Alice Borchardt shared a childhood of storytelling with her sister, the bestselling novelist Anne Rice, in New Orleans. A professional nurse, she has also nurtured a profound interest in little-known periods of history. She published her debut novel, Devoted, in 1995, and is the winner of the 1997 Best Historical Romance Award.
Praise for the author: 'A daring and vibrant new voice on the female literary frontier - a writer with the vision and scope to conjure up her own thrilling mythos and the craftsmanship to render it in breathtaking, shimmering prose... The Silver Wolf is a stunning initiation into a dark and dazzling realm' Anne Rice. 'A marvellous tale, it is a thriller, tragedy, horror and eventually a fairy-tale love story' The Telegraph. 'Borchardt reaches descriptive and dramatic peaks with Regeane's vulpine supersenses as she noses about Rome by night, reading the dead city's skin and air. Top-flight fantasy' Kirkus Reviews. 'A very vividly written story. I really got into it' Marion Zimmer Bradley
Praise for the author: 'A daring and vibrant new voice on the female literary frontier - a writer with the vision and scope to conjure up her own thrilling mythos and the craftsmanship to render it in breathtaking, shimmering prose... The Silver Wolf is a stunning initiation into a dark and dazzling realm' Anne Rice. 'A marvellous tale, it is a thriller, tragedy, horror and eventually a fairy-tale love story' The Telegraph. 'Borchardt reaches descriptive and dramatic peaks with Regeane's vulpine supersenses as she noses about Rome by night, reading the dead city's skin and air. Top-flight fantasy' Kirkus Reviews. 'A very vividly written story. I really got into it' Marion Zimmer Bradley
Fans of Borchardt's two previous novels in this series (The Silver Wolf and Night of the Wolf) will welcome this latest action- and intrigue-filled installment that continues the saga of lady werewolf Regeane and her sworn shapeshifter mate, wolf-turned-man Maeniel, in Dark Ages Italy. In a cliffhanger opening, a runaway Saxon slave saves Regeane from death in an Alpine avalanche. When the two attempt to take refuge in a nearby monastery, they discover a mad abbot under the control of an invading demon spirit, the Bear, who leads a ragtag troop of bandits and monks turned zombies. Although they escape with Maeniel's help, the Bear follows, determined to possess a werewolf body and increase its power. Maeniel undertakes a mission from Charles (Charlemagne) to scout the geographical and political landscape ahead of the king's troops as Charles lays siege to Lombardy and its self-indulgent ruler, Desederius. In the meantime, Regeane's greedy cousin Hugo bargains with the Bear spirit and finds himself caught up in Desederius's plot to capture Maeniel. Fortunately, Regeane and the Saxon arrive in time to rescue him. Borchardt's strength, as usual, is her deeply researched setting, which brings alive the barbaric era after the fall of the Roman Empire. Newcomers to the series may have some difficulty keeping up with the present while wading through the extensive backstory, where characters' motivations sometimes seem more convenient to the plot than sensible. (Feb. 27) Forecast: Borchardt continues to carve out a viable writing career akin to that of her celebrated sister, Anne RiceÄto whom the publisher still feels compelled to compare her, in its promo for The Wolf KingÄappealing as vigorously to the romance as to the horror market. (Borchardt received the 1997 Best Historical Romance Award from Romantic Times). With her continued crossover appeal, this novel (with foreign rights sold in Germany, Holland and the U.K.) should do well, full moon or not, despite its flaws. Copyright 2000 Cahners Business Information.
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