[Review] A fresh and thrilling spin on the classic werewolf legend
The Wolfstone Curse
By Justin Richards
Published by Templar
ISBN 978 1 84877 551 0
Anyone looking for a chilling adventure yarn with enough twists and cliffhangers to make the pages turn almost by themselves will find this action-packed thriller just up their moonlit street.
The story is a confident spin on the werewolf myth. But Doctor Who writer Justin Richards has enough storytelling experience behind him to make sure there are original and unexpected turns to what readers think they might already know about werewolf mythology and all the trappings that go with it.
Richards' book begins with two prologues before the story really gets going. Trying to figure out how the two prologues fit into the story proves to be an intriguing experience.
But fit in they do, and when explanations are forthcoming they are both chilling and exciting; Richards is not a writer to strew his tales with loose ends.
Welcome to the old village of Wolfstone, a place whose history is dark and packed with secrets. Why has Wolfstone Manor, a once magnificent mansion, been allowed to fall into disrepair and neglect? What terrible secrets do its heavy stone walls hide? There are a lot of things that the inhabitants of the village do not speak about. Here it is best to keep silent.
Teenager Peter is visiting Wolfstone with his archaeologist father, who is taking part in a dig. Boring hardly begins to describe it. Peter can think of a million more interesting things to do than stand around watching his dad and colleagues grovel in the earth digging up bits of pot and metal.
Things liven up a bit for Peter when he meets Carys, a local girl with an almost unhealthy interest in the myths and legends of Wolfstone. She tells Peter stories of ancient curses. Peter is intrigued, but when the two teenagers start to delve further into local legends, things take a sudden and very frightening turn.
With interesting characters and a very cinematic storyline, Richards has written a spooky and action-packed chiller.
Excitement is the name of the game here, and the pace never lets up even though the book comes in at more than 400 pages. An adrenaline-raising, blood-freezing adventure, The Wolfstone Curse is the perfect book to enjoy as dark clouds scud across the full moon and wolves and hounds from hell howl eerily in the distance.
John Millen can be contacted on [email protected]