Customer Reviews

The Howling

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Gary Brander's HOWLING was the first adult horor novel I ever read (back in 1978, when I was 11 or 12) and I credit it with launching my lifetime love (and obsession) for horror fiction. It's a bit tame by today's standards, but it is so engaging and neat, that I still find myself picking it up every few years to relive the excitement and delightful terror that it inspired in me the first time I read it... A young woman is brutally raped and under the advice of her therapist, she and her husband vacation in a small rural town called Drago. Despite the picturesque town and it's beautiful forests, the citizens of Drago are hiding a dark secret. A secret betrayed by an inhuman howling that echoes through the night beneath the full moon. The young woman soon finds that nothing is as it seems and soon she will be running for her life from mythical horrors... Brander's clear, concise writing and his tight plotting serve the story very well and it has genuine creepiness in it. (Something that's missing from a lot of modern horror fiction.) In my opinion, Brander is the "Godfather of Horror".

This book has a lot of suspense and mystery. The way the secrets are managed is incredible, a crescent doubt until finally things already suspected are getting more and more clear, but then, the tension is already unbearable and the extreme danger already dominating: just too late. This is one rare opportunity to get into a entirely different approach to the werewolf myth, not a cursed nature but a wild and extremely unpredictable one. Also, there is place for sensuality around the sexy sinister Marcia: fear and attraction at the same time. Joe Dante's movie "The Howling" from 1980 is based in this novel, with some considerable differences that make both of them going to other directions but still related, and both of them very interesting. The book is just perfect for horror readers.

I saw the movie version of "The Howling" many years ago. The one element which really stands out in my memory was the amazing special effects. It was the first movie to really show a graphic, "realistic" transformation from man to wolf, pulsing skin and all. Before "American Werewolf in London." Before "Thriller."

But that's about ALL I really remember. The amazing transformations, not the story itself. As such, I cannot recall exactly how true to the book the movie was, or wasn't. In a way, this FREED me to enjoy the novel all on its own.

"The Howling" (the book) does a great job setting the mood. The town of Drago is successfully weird and uncomfortable. SO uncomfortable that when Karyn starts wanting to leave, I was grateful that she was not as "slow" as many horror novel characters are. She originally rejects the idea of werewolves, as we all would and should. But then, as she is faced with indisputable evidence of the supernatural, she adapts. It
reminded me of George Clooney's character in "From Dusk Til Dawn," where he says that he did not believe in vampires, but he DOES believe his own eyes, and therefore he now MUST believe in vampires. Karyn was a refreshing, strong, adaptable character.

My only complaints are: The ending seemed oddly abrupt, as though there had once been an epilogue that was now cut out. Also, the ONE element of comparison from movie-to-book that I just could not help was that I remembered the werewolves walking upright on their hind legs in the movie, but in the book they go around on all fours. I know its not fair, I know its more realistic too, but I really liked the upright werewolves, and was disappointed when they were different here.

But otherwise, this was a VERY enjoyable read. I got through it in just two days. Of all the books I've read since my return to reading, I think this is my favorite so far.

This book was good but wasn't great. There weren't too many frightening scenes, really. When you get down to it, the beginning rape scene is more shocking than anything else. This book also has a few explicit depictions of sex whichh makes the reader wonder whether or not this is a porno that claims to be horror. If you like this type of stuff, than make a decision. If you're looking for horror prepared to be disappointed. The funny thing is that you want to read it all the way through no matter what. Not bad.

Length:: 2:14 Mins

First published back in 1977 in paperback (the first hardback release of the novel wasn't until 1986) US horror author Gary Brandner's cult classic pulp werewolf novel 'The Howling' was the authors first tentative endeavour into the horror genre for which he later became widely known for. The book has seen a number of re-releases over the following years both in the US and the UK.

More recently the book has been re-released by MHB Press in October 2010 in three different limited edition formats:

Collector's Edition (300 signed and numbered copies) - The book is bound in Colorado Book Cloth with a sewn book block, head/tail bands and a bound-in ribbon book mark. The pages themselves are 115 gsm matt coated paper, which gives the book that added luxurious weight. This version is the edition shown in the accompanying video.

Deluxe Edition (150 signed and numbered copies) - The book is handmade, quarter bound in grey goat skin leather with handmade paper covered boards, including additional colour artwork and issued in a special handmade cloth covered slipcase.

Lettered Edition (26 signed and lettered A-Z copies) - This ultra-luxurious edition is handmade, fully bound in grey goat skin leather with gilt edges and handmade marbled endpapers, including additional colour artwork and comes in an extra indulgent handmade traycase.

The MHB Press re-release includes new cover artwork and a small number of black & white illustrations, all by illustrator Dan Harding. The books also include a three page introduction by the author detailing how he came to write the novel, his motivations, the subsequent sequels and his views on the numerous b-movies that the series spawned.

DLS Synopsis:
On the border between Greece and Bulgaria, deep within the dark Arda Forest, there once stood a small peasant village known as Dradja. In its place it is now just a lifeless patch of ash. Nothing more. For fire burned away the crimes of the villagers. A fire that reaped its way through the village in the hope of destroying every last sole there.

Back to the present day and the young couple Roy and Karyn Beatty are enjoying a good life together in Los Angeles. That is, until one summer day on the couple's anniversary, Roy pops out on a last minute errand for his work leaving Karyn alone in their home with only their small collie dog Lady as company. There, in the supposed safety of their own home, Karyn is brutally raped by the neighbourhood gardener and ex-convict - Max Quist.

To help with Karyn's psychological recovery from the traumatic ordeal, Roy takes her away from the hustle and bustle of the city of L.A., securing a six month lease on a small rural premises in the outback woodland community of Drago. There, Roy hopes the quiet lifestyle will bring his wife back to her normal self. And after refurbishing the quaint woodland property, the two settle in for some much needed relaxation.

However, all is not quite as peaceful as it first appears. Karyn is the first to hear the howling, deep in the woodland nearby as the couple lie in bed at night. From then on each night Karyn lies in bed at night, hoping for sleep, only to be disturbed by the eerie howling from outside their new home.

After realising that they accidentally left Lady outside one night, the couple find that the collie is now missing. The local stand-in sheriff, Anton Gadak, suspects coyotes are to blame. But Karyn is far from convinced. Instead she has the creeping feeling that a much larger beast is responsible for their pet's murder. A beast that haunts the woodland area around their new abode at night. A beast that keeps the terrified young woman awake each night with its blood-chilling howling. A beast that Karyn is slowly becoming convinced is in fact a bloodthirsty werewolf...

DLS Review:
From the very outset 'The Howling' sets off with a purely pulp horror gusto, relishing in the colourful energy of graphic sex, biting-violence and an overall clinging atmosphere of oppressive horror. Very much in the vein of the prolific pulp horror master, Guy N Smith's 'Werewolf' series - most notably with his debut 'Werewolf By Moonlight' (1974), Brandner's novel takes the legendary mythical beast of the werewolf, and redefines it for a more modern day pulpish premise.

No longer is the werewolf bound by the laws of the full moon. No longer is the beast a mythical monster from the dark ages. Instead we have a very real and haunting threat, howling at the doorstep and biding its time. And Brandner plays on this new burst of life for the werewolf with an energetic and inspired relish.

The characterisation of the Beatty couple is excellent. The reader truly feels for Karyn after her vicious rape. Her subsequent trauma is portrayed with a surprising amount of emotional sympathy and depth to the character - with Roy's battle to cope with his wife's resulting emotional illness a key element to the progression of the plot.

The pace of the tale is reasonably reserved, with a more meandering (but still purposeful) approach adopted. This however, does not encroach on the overall engagement of the reader to the storyline, but instead sets the scene and gradually builds on the creeping tension of the beastly presence.

Around the halfway mark of the reasonably short novel, Brandner reaches the point where it's time to start shovelling in the action and bloodspill from some edge-of-the-seat werewolf antics. From here on, the gory bloodshed starts to snowball. As each page is turned, more and more chilling revelations are brought out. From an eerie howling in the night, to a horrific discovery that nowhere is safe, the tale takes the reader right up to a brilliantly mile-a-minute finale that throws down adrenaline pumping action and breath-taking suspense to the very last word.

There's no escaping the utterly pulpish thrills of this novel. It promises nothing more, but what it does offer is a thick slice of good honest horror fiction with plenty of twists and turns in its formula. Yes, much of the novel plays along some pretty darn predictable paths, with little that really jumps out at the reader as a surprise twist. But this doesn't diminish the utter enjoyment of the pulpy tale in the slightest.

'The Howling' is one to sit back, enjoy, and get well and truly stuck into for a good few hours of reading.

The novel runs for a total of 197 pages and was later followed on with the sequels 'The Howling II: The Return Of The Howling' (1979) and 'The Howling III: Echoes' (1985).

I started reading this book last night and I could barely stop until I finished reading it today. Why isn't this book better-remembered? Why is it out of print? Of course, I have seen the movie many times but the book is quite different. Karyn Beatty and her husband move to the town of Drago to help her recovered from a violent sexual assault. It is something of an understatement to say this was a bad idea.

The novel begins with a prologue set in the Medieval Eastern European town of Dradja. When a nearby family is killed by a werewolf, an angry mob burns everyone in the village for refusing to identify the identity of the monster. We then cut to 1977 Los Angeles, where Karyn suffers a brutal sexual assault in her own home. (Personally, I found this the most difficult part of the novel to read - perhaps more should've been left to the imagination.) In order to recover, they decide to move to the creepiest town in America next to `Salem's Lot! At night, Karyn cannot sleep because she is kept awake. By the howling.

This is a taught thriller. It wastes no time and keeps the reader hooked as the story moves to its climax. I've never read a book by Gary Brandner before but I will again. He effectively creates an atmosphere of dread and suspense that permeates the novel. Highly recommended.

This is the novel that inspired the 1981 classic werewolf movie. If you saw the movie and choose not to read the book then you are missing out. There are some similarities between the book and the movie but they are not nearly as many as you may think. The novel is a very different story from the movie. The novel was published in 1977 so when you read the novel, keep that in mind because there are not the same options for the characters in trouble to use that we have today. For example, there were no cell phones. This drastically cuts down on the level of communication the characters have with those who can help them when they are in danger. This makes the novel even scarier. Its a very well-written story and I have decided to move along to the next novel in the Howling saga.

I read this novel before I saw the film and there really is no comparison. I was so disappointed by the movie because I was expecting it to be like the book, but they're nothing alike. It's like they took the werewolf concept, the name of the main character and that's it. But this isn't a review of the movie.

After an intruder breaks into her home and rapes her, Kayrn Beatty and her husband, Roy, decide to move to the rural community of Drago. But Karyn is unable to relax when she hears howling every night. What kind of animal is making those noises?

The plot is the usual werewolf fare, but is also a fun whodunit - or who's the werewolf - with a twist.

The pace moves at a frantic speed. Kayrn gets raped in the first chapter, they move to Drago in the second chapter and hear the howling for the first time in the third chapter.

The novel has a creepy atmosphere due to the weird townspeople and Kayrn and Roy living in the middle of nowhere.

Karyn is one of the strongest, most intelligent characters I've ever encountered. When things start getting strange, she wants to leave Drago immediately. And when faced with the idea of werewolves she is skeptical, but believes and researches them at the library. The obstacles that prevent her from leaving Drago actually make sense. Her husband doesn't want to leave, so she stays for him. Plus, she never learned how to drive so she can't exactly get up and leave him.

My one complaint is the novel ends too abruptly. There should've been another chapter explaining what happened after, or an epilogue. And at just 223 pages, it's too short. But Brandner did write two sequels to continue the story.

If you enjoyed the film version of The Howling, definitely check out the book, it's much better.

I've never read the trilogy before - nor watched the movie- so I'm new to the book/series.
I found The Howling exciting. I devoured the first book in one sitting. The book is the speed of a rollercoaster; building up the moment, plateauing, and then picking up speed again.

I had already guessed what was happening before it was revealed, which did slightly lose some appeal for me, but I'm jaded by having read hundreds of books -so it's hardly the author's fault. My guessing correctly, doesn't take away the fact that the werewolves around Drago were a fun pack to read about. It's definitely worth checking out, if you haven't.

The following is an excerpt from a full review at the strangeamusements blog:

It starts with a shocking scene of pure horror as the central character, Karen Beatty, is brutally assaulted in the most heinous, sexual way imaginable. The attack itself is incredibly powerful, described in graphic detail from Karen's perspective, ensuring that you understand the depth of her horror. Shattered by this event, Karen and her husband Roy decide to relocate to a small town named Drago in hopes that getting away from the city life will help Karen heal and allow their marriage to return to its pre-attack happiness. Sadly, Drago is a town with a secret, a town where the night is filled with a blood curdling howling.

The story unfolds in a meticulous way, slowly building tension. When Karen learns that there may be a werewolf in Drago, she quickly starts to suspect just about everyone, and the townsfolk are just strange enough that you will believe that anyone of them could actually be a beast in hiding. As the plot slowly reveals itself in a slow-burning, mystery fashion, it resonates with a vibe that reminds one of something like the always sinister undertone of a film like Rosemary's Baby.

The monsters at the center of everything are vicious and full of cunning. These werewolves are not bound by a full moon, nor are they upright walkers post-transformation. Instead, they maintain a more savage and animalistic presentation, which keeps them firmly in the realm of frightening rather than silly.

In the end, The Howling stands as not only a fantastic werewolf novel, but also a great horror novel that subsists above its own subgenre, making it a must read for horror readers of all kinds.