Run with the Wolves: Volume One: The Pack

The best of both of my favorite worlds here...historical fiction and horror. This is a very different werewolf novel from what I have read before. I found the story and setting a refreshing change from the normal Urban Fantasy setting.

Don't go into this one expecting non-stop action. That is not this novel. As I read a lot of historical fiction, I am accustomed to long, descriptive scenes, etc. of historical background which is what this book has in plenty. Now don't get me wrong...there is plenty of action and, for the horror buffs, even gore. But this novel is not just a tale of wolves and werewolves. It's a story of countries divided and warfare too. So, although it may have been slow going at times, I appreciate the difference in show more this style of horror novel and find myself anxious to read the next book in the series. show less

Europe in the fifteenth century is notoriously brutal and enmeshed in dire conflict. So it is for the three kingdoms of Medinia, Skoland and Varakov. Medinia and Skoland have been embroiled in a decade-long war, and Varakov has remained in uneasy neutrality during that time. Now, as a peaceful resolution provides tentative hope that the seemingly endless war will eventually reach an end, no one realizes that sinister forces are waiting to invoke chaos as a full moon rises.

On a farm nestled beneath the Euralene Mountains along the western border of Medinia, young Willie works for the Smythes as a serf. One moonlit evening, when the Smythes travel to a neighboring village to attend the annual fair, Willie hears the terrified cries of show more animals in the pasture. When he goes to investigate, he discovers a bizarre wolf pack raid unlike any other. Badly injured during the attack, he survives - but is afflicted by the full-moon madness that will soon transform him into one of the wolf creatures he dreads.

With his life seemingly warped forever, Willie must face the prospect of a lifelong descent into horror. In a time rife with witchcraft, superstitious folk lore and fearsome creatures roaming the night, Willie struggles with an uncertain destiny and must seek help from Woodrow, the Pack Leader - the one man he holds most responsible for the dark fate that awaits him during the next full moon cycle.

I must say that I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. I was drawn into the story from the first page, and needed to know how it ended. It was fast paced, suspenseful, and filled with a varied cast of deeply flawed characters - some suffering from afflictions beyond their control, others that were just distinctly evil. I give this book an A! and look forward to reading the next book in the trilogy some time soon. I want to know how this saga turns out. show less