Wolf of Withervale cover art

Wolf of Withervale

Noss Saga, Book 1

 Preview

Audible Standard 30-day free trial

Try Standard free
Select 1 audiobook a month from our entire collection.
Listen to your selected audiobooks as long as you're a member.
Get unlimited access to bingeable podcasts.
Standard auto renews for £5.99 a month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Wolf of Withervale

By: Joaquín Baldwin
Narrated by: Magnus Carlssen
Try Standard free

£5.99 a month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy Now for £22.43

Buy Now for £22.43

About this listen

An ambitious, sweeping saga. As epic as it is queer.

Lago was only a child when the shapeshifter entrusted the wolf-like mask to his care—an artifact so powerful that it could come to shape the entire world of Noss. Now that he is coming of age, Lago is becoming ever more fearful of the ominous relics influence, of the empire who has scented its trail and is coming after it. Coming after him.

Aided by his best friend, an enigmatic scout, and his trusty dog, Lago seeks refuge in the vastness of the Heartpine Dome. The eighty-mile-wide structure had remained sealed for centuries, safeguarding more than mere secrets. Now that the domes entrails are stirring, the mysteries of the long-vanished Miscam tribes are coming to light, and the shapeshifting animal spirits are making their return.

Powers untold hide behind the blinkless eyeholes of the canid mask, powers that could tip the balance in the war. Lago is barely beginning to learn how to wield the dark visage, but he can already feel its potential. And he can feel a different change coming, deep in his marrow.

Wolf of Withervale is the first installment of the Noss Saga, an epic LGBTQ+ fantasy series.

©2023 Joaquín Baldwin (P)2024 Joaquín Baldwin Epic Fantasy Literature & Fiction Science Fiction & Fantasy Wolf Heartfelt
All stars
Most relevant
A solid first entry with a ton of love poured into the worldbuilding: maps, languages, even 3D models, illustrations (all seen from the official website). The writing could use polishing, especially in dialogue where it felt unnatural at times, but that’s understandable for a debut. The made-up words, as much as I can appreciate them, did get a bit tiring, and the lore sometimes overwhelmed the actual story (aka, too much world-building).

I liked the tech level - somewhere around our 1640–1700s - which smartly allows for both scientific and religious themes while keeping the medieval sword-fights. The mask-based transformation system was creative, but the romance (and the sex scenes) felt unnecessary and somewhat underdeveloped, even if it was refreshing to see non-stereotypical gay characters.

The narration was excellent.

Overall? Enjoyable, could definitely be better, but I’ll listen to the rest.

Noss Saga Book 1

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
The characters feel alive and real, so I was right there with them on their dangerous journey.
The only small niggle I have is that things appear to be going too smoothly for the antagonist. A few serious setbacks to overcome would make their part more compelling.

A truly epic tale full of heart and adventure.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Enjoyable story that is well written with likeable characters and good world building. The narration is very good as well.

Enjoyable story

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.