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    Wolfhound Century
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    Wolfhound Century
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    Wolfhound Century
    Audiobook12 hours

    Wolfhound Century

    Written by Peter Higgins

    Narrated by Neil Dickson

    3.5/5

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this audiobook

    Investigator Vissarion Lom has been summoned to the capital in order to catch a terrorist --- and ordered to report directly to the head of the secret police.
    A totalitarian state, worn down by an endless war, must be seen to crush home-grown insurgents with an iron fist. But Lom discovers Mirgorod to be more corrupted than he imagined: a murky world of secret police and revolutionaries, cabaret clubs and doomed artists.
    Lom has been chosen because he is an outsider, not involved in the struggle for power within the party. And because of the sliver of angel stone implanted in his head.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHachette Audio
    Release dateMar 26, 2013
    ISBN9781619693159
    Unavailable
    Wolfhound Century

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    Reviews for Wolfhound Century

    3.5/5

    85 ratings25 reviews

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    • 4/5
      Parts of this book were brilliant. Other parts dragged a bit. I still really liked it but felt the book soared when it focused on Lom and sometimes derailed when it dealt with the mystical. Still I loved the meshing of genres and look forward to see where he goes next.
    • 2/5
      Ultimately disappointing. Begins in a pseudo soviet world relatively well constructed. But soon meanders into fantasyland with filmic coincidental plot incidents to hurry along the tale. Some good, imaginative writing but too many corners cut along the way.
    • 3/5
      Received this book through Early Reviewers:This book is not the type I would typically read but glad I had the opportunity. I struggled getting into the book and understanding what was truly going on for the first several chapters. The story was a bit futuristic/fairy tale ish for my liking. Book did start to catch my attention and was worth the read. Hope you like a cliffhanger.
    • 3/5
      I received this as an Early Reviewer Book:My major complaint about the book: It ends on a cliff hanger. Hate that in any book, and dinged the rating I gave it accordingly.The above said, I did enjoy the book, although the first 50 or so pages were very confusing. Having a Glossary for all the Russian (?) and made up words would have been immensely helpful. A lot of my confusion was not knowing exactly what the heck so many words meant/signified/hinted. The story is based on Russian fairy tales which I don't know so that made it a bit harder. But the main thrust of the story is that a police investigator is sent to the major city of this country (Vast) to do some secretive investigations. We don't know anything about his background and he himself knows very little. He arrives in the city and immediately finds out there are plots within the police and that he can trust no one. He searches out an old friend he grew up with for assistance. The more he learns, the less he knows. One thing he does learn is that while everyone thinks that all the 'angels' who fell to earth died, there is in fact one who is alive and is trying to take control of people, things, groups, to change the world the way he wants it.
    • 3/5
      After I read the first couple chapters, I got excited: finally - a book with a dark fantasy setting and a noir detective type plot.Then Lom arrived at his friend's house and the story sort of fell apart. Well, not so much fell apart as switched to a completely different type of story: man versus monster, complete with chase scenes in the wilderness, and an out-of-the-blue fantasy creature who played no role in the story other than to be in the right place at the right time to save the "heroes".The concept of the Angels, and the parts of the Angels being used the way they were was very original. Unfortunately, the motivations of the main bad guy, and the goal of the Angel(s) (not sure if there is one or more of them) were not clear. It's like the author started by penning a dark fantasy novel, then about halfway through, passed the remainder of the book off to his teenage son to finish - the character actions, motivations, and chasing scenes were fit for a teenage boy swash-buckling fantasy, not the dark fantasy-noir book I thought this was.And then the book just ends. The origins of the world, what/who are the Angels, how did anyone get to where they were - all were threads left hanging. Even the secondary plot, of Lom escaping, just ended, no wrap up or wind down - just one scene where they escape a bad monster and the next, they are waking up in a cabin and the book stops.The prose itself, and the setting, is well done. It's just the lack of consistency in style (is it noir, is it fantasy) and the complete lack of resolution took a lot away from it. That, and all the magical/mythical stuff never "went" anywhere - and was never explained in any way that let you say "oh, that's what the angels are". So you end the story just as confused as to the point of the story as you were when you picked the book up.
    • 3/5
      In Wolfhound Century, author Peter Higgins imagines a fantastic, totalitarian state, inhabited by grim characters. In other words, Higgins has crafted his vision of 1940's Russia. The story mainly follows investigator Vissarion Lom, as he attempts to capture a terrorist. Intrigue is instantly put on display as Lom is ordered to report directly to the head of the Secret Police. Despite the image of power and order that the state projects, Lom discovers the state to be full of power struggles and battles between the state police and radical revolutionaries.Adding to all of this is a muddied attempt by the author to impart elements of fantasy and Russian folklore to this otherwise straight-forward crime thriller. When I first read of the crime leader dealing with a possession of the mind reminiscent of something out of an exorcism film, I immediately felt disconnected from the story. While I believe that Higgins does a commendable job at building his vision of Russia, there comes a point when too many details become cumbersome and distract from the story.I'm convinced that within the many names of places, people, and muddied descriptions of Russian myth, there is a good story. Despite never really getting into a strong flow, I couldn't help but continue reading to the next chapter (short chapters probably helped with this issue). The story itself is fairly convincing, and all of the plot lines come to a satisfying point. Unfortunately, the narrative just stops, which I'm assuming means a sequel to this novel is in the works. For my tastes, however, I just can't get over the style of Higgin's writing to justify reading a future installment.
    • 3/5
      I got to admit it. I didn't get this book. It's not that it badly written or uninteresting, I just didn't get it. Is it set in the future or Eastern Europe? What is Angel stone exactly? I just found myself perpetually lost. Maybe I'm just not enough of a SF reader.
    • 2/5
      I feel like I'm the wrong reviewer for this book. I'd just finished reading The Count of Monte Cristo which is a novel you mourn once it is over. It takes over your life for the days or months and when it is over, you're looking for your next reading fix and nothing compares. That, and I'm not a big one for constant flight and violence. I've got a moderately high threshold for violence if I understand the purpose of it, but this one went over my threshold and often I was at a loss to the purpose of it. Higgins seemed to always add that one detail that went too far. That might be a plus for another reader.Wolfhound Century isn't really alternate history as I had thought. Instead, it is a Russian-based world that is very different from the true world. A horrible dictator has risen up. Angels have fallen and are embedded in the landscape. Since they are stuck, they are attempting to rule or live on violence through people. Against the angels, are the forest people. Caught in the middle are a bunch of normal people who live in a city that isn't even the same city day to day.This had most of the elements of a fun, if not great, novel. However, I didn't emotionally connect with the characters, always felt like I had questions that weren't going to be answered, and I knew one side was badbadbad but I wasn't sure the other side was good. If this novel sounds like it is for you though, be warned. It's set up for a sequel. Honestly, I think the sequel will be better.
    • 3/5
      How to describe this one? How to do it justice? In Soviet Russia reviews writes you! Anyway...

      Yes, this book takes place in a world that is ours, or maybe it is not our world. We have a "Russia" turned "Soviet", ruled by a ruthless dictator, revolutionaries running around in the streets bombing stuff, a war with a place called The Archipelago, and that is all we learn of that. But that is only the beginning. There is a vast vast forest, there are creatures from Slavic mythology, there are Gods that left, and there was a war in the sky that broke the moon and made angels fall to earth and die. Their flesh used by scientist for their own gain, and one of those angels are still alive, huge, dark and hungry. Hey there was even "Finnish" giant. Now you might to understand that this was different.

      In this fascinating world an investigator named Lom is brought to the capital to find a terrorist. Instead he finds a conspiracy bigger than anything he could have imagined. A city killing itself, earth moving beneath his feet and a world that needs to be saved.

      So, it's a mystery, fantasy, alternate earth, detective story. Really different and honestly just cool.
    • 5/5
      I picked this up because it was described a being very similar in style to China Mieville.
      It was - but I don't think it felt derivative at all.
      It was sort of like if Mieville met Martin Cruz Smith met Philip Kerr. It may sound strange, but I don't think it's a bad thing at all.

      Set in an alternate Soviet state, Vissarion Lom is a 'good' cop, who sees it as an unexpected opportunity when he's called to the capital to undertake a secret investigation. But of course - he gets into far more than he expected, and ends up questioning everything he thought he knew about himself and his society.

      Higgins does a great job of creating his dark and atmospheric world, and weaving in mythological and original fantasy and science-fiction elements. (And really, just some wonderfully weird and grotesque things...) I'm impressed.

      I'll be picking up the sequel... and yes, it is all too obvious that there will be a sequel, but I liked it enough that I'm deducting no points for the cliffhanger-ish ending.

    • 2/5
      Nice atmosphere of Tsarist/Soviet-style alternate Russia but the story and characters were so dull I couldn't be bothered to finish it.
    • 4/5
      Interesting story and characters. The action kept happening.
    • 3/5
      Wolfhound Century by Peter Higgins has a wonderful, dark, damp, creepy atmosphere perfectly fitting the totalitarian Soviet state it is set in. In a world where the supernatural is natural, angels, giants, and other creatures are normal. Higgins tells a great tale, leading the reader along as Inspector Lom tracks a terrorist and finds out that thing are not as they seem. Unfortunately, the pacing of the story is very slow initially, then in the last third of the book things happen so fast it is difficult to keep up. Also, don't pick up this book expecting a complete story. This is the first volume in a series and ends rather too abruptly for my taste.
    • 4/5
      What the heck is a Wolfhound Century? The book's name is taken from a prefatory quote by Osip Mandelstam, a poet persecuted by Stalin, whose works I do not know. Without a larger context it is hard to know what Mandelstam or Higgins means. The book itself is an offbeat combo of "The Magister and Marietta", the Strugatsky brothers, and the darker echoes of Solzhenitzyn, with space aliens, gollems, and robots embedded in what is mostly a police procedural. Inspector Vissarion Lom is a cop, but not quite a normal man. As a child the authorities implanted a piece of meteorite into his forehead, a procedure with as yet fully understood consequences. Lom is called from the eastern forest fastnesses of pseudo Siberia to the bureaucratic bowels of the capital, a reimagined Petrograd. Somehow the mission is not as secret as he thought, and somehow he isn't a completely random personnel choice. It turns out that his childhood friends are deeply involved in the suspect activity, whatever the suspect activity actually is.Wolfhound Century is the first in a series. I enjoyed it and am looking forward to the sequels.I received a review copy of Wolfhound Century by Peter Higgins (Orbit) through NetGalley.com.
    • 4/5
      An assured and engaging debutIn a totalitarian state, where everyone is watched and dissent is crushed without mercy, a disparate set of individuals are trying to change the status quo. But who is fighting for good and who for evil? And what of the bystanders, witnesses and unwilling participants?In a world very similar to, but not quite our own, the rivers and towns will flood and there will be blood on the snow before the world can change.Approaching this novel with no preconceptions or expectations, beyond mild curiosity, I found Wolfhound Century to be a thoroughly gripping and rewarding genre-crossing story.Most of the novel reads like a cold-war thriller, based in a faux 1930s-1950s totalitarian state, with only the lightest coating of fantasy. But, like finger-thin slivers of ice, the fantasy elements puncture the John le Carre environment, gradually melting and merging until the two are inseparable.And this is where some have appeared to struggle: is this a thriller or a fantasy? For me, it is a bit of both; mostly it is a dark and gripping thriller that uses fantasy to provide a strong element of originality to the story. It is quite clear that the fantasy element, already overtaking towards the end of this book, will be far more dominant in the next novel, but this is no bad thing, the subtlety of the shift is such that you are inescapingly drawn in.Like a skilled chess game, Higgins introduces a broad range of characters, spread out across his 'not-quite Russia' board, some destined to be mere pawns to be removed when their role is completed, while others will take their place in the final battle.But, which is which?This is where the book has really excelled, characters are frequently not what they first appear and apparently major players unexpectedly exit the story in the most shocking of ways. Coupled with the slow-burn build of the story, you will find yourself stepping further into this world, accepting the history of the 'Angels' and fearing the grip of the Vlast.The novel isn't quite perfect, the fragmentary nature of the first part makes it a little hard to get into, but it is necessary for the overall plot that these pieces exist. But is is well worth persevering and overall, I thoughly enjoyed it. This is one of the first books this year that I have actually sought out the sequel for. I look forward to its release.
    • 3/5
      One of the wonderful things about speculative fiction is the gradient of possible worlds its writers make available to readers. Rather than invent a planet nestled in a distant corner of the universe, or resort to the generic dragon and wizard haunted realms of fantasy, writers of speculative fiction can create inverted versions of our world. This is what Peter Higgins accomplishes in his diverting novel, Wolfhound Century (Orbit, February 4, 2014).As the book's cover makes clear, Wolfhound Century is set in the fictional equivalent of the Soviet Union. The resemblance is at once clear and ambiguous. Readers will recognize in the Vlast (the nation) Russian "motherland" ideology. The Novozhd, the Vlast's selfless and noble leader, is George Orwell's Big Brother (itself a stand-in for Stalin) made flesh. And the redundant security apparatuses described throughout the book evoke the paranoia of the national security state.But Wolfhound Century is not merely a replica of the USSR. In the Vlast, nature is alive: Rain assaults the protagonist, quite literally, upon his arrival in the capital. Giants work alongside humans, and yet other folkloric creatures are known to, if still feared by, citizens. And "angels" fall from the sky, the rock from which they're made used by humans in medical and military experiments, providing some of the "beneficiaries" incredible powers. (The angels appear to be sentient meteorites, a fair guess given Russia's reputation for being struck by objects from space.)Inspector Vissarion Lom, our hero, received as a child an implant of "angel flesh" into his forehead; the powers it provides him are negligible. At the opening of Wolfhound Century, Lom has frittered away his career as a provincial police officer by refusing to engage in the politics necessary for advancement. Despite his outsider status, or perhaps because of it, he is summoned to the capital, Mirgorod, to investigate the notorious terrorist Josef Kantor. The story, then, is straightforward: Lom seeks Kantor, and Kantor, at the behest of one of the fallen angels, plots against the Vlast. Their collision is as inevitable as the fall of angel stone to earth.Higgins' strengths are his setting and his writing, which work together to create a surreal, dreamlike quality that will either entrance or repel readers. Readers, confronted with a fun house image of the Soviet Union, are immediately disoriented. A giant participates in a terrorist raid. What is this place? Higgins wisely elaborates on his creation not with explication, but with detail: Just pages later, Higgins describes giants pulling wagons down a busy street, a scene of everyday life. The effect is surreal in the best possible way.Higgins' prose contributes groundedness to his fantastical setting. Higgins' sentences are short and punchy, economical; they move the story forward. Higgins is particularly adept at describing landscapes, regardless of whether they're urban or rural. The final third of the novel is set in the marshes outside of Mirgorod, and Higgins' evocation of the swamps is especially successful.Wolfhound Century has two issues that may put off some readers. The first half of the novel moves slowly as Higgins sets the scene for its more explosive second half. The story at times seems to wander, as adrift as Lom's investigation. Still, patient readers will be rewarded: The payoff here is not merely the action that takes place nearer the end of the book, but also the opportunity to further explore Mirgorod and Higgins' world. Readers begin to receive answers halfway through the book, but shouldn't neglect to enjoy the questions they're faced with as the story builds.More problematic is the fact that Wolfhound Century is obviously intended as the first installment in a series. It becomes clear in the last quarter of the story that the action will not be resolved by the end of the book, and it's only fair to warn readers that this is the case. (Indeed, the sequel, Truth and Fear, is slated to be published on March 25, 2014.) This comes down to a matter of taste: If you are a reader who isn't bothered by cliffhangers, or if you're willing to commit yourself to another series, Wolfhound Century's ending won't intimidate you. Other readers will wish there was a greater sense of resolution.Wolfhound Century is a quiet, unassuming book that will sneak up on those readers who have the patience to permit themselves to be rewarded by it. It in some ways reminded me of Ian Tregillis' recent novel, Something More Than Night. Recommended for readers of unconventional fantasy/sci-fi and those with an interest in Russian mythology and folk culture.
    • 2/5
      I love Russian history, steampunk, etc., and I should have loved this book. But unfortunately, after three tries, I just couldn't get into it enough to finish it. The chars are unengaging and the plot is muddled. Save your money.
    • 4/5
      I started out wanting to like this book; a fantasy set in a Stalinist-noir not-quite-Russia, with something strange fallen from the sky in the tundra, a fantastic Tunguska event; and the first part certainly lived up to this premise, with some interesting society building. The Vlast isn't a Communist state, but it's clearly Russian; the title is taken from a quote by Osip Mandelstam, the politics echoes the sort of society that existed in 20th century Czarist times (Czarist Russia and Stalinist Russia weren't all that different), but it's sufficiently different to be of interest.But I had a great problem with the writing. Yes, it's elegant, it sets scenes well, the characters were identifiable and I could relate to them, but - why all the sentences without verbs? Is this what they teach in Creative Writing courses these days? And are editors now incapable of throwing a book back to the author, saying "Get your grammar right!" or "Put in some punctuation, for god's sake!" There are times when this is acceptable, for impact or in reporting a character's inner dialogue, but when it happens with such regularity as in this book, it is just sheer sloppiness.Still, getting around this - and accepting that it might just be me that's old-fashioned (but still! No verbs???!!) - the story kept me turning pages as Lom got further and further into the conspiracy. And then this cataclysmic flood occurs and the whole story heads off in a different direction, still clearly part of the plot but moving the action and the nature of Lom's relation to the world and the situation into new territory. He dies, and is resurrected in some way. He has a titanic struggle with a mythical being, which turns out to be sufficiently stupid to be able to be defeated.And then the story ends.Other reviewers have called the ending a cliff-hanger. No it isn't. It's the end of a chapter. A cliff-hanger would set up a situation and leave you wondering not just what happens next or how the story ends, but specifically how the characters get out the situation they are in. In this case, the answer to that is "They get a tram back to town". That's not a cliff-hanger; that's the end of a chapter and there's an expectation that something will follow. There was no indication in the book or its packaging that there was going to be a sequel, but other reviewers have assumed that there would be (though one has suggested that there may be a gross binding error, and if the book was short of some 70 pages then there would be enough space to get to a denouement, or even a real cliff-hanger). If this really is a major error by Gollancz, then I wonder just what we are coming to. I would be appalled if my publisher made such a cock-up, and I'd be asking my agent to explore other avenues.Such a shame; as I said, I was really looking forward to enjoying this book. But with the eccentric grammar and the plot running into a brick wall at the end of the book, I came away from 'Wolfhound Century' very disappointed indeed.
    • 3/5
      I received this book as part of the Early Reviewer process. As a student of Russian history, I was looking forward to this book, but in the end, I had to drag myself through it. While the book is sprinkled with Russian words and has a feel of Steampunk Stalinist Russia, it failed me in several ways. First, I did not find the characters all that engaging. Second, the book is really a set up for a longer piece, and as such, it ends with no conclusions. All the subplots are still open. Third, I really was hoping for something that was more tightly tied to reality, even though it is a fantasy. All in all, I don't think I will wait for the second book in the series.
    • 4/5
      An enjoyable detective fantasy that manages to provide new fantasy elements (rather than simply re-purpose and re-use Tolkien's world as most modern fantasy is wont to do). Told in a sparing noirish style while still ably painting the Russian/Eastern European-ish fantasy world makes for a refreshingly new entry to the genre. I'll be looking to read the next in the series.
    • 2/5
      I really want to give this book a better review... Really!!! However, at the cliff-hanging climactic moment it **appears** to end. Upon closer examination the Publisher info indicated the book is 380 pages, but the ARC is only 320. It seems the ARC is missing 60 critical pages. I have emailed Orbit and if I get a revised edit I will cheerfully and willing revise this review!!!
    • 3/5
      In the wake of terrorist bombings in the capital city of Mirgorod, Inspector Vissarion Lom is sent from his small-city post to investigate. In Mirgorod, Lom finds his investigation leading to a conspiracy that may include his own bosses in the upper echelon of the secret police. However, Lom is soon caught up in an even greater mystery, one that surrounds the mysterious stone “angels” that fell out of the sky, one of which may be alive.Wolfhound Century has great world building and a really refreshing setting; Lom’s home country is obviously Soviet-Russian inspired, yet clearly set in a fantasy world distinct from our own. There’s lots of good stuff here, and the main mystery goes beyond political machinations to possibly the nature of this world itself. The main plot ties together with the stone angels, whose very bodies have been exploited for their strange properties, and a mysterious object that may contain an alternate universe.The biggest problem with the novel is that the whole thing feels like just the set up for a larger story, with very little actually resolved at the end. It’s clear who the enemies are and what the characters need to accomplish, but little progress is actually made toward their goals. However, it’s because the world and its mysterious are so intriguing that the lack of ending feels like such a letdown. A definite sequel is planned for next spring, and hopefully it provides the closure to make this story truly worth reading.A review copy was provided through the Librarything Early Reviewers program.
    • 3/5
      Peter Higgins’ Wolfhound Century is kind of a spy/detective novel mashed up with a fantastical element in a world whose moon has shattered and angels fell to earth. I liked it, but it didn’t grab my innards the way I’d hoped it would.There are two parts to the book. The first is about an investigation in this fantasy-tinged Russian city filled with agents-provocateur, anarchists and artists. This stuff I loved. The powerful people are assholes and Lom the detective is a prototypical noir detective in this pseudo-Soviet state. It’s great.Then it spins into something overtly mythical magical and blatant rather than tinged with magic. This big magical plot doesn’t resolve itself and I assume it’s planned as a trilogy at least. That bugs me. The change in Lom 3/4 of the way through the story also bugs me a bit. He starts off as a hard-boiled provincial detective out of his element but pursuing leads in the case he was given. By the end he’s definitely not that any more. There’s a lot of stuff that happens that undermines the “lone man against an impenetrable totalitarian fantasy state” vibe I wanted out of the book (and got from the beginning).But it’s a decent beginning to a story that I’ll probably like when it’s all put together eventually. As it is, it’s too much of a first act for my liking.
    • 3/5
      Having never read a book by Peter Higgins before, I didn't know what to expect when I set out to read his new novel, "Wolfhound Century". One of the most striking aspects of the author's writing has to do with his diction and prose. A reader likely wouldn't expect it, but Higgins' novel is, in a sense, beautifully written; the poetic imagery that he establishes with his word choices and the descriptive analogies that he uses actually seem like they belong in a Modernist poet's anthology than they do in a violent science-fiction type novel. Higgins captures the reader's attention immediately with his use of poetic imagery to convey the gritty reality that he is trying to convey in his book.Unfortunately, words are nothing more than symbols on paper if they don't evoke some emotional response in the reader, and I think this is where Higgins' novel falls flat. Despite the poetic diction and word phrases, I could not connect to anything in this book whatsoever. In my opinion, a book that relies on a "science-fiction" type formula can work only if the characters that the author develops are interesting and easy to connect to. There was not one character in "Wolfhound Century" that was relatable or easy to connect with. During the first half of the book especially, it felt like a chore to read because it was so difficult to follow what was going on, and the lack of character development had a lot to do with this. Higgins doesn't really offer the reader anything to connect to and so there's a deep severance between the events depicted in the book, and the reader's perception and understanding of what is going on. Whilst the book does pick up after the half-way point and becomes easier to follow and relate to, it doesn't erase the fact that much of the book is hard to follow and difficult to connect with.I wouldn't say "Wolfhound Century" is a bad novel; there are some very interesting stylistic elements incorporated within it and the plot idea is thought-provoking. However, the lack of character development severely impacts this book and makes it difficult to consider it a worthwhile read. If for nothing else, I think people should read the book simply for Higgins' interesting language and descriptive analogies.3/5
    • 3/5
      Received as part of the early reviewers program.I read it...I finished it. I'm still not sure if I truly understand what is going on or even if I am meant to. The book is the first in a series after all. This book is truly outside anything that I have ever experienced before. With most books there is something I can relate to and that feels familiar. It allows me to feel comfortable and relaxed while reading. I never found that something with this book.The first quarter of the book I forced myself to continue reading. The next quarter I was beginning to get mildly curious as to where things where heading. The third quarter I started to feel strangely compelled to continue. The last quarter I read in one sitting, because I couldn't stop.For the decade or so I have been lazy in my reading, preferring things I didn’t need to think too hard about to read. On that basis I probably would not have picked this book to read on my own with jacket blurbs that include words like quantum probability, Russian cosmism, Vintage Mievelle or Vandermeer and war with reality, I would have put it right back on the shelf. I am glad I read it though, even if it took me kicking and screaming outside my comfort zone. If someone were to ask me what it is about I would have a difficult time explaining it, especially if only given a limited amount of time. My explanation would include the words: Steampunk, totalitarian society, corruption, alternate realities, probability, rebels or terrorist and thriller.As far as continuing to read the series, I don’t know. If I stumble onto the second book I would probably give it a try but it is not something I would actively seek out.