Imagine, sleeping with the pack.

books:


	• Sharp Teeth Toby Barlow Harper, 2008 - 320 pages average customer review:based on 24 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

Imagine, sleeping with the pack.

I got this book thinking that it was going to be a horror story. I was wrong. This book is the exact opposite of a horror story. It's a love story. Not just the love between a man and woman, but the love that comes from belonging to a group that you trust. A group that is made up of members that would give their lives for you and you for them.

Lark, Annie, Baron, Anthony, Ruiz, Cutter, Blue, Maria, Bonnie, Ray, Sasha, Peabody and of course the charater only known as, "her" and "she". With all these charaters plus lots of others, it would be easy to lose a few in the shuffle. Yet everyone of them mattered to me. I wanted to know what would happen to each and every one of them. I needed to know.

Imagine,
sleeping with the pack
the safety, the loyalty,
the protection.
Imagine
the elemental comfort.

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A warning label would help...

This novel should come with a warning label: DON'T run away just because this is a werewolf novel written in free verse.

Because, let's face it, that sounds pretty dreadful. But it's amazing how well the experiment works in author Barlow's masterful hands. It's not only not hard to read, it may actually be *easier* and more fun to read than if Barlow had chosen to tell his tale more conventionally. The form allows Barlow to junk a lot of unnecessary prose and dive right into the minds of the characters and the action of the story. The result is an economical and very effectively told tale, a pleasure to read.

There's nothing unpleasantly "arty" about the writing or the form, but it is very artfully done, with some strikingly beautiful passages that -- I promise -- don't slow down the story or get in the way. If you're familiar with the conversational tone of a lot of Charles Bukowski's poetry, which this reminds me of a bit, I'll bet you'll enjoy this. I was also reminded of the machine-gun prose of James Ellroy. And there are whiffs as well of those masters of economic story-telling, 1950's paperback noir greats like Jim Thompson, Harry Whittington, Charles Williford, and the rest of the Black Lizard gang... at least so it seems to me, and that's high praise indeed.

Right from the start I was pulled into the story. And the story is great: fast-moving, suspenseful, bizarre. Werewolves, or were-dogs, traveling in packs in modern day San Francisco, plotting schemes and wreaking all kindsa havoc in both their human and canine forms. Horror, black humor, crime, suspense, noir, romance.... it's a page-turner.

Fine writing, a brilliant concept brilliantly carried off, a fun read, with some profound things to say and some moving and memorable scenes and characters. One of my favorite books of this year.

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Good and fast

A good read, especially for the summer. The author's choice of free verse works well for two reasons. First, the style requires an economy which helps to avoid extraneous exposition and move the narrative along at a quick pace. Second, the style seems to serve as an actual narrative vehicle since the book's frenetic pace and plot complexities are a good match for the subject matter at hand. All-in-all, a good choice for a first time writer since it allows the story to be told without diverting attention to the development of his writing ability.

I would not consider this a great work of art, nor would I consider it a fine example of epic verse. I would, however, rank it with some of the best and most enjoyable pulp fiction I have ever read. Additionally, the unique take on an old tale elevates the book from standard action or horror fare. What is the difference between prowling indigents and a pack of werewolves? Are your dogs simply taking refuge in your house and advantage of your good nature while they wait for the next best thing to come along? The book poses a number of other interesting questions and adds them to a unique set of layers: free verse, horror, lifestyle philosophies, revenge, cross-cultural love, and so forth.

Some of the background has an "American Gods" feel to it. The pace and action remind me of "Battle Royale," but with four feet and fangs - twice as fast and twice as vicious. Highly recommended for fans of either book.

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New Spin On An Old Theme

I would not typically read a werewolf book. I prefer my monsters in movies. But when I found out that this book was written in free verse, I took a closer look, then bought it. It was worth the cash.

The free verse format is not distracting at all. It actually reads much smoother than prose. For fantasy/horror subjects like this it fits very well. It allows the author to use quick brush strokes to move the story along rather than long, excessive descriptions. There are also some nice one liners that wouldn't work so well in prose, but really sparkle in the free verse format.

The werewolves in the book are also fresh. Rather than being monstrous, they're portrayed more like wild dogs. Pack mentality is stressed and the social construction of their society is well formulated. The werewolves in this book can change at will and do not become sub-human mentally when they do so. This is a nice spin on the werewolf theme, which usually involves a solitary monster killing people on the full moon.

There is some great violence here and the plot moves rapidly. This book isn't heavy literature. It's a fast reader and is more fun than enlightening. I recommend it for its entertainment value above all else.

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reviews: page 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

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