A queer retelling of ‘Bisclavret’, from the lais of Marie de France. Published November 2025 by Gollancz (UK) and January 2026 by Erewhon Books (US).

Step into the resplendent courts and forests of medieval Brittany with The Wolf and His King, the luscious adult fantasy debut of medievalist and YA author Finn Longman…

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…

Buy or pre-order now!

Note: I am gradually adding pre-order links as they become available; if your chosen retailer isn’t in the list, why not contact them and ask if you can pre-order through their shop? And if you’re an independent bookshop and would like to be featured on this page, please get in touch! While I’ve mostly got chains on here so far for convenience, I’d love to send people your way!

UK and Ireland, 27th November 2025:

Special editions:

The Goldsboro edition has a stencilled edge and a foil design beneath the dustjacket; the Broken Binding edition has a block colour sprayed edge. Both are signed and numbered, limited to 500 copies.

Standard editions:

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**i.e. directly from the publisher

North America, 27th January 2026, including deluxe limited edition with stencilled edges and illustrated endpapers (check individual listings):

International links

The Wolf and His King is available in many international markets, especially English-language markets like Australia. Generally this will be the trade paperback edition (don’t worry, it’s still just as pretty as the hardback!). It’s harder for me to track down and link international retailers, particularly if I’m not familiar with local chains. Here’s what I’ve got so far:

The Wolf and His King is being translated into French and will be published in France in February 2026. More information when I have it.

Content Notes

The Wolf and His King is aimed at adult readers. However, although they are not my target audience, I wouldn’t consider any element of it particularly unsuitable for teenagers, particularly more mature readers; it’s my happiest book, and much lighter in tone than my YA trilogy! Further content notes are below; please let me know if you think there’s anything I’ve missed that should be added.

Click to show content notes

• Brief references to past suicidal ideation, neglectful parenting, parental death, and infertility/childlessness
• Some period-typical sexism
• Some period-typical homophobia (not violent, detailed, or central to the plot)
• On-page sex, poetic rather than explicit/detailed — both m/m and m/f
• Hunting scenes and references to violence against animals
• Some on-page violence against human characters (see original story for details)
• Religion as a prominent part of characters’ lives (neither strongly negative nor strongly positive)
• Rather a lot of Latin
• Some degree of idealisation of monarchy and knighthood :/ Sorry lads. Inevitable with retelling this specific story, much as it goes against my anti-hierarchical pacifist principles

There is a strong romance plotline that underpins the book and it has a happy ending, but I don’t consider it a genre Romance novel, as it doesn’t conform to Romance conventions or structural beats.

Unlike my earlier books, there is no swearing/profanity.