The Wolf of the North is a fantasy adventure novel written by Duncan M. Hamilton. It is the first book in his Wolf of the North trilogy, which is a companion series to his previous trilogy, The Society of the Sword. The story concerns a young boy named Wulfric and his journey from boyhood to manhood in the northern barbarian villages of his homeland. The book is followed by two sequels, Jorandyr's Path, which continues the adventures of the now grown Barbarian Hero and tells how he came to be known as Ulfyr the Bloody, and The Blood Debt, which serves as both a conclusion to the three part story itself and the Framing Device used to tell the story through the eyes of The Maesterspeaker, an elderly bard.
The Wolf of the North contains examples of:
- Animal Companion: The original Ulfyr was a wolf, and was the animal companion of Jorandyr when he walked the earth as a mortal. Greyfell becomes one of these once Wulfric gains his trust. Adhalaid acquires her own animal companion in the form of Spot, a stray dog she takes in.
- Ambition Is Evil: Donato and his son Rodulf are political opportunists, and their ambition is not portrayed as positive in any way.
- Asskicking Leads to Leadership: The First Warrior, Wolfram the Strong Arm, is the most proficient warrior in the village of Leondorf and is also head of the Village Council. It is the belief among the northern warriors that those who cannot protect what they have are not worthy to lead.
- Barbarian Hero: Wulfric. His father Wolfram the Strong Arm and all the warriors of the northern villages qualify as well.
- The Berserker: Wulfric discovers this ability upon his return from the High Places. The villagers call it Jorandyr's Gift.
- Book Dumb: Wulfric. In the early chapters of the novel, the only reason he still attends school is because he has nothing better to do, and he has yet to start his warrior training. Really, all of the warriors to some degree fit this trope, since the book describes the skills learned in school as not relevant to defending the village.
- The Bully: Rodulf and his friends, to Wulfric.
- Fantasy Counterpart Culture: The southern lands are, according to the author, based on Renaissance Italy.
- Framing Device: The story is told from the point of view of a character identified only as "the Maesterspeaker." The narration occasionally switches back and forth between his telling the tale and interacting with the in universe audience to which he is speaking.
- Heroes Prefer Swords: Wulfric shows disdain during training when forced to use a quarterstaff in lieu of a sword. The narration explicity says he prefers swords.
- Non-Indicative Name: Greyfell, Wulfric's horse, is black. He is named after Jorandyr's own steed. Adhalaid's dog Spot is, as Wulfric notes, "plain coated."
