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WORK TITLE: The Wolves of Winter
WORK NOTES:
PSEUDONYM(S):
BIRTHDATE: 1989?
WEBSITE: https://www.tyrelljohnsonauthor.com/
CITY: Kelowna
STATE: BC
COUNTRY: Canada
NATIONALITY:
RESEARCHER NOTES:
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|---|---|
| LCCN Permalink: | https://lccn.loc.gov/n2018000333 |
| HEADING: | Johnson, Tyrell |
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| 005 | 20180103105033.0 |
| 008 | 180103n| azannaabn |n aaa |
| 010 | __ |a n 2018000333 |
| 040 | __ |a DLC |b eng |e rda |c DLC |
| 053 | _0 |a PS3610.O38364 |
| 100 | 1_ |a Johnson, Tyrell |
| 670 | __ |a The wolves of winter, 2018: |b t.p. (Tyrell Johnson) |
PERSONAL
Born c. 1989; married; children: two.
EDUCATION:University of California Riverside, M.F.A.
ADDRESS
CAREER
Writer, novelist, and editor.
AVOCATIONS:Outdoors activity.
WRITINGS
SIDELIGHTS
Tyrell Johnson is an American writer and editor living in Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada. He grew up in Bellingham, Washington, noted a writer on Bookreporter.com. He is an outdoorsman who spends much of his time on the local mountain or at his mother-in-law’s ranch, he stated on the Tyrell Johnson website. Johnson attended the University of California Riverside, where he earned an M.F.A. in creative writing.
In The Wolves of Winter, Johnson’s debut novel, the author “weaves a captivating tale of humanity stretched far beyond its breaking point, of family and the bonds of love forged when everything else is lost,” noted a reviewer on the CBC Radio-Canada website.
Lynn McBride is a twenty-three-year-old woman living deep in the Yukon with her mother, brother, uncle, and family friends. Lynn and her family have been in this remote area since she was sixteen, wresting a living out of the land and avoiding contact with the world at large. Their decision to head to this isolate area was not made easily or frivolously. They came to the Yukon to escape the effects of a worldwide apocalypse that started when Lynn was twelve. A devastating international nuclear war, followed by a virulent flu pandemic, had killed off much of the world’s population. By leaving most of humanity behind, Lynn and the others sought to avoid the effects of the global disaster. Aided by Lynn’s highly developed hunting abilities and world-class skills with a bow, the group had managed to live a quiet life in the wilderness, untouched by the effects of war and disease.
Lynn realizes why they came to the Yukon, but in many ways, her emotional development is still at the same level it was when she was sixteen. Though she has physically matured into a tough and formidable adult, she wonders what she’s missed by not having friends and romantic partners her own age.
Their peaceful existence is disrupted when a mysterious stranger named Jax arrives unexpectedly. Accompanying him is his dog, Wolf. Lynn is immediately captivated by this enigmatic man. He successfully integrates with the small community of survivors, but a violent encounter with some men who were pursuing him threatens the safety and anonymity of the entire group. The men were from Immunity, an alleged disease-control organization, but it soon becomes clear that their actual identity and purpose are more sinister. After Jax kills the men with nearly superhuman levels of skill in knife throwing, he has to explain who he is, what the men wanted, and what the encounter means for Lynn and her group. Even as Lynn feels her attraction to Jax intensify, she’s not sure if he’s an ally or someone who will bring even more deadly trouble into their midst.
The story is packed with “action, suspense, and plot twists as the resilient characters fight for survival in a harsh winter wilderness,” observed a Publishers Weekly reviewer. Johnson’s “debut novel fits directly into the dystopian mold of a post-apocalyptic world ravaged by war and disease,” observed Blake Norby, writing in Voice of Youth Advocates. The story’s outdoor survival details,” the violence and frequent confrontations, and “Lynn’s misaligned physical and emotional maturity make this a standout,” stated Shannon Ozirny in the Toronto Globe & Mail.
Wolves of Winter “is a beautiful, touching, and satisfyingly succinct read with a lot to say. The author’s story-telling is captivating; balancing grief, adventure, heart and curiosity within a wonderfully sculpted and realistic world,” commented a writer on the website Fantasy Book Review. “A strong addition to the literature of dystopia, Johnson’s outdoor adventure novel is lifted by his command of natural settings and his understanding of family bonding under extreme duress,” commented a Kirkus Reviews writer. Norby remarked, “Tyrell’s prose is vivid and evocative.” In Booklist, David Pitt stated, “As postapocalyptic novels go, this one is quite good.”
BIOCRIT
PERIODICALS
Booklist, December 15, 2017, David Pitt, review of The Wolves of Winter, p. 92.
Globe and Mail (Toronto, Ontario, Canada), March 15,2018, Shannon Ozirny, “Tyrell Johnson’s The Wolves of Winter is a Standout Apocalyptic Tale,” review of The Wolves of Winter.
Kirkus Reviews, October 15, 2017, review of The Wolves of Winter.
Publishers Weekly, October 16, 2017, review of The Wolves of Winter, p. 43.
Voice of Youth Advocates, February, 2018, Blake Norby, review of The Wolves of Winter, p. 68.
ONLINE
Bookreporter.com, http://www.bookreporter.com/ (June 11, 2018), biography of Tyrell Johnson.
CBC Radio-Canada website, http://www.cbc.ca/ (April 9, 2018), review of The Wolves of Winter.
Fantasy Book Review, http://www.fantasybookreview.co.uk/ (June 11, 2018), Alice Wybrew, “A Beautiful, Touching, and Satisfyingly Succinct Read with a Lot to Say,” review of The Wolves of Winter.
Medium, https://www.medium.com/ (December 9, 2017), Zachary Houle, review of The Wolves of Winter.
Real Book Spy, https://www.therealbookspy.com/ (February 5, 2018), Ryan Steck, review of The Wolves of Winter.
Thinc, https://www.taylorholmes.com/ (February 8,2018), Taylor Holmes, interview with Tyrell Johnson.
Tyrell Johnson website, http://www.tyrelljohnsonauthor.com (June 11, 2018).
My name is Tyrell Johnson and I am a writer and editor. I received my MFA in Creative Writing from the University of California Riverside where I studied fiction and poetry. I'm passionate about the outdoors and can often be found on the mountain with my Siberian Husky, or on my mother-in-law's ranch feeding her horses and a donkey named Jim. Originally from Bellingham Washington, I now live in Kelowna, BC, with my family. The Wolves of Winter is my debut novel.
Tyrell Johnson
Tyrell Johnson is a writer and editor who grew up in Bellingham, Washington. He received his MFA from the University of California, Riverside, where he studied fiction and poetry. An avid outdoorsman, he currently lives in Kelowna, British Columbia, northeast of Vancouver with his wife, two kids and a Siberian husky. THE WOLVES OF WINTER is his first novel.
Tyrell Johnson
Books by Tyrell Johnson
The Wolves of Winter
by Tyrell Johnson - Fiction, Post-Apocalyptic Fiction, Suspense, Thriller
Forget the old days. Forget summer. Forget warmth. Forget anything that doesn’t help you survive in the endless white wilderness beyond the edges of a fallen world. Lynn McBride has learned much since society collapsed in the face of nuclear war and the relentless spread of disease. As the memories of her old life continue to haunt, she’s forced to forge ahead in the snow-drifted Canadian Yukon, learning how to hunt and trap and slaughter. Shadows of the world before have found her tiny community --- most prominently in the enigmatic figure of Jax, who brings with him dark secrets of the past and sets in motion a chain of events that will call Lynn to a role she never imagined.
Johnson, Tyrell. The Wolves of
Winter
Blake Norby
Voice of Youth Advocates.
40.6 (Feb. 2018): p68. From Book Review Index Plus. COPYRIGHT 2018 E L Kurdyla Publishing LLC http://www.voya.com
Full Text:
Johnson, Tyrell. The Wolves of Winter. Scribner/Simon 8t Schuster, January 2018. $26. 320p. 978-1-5011-5567-3.
2Q * 3P * NA * A/YA
It has been seven years since the worlds population was devastated by nuclear war and a flu pandemic that killed Lynn's father, a biologist at a university. She was forced to travel from Alaska deep into the Yukon wilderness with her mother, brother, uncle, and family friend. They live mostly quiet lives in three cabins and survive off Lynn's hunting skills, but Lynn, twenty- three, is restless and yearns to know what lies beyond the curtains of snow. Then, Jax appears with his dog, Wolf, and Lynn is instantly drawn to him, even though he is reluctant to offer information about himself or his past. Jax settles in with them until Immunity, a supposed disease-control agency, comes looking for him, and he may not be the only one they are after.
Tyrell's debut novel fits directly into the dystopian mold of a post-apocalyptic world ravaged by war and disease, a secret agency, and one woman who can save them all. Lynn has complicated, emotional, inner monologues, but speaks with attitude and sass, like most dystopian heroes. Jax is the typical enigmatic man who shows Lynn the truth about their post-apocalyptic world. Tyrell's prose is vivid and evocative, but it does not make up for slow pacing, insufficient character depth, and predictability. This adult title has strong YA appeal as a dystopian romance, despite two insensitively handled sexual assault scenes.--Blake Norby.
Source Citation (MLA 8th Edition)
Norby, Blake. "Johnson, Tyrell. The Wolves of Winter." Voice of Youth Advocates, Feb. 2018, p.
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68. Book Review Index Plus, http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A529357170 /GPS?u=schlager&sid=GPS&xid=d1273563. Accessed 16 May 2018.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A529357170
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The Wolves of Winter
David Pitt
Booklist.
114.8 (Dec. 15, 2017): p92. From Book Review Index Plus. COPYRIGHT 2017 American Library Association http://www.ala.org/aboutala/offices/publishing/booklist/
Full Text:
The Wolves of Winter.
By Tyrell Johnson.
Jan. 2018. 320p. Scribner, $26 (9781501155673); ebook, $11.99 (9781501155697).
In an unspecified but presumably very near future, about a decade after the world was devastated by the double whammy of nuclear war and an exceptionally virulent flu, Lynn McBride lives with her family in a community in the Yukon. It's a difficult existence, but peaceful (apart from irritations like a nasty neighbor who requires a little convincing to stop poaching other people's kills). But then a man named Jax arrives who threatens to throw the community into turmoil and who will force Lynn to make some very hard choices. As postapocalyptic novels go, this one is quite good. It's a little familiar in places (character design, especially), but that's more than offset by the vividly evoked, bitterly cold setting; the equally chilling claustrophobic story; and the author's graceful and visually evocative writing style. --David Pitt
Source Citation (MLA 8th Edition)
Pitt, David. "The Wolves of Winter." Booklist, 15 Dec. 2017, p. 92. Book Review Index Plus,
http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A521459609/GPS?u=schlager&sid=GPS& xid=da8fb14e. Accessed 16 May 2018.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A521459609
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Johnson, Tyrell: THE WOLVES OF WINTER
Kirkus Reviews.
(Oct. 15, 2017): From Book Review Index Plus. COPYRIGHT 2017 Kirkus Media LLC http://www.kirkusreviews.com/
Full Text:
Johnson, Tyrell THE WOLVES OF WINTER Scribner (Adult Fiction) $26.00 1, 2 ISBN: 978-1-5011-5567-3
In the aftermath of nuclear wars and a devastating Asian flu pandemic, feisty 23-year-old Gwendolynn McBride--call her Lynn--faces life-and-death challenges in the Canadian wilds.
Originally from Chicago, where her father was a university biologist, Lynn and her family fled the apocalypse to small-town Alaska when she was 12. Four years later, threatened by the arrival of men suspiciously claiming to be government disease agents, they snuck across the Canadian border into the Yukon. Now living in extreme isolation in log cabins, they hunt whatever animals are available (Lynn is great with a bow) and read Walt Whitman. Seven years pass before they encounter anyone from the outside world. That would be Jax, a taciturn man with a dog named Wolf and a mess of secrets. After he violently dispatches a pack of men who have come after him with the knife-throwing skills of a superhero, Lynn is left wondering whether he's friend or foe-- and what the attraction she feels to him is all about. With elements of Cormac McCarthy's The Road and TV's The Walking Dead, the book gets off to a gripping start, blending visceral thrills with existential reflections. For Lynn, who "wanted to escape, to get out and see what was left of the world," snow can be an oppressive force that "smothers the world into submission." At about the midway point, when the young heroine is forced to deal with adversity on her own, the novel loses some of the edge and sense of risk that make it stand out from the genre. A science fiction- ish element seems forced. But this is still a stylishly written debut by a novelist to keep an eye on.
A strong addition to the literature of dystopia, Johnson's outdoor adventure novel is lifted by his command of natural settings and his understanding of family bonding under extreme duress.
Source Citation (MLA 8th Edition)
"Johnson, Tyrell: THE WOLVES OF WINTER." Kirkus Reviews, 15 Oct. 2017. Book Review
Index Plus, http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A509244150/GPS?u=schlager&sid=GPS& xid=613e79ab. Accessed 16 May 2018.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A509244150
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The Wolves of Winter
Publishers Weekly.
264.42 (Oct. 16, 2017): p43. From Book Review Index Plus. COPYRIGHT 2017 PWxyz, LLC http://www.publishersweekly.com/
Full Text:
The Wolves of Winter
Tyrell Johnson. Scribner, $26 (320p) ISBN 9781-5011-5567-3
Johnson's debut novel is an exciting, fast-paced tale of a postapocalyptic world in which nuclear wars and a deadly flu pandemic have nearly wiped out humanity. Twenty-three-year-old Lynn McBride and her family fled the disease, setting up a family compound in the Canadian Yukon, "the vast wilderness of nothing," a wintry landscape where they barely survive. When a bearded stranger named Jax arrives, the McBrides are wary, suspicious of a man who possesses unique and deadly skills, including an intimidating proficiency with weapons. More men appear, claiming to be traders, but a bloody fight erupts and Jax reveals he is running from Immunity, a shadowy group that claims to be developing a cure for the flu pandemic, but whose real purpose is sinister. Immunity wants to capture Jax alive, and now Lynn and her family are in danger, too. In a bitterly cold, snowy winter, they confront Immunity in a vicious climactic battle. Johnson is an excellent storyteller; the novel is full of action, suspense, and plot twists as the resilient characters fight for survival in a harsh winter wilderness. Agent: Alexandra Machinist. 1CM Partners. (Jan.)
Source Citation (MLA 8th Edition)
"The Wolves of Winter." Publishers Weekly, 16 Oct. 2017, p. 43. Book Review Index Plus,
http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A510652846/GPS?u=schlager&sid=GPS& xid=00a35a1d. Accessed 16 May 2018.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A510652846
5 of 5 5/16/18, 9:52 PM
The Wolves of Winter by Tyrell Johnson
The Wolves of Winter book cover
Free preview
Rating 9.0/10
A beautiful, touching and satisfyingly succinct read with a lot to say
Book of the Month
Lynn McBride has learned much since society collapsed in the face of nuclear war and the relentless spread of disease. As the memories of her old life continue to haunt, she’s forced to forge ahead in the snow-drifted Canadian Yukon, learning how to hunt and trap and slaughter. Shadows of the world before have found her tiny community - most prominently in the enigmatic figure of Jax, who brings with him dark secrets of the past and sets in motion a chain of events that will call Lynn to a role she never imagined.
On the surface, this post-apocalyptic tale of infection, nuclear fallout and scattered, savage humanity is no different from the many others that have gone before it. But what saves it from being just another drop in the great maelstrom of dystopian novels is the author’s taught and affecting storytelling of one girl’s struggle to come to terms with her place in an uncertain new world.
Told vividly through flashbacks, Johnson’s set-up is unveiled through the story’s narrator and protagonist Lynn, a 23 year-old living in wooden shacks with her family in the blisteringly cold Yukon.
One of the novel’s strengths is how human Johnson’s lead feels. Lynn’s thoughts are real and relatable; her flashbacks fascinating and heartbreaking in equal measure as she processes the loss of her beloved father. Her grief is well positioned, binding the story together and giving it a warm heart beneath an often bleak body.
Johnson smartly equips his lead with Katniss Everdeen-levels of survival and defence skills (her designated weapon, a bow rather than gun, is justified through her brother’s casual sexism) so there’s no need continually justify her presence in his harshest of environments.
‘Immunity’, the organisation ostensibly trying to cure the killer flu rumoured to have been released by the US in China to retaliate after their nuclear attack, plagues the survivors. Wrapped in conspiracy, mystery and aggression, it provides the driving force for the action and adventure, feeding into a very believable scenario that is all too poignant in today’s climate.
Wolves of Winter is a beautiful, touching and satisfyingly succinct read with a lot to say. The author’s story-telling is captivating; balancing grief, adventure, heart and curiosity within a wonderfully sculpted and realistic world.
This The Wolves of Winter book review was written by Alice Wybrew
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A Book Spy Review: ‘The Wolves of Winter’ by Tyrell Johnson
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The Wolves of Winter.jpgSet in a post-apocalyptic world, Lynn McBride, a twenty-three-year-old girl, faces all kinds of danger in Tyrell Johnson’s cunning debut novel, The Wolves of Winter.
Following several nuclear wars and an Asian flu pandemic, humanity has nearly been wiped out. More than a decade ago, Lynn and her family, led by her biologist father, fled Chicago for Alaska. Years later, after government scientists approached him, the McBrides again fled northwest, this time across the border to take refuge in Canadian Yukon. Surrounded by nothing but the vast outdoors, the McBrides set up their own little compound and learn to fend for themselves. For nearly a decade, they live in relative peace until a stranger suddenly shows up. . . his arrival threatening their very way of life.
Jax, the stranger, appears one day out of the blue while Lynn is out hunting with her compound bow. Traveling with him is his dog, Wolf, and right away Lynn realizes he’s very different from anyone she’s ever met. He’s big, intimidating, and mysterious. Plus, he demonstrates an obvious familiarity with weapons, which is a good thing because shortly after his arrival, a team of men shows up to kill him.
It turns out that Jax has more than just a familiarity with weapons. He’s experienced, tested, and devastatingly proficient — especially with throwing knives. He and Wolf kill the men who came after him, claiming they were part of a sinister group called Immunity.
According to Jax, Immunity claims they’re out to create a cure for the deadly flu virus that’s spread like wildfire, and he’s the key to it all, which is why they want him alive. But in reality, their true intentions are to create fear and power among survivors, and he refuses to be taken alive. That puts the McBrides’ lives in danger, as they’ve now witnessed Jax killing the team sent by Immunity. Through no actions of their own, they’re now suddenly caught in the middle of a deadly situation, and nothing will ever be the same. . .
Tyrell Johnson’s story is filled with plenty of action but also mixes in some science-fiction and a ton of suspense to go with it. Lynn is a strong, compelling new protagonist in the vein of Katniss Everdeen a la The Hunger Games fame, and the entire plot runs through her. Johnson does a wonderful job developing her and builds his post-apocalyptic setting with stunningly beautiful visual descriptions that beg to be shown on the big screen one day. Readers will feel trapped in the frozen tundra along with Lynn, also wondering, as she does, what lies beyond their compound.
Lynn is tough, something readers see right away when she confronts Conrad, a scary man who lives on his own, for poaching one of her kills. But she’s also vulnerable and curious and finds herself drawn to Jax and the rest of the unknown world. The one negative is the dialogue, which feels contrived at times, and downright unbelievable at others. Perhaps the awkwardness of some interactions can be attributed to characters growing up without needing to develop social skills, but overall the back-and-forth of most exchanges just feels a tad off.
Think The Hunger Games meets The Maze Runner meets The Walking Dead. . . The Wolves of Winter is a very strong debut, and Tyrell Johnson has created a fascinating universe rich with intriguing characters to build upon in future installments.
Book Details
Author: Tyrell Johnson
Series: Lynn McBride #1
Pages: 320 (Hardcover)
ISBN: 1501155679
Publisher: Scribner
Release Date: February 2, 2018
Book Spy Rating: 7.0/10
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Praised as “one of today’s finest book reviewers” by New York Times bestselling author Gayle Lynds, Ryan Steck has “quickly established himself as the authority on mysteries and thrillers” (Author A.J. Tata). He currently lives in Southwest Michigan with his wife and their six children.
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Review: Tyrell Johnson’s The Wolves of Winter is a standout apocalyptic tale
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Book Review
Review: Tyrell Johnson’s The Wolves of Winter is a standout apocalyptic tale
Open this photo in gallery:
Shannon Ozirny
Special to The Globe and Mail
Published March 15, 2018
Updated March 15, 2018
Title
The Wolves of Winter
Author
Tyrell Johnson
Genre
Youngadult
Publisher
Simon & Schuster
Pages
320
Price
$24.99
Twenty-three-year-old Lynn McBride may be an adult, but the apocalypse has left her in a state of arrested development. The end of the world started when Lynn was 12, first with international warfare followed by a flu pandemic. At 16, Lynn moved deep into the Yukon with her mother, brother and family friends to live off the grid. They make ends meet for several years, but now-adult Lynn struggles with the monotony of her isolated life, yearnings for independence and desire for a partner.
When a stranger shows up at Lynn's family homestead, any chance of romance is quickly overshadowed by an escalating and violent series of events. The apocalypse plot of Kelowna, B.C., author Tyrell Johnson's debut is fairly standard, but the outdoor survival details, the bloody, jarring confrontations and Lynn's misaligned physical and emotional maturity make this a standout.
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The Wolves of Winter
Tyrell Johnson
CBC Books · CBC · April 9
Station Eleven meets The Hunger Games in this ruthless, captivating story of a young woman's survival in the frozen wilderness of Yukon after the rest of the world has collapsed.
As the old world dies, we all must choose to become predators. Or become prey.
The old world has been ravaged by war and disease, and as far as Lynn McBride is concerned, her family could be the last one left on Earth. For seven years, the McBrides have eked out a meagre existence in the still, white wilderness of Yukon. But this is not living. This is survival on the brink.
Why Tyrell Johnson loves Patrick Rothfuss's The Kingkiller Chronicle
Into this fragile community walk new threats, including the enigmatic fugitive, Jax, who holds secrets about the past and, possibly, keys to a better future. And then there's Immunity, the pre‑war organization that was supposed to save humankind from the flu. They're still out there, enforcing order and conducting experiments, but is their work for the good of humankind or is something much more sinister at play? In the face of almost certain extinction, Lynn and her family must learn to hunt as a pack or die alone in the cold.
Breakout debut novelist Tyrell Johnson weaves a captivating tale of humanity stretched far beyond its breaking point, of family and the bonds of love forged when everything else is lost. Reminiscent of Station Eleven and The Hunger Games, this is a classic and enthralling post‑apocalyptic adventure and a celebration of the human spirit. (From Simon & Schuster Canada)
Read an excerpt|Author interview
From the book
I adjusted my compound bow under my arm and the rope over my left shoulder. The rope was attached to my sled. My uncle Jeryl — Dad's brother — had made the sled for me four years earlier. About three feet wide, six feet long. It carried small game no problem, a deer was tough for me but manageable, and an elk, caribou, or moose I had to butcher first and carry just the meat. The sled was made from spruce and had bloodstains from past kills splattered about the wood, but it was sturdy. I always dragged it along with me to check the traps.
A slight easterly wind stung my nose and cracked lips. The sun was gray and bored in the hazy sky, but the fresh fallen snow was still blinding. Sunglasses. I missed sunglasses. I headed southeast, into the wind. It was less than a mile to Conrad's place. Dragging the sled made it tough going, but I didn't care. No way in hell was I going to let him keep my kill. He was a big man, though, and he was stronger than me.
From The Wolves of Winter by Tyrell Johnson ©2018. Published by Simon & Schuster Canada
Author interview
The Next Chapter
Dog-Eared: Tyrell Johnson on "The Name of the Wind"
00:00 01:35
The author of "The Wolves of Winter" on why he rereads Patrick Rothfuss's fantasy novel "The Name of the Wind." 1:35
Wolves of Winter Interview With Tyrell Johnson
Taylor Holmes
February 8, 2018
Books We Love, featured, Interview, Literary Digressions
4
Wolves of Winter Interview With Tyrell Johnson
You guys need to read more. Yeah, I know we mainly do movies out here. But occasionally I run across some REALLY cool stories, no REALLY really cool stories, hunt down the author and haul them in here to talk to you all about their book. Sure, it’s more rare. And just because you are a movie crew doesn’t mean you can’t get your collective acts together for the occasional book. Promise. hahaha.
So, today is one of those days.
I recently had the good fortune to find a book entitled The Wolves of Winter which I absolutely loved. And as good fortune would have it, I was able to make a connection with the author, cough, and get him to answer a few of my most pressing questions about the book. But first, why don’t I pitch you on the book and we’ll see if it’d be in your wheelhouse.
The Wolves of Winter fits into a pretty prestigious clustering of great books. Probably the most recognizable being Cormac McArthur’s The Road, where a father and daughter walk a post apocalyptic wasteland. In search of what? Survival? Yeah. That is the magnetism to the book and to the genre. Or maybe The Girl With All the Gifts? But the book that I really think nails the feel almost exactly, though different, is The Passage. Sure the Passage is vampires, and different, but similar. I honestly cannot give this book higher praise than to liken it to The Passage by Justin Cronan. It’s not possible.
What is Wolves Of Winter About?
That is such a fantastic question random interwebs reader. I am so glad you asked! Well, think post apocalyptic snowscape, and a small family just trying to survive from day to day. Seriously consider this, what would you do if a super virulent version of the flu broke out across the globe and nukes began dropping? Well, if you were like me, you’d probably get as far from cities as physically possible. And that is what this family has done. This family of survivors have immigrated from Alaska to the great white north of Canada where the vast open nothingness is safer than the hostility of America. (This isn’t a political statement, it’s just a fact of survival.)
And while their lives aren’t a Little House on the Prairie idyllic dreamland, but they are surviving anyway. Our heroine goes by the name of Lynn, though her real name is Gwendolyn. We watch as she traps and hunts. We see her wield her crossbow in one of the most obvious foreshadowings of the book. Until, that is, a random stranger wanders through their valley. And from there the adventures and chaos just take on a sort of roller coaster brilliance to them. But survival is always first and foremost on their minds.
Fair enough? I really don’t want to spoil any of the story. It’s a good, lightening fast read. I’ve actually pitched it to 4 or 5 buddies of mine, and they have all, universally come back with great reviews of having enjoyed it. But my word alone ought to be good enough for you. I mean, come on. If I don’t have a track record with you yet… then I got nothing. So go snag the book, either here, or digital here, or here… you aren’t lacking in options. I just saw it at my local Barnes and Chernobyl, so there’s that too if you still believe in that sort of a thing! haha.
Alright, why don’t we just jump into the conversation with the author of Wolves of Winter now, interwebs, I bring you Tyrell Johnson!
THiNC. – “Why don’t I just start with the genesis of the idea? I know you and your dad have the hunting/fishing thing happening. But where did the story idea come from originally?”
Tyrell – “I started writing post-apocalyptic fiction because I was writing very mediocre fantasy fiction. While I enjoy the fantasy genre, my voice/style work much better in a modern setting. The post-apocalyptic genre allowed me to have the freedom to create my own world (having destroyed the current one!) while being able to ground my novel in modern times.”
THiNC. – “One of the things I liked best about the book is that the world stage is so vast, and yet so on the peripheral. We get hints of what is going on and the cause of the current state of the union, but not tons of detail. How much of that story did you flesh out before you wrote the story, and how clear was it going in?”
Tyrell – “To me, a lot of writing is a process of discovery. I like diving into a blank page without knowing exactly where I’m going. I definitely had an idea of what had happened to the world and what was left of it, but a lot unraveled as I went. Adding more flesh to the history and scope of the world was definitely something I worked on with my editors as well.
THiNC. – “I’ll be 100% honest with you… because I knew you were a guy. Yup. Just track with me here. And because I knew that this story was a survival story. And Lynn could be a guy’s name?… I swear, I thought Gwen/Lynn was a guy for a very very long time. (I know, that’s sexist. It is what it is.) I even went speeding past the announcement that her real name was Gwendolyn without even pausing, and still thought your protagonist was a guy. Besides your readers (or singular reader) being complete idiots, how did you come up with the idea of telling the story from Lynn’s vantage? Don’t get me wrong. It’s compelling… I’m just an idiot is all.”
Tyrell – “Ha! That’s funny, and not entirely your fault. She idealizes her father, so she’s definitely inherited some of his tone, but hopefully not too much! I had both a male and female editor that were great in keeping me in line if Lynn was starting to sound too much like a man.
“And the idea actually came from my wife. In the previous writing I’d done, I’d written from a male perspective, but my beta-readers thought the female characters were the most compelling. So my wife very wisely suggested that I write a book with a female protagonist instead. And, as everyone knows, always listen to your wife!”
THiNC. – “Oh no way. That is really interesting. Such good feedback from your beta readers. That is fantastic feedback, and heck, good wisdom in general. Listen to other’s feedback about you?!? I mean, who would do that willingly?! hahah.
“Like I told you before, the closest similar book, in tone and feel to this one is The Passage by Justin Cronan. When you were first telling friends and family what you were writing, what did you liken it to? And now that you are on morning news shows (apparently, at least, that is what your extremely proud father tells me anyway) talking about your book, what do you liken it to?”
Tyrell – “While I was writing The Wolves of Winter, I immersed myself in the post-apocalyptic genre to really get me into the mood/feel of this type of fiction. So I had some very specific books that inspired me while I was working: 1) Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel 2) The Dog Stars by Peter Heller and 3) The Maddaddam Trilogy by Margret Atwood.
“Now, the novel is being pitched as a mix of Station Eleven and Hunger Games. I’ve also heard Justin Cronin and M.R. Carey in the conversation. It’s all very humbling and overwhelming!”
THiNC. – “Oh fantastic, there are a couple books in there that I haven’t read yet. Totally adding a few of them to my reading list. So thanks for that! Always looking for great post apocalyptic goodness. I even wrote a short story in this vein out here on THiNC. called The Silence. And I realized in doing that exercise just how difficult this genre really is. Tone, backstory, dropping just enough to keep the reader intrigued, etc.
“Personally, I liked how the book took off with a crack. And as I look back on it I’m not certain how you did it. I’m sure there was a ton of editing to get that to happen. I do know you nailed the chapter endings, they definitely hucked the reader into the next chapter… so there is that. But was there a concerted effort on the first couple chapters to get that effect?”
Tyrell – “Yes. The goal with the first couple of chapters was to set the stage. I wanted readers, from the get-go, to know what kind of world they were in, what kind of people might inhabit it, and what types of dangers were out there. The first chapter is a little bit shocking/disturbing, but I thought it set the scene for the rest of the novel and the feel of this world in general.”
THiNC. – “Totally, that makes all kinds of sense. You definitely got a sense that there a billion and one dangers in this world and no one or no thing was really safe. Which brings us to the disease elements of the story…”
(Note to the reader, there is a band of people in The Wolves of Winter that are working to find a “cure” to the disease currently circling the globe. And this group is called Immunity.)
“It felt to me like the DCIA (Disease Containment and Immunity Advancement) seems almost like a metaphor for something today. A parable like organization with some sort of wider meaning that I am not quite grasping? Is it commenting on society at all? Maybe echoes of Hitler’s master race within the language of Immunity?”
Tyrell – “I actually don’t really work in metaphor or parable. I just wanted to tell the best story I could without any agenda or moral or lesson in mind. To me, Immunity was a logical entity born out of a world in desperation. That said, the post-apocalyptic genre definitely has some inherited themes. The best apocalyptic fiction forces us to take a hard look at our government, at our environment, and at the material possessions in our life that have power over us. But it’s my hope that the novel doesn’t just ring warning bells, hopefully there’s a bit of fun to be had as well!”
THiNC. – “I heard a rumor, from a little birdy… that there might be a completed manuscript for book 2? Is this something that you are telling anyone? I won’t mention it if you don’t want to talk about it, but if you are giving out anything at all about book2 (Egrets of Spring? Pandas of Fall?) I’d love to tease it. And on a personal note, if you want a new addition to your “friends” and family feedback club, I’d be happy to help! Hahaha. (This isn’t a question, but yeah, anything you want to share about book 2?)”
Tyrell – “Unfortunately, I can’t promise anything regarding book 2 quite yet, but, let’s just say I’ve got a few ideas!”
Great answers to some of the most annoying interview questions ever Tyrell. I will say this, the book is a concise single read, but also has miles and miles of room for a sequel to play. This world is a vast, well envisaged environment. And personally? I’d love to see a book 2 go in a very very specific direction. Which, follows very well in the direction that The Passage Trilogy as it went from book 1 to the Twelve. But that’s just me! hahah.
Have you guys read it yet? Would love to hear your thoughts on it.
A Review of Tyrell Johnson’s “The Wolves of Winter”
Hunger Station
“The Wolves of Winter” Book Cover
Having your first book published in the first week of January is not a good sign. Yes, there’s less competition among other books coming out that week, but most people’s Visa cards have been maxed out from buying for family at Christmas and indulging for themselves on Boxing Day. This is the precarious situation that Tyrell Johnson, an American who now lives in Canada, faces. His debut book, The Wolves of Winter, is being dropped at that time, so I admittedly had to wonder if the book was terrible. After all, why would the publisher be dropping it into this dead zone, sales-wise?
It turns out, The Wolves of Winter isn’t too bad — as far as page-turners go. The publisher is marketing the book as a cross between Station Eleven and The Hunger Games. The comparison is apt because Johnson borrows some imagery (and the general plot setup) from Station Eleven, and the heroine — a young woman who is killer when wielding a cross-bow — is basically a copy and paste of Katniss Everdeen. So what the book about?
In a post-terrorism, post-flu epidemic world, a young girl named Gwendolyn (but who prefers to be called Lynn) and her family make do trying to survive in the wilds of the Yukon during winter, after having emigrated from Alaska when the flu started catching fire. The flu doesn’t like cold weather, and Canada is safer than Alaska in that regard (believe it or not), so the characters are ex-patriots. Anyhow, everything is fine and dandy until Lynn runs into a fugitive named Jax during one of her hunts, and it turns out that Jax has superhuman capabilities and is, thus, being tailed out an outfit that goes by the short name Immunity, which is trying to find a cure for the flu. Basically, the shit hits the fan when Jax comes into the picture, and Immunity catches up with him. This puts Lynn’s family in a perilous situation where they must fight even harder to stay alive.
That’s basically the plot outline of The Wolves of Winter. It’s not highly original in a sense, but the book does its job of keeping the pages flipping — until Immunity comes onto the scene. I don’t want to spoil anything, but Immunity as a group are cardboard villains, the kind of bad guys who live to talk a lot about their motivations in monologues, thus giving the good guys more time to escape. Basically, the book starts getting sillier and sillier about halfway through, which is too bad because, up until then, it’s a fairly effective thriller. It’s not something that’s going to make you forget Station Eleven or The Hunger Games, but, for the first half, the book tells a compelling story. The quaintness of setting a human survival story in the Yukon is mostly the cause of that.
Johnson, probably knowing that he’s writing a pulpy knock-off, tries to go deep with symbolism to make his yarn stand out. Not only do we have the character of Jax to contend with, but our heroes start running into all-white wildlife: white crows, white foxes, white everything. I don’t know if that’s meant to be a commentary on the Trump-like world we know live in where anything that is a different colour of skin is meant to be “weird” at the least and a threat at the most, and so we’re moving towards an all-white society out of Nazi Germany. I found this element of the novel a bit baffling because it really adds nothing to the plot. But maybe this gets explained in the sequel, for the book ends on something of a cliff-hanger (suggesting a sequel is indeed on the way).
If you’re going to read The Wolves of Winter, my advice would be to brace yourself to read something you’ve already read and loved. You will be caught up in the uniqueness of the setting, but, eventually, the dialogue becomes more and more stilted and the characters become caricatures. It’s as though Johnson rushed through the second and third acts of the book. Again, it’s a bit of a shame because the start of the novel is interesting and compelling, and keeps you reading to find out what’s going to happen next. In that sense, The Wolves of Winter is successful in the smallness of places: surveying the scene of a dystopian Yukon is breathtaking. But when the bullets and arrows start flying, the novel becomes a bit clichéd.
Really, though, you’re getting two books in one here. The survival part of the story is ripped right from the pages of The Hunger Games. The flu epidemic portion comes from Station Eleven. To that end, I’d say that The Wolves of Winter is really meant for older teenagers who have read both prior novels, and liked them enough that they wouldn’t mind reading a merger of the two. To that end, the publisher is right in their marketing of this book. But are they really marketing it at all by publishing when they’re publishing it?
On that note, an early January release date is not the end of the world (no pun intended) for a book that’s set in the snowy confines of a Yukon winter. If you want to read something as frosty as what’s covering the glass of your windows, this book is perfect for that kind of feeling. While the novel does, ultimately, come up a bit short after a certain point of no return is reached, it is still enjoyable and pleasant. The Wolves of Winter is just an agreeable time-killer, nothing more and nothing less. If you’re looking for something that’s not much of a challenge to read, and like things kept simple, this book is recommended. If not, there’s always a certain young adult trilogy and a book called Station Eleven to re-read to make you feel like you are part of a world that we may be on the verge of heading towards, with much more to say about the times we now live in than The Wolves of Winter ever aspires to, alas.
Tyrell Johnson’s The Wolves of Winter will be published by Simon and Schuster Canada on January 2, 2018.
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