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A review by carolpk
The Last Werewolf by Glen Duncan
3.0
My reading tastes tend to sway towards thrillers and non-fiction adventure. I easily get in a rut. As adult services librarian responsible for choosing all genres for our patrons, I keep a close ear on the buzz, what's hot and what's not. When a book garners really great reviews and is described as different, and the book for summer reading, how could I not purchase it? Do I have to read it? No! but even though I realize I can't read everything, when a book prompts such hype, I feel an obligation to be in the know.
The book I'm talking about is British Author Glen Duncan's The Last Werewolf. Reviews use words such as classy, literate, bloody, exciting, funny,brilliant, gory and sexy; sometimes in the same sentence. It is compared to Bram Stoker's Dracula and sparks debates on the recent popularity of werewolves, vampires, zombies, witches and other monstrous creatures in books and tv.
In my teens I was a horror fan and gobbled up the likes of King, Koontz, McCammon, Poe, Stoker, and the Queen of Vampires, Anne Rice. Over time I found stories with plots that were unbelievable to me, things I thought had no basis in reality, lost my interest. I gravitated to books that explored the true horror in my opinion, books with characters who portrayed man's inhumanity to man. I loved Koontz's From the Corner of his Eye, King's Dolores Claiborne, and even Harris' Silence of the Lambs for this reason. These guys are real, they walk the streets hiding behind normal facades and they are violent and brutal. As I got older this trickled to non-fiction and books about the atrocities of war, famine, natural disasters; stories that are more horrible than any fiction horror story can be.
I'm not certain what to say about The Last Werewolf. The wolf, Jake Marlowe is a striking character and plays his part so well. Two hundred plus years old, he is a bit jaded, losing his zest for life and yet he remains a bit witty and maintains a wolfishly swagger. He boozes, preferably scotch, he smokes, mostly camels, he swears, he kills, he feeds. He continues to indulge in graphic sex with tones of violence, though perhaps without the same vim as his younger self. I quickly got caught up in the back story, the beginning of how Jake became a werewolf and what he has been up to for so many years. The descriptive passages of his transformation from man to wolf at full moon are exquisite. For those who prefer Vampires they are an integral part of the story. The dialog is excellent and the other characters support the story well.
At one point while reading, I wondered if I would be able to continue. I felt sickened. The killing is raw, the sex is raunchy. But then something happened and I found myself surprised, though a more savvy reader might have seen it coming. This was just enough to keep me reading to the finish, quickly as the rest is fast paced and extremely tense.
There's great interview with the author on Tom Ashbrook's OnPoint on 7/8/11. It might give you some insight into the author and story. Glen Duncan is the author of several other well received novels. I'd like to read another. There's also an album, The Last Werewolf by The Real Tuesday Weld with songs that fit the story. It has an explicit rating and is interesting to say the least.
I did like The Last Werewolf. It is well written and an interesting tale. Would I want to read more about Jake Marlowe or see the character continue in a series? I'd say leave well enough alone. I've read it, enjoyed it, can talk about it with my friends and patrons and now it's time to move on to something new. Or maybe not!
The book I'm talking about is British Author Glen Duncan's The Last Werewolf. Reviews use words such as classy, literate, bloody, exciting, funny,brilliant, gory and sexy; sometimes in the same sentence. It is compared to Bram Stoker's Dracula and sparks debates on the recent popularity of werewolves, vampires, zombies, witches and other monstrous creatures in books and tv.
In my teens I was a horror fan and gobbled up the likes of King, Koontz, McCammon, Poe, Stoker, and the Queen of Vampires, Anne Rice. Over time I found stories with plots that were unbelievable to me, things I thought had no basis in reality, lost my interest. I gravitated to books that explored the true horror in my opinion, books with characters who portrayed man's inhumanity to man. I loved Koontz's From the Corner of his Eye, King's Dolores Claiborne, and even Harris' Silence of the Lambs for this reason. These guys are real, they walk the streets hiding behind normal facades and they are violent and brutal. As I got older this trickled to non-fiction and books about the atrocities of war, famine, natural disasters; stories that are more horrible than any fiction horror story can be.
I'm not certain what to say about The Last Werewolf. The wolf, Jake Marlowe is a striking character and plays his part so well. Two hundred plus years old, he is a bit jaded, losing his zest for life and yet he remains a bit witty and maintains a wolfishly swagger. He boozes, preferably scotch, he smokes, mostly camels, he swears, he kills, he feeds. He continues to indulge in graphic sex with tones of violence, though perhaps without the same vim as his younger self. I quickly got caught up in the back story, the beginning of how Jake became a werewolf and what he has been up to for so many years. The descriptive passages of his transformation from man to wolf at full moon are exquisite. For those who prefer Vampires they are an integral part of the story. The dialog is excellent and the other characters support the story well.
At one point while reading, I wondered if I would be able to continue. I felt sickened. The killing is raw, the sex is raunchy. But then something happened and I found myself surprised, though a more savvy reader might have seen it coming. This was just enough to keep me reading to the finish, quickly as the rest is fast paced and extremely tense.
There's great interview with the author on Tom Ashbrook's OnPoint on 7/8/11. It might give you some insight into the author and story. Glen Duncan is the author of several other well received novels. I'd like to read another. There's also an album, The Last Werewolf by The Real Tuesday Weld with songs that fit the story. It has an explicit rating and is interesting to say the least.
I did like The Last Werewolf. It is well written and an interesting tale. Would I want to read more about Jake Marlowe or see the character continue in a series? I'd say leave well enough alone. I've read it, enjoyed it, can talk about it with my friends and patrons and now it's time to move on to something new. Or maybe not!