Shara

Rating:
Summary: A fun first novel...
Review: "Shara is an adventuresome, colorful, and compelling horror story that breaks the traditional werewolf rules and offers us a new kind of beast of burden. Here you'll find believable characters, non-stop action, and cliff-hanging suspense that keeps the narrative gears shifting when you least expect it. Wedel's smooth prose is vivid, engaging and sharp as a wolf's claw."

--Tom Piccirilli, Bram Stoker Award-winning author of The Night Class and A Choir of Ill Children

"A terse, tense literary throwback to the Universal horror films of the '30s and '40s, Shara is that rare commodity among horror novels: a book that manages to be both frightening and fun while breathing new life into one of the genre's oldest tropes. Steven Wedel's rock-solid debut pegs him as a writer to watch. Especially when the moon is full...."

--Gary A. Braunbeck, author of the Stoker-nominated Things Left Behind and The Indifference Of Heaven

"Steven E. Wedel's Shara is thoroughly beguiling. Caught between two worlds, accepted by neither, we accompany Shara on her terrifying, supernatural journey to belong, and indeed to survive the perils and torments that threaten at every turn.
Mr. Wedel's beautiful, soul-searching narrative and startling imagery sweep us along with Shara to the thrilling conclusion, and he leaves us breathless."

--Diana Barron, author of Stoker-nominated Phantom Feast

"In Shara, Steve Wedel does for werewolves what Joss Whedon and Buffy accomplished with vampires. A modern take on a classical beast, Shara delivers in every way and leaves the reader begging for the next chapter."

-- M. Stephen Lukac, Author of Oogie Boogie Central and But Then Again, You'll Have This...

Rating:
Summary: Professional Blurbs for Shara
Review: "Shara is an adventuresome, colorful, and compelling horror story that breaks the traditional werewolf rules and offers us a new kind of beast of burden. Here you'll find believable characters, non-stop action, and cliff-hanging suspense that keeps the narrative gears shifting when you least expect it. Wedel's smooth prose is vivid, engaging and sharp as a wolf's claw."

--Tom Piccirilli, Bram Stoker Award-winning author of The Night Class and A Choir of Ill Children

"A terse, tense literary throwback to the Universal horror films of the '30s and '40s, Shara is that rare commodity among horror novels: a book that manages to be both frightening and fun while breathing new life into one of the genre's oldest tropes. Steven Wedel's rock-solid debut pegs him as a writer to watch. Especially when the moon is full...."

--Gary A. Braunbeck, author of the Stoker-nominated Things Left Behind and The Indifference Of Heaven

"Steven E. Wedel's Shara is thoroughly beguiling. Caught between two worlds, accepted by neither, we accompany Shara on her terrifying, supernatural journey to belong, and indeed to survive the perils and torments that threaten at every turn.
Mr. Wedel's beautiful, soul-searching narrative and startling imagery sweep us along with Shara to the thrilling conclusion, and he leaves us breathless."

--Diana Barron, author of Stoker-nominated Phantom Feast

"In Shara, Steve Wedel does for werewolves what Joss Whedon and Buffy accomplished with vampires. A modern take on a classical beast, Shara delivers in every way and leaves the reader begging for the next chapter."

-- M. Stephen Lukac, Author of Oogie Boogie Central and But Then Again, You'll Have This...

Rating:
Summary: A fun first novel...
Review: "Shara" is a fun first novel, written with a real love for the genre. The pacing is brisk, the prose well written and the plot (a cross-genre blending of serial killer and werewolf stories) perfectly constructed. Mr. Wedel has a great future.

Rating:
Summary: Bravo for Steven E. Wedel
Review: "Shara" is a haunting tale of a shy, timid girl given "The Gift" to become a wolf. A werewolf. Here her tale begins, grabs you by tooth and claw, and takes you into a story you'll soon not forget. Steven Wedel has done an incredible job creating characters that are utterly believable. Even more accomplished is the fact that he makes the emotions they are feeling flow out of the book and into you. He has truly taken the horror genre to a new level.
If you want to read a beautifully written, chilling tale that will keep you on the edge of your seat, this is the one to read. I highly recommend it, and guarentee you will not be disappointed, but looking forward to the next book.

Rating:
Summary: Bravo for Steven E. Wedel
Review: "Shara" is a haunting tale of a shy, timid girl given "The Gift" to become a wolf. A werewolf. Here her tale begins, grabs you by tooth and claw, and takes you into a story you'll soon not forget. Steven Wedel has done an incredible job creating characters that are utterly believable. Even more accomplished is the fact that he makes the emotions they are feeling flow out of the book and into you. He has truly taken the horror genre to a new level.
If you want to read a beautifully written, chilling tale that will keep you on the edge of your seat, this is the one to read. I highly recommend it, and guarentee you will not be disappointed, but looking forward to the next book.

Rating:
Summary: Rejuvenating Werewolves!
Review: Absolutely refreshing! A new spin on one of the oldest subgenres in Horror, Shara is a classic tale in a modern novel that leaves you breathless, desperately hoping 'the pack' has more to tell!

Shara is not your average rip-n-shred weretale. It allows you to support the murderous monster on her quest to become what is most vulnerable to the werewolf in her - something not quite the beast yet more than the human she once was.

Written with such skill and clarity of his characters, you don't even notice Wedel's writing style at all. Completely dimensional characters that you can reach out and touch make the story, and easily pull you into the pages.

It flows gracefully, perfectly, from drama to comedy to horror and back again. The pace is relentless if you want to read before bed and actually get sleep - I read this in one sitting and was late for dinner because I had to finish it!

The story is comfortingly familiar, yet unnervingly unique - you have no idea what could be coming next, and you like it that way! The atmosphere is tightly written close enough to reality to make you pause at the possibilities of superstitions. And fun metaphors [a beast during her monthly cycle] are wonderfully woven to be whatever emotion is necessary at that moment, while the trials and triumphs are literally felt by the reader.

I will flat out tell you the cover doesn't do it justice and the back is slightly misleading...but you will not be disappointed by what you find in between! Rating is definitely a five

Rating:
Summary: An Avid Fan of Werewolf Novels' Review
Review: Summary:
Shara is a confused moralistic girl who accepted the 'Gift' for all the wrong reasons. She becomes the only werewolf able to bare children naturally and is thus hunted by all other werewolves as an abomination to be killed by some and the werewolf messiah to lead the pack by others.

Warnings:
Honestly I wish I hadn't read the prologue, it ruined the ending for me. If you hate smut you might not want to read this book, it puts all the romance novels I've read to shame. Shara is the Multi-Orgasmic Werewolf!

My Thoughts:
Shara's character changes many times in the course of the novel. I really hated her character in the beginning of the novel but after the setting up of the storyline was over with it got good and stayed that way. Once you get into the story it holds a steady interesting pace and the writer's skills notably increase. The fact Steven started writing this book in the early 90s shows. Overall its an easy read that keeps you curious as to what happens next. I do not regret buying this book even after being so critical about it.