Luna the Lone Wolf is an animal fantasy novel about Luna, the wolf with the silver sheen, born to Martol and Toltan. The novel opens with Luna and his siblings on their first hunt. The reader is immediately introduced to Luna’s sibling rivalry with his brother, Rajor, and to Luna’s status as alpha of the sibling pups. The book continues to take the reader on an immersive journey through the forest, where they follow Luna as he’s cast away from the pack for a crime he did not commit and forced to live his life as a lone wolf.

As Forest Wells’ debut novel, I have to say this is a job well done. The story is well-written with a fast-paced, well-designed story arc. Each character progression feels natural and unforced. The descriptions are lovely and interwoven throughout the prose with few stops; the exception to this being only within the opening chapters when the author takes pause to describe each wolf upon entrance, which was slightly jarring. However, this was a minor inconvenience during the story setup, and once the opening scenes passed the story took on a life of its own.

Overall, Wells is a master storyteller, and it’s obvious he has done his research. Wells never missed a beat to describe the wolves’ expression using their body language, and he bases all of this through the real-life study of the communication between wolves. To me, this was the icing on the cake. This added level of realism allows for total immersion into Wells world. It’s the making of true art.

One thing to note, is this novel is not for children. This is a novel that contains adult content. I was surprised at how realistic the wolf’s hunts were portrayed, and the emotional punch contained within many of the scenes. I found myself experiencing a myriad of emotional cycles as the author skillfully led me through Luna’s ups and downs, many of which contained very adult thoughts and emotions.

This is a story of a lone wolf, and the theme of this novel is made clear: isolation. Not just physical isolation, but also emotional isolation. The novel’s main character has been cast out, but as the reader will discover along this journey, so have many other characters within the pages. Many readers will find themselves relating to Luna, as we’ve also felt like lone wolves at some point.

I’ll be honest, this is not something I would typically read, but I highly recommend this novel. It’s entrancing and beautifully done. I couldn’t get enough of this book, and I’ll be first in line for Forest Well’s upcoming works. Bravo!

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