Customer Reviews

The Last Werewolf

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Very original story and characters. Loved the language... Had to use the dictionary on my Kindle time and again. Reading the sequel!

Like other reviewers, I enjoyed the writing. But I also enjoyed the plot and wasn't offended by the content. I don't usually like supernatural thrillers, but this was an exception.

I recently purchased The Last Werewolf because of all the fantastic reviews it was receiving, but was disappointed. The book is beautifully written and the author has some very in depth views of man and monster that he manages to convey perfectly. I was not impressed with the storyline, in some areas it seemed lacking and the descriptions of sex seemed to be filler.

Synopsis: Jake is the last werewolf and is turning 201 years old. He is tired of life and is ready to be killed by Granier, a member of WOCOP but everything changes when he stumbles upon a female werewolf. As it turns out not only is WOCOP chasing Jake but so are vampires (I won't tell you why so I don't spoil the story). Jake must find a way to protect himself as well as the female werewolf Tallula.

Overall this book was a good one time read; I personally would not recommend it to friends or family due to the content. I assume a second novel will be released disclosing the origins of werewolves as well as Tallula's story.

Justin Cronin's review (author of The Passage) in The New York Times convinced me to give The Last Werewolf a go. I have not closely followed the recent spate of vampiric and lycanthrope entertainment that has dominated popular culture in books, television and movies. But I was curious as to why so many are so enthralled and I hoped to gain some insight from Duncan's work.

I must admit, that I thoroughly enjoyed it at time of reading. The language was, at the same time, prosaic, colloquial and conversational. The subject and plot seemingly original, fast and fun. However, after I put it down it was like literary Chinese food. I was immediately hungry again because as filling as the book was during consumption it was empty upon reflection. Now I see it as trying too hard to be hip.

The book has been criticized by professional and Amazon customers for its rather direct descriptions of animal-like acts both in bed and on the hunt (I was going to quote a few tracts here but had reservations given the content). It also has been pointed out that certain parts of the plot resemble Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Twilight, and Underworld but I do not fault the author for being entirely unoriginal given the aforementioned volume of related work.

In isolation there are some tremendous passages that describe the wolf inside the man which had me experiencing the main character's divided loyalties and physical pain, the longing for meaningful connection and substance, and the overarching theme of differences between wants and needs. Lastly, I must credit Duncan for illuminating our fascination with vampires, werewolves, demons, ghosts and the like. Clearly we need literary monsters to keep the real ones at bay.