History Literature / TheWolfSisters

A {{historical fiction}}/fantasy novel by Susan Price.

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* TearOffYourFace: Kenelm fantasises about doing this to the Abbess at one point.

* OnlySaneMan: Kenelm when he's trying to [[spoiler: talk the Abbess out of going into the woods to convert the Wolf-Sisters.]] Any fool can see that this is a ''very'' bad idea, to the point of being either overwhelming {{Pride}} or a DeathWish. Egwin is in almost exactly the same situation trying to deal with [[spoiler: Adhelm Guthlac during the feast scene.]] See the entry for TheCaligula above.In fact, Egwin in general.

* ShinyMidnightBlack: the Wolf-Sisters' hair. Price really plays on this, as she does on all physical aspects of the Wood People.

* BlackEyes: this is presumably to indicate the Wolf-Sisters' animalistic natures.

* TearJerker: [[spoiler: Gifu dying, and Kenelm realising that he can never belong anywhere after what he's done.

* NightmareFuel: pretty much any scene where [[spoiler: the Wolf-Sisters start tearing humans to shreds.]]

The novel, set in Anglo-Saxon Britain, follows the story of Kenelm Atheling, one of the "youngest and least important" nephews of King Guthlac. As such, he is a direct descendant of Woden, King of the Gods. He wants nothing more than to become a warrior. But fate, and Guthlac's orders, have made this impossible; rather than being trained to fight, he is gifted to a monastery as a child to be his uncle's representative among the Christian community.

* TheCaligula: Guthlac; though he's not totally insane he does lose his rag very easily.
* CorruptChurch: in spades, most predominantly with the Christians; not a single one is portrayed as nice, and the {{Big Bad}} of the whole novel is arguably the Abbess, an obsessive {{Church Militant}} who doesn't mind [[spoiler: stabbing people to death just because they don't share her religious beliefs.]] The other Christians just accept this. All in a day's work. That said, Guthlac's court with their Norse beliefs hardly come out looking squeaky-clean, and Guthlac himself constantly reminds everyone that he's a descendant of Woden in a very [[TheCaligula Caligula-esque]] sort of way.

* OnlySaneMan: Kenelm when he's trying to [[spoiler: talk the Abbess out of going into the woods to convert the Wolf-Sisters.]] Any fool can see that this is a ''very'' bad idea, to the point of being either {{Pride}} or a DeathWish.

* SlidingScaleOfAnthropomorphism: unlike plenty of horror-movie werewolves, the Sisters are Body Type 6.

* BlackEyes: this is presumably to indicate their animalistic natures.
* CorruptChurch: in spades, most predominantly with the Christians; not a single one is portrayed as nice, and the {{Big Bad}} of the whole novel is arguably the Abbess, an obsessive {{Church Militant}} who doesn't mind [[spoiler: stabbing people to death just because they don't share her religious beliefs.]] The other Christians just accept this. All in a day's work. That said, Guthlac's court with their Norse beliefs hardly come out looking squeaky-clean, and Guthlac himself constantly reminds everyone that he's a descendant of Woden in a very {{Caligula}} sort of way.

* CorruptChurch: in spades, most predominantly with the Christians; not a single one is portrayed as nice, and the {{Big Bad}} of the whole novel is arguably the Abbess, an obsessive {{Church Militant}} who doesn't mind [[spoiler: stabbing people to death just because they don't share her religious beliefs.]] The other Christians just accept this. All in a day's work.

Kenelm's loyalties are soon torn - if he does not return to the monastery he will have failed his duty to his uncle and dishonoured himself. And yet, having seen the intoxicating freedom of the Wolf-Sisters, he cannot bear to go back.

A {{historicalfiction}}/fantasy novel by Susan Price.