Saint Peter's Wolf

Rating:
Summary: A unique addition to werewolf lore.
Review: Benjamin Byrd recieves a set of silver fangs which will transform him into a creature of the night in this unique werewolf novel. Now he feels truly alive for perhaps the first time in his life. Will he have to give up the silver fangs? Are there others of his kind? Can he really be free? The writing in this fresh and compelling novel reminded me a bit of Jonathan Carroll's although I'm at a loss to pinpoint why. The story moves along with the pace of a wolf running through the night. Read it and be swept along with it.

Rating:
Summary: I was so bored
Review: The plot of SAINT PETERS WOLF varies significantly from the typical werewolf story. (For the traditional, think of the movie with Lon Chaney, Jr.) In this novel, instead of becoming a werewolf by being bitten by one, one becomes a werewolf through a combination of predisposition and proximity to an ancient set of silver fangs. Only a select few are so affected. Other variances from the common tradition are the continuing metamorphoses through which Cadmun's werewolf goes, and finally it is a story of love.

With this oversimplification of the plot, I'm going to vary from the traditional review format by posing a series of questions that can only be answered by reading Cadnum's novel.

All of the following questions, except the last, are based on SAINT PETERS WOLF.

What is the meaning of the title?

How is it possible that a beast can be seen as both a threat and a victim?

What is lycanthropy, and is it actual, mythological, or a form of mental illness?

Is werewolf or vampire hunting the obsession of a madman, the hobby of an evil man, or the duty of a moral man, or perhaps, some strange combination of all of the above?

How does becoming a werewolf affect the human half of the werewolf?

Does the wolf half have human feelings?

After reading this novel, could you have empathy for a werewolf?

And the final question: If someone told you that they were a werewolf in their human manifestation, could you believe them?

I would hope that these questions might stimulate your curiosity enough to make you want to read SAINT PETERS WOLF.

Rating:
Summary: COULD YOU BELIEVE IN A MYTHOLOGICAL CREATURE?
Review: The plot of SAINT PETERS WOLF varies significantly from the typical werewolf story. (For the traditional, think of the movie with Lon Chaney, Jr.) In this novel, instead of becoming a werewolf by being bitten by one, one becomes a werewolf through a combination of predisposition and proximity to an ancient set of silver fangs. Only a select few are so affected. Other variances from the common tradition are the continuing metamorphoses through which Cadmun's werewolf goes, and finally it is a story of love.

With this oversimplification of the plot, I'm going to vary from the traditional review format by posing a series of questions that can only be answered by reading Cadnum's novel.

All of the following questions, except the last, are based on SAINT PETERS WOLF.

What is the meaning of the title?

How is it possible that a beast can be seen as both a threat and a victim?

What is lycanthropy, and is it actual, mythological, or a form of mental illness?

Is werewolf or vampire hunting the obsession of a madman, the hobby of an evil man, or the duty of a moral man, or perhaps, some strange combination of all of the above?

How does becoming a werewolf affect the human half of the werewolf?

Does the wolf half have human feelings?

After reading this novel, could you have empathy for a werewolf?

And the final question: If someone told you that they were a werewolf in their human manifestation, could you believe them?

I would hope that these questions might stimulate your curiosity enough to make you want to read SAINT PETERS WOLF.

Rating:
Summary: I was so bored
Review: What I didn't like: The plot was predictable and slow. I knew what was going to happen at almost every turn. The main character is an intelligent man with a doctorate but he continously does stupid things. There is a part in the book where he is in mortal danger and he states his one advantage is that the people trying to kill him don't know he's there. Then he runs down the stairs screaming, which gives away his only advantage. No explanation of his stupidity is given. At other times, he puts the life of the one he loves in jeapordy by taking her to dangerous places when he could have just as easily found out what he wanted to know by making a phone call. It's like the author is trying to make the story more exciting, but it just doesn't make sense for the characters to do the things he has them do.

What I liked: The love story is interesting and well done. The way he becomes a werewolf is unique and more realistic and believable than many other stories of this type. The author is a poet and it shows in his writing - the language is unbelievably beautiful.

In spite of the good things about this book, the plot falls flat and seems to get worse as the book comes to an end. I would not recommend it.