Star Wolf: An Epic Fantasy Space Opera (Songs of Star \u0026 Winter Book 1) by L.A. Frederick

Star Wolf: An Epic Fantasy Space Opera (Songs of Star \u0026 Winter Book 1) Reviews

• 
  Suzy Davies

  In an inter-galactic story that reminds me of "Animal Farm," we are introduced to a quest, and a battle between animal warriors, Star Wolf and Winter Tiger, to rule the space world, and restore power to the righteous. Of course, "All animals are equal, but some are more equal than others." The battle is high stakes; kingdoms are destroyed and lives are lost. Nonetheless, some of the animal relationships are heartwarming. This is a story about Truth, and the bravery of leaders and their followers who are loyal to the last breath. It is also a satire on the darker side of animal (and human) nature in their struggle for survival in a harsh world.
  
  The author has crafted a highly imaginative fantasy space opera with a good pace, and unexpected twists. Characters are exotic and appealing, and the world building is excellent.
  
  The ending of the tale is optimistic, believable and surprising. You are encouraged to read the next book to find out what happens next.
  
  However, small improvements could be made. For example, I thought in places, shorter sentences could be used for clarity and particularly for action sequences. Very occasionally, I thought some sentences were awkward, and the rhythm a little off.
  
  This story would benefit from much tighter editing, with close attention to punctuation such as apostrophes and commas, and a little rephrasing. Sometimes there were white gaps in the formatting that should not have been there.
  
  In sum, the story itself is very creative and entertaining, a page turner that will get you hooked. My rating is 4.5 stars, which I have uprated to 5. I would upgrade the rating with a better final edit.
• 
  Ian Miller

  Think Animal Farm and transfer that to Animal Galaxy. Here, all the planets have one animal that has become sentient and technologically advanced. They have a worlds Council where they all agree to keep the peace and leave each other's planets alone. Some planets apparently have not reached that stage, so carnivores can replenish their prey levels, and others can replenish forage. All is well except, it appears, with apologies to Tolkein, there is one tiger to rule them all and in its shadow bind them. Star Wolf is unhappy with this situation, especially since Earth, thanks to a Council vote, has been destroyed by the tigers using a special bomb that destroys planets. Then the evidence is the lead tiger has done that to five other worlds.
  The book is the first of a series, and there is a further resemblance structurally to the first half of The Fellowship of the Ring in that the book is about establishing a "fellowship" to attack the tigers. This leaves the ending at a place where the story is just about to commence. The writing is clear, the animal characterization very good, the world building excellent, the book compiling somewhat flawed, presumably due to flawed formatting. An entertaining read, but it will be of lesser interest if you do not intend to continue.
  
• 
  Cath

  This is book one of the Songs of Star & Winter series and is a space opera fantasy tale, where planets throughout the galaxy are inhabited by animals who can walk upright, talk, reason and everything else humans do, and were granted sentient being status by a Universal Beacon that bestowed this gift to many animals, but not all. Now planets are inhabited by usually one animal type, ie Wolf, Tiger, Bear, and so on. The non-sentient animals are used as food sources by the carnivores, with all agreeing never to kill any other intelligent beings. They have a planet that hosts the Council of Worlds, where all species come to discuss matters of importance. It is currently headed by a Goat, but one of the most vocal is a character called Winter Tiger, one of a kind, and a feared warrior, in the thousand year Apex Wars between the Lions and Tigers. Many took one side or the other and lost out if they were on the wrong side.
  
  There has been peace now for twenty years, but the son of the Wolf ruler, Star Wolf, believes the Tigers are up to something, especially after Earth was destroyed by the order of the council, being seen as an underdeveloped species. There has also been five other planets destroyed, whether this was by a once every ten thousand year occurrence by the mythical Kraken, or someone has kept hidden some planet destroying weapons. The Wolf planet of Lupus is ruled by Sun Wolf, who is nearing the end of his reign, but his son Star Wolf still has a lot to learn about politics and inter species relations. Star Wolf is frustrated that no one else on the Council seems to be able to see through any of Winter Tiger’s elaborate schemes and lies. He is covering up something, but when Star accuses him of anything, he always has an answer and the full backing of the Council at every turn.
  
  As Star and a few of his trusted companions try to find evidence of what Winter Tiger is up to, they are constantly back footed, by a foe that always seems to be one step ahead of them at all times! Star needs allies and soon collects together an odd assortment of beings, known for their prowess as warriors during the Apex Wars. Tales have been told and songs sung, about all of them and Star wishes to be a subject of one of these types of songs in the future. The Tiger and Lion are both Apex predators and believe that a lot of the other creatures are below them and of no importance. Some planets don’t allow other species to come to their planet, some run drugs and do other illegal things behind the Council’s backs and others are too timid to even face up against any of the bigger predators.
  
  
  A strange tale due to the character types, but once you get over the fact that they are all upright walking, sentient creatures, who don’t rely on their baser instincts to rule their lives or survive, it is just like any other book with some different characters! Everyone is petrified of Winter Tiger, due to his ferocious reputation as a warrior and that of his race, who tried to crush everyone and wanted to rule the galaxy. It seems they may have never given up on that wish and have been biding their time to gather their forces and supplies. It looks like a new war is coming and Star Wolf only has a small number of allies who have agreed to accompany him and his Wolves. Going up against the Tigers could be futile as each of their warriors is stronger than ten of any other.
  
  An interesting look at a race that wants to dominate and rule everything and will destroy all in its path! One Wolf stands in their way and he will have to grow up quickly, if he is to get anywhere and find any evidence against Winter Tiger. The book gives great names and settings to each planet, with atmospheres and habitats being vastly different between different planets. There are a lot to be discovered and supplies come from food planets, run for the use of all, until someone pulls the plug on easy access. An easy way to beat your foes, as without food, most planets will capitulate without a finger even needing to be raised! An intriguing and novel idea for the planets and their different inhabitants, which makes this book very original. Definitely an interesting read which makes you think of animals in a completely unique manner!
  
• 
  Karen Siddall

  In Frederick’s universe, Earth is basically a prison planet: a place where all the other animal planets send their miscreants after stripping them of their sentience, their ability to walk upright and talk. When man outgrows its one world, he also outgrows his usefulness, and the Council of Worlds votes to have General Winter Tiger from the planet, Tigris, destroy Earth and all its inhabitants: clueless humans and animals alike.

  Unknown to the Council, Winter Tiger and his followers have already implemented a number of plans furthering their final goal of universal dominance. Rather than destroy Earth in the manner he’d been commanded, Winter Tiger secretly brings his planet’s most magnificent spacecraft, Darkchurch, out of hiding and vaporizes the Earth using an AWB – Atomic World Bomb – both of which had supposedly been outlawed and collected after the end of the Apex War 20 years prior. But then other planets begin to disappear, destroyed without a trace.

  Back at the Council of Worlds, Star Wolf, first-in-line to the throne of his father and the Wolf planet, Lupus, disbelieves the report presented by Winter Tiger that the five planets were destroyed by a Space Kraken. But when the head of the mythical beast is examined and certified as real by council members, Star and all of Lupus are banished from council membership and protection. Shamed by his father’s disgust of his actions, Star Wolf and his close friends, Sky and River, and his older advisor, Ash Wolf, set out to assemble a team of the greatest warriors alive to prove Winter Tiger’s deception and foil his plans to take over the universe.

  Star Wolf is the first book in the new science fiction series, Song of Star & Winter, by author L.A. Frederick. Not only did I enjoy the story itself but also the author’s characters following the traits we think of associated with the different species, such as the wolves’ rigid, pack society and behavior, the brash and bold bear, Kodiak, and the wily and wise Night Badger. Readers are treated to a close-up view of several animal societies and their planets during the course of the story – not just predators and not only young animals like Star Wolf but a variety of different aged creatures.

  There is quite a bit of drama and excitement as Star Wolf and Winter Tiger clash and some heartbreak in the father-son relationship of Sun Wolf and his son, Star. There is constant action and even a hint of romance.

  I recommend this book for SciFi readers that like series stories and don’t mind resolutions that take more than one book for completion. I’ll definitely be looking for the next book, Winter Tiger, coming out later this month (June 2020.)
• 
  Julie Porter

  Spoilers: If the Star Fox video game franchise, Brian Jacques' Redwall series, Game of Thrones, and Star Wars had a group orgy and a baby came from that strange union, L.A. Frederick's Star Wolf would be that baby. It is derivative of other science fiction works especially with animals are in the lead, but somehow it works and is engaging.
  
  Star Wolf is the son of Sun Wolf, the leader of the wolf planet, Lupus. In this universe, anthromorphic animals live on their own planets and are able to walk, talk, wear clothing, think, and reason. They have been able to do this since the Big Bang. Oh they are aware of Earth, but it is a prison planet where animals are sentenced to have their sentience removed and serve as the animals in which we are familiar.
  Rather I should say Earth used to exist. In the first few pages, it is destroyed by a colossal weapon operated by Winter Tiger, head of the Tiger race. The Tigers are at peace with the other Worlds since the Apex Wars between them and the Lions ended. However, what the other animal races don't know is that Winter Tiger and his crew have destroyed five planets. In public, they blame it on the Space Kraken. Star Wolf is suspicious, so he and his crew investigate the possibility that the Tigers are lying. This investigation puts them in direct conflict with the Tigers who now have Star Wolf and his team on their hit list.
  
  The world building is rather clever, especially for people who know a lot about animals. Even though the characters are human-like, they still retain their animal environments. (Gazelles live on a planet filled with grassy plains, Lions live on a planet-wide savanna). They also have their animal like traits. (The Wolves have great hearing, a Bloodhound character's sense of smell is useful.) Frederick no doubt studied the behaviors and environments of animals before writing this work and it shows.
  There are some cute references to how animals behave on Earth. When the leader of Canis, the dog planet, is revealed to be a Jack Russell Terrier, Star Wolf remembers that when they were sent to Earth, Jack Russells ended up "high on energy but void of brain." (Something tells me that Frederick is well acquainted with the breed).
  
  Star Wolf shows the typical leader-like qualities with a strong youthful impetuosity that puts him at odds with his more conservative traditional father. He is clever enough to recognize that Winter Tiger is lying by observing the behaviors of other animals that are clearly on Winter Tiger's payroll, but reckless enough to denounce him during the Council of Worlds meeting. This recklessness causes the Wolves' exile from the Council and then to be temporarily devoid of allies.
  
  The greatest thing that Star Wolf does is create a Band of Breeds, a group of different animals united to fight against the Tigers. Everything from a crotchety old Badger, to a loyal Bloodhound, to a cunning Fox that plays both sides are on the team. This makes for some potential excitement in the next installments.
  
  The final chapters reveal a new member to the Band of Breeds and some greater Tiger-caused desteuction. This makes the second book possibly a great follow up.
• 
  Bradley Blankenship

  An Epic Premise Dragged Down by Overweight Scope and Contrivance (2/5)
  
  I've struggled between and 2 and a 3 for my overall rating. There is a story here and it's competently enough written. But several details made me weight this towards the former. I'll start by saying it's obvious this book was not for me. As said, I am not sure why someone ended up recommending it. But having read some other space operas and also enjoying some anthropomorphic settings, I thought I'd give it a go.
  
  What Worked for Me: There was a story with an exciting premise. Each animal species has its planet(s) they rule over, joined by a council of worlds that oversees everyone getting along (like a galactic / universal UN). There are some hinted political and social tensions between species (especially the predators). We have spaceships and whatnot. What's not to like? Well, see below.
  
  What Didn't Work For Me: The level of layered contrivances required to sustain disbelief in this universe is staggering. Without saying much, we must understand a few things. Human civilization [shown to be equal or more advanced than ours] exists. The anthro species are much more advanced than that. Yet somehow, they all fail to band together and isolate a common threat before it wipes out a hundred plus of their worlds. This occurs despite them all [showed later] having suspicions or confidential information which proves this. Somehow no one in this world has ever heard of video, recorded audio, or stored sensor information. Or if they have, they are unwilling to use it. They also haven't heard of follow up conversations. Likewise, the characterization level for both the characters and factions is static at best. I feel like the author struggled to capture what they could about these worlds, species, and personalities.
  
  The Gist of It: I'm not going to rate this too terribly because this book wasn't for me. I can see how this could be a fun space romp for someone into anthropomorphic characters jet setting across the universe. But for me, I really can't see the appeal. I found it almost impossible to suspend my disbelief and was left with so many questions and head-scratching moments that I can't begin to even really dig in. I have some examples, but I will withold those as I tend to dig very hard. Otherwise, you know more or less if this book is for you. Star Wolf is a story with a premise that wants to be epic but ultimately hobbled by its length, the scope of what it wants to express, and crutches that crumple from the weight of its ambitions.
  
  Suggestions for the Author: I would recommend watching something like Beastars to get an idea for the politics and social situations in this kind of setting. It does a fantastic job showing off the tensions, disparities, intrigues, and even how technology has evened the playing field between predator and prey. I would also, for such a short book, narrow the scope. 10+ planets with around 20+ characters is a ton to try to deliver on in 39000 words. Even long, drawn-out space epics like Dune focus on a handful of planets and personalities in each book, narrowing even further as the conflicts surface. This helps to give your world and characters time to breathe. This allows the audience to become invested in your setting.
  
• 
  Jim Hardison

  An entertaining adventure if you don’t mind the implausible premise
  
  I found Star Wolf an action-packed and amusing read, although I had some trouble with the premise. That premise is that all of the major animal types we know on earth were not from earth, but each represent an advanced alien species with its own home world. So, for instance, Star Wolf comes from a planet of advanced wolves. By advanced I mean that they talk, walk on their hind legs (mostly) and also have faster-than-light spacecraft and laser pistols and world-destroying bombs and such. Which is where the story picks up. Someone has destroyed five planets and the Intergalactic Council is up in arms about it. Well, six planets if you also count earth, which gets blown up in a kind of off-hand way in the first chapter (but on the orders of the Intergalactic Council).
  
  Star Wolf is eager to find the culprits and suspects the verrrrry suspicious tigers from the tiger planet. This puts him at odds with the smooth as a purr leader of the tigers, the Winter Tiger, but also with the Council and eventually even his own father. But Star Wolf isn’t one to back down and launches himself on a quest (along with a ragtag assortment of stalwart companions that includes a bloodhound and a badger) to get to the bottom of the mystery and save the galaxy.
  
  If you can buy the inherent implausibility (and the fact that none of these advanced civilizations ever seem to monitor anything or shoot videos to use as proof...) then you can get swept up in the breathless fun of an intergalactic war for dominance. This book delivers on that front.
  
  I found some weird formatting issues in the ebook version I read, and thought the book would have benefitted from another proofreading pass, but enjoyed it overall.
• 
  Windell Beaird

  Cleverly crafted story! Interesting!
  
  I was drawn in from the start. The author is adept at imagery to the point that it felt like I was watching the whole thing played out in my mind.
  I could so see this on a movie screen. The character development is spot on. A very interesting read.
• 
  Carlynne Toomey

  This was a really good story and I enjoyed reading it! The characters are well developed (my pet peeve!) and interesting. The story world was interesting and believable. The writing flowed smoothly along and kept me engrossed in the story. I definitely recommend it for sci fi/fantasy fans!
  
  I received a free copy of this book via StoryOrigin and am voluntarily leaving a review.
• 
  Larry

  There is nothing wrong with the writing of this book. There will be people who will love it and beg for more. I am not one of them. Despite that fact, it is a well written story worthy of a reader's time and effort.
• 
  Trish Strong

  Quite enjoyed this. Can't wait for the next in the series.A fast-paced and fun read.
• 
  Brian Busby

  I totally enjoyed reading this , the story line is well written , and full of action , the characters are absolutely brilliant . I found it hard to put down and as such I completely recommend it
• 
  Mark Sneed

  Have to admit that this was a fun read. I enjoyed the premise. I liked that there were no human saviors in the first book. Loved the world building of the work. Again, it is fun. It is similar to Animal Farm in a way with animals walking around on two feet and dressing or not dressing depending on the animal's thinking. What is nice is that this is set in space. There is some science fiction, but it is mostly fantasy fiction. I like the idea of space travel, lasers and swords. This book has a lot of cool elements. There is politics and intrigue. There is this big lie being perpetrated. As a reader, I was hoping to see the main character draw back the curtain for all to see. (No spoilers here.) It is an entertaining read. Liked the whole Lord of the Rings feel to the book. The author has talent. The story is well paced. Though, as the first book ends there is a bunch of tying of loose strings to leave it for the next book in the trilogy. Have to admit that I was pulling for the White Tiger, the bad of the book. He was incredibly well thought out. I wished the other characters had as much depth. Star Wolf is bumbling as a main character and though I wanted to root for him I couldn't. The author continues to excuse his rashness to youth and enthusiasm. I would hope that Star Wolf matures and has a better character arc in the next two books. Again, very enjoyable if you like your animals anthropomorphic, thoughtful, political and shooting lasers and fighting with swords. I get where its going. That's good and bad, simultaneously for me.