After discovering Alastair Chisolm’s books on a trip to Oxford a few years ago, he has become my benchmark for quality children’s science fiction. His Adam-2 and The Consequence Girl are top notch and I strongly recommend you check them out. I was thrilled to discover that Chisolm was returning this month with another dystopian sci-fi thriller for middle-grade readers. Promising giant mechanical constructs in a post-apocalyptic world, I couldn’t wait to read I am Wolf.
What Is I Am Wolf?
The most important thing to say about I am Wolf is that its central character, Coll, has two prosthetic limbs. Alastair Chisholm worked with the LimbBo Foundation and Finding Your Feet to make Coll’s experiences in the book as authentic as possible. As Chisholm says in his afterward, representation matters. “Coll is the hero of this story and his limb difference is one part of him but not the point of him.”
It’s hard for me to comment having had no experience with limb difference, but I think the author succeeded in his quest to bring Coll to life as realistically as possible.
The second thing to point out is that, unlike the other books by Alastair Chisholm and Nosy Crow that I have read, this book is not a complete story. It’s the first book in a series and is left open-ended. At least one more volume is on the way – I am Raven.
The central conceit of the I am Wolf is that it’s set in a ruined world, scattered with remnants of future tech. This tech is fashioned into semi-autonomous mecha constructs that respond to their crew’s movements and emotions. Coll is a member of the Wolf crew, but because of his limb difference, he is not given the respect he deserves.
The world is divided into rough territories, each ruled by a different animal construct. Quickly into the novel, we learn about Wolf, Hyena, Raven, and Boar. Later, Dragon will appear.
Coll finds himself separated from Wolf, with only a handful of allies. Other children that he barely knows. Children who aren’t from Wolf. Coll is Wolf, but he will have to become something different if he is ever going to see his family again.
Why Read I Am Wolf?
For a slender volume, there’s a lot packed into I Am Wolf. First, there’s the mechanics of the story. Why is the world like it is? Where do the constructs come from and how do they work? There’s a central mystery in the book, only hinted at in this book, that will become the focus of book 2.
While the world is interesting and mystery-filled, the book shines even more brightly with its character interactions and meditations on family and belonging. Being “Wolf” is fundamental to Coll. It drives and colors everything he does. We see the benefits of being in a tribe and its pitfalls; the closedness to new ideas and pointless hostility to others not in our tribe. (Familiar noises to anybody following modern politics.)
Coll must unlearn his preconceptions. Understand his old family perhaps did not have his best interest at heart. Learn that trust and new relationships can be forged. Learn that there is usually more than one way to do things and that family can have multiple definitions. Important lessons for impressionable readers!
As ever, Chisholm’s writing makes for effortless reading, and his world-building is excellent. Not everything is filled in, but we sense a shattered world, where much is broken. We are left to wonder how things ended up this way.
I thoroughly enjoyed I Am Wolf. The fledgling friendships between Coll and his companions give us something very special. I am most definitely looking forward to finding out what they’ll get up to in I am Raven.
If you would like to pick up a copy of I Am Wolf, you can do so here, in the US, and here, in the UK. (Affiliate Link)
If you enjoyed this review, check out my other book reviews, here.
I received a copy of this book in order to write this review.
