The Wolf Gift
Published: 14, February 2012
Author: Anne Rice
Book 1 of 2: Wolf Gift Chronicles
Genres: Fantasy, Fiction, Ghost, Paranormal, Romance, Shape Shifter, Supernatural, Thrillers, Vampire, Werewolf, Witch, Wizard
Check the summary of this book here:
The Wolf Gift Summary
The Review:
If you're looking for lunar cycle transformations, frantic murders, or the conventional werewolf story in Anne Rice's The Wolf Gift, this isn't the book for you. I don't think it's so much a werewolf novel as it is a story about a man's change and a new perspective on life. Yes, The Wolf Gift alters him, but I saw the novel as a narrative about choices, learning, and comprehension. Of course, I'm confident that everyone who reads it will get something different out of it.
I was captivated with how The Wolf Gift forced the protagonist to seek out innocent people who were being mistreated, and how he wrestled with whether he was moral or immoral. You are concerned about his safety, and you want him to get the answers he seeks. Very few books can make a reader think in the manner that this novel made me ponder, not only about the character but about life itself.
The first time I read Queen of the Damned, I noticed a reference to werewolves. Because werewolves exist in this realm, I imagined Anne Rice writing a novel about them one day. And finally, after a long wait, she published this book. I was a little worried because it had been a while since she had published a book based in this universe, and I wasn't sure if it would live up to her previous works. But as soon as I started reading, I was drawn back into that world and fell in love with this new cast of characters.
I wasn't sure about this book because I don't read werewolf fiction very often, but I bought it nonetheless because I enjoy Anne Rice's works. I was completely engaged as soon as I started reading the first paragraph and by the time I got to chapter five, I knew I can't stop reading.
Anne Rice has an uncanny ability to draw you into her stories and make you care about the characters. You become emotionally immersed in the characters' situations.
As is customary for Anne Rice, the character development is spectacular. She also does an excellent job of building tension throughout the plot, keeping you turning the pages.
Many of today's novels have awful characters, and I'm sick of authors striving for shock value when it comes to character conduct and attitude. Anne Rice writes characters that are well-developed and lovable. It was delightful to read about a bunch of outstanding gentlemen, each of whom possessed old-world elegance. There are always villains in every narrative and even those as despicable and lacking in moral fiber as they were brilliantly written and honestly dealt with.
One of the reasons I don't read many werewolf books is because the genre is absolutely saturated. However, this is a really unique perspective on werewolves, and the writing is fantastic, as it is in all Anne Rice works. Her writing style is classic, with very little slang or vocabulary found in today's genre fiction. This was another positive for me since, let's face it, I'm wary of reading books that seem like they were written for and by a 15-year-old. Overall, I was really happy with this book and eagerly anticipated the second installment, The Wolves of Midwinter, which I devoured in three sittings.
Warning: There will be spoilers in the next two paragraphs... Anne Rice has done it again with a fantastic series on Rueben Golding, the Werewolf. Anne Rice's The Wolf Gift tells the story of Rueben, a privileged kid turned newspaper writer who acquires the home of the lady he went to interview, Marchent. The Nideck Point estate is a magnificent archeological marvel that Rueben quickly falls in love with, even as he undergoes the transformation from man to werewolf as a result of a bite from the werewolf that killed Marchent. When portraying the enormous mansion and the hollow forests that surround it, Anne Rice uses amazing imagery.
She allows us to experience the exhilarating sensation of transforming from a mere man into an extraordinarily strong werewolf with heightened senses and strength. Rueben begins to slay evildoers after hearing the cry of the innocent while in werewolf form. He murders criminals and frees innocent victims, but the press labels him a menace to civilized society.
I suggest this book, as well as the sequel "The Wolves of Midwinter," to any reader who enjoys a superb narrative of the werewolf and its life and conflict told by a brilliant storyteller.
Final Thoughts:
I couldn't put the book down despite the fact that the first ten percent or so was descriptive and evocative with little action. Because the horror/monster fiction genre is commonly read in the style of Stephen King, who has a totally different writing style, the reader's mind struggles a little at first as it reacclimatizes to her way as the story's action begins.
I was so engrossed in the story at the halfway point that I had lost all desire to do anything but reading. The underlying themes of history, morality, humanity, family given and chosen, and so many other things that she examines transcended beyond a monster narrative to a tale of our humanity itself. The finely woven aspects of the plot and the deep depths of emotional development of the characters were a treat to the imagination, but also to the mind and the spirit.
I would strongly suggest this book to those who enjoy Anne Rice's earlier works and series, notably The Vampire Chronicles and The Lives of the Mayfair Witches, as well as those who are interested in learning more about a fresh and distinct take on the old werewolf mythology.
Synopsis:
“NATIONAL BESTSELLER • “Vintage Anne Rice—a lushly written, gothic … metaphysical tale. This time, with werewolves.” —The Wall Street Journal
When Reuben Golding, a young reporter on assignment, arrives at a secluded mansion on a bluff high above the Pacific, it’s at the behest of the home’s enigmatic female owner. She quickly seduces him, but their idyllic night is shattered by violence when the man is inexplicably attacked—bitten—by a beast he cannot see in the rural darkness. It will set in motion a terrifying yet seductive transformation that will propel Reuben into a mysterious new world and raise profound questions. Why has he been given the wolf gift? What is its true nature—good or evil? And are there others out there like him?”
Useful Search Related Words & Keywords:
Anne Rice, Good And Evil, Interview With The Vampire, Looking Forward, Man Wolf, Northern California, Rice Fan, San Francisco, Vampire Chronicles, Well Written, Witching Hour, Wolf Gift, Wolves Of Midwinter
Rating: 85/100
Recommended: 100/100 Yes.
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