Wolf by Wolf (Wolf by Wolf #1)

Ryan Graudins Wolf By Wolf is a daring reimagining of our worlds history. In this alternate universe, Hitler and his allies have successfully conquered much of Europe and Asia, as well as the northern portion of Africa. The rest of the world has buckled under pressure, choosing peace over war, agreeing to a truce with the notorious leader. Those opposed to the New Order have been forced underground, working in secret, biding their time. With the annual Axis Tour, a motorcycle race that spans continents, soon underway, the resistance is ready to make its move and at the center of their plan is Yael. As a child Yael and her mother were imprisoned at a death camp, where she was subjected to various scientific experiments. The goal behind these experiments: to find a way to perfect the Aryan race by suppressing the melanin in a persons system, thereby controlling their hair, eye, and skin color. Unbeknownst to the doctor in charge of these speculative trials, Yael developed the ability to skinshift, to alter her own appearance into the likes of another.

As Yael begins her mission, to impersonate former Axis Tour Victor Adele Wolfe, her resolve to take down Hitler is stronger than ever. Yael has lost everyone important to her and has been stripped of her own identity through the experimentation she endured as a child. Though she is full of anger and retribution, she recognizes that this missions success has the potential to become a catalyst, a spark that will signal a revolution that could give way to a better future for the world. She knows how much depends on her being able to masquerade as someone else. This scheme puts in her in a precarious situation, where every word, look, or action threatens to expose her. This is made even more dangerous by the presence of Adele Wolfes twin brother Felix and former competitor Luka Lwe. Both know more about Adele than Yael, and both challenge her view of what she has learned on paper about each. Yael is a determined character, but what sets her apart is, despite the injustices done to her, there remains a part of her who refuses to become like those she hates.

Wolf By Wolf is as terrifying as it is fascinating. Graudins world explores crimes by Nazi Germany that are rarely explored: human experimentation, as well as envisioning a different history that is frightening in its plausibility. Graudins novel is heartbreaking, thrilling, and near perfect in execution, whose impact will be felt long after finishing.

I had started the author’s previous book, The Walled City, earlier this year and while I liked it, I was either too distracted by life or other books to give it all my time. One thing is for sure, it did not grip me the way Wolf by Wolf did. I had set it aside with the intention of returning to it later when I saw this new title, (I love the cover!), recognized the author’s name and decided to give this book a try. I am so glad I did. I was rooting for Yael from the very beginning. The horrors inflicted on her as a child in the experimentation labs of a Reich doctor, the loss of her family, the loss of her self and her personal identity were all too awful to imagine.

But Yael survives, escapes her captors and begins to forge a new life, not at first telling her adopted “family” about her newly acquired talent of taking on faces at will, skin shifting. When the time comes she is a willing part of a plan to take down the Furher and destroy the Reich forever. Her way forward is the axis cycling race, a race comprising of the youth of Japan and Germany racing across parts of Europe, Africa and finally culminating in Tokyo. Of course, she can’t enter as herself, she is an unknown and that will expose her to too much scrutiny so she decides to take on the face of the only past female racer, Adele Wolfe. But life is never easy and Yael is about to embark on an adventure complicated by wearing the skin of another.

The descriptions of the race were really exciting to read. The whole thing kind of reminded me of the Tour de France. I never really knew I could care about bikes, racing terminology, feats of human endurance and strength but the author made me change my mind. At every stop, every mishap, every act of sabotage, my heart was in my throat as I cheered Yael on. Would she succeed, would she make it to the finish line, would all the deceptions and compromises she has made so far be worth it?

I loved this book, from start to finish. I loved the writing, the characters, the setting, the descriptions of the different food items at the different stops, even the excruciating nature of the race was thrilling and exciting. I loved that Yael was a character who embodied weakness even in her strength. She is in an impossible situation impersonating another person. She has the face of Adele and with that, the burdens of Adele’s past relationships and mistakes. Many times she is confronted with the expectation of how she is supposed to behave as Adele, how she is supposed to react as Adele and the consequences of Adele’s sins. But through it all, she manages to finagle herself out of situations in believable ways.

Though we never get to know too much about the supporting cast of characters, they add much to the story and show us more about Yael. My favorite supporting character was Luka who you never know if you should trust him or plan his murder. He is cunning, smart and hilarious.

I can’t wait to read the sequel!

Wolf By Wolf takes the DNA of “What if Hitler won the War” (Robert Harris’s Fatherland) splices in a thread of Inglorious Basterds (young girl is intent on killing Hitler) and mixes a dollop of action, base violence and an X-men style, shape shifting /mutation / origin story. That in short, is the essential nucleus of this thriller.

Yael is a young girl who turns shapeshifter after being mercilessly experimented on by the Nazi’s. She uses this new found talent to escape her captives clutches and joins a resistance movement that is struggling against a Reich which has emerged victorious from the Ashes of the Second World War.

The glorious victory over the Allied forces is commemorated by the Axis powers through the vehicle of a motorcycle race across their dominion. To the victor go the spoils- glory, a cushy job and a ceremony in which the victor is wreathed and lauded by Adolf Hitler himself.

Driven by her determination to change things for the better, Yael see’s her opportunity to get up close and personal with the Fuhrer and thus bring Hitlers reign to a very public end. This is by entering and winning the race in the form of a previous female victor- Adele Wolfe. There’s just a couple of problems; everyone else in it, is there to win it, the brother of Adele Wolfe is trying hard to get her not to race and finally the real Wolfe did something terrible to one of the other contestants the last time she raced and won.

The inevitable ‘will-she won’t-she’ win fuels much of the suspense in this thriller which motors along at great pace without slipping or the plot becoming tired. Yael is an intriguing character although we don’t get to look too deeply into her inner-self too often. Perhaps this was a bit of an omission, and those who feel introspection leads to greater affinity for a character will note this, but you know what ? I didn’t mind personally. In short this book is thought provoking given the background history whilst also being a racy, pacy, shapeshifting, gear shifting counterfactual turbocharged novel.
Roll on the sequel.

While alternative histories aren’t generally my thing, this novel really did draw me in. Beginning with the horror or Yael’s childhood journey to a concentration camp and then following her tense journey as part of the Axis Tour, it was a “what if” story that truly allowed the reader to imagine just how horrible the world would be if the Nazis had won (a thought that is very poignant to our current political climate).

Wolf by Wolf has a lot to offer and I think it will appeal to many different kinds of reader. It’s a thriller, it has science fiction elements, it has a grueling motorcycle race, historical roots and light romance. Its dark and violent in places but never overly gory. Yael is a very strong and relatable protagonist and, while the other racers initially felt a bit shallow, they revealed hidden depths as the story progressed.

My only real issue with the story was that the prose could be a little purple at times. It was beautiful but the heavy use of metaphor sometimes seemed a bit excessive. It should also be warned that the novel ends on a cliffhanger. While it wasn’t especially jarring (the story did at least conclude) it did not offer a great deal of resolution and left a lot of threads hanging. Hopefully these will be neatly tied off in the concluding volume.

All in all, this was an excellent novel and really made me want to read Graudin’s earlier work. I can’t wait to see how this story will wrap up in the next book!

What if the Germans and Japanese had won World War II? Most historians do agree that it was possible at one point or another. What defines our identity? Is it the colour of our skin? Or the blood in our veins? These are the questions Ryan Graudin explores in her thrilling debut novel, Wolf By Wolf.

Yael’s earliest memory is of her time at a Aushwitz, where she was selected for an special experiment to manipulate her melanin. During the slow and horrific procedures, she secretly develops a supernatural (and Mystique-like) ability to skin-shift. Yael uses her new-found ability to escape the death camp. But she ends up forgetting her own face.

In 1956 Germania, Yael joins the Resistance which has one ultimate goal: kill Hitler. But this proves difficult as the Fuhrer has become somewhat reclusive. However, every year the legendary Axis Tour, a treacherous motorcycle race from Berlin to Tokyo, takes place. Last year’s winner, Adele Wolfe, scored a rare dance with the Fuhrer at the Victor’s Ball. This is their chance. Yael must transform into Adele, win the race, dance with Hitler and assassinate him. But with the other riders attempting to sabotage her chances at every turn she risks losing the race and her chance for revenge…

Holy scheisse! This book is good. I bought it randomly after reading the fascinating blurb and was not disappointed. I think Yael may be the most tenacious female protagonist I’ve ever had the pleasure to read about. Her world is completely torn apart by this merciless regime and yet she still finds the strength to fight against all odds. She endears me to no end, but she is complex. Yael constantly questions her identity (you would too if you forgot your face) but the author does a good job at reminding us about what truly matters. And our skin colour, our blood mean nothing at the end of the day. We are all created equal despite our differences. So no matter what Yael’s outward appearance may be, she is still the same girl inside.

Wolf By Wolf is a clever combination of alternate history and fantasy. I was absorbed from start to finish. You can tell Guadin did her research and based many facts in this novel on the speculation of various historians and engineers. It is intriguing to think how the world would be if we had lost WWII. Her writing style is poetic, her story seamlessly moving between the gut-wrenching past and heart racing present. I particular enjoyed the stories behind Yael’s five tattooed wolves (four for those she has lost and one to remind her.) And the motorcycle race is epic. You can feel every bump on the road they ride. Oh and the ending! I seriously did not see that cliffhanger coming. I cannot wait to see what happens next in Blood For Blood.

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