By David Blackthorne
If you’ve read Brandner’s original novel, then forget everything you know about the Howling movies. The novel and the screenplay bear very little resemblance. The closest thing to a movie in common is Howling 4, and even then, it’s only a few snippets.
“The Howling” tells the story of a couple named Karen and Roy. After Karen has a haunting experience, they move into a rented cabin in the town of Drago hoping to get their marriage back to normal. Of course, as so often happens in horror stories, they jump from the frying pan into the fire.
The character development in this book is excellent. The reader will feel like they know these characters very well and are fully involved in the story. The author’s writing is also excellent, effectively holding the reader’s attention even when there isn’t a lot of action. Brandner never keeps us guessing about what the characters are thinking. Everything is clear and vivid.
However, I kind of missed the action here. There was some action, but it was well-scattered, culminating in a nail-biting suspense at the end. Personally, I would have liked to see more scenes involving the Beast’s violence. The Beast’s appearance was well-timed and absolutely thrilling.
Overall, this is definitely a classic story of the werewolf genre, and its originality is commendable. It is definitely a must-read for werewolf fans. It takes a legendary monster in a fascinating direction. I will definitely take the time to read the second and third books to see where Brandner will take the story based on the first book.
Order yours here.
score: 4.5/5
