Helpful Score: 9
Years ago I was a big Anne Rice fan. I would buy her books as soon as they came out. The vampire & witch novels at first were wonderful but then she become repetitive and then religious. I hadn't read a book by her in years.
Then I read about The Wolf Gift and thought well I'll give it a try. This was like the Anne Rice I remembered and loved. Wonderful characters, descriptive scenery and a story with some unique features of what we think of as werewolves.
If she writes more books in this style I will become a fan again. I loved all the references to northern California. I have visited there and the description are on the money and brought back memories of my own visits.
Then I read about The Wolf Gift and thought well I'll give it a try. This was like the Anne Rice I remembered and loved. Wonderful characters, descriptive scenery and a story with some unique features of what we think of as werewolves.
If she writes more books in this style I will become a fan again. I loved all the references to northern California. I have visited there and the description are on the money and brought back memories of my own visits.
Helpful Score: 6
Outstanding much better than I expected. Love the background history really makes you think about the werewolf legend. Glad Anne Rice is writing paranormal again. The Witching Hour was one of my favorite all time books, this is a similar calibre. HIghly recommend.
Wendy W. (wendywiz) -
Thank goodness she's back! I was a big fan of the vampire chronicles and The Witching Hours trilogy is one of my favourite series ever. A great twist on the werewolf stories of old! Sequel please!!
I'm sorry to admit that I atempted to read this book 3 different times, and failed every time. Sad, because I really wanted to like this book. I liked the premise and hoped for a good read.
First, I think the writing style drags. This is third book by A.Rice I read and all three without exception failed on the story telling. Something about it makes it impersonal, and the characters, vere unrealistic and ...well I just did not care for any of them. Case in point H. Here is 24years old but has the character and habits of a 60year old man from the early 1900.
And then there is the absolute certanaty of existence of the G. Figure being stuffed down my throat every few paragraphs. I read plenty of SciFy novels with rather strong religious undercurrent, and loved them. Here it is heavy handled and forced on the reader to a point one wants to perpetualy roll eyes at the celling.
The last comment is about the volume. For a 500+ pg book not much hapends here. Most of the time it's just talking, talking, scene descriptions and disposal (grousome) of rapists and other riffraff. Other than that nothing. Ending is straight forward visible from pg 2 and offers no twists. Maybe because this is just book 1 and so there is no ending. At the end (I skipped A LOT OF PAGES to get there at all) I was left with; "Meh, I'm glad that's over" and offered the book for swap to some other unfortunate sole.
First, I think the writing style drags. This is third book by A.Rice I read and all three without exception failed on the story telling. Something about it makes it impersonal, and the characters, vere unrealistic and ...well I just did not care for any of them. Case in point H. Here is 24years old but has the character and habits of a 60year old man from the early 1900.
And then there is the absolute certanaty of existence of the G. Figure being stuffed down my throat every few paragraphs. I read plenty of SciFy novels with rather strong religious undercurrent, and loved them. Here it is heavy handled and forced on the reader to a point one wants to perpetualy roll eyes at the celling.
The last comment is about the volume. For a 500+ pg book not much hapends here. Most of the time it's just talking, talking, scene descriptions and disposal (grousome) of rapists and other riffraff. Other than that nothing. Ending is straight forward visible from pg 2 and offers no twists. Maybe because this is just book 1 and so there is no ending. At the end (I skipped A LOT OF PAGES to get there at all) I was left with; "Meh, I'm glad that's over" and offered the book for swap to some other unfortunate sole.
Robyn M. (artsncrafts) reviewed The Wolf Gift (Wolf Gift Chronicles, Bk 1) on + 52 more book reviews
First let me say I love Anne Rice and have read most of her books. This newer book with a werewolf theme (called man wolf by Rice) has a fresh new voice to it in my opinion, quite different from the Vampire Chronicles, but is still rich with detail and depth of characters and plot. I liked this better than most of the werewolf stories I have read or seen dramatized; lots of action/mystery in this book with deeply fleshed out characters. Can't wait to read the 2nd book in the series and then to await the debut of the third slated for later 2014.
One of my favorite series of all time is Anne Rice's The Mayfair Witches. After that, I stopped reading her books, got too religious for me. I decided to try again with The Wolf Gift and I must say I liked it and it held my interest. However the many instances of beast/ human sex and details of his werewolf erection was disgusting and icky and turned me off big time! As for Rueben's "falling instantly in love" twice with women he just met while he still had a girlfriend, but because she was probably cheating on him with his best friend......well that made it acceptable........Please!!!
However, I loved Felix and his "distinguished gentlemen" friends, their stories were interesting and fun and hope they play a big part in the coming sequel which I do look forward to.
However, I loved Felix and his "distinguished gentlemen" friends, their stories were interesting and fun and hope they play a big part in the coming sequel which I do look forward to.
Another Anne Rice success.
Mari D. (luv2cnewthings) reviewed The Wolf Gift (Wolf Gift Chronicles, Bk 1) on + 55 more book reviews
Anne Rice does it again with another mesmerizing tale this time involving werewolves.
It all begins with our protagonist, Reuben, who is blessed with many gifts. He has a good family, good looks, a good education, and moneyall that he thinks he is lacking is talent. Dont get me wrong, he isnt the Prince Brat, like our most beloved Lestat (Interview with a Vampire) was and he isnt as humble as Toby ODare (Songs of a Seraphim; Angel Time), but like the character Marchent Nideck says, he isnt a cynic at all eitherbut then why should he be?
Nonetheless, going back to the thought of talent, he most certainly didnt have a talent for science or math to his mother, Graces dismay. In fact, she got him his first job at the San Francisco Observer and it is due to this occupation that he meets Marchent Nideck the heiress to Felix Nidecks entire estate. An estate that not only included a fortune, but a mansion tucked away in a huge Redwood forest with beach views and access somewhere in California. However, as our protagonist stated, there is always some kind of mystery or haunting tale...something dark and tragic about a house like this and this one was enshrouded with Felix Nidecks disappearance. Perhaps that was the real reason why Billie, the editor at the Observer, sent Reuben on this particular assignment.
Reuben falls in love with the area; he falls in love with the estate, and even falls in love with Marchent. (Some might argue about this, but after all, what is love?) Unfortunately, before he can turn everything into happily ever after a set of violent events take place and he is left with the wolf gift.
Therefore, we follow Reuben as he attempts to understand the transformation, control it, and even develop it. The transformation unsurprisingly gives the recipient super human strength, but it also brings with it an overwhelming sense of seeking out evil. At this point some might call it a curse instead, but Reuben himself states, A curse, [is] a metaphorIts the way we describe our worst unhappiness and he was by no means unhappy. (387)
The need to seek out evil makes him become the proverbial Judge, Jury and Executioner of several high and low profile crimes throughout California. In turn, we also accompany him as he struggles with whether or not his actions were right or wrong. (The underlying theme becomes more apparent: Does evil truly exist? i.e.: The Antique Ring by Nathaniel Hawthorne) Even if Reuben or we as the reader or representative of the public at large arent remorseful for the killing of an evildoer, his brother, Jim an ordained Priest wont let any of us forget as he stated:
You killed them in their sins! You terminated their destiny on this earth. You snatched from them any chance for repentance, for redemption. You took that from them. You took it allYou snuffed out forever the years of reparation they might have lived! You took life itself from them and you took it from their descendants, and yes, even from their victims, you took what their amends might have been. (217)
Concurrently, he also finds love with the wolf gift. Maybe it is true love this time since he was certainly not in love with Celeste she was his mother in a younger form and in the legal industry instead of medicine and the time with Marchent was too short to know if it was love.
All the while, struggling with the control of the transformation yields another accidental transformation and researching it solves the mystery of Felix Nidecks disappearance as well as the representation of a new kind of evil.
It all begins with our protagonist, Reuben, who is blessed with many gifts. He has a good family, good looks, a good education, and moneyall that he thinks he is lacking is talent. Dont get me wrong, he isnt the Prince Brat, like our most beloved Lestat (Interview with a Vampire) was and he isnt as humble as Toby ODare (Songs of a Seraphim; Angel Time), but like the character Marchent Nideck says, he isnt a cynic at all eitherbut then why should he be?
Nonetheless, going back to the thought of talent, he most certainly didnt have a talent for science or math to his mother, Graces dismay. In fact, she got him his first job at the San Francisco Observer and it is due to this occupation that he meets Marchent Nideck the heiress to Felix Nidecks entire estate. An estate that not only included a fortune, but a mansion tucked away in a huge Redwood forest with beach views and access somewhere in California. However, as our protagonist stated, there is always some kind of mystery or haunting tale...something dark and tragic about a house like this and this one was enshrouded with Felix Nidecks disappearance. Perhaps that was the real reason why Billie, the editor at the Observer, sent Reuben on this particular assignment.
Reuben falls in love with the area; he falls in love with the estate, and even falls in love with Marchent. (Some might argue about this, but after all, what is love?) Unfortunately, before he can turn everything into happily ever after a set of violent events take place and he is left with the wolf gift.
Therefore, we follow Reuben as he attempts to understand the transformation, control it, and even develop it. The transformation unsurprisingly gives the recipient super human strength, but it also brings with it an overwhelming sense of seeking out evil. At this point some might call it a curse instead, but Reuben himself states, A curse, [is] a metaphorIts the way we describe our worst unhappiness and he was by no means unhappy. (387)
The need to seek out evil makes him become the proverbial Judge, Jury and Executioner of several high and low profile crimes throughout California. In turn, we also accompany him as he struggles with whether or not his actions were right or wrong. (The underlying theme becomes more apparent: Does evil truly exist? i.e.: The Antique Ring by Nathaniel Hawthorne) Even if Reuben or we as the reader or representative of the public at large arent remorseful for the killing of an evildoer, his brother, Jim an ordained Priest wont let any of us forget as he stated:
You killed them in their sins! You terminated their destiny on this earth. You snatched from them any chance for repentance, for redemption. You took that from them. You took it allYou snuffed out forever the years of reparation they might have lived! You took life itself from them and you took it from their descendants, and yes, even from their victims, you took what their amends might have been. (217)
Concurrently, he also finds love with the wolf gift. Maybe it is true love this time since he was certainly not in love with Celeste she was his mother in a younger form and in the legal industry instead of medicine and the time with Marchent was too short to know if it was love.
All the while, struggling with the control of the transformation yields another accidental transformation and researching it solves the mystery of Felix Nidecks disappearance as well as the representation of a new kind of evil.
Laurie C. (softrbreeze) reviewed The Wolf Gift (Wolf Gift Chronicles, Bk 1) on + 27 more book reviews
Not on par with Rice's vampire series but if you can appreciate a different take on werewolves, then please take some time to enjoy this book!
Overall, I enjoyed the story and it was classic Anne Rice writing, with detailed descriptions and rich scene setting. It's a well written book from a good author, however, I did not love it. The beginning was a little tedious and it took a bit for the story to move along. Once it does, it picks up pace but then it slows down again and seems to drag in the middle and toward the end. I think the book should have ended AT LEAST 50 pages sooner than it did, if not more It just seemed to go on and on. I can't say I felt a strong connection to any of the characters and I feel there was too much inner dialogue present in the book. Some inner dialogue is always good to a degree but this was a bit overkill. There was a little too much philosophizing. Again, I enjoy this in a book but it started to feel repetitive. It took me two weeks to get myself through this whole book, whereas I usually get through a good book within a few days. It IS a good book. It's a new take on the werewolf theme. It just needs to be condensed a bit and there are a few things in the story that bothered me and I just couldn't make sense of in my head. The main one being Laura's character and her relationship with Reuben. Somehow, I just can't seem to believe that a woman living in the woods would instantly be in lust with a man wolf that appears at her door and they automatically have this deep connection. The idea of her having sex with him in his animal form is rather unappealing. I also didn't care for the back story, the whole history of how werewolves came to be. I give the author credit for trying to come up with something unique and different. It's interesting but wasn't very believable for me. I greatly love Anne's vampire chronicles. I'm only lukewarm in my feelings toward her werewolf story. But I am glad I read it. It's worthy of 3 solid stars. I do recommend it if you are an Anne Rice fan. Just be prepared for the above mentioned critiques. Maybe you'll enjoy it better than I did. I don't know if I'll be reading the next books in the series or not. I'm hoping the story gets better and there isn't as much inner repetitive diatribe.
