Volle

Volle thought life as a spy-in-training was pretty easy: do as little as possible, and spend all his free time sleeping with the other young males in Caril. He never expected to be the one chosen for a critical mission to impersonate a noble in the neighboring country of Tephos--and neither did his superiors. They don't want to send him, and he doesn't want to go, but the mission calls for a fox, and he's the only one qualified. So off he goes, with a couple friends, a fake history, and very little to go on about the plot he's supposed to uncover. Now he must master the life of a noble and search for information while navigating the many pitfalls and temptations that surround him. And the temptations are plentiful: a young wolf prostitute, a shy fox courtesan, a handsome soldier. With noble friends to help him, he gains confidence quickly, but self-doubt continues to plague him. When events begin to spiral out of his control, he must discover whether he has the inner strength to save his country and his own heart. Volle (pronounced to rhyme with "wall") is the first published novel by Kyell Gold--a stirring tale of romance, espionage, and the intrigues common to both. This 317 page novel, beautifully illustrated by Sara Palmer, won the Ursa Major Award for Best Anthropomorphic Novel of 2005, and is followed by the sequels "The Prisoner's Release And Other Stories," and "Pendant of Fortune."