The Last Werewolf by Glen Duncan

So for my first post, I've chosen a work by one of my favourite writers - relatively recently discovered by me - and the first book of his I read.  As a sucker for all things supernatural - albeit often disappointed by the genre - it was inevitable that this novel would catch my eye as I browsed in the train station's WHSmith's. A recommendation on the cover from Nick Cave piqued my interest and I bought it on a whim.

I expected a pacey and entertaining read at best, but it truly blew me away.  Duncan offers up a gripping and tense, page-an-inch-from-your-face storyline, recounted by a charismatic lead, shot through with violence, gore and heartbreak. Cliffhangers at every turn mean that the story will keep you hooked to the end and beyond. 

We join the protagonist Jake Marlowe after 200 years of life, constantly plagued by his animal urges and haunted by his crimes, the only one of his kind left in the world. Hunted by a government branch intent on wiping out werewolves, he has grown weary of life and is contemplating suicide - but shocking events and new revelations lead him into an intriguing adventure, a new lust for life and a desperate fight to hold on to it.

  

A lot of people will be put off by a book about werewolves; they don't exactly have a long affiliation with great literature (I'm looking at you, Twilight). I can see people glaze over when I recommend this book. They nod and listen but I know they won't go near it.  However, this book is different: superbly written with about as much sex and violence as it could get away with without being gratuitous. Well, I'm sure some would argue it's a bit gratuitous, but in my mind there's nothing wrong with that. 

It's a while since I read The Last Werewolf but, as with all of the Glen Duncan books I have read, his character development is so strong that the people and events about which he writes have stuck in my head for a long time afterwards. The characters seem so real that I felt I knew them and, like with all great books, when I turned the final page and closed the book I was left with a feeling of 'what now?'

Luckily Duncan wrote a sequel and the final episode in the trilogy is due for release soon.  To avoid spoilers I won't talk too much about the second instalment but in my opinion, it isn't as good as the first. It is however, still an exceptionally good read, and if you enjoy The Last Werewolf as much as I did you'll be desperate to read on.

Incidentally Glen Duncan's earlier novel, Death of an Ordinary Man, is a very different but perhaps even better novel. An incredible book which had a real impact on me and is both hard-hitting and tender in generous measures. I could have chosen that less famous Duncan work to review, but as a twist on a well known myth, I feel that The Last Werewolf is an accessible and extremely enjoyable entry into the works of one of the most talented British authors working today.