Customer Reviews

The Wolf's Hour

5 star:		(95)
4 star:		(18)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Michael Gallatin is a British spy. Handsome, intelligent, cunning, seductive, he is everything James Bond could ever hope to be...except Gallatin is a werewolf.

Caught up in the troubles of WWII, desperately trying to uncover and stop a top-secret Nazi experiment, Gallatin meets a wide array of interesting and quirky characters, some of them friendly, some of them deadly. He must also come to grips with what he is, and face his own inner enemies...before time runs out.

Okay, so a werewolf solider in WWII doesn't sound like a great idea for a book; or, at least, not a good book. But Robert McCammon pulls it off--he has written a top-notch, gripping, emotional thriller that defies logic and critics' expectations. Indeed, it has such emotional power--especially in the flashback sequences of Gallatin's troubled childhood--that it even wrenched a few tears from me...and that's not an easy thing to do.

"The Wolf's Hour" is certainly one of my top-five favorite books of all time (and I've read a lot, people!). Robert McCammon has written some doozies in his time, but this one surpasses all of them. Gripping, thrilling, intoxicating...everything a good suspense novel should be. You want a war story? Romance? Horror novel? Action-adventure? This is it.

Robert McCammon is a very versatile writer -- each of his books is very different stylistically and thematically, but so far the three I've read have all been very good. Out of those three (Swan Song, Gone South, and The Wolf's Hour), TWH definitely has the least literary merit, but it is great in other ways.

This book follows two plotlines, which alternate back and forth every few chapters. One takes place in Russia in the years immediately following the Revolution, and covers our hero's youth, and the other in 1944 Nazi-occupied Europe, which is where the main story takes place.

The 1944 segments read like "Indiana Jones meets James Bond, with a twist." Constant action, usually our hero against huge odds. He always wins, always gets the girl, and although he's a beast on the battlefield he's the suave ladies' man otherwise. Still, this is a fun, fast-paced romp through Nazi territory, with several really fun scenes and many completely unbelievable ones. The thing that I really disliked about these sections of the novel were the depictions of the Nazis. Every Nazi soldier was a stupid incompetant who deserved a terrible death, and each and every officer a blatantly sadistic, evil fellow. Every Ally, however, is smart, resourceful, good looking (except for the obligatory caricature characters), charming and friendly. That just didn't sit well with me. This main portion of the book was an action-fest, but it was the flashback segments that were really much more interesting.

The second story told here is that of pre-adolescent Mikhail Gallatinov, around 1920. After his family is brutally murdered following the Revolution, the kid is bitten by a werewolf. These segments detail his growing up and coming to terms with himself and the world around him, and are much better written and more captivating than the segments when Michael is grown.

This book has its ups and downs. First of all, the writing noticably improves as the book goes on. At the beginning there was frequent poor word choice, bad sentence structure, and very poorly written action scenes. As the author grew into the book, though, that cleared up a lot. Unfortunately, McCammon for some reason in this book felt it was necessary to include semi-frequent relatively explicit sex-scenes, which I think were supposed to be erotic but most of the time just sounded stupid. On the other hand, the author raises and answers some good questions about werewolves, and thankfully silver bullets and such aren't mentioned even once.

Overall, this is a fun, fast-paced book with lots of good action and some terrific scenes. Unfortunately most of the characters are rather one-sided and many scenes, such as Sandler's train and the concentration camp, are utterly unbelievable.

This is a much better werewolf novel than the dreadful Moon Dance or boring The Silver Wolf, but it by no means is going to win any literary awards.

How many times can you say you've read a truly unique book. Because there are so many writers, especially in the horror genre, ideas seem to run out pretty quick, only to be repeated a few years later by another author. Well, at first sight, it might appear that Robert McCammon has just written about the same old idea of the Werewolf, that was created in the beginning of the last century. Thinking this, I was not prepared for such a unique story. I am awe struck even now. I dont believe that I have EVER read a book with such detailed action, and suspense. This is the perfect book for those boring, rainy, depressing days, when you need a little exitement in your life. My applause, once again, to Robert McCammon, for such a wonderful book.

A spy/werewolf in WWII helping the Allies defeat the Nazi war-machine? OK. I figured it was going to be a campy, childish horror story that I wouldn't be able to get through. Nevertheless, enjoying McCammon's writing style from his other novels, I decided to give it a try. I'm glad I did because McCammon delivers and comes up with a well-thought-out plot with (dare I say) believable characters, non-stop action, and cliff-hanging suspense.

The Allied forces get word from one of their spies in Nazi-occupied France that he has top secret information which could be detrimental to their up-coming D-Day invasion. However, since he is being closley monitored by the Nazis he needs a personal courier to retrieve it. Michael Gallatin, a first-class British spy who unbeknownst to anyone is a werewolf, is coaxed into the assignment. What follows is an action-filled race against time as Gallatin is aided by other agents and underground networks to get this mysterious and vital info before the D-Day invasion only weeks away. And that's only one half of the book. The other half intertwines an interesting and insightful look at how he became a werewolf and his life before he was a spy.

This book comes across more like a superbly-written, edge-of-your-seat, spy story whose protagonist just happens to be a werewolf than it does a horror book. I realize that I've used a lot of those catch phrases such as "edge-of-your-seat" and "cliff-hanging suspense" that seem to get thrown around a lot these days on book blurbs. But when I find myself constantly being drawn back to a book to "just see what happens next" there's no other way I can describe it.

Reading the works of Robert McCammon is like seeing a Saturday matinee cliff-hanger. The Wolf's Hour is the 6th book by McCammon that I have read and like many readers I passed it by for years because the plot seemed a little too bizarre for me. How cool can a werewolf book set in World War II be? And finally in 2001 I discovered the answer...VERY VERY COOL!

McCammon tells the story of Michael Gallatin in two parts. Part one deals with the early years of werewolf life and addresses the myth/fact areas of the legend that will be necessary for the novel. Part two is sheer action as Gallatin goes on a mission deep into Nazi Germany. The stories are told concurrently and intertwine throughout the novel. The book is a study in duality - good vs. evil, man vs. wolf, action vs. horror...and through it all we are left to ponder the question, "What is the werewolf in the eyes of God?"

As with his other excellent novels They Thirst, Stinger, and Blue World, McCammon provides a strong protagonist and more importantly an equal antagonist. The Wolf's Hour gives us three villains that the hero must deal with: Colonel Jerek Blok, his muscular henchman "Boots", and big-game hunter Harry Sandler. Waiting for these characters to meet and battle really made the read even more compelling. McCammon starts the ride in motion on Page 1 and takes us through more suspense and action than we could get at any theme park. The book is sheer KINETIC ENERGY. And, just like the cliff-hangers of yesteryear, McCammon puts our hero into numerous perils in every single chapter. Whether it is battling a Berzerker wolf in the forest, fighting off Nazi's on the roof of the Paris opera house, struggling for survival in a Nazi death camp, or battling a vicious hunter on board a literal locomotive death-trap, we are continually asking ourselves "How will the hero get out of this one?"

The Wolf's Hour is the best book that I have read this year and it is a sad commentary that McCammon gave up being a professional author. I strongly recommend that you do the leg work and dig up as many of his works as you can...you won't be disappointed with the ride.

This book was not high on my list,I passed it on the shelves at the store a great many times. It was a W.W.II Werewolf story not to inticing, until there was nothing that suited my taste left on the shelves and I thought well I read his others and they were good I'll give it a try. Glad I did. Micheal the werewolf,very sexy character! But the whole idea behind the transformation was so well thought out and more in keeping w/thoughts on lycanthropy. It wasn't you get bit,you grow hair and bite people,it was a very moving story. About a man who was using his ability to change to serve his government as a spy. Move over James Bond there's a new spy in town and you'll never be able to do what he can do....

As the Allied forces plan for D-Day, rumors surface within covert operations that the Nazis may have a final, deadly ace in the hole. With so much depending on the Allied invasion, the very best agent must be sent deep into enemy territory to thwart whatever it is that the Nazis have in store. What makes this British spy so special is that Michael Gallatin is a werewolf.

The Wolf's Hour was originally published just over two decades ago and I read the mass market paperback way back then. Over the years, some parts remained so vivid that I would randomly recall them at the oddest of times. I've had it on my mind to reread it for a long time, just to rediscover why this novel has stuck with me like it did. So I jumped at the chance to review Subterranean Press' illustrated reprint. This edition also contains a new novelette, The Room at the Bottom of the Stairs, an edge-of- your-seat, noir, spy-vs.-beautiful-and-sexy-spy story.

The Wolf's Hour is an odd combination of WWII espionage thriller and dark fantasy. I can't help but wonder what the response was like when Mr. McCammon first explained the plot to the original publishers. Even though he was a best-selling author, it must've been a gamble, especially back in 1989. It says much about his talent that he was able to pull off such a strange mixture of elements so successfully.

Most of McCammon's books are difficult to fit into specific genres. Usually I see him categorized as a horror writer, and I've always thought of Mr. McCammon as somewhat of a southern version of Stephen King. Without the lycanthropic element, these two tales could have stood on their own as espionage thrillers. But making the spy a werewolf puts this book on a shelf all by itself.

The Wolf's Hour is a huge volume with a whole lot of story. It starts in the North African battlefields and races across a devastated WWII Europe. The reader is introduced to many interesting characters -- sexy women, Resistance fighters, sadistic Gestapo officers, an American traitor, a German deserter, Nazi spies, and others. It also gives a complete backstory of Gallatin's horrific childhood in Russia, in which his aristocratic family was murdered during the communist revolution. He survived only by being turned into a werewolf and adopted by the pack. This tale of a harsh family life among werewolves, told via Gallatin's flashbacks, is a clever way to avoid frustrating the reader with too long of a wait between werewolf transformations. McCammon's take on lycanthrope culture is unique and may have played an influential role in werewolf books that followed.

As I've alluded to, The Wolf's Hour is very reminiscent of a typical WWII epic, so mixing in the werewolf story is jarring at times. Also there are some very dark and demented elements that are in line with horror fiction. Added into the blend is some straight-up "James Bond" type action, complete with at least one "Bond-ish" escape that an arch-foe could have easily prevented by killing Gallatin outright instead of staging an elaborate, drawn-out and dramatic means of execution. Also it has to be noted that, again like British secret service's greatest 007-class agent, Gallatin is quite the playboy/ladies' man. The sex is extremely explicit, to the point of being laughable.

Regardless, The Wolf's Hour is a fun and exciting read that is was well worthy of this illustrated reprint. I'm anxious to witness its reception, which I'm sure will be enthusiastic.

In the minds of many horror novel fans, Robert McCammon was the 80s best genre writer not named Stephen King. The late 80s and early 90s were particularly impressive as he released a trio of amazing novels such as Swan Song, Stinger and The Wolfs Hour. Mccammon has never written a sequel to one of his novels but if you ask most of his fans they would tell you that The Wolfs Hour is the most likely to have one since the story ends before the end of the second world war therefore leaving Michael Gallatin with many other potential missions. Of course, McCammon has been retired from publishing for upwards of ten years(Speaks the Nightbird is not a comeback novel as it was written several years ago but only published recently) so it doesnt look like there will ever be a sequel to The Wolfs Hour which is sad news for anyone who enjoyed this novel as much as I did.

Michael Gallatin is a transplanted Russian who's a top agent for Britain during WWII. In 1942, he overtook Rommel in North Africa and foiled the Nazis plan to control the Suez Canal, a vital waterway that would ensure that Nazi Germany could choke off Allied shipping and continue their march east into the underbelly of Russia. Fast forward to 1944: the war still rages on and the Nazis are being forced toward Berlin by a vengeful Soviet tide but Western Europe is still in Hitlers grip.

Gallatin, in seclusion since 1942, is called back for a vital mission: The first part of the mission has him being parachuted into Nazi-occupied France to retrieve vital information from an informant in Paris who is under tight security from the Gestapo. Once the informations retrieved Gallatin must make his way east to Berlin, the poisoned heart of the Nazis lair, in an attempt to foil a top-secret Nazi invasion plan that goes by the code name of Iron Fist. But Michael Gallatin holds a secret that no one, foes or allies, know. He is a lycanthrope, able to change into a werewolf at will.

A werewolf battling Nazi Germany seems on the surface to be a ludicrous concept but McCammon spends so much time and detail on Gallatins background and upbringing as a young boy raised by a pack of wolves in Russia that the werewolf concept does become believable in the context of this fictional tale. Aside from Gallatin being a lycanthrope there are no other major fantastical elements to the story and McCammons careful research and vivid descriptions really made me feel that I was myself fighting for my own life in the throes of World War II in a way that non-fictional accounts Ive read were never able to do as well. Although most of the characters are fictional, there are a few real ones such as Erwin Rommel, Martin Borman and of course Hitler himself whos portrayal is effectively chilling. Really the only complaint I have of this novel are concerning the flashback chapters about Gallatins upbringing within the pack of wolves in Russia. I would have preferred McCammon spent a little bit less time on this. As these flashback chapters are scattered throughout the novel, I often found myself wanting to skip them so I could return to the war story.

Many have made comparisons between this novel and the Indiana Jones films which I would have to agree is an apt comparison. This is a high-octane adventure thriller of the first order with several action scenes that would certainly translate very well to the silver screen. Nobody should let themselves be intimidated by the size of this novel as the pages fly by at a brisk pace. Nor would a reader need in-depth historical knowledge of WWII or be a history buff to enjoy it since McCammon summarizes factual events in a clear and understandable way. All in all I would consider this an essential read for Robert McCammon fans and Im glad I finally read it after years of passing it by.

...that a novel about WWII, Nazis, spys and werewolves could have been written ? Not only did McCammon write it, he did so brilliantly. When I read the subject matter of this novel, I was skeptical, even though being a huge McCammon fan. Well, when I finally got around to reading it, to say I was impressed just wouldn't cover it. I was floored. Folks, this is an extremely intriguing story that is fast paced, well thought out and written with that exceptional flair and style that McCammon is so gifted with. A thought provoking fictional tale that blends in non-fictional events with beautiful harmony. This novel will stir every emotion in your senses while constantly keeping your pulse rate pounding. If you are seeking an intelligent and thoroughly satisfying thriller to read, then search no further...just read "The Wolf's Hour." It will have you howling at the moon in it's praise.

I had never heard of Robert R. McCammon until my junior year of high school. I read BOY'S LIFE and wondered if there could ever be a better, more engripping book. Well I found the better book. It is THE WOLF'S HOUR and it is the best book I've ever read. It grabs hold of you from the start and never lets go. It is the story of a werewolf that is a member of the British Secret Service in World War II. This wolf-man is used for only the most urgent missions and that makes for always exciting adventures. I don't want to say anymore because I don't want to ruin the book for anyone. Just make sure to get this book and read till your eyes pop out!!!!!