The Last Werewolf
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Review
'Loaded with beautifully constructed lunatic ravings ... A sublime study in literary elegance. It is bloody (and) brilliant.' --Independent
'Duncan's monstrous narrator makes for memorably rambunctious company' --TLS
'The Last Werewolf is written with such scandalous ferocity and such grizzly humour it feels like the literary equivalent of howling at the moon' --Matt Haig
'Remarkable for its humour, eloquence and self-aware intelligence. A deeply human narrative about the nature of story itself' --Stella Duffy
'Absolutely brilliant. A surreal, dark and unsettling tale that really did put the bite back into the supernatural.' --Russel McLean
'Duncan's monstrous narrator makes for memorably rambunctious company' --TLS
'The Last Werewolf is written with such scandalous ferocity and such grizzly humour it feels like the literary equivalent of howling at the moon' --Matt Haig
'Remarkable for its humour, eloquence and self-aware intelligence. A deeply human narrative about the nature of story itself' --Stella Duffy
'Absolutely brilliant. A surreal, dark and unsettling tale that really did put the bite back into the supernatural.' --Russel McLean
Product Description
For two centuries Jacob Marlowe has wandered the world, enslaved by his lunatic appetites and tormented by the memory of his first and most monstrous crime. Now, the last of his kind, he knows he can't go on. But as Jake counts down to suicide, a violent murder and an extraordinary meeting plunge him straight back into the desperate pursuit of life.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
32 of 33 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
As the title suggests, Jakob Marlowe is the last surviving werewolf in the world. Headed by Grainer, a steely unemotional character with a persona vendetta gainst Jake, WOCOP ( World Organisation for the Control of Occult Phenomena) has been exterminating werewolves with brutal efficiency, and Jake is their final catch. The chances of escape seem slim.
He is faced with a choice: Keep fighting for survival against the odds, or meet his executioner in defeat at the next full moon. The question is, does he want to keep living all alone in the world? What would be the point?
So begins the book which instantly sucked me in - From the first description of newly fallen snow I knew I was on to a good thing.
First of all, it is pure, rampant fantasy - there are werewolves, vampires, secret organisations, basement vaults, ancient documents, sub-plots and sub-sub-plots. It is outrageously, blatantly, unapologetically fantastical, and it is done in such a matter-of-fact and natural way that I bought it hook, line and sinker.
But that's not all - in addition to the rollocking fantasy, this book is a joyous celebration of English articulacy. Duncan is a master with words and sentences, every page providing a new angle or a totally original observation. He is delightfully playful with words, which are often used as much for their sound as their meaning. It is acutely observant and introspective, detailed, sensitive and very often brilliant.
And it is this skill which allows Duncan to add another, very dark, level to his story. The understanding of what it is to be as werewolf is complete: Man as an animal, and what happens when the biological, natural process of predation conflicts with being human. Hunger is described as a living, thinking thing, an adversary to be fought but never defeated. There is a refreshingly detached view on mortality and humanity I have never seen before.
This sharply intelligent book is at times funny, heartbreaking, deliciously perverted, grotesque and always, always brilliant.
He is faced with a choice: Keep fighting for survival against the odds, or meet his executioner in defeat at the next full moon. The question is, does he want to keep living all alone in the world? What would be the point?
So begins the book which instantly sucked me in - From the first description of newly fallen snow I knew I was on to a good thing.
First of all, it is pure, rampant fantasy - there are werewolves, vampires, secret organisations, basement vaults, ancient documents, sub-plots and sub-sub-plots. It is outrageously, blatantly, unapologetically fantastical, and it is done in such a matter-of-fact and natural way that I bought it hook, line and sinker.
But that's not all - in addition to the rollocking fantasy, this book is a joyous celebration of English articulacy. Duncan is a master with words and sentences, every page providing a new angle or a totally original observation. He is delightfully playful with words, which are often used as much for their sound as their meaning. It is acutely observant and introspective, detailed, sensitive and very often brilliant.
And it is this skill which allows Duncan to add another, very dark, level to his story. The understanding of what it is to be as werewolf is complete: Man as an animal, and what happens when the biological, natural process of predation conflicts with being human. Hunger is described as a living, thinking thing, an adversary to be fought but never defeated. There is a refreshingly detached view on mortality and humanity I have never seen before.
This sharply intelligent book is at times funny, heartbreaking, deliciously perverted, grotesque and always, always brilliant.
13 of 14 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Glen Duncan is a staggeringly good writer. And The Last Werewolf is a brilliant re-invention of the gothic novel, as well as an explicitly exciting and erudite exploration of the powerful animal forces and human morals that drive us.
What is the nature of good and evil? What would you do?
It is beautiful, sexy, comic, dirty and viciously insightful. It is also a perfect vehicle for Mr Duncans wealth of talents. The writer's dazzling use of language and his frighteningly lurid insight into man's psyche and the wild sexual animal within, allows the story to inhabit every word, every syllable. Just as a great film director frames and edits every shot to contribute to the sense of the whole and allows each image and each scene to carry the overall message of the film, so too does Mr Duncan. With his wonderfully perceptive and delicately brutal use of language there is not only insight but a rich sense of feeling inked into every page.
I absolutley love this writer.
Having said that, even as I loved the book, there remained a niggle. And nobody likes a niggle. As other reviewers have mentioned, although I found myself almost entirely absorbed, there were also moments when I became aware of a certain labouring in the plot that would drag me out of the tale. The story starts on such a high level that it is a noticeable shame that, as it progesses, Mr Duncan is seemingly unable to maintain that quality.
For this I would have dropped half a star from the 5 if I could.
My feeling is what makes this niggle niggle is the sense that Mr Duncan is so close to getting it exactly right that you notice when it is just off. Like a concert pianist who plays almost perfectly only to hit a couple of bum notes at the end.
Still a book absolutley worth reading, still a book that would be a shame to miss. I do not know of any other current British writer of this calibre. And after "I Lucifer" then "The Last Werewolf" would probably be my next favourite Glen Duncan book. I absolutely ate it up.
In fact, if you love good writing, I urge you to read "I Lucifer" too, only I would recommend giving yourself a gap between the 2 books, because that would be two filthily rich meals. One every full moon will do.
What is the nature of good and evil? What would you do?
It is beautiful, sexy, comic, dirty and viciously insightful. It is also a perfect vehicle for Mr Duncans wealth of talents. The writer's dazzling use of language and his frighteningly lurid insight into man's psyche and the wild sexual animal within, allows the story to inhabit every word, every syllable. Just as a great film director frames and edits every shot to contribute to the sense of the whole and allows each image and each scene to carry the overall message of the film, so too does Mr Duncan. With his wonderfully perceptive and delicately brutal use of language there is not only insight but a rich sense of feeling inked into every page.
I absolutley love this writer.
Having said that, even as I loved the book, there remained a niggle. And nobody likes a niggle. As other reviewers have mentioned, although I found myself almost entirely absorbed, there were also moments when I became aware of a certain labouring in the plot that would drag me out of the tale. The story starts on such a high level that it is a noticeable shame that, as it progesses, Mr Duncan is seemingly unable to maintain that quality.
For this I would have dropped half a star from the 5 if I could.
My feeling is what makes this niggle niggle is the sense that Mr Duncan is so close to getting it exactly right that you notice when it is just off. Like a concert pianist who plays almost perfectly only to hit a couple of bum notes at the end.
Still a book absolutley worth reading, still a book that would be a shame to miss. I do not know of any other current British writer of this calibre. And after "I Lucifer" then "The Last Werewolf" would probably be my next favourite Glen Duncan book. I absolutely ate it up.
In fact, if you love good writing, I urge you to read "I Lucifer" too, only I would recommend giving yourself a gap between the 2 books, because that would be two filthily rich meals. One every full moon will do.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
With each new novel Glen Duncan tops the last one and at this rate he could end up being an absolute giant of the literary scene. The fact that this novel was seen as sci-fi/fantasy (and reviewed as such several times on this site) seemed at first as if this was not a true addition to the Duncan canon but any fears were soon banished once the book was started. As ever with Glen Duncan his imaginative narrative takes hold and the reader is drawn into an intricate story with enough literary artifice to keep it interesting. There are as always clever references to other writers, Conrad, the feel of Amis's dirty London, and the impression that this is a writer who not only can string words together with narrative drive but also has the knowledge of literature to back it up.
The novel is written in the form of a journal (not at all confusing as other reviewers have commented) which details the few months follwing the discovery that Jake Marlowe is the last werewolf alive.
As ever Duncan touches the themes of sex and death, with beautiful, evocative writing, ensuring that the fate of the characters is of real importance by the end. I read in in two sittings almost unable to put it down. How will he top this one?
The novel is written in the form of a journal (not at all confusing as other reviewers have commented) which details the few months follwing the discovery that Jake Marlowe is the last werewolf alive.
As ever Duncan touches the themes of sex and death, with beautiful, evocative writing, ensuring that the fate of the characters is of real importance by the end. I read in in two sittings almost unable to put it down. How will he top this one?
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
They say that the world loves an underdog.....
..........and in a sense, in a world seemingly obsessed with vampires, this could in some ways be a book for the ultimate underdog - though in this case it's a huge, fearsome and... Read more
Published 18 hours ago by Col
heavy on the sex
If you like an emphasis on the sexual side, this is for you. If you prefer the story to dominate, leave it alone. Read more
Published 2 days ago by Mr. John T. Shillito
Couldn't out dfown
I came late to this book, having seen a review of the follow up I thought I'd try the original, probably way after all my friends had read it. Read more
Published 7 days ago by JoyinSutton
Last Werewolf
The ending was a little predictable for my liking but then maybe I read too many werewolf books.I would probably recommend to male friends over females as well as fans of Thomas... Read more
Published 8 days ago by EvE
A Bargain
Bought this as a genre fan and because it was a Kindle offer... Already halfway through and very, very impressed with the sheer quality of the writing. Read more
Published 19 days ago by Clariana
Surprised by how much I like this book
I bought this book only because it was the Kindle book daily deal, this is not a genre I would usually read, in fact normally I would avoid it like the plague and no way would I... Read more
Published 19 days ago by LA Hanson
rather patronising to the reader.
I've just finished this and it has irritated me all the way through, but not enough to put it down.
I found the constant references to other literary works rather... Read more
I found the constant references to other literary works rather... Read more
Published 21 days ago by C. T. Gray
a very good read
An impulse buy from kindle daily deal and I really liked it. I enjoyed Duncan's beautiful writing style despite it being a little wordy from time to time. Read more
Published 22 days ago by pomme
Gory but truthful
My review is really swithering between four and five stars...
I really enjoyed it. The writing was quite wordy and erudite, but consider that Our Hero is actually... Read more
I really enjoyed it. The writing was quite wordy and erudite, but consider that Our Hero is actually... Read more
Published 27 days ago by rowat
You love life, because life is all there is
A marvelously well written tale featuring Jake Marlowe, the last werewolf on Earth. Jake has lived for so long, accumulated so much wealth and experienced so much of life, he has... Read more
Published 29 days ago by A. Gothorp
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