1937. Having lost the Civil War in Spain, four republican soldiers lead a fugitive existence deep in the Cantabrian mountains. They are on the run, skirmishing with Franco's soldiers, knowing that surrender means execution. They risk not only their lives but also the lives of anyone caught helping them.
Wolf Moon is concise and tightly coiled, yet it stretches across a startlingly long period of time ... Finely observational and often delicate ... The poise of the prose somehow heightens the tension of this superbly crafted story, a thriller that shows how the animosities of war live on beyond the fighting.
The novel’s myth-making relies on a form of hardboiled lyricism ... Shootouts and ambushes punctuate the narrative. These face-offs are moments of excitement in a plot that primarily seeks to capture the everyday drudgery of living like 'cornered animals' ... Through its reverse lyricism, Wolf Moon portrays war as the senseless business that it is. Still, it does so by never losing sight of who it is that stands on the right side of history.
Stark language and striking images ... Takes the reader back to the ordeals and relentless persecution that, as in so many war-torn countries, extended far beyond the three years of the conflict itself.
