This week we got to read Cycle of the Werewolf by Stephen King. And I really don't think I need to tell anyone that when you combine Stephen King and werewolves I'm in and I'll love it. And this is book lives up to that. This was closed to my 15 read of his book. I didn't have to buy it for class because I had a first edition book that my mother bought when it came out. My mother had great taste. Anyway without further ado here are my thoughts on this book.
Can we take a minute and talk about how this book starts, "Somewhere, high above, the moon shine down, fat and full--but here, in Tarker's Mills, a January blizzard has cooked the sky with snow. The wind rams full force down a deserted Center Avenue; the orange town plowed have given up long since," ( King, 13). It starts with ever scenery and weather. Two things as writers we are told ad nauseum ad infinitum not to do. And yet here it is and by the amazing Mr. Stephen King. I'm just saying, that is pretty awesome. It gives me hope. A lot of hope.
I also wanted to talk about the style choices that are made in this book. We don't meet the main character (Marty) until page 61. That's highly unusual... But it works. This book is almost like a series of short stories based around a central theme. That in my opinion is a really cool style choice and I really like it.
*Spoiler Alert* Can we talk about how the May chapter tells you that Reverend Lowe is the werewolf. I knew reading through this time who the wolf was. I challenge others to go back and reread the May chapter and see how masterfully King tells you it's him without telling you. I mean why wouldn't you stand up and accuse everyone else in town of being the wolf when you are yourself the wolf. Also the werewolf dream. In werewolf fiction dreams are huge and usually only occur to those who are turning or are werewolves themselves. And that's why Stephen King is the man.
The last thing I want to talk about is the body count and gore in this book. Nine dead people (if you don't count the Reverend), and nine pigs... That's a huge body count and yet there is very little gore. And that makes me sad. I want gore. I want buckets and bathtubs full of blood. I want severed appendages flailing and heads rolling. In fact my only compliant is that I wanted more gore.
Over all I really enjoyed this book. I have read it before and I'll read it again. I love werewolves. I love Stephen King. In my book that makes this book a Reese's peanut butter cup. Two great taste that taste great together.
Works Cited
King, Stephen. Cycle of the Werewolf. New York. Penguin Group, 1983
I actually thought the level of gore in this book was perfect. I've never liked gore simply for the sake of gore. Like everything else in a book, it needs to advance the story. And this is where I felt King did an excellent job. Just enough gore to give you a good idea of what happened. Then cut.
ReplyDeleteNot. Me. I want buckets, nay bathtubs,. no rivers of gore! I want people slipping around in guts and and heads rolling across pavement. But I realize I'm in the minority on that one. Lol.
DeleteI did catch that King revealed the werewolf in May, and I agree that it was fantastic!
ReplyDeleteLol@ you wanting rivers of gore. I think I would have appreciated rivers, but I was pleased with the small amount of gore we got. There are certain scenes that are plenty gory (e.g., Neary's death) to satisfy my taste for blood, while of course many of the death scenes have minimal or no gore. When those scenes are taken together, I feel like King managed to give us a tasteful and poetic werewolf story. And I wonder whether its poetry would have been as successful with buckets of gore. (It probably would have been; it's King after all.)
I think I'm in the same boat as you that I expected (or maybe just wanted) a lot more gore. And as to your comments on my post, I think you make a good point about when this was published. '83 is certainly before, at least around the start, of the werewolf craze, so a lot of the staples hadn't yet become cliche.
ReplyDelete