Customer Reviews

Heart of Scars: The Autobiography of a Werewolf Hunter Book II

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Easton's first book in this series, When the Autumn Moon Is Bright, told the story of how Sylvester Logan became an orphan and evolved into a fanatical werewolf hunter. This second book chronicles his descent into the bottom of a horrific well of his own hatred, where he transforms into a human monster even more fearsome--and no less depraved--than the beasts that he hunts. Although he becomes possessed by a Wendigo's spirit, the reader infers that Logan's psycho/physical deterioration and monstrous bloodlust are more the result of his own personal demons than the sole fault of the Wendigo.

This book introduces some really interesting new characters. This second work also has a different flavor than the first book; it reads more like a James Bond spy adventure, with some dabbling in arcane black magic. But Heart of Scars is no less convincingly well-written than Autumn Moon, and no less capable of suspending the reader's disbelief, despite its greater emphasis on the metaphysical angle. And I love how the author dissects human psychology without getting boringly clinical. The remarkable thing about the book is that the reader comes to feel genuine sympathy for Logan, even though he's not a very likable person much of the time.

Heart of Scars takes some shocking turns as it resolves the mystery about what really happened to Logan's parents and reveals the true cause of the deaths of Logan's wife and son. I won't give away the ending, other than to say it is surprising.

Heart of Scars, the sequel to When the Autumn Moon is Bright, is rougher, harder, tougher than the first book, but well worth the wait. Easton takes Sylvester Logan James on a journey that delves into bloodlust bordering on aberrant sexual behavior, yet the entire while never manages to lose the reader's empathy for Logan. This is a masterful story, told with the artful hand of a master storyteller. I was captured at the first page and finished the book in a short amount of time - when is someone going to take both of these books and make them into the screenplays they so richly deserve?

a different kind of book. combining the talents of old school storyteller and an intense researcher brian easton has outdone himself yet again. this book delivers both the heart pounding action and heart breaking sincerety and pain that made the first of the series so memorable. in this installment sylvester logan james again faces a world inhabited by very dangerous monsters as well as a soul corrupted by his own actions and an ancient evil more powerful than he has ever faced. while the book is ultimately a horror story it carries off elements of a high noon western, an intense internal drama, and a international political thriller with equal enthusiasm and merit. it is rare to find a book that contains both intense ferocity and incredible tenderness and while the viscera is far more present the tender scenes are written with the same conviction. this book will satisfy any fan of the genre and then some. so what are you waiting for?

We all have our inner demons, right? For Sylvester Logan James, a werewolf hunter, his inner demons are as real--and as true--as they are deadly. And painful. Haunted by his past and haunted by his future, James is isolated. While it's hard to say James has much of a conscience, there's no doubt he leans toward the honorable and that's the most intriguing thing about his character. He beats up his boss for setting him up and gets pummeled in the process, but he defends his employer when someone tries to jump in. He's compelled to kill everyone in an eatery, but he digs down and shows compassion instead. The imagery in this graphic novel is intense, gross and beautiful. Easton's words will definitely keep you scratching your way through the book wanting more. While Peter Stubbe is the antangonist in this book, and he's a sick bastard without a doubt, James is and isn't too far behind. Nothing is straightforward when it comes to this character. The most telling moments of the book, as with Easton's first novel, "When the Autumn Moon Is Bright," is when James is with his grandfather. Michael reveals some interesting secrets in this second book that are far from obvious. When you read this book, keep a first-aid kit handy. James is going to need it.

Just like his last book, Brian Easton has out done himself once again. It was well worth the wait for him to crank out the second book. Mr. Eastons' storytelling keeps you on the edge of your seat, like a kid listening to a tall tale around a campfire. I personally am not one to read a book quickly, but I couldn't help to devote as much of my spare time as possible to this, dare I say, master piece of fiction. Mr. Easton goes out of his way to not only tell a fantastic story, but to paint vivid image after image. He turns the pages into a spectacle of color and sound, and a tantalizing, buffet for the imagination. The forward alone was vivid and horrifying enough to make your mouth water for more gut wrenching, brutality. And not to worry dear reader, there is more than you can shake a silver bladed bowie knife at. Logan's sometimes unpredictable behavior keeps you on a roller coaster of emotion. One minute you are horrified at what he is actually capable of doing, as he flicks the little angel off his shoulder and scoots in closer for what the devil has to say, while the next minute you're rooting him on to serve up his derranged brand of justice to those that seem to hunger for it the most. Mr. Easton has turned Logan into a seemingly unstoppable force of supernatural proportions, and a whirlwind of violence and shame. I would suggest a graphic novel, but we really don't need one. You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll empathize,and you'll judge, but the one thing you wont do is put this sucker down for very long. Go Logan and go Mr. Easton! Thank you for taking the time to produce something special and worthwhile for the reader. And I can't wait for the movie either, although it would never be as good.

Heart of Scars, Autobiography of a Werewolf Hunter, after the high I felt with the first book Autobiography of a Werewolf Hunter, was a bit of a let down. I didn't like who Sylvester had become and he's the main character. I know he has issues from back when he was a child and watched a werewolf kill his father and then being raised/trained to hunt them. Add in being possessed by the Wendigo and Sylvester goes from being an honorable and noble man in the first book (yes, with some flaws) to something that was so different it was hard for me to wrap my head around. He's violent and vicious toward everyone, not just the creatures he has sworn to slay. I think the reason I had such a problem with the character change even with the possession was that Sylvester seemed so much stronger...like he would have been able to fight within himself more to keep the Wendigo at bay. That's my biggest issues with this book and I realize other readers may not feel the same as I and that is what I love about reading...we all get something different out of a story.

The rest of Heart of Scars was spot on with detail. The settings were visual and stunningly intricate. Brian P Easton, also, knows how to pack a punch...or should I say write a punch? The action is tangible. I swear I could "feel" the pain that characters when through as they were slaughtered and maimed. It was awesome! Definitely bloody without being gory and grotesque.

great sequel to the first book, the story jumps around a lot more than the first one, but it's still good.
The author needs to come out with a third book!

In case I ever wonder why I never read books in a series back-to-back I'll have to look back no further than Heart of Scars, Brian Easton's sequel to Autobiography of a Werewolf Hunter. For authors, a sequel may be a chance to develop a new voice or a different perspective on his characters or plotline. For the reader who reads the books soon after each is published, re-connecting with the characters may motivate them to overlook a sequel's flaws.

But for me, who read the books back to back, the differences betwee the two novels was jarring. For one, Autobiography had the real feel of an autobiography. It seemed the main character, Sylvester Logan James, was recalling his early life from a vantage point where he had attained some perspective. Such is not the case with Heart of Scars. In this novel the action again follows James, but it feels more like a filmed-as-it-happened documentary. It lacks the perspective that passing time and introspection provided for the first book. In fact the only introspection James is allowed in Heart of Scars seems to amount to little more than feeling he's a bad person who has done bad things and is destined for eternal damnation.

What it lacks in introspection, the book makes up for in violence and dreams/visions/hallucinations. The violence is pervasive and described in minute detail. In fact, there are fight scenes that seem to run on for page after page while Easton decribes in detail the sound of flash being ripped, blood gushing from wounds and bones not just snapping, but being shattered. As for the visions or dreams or hallucinations James has as he deals with his apparent possession by a Windigo spirit, they might best be described as a combination of a Timothy Leary acid trip, some of the more lurid parts of Dante's Inferno and William S. Burroughs most bizzare drug-fueled writing.

Sure, James gets to dispatch werewolves, just as he did in the first book. But this time around much of the book reads more like a spy novel than the intriguing horror novel the first book in the series was. Sure, many of the same characters have returned, but most of them have roles that might charitably be described as walk-on parts.

I was prepared to put Heart of Scars down two-thirds of the way through the book. But I persevered and was rewarded with a story that came to a close in familiar territory. It seemed almost as though Easton used much of the second book to stretch his wings and try new things. Fortunately, from my point of view, he was able to jettison many of the distracting story lines and bring the book's focus back to James and his quest for redemption as the story wound down.

It seems apparent from the end of Heart of Scars that there will be more to come in the story of Sylvester Logan James. I just hope that Easton will keep the next book more tightly focused on the werewolf hunter.

Great read could not stop reading till I finished it. SLJ in this book not only fights against his mortal enemy but now also has to struggle with being possessed with a Wendigo but also with drug addiction. I recommend for people who love real werewolves and not the crappy romantic trash that is out there (twilight). Brutal and just amazing.

I enjoyed the book but I liked Logan better as an independent hunter, less government and more stalking and killing!