Bestial: Werewolf Apocalypse

Very well written horror novel. Never gets "stupid" on you. Characters are people you can identify with and like. If you like Werewolves, as I do, check this book out, you won't be sorry.

My sister Carol gave me this book for my birthday and she is quite the scary book connoisseur - so I knew I was in for a spooky treat. I began reading the book late one night and would have stayed up into the night to finish it - but a little thing called work got in the way - so I finished it the next evening. Once you begin reading - you won't want to stop. Werewolves unleashed in a major city in modern day - they could be your neighbor, your mom, your dad, your annoying kid sister or brother, your husband - anyone - maybe even you. It takes "dog eat dog" to a whole new level. I won't go into the details of the book because I feel the other reviewers have done an excellent job in describing it. I especially liked A. M. Kavanagh's being that you won't be disappointed - you too will devour it - like a little Lycanthrope within you waiting to be unleashed. I had never heard of Permuted Press - yes, I live in a cave (I am sure Carol is quite familiar with them) but after reading Carl's work I will definitely be reading many of the others. I look forward to more of William Carl's stories.

I don't say this often about a book, but I could not put this one down. I devoured it in a night. This book has all the best of horror, unlikely heroes, intriguing villains, science gone wrong, the military, of course, and just the right amount of devastation, and general mayhem. What a great summer read.

What would you get if Michael Crichton, Douglas Preston and Brian Keene had a baby? The creative genius of William D. Carl. Carl takes an old cliche, the lunarly-challenged manimal, and spins it brilliantly into something wonderfully new. The premise: One ordinary night in Cincinnati, OH, the citizens are stricken with...something. They undergo painful physical changes and their behavior turns violently, sadistically animalistic. A small percentage of the population seems immune to the change. The novel follows four main characters, their efforts to survive and their reactions to the horrific events around them. There is so much more to Bestial than death, destruction and mayhem. Carl's characters are believable people behaving in a believable manner. They could be your brother, cousin or neighbor. So why did I title the review "why you should never judge a book by its cover"? Because, the cover does not do justice to this impressive piece of literature. It does not convey the mystery/thriller mood of the book that goes along with the horror aspect. Look beyond the cover. This is one that is well worth a read. I cannot wait to see what William Carl does next.

BESTIAL takes the basic premise that lycanthropy becomes an airborne virus with only a few people whop are immune, and it makes a thrilling read out of it. This is cinematic stuff. I am Legend with werewolves instead of vampires/zombies. It reels from one rip-snorting set piece to the next without so much as pausing for breath. Hollywood take note! Also, there's a real depth of character here, something you don't usually see in a horror / action novel. These feel like real people, and the react in ways real people would when faced with a hopeless situation. They don't turn all Rambo. They hide, scream, run, and defend themselves in ways I could see myself doing. Also, I cared about these characters. I really wanted them to make it out alive. I highly recommend BESTIAL:WEREWOLF APOCALYPSE, especially to anyone who loves the thrill rides of Dean Koontz, Michael Crichton (the early works, not the new crud), F. Paul Wilson, or James Rollins. It's about as exciting as it can get, and I hjope there's a sequel in the works! DS