No person of goodwill can quarrel with the novel's message that nuclear war is a danger to the natural world as well as the human, or that political leadership on all levels should be responsible rather than self-aggrandizing. A few of the events or images might be disturbing to younger children. These include the younger daughter's death from radiation poisoning, and the wolves' killing and eating some domestic dogs. But these are necessary for the story, and are not described vividly or used for shock effect.

It is possible that since the Cold War is over and the threat of nuclear war no longer grabs so much attention, Wolf of Shadows may seem irrelevant. Even if post-holocaust novels in general have lost some of their relevance, this one has other, important things to say about love and trust and the relationship of humans with animals. Parents...