Cycle of the Werewolf [Paperback]

Stephen King (Author), Berni Wrightson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1, 1985

When the full moon shines, a paralysing fear descends on the isolated Maine town of Tarker Mills. No one knows who will be attacked next, but snarls that sound like human words can be heard and all around are the footprints of a monster whose hunger cannot be sated.

Editorial Reviews

Review

'The true narrative artist is a rare creature. Storytelling - the ability to make the listener or the reader need to know, demand to know, what happens next - is a gift...Stephen King, like Charles Dickens before him, has this gift in spades.' -- The Times on CELL 'Thrilling, genuinely terrifying, beautifully textured and full of wonderful invention' -- Daily Mail on LISEY'S STORY 'He has become a fascinating paradoxical figure, still seen as ultra-commercial but, in fact, increasingly highbrow and self-conscious' -- Sunday Times on DUMA KEY 20080120 Praise for Stephen King -- : 20080120

Product Details

• Paperback: 128 pages
• Publisher: New English Library (October 1, 1985)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0450058786
• ISBN-13: 978-0450058783
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.9 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (110 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,705,851 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Stephen King is the author of more than fifty books, all of them worldwide bestsellers. Among his most recent are the Dark Tower novels, Cell, From a Buick 8, Everything's Eventual, Hearts in Atlantis, The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon, and Bag of Bones. His acclaimed nonfiction book, On Writing, was also a bestseller. He is the recipient of the 2003 National Book Foundation Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters. He lives in Bangor, Maine, with his wife, novelist Tabitha King.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

22 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Hairy doings, March 3, 2004

By 

JLind555 - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Cycle of the Werewolf (Signet) (Paperback)

In the small Maine town of Tarker's Mills, on a snowy January night when the blizzard hides what would have been a full moon, a railwayman holed up in his cabin has his throat savagely ripped out. The same thing happens again on the night of the full moon in February, only this time the victim is a lonely spinster sighing over some valentines she sent to herself. And again in March, April, May... there's a monster afoot, but it's only Marty Coslaw, a small boy in a wheelchair, who first realizes it's a werewolf, and then guesses who it is. We guess, too, and Stephen King lets us know by the middle of the book just who it is. From that point, the book deals with how to stop the horror, as the months roll by and the bodies pile up on the night of each full moon.

Most of the months are marked with special days in the calendar, and King tells us in a coda he realizes there is no way the lunar cycle could be skewed the way he tells it, but it in no way detracts from the fun. Copiously illustrated with pen-and-ink drawings and color plates by Bernie Wrightson, it's an enjoyable novella that can be read in an evening. Each little chapter is a story in itself, and together they make up a satisfying horror yarn.

34 of 38 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A quick, sharp read from the master, December 30, 1999

By 

Dan Reilly - See all my reviews

This review is from: Cycle of the Werewolf (Signet) (Paperback)

I'd read this book when it was first released, but I decided to make a return trip; I liked it more the 2nd time around! King, along with famed illustrator Berni Wrightson, weaves a tight, tense year-long narrarative of a small Maine town dealing with a monthly visitor. The chapters are short and to the point; King doesn't waste a single word. Wrightson, for his part, brings some of the key scenes to life very vividly. (Who wouldn't LOVE to own one of these paintings?)The book itself is a BEAUTIFUL package; the paintings are wonderfully reproduced. It won't take long to read, but you'll find yourself making a return trip to Tarker Mills before long. It's just that good.... and just TRY to forget the painting of the Werewolf on top of the Semi.....I dare you!

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Great Snack Book, Excellent Illustrations!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!, October 26, 1999

By 

Ryan Costantino (Nowhere, Special) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Cycle of the Werewolf (Signet) (Paperback)

I have tiptoed around actually sitting down to read this book for a long time and when I saw a mint condition copy at a local book sale I grabbed it. I wasn't disappointed. Simple minded critics have attacked the brevity of the book (I guess the concept of the short story is beyond them) but it really is a good "werewolf" story. The illustrations helped move the book along though. I recommend that if you are sick of watching half hour situation comedies on television pick this book up. It's a good diversion from tv.