Children of the Wolf: A Superb and Dark Novel

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

CHILDREN OF THE WOLF (2026)

By Abby Geni

Ballantine Books, 320 pages.

★★★★★

 

Children of the Wolf is a strong candidate for my favorite novel of 2026, though I warn sensitive readers that parts of this imaginative work from Abby Geni are grisly. The “children” in question are Liv and Finn Thorvalsson, and the wolf their father Ulf. Their Norwegian names are important, though story begins in a survivalist-like compound in Iowa. Ulf claims to be a direct descendant of 11^th century Viking explorer Erik the Red, reputedly the first settler of Greenland. His father Thorvald was exiled from Norway for what was either cold-blooded murder or the somewhat lesser crime of manslaughter, hence Erik grew up in Iceland. He, in turn, fathered Leif Eriksson, who is possibly the first European to visit what is now known as the Western Hemisphere, a good 500 years before Christoper Columbus. This is disputed turf* on numerous levels, but not in Ulf’s mind.

 

Ulf fancies himself a latter-day Viking and raises his children according to his view of the Viking code, way of life, and religion. Though Vikings began to embrace Christianity in the 9^th century, Ulf meant the old Nordic gods living in Asgard and headed by Odin. If you ever studied Greek mythology and though the Olympian gods were horrible to humans, some of the Norse gods made them look like wimps. Ulf is a very big guy whose worldview made me think of the Klingons** in Star Trek. You can almost imagine Ulf channeling Worf in repeating the tagline, “Today is a good day to die.” Human warriors who died in brave combat could not live in Asgard, but some could dwell in Valhalla with both human and divine heroes. Liv and Finn love their father, but they also fear him. Let’s say that some of his punishments for straying from his standard of conduct are not found in any child-raising manual. Ulf is also the “wolf” because Norse gods were only partly immortal. They could temporarily die from one of Loki’s horrible pranks or Thor’s rage, but they usually got better. Yet, all Norse gods knew that they would all die for good when Fenrir, one of Loki’s sons, broke his bonds, swallowed Odin, and ushered in the end of all things (Ragnorak). Ulf believes in Ragnorak!

 

Things get weirder and more ominous for Liv and Finn–mute for reasons explained in the novel–when they notice that the number of graves in the compound surpasses the number of pets their father claims to have buried. They also notice that some men have disappeared in their area, mostly no-accounts but…. Ulf’s a Viking, after all, and “heroes” need blood sacrifices. Maybe too many in Ulf’s case, as he is sent to a high-security prison for mass murder.

Liv and Finn get a chance to live a semi-normal life by leaving Iowa, moving to Michigan, changing their last names, and setting up a bee-keeping business. Does one really overcome such an upbringing? You don’t, exactly. Finn copes through silence and gentleness. Liv yearns for a conventional(ish) life, but checks with the prison on a regular basis to make sure their father hasn’t escaped. Neither has any contact with Ulf, but Liv can’t shake the fear that he will somehow get loose. For the most part, Finn and Liv lean on each other. That is, until Liv unexpectantly falls in love with another woman, Penny Westerman, a social worker. It unfolds though each has reasons to be wary and doors they keep locked from each other. They have a passionate sexual life, but why does Penny insist that they retreat to their respective homes and never sleep over?

 

A bigger question: Why are their mysterious disappearances in town? That question triggers Liv’s darkest fear that Ulf has indeed escaped. Has a switch taken place? Figuratively speaking, is he on the prowl in some sort of deluded Fenrir alter ego fever? This, and an even deeper reason, draw Liv into making visits to Iowa to reestablish contact with her imprisoned father. Chances are good you won’t anticipate the reveal.

 

Children of the Wolf is a dark novel, but a well-written one that stays in character throughout. At times I felt a things-go-bump-in-the-night frisson without knowing why. If you were to consult AI about Children of the Wolf, it would say it is about wildlife, survival, and human connection. What a lame crock! It’s way more.

 

Rob Weir

 

Notes for the Curious:

* I use “disputed turf” to denote that none of those from the old textbook “Age of Discovery” discovered anything! Paleo-Indians had lived in the Western Hemisphere since at least 14,000 years ago and perhaps as long as 20,000 years. Norse explorers spoke of skraelings, who were likely ancestors of the Inuit. L’Anse aux Meadows in Newfoundland is said to have been the first Norse settlement in North America, but this widely debated, with the Baffin Islands and other sites upheld by some researchers.

 

** For what it’s worth, the original Star Trek Klingons were a Gene Rodenberry mashup of the Cold War Soviet Union filtered through the Mongols and Japanese Samurai. Klingon ultimately assumed a more Norse god-like demeanor.