The Wolves of Winter by Tyrell Johnson

A world devastated by nuclear war and a deadly flu pandemic is the setting for Tyrell Johnson’s debut novel, The Wolves of Winter. Lynn McBride was a girl just old enough to remember what the world was like before everything changed. Now she is a young woman living with her family in the snowy wilds of the Yukon where they have fled war and disease. After 7 years of isolation, their comfortable routine is shattered by the arrival of Jax and his large dog, Wolf. Although suspicious, the McBrides take Jax in. When more men posing as traders appear, a calm scene erupts into violence and Jax proves to be unusually highly physically skilled as well as adept with weapons. Jax reveals he is being hunted by the shadowy organization Immunity and that if they discover the McBrides location, all of their lives are in danger.

Lynn can’t be sure of Jax’s loyalties, but she knows she feels an attraction to him and that she has grown tired of her routine existence. She impulsively takes off after Jax and her uncle, who are on the trail of the men from Immunity.

Johnson skillfully mixes the post-apocalyptic setting with action and mystery that deepens as the novel progresses. Jax’s origin and Immunity’s mission are among the mysteries to be solved. As Lynn treks across the wilderness, she learns more about Immunity’s purpose as well as secrets that lie both in Jax’s past as well as her own; particularly that of her father, a former scientist.

Johnson paints a vivid, cinematic picture of a wintry, desolate Canadian landscape. The sense of isolation and danger is ever present, lending added gravity to the plight of anyone living and traveling there. The desire to find out what really happened in the past and what is going on in the present compels Lynn forward and the reader comes along for the ride. Johnson adds plenty of action and surprises along the way and pairs it with compelling characters that keep you invested from beginning to end. This is a great debut and a fine piece of dystopian fiction.

The audiobook is narrated by Jayme Mattler who captures the mood of the book and conveys both the emotion of the characters as well as the isolated setting. Her vocal characterizations are outstanding and convey the nuance of both the protagonists as well as the antagonists.

I look forward to reading more by Tyrell Johnson. Highly recommended.

I was provided a copy of this audiobook by the publisher.

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