Bareback
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Product Description
Scifantastic, 18th July 2006
'Fresh and beautiful . . . Take your time reading it . . . It puts you in that reading bubble, ever sought, not often found'
--This text refers to the
Hardcover
edition.
Emerald City, 24th July 2006
'Lola is an outstandingly well-realized central character. We get right inside her head, feeling all her emotions vividly... splendidly entertaining'
--This text refers to the
Hardcover
edition.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
9 of 9 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Imagine living in a world where 99.6% of the population turn into werewolves once a month, and the remaining few "barebacks" are unable to turn because they've been subtly brain-damaged at birth. This is the world that our protaganist, Lola, inhabits.
"Barebacks" are inferior, poorly paid, and drafted at 18 years old into the Department for Ongoing Regulation of Lycanthropic Activity - DORLA - to risk their lives on a monthly basis making sure the "lyco" elite keep to their curfew and don't hurt themselves. It's a pretty thankless life and for Lola it's about to get worse... a co-worker has just been murdered- shot in the head with a silver bullet - and she might just be next.
This is an well written and atmospheric read. Whitfield has a lyrical grasp of language and plenty of original metaphor. The plot is solid and an interesting twist on the "usual" werewolf-as-the-outsider. I will be keeping an eye out for more of her work.
"Barebacks" are inferior, poorly paid, and drafted at 18 years old into the Department for Ongoing Regulation of Lycanthropic Activity - DORLA - to risk their lives on a monthly basis making sure the "lyco" elite keep to their curfew and don't hurt themselves. It's a pretty thankless life and for Lola it's about to get worse... a co-worker has just been murdered- shot in the head with a silver bullet - and she might just be next.
This is an well written and atmospheric read. Whitfield has a lyrical grasp of language and plenty of original metaphor. The plot is solid and an interesting twist on the "usual" werewolf-as-the-outsider. I will be keeping an eye out for more of her work.
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Really enjoyed this book. Sounds a bit wierd, as it was depressing in places, and the barebacks' lives sucked the big one, but the style of writing made up for it. As one reader has said, i don't know if i'll read it again as it has no happy ending as such, but would be interested in a sequel to see where the story goes next. This writer's imagination knows no bounds, certainly.
One thing though, this book is also printed as "Benighted", which i only found out when i received it and the first page was instantly recognisable as the start of "Bareback". Bit deflated, actually, as thought i'd found a sequel!
One thing though, this book is also printed as "Benighted", which i only found out when i received it and the first page was instantly recognisable as the start of "Bareback". Bit deflated, actually, as thought i'd found a sequel!
9 of 10 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
'Bareback' is a thriller, above all; it's also a detective mystery, a deep character study, and a fully-realised alternative reality. The heroine is a scarred veteran - at 28 - of a small group of despised civil servants, conscripted into the system because they are non-werewolves. These few are charged with keeping the world functioning during moon nights, when all the normal citizens turn into wolves and start destroying things. It becomes an eerily reversed examination of discrimination, as the characters we consider to be human are universally regarded by the others, and more interestingly by themselves, as lacking something, disabled and weak. And there's also a fine awareness of the powers of bureaucracy and 'public opinion', as the hapless werewolf hunters are routinely injured and killed by the wolves, but cannot themselves risk inflicting damage without offending the ruling majority - and yet even that polarity is disturbed by Whitfield, as it becomes apparent that the non-werewolves take their revenge in numerous ways, acting as a secret police force whose power is supreme, and corruptible, in the underground prison cells.
The premise is interesting enough, then; what drives the book along, however, is a brilliant combination of detective thriller with a genuinely literary level of character development and depth. The plot rattles along with gripping speed; and our involvement in the mind of the heroine is huge. Whitfield's dialogue is utterly convincing in its qualities of miscommunication, and her heroine's flaws and weaknesses are as apparent as her strengths.
Above all, whatever your genre preferences or prejudices, 'Bareback' is worth a try: it's an extremely entertaining novel, which demands to be read at a sitting, and stays in the mind for a long time afterwards.
The premise is interesting enough, then; what drives the book along, however, is a brilliant combination of detective thriller with a genuinely literary level of character development and depth. The plot rattles along with gripping speed; and our involvement in the mind of the heroine is huge. Whitfield's dialogue is utterly convincing in its qualities of miscommunication, and her heroine's flaws and weaknesses are as apparent as her strengths.
Above all, whatever your genre preferences or prejudices, 'Bareback' is worth a try: it's an extremely entertaining novel, which demands to be read at a sitting, and stays in the mind for a long time afterwards.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Excellent read with real characters and situations
The plot has been well described by other reviews so no need to rehash it. What I did like was the way in which the fantasy element (the werewolves) was not the core of the book. Read more
Published 8 months ago by Katy May
Interesting parallels
I tend to prefer vampire fiction but this book was recommended in a magazine I read recently and having similarities with the recent film 'Daywalkers' I thought I would give it a... Read more
Published on 17 Mar 2010 by PJ Rankine
Bareback by Kit Whitfield (reviewed by Kelvin M. Knight)
The cover of Bareback is perplexing: what does an enormous full moon, blotting out everything, have to do with the title? Read more
Published on 8 Feb 2009 by K. M. Knight
Beknighted or Bareback - still the same to me
I didn't enjoy this book as much as I expected to, I had hoped this book would be as good as the recommendations that came to me. I liked it, but it won't be a keeper. Read more
Published on 12 Sep 2008 by Mrs. K. Brookbank
A real find
I picked up Bareback by chance and was immediately engrossed by it. Kitfield's strange-familiar world is utterly convincing, her skill as writer and storyteller compelling. Read more
Published on 30 Nov 2007 by Readaholic
Different Werewolves
In a world where being a Werewolf is normal and not being a were is actually caused at birth by minor brain damage this is an interesting story variant on the werewolf story. Read more
Published on 6 Oct 2007 by Wyvernfriend
A Real Treat
After reading so many American books, it's nice to read an urban fantasy book by a different author - this one is English, even though the city her characters inhabit is fictional. Read more
Published on 17 Sep 2007 by Tez Miller
Four and a Half Stars
Lola Galley lives in a world where over 99% of the population are lycanthropes. As a 'bareback' for the one night a month of the full moon she patrols the town searching for... Read more
Published on 13 Aug 2007 by Lesley70
clever and unique!
'Bareback' is a great read! Cleverly written and a sharp story that contributes to her unique style of writing. Read more
Published on 1 Oct 2006 by Ru Brooks
A thought-provoking page-turner
This is very much a cross-genre book. But once you start reading it, you're drawn beyond any considerations of genre into a powerful story. Read more
Published on 1 Oct 2006 by Nic
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