Book Review: Wolf and Iron by Gordon R. Dickson

Quick Review

Wolf and Iron by Gordon R. Dickson
Published: 1990
Genre: While listed as Science Fiction, this is mostly due to the authors past works. In reality, this is as much science fiction as a Little House on the Prairie book.
Bob's Thought: A beautifully written epic tale of a relationship between a man and a wolf as they travel through a collapsed America.
Availablity Out of Print: Buy a used copy at Abebooks.com
Bob's Grade: A-

Full Review:
Book Review: Wolf and Iron by Gordon R. Dickson

In the past few weeks I was able to score a few of the harder to find, out of print Post Apocalyptic books I was looking for, based on lists formed at sites like Post Apocalyptic Media. One of the books I had been searching for a while was Wolf and Iron by Gordon R. Dickson. Dickson, who has written mostly hard Sci-Fi/Fantasy is known for his expansive research and emphasis on Social Sciences over hard science. This is a perspective that fits well into this genre.

The story starts out with one man, Jeebee, a sociologist who was part of a study group that predicted the breakdown of society and the economic system that was plaguing the world, traveling alone through a decimated America that has been thrust once again into the Iron Age. Just having escaped the town he had called home for a while, yet treated him as an outsider, Jeebee is now on a long voyage to find his brother who ran a cattle ranch in Montana. Along the way he befriends a wolf who had been raised in captivity. The wolf becomes his travel partner through this long journey.

This is the plot, plain and simple. Man and wolf bond while traveling through a decimated country. This simplicity is the beauty of this novel. There is no sub plots or alternate storylines. There is only one character perspective through out the novel. As you would expect with a book that only characters during the majority of the book is a man and a world, the dialogue is minimal, and at times nonexistent. Instead the story is told in long often times rambling and repetitive prose, that while may seem annoying to some, truly gives you not just a peak into the mind of Jeebee, but let’s you understand him on a level not often seen in modern fiction.

Central to the story is the relationship between Jeebee and Wolf. Here the author doesn’t hold back. Jeebee, who by trade in inclined to determine the reasoning behind behavior, sets out not just on a voyage across the nation, but on a journey to discover the nature of Wolf. Eventually, each idiosyncrasy of his companion is fleshed out, and his behavior becomes, not predictable, but understandable. Jeebee and Wolf, and eventually the two become not man and wolf, but a pack with Jeebee as the Alpha male.

As an avid reader, you long for those few occasions where you totally become immersed into a tale, seemingly blending with the story. This tale was one of them. For the most part the tale is credible, although at times the plausible coincidences of Jeebee’s knowledge, which seemed more akin to that of a construction worker than social scientist, stretches believability. The repetitive nature of Jeebee’s thought processes, can also get annoying, and the authors need to explain the step by step processes in Jeebee’s actions often bog down the story. There is one section where the author spends nearly 70 pages detailing Jeebee’s dealing with injuries from a bear attack, and when the story finally picks up, he hurts himself again. These moments, you eventually realize have there payoff, but the payoff is worth it.

This book is hard to describe, while listed as Science Fiction, it is probably better thought of as a post modern adult version of Little House on the Prairie. Even that doesn’t do it justice, at the minimum it is a Survivor’s tale. At the most, an epic adventure and partnership between two unlikely friends.