Book excerpt: Leo Carew's debut novel The Wolf, the first book in the Under the Northern Sky series, is a masterpiece in epic historical fantasy - a new voice to rival David Gemmell or George RR Martin. A great war has come to the land under the Northern Sky. Beyond the Black River, among the forests and mountains of the north, lives an ancient race of people. Their lives are measured in centuries, not decades; they revel in wilderness and resilience, and they scorn wealth and comfort. By contrast, those in the south live in the moment, their lives more fleeting. They crave wealth and power, their ambition is limitless, and their cunning unmatched. When the armies of the south flood across the Black River, the fragile peace between the two races is shattered. On a lightning-struck battlefield, the two sides will fight - for their people, for their land, for their very survival. Two sides. One victor. The Wolf is a thrilling, savagely visceral, politically nuanced and unexpectedly wry exploration of power and identity - and how far one will go to defend them. What reviewers are already saying about Carew's breathtaking fantasy epic: 'The next George RR Martin' - Mail on Sunday 'Gripping and ambitious' - Publishers Weekly 'Full of dark conspiracies, larger-than-life characters, and tense battles' - Paul Hoffman, author of The Left Hand of God