From Man Booker Prize-longlisted author Sam Thompson comes his first novel for children Wolfstongue, a boy with speech problems enters a hidden world of talking animals: a world in which language is power.
'A captivating, thought-provoking and fable-like tale … a triumphant follow-up to Wolfstongue.' – Eve McDonnell, author of The Chestnut Roaster
'Startlingly original. Sam Thompson is a visionary genius.' – Piers Torday, author of The Last Wild trilogy
'From the first page of The Fox's Tower I was caught up in the adventure. Nail-bitingly tense, funny, furious and full of heartfelt emotion this book will pitch you headfirst into another, incredibly captivating world and make you look at your own human world through fresh eyes.' – Jan Carson, author of The Raptures
'A loose sequel to Wolfstongue, Thompson has created characters from the animal kingdom whose desires have a fabular quality, with important lessons about power and corruption that translate to the world of humankind.' – Sara Keating, The Irish Times
'The mystery and fantasy elements of The Fox’s Tower make it a captivating read for children while its hidden depths entice older readers at once.' – The National
'A solid, energetically paced adventure, gripping from the moment the search for Silas starts to the dramatic final confrontation.' – Inis
'A book you can devour again and again.' – Paperbound Magazine
'An original and fun fantasy novel for children ages 8-12, The Fox's Tower by Sam Thompson (with illustrations by Anna Tromop) is an exceptionally well written and unreservedly recommended addition to elementary school, middle school, and community library action/adventure fantasy collections for young readers.' – Midwest Book Review – Children's Bookwatch
'Lyrical prose is ever present and intertwined beautifully with themes of comfort, family, and power.' – The School Librarian
'Lyrical, vibrant, thought-provoking, brave…a tale of family, loyalty, courage and hope. A most fitting follow-up to Wolfstongue, this takes the story to a different level.' – Fallen Star Stories
'I was gasping and laughing as I read. (I may also have been crying a little.)' – Read and Reviewed
'The author of Wolfstongue has created a magical successor.' – Absolutely Education
'The pace and action of the story make it hard to put down.' – Youth Services Book Review
'8/10. It's exciting, and it all leads up to one thing, which I like.' – Lidia's Booktastic podcast
'An incredibly powerful story on so many levels.' – The Kids Book Curator
Deep in the Forest, the foxes live in an underground city. They didn’t build it themselves: led by Reynard the fox, they enslaved wolves to do the work. By teaching language to the wolves, the foxes have manipulated them with the power of speech.
Now Isengrim and Hersent and their pups are the only wolves left in the Forest. They use clay with magical properties to heal their wounds, and move between the human and animal worlds using hidden passageways as they fight to survive.
One day, Isengrim gets injured. He is helped by a boy, Silas. Silas finds speaking difficult – except when in the company of the wolves. When the foxes kidnap the wolf pups and imprison them in their underground city, Silas is determined to help his new wolf companions to rescue their young.
The wolves tell Silas the legend of the Wolfstongue, a human child who speaks on behalf of wolves. Silas faces his difficulty with language and uses his voice to undermine Reynard’s power. Together Silas and the wolves destroy the foxes’ city and rescue the pups.
Back in the human world, the fluency Silas found with the wolves is gone, but he knows the forest is always near.
Wolfstongue #02: The Fox’s Tower
Wolfstongue #03: The Forest Yet to Come
