The Wolf Gift [Kindle Edition]

Anne Rice (Author)

Book Description

A daring new departure from the inspired creator of The Vampire Chronicles (“unrelentingly erotic . . . unforgettable”—The Washington Post), Lives of the Mayfair Witches (“Anne Rice will live on through the ages of literature”—San Francisco Chronicle), and the angels of The Songs of the Seraphim (“remarkable”—Associated Press). A whole new world—modern, sleek, high-tech—and at its center, a story as old and compelling as history: the making of a werewolf, reimagined and reinvented as only Anne Rice, teller of mesmerizing tales, conjurer extraordinaire of other realms, could create.
 
The time is the present.
 
The place, the rugged coast of Northern California. A bluff high above the Pacific. A grand mansion full of beauty and tantalizing history set against a towering redwood forest.
 
A young reporter on assignment from the San Francisco Observer . . . An older woman welcoming him into her magnificent family home that he has been sent to write about and that she must sell with some urgency . . . A chance encounter between two unlikely people . . . An idyllic night—shattered by horrific unimaginable violence, the young man inexplicably attacked—bitten—by a beast he cannot see in the rural darkness . . . A violent episode that sets in motion a terrifying yet seductive transformation, as the young man, caught between ecstasy and horror, between embracing who he is evolving into and fearing what he will become, soon experiences the thrill of the wolf gift.
 
As he resists the paradoxical pleasure and enthrallment of his wolfen savagery and delights in the power and (surprising) capacity for good, he is caught up in a strange and dangerous rescue and is desperately hunted as “the Man Wolf” by authorities, the media, and scientists (evidence of DNA threatens to reveal his dual existence) . . . As a new and profound love enfolds him, questions emerge that propel him deeper into his mysterious new world: questions of why and how he has been given this gift; of its true nature and the curious but satisfying pull towards goodness; of the profound realization that there may be others like him who are watching—guardian creatures who have existed throughout time who possess ancient secrets and alchemical knowledge. And throughout it all, the search for salvation for a soul tormented by a new realm of temptations, and the fraught, exhilarating journey, still to come, of being and becoming, fully, both wolf and man.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“The Wolf Gift is vintage Anne Rice—a lushly written, gothic…metaphysical tale. This time, with werewolves.”
 
—Alexandra Alter, The Wall Street Journal
 
“Anne Rice has done it again.  In her latest novel, The Wolf Gift, the woman who single-handedly, reinvented the vampire genre puts her formidable talent to work rewriting ‘were-wolf’ lore and in the end succeeds magnificently.”
 
—Nola Cancel, Examiner
 
 
“[Rice] returns to the lushly evocative scenery and gothic atmosphere of her vampire novels with great success. . . her reimagining of a well-worn mythology is fresh and intriguing. Fans of Rice’s The Vampire Chronicles and The Lives of the Mayfair Witches series should delight in this new saga delivered in the author’s distinctive style. Part creation story, part love story, all excellent!”
 
—Bette Lee Fox, Library Journal (starred)
 
 
“I want to howl at the moon over this…I devoured these pages…[A] terrific new novel. . . . The plot [is] magnetic, the characters fascinating, and Rice’s style as solid and engaging as anything she has written since her early vampire chronicle fiction.”
—Alan Cheuse, The Boston Globe
 
 
“Rice weaves her trademark meditations on the role of supernatural creatures in society into an often thrilling, page-turning yarn”
 
—Kristine Huntley, Booklist
 
 
“[A]n energetic gambol, feisty and terrific fun. . . . [A] fast-paced, heady romp that ranks with her best. . . . Wolf Gift is irresistible.”
—Joy Tipping, The Dallas Morning News
 

“[I]n Rice’s hands, The Wolf Gift evolves from a fantastical romp into an engrossing thriller. . . .”
—Liz Colville, San Francisco Chronicle

 
“Anne Rice combines a vast literary gift with a shameless love of sex, beauty and pop culture. Her artistic vision is part Bela Lugosi, part Andy Warhol, part Christina the Astonishing, the medieval holy woman who could famously “smell sin.”…The Wolf Gift will leave open-minded readers howling for more.”
—Aidan Johnson, The Globe and Mail

 
“[E]xciting tale of a contemporary werewolf. . . . Rice’s classic concerns regarding good and evil and shifting views of reality play out wonderfully in what will surely please fans and newcomers alike.”
—Publishers Weekly

 
“[O]ne part ‘Beauty and the Beast’ love story, one part meditation on morality and immortality, and one part superman tale. . . . Told in the memorable style that won Rice’s vampire series so many readers, The Wolf Gift is an intriguing new take on the classic werewolf legend…Rice deepens and gives nuance to classic werewolf lore.”
—Diana Pinckley, New Orleans Times-Picayune

 
“Rice has never shied away from tackling Big Issues…The Wolf Gift marks a return to form while still giving a nod to spiritual matters…[A] delectable cocktail of old-fashioned lost-race adventure, shape-shifting and suspense.”
-Elizabeth Hand, The Washington Post

 
“Anne Rice is back”
—Tirdad Derakhshani, The Philadelphia Inquirer

 
“[W]ritten with compelling modernity…The Wolf Gift is a strong—and welcome—return to the monster mythology that made Anne Rice famous.”
—Rob LeFebvre, Shelf Awareness

 
“With both thrilling acts of horror and a final act that is deeply based in the mythology of the Wolf Gift and its history --- and bordering on lycanthropic existentialism --- this novel opens readers up to a world they only thought they knew…The characters come alive, and the strange history of the Nideck family will jump off the page and enter the readers’ nightmares as Rice has found a new gothic saga to sink her teeth into.”
—Ray Palen, Bookreporter.com

Review

“The Wolf Gift is vintage Anne Rice—a lushly written, gothic…metaphysical tale. This time, with werewolves.”
 
—Alexandra Alter, The Wall Street Journal
 
“Anne Rice has done it again.  In her latest novel, The Wolf Gift, the woman who single-handedly, reinvented the vampire genre puts her formidable talent to work rewriting ‘were-wolf’ lore and in the end succeeds magnificently.”
 
—Nola Cancel, Examiner
 
 
“[Rice] returns to the lushly evocative scenery and gothic atmosphere of her vampire novels with great success. . . her reimagining of a well-worn mythology is fresh and intriguing. Fans of Rice’s The Vampire Chronicles and The Lives of the Mayfair Witches series should delight in this new saga delivered in the author’s distinctive style. Part creation story, part love story, all excellent!”
 
—Bette Lee Fox, Library Journal (starred)
 
 
“I want to howl at the moon over this…I devoured these pages…[A] terrific new novel. . . . The plot [is] magnetic, the characters fascinating, and Rice’s style as solid and engaging as anything she has written since her early vampire chronicle fiction.”
—Alan Cheuse, The Boston Globe
 
 
“Rice weaves her trademark meditations on the role of supernatural creatures in society into an often thrilling, page-turning yarn”
 
—Kristine Huntley, Booklist
 
 
“[A]n energetic gambol, feisty and terrific fun. . . . [A] fast-paced, heady romp that ranks with her best. . . . Wolf Gift is irresistible.”
—Joy Tipping, The Dallas Morning News
 

“[I]n Rice’s hands, The Wolf Gift evolves from a fantastical romp into an engrossing thriller. . . .”
—Liz Colville, San Francisco Chronicle

 
“Anne Rice combines a vast literary gift with a shameless love of sex, beauty and pop culture. Her artistic vision is part Bela Lugosi, part Andy Warhol, part Christina the Astonishing, the medieval holy woman who could famously “smell sin.”…The Wolf Gift will leave open-minded readers howling for more.”
—Aidan Johnson, The Globe and Mail

 
“[E]xciting tale of a contemporary werewolf. . . . Rice’s classic concerns regarding good and evil and shifting views of reality play out wonderfully in what will surely please fans and newcomers alike.”
—Publishers Weekly

 
“[O]ne part ‘Beauty and the Beast’ love story, one part meditation on morality and immortality, and one part superman tale. . . . Told in the memorable style that won Rice’s vampire series so many readers, The Wolf Gift is an intriguing new take on the classic werewolf legend…Rice deepens and gives nuance to classic werewolf lore.”
—Diana Pinckley, New Orleans Times-Picayune

 
“Rice has never shied away from tackling Big Issues…The Wolf Gift marks a return to form while still giving a nod to spiritual matters…[A] delectable cocktail of old-fashioned lost-race adventure, shape-shifting and suspense.”
-Elizabeth Hand, The Washington Post

 
“Anne Rice is back”
—Tirdad Derakhshani, The Philadelphia Inquirer

 
“[W]ritten with compelling modernity…The Wolf Gift is a strong—and welcome—return to the monster mythology that made Anne Rice famous.”
—Rob LeFebvre, Shelf Awareness

 
“With both thrilling acts of horror and a final act that is deeply based in the mythology of the Wolf Gift and its history --- and bordering on lycanthropic existentialism --- this novel opens readers up to a world they only thought they knew…The characters come alive, and the strange history of the Nideck family will jump off the page and enter the readers’ nightmares as Rice has found a new gothic saga to sink her teeth into.”
—Ray Palen, Bookreporter.com

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• File Size: 2034 KB
• Print Length: 418 pages
• Page Numbers Source ISBN: 0307595110
• Publisher: Anchor (February 14, 2012)
• Sold by: Random House Digital, Inc.
• Language: English
• ASIN: B0060AY8K2
• Text-to-Speech: Enabled
• X-Ray: Enabled
• Lending: Not Enabled
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #9,232 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

250 of 274 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars "...that both the brutal world and the spiritual world are sources of truth..." January 29, 2012

By Biblioholic Beth VINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Vine™ Review (What's this?)

It has been years since I've read an Anne Rice novel, and I was initially hesitant about this one. However, the premise sounded interesting, so I ordered it anyway just out of curiosity. I'm very glad that I did. I started this book day before yesterday, but late in the evening , and went to bed only a couple of chapters in. I picked it up again yesterday afternoon - and by the time I realized that it was far past my bedtime, I was almost finished and NEEDED to see how it ended.

Reuben is a fledgling reporter in San Francisco, the youngest son of a fairly well-to-do family. He heads up to Mendocino County to do a story about an old house with a lot of history being sold. He finds himself falling in love with the place, but wakes during the night to hear his host being attacked. As he goes to defend her, he is attacked himself, and then mysteriously saved. During his recovery, he finds that he is...changing. He is becoming what he always assumed was a werewolf. But as he learns more about himself and his new abilities, he has to decide whether what is has been given is actually a curse - or whether it is truly a gift.

The Wolf Gift is not your typical werewolf story - it turns the genre on its head in more than one way. There is a strong thread of Good vs. Evil within the story, but the parts are not necessarily played by those you would expect. How does one know true Evil? Can something seen as evil actually be a servant of Good? Tied to the Good and Evil debate is a strong exploration of the existence of God, and our expectations of right and wrong.

However. This is not a heavy-handed religion book. This is an excellent novel with a fascinating and fast-paced story where part of the story includes a couple of strong themes woven throughout that make the story stronger rather than detracting from it.

Having not read an Anne Rice novel in years, I now find myself hoping that there might be a sequel in the works to continue this fascinating story. I don't know that another one could be as strong and do justice to this first one, but the characters are wonderful, and the whole novel is just so compelling, that I would love to read more.

128 of 141 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Wolf Gift puts the Man in Wolfman March 10, 2012

By Sumiko Saulson

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

Anne Rice's latest offering, "The Wolf Gift," marks her long awaited return to the Gothic Horror genre in which her popular Mayfair Witch and Vampire Chronicles reside, bringing the ancient werewolf myth, with certain strange new twists, into modern times. "The Wolf Gift" weaves a tale of complex moral questions, stark violence and monstrous brutality against a hauntingly picturesque Northern California.

Charmingly, in the Wolf Gift Ms. Rice has created her most eloquent tribute to the writers of the 1800s, those who wrote older Werewolf stories to which her "Distinguished Gentleman" sometimes refer. She sets the story not in summer, but in the perpetually rainy and overcast Bay Area of Wintertime, evoking images of Victorian Gothic Novels with their London weather. She paints her forests with damp under brush and rolling fogs, her architecture - especially the increasingly mysterious mansion at Nideck Point in Mendocino - with secret places, trapped doors, and the same kind of detailed and loving brush which caused Gothic Horror to be named for its Gothic architecture.

But below all of this is a modern take on the coming-of-age story. Set in the present, its protagonist is very unlike Interview with the Vampire's Louis, who had and lost a wife and family by the age of 25: Reuben is the modern boy-man; still unsure of who he is at the age of 23, and completely unable to break away from the expectations of a brilliant, overbearing mother. Intelligent and creative, but naive and sheltered, two years out of college, he is still having trouble defending starting out on a career path of his own choosing, and is still living at home with his parents. Even his girlfriend seems to be someone chosen to please his family. In a story that is peppered with contemporary technological elements such as Reuben's beloved iPhone; no device is as modern as Reuben himself, picture-perfect example of Generation Y and the American trend towards extended adolescence. Mr. Golding repeatedly protests his family (and girlfriend's) nicknames of Baby Boy, Little Boy, and Sunshine Boy, but despite his protestations, he is all of these things.

As a result, we have here, a story of a man-boy who becomes a man-wolf, and every element of Reuben's transformation: the erotic nature of the change, the overwhelming urge to protect the innocent through horrifically brutal acts; becomes an allegory for masculinity and the roles that have been taken away from generations of infantilized men such as Reuben: it is only later in the novel, when the Man Wolf Reuben begins to ask himself if any woman could ever find his original self, who he then describes as "vapid", as attractive. He struggles with something common for many young men: learning to balance what is dangerous and powerful in masculinity with what is gentle, and protective, and learning to view himself as a strong man in the eyes of a partner - not just a sweet boy in the eyes of a mother.

All of this folds into a romantic tale beautifully evocative of one of the most erotic of the Greco-Roman myths: the Tale of Eros and Psyche. Like Eros, Reuben is a young man dominated by his powerful mother (Venus), who seeks to break away and does so in falling in love with a beautiful woman who his mother treats as a competitor, rather than a daughter in law. In Reuben's case, his mother only wants him to develop a relationship with a woman very like herself, and who assists in her continued control over his destiny. She has no desire to allow her son to move out, grow up or become a man.

In every way, being bitten by a werewolf is the vehicle not only for Reuben's transformation from human into Morphenkind, but from boy into man in this powerfully brutal and erotic tale.

86 of 96 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Existentialist in wolf's clothing February 14, 2012

By M. Galishoff

Format:Hardcover

"The Wolf Gift" is Anne Rice's her debut return to the supernatural genre that made her a household name. At one level it is the story of the making of a "wolf-man" and the impact upon the lives of individuals and the society of modern day San-Francisco. At a deeper level it is a timeless tale used as a setting by the author to ask age old questions about mankind, history, society and our limited self-understanding.

Reuben Golding is a young man of independent means and accomplished parents. He is gifted, intelligent and worldly yet Reuben lives a life that lacks direction, passion and purpose. This is evident in his relationship with his intense goal-driven girlfriend and accomplished mother. He takes a job as a junior reported and is assigned the most mundane of all jobs, to report on an old mansion and property for sale deep in the ancient woods of the Northern California coast.

Reuben finds in this house a mysterious and beautiful woman, a mysterious and ancient family struck by tragedy and the priceless collection of ancient artifacts and writings left after the sudden and unexplained disappearance of the home's owner. In the massive collection of books, art and artifacts Rueben finds himself strongly drawn to the home and its mysterious beauty he is to interview. Rueben seems to sense that a purpose to his education and worldly travels, made possible by his family wealth, may be tied up in this home and resolves to be the purchaser.

The author uses the opening chapter as a composer a symphony, bringing together several parallel themes and voices that interweave in such a manner as to leave the reader a bit uneasy and disoriented despite the calm and serene beauty. As the reader is being introduced to the main characters and the setting, trying to become oriented to what is both attracting and overwhelming Rueben, a subtle tension is developed as reporter and beautiful heiress join in physical union.

The bliss is suddenly disrupted by a horrible attack leaving three dead and Reuben mortally wounded. The invaders kill the woman Marchent, but before they can finish off Reuben, they are literally torn apart by a strange powerful animal that seems to appear out of nowhere. The animal bites Reuben but for some reason allows him to live. Reuben is rescued and taken to the hospital to be cared for by his famous physician-mother and placed into the care of Ms. Rice's strange world.

Reuben makes a remarkable recovery and undergoes a physical metamorphosis that is apparent to all and defies the scientist's ability to explain. He changes from the inside as well, as emotions and feelings become more intense. Eventually, after discharge, one night he experiences the full transformation into a werewolf. He is overwhelmed as his senses, strength, power, empathy and sense of justice are heightened to equal his new abilities.

Reuben explores the city of his birth by night, effortlessly soaring over rooftops and trees, hearing the voices and smelling the scents all around him as a wild animal would. Yet there is something to these senses that has a moral and empathic imperative that far exceeds the human experience and his ability to understand. Transformed, thus, Reuben seems fully human and fully a new and wild animal trying to balance and control the extremes of both.

During his exploits, Reuben finds himself compulsively drawn to those victims of violence crying out unheard in the night and rescues them by tearing apart their attachers. After the bloody, horrible "feast" he is capable of the tenderest care of the innocent. After successive nights of dramatic rescues, including that of a large group of school children who are being tortured and killed by men awaiting ransom, the star of the wolf-man is born. There are witnesses and survivors of which Reuben is one.

What follows is Reuben's struggle to understand and control these changes, search for their meaning, survive the alienation and power it brings and deal with reality by day that he is a son, brother and friend that is becoming a source of worry to those he loves. He is drawn to the mysterious house, willed to him by the beautiful Marchent, trying to unlock its mysteries and his own.

Ms Rice uses the genre of the supernatural to explore the basic questions facing mankind. Who are we? What is the true meaning of human existence? Who lies behind the creation of this world and what is our place in it? What are good and evil? What are the limits of our knowledge? Are we really the pinnacle of creation or just another species awaiting time's evolutionary forces to work? Can tremendous power and an intense desire to right the wrong and protect the innocent be satisfied and actually achieve its goal in our world? Are our noblest thoughts, feelings and urges - love, empathy and reason - a gift or the product of evolution? Are they transcendent or are they rooted within the nature of our inner beast that also spawns evil, violence and hate?

"What has happened to me?" Kafka's Gregor Samsa asks himself upon awakening from a night of restless dreams and a strange transformation into a revolting pest that is weak and must be squashed out by his family and their lodgers. Gregor Samsa escapes his meaningless, alienated droll life of isolation and self-sacrifice by de-evolving into a helpless insect. Though Kafka's historical setting of the early modern age is long past, the same effects of our advancing society are felt by people of each generation. Our young people, flowering during an economic crisis, without work and purpose are as marginalized and stifled as Kafka's Gregor.

On the surface all mankind has achieved has made things better except that the ancient yearnings of the rational man remain unsettled. Unlike Kafka's pessimistic exploration of the existential and metaphysical issues of humanity, society and our world, Rice has a more optimistic view. Whereas Gregor's metamorphism is into powerlessness and a regression of evolution, Reuben's is one of empowerment and awakening. Gregor's alienation comes from his meaningless enslaving self-sacrifice to support his family whereas Reuben's comes from his lukewarmness to life rooted in one of luxury and infinite opportunities he does not grasp. Gregor experiences de-evolution into a helpless bug squashed by a world rejecting his human suffering. Reuben evolves and is transformed into something perhaps higher and more powerful than man can experience but none less dangerous to us.

Though Kafka and Rice decide to transform their heros into opposite things, they none-the-less share the same unanswered questions and leave the reader to think about them. Gregor dies as he lived and Reuben receives a gift of immortality and youth as he died. The question remains for readers of both if either depiction solves the moral, ethical, metaphysical and existential issues of mankind. Or are they better not solved by a human author?

Kafka and Rice make no great claims to the hidden truth and answer. They both shock us into reexamining ourselves, our premises, our views of humanity and the cosmos, and to awaken within us both the agony and ecstasy of being truly human.

When I received "The Wolf Gift" my receptionist, after reading on the back cover "The Queen of Horror is Back..." asked me if the book was scary. I replied "only if you think about what she has to say."
Truly, Ms. Rice has taken a genre so recently abused and elevated it to higher things. It is where she is at home, exploring her questions and taking her spiritual and intellectual journey. This is evidenced by the obvious wealth of research and knowledge displayed by the author. "Horror" is a misrepresentation of what Ms. Rice offers us. And if there is "horror" it lies within as we look into ourselves through these strange creatures and worlds the author has created. And she manages to do these things with grace, tact and sensitivity that reach readers of all backgrounds, ages and sophistication. That is the true gift.

* Reviewers Note: I received "The Wolf Gift" as a gift of love without the expectation of a review.

More About the Author

Anne Rice was born and raised in New Orleans, Louisiana. She holds a Master of Arts Degree in English and Creative Writing from San Francisco State University, as well as a Bachelor's Degree in Political Science. Anne has spent more of her life in California than in New Orleans, but New Orleans is her true home and provides the back drop for many of her famous novels. The French Quarter provided the setting for her first novel, Interview with the Vampire. And her ante-bellum house in the Garden District was the fictional home of her imaginary Mayfair Witches.

She is the author of over 30 books, most recently the Toby O'Dare novels Of Love and Evil, and Angel Time; the memoir, Called Out of Darkness;and her two novels about Jesus, Christ the Lord: Out of Egypt and Christ the Lord: The Road to Cana. (Anne regards Christ the Lord: The Road to Cana as her best novel.)

Anne publicly broke with organized religion in July of 2010 on moral grounds, affirming her faith in God, but refusing any longer to be called "Christian." The story attracted surprising media attention, with Rice's remarks being quoted in stories all over the world.

Anne is very active on her FaceBook Fan Page and has over 745,000 followers. She answers questions every day on the page, and also posts on a variety of topics, including literature, film, music, politics, religion, and her own writings. She welcomes discussion there on numerous topics.

Her latest novel, The Wolves of Midwinter, a sequel to The Wolf Gift and part of a werewolf series set in Northern California in the present time, will be published on October 15, 2013. In these books --- The Wolf Gift Chronicles -- Anne returns to the classic monsters and themes of supernatural literature, similar to those she explored in her Vampire Chronicles, and tales of the Mayfair Witches. Her new "man wolf" hero, Reuben Golding, is a talented young man in his twenties who suddenly discovers himself in possession of werewolf powers that catapult him into the life of a comic book style super hero. How Reuben learns to control what he is, how he discovers others who possess the same mysterious "wolf gift," and how he learns to live with what he has become --- is the main focus of the series.

Her first novel, Interview with the Vampire, was published in 1976 and has gone on to become one of the best-selling novels of all time. She continued her saga of the Vampire Lestat in a series of books, collectively known as The Vampire Chronicles, which have had both great mainstream and cult followings.

Interview with the Vampire was made into a motion picture in 1994, directed by Neil Jordan, and starring Brad Pitt, Tom Cruise, Kirsten Dunst and Antonio Banderas. Anne's novel, Feast of All Saints about the free people of color of ante-bellum New Orleans became a Showtime mini series in 2001 and is available now on dvd. The script for the mini series by John Wilder was a faithful adaptation of the novel.

Anne Rice is also the author of other novels, including The Witching Hour, Servant of the Bones, Merrick, Blackwood Farm, Blood Canticle, Violin, and Cry to Heaven. She lives in Palm Desert, California, but misses her home in New Orleans. She hopes to obtain a pied a terre in the French Quarter there some time in the near future.

Amazon Author Rankbeta 

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#34 in Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction > Horror

#65 in Books > Literature & Fiction > Erotica

#88 in Books > Science Fiction & Fantasy > Fantasy

#34 in Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction > Horror

#65 in Books > Literature & Fiction > Erotica

#88 in Books > Science Fiction & Fantasy > Fantasy