by Glen Duncan
Knopf, $24.95, 295 pages
After living as a werewolf for 200 years, Jake is ready to die. He is tired of killing, of remembering and reliving a long lifetime of regret, and of running from the World Organization for the Control of Occult Phenomena, an organization set on wiping out the werewolf species. When Jake learns that he now bears the title of “the last werewolf,” he calmly accepts his fate and prepares for death. All goes as planned until he discovers a deeper plot that involves Vampires, his species’ mortal enemy. He also has hope of finding an ancient text that describes the origin of werewolves, something he has searched for over decades. How far will Jake go to survive?
Author Glen Duncan’s novel The Last Werewolf is a unique take on an age old legend. In Jake, Duncan has created a multi-dimensional character that readers both root for and revile. Jake has committed atrocities that are beyond belief. Yet he has also loved, sacrificed, and survived against practically insurmountable odds. The last half of the book has a fantastic twist. Can Jake find the motivation to live and fight for something valuable?
Reviewed by Kathryn Franklin