Book Review: Lone Wolf Anthology, ed. Derek Alan Siddoway (Undaunted Publishing, 2017)

Lone Wolf on Goodreads

Lone Wolf Anthology

Editor: Derek Alan Siddoway, Cover design: Amir Sand (Undaunted Publishing, January 2017)

A collection of short stories about the Lone Wolf, the hero who commits good deeds in spite of his or her better judgment.

Honestly, I think the lone wolf can be a problematic character. Michael Fletcher, in his introduction, asks us “who doesn’t love the lone wolf?” I can think of a number of lone wolves I have loved, but equally I can think of a number of lone wolves I haven’t cared for. In order to write a successful lone wolf, the author needs to be able to give us not just a compelling plot, but also a compelling character. No matter how dark, doomed, or haunted, in order for a reader to connect with the lone wolf, there has to be something in him or her we recognize. There has to be a motivation we can empathize with.

For the most part, the authors in the Lone Wolf Anthology been successful. They have managed to avoid the “dark because he’s dark” excuse and have given us well-rounded characters I was interested in.

There were a few gaffes. Mostly, they were errors I see over and over again. The bad guy’s motivation is often absent, which can really flatten a narrative arc, and I am indescribably weary of the casual misogyny of writers (mostly male) who described any woman over the age of 35 as “old”. I am equally frustrated by short stories which are nothing more than an introduction to a longer piece, and leave the reader dangling at the end. I like my short stories to stand alone.

However, there are some lovely surprises in this collection. Joseph R Lallo’s “The Dwarfendam Run” is a delightful twist on reality shows. The main character is a musician and dancer whose weapon is not the sword but rather her quick feet, a decorative metronome and her compassion for a lovelorn fool. I thought the characterization excellent and the motivation believable.

“In Telling the Legend” by James Downe was particularly good. Well-written and the writer played with our expectations by looking beyond the usual tropes of the lone wolf. I also enjoyed Timandra Whitecastle’s “The Black”. I especially liked the setting, which was very reminiscent of old-fashioned fairytales. The wolf may have been a little too literal for my tastes, but the writing was so good I forgave it.

Kudos to Amir Sand for a beautiful cover, and to Derek Alan Siddoway for an excellent editing job.

Derek Alan Siddoway is the 23-year-old author of Teutevar Saga, a “medieval western” series that combines elements of epic fantasy with the rugged style and mythology of American Westerns and folklore (read: John Wayne meets Game of Thrones). His journey as a storyteller began over a decade ago with a particularly thrilling foray into Pokémon fan-fiction. Ten years later, Out of Exile, his debut novel, and the first book in the Teutevar Saga, was published. An Undaunted Author, Derek spends his time writing, searching for the meaning of finesse and celebrating small victories. He’s a sucker for good quotes, peach lemonade and books with swords. -- From Derek's Goodreads page