Moon Dance

A reviewer once called this book "the Great American Werewolf Novel." They were pretty much right on. Wildly imaginative, meticulously developed and grand in its scope, "Moon Dance" is unlike any other werewolf novel I've ever read. At times bordering on pure genius I have read only one or two others that rank with it ("Murcheston" by David Holland being the only one yet to exceed it.). The only weakness I can see is in the portions set in modern times. Those passages lack the romantic appeal of the Old West, where most of the story is told. Otherwise this book is darn near perfect. One warning however; I have recommended "Moon Dance" to several people but always with the provision that it is for the EXTREMELY strong in the stomach. The level of gore and general "R rated" material is strong even for this genre. If that doesn't prove too distracting (as it nearly did at times for me) you will find this to be one of the few truly great werewolf novels.

Somtow has created an epic horror novel which works on a visceral level and an intellectual level. Filled with gut-wrenching violence and searing beauty, this is one great read!

Somtow has an unparalelled gift as a storyteller to skip back and forth in time with a whole array of characters and situations without losing a beat. Who else to write the Gone with the Lycantrophic Wind? Moondance is a gripping portrayal of the European expansion into the West in the late 1800s and a powerfully visceral and gory festival of horrific delights. While author after author has turned to the vampire as preferred archetype, Somtow turned to werewolves, and like as well wrote a titan granddaddy of an epic while he was at it. Two thumbs up, and ten mighty hails to Mr Somtow. I well nigh felt the travails an tribulations, the strife and hardships of Europeans, Americans and Indians alike, all in heady cocktail of crossing and interconnected events. What a spectacular drama this novel is. Yes I speak in the present tense - I still got about two hundred pages to go. I just had to come on and give my views on it this far. It's sexy and erotic and the novel can be seen as a grand slam romance with slavering beasts fighting it out in between like a West Side Story out of hell. Read the book; go see some history and get a ingenious chiller in the same bargain!

One hundred years from now, this will probably be regarded as THE werewolf novel, the one by which all others will be judged. A classic on a par with "Dracula" or "Frankenstein", but far deeper and darker than anything a celebrated 19th century "horror" writer could have spawned. Beautiful and bloody as history itself, this epic of werewolves, Native Americans and the "Wild West" will turn you inside out. Absolutely not to be missed.

I loved this book - I've actually read it about 4 times now, each time you find detail you have previously missed. Somtow really created an atmospheric and chilling world, where the beast ruled and spirit had to fight for survival.This book quite graphically portrays the werewolves, down to their smell, transformation, thoughts and feelings. The Shungmanitu a race truly at one with nature, and the european werewolves ruined by civilisation...The historical detail and accuracy, and also the way the horrors of the native american conflict were brought across were compelling to read in a way that a car crash attracts a fascinated horror, we all know it happened, we all know it was horrible, we don't want to look - but we have to.