Rating: Summary: Impressive and different Review: I was'nt sure about this book when I saw the artwork. But after reading McCammon's SWAN SONG I thought I'd give it a try. I'm sure glad I did. You really get a feel for the main character Micheal Gallatin. Raised by werewolves as a child in revolutionary Russia, and later to become a British spy, Micheal takes us on a rollercoaster ride of adventure, action , and romance that is seldom seen in novels of this type. If you're looking for something truly different this is the book for you. I'd love to see a sequel to this if your reading this Mr.McCammon :-)
Rating: Summary: Loads of fun Review: This is a classic werewolf tale (Harry Shannon pays it tribute in his exceptional new novel'Night of the Werewolf' by featuring a werewolf in the WW2 military in one section) and McCammon should be in everyone's library anyway. Right up there with F. Paul Wilson's vampire/Nazi "The Keep" for campy fun.
Rating: Summary: Brings out the WOLF in you!!! Review: Very entertaining indeed! This is a must read novel!Robert McCammon takes you on a journey that you will never forget. The novel unveils two time periods. The period of Michael Gallatin's past who as young boy is saved by a pack of wolves that end up taking him in as one of their own. These wolves however are different because they can take on human form as well. The second period is of the present, which is basically the story about Michael Gallatin as an English spy during WWII. The fun part begins when he is parachuted in a small French town occupied by Germans. His mission is to unfold the mystery behind the meaning of "Iron Fist." "The Wolf's Hour" is full of adventure, love, and suffering. Throughout the pages the reader learns that Michael also has a battle that takes place within himself. One of the things I've learned by reading this novel is that like Michael Gallatin, we too have a greater purpose. My favorite quote from this book is: "All freedom has its price, but freedom of the mind is priceless."
Rating: Summary: Favorite McCammon Book Review: You never forget your first love. This seems true for me and the first McCammon book I read, The Wolf's Hour. I found his werewolf protagonist adventuresome, colorful, poignant, compelling, exciting, and provocative. I could see The Wolf's Hour done by Spielberg and Lucas, as it is paced and set reminiscent of an Indiana Jones movie, with all the action and locations and WWII intrigue. Does the thought of a lycanthropic Indiana Jones pique your curiosity? Our werewolf protagonist is no archaeologist, but still leads quite an adventuresome and at times heart-rending life. If you've not read McCammon before, please give this a try!
Rating: Summary: Gripping entertainment! Review: Robert R. McCammon's best-selling novel follows Michael Gallatin, British spy and werewolf, on a mission to Nazi Germany to foil a plot against the Allies. While the premise sounds like an episode of The Twilight Zone, in reality The Wolf's Hour is a fast-paced action and horror story that breaks the traditional werewolf rules. Silver is no longer like wolf-kryptonite, and Michael Gallatin may change into a wolf at will, making his ability more of a blessing than a curse. The Wolf's Hour switches between a war story and Gallatin's adolescence as a young werewolf in uncharted Russian outlands. As beast and man, Gallatin experiences the eternal struggles of the human condition: love and hate, pleasure and pain, salvation and damnation, peace and war. McCammon has created a hero stuck between angels, demons, and his will to "Live Free" (31). Gallatin's story is sometimes tragic, others triumphant, and always violent. McCammon's smooth flowing prose is both vivid and gripping-sharpened with a gritty edge of realism. The descriptions and dialogue are so well written, the reader feels right there. There is a power to The Wolf's Hour that is unforgiving but extremely satisfying. Highly recommended.
Rating: Summary: To be read over and over again... Review: After having read my fourth Dean Koontz novel in a row, I was yearning to immerse myself into a series of books from another author of the same horror/supernatural genre. I was about to consider John Saul when a reviewer on this website suggested The Wolf's Hour by Robert McCammon. The plot seemed intriguing enough. Never did I know that I was about to read the most entertaining novel I had ever laid my hands on-a book that will most certainly be reread over and over during the years. I bought this book on a Friday and by Monday morning I was two thirds of the way through. So enraptured I was with this novel, that for a fleeting moment, I contemplated skipping work just so I could finish it. By the time I finished the novel, I was secretly jealous of McCammon. How did he cultivate such a fertile imagination? I loved the middle passages that depicted the hero's youth, struggling with his duality as a human and a werewolf. Michael's pain, aguish and triumphs during these passages were written with such dimension that I could almost feel them within my bones. I am now wondering if Robert McCammon is secretly a lycanthrope in real life to have captured such emotions on paper. The other passages depicting Michael as an adult, hardened by his youth and now serving as a British spy battling Nazi's were written with such abundance of adventure, romance, and suspense, I literally had to stop reading a few times just to catch my breath. So Spielberg, if you're listening. I am begging you to adapt this book into a movie. And McCammon, wherever you are. Please write a sequel ASAP.
Rating: Summary: The Wolf's Hour Review: This was the first book I had read written by Robert R. McCammon and it was fantastic throughout the whole book. Here's the back cover He is Michael Gallatin,master spy,lover-and werewolf.Able to change shape with the lighting speed,to kill silently or with savage,snarling fury,he proved his talents against Rommel in Africa.Now he faces his most delicate,dangerous mission to unravel the secret Nazi plan known as Iron Fist.From a parachute jump into occupied France to the lush corruption of Berlin,from the arms of a beautiful spy to the cold embrace of a madman's death machine,Gallatin draws ever closer to the ghastly truth about Iron Fist.But with only hours from D-Day,he is trapped in the Nazis's web of destruction.
Rating: Summary: Werewolves, Nazis and Spies...Oh My! Review: I probably would have never read Robert McCammon's werewolf epic "The Wolf's Hour" had it not been due to the recommendation of a friend in Europe who called it the greatest novel she had ever read. "The Wolf's Hour" is most certainly not that, but there are moments of great fantasy, terrific writing and white-knuckle suspense that make for a most entertaining escape. The viril Michael Gallatin is a master spy by day in Nazi Europe and a super werewolf by night. Prior to D-Day, he's sent in to the clutches of Paris and Berlin to discover a dark secret, which may very well determine the outcome of World War II. The action in this novel is always suspenseful, most notably when Michael takes on a Nazi sympathizer aboard a rather elaborate death train. But "The Wolf's Hour" truly comes alive during the middle chapters detailing the life of Gallatin leading up to his spy profession. These passages are almost dream-like, as Michael becomes a werewolf and lives with a wolf clan in isolation in the forests of Russia. The family-type atmosphere (complete with rivalry and leaders emparting "wolf wisdom") is colorful and imaginative, and will remind many readers of the life of the vampire clans from Anne Rice's work (most notably "Queen of the Damned"). Just switch vampires with werewolves, and poof....you have "The Wolf's Hour." That bit of negativity aside, I loved the wolf clan McCammon created, and I was truly sad to see this part of the novel end. We are then transported back to Nazi Germany where the heroic Michael takes on the Nazi regime. Monsters versus the Nazis has been done before, most notably with F. Paul Wilson's enjoyable "The Keep," where in that case it was a vampire. There is not particularly anything new in this werewolf journey, but it moves at such a rapid pace that lovers of this genre will be genuinely satisfied, if not enthralled.
Rating: Summary: HOWLING OF A DIFFERENT KIND Review: You have to give it to Robert McCammon. This is quite an unusual werewolf adventure. Abandoning the cliches of the full moon transformations, and the only at night transformations, McCammon gives us werewolves who actually seem happy to be wolves. I have enjoyed the other McCammon books I've read so far ("Gone South" and "Swan's Song"), but this book didn't grip me and hold me as well. Michael Gallatin is certainly an engaging hero, and he goes through hell both as a child and even as an adult in his lyncantrhopic throes. Overall, though, Gallatin comes across as a James Bond clone, almost superhuman, always right, and unfailingly heroic. I admired his moral code, and his refusal to give up even when odds were wholly against him. His maneuvering through Harry Sandler's train maze is a whopper; it's hardly believable, but the way in which McCammon puts you in Gallatin's shoes is good writing. His dispatch of Sandler is likewise satisfying. Also, McCammon gives good disposals to other nasties, such as Boots, the Vin Diesel bodyguard; Jerek Blok, the nasty colonel; and of course the evil Dr. Hildebrand. Gallatin is aided in his quest by some noble and well-conceived allies: the whiny Mouse; the hefty Kitty; the lovely Gaby; the humorous Lazaris; and of course, his love, Chesna. Chesna is a little overwritten, but in this type of novel, it's okay, I guess. In summary, I guess I was disappointed that this novel lacked the true heart and soul of "Swan's Song." This is more of an adventure/fantasy in the style of spies, spies, and more spies. McCammon is a supremely good writer; this just isn't one of his best. But... I DO RECOMMEND IT.
Rating: Summary: An "A List" character trapped in a "B Movie" book Review: Michael Gallatin, the lycanthrope of the title, is a wonderfully tragic hero, and I was transfixed by the backstory of his transformation from nobleman's son to werewolf in revolutionary Russia. His strength and determination to survive slowly win him a place among a werewolf pack in the hidden castle of the forest. His pack-mates are vividly original characters whom we learn to care about as much as Michael does. The story, however, disintegrates into ridiculous cliche once the World War II adventure begins. The Nazi villains are evil stereotypes straight out of a B movie melodrama, and die in nauseating ways. The heroines are lovely, courageous and fall into Michael's arms for passionate love-making. Even the British, American and Russian allies are stereotypes of their nationalities. I was severely disappointed to wade through a action-packed, yet ultimately frustrating plot that lacked any original ideas or characters.
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