. A word of warning; there are definitely some dark scenes in this, but I felt that they were needed and were not written for merely shock value, or filler. Every scene just portrayed how threatening life was.
🐺
I adored the two main characters, Omat and Brandr. Through Omat we explore gender and identity. In Inuit culture there were traditional male roles and female roles; for either gender to not conform to these roles would be seen as breaking an ‘agliruti’ (a taboo). As Omat is born in a female body but has the spirit of a man inside her, she is raised as a man; she participates in hunting, usually a male role. In a way this is a coming of age tale as we see Omat trying to grow and find a balance between her womanly body and her male spirit, and how she can use both and be comfortable with her own identity. I just loved her, she had so much strength!
🐺
Through Brandr, we see he shares a similar struggle with himself. Being part of a Viking clan, a culture that thrives on war and destruction, and wanting very little part in it all, made his character so interesting. Brandr is not perfect, he’s done some terrible things, but to see him try to come to terms with his past was really quite emotional.
🐺
My favourite scenes were definitely where the mythology of Inuits and Vikings played a heavy part. The ‘angakkuq’ (shaman) of the Inuit tribe could invoke Spirit animals, speak to them and transform into spirit animals themselves. There were Moon, Sun, Air and Sea gods that the Inuit’s worshiped, their stories were so fascinating. Then we had VIKING GODS too, such as Odin, Thor, Freya and Loki! I adored how Brodsky brought these cultures together, it made for one fantastic ending!
🐺
I believe that the main theme of this book reflected on the power of storytelling and the power of belief. Once we learn to believe in ourselves, believe in our inner strength and shape our own story that’s when we are truly free, and that’s what I loved about this book.

Thank you to Orbit for providing me a free copy in exchange for a honest review. The Wolf in the Whale is published in the UK on 31st January 2019, so it’s out now!! ...more

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Nov 11, 2018 Jes Reads rated it it was amazing

Shelves: my-favorite-books-ever

After taking a few days to have a good cry now that I've finished this book I think it's time for me to sit down and finally give everyone my full review. There is also a scheduled video review of this going up on my Youtube channel this week if you're interested in watching me attempt to not cry for 15 minutes.

Thank you to Hachette Books for sending me an early copy for my honest review. Now to get into what I truly thought of this book. Often I struggle to put how I'm feeling about a book int After taking a few days to have a good cry now that I've finished this book I think it's time for me to sit down and finally give everyone my full review. There is also a scheduled video review of this going up on my Youtube channel this week if you're interested in watching me attempt to not cry for 15 minutes.

Thank you to Hachette Books for sending me an early copy for my honest review. Now to get into what I truly thought of this book. Often I struggle to put how I'm feeling about a book into words that can truly convey how I'm feeling. The Wolf in the Whale left me so gutted that you'll have to excuse any kind of rambling that may follow.

The Wolf in the Whale is a story about Omat and her Inuit tribe. They fear the old gods, living their lives plagued by hunger and death. But a shining star arises from their tribe and that would be Omat herself. Of her tribe she suffers the most. Raised a boy in her tribe, imbibed with the spirit of her dead father, she takes on the roll of both hunter and woman. Omat's internal struggles attempting to decipher what it means to be either and which one is stronger truly speaks to what it means to be alive today, even if this book takes place 1000 AD. She has seen so much and lived and she is an inspiring realistic character. It's not often I find female MCs that I'm in love with and I'm definitely in love with her.

I love that this story has so much mythology in it. We have Omat's gods, the Viking god's and even Christ. It is so rich with lore. The gods only exist as long as people believe in them and watching them struggle to keep hold of their people was very interesting. The story takes place mostly in the arctic so much of the story centers around imagination, yet Jordanna does such a stellar job setting up the story and bringing the characters to life that it paints a beautiful picture in your mind. I was honestly so blown away by the amount of research our author must have had to do and how beautifully she executed it.

I avoid spoilers in all of my reviews, but if you want a bit more information there will be a video going up soon for this as well! I honestly could not put into words how much I loved this book. It took me a few days to be able to process my feelings and put down the tissues long enough to write this review. This is one of my favorite books of 2018 and easily one of my favorite books I've ever read. I feel that the Inuit representation in this was done spectacularly however I am not Inuit and would love to see some own voices reviews. If you know of any please let me know.

All in all this book was simply stunning. Magical, heartbreaking, and beautiful. It has been a long time since I have read a book that truly ruined me. I loved it and I think everyone should read this, but especially if you're wanting more Inuit rep or you're interested in mythology!

...more

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Jan 22, 2019 Mogsy (MMOGC) rated it it was amazing

Shelves: arcs-and-galleys, review-copy, magic, fantasy, historical-fiction, mythology

5 of 5 star at The BiblioSanctum http://bibliosanctum.com/2019/01/29/...

I expected to enjoy The Wolf and the Whale, but what I was not prepared for was how completely it swept me off my feet. In this stunning masterpiece, Jordanna Max Brodsky weaves a cinematic tale of adventure and survival, blending history, mythology and timeless romance. All of this is set to the epic backdrop of the Arctic wilderness at a time of great change towards the end of the first millennium.

Our story follows Omat, 5 of 5 star at The BiblioSanctum http://bibliosanctum.com/2019/01/29/...

I expected to enjoy The Wolf and the Whale, but what I was not prepared for was how completely it swept me off my feet. In this stunning masterpiece, Jordanna Max Brodsky weaves a cinematic tale of adventure and survival, blending history, mythology and timeless romance. All of this is set to the epic backdrop of the Arctic wilderness at a time of great change towards the end of the first millennium.

Our story follows Omat, a young Inuit girl born into her tribe during a time of tragedy. But in death, her father gave his daughter his strong hunter’s soul, and the spirits sent the Wolf to watch over the child so that she would survive. Omat’s grandfather, a wise shaman, recognized the gift in her and believed that she was meant to follow in his footsteps, so he raises her as a boy to hunt and protect her people, while also teaching her the ways to commune with the spirits.

However, as Omat grew, some in her group began to question her role, concerned that the spirits are angered by the taboo of a woman hunting. Their people are starving, and with no new children being born, they are slowly dying out. So, when their group happened to come across another Inuit band on the ice one day, Omat and her grandfather thought for certain that their prayers have been answered.

Sadly, they could not have been more wrong. As Omat finds her entire sense of identity unraveling, her life is also now in danger because of the newcomers. But an even greater threat looms on the horizon, in the form of a group of Norse explorers bringing only violence and death. As the gods and spirits of multiple pantheons look on, Omat must find common ground with an unlikely ally and embark on a perilous journey together that will determine the fate of both their peoples.

The Wolf in the Whale is a coming-of-age story unlike any other. It is also about a meeting of two cultures. Told in gorgeously lush prose, this tale unfolds over a number of years, though most of it follows Omat’s life through her young adulthood. Painstakingly researched, as evidenced by the author’s extensive notes on the historical period, the setting was brought to life with incredible attention to detail. Like her first trilogy, Olympus Bound, Brodsky’s new novel perfectly balances myth and reality in an exquisite cocktail of facts and fantastical elements, creating a world infused with magic and folklore. Here you can read about the Norse gods, as well as Inuit traditions of animism and shamanism.

There is also much I would like to say about Omat. This is the story of her struggle to overcome many hardships, some horrific, but she manages to emerge a stronger and more determined person each time. Though her lessons in loss have been huge, they have also shaped her in ways that were fascinating to watch. Readers get to witness her transformation from an overconfident and short-sighted youth to a more levelheaded adult who has come to realize that no fate is set in stone—and one should never take anything, or anyone, for granted.

Omat’s journey was also an exploration into gender roles that I found unexpectedly well-balanced and insightful. Our protagonist begins this tale as a proud, almost arrogant shaman-in-training who revels in her special place in the group, disdaining women’s work and the female body because she believes them to be weak. Raised as a boy in a girl’s body, all Omat wanted was to become a man—until the spirits turned on her and took away her magic, leaving her untethered and her future in doubt. Over the course of this novel, Omat gradually reconciles herself to her new path, learning to appreciate the strength and skills of a woman, ultimately embracing both the masculine and the feminine, because as in all things, life requires balance.

Speaking of which, one of the most significant events in this book is Omat’s meeting with Brandr, a Viking warrior with whom she develops a complex relationship that teaches her more about that balance, as well as how to trust and love. I’m a sucker for stories about disparate strangers from worlds apart who come together and form a deep bond, so it was no wonder that I found myself completely enthralled by these two. Plus, what a delightfully interesting little family they made along with Omat’s three companion wolves; I simply could not get enough of their interactions together.

In short, I think I have my first real contender for my list of best books of 2019. No surprise that it came from the imaginative mind of Jordanna Max Brodsky, who has impressed me before with her stunning prose and expert storytelling. With the courageous Omat at the story’s heart and a beautifully rendered world filled with magic, myth and history, The Wolf in the Whale is a novel that will enchant and captivate fantasy and historical fiction fans alike. ...more

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Feb 13, 2019 Jennifer rated it it was amazing

Shelves: absolute-favorites, adult-content, cultural, listened-to-audiobook, read-2019, shapeshifters, stand-alone-novel, mythology, history, historical-fiction

“Birth and death, we are torn apart and recreated.”
Loss, love, trauma, survival, spirituality, power, war, identity...the above quote can be seen in all of these elements as experienced by the main character Omat, an Inuit shaman.

Spoiler contains my spin on the book synopsis.
(view spoiler)
“Birth and death, we are torn apart and recreated.”
Loss, love, trauma, survival, spirituality, power, war, identity...the above quote can be seen in all of these elements as experienced by the main character Omat, an Inuit shaman.

Spoiler contains my spin on the book synopsis.
(view spoiler)

Jordanna Max Brodsky takes readers on a cultural and mythological journey through the Arctic in 1000AD. The amount of research that must have went into this novel is stunning. The spiritual beliefs of the ancient Inuit people create a fantastical element which was one of my favorite parts. The writing and world-building are both incredibly well-done, and the author uses extinct customs to discuss alive and well gender issues in such a palpable way.
“I am no longer scared of being a woman — it doesn’t make me any less a man. I am both. I am neither. I am only myself.”
I absolutely loved this book. With nearly 550 pages (18 1/2 hours via audio), I was never bored once. Every element blends together to create a learning opportunity that is just as immersive as it is entertaining. There are some tough scenes to read counteracted by lovely moments just as intense. I would read this book again in a heartbeat. Check it out.

Note: In the author's interview with Fictitious Podcast she indicated one of her most important goals in writing this book was to change the reader's conception of the story of European colonization of the new worlds. She stated that the stories we hear are almost always from the European point of view which most always result with them winning in the end. But this is a historically accurate story where the indigenous people won and many people have never heard it. Thus she wanted readers to be submersed into the Inuit's culture and society, because this time, the story is told from their point of view. So if you feel this book has a slow start, there's a reason. Learn, embrace, and hang on. It's worth it! ...more

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Jan 18, 2019 Holly (Holly Hearts Books) rated it it was amazing

Shelves: own, review-copies, favorites

“Why would I continue life as a man trapped in a girl’s body when I could just as easily fly into the heavens or run with the wolves?”

Imagine a world so breathtakingly beautiful and dangerous, so hard and cold and brutal, yet bristling with colors that will never be brighter and enormous landscapes unmarked by the will of humankind. In this world, every step could be your last, and every breath is spent in the fight for survival.

I must praise Brodsky on her inimitable style and writing technique “Why would I continue life as a man trapped in a girl’s body when I could just as easily fly into the heavens or run with the wolves?”

Imagine a world so breathtakingly beautiful and dangerous, so hard and cold and brutal, yet bristling with colors that will never be brighter and enormous landscapes unmarked by the will of humankind. In this world, every step could be your last, and every breath is spent in the fight for survival.

I must praise Brodsky on her inimitable style and writing techniques that really make this book shine. There's one aspect in particular I'm referring to and it's the bold and heartbreaking moves that I believe really work to this book's advantage. Brodsky wrote this book in such a unique and powerful way that really strengthens the storyline and our connection to the characters. I wish I could say more, but I'll leave it at this. The way Brodsky tells the story feels more personal, and it allows Omat to draw more conclusions, think more clearly on past events and how she felt at the time and what she was thinking etc..

Omat was born with a man's spirit in a woman’s body. When she took her father's name, Omat, she also inherited his spirit and is raised as he had been. The main character is even called Little Son by her father who is technically her grandfather, she’s confused on why she’s not growing facial hair like the young men around her. She always believed she’d become a great hunter, take a wife, and father children. No one ever questioned her maleness until well, a certain scene in this book. I will go no farther.

But this makes her question everything she believed in. Including becoming the strong shaman for her people.

Now that statement brings in our magic system and I don’t even like calling it that because it’s so incredibly spiritual and moving but it centers around animal transformations and Gods. To become a shaman which grants you that power, Omat must go on a treacherous journey to find her spirit guide. Now there is one rule you must follow with this responsibility and that is you must save your powers for the most direst circumstances.

Unfortunately the spirits have stopped listening and have different plans for her.

World mythologies can be tricky, in my opinion. They're alive, well-known, interesting by themselves. Choosing to use them as a retelling can become a boomerang in the hands of an incompetent author. Naturally, this isn't the case here. Brodsky takes the Norse and Inuit legends and transforms them into a beautiful and poetic story in a vast cold and brutal landscape. Stakes are risen at every turn and you will find yourself flipping the pages and wanting more in the end. This is a FANTASTIC novel and I am proud to display this on my favorites shelf. ...more

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Feb 08, 2019 Esmerelda Weatherwax added it

This is a very different take on fantasy, I’ve never read anything from the perspective of the Inuit people so I was pretty excited about it going in.

This is a single POV book (I think, I DNF’d) about a girl growing up in a very remote Inuit clan. They are far removed from everyone else and are struggling to make it by, every decision they make can have long-lasting impacts on their group as a whole. One wrong move could be disastrous, and losing members of their clan when their numbers are so f This is a very different take on fantasy, I’ve never read anything from the perspective of the Inuit people so I was pretty excited about it going in.

This is a single POV book (I think, I DNF’d) about a girl growing up in a very remote Inuit clan. They are far removed from everyone else and are struggling to make it by, every decision they make can have long-lasting impacts on their group as a whole. One wrong move could be disastrous, and losing members of their clan when their numbers are so few is devastating. They are a close-knit but very pragmatic sort of people. What needs to be done gets done or face extinction. They live in close quarters so things like nudity, sex, sharing partners and all of that are very out in the open and not a big deal. There are strict rules on what men and women can’t do with rigid adherence to gender roles. This makes things complicated for our main character. She was something of a miracle child, when she was born she was barely breathing, it was a difficult birth and her mother died shortly thereafter. She was left out in the snow overnight, assumed to be too weak to live anyway. However, the next morning she was found alive, and it was presumed that her dead father’s soul came to inhabit her body, that she was blessed by a wolf that stayed by her side after she was abandoned and breathed life into her. Since she carried her father’s soul, she was to be raised as a man. She would be allowed to hunt (a huge taboo for a woman) and treated just like all the other boys. However, as a teenager, she found out that she was, in fact, a woman. It was a huge blow and a traumatic event. She vowed never to bleed or take a husband, but things took a turn for the worse when another band of Inuit show up and wreak havoc in her world.

There was a lot of very organic world building in this, the first 30% or so was largely focused on character development and the lore of the world told through songs and stories Omat’s grandfather would tell. He’s an Ongakgook, a shaman of sorts, who is able to commune with the spirits and speak with the animals. The Ongakgook’s other main role is keeping the stories and the lore of their people alive through song. Omat was training to be the next Ongakgook since she was able to speak to a caribou without any sort of training. There are a lot of references to the ancestors, stories about how the gods came into being, and stories of spirits and guides. I found all of that to be fascinating and was really trying to get into the book, but unfortunately, it didn’t work out.

This book was a struggle for me despite it being on audiobooks. I’m just not that into hunting scenes – I tolerate them at best when they are used sparingly. I can’t help myself, I cringe when I see animals get hurt or killed, even if the rational side of me is saying “this is essential for them to live”, it’s just a gut response. The first 30% of the book was dominated by hunting scenes and small talk amongst villagers. When the outsiders made it into the story the plot did pick up a bit, but there was still lots of hunting, lots of traveling around in snow covered wastelands and I just got bored and kind of grossed out. There’s an off screen rape of the main character and I’m just not into it. I do believe it was handled well, I felt the right kind of angry when I read it. However, I’ve read 11 books so far this year, and 9 of them have had rape in it. I’m just not able to stomach any more of it right now. So, I made it to about 40% before I called it quits, this is sort of an “it’s not you, it’s me” break up. There’s nothing wrong with it, and it’s certainly a very different kind of book, and if it sounds interesting to you I’d say give it a chance. ...more

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Jan 06, 2019 Holly (The Grimdragon) rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy-sci-fi, i-will-go-down-with-this-ship

*Review originally published on Fantasy Book Review*

"There are few sounds at night on the frozen sea besides the roar of the wind. No plants to rustle, no waves to crash upon the shore, no birds to caw. The white owl flies on hushed wings. The white fox walks with silent tread. Even Inuit move as softly as spirits, the snow too hard to yield and crunch beneath our boots. We hear little, but what we do hear is vital: the exploding breath of a surfacing seal, the shift and crack of drifting ice. ...more

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Feb 05, 2019 Charlie - A Reading Machine rated it it was amazing

This review was originally published at THE FANTASY HIVE - http://fantasy-hive.co.uk/2019/02/th...

I’ve just finished The Wolf in the Whale by Jordanna Max Brodsky and I’m a bit blown away. It starts as a very tight and intimate story about a young Inuit and their relationship with their family and with the spirits that guide their daily life, then introduces the Viking threat from the outside world, then throws their gods into the mix and by the end just goes absolutely maniacally insane.

When O This review was originally published at THE FANTASY HIVE - http://fantasy-hive.co.uk/2019/02/th...

I’ve just finished The Wolf in the Whale by Jordanna Max Brodsky and I’m a bit blown away. It starts as a very tight and intimate story about a young Inuit and their relationship with their family and with the spirits that guide their daily life, then introduces the Viking threat from the outside world, then throws their gods into the mix and by the end just goes absolutely maniacally insane.

When Omat is born, her tribe has just suffered a great loss and lost many of their hunting-age men to the angry spirits of the ice. As she is brought into the world, the soul of her father is called from the sea and he is reborn inside her, leading her to be raised as a man. As a powerful spirit guide, Omat crosses worlds and breaks boundaries as she lives as a man and hunter but is often treated by others as a woman. On top of this she is constantly questioning her own feelings as she struggles to establish her own identity and fulfil her own wants and needs without betraying the person she was raised to be. Her development and growth as a character is just as incredible as her physical journey across the ice.

The world is beautiful, harsh and cold. It is an ever present character and one that constantly determines what the other characters can and cannot do. One of the amazing things about a book set in the ice is it gives us is both a world we know and one that is completely foreign and alien to the average reader. I could not get enough of it and when I hit the final 200 pages I actually went and sat at an ice rink because I genuinely wanted to immerse myself as much as I possibly could.

The magic is quite wonderful. Gods are powered by their believers, the Inuit follow their animal spirits and tell stories of the sun and the moon, the Vikings worship the all-father Odin, the warrior Thor and the trickster Loki, and on the horizon a new threat builds. A god known as Christ has risen and given his life for ordinary people, his followers spread his word like a highly infectious disease with promises of an afterlife in heaven and eternal damnation in a fiery hell for non-believers. With their regular worshippers converting to this new upstart, the gods of old find themselves in need of new followers or at the very least a land this new god cannot reach.

The Wolf in the Whale is magical and awe inspiring. It moves at a lovely pace and brings together an incredible world of ice and magic and characters that will capture your heart. It is truly a book that will take you places and one I highly recommend, and you can pick it up right now.

http://fantasy-hive.co.uk/2019/02/th... ...more

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Jan 04, 2019 Liz rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: netgalley, favorites, mythology, historical-fantasy, historical, fantasy, ancient-gods, vikings, inuit

You should read this book. In fact, don’t even bother with my review, spend that few minutes getting the book instead and then reading it! Ciao!

…

OK, you’re still here :) Need more convincing? Not a problem! Well, first of all, I would like to say that this book is quite ‘dark’ in nature. I mean, literally, the Sun disappears for quite a while far up in the North… but… If you’re sensitive to the more cruel side of life and nature then you won’t manage to handle it in places. People (old and young ...more

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Dec 07, 2018 Kristen rated it it was amazing

Full review is here on my blog!~

Wow. This book.

I’m not sure how I’m going to sum this up, because this book gave me all kinds of the feels.

This is the story of Omat, who is a young Inuit hunter and apprentice shaman. As there are very strong taboos about women hunting and women being shamans in Omat’s culture, this is a bit of a difficult situation. Omat holds her father’s spirit, and as such, she is raised like a boy, in fact she doesn’t even realize that she is physically a girl until she’s te Full review is here on my blog!~

Wow. This book.

I’m not sure how I’m going to sum this up, because this book gave me all kinds of the feels.

This is the story of Omat, who is a young Inuit hunter and apprentice shaman. As there are very strong taboos about women hunting and women being shamans in Omat’s culture, this is a bit of a difficult situation. Omat holds her father’s spirit, and as such, she is raised like a boy, in fact she doesn’t even realize that she is physically a girl until she’s ten or so. Nevertheless, it is decreed that until she bleeds, she has the spirit of a man, and is therefore a man, and can hunt seals and walrus for her small family. And everything is fine, until strangers arrive and throw everything into chaos. Eventually, chaos brings Omat face to face with people she has never seen before.

This one took me a little while to really get into. The beginning is a coming of age story, and while I don’t dislike those, and Omat does indeed have a very non-typical coming of age, I still found myself not really 100% sure of how I felt about her character. But I kept on going, because this book sounds very interesting indeed from the blurb.

And suddenly it was 3am, I couldn’t put this book down, I was having a bit of a cry, and I realized that I was a bit hooked on it. This book is really hard to put down once you pick it up.

The prose was lovely, and it was a very well written book. There must have been quite a lot of research involved, and it was all very well put together. There is a fair deal of Inuit language and folklore involved, as well as Norse folklore and mythology and it was truly fascinating to read a fantasy story based in both cultures and how the two peoples are very different but not completely.

It’s a bit of a difficult read at times, and I mean that in that Omat… generally does *not* have a good time of things in this one. There are some tough subjects at times, like sexual violence, violence against infants and children, and just general violence. But none of this stuff ever seemed like it was in there as a plot device or something bad that happens for badness’ sake. It also uses the idea of gender and what makes a person male or female in an interesting way. It felt very realistic, as far as historical arctic-set fantasy with gods and magic can be.

When Omat crosses paths with the Norse, and spends time with Brandr, learning about him and his people, this one only got harder and harder to put down. Even with frequent breaks, I plowed through this one in just short of 3 days, and it’s not a short book. The last 1/4 of this book had me in tears. Teeeeaaaarssss!

All told, I really liked this one. There were times that I wasn’t sure if I’d have to stop. As I’ve mentioned, sometimes books that have heavy themes make me a little antsy, and I have to take many breaks to avoid getting a little too ramped up. This was one of those books (it’s not the first, and it won’t be the last) but at the same time, it was one that I always, always went back to as soon as I could.

Really well done! I loved it.

Many thanks to the author, as well as Redhook via NetGalley for the review copy. ...more

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Jan 10, 2019 kath | novelandfolk rated it really liked it

Shelves: arcs, atmospheric, coming-of-age, diverse, folklore, historical, the-feels

The Wolf in the Whale was a book that I expected to enjoy but found myself surprised by how much I ended up loving! so many feels - this book is grim, brutal, heartbreaking. the wolf in the whale is a powerful exploration of survival in the most barren of landscapes, family loyalty, and gender fluidity in a time that afforded no leniency for challenging the established ways.

these characters, especially omat and brandr, got under my skin and spoke to me deeply. i’ve never read anything like omat, ...more

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Dec 13, 2018 Nigel rated it it was amazing

Shelves: arc, fantasy, historical, netgalley, best-2018-books, best-recent-ones

In brief - Well crafted and clever story telling. 4.5/5

In full

I found the start of this very intriguing. It is about the birth of Omat's, the main character. We are in the land of ice with an extended family of Inuit and in a time of gods and legends. Omat will become a shaman like Ataata, her grandfather. With these powers she can talk to and see the gods. However when they stop listening to her why is it that a number of gods continue watching her with such interest?

While the setting for this In brief - Well crafted and clever story telling. 4.5/5

In full

I found the start of this very intriguing. It is about the birth of Omat's, the main character. We are in the land of ice with an extended family of Inuit and in a time of gods and legends. Omat will become a shaman like Ataata, her grandfather. With these powers she can talk to and see the gods. However when they stop listening to her why is it that a number of gods continue watching her with such interest?

While the setting for this story is largely the frozen north I found that the landscape did not dominate. The book is descriptive in some ways as the sense of isolation of the small extended family group is powerful.

There are a number of characters in this story from the extended family group, some Vikings, some animals and the gods however the main character is Omat. She is physically female but she is treated by her immediate family as a boy. Not only does this lead to some real gender confusion, there are laws and taboos which Omat will break and there may well be consequences. I really did find Omat an outstanding character who will live in my mind for some time to come I'm sure.

In general when I am reading a review book I try and make notes as I go along. In this case I did find that hard as I simply wanted to keep reading! I guess if I do have a slight reservation the pace in this is a little variable. However few people will find it easy to stop reading during the last 20% or so.

For me this is cleverly worked story telling. The weaving of the day to day Inuit world and their gods with Vikings and their gods is very well done. As is so often the case beware of gods and their tricks... This book also works in the power of stories themselves and I love that approach. I would suggest that, while Neil Gaiman's American Gods is very different in some ways, fans of his book might well enjoy this one. Whatever else it is a book I really enjoyed and one of the best books I've read in the past year.
Note - I received an advance digital copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a fair review
http://viewson.org.uk/fantasy/the-wol... ...more

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Jan 19, 2019 Mara rated it really liked it

Shelves: recommended-to-me, arc, ebook-owned

I really enjoyed this, especially as a breath of fresh air in the fantasy books I've been reading in the last year. I absolutely adored the Inuit & Viking lore interwoven to create the magic system & fantasy world. I loved the characters, and was delighted to see the exploration of fluidity in Omat's gender identity. That was definitely an unexpected thematic element to this 1000AD era fantasy world, and I thought the author's unraveling of Omat's feelings about her own status as both ma ...more

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Jan 10, 2019 Karen ⚜Mess⚜ rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: arc, machalo-barrons-bingo-book-n-bauble

It's only January and I already know this is my favorite read of 2019. The Wolf In The Whale is a story that will stay with me.

A beautiful, vivid tale of two cultures inevitably bound to collide. An Inuit story of how one tribe survives at the edge of the world and Norsemen out to conquer and discover new lands.

I cannot just walk away from such an awe inspiring novel. Long after the pages stopped turning I still find myself seeking documentaries and movies about these beautiful people and

...more

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Dec 14, 2018 Karen rated it it was amazing

Shelves: adventure, fantasy, feminism, historical, mythology, netgalley, philosophy-religion, romance

An ARC was provided to me for free by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

In 1000AD, an Inuit community is dying. A young girl grows up with the soul of a hunter, raised as a man and determined to follow in her grandfather's steps. She wants to become the next shaman-type leader of her community, communicating with the spirits. But the spirits have stopped listening. Her community is starving and hope is all they have left.

Wow. I LOVED this book. It was just so complex An ARC was provided to me for free by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

In 1000AD, an Inuit community is dying. A young girl grows up with the soul of a hunter, raised as a man and determined to follow in her grandfather's steps. She wants to become the next shaman-type leader of her community, communicating with the spirits. But the spirits have stopped listening. Her community is starving and hope is all they have left.

Wow. I LOVED this book. It was just so complex and layered. It incorporates both Inuit legends and Norse mythology. Yes, that's right. Inuit legends *and* Norse mythology. The story, after all, takes place roughly when the Norse were travelling and exploring North America; the author herself states that we don't know what happened when the Norse met the American indigenous peoples, but she could imagine. In this world, Norse gods exist simultaneously with Inuit spirits.

Admittedly, it took me a while to get into this book. The beginning chapters are a bit slow but I felt they were also really realistic in depicting the life and difficulties of Inuit people. There are a few sections on hunting, which was to be expected. Although they were a bit boring, I honestly appreciated the look into the Inuit way of life.

For me, the highlight of the book was its exploration of gender. Omat is raised basically thinking she's a boy, even though she recognizes she has the body of a girl. Omat doesn't want to be a girl. She associates girls with weakness and domesticity; she wants to be a boy because they are stronger, and get to hunt and speak with spirits. Omat struggles to reconcile this throughout the book, and I just honestly loved it so much.

I also really loved the inclusion of the Norse gods and Vikings in general. It was bloody and exciting, and Omat absolutely shined throughout whatever hardships she experienced. I loved her grudging relationship with Brandr, and how they must work together. At some point, I just became addicted to this story and could not put it down.

This was honestly an unexpected gem. It was incredibly well-written, and don't let the slow beginning fool you. It's such a rich, complex story. Highly recommend!

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Jan 04, 2019 Milena rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: netgalley

The Wolf in the Whale is a unique book, I haven't read anything like it! It has so many interesting elements: Inuit mythology (that I knew absolutely nothing about), Norse mythology, Arctic fantasy, discussion on different religions, and the aspect that I found the most fascinating - the complexity of gender identity.

The author, Jordanna Max Brodsky, conducted an extensive research about Inuit people and their way of life in the harsh Arctic wilderness. And it translated into a beautiful, descr ...more

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Jan 28, 2019 Kathy rated it really liked it

Shelves: winter-2018-2019, best-of-2019-reads, non-binary-protag, fantasy, historical, poc-protagonist, first-nations, deities, heroine-s-journey

The Wolf in the Whale is a languid, immersive tapestry consisting primarily of Inuit culture and mythology but one that has threads of Norse mythos weaving through it. And the result has a little bit of everything--fantastic character work, slow-burn romance, meddling gods, wolves that are whales that are wolves, battles ranging from small-scale to continent-spanning, and themes of gender roles and identity.

Above all that, though, it's about changing narratives that others have set up for you. ...more

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Dec 16, 2018 Bunny rated it it was amazing

Recommended to Bunny by: Jes Reads

Shelves: read-in-18, gift, owned

My 250th Book Read for the Year

Before I start this review, a shout out to Jes Reads Books, and her review of this incredible book. I heard about it through her, I was excited to read it because of her passion in talking about it. And then she went and sent it to me like the amazing person she is. Watch her review, read my review, then add this to your must read list.

Because this book is truly incredible. And there is so much to love for so many different kinds of people. You don't even know you ...more

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Feb 16, 2019 Books on Stereo rated it it was ok · review of another edition

A unique historical fantasy that failed to enthrall.

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Oct 24, 2018 Breanna rated it really liked it

Shelves: arcs

It is a truth universally acknowledged that a young woman with an obsession with wolves, will automatically read any book featuring one on the cover.

In all seriousness, this sounds amazing.

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Feb 14, 2019 Izzie rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

A little slow to start with, but worth the build-up in the end. Simply put, I adored this. Full review to come!

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Oct 12, 2018 Jacqui rated it really liked it

Jordanna Max Brodsky's The Wolf and the Whale (Redhook 2019) is a saga of life before man was the unequivocal alpha on the planet, when Nature still thought she could defeat us. This is a time when man protected barely survived the coldest weather, when food was a treat to be relished when available, when only the tough had any expectation of surviving. If you weren't tough, you weren't valued.

Omat is that person. She suffers mightily from hunger, bad luck, and deaths of the hunters within her I ...more

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Oct 19, 2018 Geonn Cannon rated it it was amazing

This is a remarkable book. I requested it because I was a fan of the author's Olympus Bound books, but this is a whole new level of writing compared to those. She takes her time setting the scene, a world that's alien but familiar at the same time, and then ties it all together with a fascinating exploration of mythology from two very different cultures. This book was everything I'd hoped it might be when I read the description. I was a fan of the author before, but now I'm definitely going to b ...more

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Jan 08, 2019 Tucker (TuckerTheReader) marked it as not-released-tbr

OMG! Poor wolfie. It's gonna die in there

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Jan 25, 2019 Lynn Williams rated it it was amazing

Loved it, Absolutely loved it.
http://lynns-books.com/2019/01/28/th...
The Wolf in the Whale was an absolutely gorgeous read. I adored it. It pulled me in from the first page and held me under its spell to the final pages – in fact beyond because I also read the information provided by the author about Inuit words/research, etc.. It gave me a flood of emotions making me well up with tears at one point and then smile and laugh ridiculously the next. I just literally couldn’t get enough of this an Loved it, Absolutely loved it.
http://lynns-books.com/2019/01/28/th...
The Wolf in the Whale was an absolutely gorgeous read. I adored it. It pulled me in from the first page and held me under its spell to the final pages – in fact beyond because I also read the information provided by the author about Inuit words/research, etc.. It gave me a flood of emotions making me well up with tears at one point and then smile and laugh ridiculously the next. I just literally couldn’t get enough of this and in fact tore through it in two pages – well, sleep is overrated anyway, especially when you’re reading such a good book. On top of that the main character has to be one of the best written characters I’ve ever had the pleasure of reading. Her will to survive against the odds and in the harshest conditions, even struggling to be herself and keep her family alive make for compulsive reading indeed. Truly, I don’t think I can do this book justice in this review but I’ll give it a good try. Prepare yourself for some gushing.

I’m not going to over elaborate on the plot. The story brings to us a character called Omat. Omat’s birth is watched by the Gods, she could be the portent of good or evil depending on how you look at things. When she’s born she receives the protection of the Wolf Spirit whilst at the same time angering the Sea Mother. She has the soul of a hunter and her path will follow that of her grandfather’s before her. She will become an angakkuq, a shamen, who can talk with spirits and use their knowledge to guide her family.

This is without doubt a brutal world so you need to be aware of that before picking this one up. Life for the Inuits was tough. Staying alive in such a landscape is hard enough by itself, on top of that Omat’s little family is shrinking following the death of a number of their hunters in a tragic accident, they need new people in order to keep their family going. On top of this there is the very real fear of starvation. Omat’s family must follow the movements of the animals they need to survive, but they barely have enough people to hunt, so when they’re surprised by the arrival of more Inuit’s who can help, even though things don’t feel quite right, it feels like a blessing. Now, this is a turning point for Omat and for the story and I must use the opportunity to say that things become violent in more ways than one from this point onward. To be clear, I don’t think there’s anything gratuitous and I wouldn’t call this a grimdark style book but that doesn’t mean that things don’t become both grim and dark and there are definitely triggers contained within in terms of violence towards women and children, rape and even mention of torture. I certainly don’t want to put anybody off by mentioning those things and to be honest I think they’re all necessary in terms of the story and the realistic vision it portrays.

Characters. Omat is an amazing character to read about with her inner conflicts. Born a female with the soul of her deceased father and raised for many years unaware that she’s actually a female. She makes for absolutely fascinating reading and I literally couldn’t get enough of her. There are other characters of course but for me Omat stole the show completely – well, her wolves were pretty awesome too. Alongside Omat’s family and the eventual inclusion of the Vikings and one particular character called Brandr – who does eventually become a romantic focus in the story – there are of course the Gods. This book is amazing in respect that this isn’t just about a changing world in which people are still grasping to their faiths and beliefs, it’s also about a clash of the Gods – themselves facing the grim reality of ever reducing numbers of worshippers – they’re in fact fighting for their own survival.

It’s this coming together of Gods and people – both in times of conflict – that felt so original and fascinating. I loved it – to be honest, I’m always happy when reading about the Norse Gods and Loki in particular, who is up to his usual meddling here. But, learning of the Inuit’s beliefs as well was just magical for me. I couldn’t get enough of it.

The world portrayed is cold and more often than not dark but that didn’t keep the family down – survival is the aim of the game and they work relentlessly in that respect. More than that I loved their coming together to tell stories which themselves helped to add an extra layer to the strength of the world building.

In terms of criticisms. I didn’t have anything to be honest. This hooked me from start to finish, maybe the ending could have taken a little longer but that’s just me being greedy and wanting more.

This is a fascinating, superbly written, captivating, emotional rollercoaster of a book. I loved it and want more. I’m going to say that this was a perfect read and that I had a wonderful time with it.

I received a copy courtesy of the publisher, through Netgalley, for which my thanks. The above is my own opinion. ...more

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Jan 18, 2019 Colleen rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 21st-century, adult, adventure, books-for-my-map, fantasy, historical-fiction, mythology-legends, orphans, arc, girls-got-moxie

4 Stars

*An intriguing blend of Historical Fiction and Fantasy that explores Inuit and Norse mythology*

ARC provided by Redhook Books via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Last year, I read Brodsky’s debut novel, The Immortals, which was a creative, modern retelling of Greek mythology. When I saw that she had a new book coming out that would involve Inuit and Norse mythology, I knew I had to read it. I love mythology and am always on the lookout for books about it especially if they invol ...more

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Feb 08, 2019 Lou rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

From the moment I first clapped eyes on The Wolf and the Whale and read the synopsis I knew this was going to be something special, and boy it certainly was that! This is a tale that immerses you in the beautiful writing and the ominous plot right from the outset, and it reads a lot like a fairytale or the myths, legends and folk tales of old with the same deceptively sunken depths and intrigue. One of the standout aspects for me had to be the atmosphere that underpins the whole story; proceedin ...more

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Dec 20, 2018 Karen Kay rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: arc-netgalley, prehistoric, longmire-challenge, twd-challenge

I received this from netgalley.com in exchange for a review.

The heroic journey of an Inuit shaman and a Viking warrior in an epic tale of survival, love, and clashing gods in the frozen Arctic of 1000 AD.

Fantasy wrapped around Inuit and Viking legends. This is a very creative story but lagged in places. The final battle (Ragnarok) seemed to go on and on.

3.25 stars

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Jan 31, 2019 Nina Carboni rated it it was amazing

Excellent! A bit slow to start but I had goosebumps by the end.

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Nov 15, 2018 Ken Fredette rated it really liked it

I can think that Jordanna used her history and literature degree from Harvard to learn everything that she could to put together the story that she tells about Omat, Kiasik, Puja, and Brandr. She describes this in detail after the story, which to me was a list of people and books worth reading. However, she describes how Omat, a boy in a girls body was made a boy by her Ataata (father/grandfather) who was a angakkuq (shaman) who wants him/her to be an angakkuq also. It goes into detail how Omat ...more

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YA Buddy Readers'...: The Wolf in the Whale by Jordanna Max Brodsky - Starting January 29th 2019	1	10	Dec 14, 2018 09:54AM

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About Jordanna Max Brodsky

Jordanna Max Brodsky

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Jordanna Max Brodsky hails from Virginia. She holds a degree in History and Literature from Harvard University. She lives in Manhattan with her husband.

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Quotes from The Wolf in the W...

“Why would I continue life as a man trapped in a girl’s body when I could just as easily fly into the heavens or run with the wolves?” — 0 likes

“There are few sounds at night on the frozen sea besides the roar of the wind. No plants to rustle, no waves to crash upon the shore, no birds to caw. The white owl flies on hushed wings. The white fox walks with silent tread. Even Inuit move as softly as spirits, the snow too hard to yield and crunch beneath our boots. We hear little, but what we do hear is vital: the exploding breath of a surfacing seal, the shift and crack of drifting ice. But in the forest there is always sound. The trees, even in their shrouds of snow, are alive, and their voices--groans, creaks, screams--never cease.” — 0 likes

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