I Am Wolf

Mad Max for kids. This story is incredibly creative and imaginative. I love dystopian novels and this doesn’t disappoint. Something has happened long ago, some kind of apocalypse and all that’s left is a little technology that people will kill for - nanobytes that allow humans to create and move around gigantic robotic animals.

There are themes of found family, unlikely friendships and questioning of core beliefs.

This is the first in an exciting trilogy and I can’t wait to find out about how the lands came to be wasted, who first invented the constructs, and what is in ‘The North’?!

Publication date is May 9th.

I am a huge fan of Alastair’s books and love that he is bringing more new sci-fi to children’s books.
I am Wolf is a storming first instalment of a new trilogy. Having a main character who has limb difference is refreshing, especially as it does not define who he is.
The Constructs are superb and Alastair’s description of the fighting between them makes them feel real. I was sure the ground shuddered under me when two of them collided mid battle.
I look forward to the rest of the trilogy.

A thrilling SF adventure, a land where people live in tandem with massive animalistic constructs, scavanging for material, survival and territroy. Coll is part of Wolf, until an accident casts him adrift to find his way back, or possibly a new path with a band of outcast allies.

This is an excellent adventure story where you want to know what's next, how things turn out. And a story of disparate characters thrown together in unlikely circumstances, to find their way with each other and their situation. First of a planned trilogy, highly recommended.

I am Wolf.
Alastair Chisholm
Nosy Crow
Publishes 9th May 2024

Coll’s whole life is Wolf; it always has been. Operating Wolf with his crew all focused on the same movements, the collective will to drive Wolf on and protect Wolf territory is all he knows. When Wolf is attacked and Coll falls from her, he is thrown into a state of panic and normlessness. He will have to adapt in order to survive.

This is a story about identity: Coll wears prosthetic limbs and has always felt the need to prove himself, even on Wolf, amongst his own. Being separated from his clan, where survival is the reward, and where he must rely on others too, Coll is pushed to examine his identity and challenge his mindset, learning what can be achieved with a shift in thinking.

A lot is achieved in only 240 pages. Alastair Chisholm has created a world we can believe in. I was gripped from start to finish and found Coll a compelling lead. He has also shown where sources of conflict and intrigue lie in the subsequent books.

As I approached the end, I was watching the page count dwindle and it became very clear this this is to be considered part of a wider work. However, the ending was still well managed and I didn’t feel short-changed.
I love the premise- the Constructs remind me of the Jaegers in Pacific Rim, albeit with more of a raw connection with the natural world around them.

I will definitely recommend this book to my pupils- they will love it and I can’t wait to pick up the story again in ‘I am Raven’ - Caw! Caw!

Thanks to @alastairchisholm @netgalley and @nosycrow for the chance to read this book in exchange for my honest opinions.

I really enjoy Chisholm's middle grade fiction titles, Orion Lost, Adam-B and The Consequence Girl have been popular books in my school library and there's a real demand for science fiction of this kind I think. I Am Wolf is fast-paced, action-centred yet not short of interesting characters. In the world that he has imagined there are large animal 'constructs' made from a metal that is controlled by the consciousness of the humans that work and live on each one. It's a dazzling concept and I can't wait to see where the series is going.

I absolutely loved this book, devouring it over 2 days. I love the imagination of a world where people live on giant animals called Constructs. We meet a boy called Cal who has two prosthetic limbs. His story develops over the book, and we find out what kind of a person he could turn out to be in the future books. I just love the way the author has brought the story alive and it is a great way to show children that it doesn't matter what we look like or where we come from, what we are told, we can be friends and form strong bonds. This is a beautiful book to read with a class.

I have always loved stories that are dystopian and sci-fi so I was thrilled to discover I am Wolf as it combines both of these into one fascinating story. I loved the the main characters of Coll, Fillan, Brann and Rieka as they were all so individual and had their own specific strengths and also issues to overcome. Their determination, frustrations and resilience all come across very clearly. I can't wait to read the next book in the series as I have questions that still need to be resolved.

Coll lives aboard Wolf , a Construct - part animal, part home, part fighting machine. Alastair Chisholm is a master world builder (I have used Orion Lost to convince many a child of the joy of SciFi) and I Am Wolf is no exception. I loved the disabilitu representation, the found family dynamic and the idea that home is so much more than the sum of its parts. It will inevitably draw comparisons with Philip Reeve's Mortal Engines series but it deserves acclaim in its own right. Sure to be the start of a fantastic middle grade series.

I haven't stopped thinking about this story since I finished it a couple of nights ago! I want to know what happens next, but I'll have to wait until book 2!! If you know me well, you'll know I'm a Star Wars fan, love sci-fi, and if you've been recently massively hooked by all the spin off series, Mandalorian, etc, on Disney+ over the last couple of years, then you'll love this - you'll also love this if you're a fan of books like Philip Reeve's 'Mortal Engines' which are filled with characters who live their lives in a futuristic world alongside machines. In Alastair's new middle grade (previous bestsellers include Adam-2, Consequence Girl), this world is built in the future, when humans have found a way to be at one with machines/technology transformed as human hosted creatures (think Japanese power ranger morphing time mega robots, but WAY MORE sophisticated) called Constructs. Wolf is one such Construct. Unlike the cover art portrays, the creature described in the book isn't technically a furry animal, and is visually distinguishable from the wolf we are familiar with in our times. Wolf can, however, be a vicious and deadly enemy in battle, as the the colour palette and ferocity of the attack on the front cover shows. This is just a powerful a story as an RPG, the battle scenes often ending with a cost to human life implied, the graphic accounts of wounding only described as the machines lose parts or seep the priceless magical element that transforms: anthryl. Not only does it transform the Constructs, it also transforms 12 year old Coll's prosthetic lower left leg limb below the knee and left arm below the elbow. Without it he wouldn't survive this hard physical life to survive in an almost apocalyptic age. Coll is the son or Alpha, leader of Wolf. The parental relationship is unloving, formal even, and Coll strives to be the best warrior, is religious about his faith in Wolf, his kinship to fellow Wolf peoples and their oneness and power. Meeting other Constructs from different lands (superb map at the start) mean that territories are threatened and must be defended at all costs. Raven, then Dragon turn up for battle, but in a moment of near annihilation, Coll and two other crew members are left behind, on the ground, alone and vulnerable. Luckily for Coll, one of the stranded, Reika is a Tock - a scientist/mechanic who works on the Construct itself (who sees it for the machine it really is, not the spiritual entity Coll and others do - which will get readers thinking!). The story weaves through incredible hardship and endless challenges until the children finally track down Wolf. They're resourceful, learn about seeing the battle through the eyes of their enemies when they discover a refugee from Raven. Bringing together children from multiple Constructs shows that together differences make us stronger, bring the best of all skills, knowledge and understanding to create the ultimate solution to disparate warring power factions… sadly even Coll's Alpha, and Wolf. Coll has to overcome more than his fair share of danger, and the author has sensitively described how he needs to think and act differently (often selflessly and heroicly) due to his disability, especially when his anthryl-infused prosthetics malfunction. The author explains at the back of the book how he consulted organisations like the LimbBo Foundation and Finding Your Feet to ensure authentic representation. I love this new band of friends, misfits who become fiercely loyal to each other in the end. I can't wait to carry on the adventure with them in 'I Am Raven' next year… I don't want to wait another 12 months though (howls loudly from mountain top)!!