Microreview [book]: Wolfpack by Rem Wigmore

 Wolfpack is a spiky solarpunk that wrestles with questions of leadership and belonging.

Cover by Layla Rose Mutton-Rogers

Wolfpack is the second book in the Foxhunt series, so spoilers ahoy! Also, please be aware that this review (and the book being reviewed) contains passing references to suicide. While this series has many traits of solarpunk in its worldbuilding and its focus is on healing, the inclusion of material relating to trauma, violence, mental health and disaster (both natural and manmade) makes it a little spikier than other examples of the subgenre.

For those new to the series, it is set in a version of our world in which humanity has managed to step back from the brink of ecological disaster. It has done so by instituting some strict rules about the reasonable use of resources and enshrining the laws of hospitality. When someone breaks those laws, the Order of the Vengeful Wild is called. While the Order's mission may be noble, they have a well-earned reputation for bloodshed and violence.

The story picks up two months after the previous book. The previous Leader of the Order, Luga, committed suicide in a way that framed Orfeus, making her Leader. Orfeus went along with it because it put her in a position to implement changes to the Order, such as a no-kill policy.

Her relationship with Faolan remains uneasy. He's still very much in love with her, but resents her for having killed his surrogate father figure. He also feels the changes she has implemented come from weakness. While the story is mostly focused on Orfeus, one thread shows Faolan coming to terms with the fact Luga was not a good father to her and had no intention of handing over leadership to her. She also wrestles with the nature of leadership: can it be done without the self-destructive sacrifice Luga believed was necessary? Can it instead be done like a pack, a family?

As a side note, if the pronouns in the previous paragraph just did your head in, an important element of this series is its representation of gender. Faolan's pronouns tend to alternate between he and she. There are also a variety of other pronouns used throughout the story. A number of the characters are transgender, including Orfeus. And if there's a straight, cis-gender character anywhere in the book, I must have overlooked them. (As a straight, cis-gender woman, I'm fine with that).

The Order has undergone some membership turnover since the previous book. One or two members left, unwilling to tolerate Orfeus' leadership. A new member was also gained and is finding eir feet with Orfeus' support. The relationship that develops between Velvet Worm and Orfeus is rather sweet and a good counterpoint to some of Orfeus' other relationships.

Speaking of which, Orfeus too has finally found a place she belongs, though she is slow to realise that. Being used to thinking of herself as an outsider makes it difficult for her, as does the baggage that comes with some of her relationships, particularly Faol and Tai. She is quick to protect others, but can get prickly around them wanting to protect her.

There's a lot in this story about belonging. Another thread of this book focuses on Jean, a runaway from a cult. Jean's path soon crosses with Arcon, an AI programmed to protect a DNA bank Orfeus damaged in one of her ill-conceived adventures. Jean's upbringing with the Truest Church of the Most Ancient God (which is most definitely Christian inspired) leads him to conceive of Arcon as an angel, so when Arcon asks for the use of Jean's body (being damaged and needing somewhere to store his nanites), Jean agrees.  Jean has been looked down on by the cult he grew up in and Arcon has been lonely without company for decades, perhaps gone a little mad and suffering from errors in his programming. They don't always see eye-to-eye, but they do find belonging together.

But going back to Orfeus' ill-conceived adventures, I found the story a little frustrating in places because it is one of those stories where the characters just need to sit down and have an honest conversation. Orfeus is aware of this need, but works to avoid it, instead opting for grand gestures which tend to leave destruction in her wake (sometimes physically, sometimes emotionally). Her tendency towards keeping her intentions hidden and actively lying about them damages her relationships. While the honest conversations do happen eventually, it's still pretty annoying, especially since I'm not sure Orfeus really learns from her mistakes. I certainly appreciate a flawed character, but there needs to be a sense that they can learn and grow; Orfeus' tendency to make the same or similar mistakes makes it difficult to trust she has changed.

Although Wolfpack makes a reasonable entry point for the series, with the history behind ongoing relationships being either explained or easily inferred, I'd recommend starting the series from the beginning. Returning readers will enjoy cameos from characters from the previous book, such as Orfeus' neighbour Linden and Rivasoa, the Archivist of Eldergrove.

The book offers a reasonably satisfying conclusion while leaving the way wide open for more. There's a looming threat left as a loose end and while some of Orfeus' relationships are left in a good place, others are in need of repair.

The Math

Baseline Assessment: 6/10

Bonuses: +1 for the sheer diversity of queer representation, +1 for mature handling of themes of family and belonging

Penalties -1 for Orfeus' dubious personal growth

Nerd Coefficient: 7/10

POSTED BY: Elizabeth Fitzgerald, a writer, binge reader, tabletop gamer & tea addict. @elizabeth_fitz@ wandering.shop

References

Wolfpack. Wigmore, Rem (Queen of Swords Press, 2023)

Six Books with Rem Wigmore

Rem Wigmore (they/them) is a speculative fiction writer based in Aotearoa New Zealand, author of the solarpunk novels Foxhunt and Wolfpack, both from Queen of Swords Press. Rem’s other works include Riverwitch and The Wind City and their short fiction appears in several places including Capricious Magazine, Baffling Magazine and two of the Year’s Best Aotearoa New Zealand Science Fiction & Fantasy anthologies. Rem’s probably a changeling, but you’re stuck with them now. The coffee here is just too good. Rem can be found at remwigmore.com or on twitter as @faewriter.

Today, they tell us about their Six Books

1.What book are you currently reading?

I just finished & This Is How to Stay Alive, by Shingai Njeri Kagunda, which is profound and lovely. I had to take it slow since the subject matter's quite close to home.

2. What upcoming book am I really excited about

Some Desperate Glory, Emily Tesh's debut novel.  I love Tesh's novellas, and this sounds like it has an utterly terrible female protagonist (morally speaking), which is my very favourite thing.

3. Is there a book you're currently itching to reread?

Ann Leckie's Ancillary Justice! Wild that I've only read it once when it's so full of tea and gender feelings! Seivarden, my beloved!

4. A book that you love and wish that you yourself had written.

Sarah Gailey's American Hippo duology, River of Teeth especially. We love a buck wild premise taken to its logical conclusions. Also, hippo heist with a lively ensemble cast and a m/nb romance? Absolutely the kind of thing I would write.

5. What's one book, which you read as a child or young adult, that has had a lasting influence on your writing?

The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss! Both in terms of having a lot of the things I like to explore-beautiful prose, unreliable narrators, fae, bards-and because it's the book I read at sixteen that crystallised me: I had been someone who wrote as a hobby for fun, and after that, I knew I wanted to be an author. I wanted to tell stories as lovely as that.

6. And speaking of that, what's *your* latest book, and why is it awesome? 

So glad you asked!   

Wolfpack is set to release in early January, completing the duology that began with Foxhunt. The series is my queer solarpunk imagining of a better world and the price paid to get there, full of ecoterrorist assassins and glimmering greenery-covered cities.

Without spoiling the first book too much, Wolfpack features conservation, rewilding as a romantic gesture, and a young man finding friendship after he escapes from a cult. Ensemble cast! A gene bank heist! Every terrible decision one woman can make! I love this book passionately, I hope you do too, and I'm proud of all the work we've done.

Thank you, Rem!

See also Elizabeth Fitz's interview with Rem here at Nerds of a Feather.

POSTED BY: Paul Weimer. Ubiquitous in Shadow, but I’m just this guy, you know? @princejvstin.

Brewing Community with Rem Wigmore

Brewing Community is a series of guest posts in which readers, writers, artists and fans are invited to share their experiences of community. Whether online or in person, these groups bring a great deal of support and sometimes stress to their members. The aim of Brewing Community is to share the joy and find ways to brew stronger communities.

The series first ran in 2015. In returning to it after several years, I wanted to focus on how these experiences of community may have changed in recent years, and how people would like to see them change, as well as delving into what books and media have brought comfort in difficult times.

When I put my blog on hiatus, I still had a few outstanding interviews. I'm delighted to be able to share them with you here at Nerds of a Feather. You can find the other interviews back at Earl Grey Editing. 

Today's guest is Rem Wigmore. Rem is an up-and-coming talent who is fast becoming a regular on the shortlists for the Sir Julius Vogel Awards. Even in Australia, books from New Zealand authors can be hard to get hold of, so I'd heard of Rem long before I got my hands on their work. Once I did, they didn't disappoint, and I devoured their queer, found-family solarpunk novel Foxhunt from Queen of Swords Press. I'm already counting the days until I can get my hands on the sequel. In the meantime, I'm delighted to share this interview with them.

Since I've never interviewed you before, there's one important question I must ask first: what's your favourite beverage?

Black coffee! I drink plunger coffee at home (French press) and normally an Americano if I’m at a cafe. Filter coffee is also fine. I never used to drink coffee, and then I did a barista course and became an insufferable coffee person nearly overnight. This is fortunate as I live in the nation’s capital city of insufferable coffee people.

Has your experience of community in speculative fiction and fandom changed in recent years?

A little, in a few different directions. I don’t engage in fandom as much as I once did in terms of making my own content for anything, though I still get really into specific things sometimes (Murderbot and What We Do In The Shadows were two big examples in 2021, and now Our Flag Means Death). I tend to have to put my time and energy into original work and my own work more these days, as there’s not much time and energy to go round. So my experience of fandom is more just bonding about stuff with pals who also happen to be into it rather than the wider community.

The good ways my experience of community in speculative fiction has changed is that I have a fair few little pockets of community that I’m very happy with and lucky to have. I feel very fortunate in my friends.

Also, what a WONDERFUL time to be writing and reading spec fic. It really feels like there’s more diversity and variety than ever before! Of course people have always been writing it, but it’s more available now, and tentatively more celebrated. I hope it gets even more celebrated. I want mainstream success for more queer authors, trans and nonbinary authors, authors of colour, disabled authors, neurodiverse authors, authors from all over the world.

What would you like to see changed?

The negative way my experience of community in spec fic has changed is how hostile and outright dangerous this environment can be. I’m talking specifically in terms of social media, and it’s the same story that can be seen with social media in general, but it’s honestly scary. People get dogpiled for imaginary slights as well as real mistakes and there’s no understanding about a person’s capacity for change. It’s all terrifying as a marginalised author. It’s okay to be scared of doing wrong – of course we all want to do things right, and a little uneasiness is a good sign of when to veer back into one’s lane – but I don’t think people should be this scared, not just of doing wrong but of the appearance of it. The people who often get targeted are more often marginalised authors than people in positions of any real power, as well.

So I’d love to see something more like actual justice, a community operating in kindness – obviously not being fine with people going around doing harm, and what each person thinks is acceptable is a deeply personal thing, but what I don’t find helpful is this current attitude where making a mistake can haunt you forever. The way the ownvoices movement went from being an attempt to shine light on marginalised authors to being a cudgel used to prod people out of the closet, to gatekeep people who aren’t ‘enough’ or make them divulge personal information. I’d like none of that. To an extent this is a danger in any online community (and online is mostly what I’m thinking of; I haven’t seen anything really like this in local spaces). I think it’d be nice if we could do better.

What books or media have you found yourself turning to for comfort?

What We Do In The Shadows is a delight. Those are my emotional support vampires ... I love a lot about that show, it’s really goofy and silly and has that Kiwi humour that of course I love, but my favourite thing is Guillermo. It’s rarer than it should be to see fat characters getting to be cool, complex and badass, and I like it very much. I finally started listening to The Magnus Archives, too. I’ve gotten more into horror and dark fantasy these last few years. I’m also big into Dracula Daily!

Sometimes I struggle with reading, but I’ve been able to get back into the habit by reading at least a little bit each day – I still read slowly, but I read! I greatly enjoy local authors like Cassie Hart, Octavia Cade and Andi C. Buchanan (off the top of my head) as well as the current boom in speculative romance – authors like Freya Marske, AJ Lancaster and Everina Maxwell.

And I play a lot of Dungeons and Dragons and other tabletop roleplaying games. That was the main thing that sustained my creative spirit during lockdown and it’s still pretty vital to me, I think. It’s good to have an outlet for storytelling (with Friends!) that isn’t a Hustle like my writing is. I am extremely invested in my highwayman’s misadventures.

Rem Wigmore is a speculative fiction writer based in Aotearoa New Zealand, author of the queer solarpunk novel Foxhunt, published by Queen of Swords Press, and forthcoming sequel Wolfpack. Their other works include Riverwitch and The Wind City, both shortlisted for Sir Julius Vogel Awards. Rem’s short fiction appears in several places including Capricious Magazine, Baffling Magazine and two of the Year’s Best Aotearoa New Zealand Science Fiction & Fantasy anthologies. Rem’s probably a changeling, but you’re stuck with them now. The coffee here is just too good. Rem can be found at remwigmore.com or on twitter as @faewriter.

POSTED BY: Elizabeth Fitzgerald, a writer, binge reader, tabletop gamer & tea addict. @elizabeth_fitz