Blacktail by Hawkins, Scott

"A tale of lupine vengeance--at first--whose stakes escalate to degrees I never saw coming. Unexpected, blood-soaked, and vividly told."--qntm, author of There Is No Antimemetics Division

The long-awaited second novel from the author of the cult hit The Library at Mount Char, a one-of-a-kind dark fantasy in which a wolf sets out on an epic journey of revenge.

The wolf Blacktail is faithful to his Forest God, but in these times, faith is not enough. His world is besieged by men. Soon his territory will be overrun, and then there will be nowhere left to go. When his mate, a house dog, is killed, Blacktail rebels. He invades the house of her owners, seeking vengeance.

Blacktail's fury catches the notice of an ancient and terrible feline witch, who makes an offer. What if Blacktail could end the human race responsible for the death of his family and for the destruction of the natural world, altogether? To do so, Blacktail must find and wake the Forest God. Only He might stand against the plague of men. Blacktail knows that his north woods are dwindling to nothing. He sees no other choice.

As Blacktail journeys farther from his wild home and deeper into the world of man, he encounters strangers--animal, mortal, and otherworldly--who, for their own reasons, want to help Blacktail rid the world of humans. Along the way, it becomes clear that he is more than just a wolf. The Forest God is sleeping, yes. But what will be the price of waking him?

Author: Scott Hawkins
Publisher: Crown Publishing Group (NY)
Published: 09/01/2026
Pages: 288
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 1.01lbs
Size: 9.42h x 6.33w x 1.07d
ISBN: 9798217089963

Review Citation(s):
Booklist 07/01/2026
Kirkus Reviews 08/01/2026

About the Author
Scott Hawkins is the author of The Library at Mount Char. He works as a Linux engineer focused on big data. He and his wife live in a woodsy area about an hour north of Atlanta. She keeps a nice garden. He's in his tenth year of failing to remodel the basement. Blacktail is his second novel.