Fiction Addict

Genre: Horror

Publisher: Three Rivers Press

Publication date: October 2009

Reviewed by Jeremy Taylor

This well-written werewolf novel from horror writer David Wellington delivers a welcome twist on an increasingly familiar genre. In a market seemingly saturated with vampires and lycanthropes, Wellington, rather than sticking with a formulaic approach, presents an engrossing story about the life of a recently “turned” werewolf—from the werewolf’s perspective.

Cheyenne Clark is on her own in the frozen wilderness of the Canadian Northwest Territories when a flash flood sweeps away most of her gear. With no human settlements for dozens of miles in any direction, her situation is desperate, and it becomes more so when she is chased up a tree by a strangely aggressive wolf with icy green eyes. Though she escapes with her life, her leg is badly gouged by the wolf’s claws. In the morning, the wolf is gone.

The rest of the story is an interesting blend of standard werewolf lore and less conventional story elements. Naturally, the wolf that chased and injured Cheyenne was a werewolf, so naturally, she becomes one too. Pretty basic. What’s not so basic is the love/hate relationship Cheyenne develops with her wolf side as well as with the werewolf who turned her. As Cheyenne learns to live with her curse and the unexpected abilities that come with it, she must face the demons of her past as well as the uncertainty of her future.

As a werewolf tale, the book’s intrigue is marred by the fact that it simply isn’t very scary. It focuses on the relationship between the werewolf and herself rather than on the traditional horror-movie conflict between werewolves and people. While this provides some interest and depth, it ultimately limits the book’s appeal. There’s little in the story that compels the reader to find out what happens next.

Surprising (and not unwelcome) for a book in this genre is the scarcity of gratuitous violence and gore. If the author had managed to utilize effective storytelling to add tension to the story without resorting to the blood-and-guts imagery so prevalent in similar books, Frostbite could have been a terrific addition to the ever-growing library of werewolf stories.

Even with its weaknesses, the book is entertaining and downright thought-provoking at times. Lycanthropy aficionados will appreciate the relational elements of the story. But horror fans looking for a leave-the-lights-on-after-dark werewolf thrill-fest may be disappointed.