Elizabeth Marshall’s Wolf Land is an ambitious and engaging exploration of the wolf’s long relationship with Britain, combining natural history, ecology, archaeology and cultural analysis into a highly readable narrative.

The first chapter plunges readers some 32 million years into the past to meet the wolf’s distant ancestor. Over subsequent pages, we are dragged forward through time, watching the various epochs and geological events give rise, and fall, to a multitude of off-shoots and kin of this original animal. Having brought us to the point of the emergent modern animal, and the early nomadic humans, the following chapters go on to establish the wolf not merely as an animal, but as a creature woven deeply into the history, mythology and development of human society. Indeed, Wolf Land often feels as much a history of humans as of wolves, and Marshall devotes considerable attention to the ways in which early human societies emerged and evolved alongside large predators.

Throughout the book, Marshall balances scientific evidence with evocative storytelling, creating a narrative that remains engaging without sacrificing intellectual substance. Her descriptive prose is particularly striking. Each chapter opens with a point-of-view scene that immerses the reader in the focus of that chapter. While I found this to be an effective device, helping me visualize environments and experiences that might otherwise feel remote, this approach may not appeal to readers seeking a purely scientific treatment, and it is true that occasionally Marshall’s style blurs the line between established fact and informed speculation.

The book excels when examining how changing social and economic structures have shaped attitudes towards wolves. Particularly illuminating is the discussion of the Norman period and the evolution of hunting rights and private land ownership. Marshall demonstrates how wolves increasingly became casualties of changing power structures, with access to wildlife and land becoming the preserve of the wealthy and influential. Equally revealing is her treatment of how Britain’s sheep industry was born of, and thrived on, a demand for wool rather than meat; this provides an important perspective on the modern-day landscape, where wool no longer drives the rural economy.

Among the most compelling chapters is the penultimate, where Marshall explores the mythologizing of the wolf over past centuries, and how folklore gradually evolved into accepted historical ‘fact’. Her singling-out of one 19th century naturalist, James Harting, as a key figure in establishing and perpetuating exaggerated narratives about wolves is particularly thought-provoking. Although I did find her treatment of some more contemporary story-telling, such as natural history documentaries, a little wrong-footed, the adoption of wolf-based imagery by some far-right groups is obviously worrying.

Marshall is at her strongest when addressing the current debates over wolf reintroduction, and refreshingly, she does not overstate the case. The benefits are presented clearly and persuasively, but without slipping into advocacy detached from reality. She rightly acknowledges the significant cultural barriers that remain, arguing convincingly that Britain faces no real ecological obstacles to wolf reintroduction; the successful natural recolonization of wolves across much of mainland Europe provides strong evidence for this position.

Her assessment of potential reintroduction sites is similarly balanced. Unsurprisingly, the Scottish Highlands emerge as the best candidate, offering extensive habitat, abundant prey, relatively few livestock and a sparse human population. By contrast, Marshall concludes that Ireland would require such intensive management that questions would inevitably arise about the wild nature of any restored wolf population. All of this is tempered, however, by a demonstration of Britain’s unpreparedness for the wolf’s return, with emotional responses and centuries-old narratives continuing to shape attitudes today, often more powerfully than scientific evidence. The persistence of these cultural fears makes for frustrating reading, but Marshall convincingly demonstrates that the debate is ultimately about people, not wolves.

By the time readers reach the book’s closing pages, it becomes clear that Wolf Land is not merely a history of a missing predator; it is an examination of how societies construct narratives, assign blame, shape landscapes and decide which species belong. Marshall concludes with the hopeful suggestion that someone, perhaps a century from now, may write a new history of wolves in Britain that includes a chapter on their return. After reading Wolf Land, one cannot help but hope that future generations will indeed have that chapter to enjoy.