Cycle of the Werewolf

[narfnitsirk]

Stephen King’s Cycle of the Werewolf has always held a special place in my heart, I think because I was so young when I first read it and saw those glorious pictures. The illustrations really make the book, the text, standing on its own, wouldn’t be half so strong. And it’s the black and while illustrations I really find haunting, more so than the

Comments

[fairylogic]

I loved that book! Haven't read it in years, I may have to curl up in a corner with it next time we're at your place.

GARY BUSEY!!

[anonymous]

You rock!

I love your take on King's Cycle of the Werewolf. I agree the fact that Reverend Lowe can't really look at any one event and tie it to the wolf makes a difference in the believability of the story. I also loved the mundane thoughts turning to terror.

Your observations about the omniscient POV are really good and I wonder if the POV was why I felt like the story was dated. The detached feeling reminded me a bit of Matheson, which we know was written in the 50s. I like Cycle of the Werewolf, but it does feel just slightly "off" to me.

~Nikki

The "Good" Reverend Lowe

[anonymous]

I think King's choice of the reverend as the werewolf worked for this particular story. However, I think it is in the brevity of character that this does work. If King would have written this as he usually does, with long pages of character development, the reveal of the reverend as monster would probably not have worked. It seems that with restraint in character building one can get away with a cliche concept as the man of god being the monster.

Craig

Ha ha!

[anonymous]

I haven't seen the movie in its entirety, but I did catch some of the end a long time ago, I'm sure on a UHF channel. I do NOT recall the Busey playing Marty's uncle. I wish now I had. Would have made the story even happier. LOL

Great point on the mundane thoughts of the victims turning to terror and the eyes recurring through each murder. I'm not one who feels like the monster needs to be known or completely understood in a horror story - and in fact, it sometimes works out better when we don't get a chance to peek into its head (as Craig writes above) - but I do feel like we get to know the monster through the fear of the townspeople and through Marty's experience. It's not intimate knowledge, but it's enough.

-KL

[anonymous]

I love your analysis here. And I have to add that I, too, thought Marty's uncle was a very cool character. King is so good at the telling detail that sets the character quickly. I loved Uncle Al's reluctance to tick off his sister by showing up when he was supposed to be in the doghouse. He and Marty (and even Marty's other, less helpful family members) all rang true to me and saved this book from being just an unemotional appetizer of nice prose. I really liked and cared about Marty, which made all the difference.

Kathleen Pynn