Wolf non-fiction, I can't get enough of it. I don't consume a whole lot of non-fiction aside from the "wolves" subject, but honestly I feel like that's okay. I love reading about these animals and learning about their behavior and even specific individuals, such as is the case over here.
in 1995, after decades of no wolves in the park, a bunch of wolves were relocated to Yellowstone in the US. Among these wolves was a little runt pup, referred to as "Wolf 8" throughout the book. 8 not only grew up, but also eventually made it to the position of alpha/breeding male for his own pack. This book details his exploits and life.
Part of a trilogy detailing famous wolves from Yellowstone, this is the first installment. I unfortunately will have to wait a while for the other two books to come out in paperback, but from what I read in this book so far, I really enjoyed it.
McIntyre, having years of wolf-watching experience, thoroughly describes the animals' behavior in this book. You learn a lot about their ways of life, but particularly about this special individual, Wolf 8, and even one of his adoptive pups, Wolf 21, who later goes on to be the subject of book two in the trilogy.
The book paints a realistic yet sympathetic portrayal of these animals. We see how both, though wolf fights regarding territory will often end in death, 8 and 21 avoid harming one another, even after 21 joins an "enemy" pack.
It was just very enjoyable to read about the lives of these wolves. There's sad moments, too, of course, as is the way of life, but I did feel like Wolf 8 let a fulfilled life.
One criticism I do have is that sometimes it's a bit hard to distinguish between the wolves. This isn't really the author's fault per se, it's just the number system they referred to the wolves with. At first it's pretty easy to keep track of who is who, but after more and more packs with different alpha wolves get introduced, you may lose track of it. The family trees in the beginning of the book definitely help, but I feel like maybe an overview of each pack and their members at a certain point in the book could have maybe taken away a bit of the confusion. The numbers are all different, yes, but after so many of them they kind of start to blend together.
Still, a very exciting start to this trilogy of which I can't wait to read more!
Rating: 5/5
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