Pack [Paperback]

"The Pack" by Jason Starr is another of the recent efforts to revive the werewolf mythos and it succeeds admirably on several levels. Starr injects some imaginative ideas on werewolves and their human interactions while at the same time being unable to avoid some of the more predictable and traditional elements such as the futility and inability of believers to convince anyone else of the condition and the inevitability of human baser needs and desires overpowering the sense of right and wrong.

Starr has written a multi-layered novel that deals, at times with surprising humor, with many of man's foibles including failing marriages, obliviousness at mundane jobs leading to unexpected termination, and the making of plans for life that never quite seem to work out. Starr's readers are given the opportunity to question the real and the perceived aspects of character strength, personal commitment to right and wrong, and what constitutes the bonds and bounds of friendship and love.

Simon Burns is suffering through burnout in his job and marriage but does not recognize it. After being summarily fired by his boss, the rage-filled Simon becomes a reluctant stay-at-home dad caring for his 3 year old son, Jeremy, while his neglected wife, Alison, seems to drift further away. Only when he meets three other dads in similar situations and begins bonding with them does he begin experiencing a sense of belonging and meaning in his suddenly rudderless life. He feels stronger as a member of this new "pack" until he awakens from a beer-fueled blackout to find himself lost and naked far from home with no memories of how he got there. When Simon subsequently discovers his former boss was mauled to death by a wolf not far from where he awakened, and starts to experience enhanced sensory acuity and sexual prowess, he begins to suspect an evil only heretofore imagined.

"The Pack" works on several levels including just as a nail-biting paranormal thriller. But I was equally intrigued by the subtext of paranoia that can so easily develop when a wife imagines her husband is having an affair and everything she examines incorrectly points to false conclusions. Equally the paranoia that grows into mental certainty that someone has done something that is anathema to them and that they maybe didn't really do in the first place. Both these subtexts are significant undercurrents in this novel and both can exhaust the reader as evidence can be read to prove whatever the observer chooses to believe.

There are a few sections of the book that come across as unnecessarily contrived and parts where we scream at the cluelessness of the protagonist. The ending is somewhat abrupt and stretches credulity but all appears part of a bigger plan as Starr is reported to be working on a sequel. I recommend this effort to fans of the paranormal as well as to anyone enjoying a thriller that reimagines the possibility of werewolves in New York City.

This novel had some exciting parts, but, overall, it earned a great big OK from me. The positives: the author has a great sense of dialogue--nothing seemed forced or strange. I also thought Starr did an excellent job of describing the thoughts of his main character--he seemed like a "real person" to me. His descriptions of a new stay-at-home-dad's trials and tribulations really rang true. The negatives: Maybe I am too old (54) to buy that a bunch of metrosexual guys become raging beasts, but this little Beasts in the City men's group didn't work for me. I also thought Starr dropped the descriptive ball. I kept having to look back through the story to see if I had missed something. Maybe the old werewolf legend is too firmly ingrained for this new take to be plausible for me. I always second guess myself when I read the glowing reviews of others, but the werewolf element in this story was neither believable nor scary.

I've read all of Jason Starr's books and he hasn't disappointed once. Same holds true for 'The Pack'. An ordinary guy, ordinary family, ordinary job turns into something not so ordinary. The story's characters are in our everyday life, we just don't realize what people are thinking and are capable of doing. The Pack is the first of Starr's books with a hint of sci-fi and I questioned it at first, but the way Starr mixes it with everyday people and real life situations, the sci-fi twist seemed to be more real and make more sense than some of the real life problems. Entertaining, fast read (finished in a weekend), and ready for the sequel. I would ask how soon the next book will be out, but I don't ask questions anymore. I only make statements. THE SEQUEL WILL BE OUT SOON. MUhahahahahahaha.