The Wolf and His King

A Retelling of 'Bisclavret', from the Lais of Marie de France

By: Finn Longman

Narrated by: Mark Meadows

Madeline Miller meets Angela Carter in this spellbinding queer retelling of the 12th-century tale of Bisclavret the werewolf—unmissable for fans of Uprooted by Naomi Novik, Swordcrossed by Freya Marske, and The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden.

A noble knight hiding the beast inside. A lonely king isolated by his courtiers. Between them an impossible gulf surmountable only by the twists and turns of relentless destiny in this spellbinding retelling of Marie de France’s classic 12th-century tale of romance and adventure.

The wolf-sickness strikes always without warning, stealing Bisclavret’s body and confusing his mind. Since boyhood, he hasn’t dared leave his isolated holdings—not to beg the return of his father’s lost estate, not to seek brotherhood among the court, not even to win the knighthood he yearns for. But when a new king ascends, Bisclavret must deliver his kiss of fealty or answer for the failure.

Half an exile himself, the young king is intrigued by this uneasy, rough-hewn nobleman. Bisclavret seems a perfect knight: bold, strong, and merciful. But he keeps his secrets close, and the king’s longings are not for counsel alone. As his fascination grows, the barriers between them multiply, until one day Bisclavret vanishes beyond reach. Battling desperation and grief, the king stands alone to face the greatest threats to his kingdom, with only duty to his people between him and ruin—duty, and the steadfast loyalty of the strangest wolf . . .

“Enter the shady forests of medieval Brittany and smell the hot wolf fur and hear the beat of yearning hearts in this gorgeous love story. Historian and wordsmith Finn Longman’s atmospheric retelling of Bisclavret will sink its teeth into you.”—V. V. James, Sunday Times bestselling author of Sanctuary

©2026 Finn Longman (P)2026 Orion Publishing Group

Almost exactly what I wanted

I’ll keep my complaint short.




The final quarter of the book was what I was expecting and what I wanted more of from this book❤️‍🩹

Beautiful

An excellent and gorgeous story, beautifully told. Poetic writing. Compelling characters. And it's told with so much heart!

Deep rooted lyrical fantasy

The story is bold and fresh in both presentation and tone. The feeling of the historical place and time—despite the authors caution that it is not “accurate” is breathtaking. The story is at once a dream of love stretched across the warping frame of chronic illness/queerness in the form of werewolfism and social duty in the form of a crown.

The descriptions and heart rending performance of the chronic illness is so resonant there are parts where my breath fully caught. This is such a richly feeling text the word I keep coming to is “an experience”. The skillful and intentional prose has such a lyrical quality too. An absolute delight.

I love the switch between the tenses between the POVs. I’d love more authors to use second person and it’s so well used here.

It’s an adventure as much as a comfort. The dichotomy of this resolution isn’t lost on me given the source.

If you feel like treating yourself, definitely pick this up!!

Incredible!

Absolutely perfect! Characters, prose, pace, plot! This book is a major masterpiece! The writing is absolutely flawless. One of my favorites books ever!

Perfect in every way

Beautiful story, beautiful writing, and a masterful narrator for the audiobook. This touching novel had my attention from start to finish and I will no doubt listen again in the future.