Fenrir

Lachlan doesn’t skip a beat in this fast-paced sequel to Wolfsangel, immersing the reader in a richly imagined fantasy fashioned from history, mythology, and strange destinies. Danish berserkers are laying siege to Paris. They seek the lady Aelis, whom fate decrees will play a role in determining whether marauding King Sigfrid is the earthly incarnation of the god Odin. Fleeing in desperation, Aelis relies on two diametrically opposed saviors: the crippled monk Jehan, revered by her people as a saint, and a nameless Norseman whose lycanthropic shape-shifting identifies him as the avatar of Odin’s mortal enemy, the Fenris Wolf. Lachlan’s rousing tale is enlivened by surprising plot twists and populated with earthy, well-developed characters, making this one of the most entertaining historical fantasy sagas of recent years. (Oct.)