Wolf Prince of Kstovo

Midwinter Nights

By: Mark Jonathan Runte

Narrated by: Steven Ragsdale

She knew little of her past until one moonless night when a stranger asked for her hand in marriage. Learning the truth of who, what she was broke her mind and left her mate to retrieve the pieces of a broken shapeshifter.

©2023 Mark Jonathan Runte (P)2025 Steven Ragsdale

Great story about wolves and girl

Let me start by saying that the author knows how to write a story: great narrative voice, good characterization within the length of the story. Also, the narrator is very, very good.

The story itself is a twist on wolves as shape-shifters, Russia's 18 or 19 century. It's a simple story and I got what I bought. I loved the setting, and the characters fit it well.

Minor gripes: in general, the work could have been longer to delineate the setting a little better. The transitions between times and voices could have been clearer (though they work as they are). Also a second look at some details, like that character in a very poor rural serf home of the time looking at a clock... what kind of clock? Why/how did they have one? Having a clock back them, in those particular circumstances, and looking at it, is not something you use to fill a sentence, but a minor plot point.

For the length of the work, characterization was sufficient and worked well, even if there is a certain "contemplative distance" between the narrator and the setting. If there is a fairy-tale to slice-of-life continuum, this work would sit in the middle, but slightly closer in tone to fairy tale.

Wonderful short story

A fascinating short story about the people and wolves of a small village…and the consequences of the promises we make.