Rating: 
Summary: Not your typical werewolf story
Review: Robert McCammon is a very versatile writer -- each of his books is very different stylistically and thematically, but so far the three I've read have all been very good. Out of those three (Swan Song, Gone South, and The Wolf's Hour), TWH definitely has the least literary merit, but it is great in other ways.This book follows two plotlines, which alternate back and forth every few chapters. One takes place in Russia in the years immediately following the Revolution, and covers our hero's youth, and the other in 1944 Nazi-occupied Europe, which is where the main story takes place. The 1944 segments read like "Indiana Jones meets James Bond, with a twist." Constant action, usually our hero against huge odds. He always wins, always gets the girl, and although he's a beast on the battlefield he's the suave ladies' man otherwise. Still, this is a fun, fast-paced romp through Nazi territory, with several really fun scenes and many completely unbelievable ones. The thing that I really disliked about these sections of the novel were the depictions of the Nazis. Every Nazi soldier was a stupid incompetant who deserved a terrible death, and each and every officer a blatantly sadistic, evil fellow. Every Ally, however, is smart, resourceful, good looking (except for the obligatory caricature characters), charming and friendly. That just didn't sit well with me. This main portion of the book was an action-fest, but it was the flashback segments that were really much more interesting. The second story told here is that of pre-adolescent Mikhail Gallatinov, around 1920. After his family is brutally murdered following the Revolution, the kid is bitten by a werewolf. These segments detail his growing up and coming to terms with himself and the world around him, and are much better written and more captivating than the segments when Michael is grown. This book has its ups and downs. First of all, the writing noticably improves as the book goes on. At the beginning there was frequent poor word choice, bad sentence structure, and very poorly written action scenes. As the author grew into the book, though, that cleared up a lot. Unfortunately, McCammon for some reason in this book felt it was necessary to include semi-frequent relatively explicit sex-scenes, which I think were supposed to be erotic but most of the time just sounded stupid. On the other hand, the author raises and answers some good questions about werewolves, and thankfully silver bullets and such aren't mentioned even once. Overall, this is a fun, fast-paced book with lots of good action and some terrific scenes. Unfortunately most of the characters are rather one-sided and many scenes, such as Sandler's train and the concentration camp, are utterly unbelievable. This is a much better werewolf novel than the dreadful Moon Dance or boring The Silver Wolf, but it by no means is going to win any literary awards.
Rating: 
Summary: A Howling Good Read!
Review: I love history and horror. Mix the two and you have a block-bustah! Even for the most jaded of readers. From the first pages to the very end, this book will keep you at the edge of your seat. Our hero, Michael Gallatin will occupy a place in my memory for years to come. Mr. McCammon's work is a powerful tour-de-force that gives new meaning to "LIVE FREE OR DIE." The ending screams "sequel." Where is it?
Rating: 
Summary: Entertaining in a Hollywood kind of way
Review: It's not historically accurate and won't become a classic anytime soon, but it is entertaining if you have the right mind set. This is a Hollywood summer flick just waiting to be picked up. I'm sure the film wouldn't win any awards, but did Batman, The X-Men or Darkman win any? No, they were merely entertaining. The sex scenes took me back to those Harlequin romance novels that I never could read. The action scenes definitely read like a movie script right down to the explosions. Yet through all this, I still found myself reading to the end of this 600-page paperback - and I am not the type to finish a book I find to be boring. However, I almost gave it up during the concentration camp scene. The only saving grace was I didn't have a substitute book readily available so I read on. If you need a mindless story with lots of action and a little romance, but can't stomach the idea of reading a Harlequin, this should suit you well. It did me...and now it's on to something with a little more substance ;).
Rating: 
Summary: Animal Love, It's not the Discovery Channel
Review: As one who enjoys history and mythology, I thought this might be an interesting blend. Before starting this book, I wondered why there were no critic's comments about the book in the first couple of pages. The answer would be forth-coming. I soon realized that if I were to finish this book, I must read it as a comedy (not to mention ignoring historical inaccuracies) as it is too absurd and exaggerated to do otherwise. Obviously I realized the story of a werewolf would be far fetched. This one, however, soon turns ridiculous and, for lack of a better word, cheesy. While reading some of the love scenes (of which the book is certainly not lacking), I felt like I'd purchased the book in the check-out line of a grocery store. The "cheesy" metaphors and descriptions extend not only to that of human sexuality, but also that of lupine sexuality. It seems the main character's popularity with the opposite sex is not restrictive to humans. As if the human love scenes weren't enough, McCammon also describes these sorts of scenes between wolves which is utterly laughable. Maybe your German Shepherd would like it. The action scenes are nothing original and read like a B-rate James Bond knock-off, consisting of elaborate, booby-trapped mazes and runs through the forest. One reviewer suggests that this book would make a good film. I agree only if Bruce Campbell is cast and the film is shot as a comedy in the tradition of "Army of Darkness." Oh yeah, and no excerpts from a National Geographic program. All in all, don't waste your time with this book.
Rating:
Summary: Great Recommended Read!
Review: A friend recommended this book, saying that it was a great story. And it truly was! The historical discriptions of Europe and such were wonderful, and the main character, Michael, was the perfect hero: handsome, intelligent, strong, and able to transform himself into a wolf at will. Sound a little outrageous? It is! But that is what makes it such a great fictional story.
Rating:
Summary: awesome book - 6 stars if I could!
Review: This was my first RMC novel, and forced me to find all the others and read them! I was VERY skeptical of a 'werewolf' story, however I was soon entranced in the best action/horror book I have EVER read. It is sad the he is no longer writing - he is leagues ahead of his contemporaries, and approaches the genre with more gusto than any other writer I have read. This action is tops, and the way he describes how the main character became a werewolf almost makes you believe it to be possible. So tuck in and read this great novel today!
Rating:
Summary: A werewolf lover's treat
Review: While I wouldn't call this a "definitive" werewolf novel, I did love it. Whether you like werewolves or not I would recommend this book.
Rating:
Summary: Fantastic story¿may be a bit too graphic for some
Review: This is an extremely well written story. I am only about half way through and am really enjoying it. Just wanted to give a warning that there are extremely violent descriptions of animals being killed. I am a serious animal lover and found it very difficult to read these passages even though I know it is fiction. But if you can get past that it is a fantastic story and these violent scenes are pertinent to understanding the nature of the lycanthrope.
Rating:
Summary: Wow.
Review: This book amazed me more than any book I've read. And I've read alot. This had it all: action, mystery, romance, horror, and a good old war story. McCammon has outdone himself this time, though, considering his other books, that wasn't so hard. To end on a lighter note, Wolf's Hour is a classic!
Rating:
Summary: One Of McCameron's Best.
Review: I picked up Wolf's Hour after reading Swan's Song. My only thoughts after reading 20 pages of this novels is, "When is he going to write a sequel?" Wolf's Hour is a definite pages turner and a book that is almost impossible to put down. A man with Lycanthropy. The ability to change at will from human to werewolf to a wolf. The story has a plot A, plot B storyline going on, where plot A deals with Peter on a spy mission during WWII against the Nazis. Plot B runs just about every other chapter, and deals with how he shed his mortal human life for the life of a werewolf. The book leaves itself open for a sequel, which I dearly hope the author considers writing.
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