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3.54 AVERAGE
3.54 AVERAGE
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
This is officially King's shortest novella, finished in one day, but still a fun little ride, as well as the story that the 1985 classic movie Silver Bullet was based on.
The format is very interesting for this one. The idea started out as a calendar, where King would present one story for each month, around the time of the full moon, to fit the werewolf theme. The stories were illustrated by legendary comic-book artist Bernie Wrightson. It eventually turned into a novella, with each month of the year representing a chapter in the book.
Narration-wise, the story is very compact and to the point, without any of King's usual tangents and endearing rambles. Also, in addition to this being a short novella, every chapter in and of itself is close to being stand-alone anthology stories, but with a little bit of increased continuity toward the end.
It borders on formulaic and predictable; many chapters introduce a different character and give them just enough of a backstory for us to get a feel for their personality before they are ripped to shreds by the werewolf. But along the way, a young boy starts to get suspicious and does some investigating until the wolf's identity is revealed.
The characters that do recur beyond just one chapter are the closest thing you get to any significant character development, so there is not much to grasp onto from an emotional level, although I honestly don't think that was ever the intention, since this is closer to being a graphic novel. Speaking of which; I suppose the most enjoyment you get out of it is the graphic descriptions of the attacks.
Still, you can absolutely tell that the novella bears King's fingerprints. It's his classic small-town setting with quirky townsfolk characters: drunks, racists, abusive husbands, people with repeating catchphrases, and so on. It has that unique, dark King slice-of-life charm, in other words.
This was never meant to be his next 'Salem's Lot or The Shining, so you'll have to read it with a different mindset. That way, you'll still find it enjoyable, perhaps as a late-night campfire story!
The format is very interesting for this one. The idea started out as a calendar, where King would present one story for each month, around the time of the full moon, to fit the werewolf theme. The stories were illustrated by legendary comic-book artist Bernie Wrightson. It eventually turned into a novella, with each month of the year representing a chapter in the book.
Narration-wise, the story is very compact and to the point, without any of King's usual tangents and endearing rambles. Also, in addition to this being a short novella, every chapter in and of itself is close to being stand-alone anthology stories, but with a little bit of increased continuity toward the end.
It borders on formulaic and predictable; many chapters introduce a different character and give them just enough of a backstory for us to get a feel for their personality before they are ripped to shreds by the werewolf. But along the way, a young boy starts to get suspicious and does some investigating until the wolf's identity is revealed.
The characters that do recur beyond just one chapter are the closest thing you get to any significant character development, so there is not much to grasp onto from an emotional level, although I honestly don't think that was ever the intention, since this is closer to being a graphic novel. Speaking of which; I suppose the most enjoyment you get out of it is the graphic descriptions of the attacks.
Still, you can absolutely tell that the novella bears King's fingerprints. It's his classic small-town setting with quirky townsfolk characters: drunks, racists, abusive husbands, people with repeating catchphrases, and so on. It has that unique, dark King slice-of-life charm, in other words.
This was never meant to be his next 'Salem's Lot or The Shining, so you'll have to read it with a different mindset. That way, you'll still find it enjoyable, perhaps as a late-night campfire story!
dark
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
adventurous
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
dark
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
If you're someone who generally avoids Stephen King's work because you're not a fan of his brand of wordiness, don't make the mistake of dismissing Cycle of the Werewolf, especially if you enjoy a good werewolf tale. This is a succinct and fun story with the typical King markers of small town Maine and excellent writing, without the digressions and lengthy descriptive paragraphs that put some people off (not this Constant Reader, mind you, but I know it's a common complaint from many about King). And you have the added bonus of Berni Wrightson's wonderful illustrations. I loved Marty Coslaw and his Uncle Al.
mysterious
tense
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes