The Wolfen

Strieber's WOLFEN is about a race of highly intelligent canines who have evolved alongside Humanity. Living on the fringes of our communities, preying upon our social flotsam and jetsam (the outcasts, the loners, the deviants), the Wolfen are the basis for all of Man's shape-shifting myths and legends. Strieber portrays this species as neither supernatural or essentially evil, but rather as another highly developed species that has learned to compete with and survive amongst a much more numerous and technologically inclined --and thus even deadlier and more destructive-- Humankind. As with most of Strieber's books, WOLFEN is a thriller that's also an intelligent and philosophical read.

This is one of my favorite stories of all times. The concept was absolutely brilliant, and like another reviewer mentioned, the movie completely missed the ball on this. Wolfen is the highest evolved member of the dog family just as we are the hightest evolved primate. Feeding exclusively on humans, the Wolfen evolved parallel from us, and increased in mental capacity to match as their prey evolved, similar to the way the cheetah's speed evolved as his prey got faster. As our technology evolved to make us more than a match for any animal, our natural predator evolved his physical abilities to keep up. The Wolfen don't have an actual opposable thumb, but their paw evolved to mimic one (close enough). It can turn a door knob or throw a complicated latch that the cleverest family pet couldn't. They've demonstrated the ability to mimic the sounds of distressed humans or children to lure their prey into lonely areas and they have a complicated/sophisticated language. But most of all they have SPEED. They are fast enough to disappear from your sight as if they vanished into thin air. With today's new CGI effects this would be the perfct time to redo that stupid movie and scare the heck out of people like they should have. And no ecological speech snorefests.

I first read this book way back in 1980 or so, shortly after it's publication. At the time I was 12; since then I've probably read the book a good 10 times! Why? Well, I'm a voracious reader who is often forced to plunder the collection just for something to read (if I can't get to the library or find anything new in the shops), but even so, a book has to be pretty damn good for me to read it more than twice. Oh, and I'm a card-carrying werewolf nut... Since I read Wolfen, I've also taken in much of Strieber's other works but I have to say in my opinion this stands head & shoulders above the rest of his output. It's also by some way my favourite werewolf tale of all time. The first thing that distinguishes this book from the rest is the central concept that the werewolves aren't supernatural beings at all, but a species of canine so exquisitely evolved that to those who encounter them the only explanation for their incredible abilities is that they must be men transformed into wolves. This is a bold idea (unfortunately dispensed with in the film version) and one that I've not seen done by anyone else. They have escaped prior detection by feeding only on the dregs of human society and by completely consuming the bodies of their dead so no corpses are left for human discovery. The second point of note is the sheer quality of the writing. Even now, this book still makes the hairs on the back of my neck stand up - and I've read it so many times I practically know it by heart! Strieber uses a superbly economical style which instils a feeling of pure dread at several points in the book. His genius is to really make you feel the pressure the protagonists are under as they realise they are totally out of their depth - and hardly anyone else believes what they have uncovered. A great deal of the pleasure to be had from this book is the attention to detail with regard to both canine physiology and werewolf mythology. The journey of discovery as our heroes slowly piece together the identity of their mysterious and hideous foes is one to relish. For me, one of the standout passages in the book is where discovery of some remains have drawn Detectives Wilson and Neff to the very lair of the Wolfen. The tension as the werewolves attempt to lure the humans by mimicking the cries of a wounded child is almost unbearable, and the conversation between the two detectives as they relive their close escape afterwards in the (supposed) safety of their car is both moving and deeply frightening. Other high points are the sections told from the werewolves point of view, particularly their description of hunts for pleasure in the autumn forests, which is truly chilling. Of course the book isn't perfect. The economical style is, in some ways, a mixed blessing. Certain passages are dispensed with almost too quickly, and overall the book could certainly have stood another 50 or even 100 pages. As it is, some of the supporting characters do seem a little `cardboard' al

The only book I ever read that had me waking up in the middle of the night frightened for my life. So well written it makes the story almost believable. After all, science continues to discover incredible animals and animal behavior every day. This book is about a pack of highly intelligent wolves that live in the inner city and prey the weak and homeless; those that will not be missed. They dedicate their lives to keeping their existence a secret by always covering their tracks wherever they go. They know we are a dangerous enemy that would exterminate them if we knew they existed. A pair of detectives investigate the death of two cops who turned up in the wrong place at the wrong time and were killed by a foolish young wolfen who hadn't learned not to attack the strong and young yet. The two detectives uncover some of the truth and, naturally, nobody believes them. But the wolfen know that they know and the hunt is on. Every step they take could be their last as they struggle to prove the existence of something that nobody has seen and survived. Brilliantly written and makes you feel unsafe, even in your own bed.

A sub-category of the horror genre is that of the man-killing creature that has co-existed with humanity since the dawn of time. Usually, horror writers delve into the supernatural for creatures that Go Bump In the Night. Whitley Streiber, in his novel, THE WOLFEN, tells a compelling yet strangely believable tale of a race of intelligent carnivores that split off from their canine ancestors milennia ago and have feasted on the dregs of human society: the weak, the old, the lost, and the sick. As the novel opens, two police officers are killed and consumed while guarding auto wrecks. As their police brethren investigate, two of them, detectives George Wilson and Becky Neff, realize that the two cops were not killed by a stray pack of wild mutts. Their investigation gradually reveals that the killers knew what they were doing and were equally determined to keep evidence of their existence a secret. The plot boils down to a race between the Wolfen's trying to kill Wilson and Neff before they can reveal the existence of the pack and the detectives' attempts to convince the world that the nightmare has already begun. What makes the book a solid read is not only the fluid writing of Streiber, but also his vast knowledge of canine habits and intelligence. The best parts of the book are not the hide and seek confrontations between the detectives and the pack but the scholarly discussions of wolfen history, anatomy, and mythology. Early in the novel, Wilson and Neff find a pawprint of a wolfen and take it to a canine biologist for analysis. The biologist studies it for a while and says, "It can't exist. Too perfect a mutation. No defects at all. Plus it's at least three steps ahead of its canine ancestors." The doctor's incredulity fades as he rethinks his objection, so he goes out to find them and is torn apart for his troubles. Whenever any writer of horror succeeds in convincing his reader that his premise could truly have happened, it is not because of his knowledge of the topic or even his technical skill at balancing a confrontation between the creatures and those who oppose them. The real test of making a monster leap off the page at the reader lies in the writer's ability to give a face and a voice to the creatures. If the creatures are seen only as lethal and bloody killing machines, then the reader cannot empathize with them. Streiber avoids this difficulty by presenting the Wolfen as killing but taking no pleasure in their killing. In fact, he goes to great pains to exhibit a long-lived species as doing merely what they have always done. The Wolfen are described as having an efficient social hierarchy, a supportive inter-family relationship, and a sense of teamwork when confronting human beings. In short, they are seen as roughly four-legged versions of human beings who do what they have to do to survive, but unlike humans, the Wolfen are not given to post-killing rationalization for their bloody deeds. It is this gentle pairing off and compar