Customer Reviews

The Pack

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

"The Pack" by Jason Starr is another of the recent efforts to revive the werewolf mythos and it succeeds admirably on several levels. Starr injects some imaginative ideas on werewolves and their human interactions while at the same time being unable to avoid some of the more predictable and traditional elements such as the futility and inability of believers to convince anyone else of the condition and the inevitability of human baser needs and desires overpowering the sense of right and wrong.

Starr has written a multi-layered novel that deals, at times with surprising humor, with many of man's foibles including failing marriages, obliviousness at mundane jobs leading to unexpected termination, and the making of plans for life that never quite seem to work out. Starr's readers are given the opportunity to question the real and the perceived aspects of character strength, personal commitment to right and wrong, and what constitutes the bonds and bounds of friendship and love.

Simon Burns is suffering through burnout in his job and marriage but does not recognize it. After being summarily fired by his boss, the rage-filled Simon becomes a reluctant stay-at-home dad caring for his 3 year old son, Jeremy, while his neglected wife, Alison, seems to drift further away. Only when he meets three other dads in similar situations and begins bonding with them does he begin experiencing a sense of belonging and meaning in his suddenly rudderless life. He feels stronger as a member of this new "pack" until he awakens from a beer-fueled blackout to find himself lost and naked far from home with no memories of how he got there. When Simon subsequently discovers his former boss was mauled to death by a wolf not far from where he awakened, and starts to experience enhanced sensory acuity and sexual prowess, he begins to suspect an evil only heretofore imagined.

"The Pack" works on several levels including just as a nail-biting paranormal thriller. But I was equally intrigued by the subtext of paranoia that can so easily develop when a wife imagines her husband is having an affair and everything she examines incorrectly points to false conclusions. Equally the paranoia that grows into mental certainty that someone has done something that is anathema to them and that they maybe didn't really do in the first place. Both these subtexts are significant undercurrents in this novel and both can exhaust the reader as evidence can be read to prove whatever the observer chooses to believe.

There are a few sections of the book that come across as unnecessarily contrived and parts where we scream at the cluelessness of the protagonist. The ending is somewhat abrupt and stretches credulity but all appears part of a bigger plan as Starr is reported to be working on a sequel. I recommend this effort to fans of the paranormal as well as to anyone enjoying a thriller that reimagines the possibility of werewolves in New York City.

Hi,
I loved this book. I won it as an advanced reader on Goodreads.com and reviewed it there also. Once I was caught by Simon's story, I could not put it down. Things get great for him and then spiral out of control. The ending leaves you wanting more! Fortunately, there is going to be a sequel and maybe a series!

This is not a werewolf love story as so many of the romance authors are writing, this is a story of a man in love with his wife (unusual) dealing with a work layoff, which many of us can relate to. He has taken on one of the hardest jobs, a stay at home dad.

If you want something different, exciting, twisting plots and lots of action, you want to read this book.
Jenn

The Pack is the best book I have read in a very long time. You know when you start a book, and it's so good you hate to finish it? That's how I felt reading The Pack. I could not put it down and when I did all I could think about was when I could pick it up again and rejoin the lives of these amazing characters. I found myself laughing, crying, just feeling as if I knew these people and I truly cared. It was my first Jason Starr book, but it will not be my last!! A truly gifted writer.

I've read all of Jason Starr's books and he hasn't disappointed once. Same holds true for 'The Pack'. An ordinary guy, ordinary family, ordinary job turns into something not so ordinary. The story's characters are in our everyday life, we just don't realize what people are thinking and are capable of doing. The Pack is the first of Starr's books with a hint of sci-fi and I questioned it at first, but the way Starr mixes it with everyday people and real life situations, the sci-fi twist seemed to be more real and make more sense than some of the real life problems. Entertaining, fast read (finished in a weekend), and ready for the sequel. I would ask how soon the next book will be out, but I don't ask questions anymore. I only make statements. THE SEQUEL WILL BE OUT SOON. MUhahahahahahaha.

In New York City, Simon Burns expects a promotion as a senior account executive when his boss Tom Harrison says he needs to talk to him. Thus he was unprepared to be fired as he saw no warning idiot lights. To make matters worse, Tom refuses to either speak any further to him nor explain why. Fuming over his boss' slight, at his family's Manhattan apartment, he informs his wife Alison who's not the least bit upset with his news. Instead she tells him to be a stay at home house-husband raising their toddler.

Neither Simon nor Jeremy seem to fit in at the various playgrounds they go to except one in Battery Park. There he meets Michael the leader, Charlie the fireman and Roman; they have a tight pack but welcome Simon and Jeremy. One night Simon visits Michael's loft, but wakes up in Mendleham, New Jersey. He does not remember a thing after drinking beer at Michael's place, but feels stronger and has a much more powerful sense of smell. On the day he awakens on the other side of the Hudson, a wolf mauled Tom. Michael has the pack as his alibi Michael invites his friends to his loft for steak and suds. Michael's father explains to him what will happen if he goes, but he fears his friend is too strong for him.

This is an unusual fascinating horror thriller starring a milquetoast who becomes a virile stud. Alison believes she knows what is going on, but her theory proves wrong as the sense of foreboding grows while the secrets of the pack are slowly provided to readers. Mindful of a younger Jack Nicholson's Will Randall in Wolf, Simon is easy to understand as a likable person who goes from outsider to insider when the joins the Battery Park Pack, but fears he may harm his beloved wife and son.

Harriet Klausner

Jaosn Starr has been one of my favorite authors since I picked up Tough Luck and scrambled to read all his previous titles. I anticipate all his upcoming releases and was excited to hear he was delving into the horror genre. I am happy to say that I think the book is a big success. The story was entertaining and pulled me in from the beginning. By nature, I find books in anticipated series tend to end with a lot of strands of the story unresolved and this book leaves the door open nicely for a showdown between the main character and the rest of the Pack.
While I liked this book, I would also love to see Starr go back into the more noir realm that his first books cover. His early books have a quality that no author can match, even the noir masters. I put Starr's name in any discussion of noir masters. As an author, his writing puts him in the class of all the bestsellers and I could see this being his "breakout" book. Kudos to Starr on continuing his legacy of quality books. No one will walk away disappointed from this offering.

I picked this book up randomly when Borders was closing down and I am so glad I did. It is a great take on werewolf fiction and I just couldn't put it down. I loved every bit of it from start to finish and I cannot wait for the sequel! I definitely recommend this book!

I've reviewed books recently about vampires and zombies, so I thought I'd try for a trifecta by reading a novel featuring another type of creature common to movie-going audiences: the werewolf. The Pack is about Simon Burns, a senior account manager who is unceremoniously fired from his job at a New York City advertising agency.

He is furious with his boss for letting him go, but after talking things over with his wife, he decides to become a stay-at-home dad for his young son. He soon meets a trio of other dads at a playground and immediately notices how bonded they are, how physically fit and confident they are. When he's asked to meet them for a guy's night out, he immediately accepts.

But that night turns into something far more than what he had imagined. He blacks out and wakes up in the woods in New Jersey. Upon getting home, he finds out that the boss he was angry at for firing him has been murdered - killed by a wolf.

Soon Simon is experiencing disquieting changes in his body, his perceptions, and his outlook on life. He suspects what has happened to him, but refuses to believe it. The evidence is soon overwhelming and Simon must use all of his new-found powers to just stay alive.

This is a clever, suspenseful novel that treats the werewolf genre with sparkling originality of thought. It grips you right from the beginning and keeps you turning the pages. Though there were some plot missteps - especially at the end - it was a ride worth taking.

This book will have sequels it seems, all of which should have been condensed into just one instead of dragging it out. Interesting premise, but not enough depth. I will not be further reading this author. The used book store i go to would not even take it from me in trade. Author Stephen King could have made this story worthwhile.

Simon Burns' life is just not going well at all. He exists from day to day, but he is shocked when his boss calls him into his office and fires him with no explanation. He has never been overly confident, not confrontational in the least, and his marriage is not on the best footing. Now, he is reeling emotionally from this latest blow and he finds himself a stay-at-home dad. Frustrated with life and how it is turning out, Simon spends his time taking care of his three-year-old son.
They get into a routine but one day, breaking the normal pattern, Simon takes his son to a different park. There, Simon meets a group of `cool' dads and begins to hang out with them. These men are confident, strong and comfortable with themselves, something Simon has never been able to be. Then, one night of food and drinks with the guys changes his life forever!
His former boss is found murdered and Simon has a strange sense that he had something to do with it. He begins to notice changes in himself, some for the good and some for the bad. He begins chasing clues and has to figure out exactly what is happening to him.
A well crafted book that will keep you immersed in its pages throughout. There are plenty of plot twists and questions to keep you up well into the night.

Reviewed by Ashley Wintters for Suspense Magazine