Do You like book Warrior Scarlet (1994)?
I know everyone likes this one a lot... but I couldn't really get into it.This is the tale of Drem, a boy in a Bronze Age British tribe, and his journey into manhood in a culture that expects him to singlehandedly kill a wolf -- the problem in Drem's case is that he literally has a single usable hand to work with. The novel as a whole has beautiful, lush description -- just the sort of thing Sutcliff's books are good at -- and some dramatic action and numinous rituals and same-sex friendship and a whole bunch of fun stuff. I see why people like it. Also, hey, wolves. And dogs. Everyone likes those.I didn't really like the book, though. It's not a narrative about disability that I ever really enjoy reading, and Drem is an unpleasant character a lot of the time, and the plotline about his foster-sister really irked me. So, no. I would still recommend it to people -- because clearly tastes differ -- but it's definitely never going to be one of my favorite Sutcliff novels.
—Sineala
When young I read several of Sutcliff's excellent "juvenile"historical novels set in early Britain, but I missed this one till now. Most of hers I read are in Roman or post-Roman Britain, but this is early bronze age, so the society is muchmore speculative. I suspect an expert in the era would find some of the reconstruction outdated, but it seems vividly real as she describes it. In her version, the young men of the tribe must each kill a wolf single-handed, a problem forthe hero Drem since he literally has only one good hand. He painfully trains himself to fight one-handed, fails to killhis wolf, and is relegated to herding sheep with the Half People--a small dark folk dominated by his own tall blond people. He reluctantly adjusts to this life, but then has achance to redeem himself and kill his wolf after all. As far as I know, there is no historical evidence for the wolf-killing ritual; I suspect it is based on the Masai lion-killing ritual which Saunders also used in Imaro.I would say Sutcliff's wolves come across as believable; theyare not the monsters of earlier fiction or the eco-saintsof some recent writers; they attack sheep when they arehungry and only fight humans who get in the way.
—John
When Drem is nine he has a sudden, life-changing realization. The arm that has been crippled since birth may deny him a place in his Bronze Age tribe. Determined to fight for his place in order to win it, Drem gains allies among his peers and the tribal leaders by means of his charismatic and indomitable will. When pure chance topples the world he has built for himself, Drem must leam that will-power cannot overcome all obstacles. Arrogance and humility, isolation and inclusion, enmity and charity are interwoven in this fine story of one boy's search for his place in the world. Recommended to YA readers in general, in particular those who liked Jack London's White Fang and Call of the Wild.
—Megan
