Glen Duncan’s The Last Werewolf ambushed me last year like a predator lunging out of the darkness. I wasn’t expecting the blackly humorous werewolf novel that would take over every spare moment I had until I read the final page. I wasn’t prepared for Jacob Marlowe, the last werewolf: An urbane protagonist whose creator described as “Meursault on laughing gas.” This was an entirely adult take on one of the most terrifying monsters of my childhood; a bogeyman equally threatened by ennui and silver bullets.
After I finished the novel I couldn’t wait to interview the author, but even having access to a brilliant mind like Duncan’s ultimately failed to satisfy me. I was consumed with questions that only a sequel could answer…but would there be one? I had heard rumblings from the publishing world, but nothing in life is certain, and until I saw Talullah Rising listed on the Random House website I couldn’t rest. My impatience to return to Duncan’s world of paranormal persecutors, disturbed vampires and world-weary werewolves was as sure a curse as lycanthropy.
This week I can rest easy: Talulla Rising is sitting safely on bookshelves around America – including my own.
Talulla Rising lives up to the promise of The Last Werewolf, again delivering a stellar reading experience that alternates between horrifying gore, psychological anguish and sometimes uncomfortable laughs. Talulla is as worthy a protagonist as the detached, world-weary Marlowe. It’s hard to not give away anything about this wonderful book, and I worry about spoiling the series for those who haven’t had the pleasure of reading it. All I can say in closing is that Talulla was indeed worth the wait, and if you have any love at all for those hirsute horrors who howl at the moon then this book, as well as the preceding volume, should be considered an essential.
I’m glad to see more werewolf novels. It’s time to give vampires a long-needed vacation.
I’m putting The Last Werewolf series on my TBR list.