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The Wolfman (2010)

by Jonathan Maberry(Favorite Author)

3.83 of 5 Votes: 2

ISBN

0765365162 (ISBN13: 9780765365163)

languge

English

genre

Horror

publisher

Tor Books

review 1: Normally I'm not a huge fan of movie novelizations, but when I heard that the awesome Jonathan Maberry did the novelization for this movie, I was intrigued. I love the original Wolfman movie with Lon Chaney Jr, but had mixed feelings about the remake. After reading Maberry's version of the remake, I wish the final product had been more in line with his take on the tale. Truly, Maberry's story has most of the same major plot points as the film, but he adds so much more rich history and description for the people and places. The characters, especially Lawrence Talbot, are much more fleshed out on the page, plus the Wolfman's rampage in London is more epic and exciting in the book. Actually, the action is one of the book's strongest points. Maberry does an incredible job of c... morehoreographing the Wolfman's various attacks, painting vivid scenes of gruesome destruction and rising tension. If you're a fan of either werewolf fiction or either Wolfman movie, pick this up. You'll enjoy it!
review 2: Doomed by destiny and a curse hanging over his family, Lawrence Talbot is a monster, a man turned into a ferocious beast after he is attacked by a werewolf on the moors near the sleepy Victorian hamlet of Blackmoor. Unable to prevent the change sweeping over him, Talbot is infected by the disease and hunts on the nights of a full moon, his entire being fueled by bloodlust and a desire to feed. Yet through all the turmoil and anguish that surrounds him, Talbot has found love in the strangest place: the heart of his brother’s fiancée. Can his new love save Talbot’s soul, or will she become the next victim of The Wolfman?This is the plot for The Wolfman, a novelization by multiple Bram Stoker Award-winning author Jonathan Maberry, and while the concept promises a great thrill-ride of a story the novel itself fails to deliver the tension and horror that such a plot demands. A lot of this unfortunately has to do with the way the book is written: the characters with their stunted personalities, the lack of foreboding that should be apparent with the book’s dark settings, and a glut of repetitive words that don’t litter the novel but do happen to jump out at you when you least expect it.With that said, it is a survivable read. Maberry has taken this new script of a timeless classic and produced a story that is fast-paced and keeps the reader interested just enough to explore the book from cover to cover. This is achieved not by the writing but by the plot itself and the wretched, cursed existence of Lawrence Talbot which concentrates the reader’s morbid interest onto Talbot’s personal demons and his attitude of doom and gloom. Although quite how Gwen Conliffe, Talbot’s love interest in the book (and film), could possibly be attracted to this man sometimes beggars belief. Maberry has painted Talbot to be a moody, dark, and sinister character and this is even before the werewolf has taken a chunk out of his flesh on the moors.There are certain horror film novelizations – and Glen Cox’s Underworld books spring immediately to mind – that breathe new life into the movie and fill them out to give those who have both read and watched the project have a greater feel of the world within the film. The Wolfman by Jonathan Maberry falls short of achieving this, regrettably. The ending comes too quick, with the final battle and forest chase being covered in the fleeting span of 40 pages, when everything that led to that point demanded a more grandiose finale. While the book does stick close to the script and also includes sections of the original movie that were cut from the cinema release, it does not give the reader an in-depth glimpse into the lives, thoughts, and desires of Talbot, Gwen Conliffe, or Sir John Talbot, the film’s three main characters. However, as with the film, the character of Inspector Aberline is perhaps the most rounded and intriguing of them all.If the reader has yet to watch the motion picture release by Universal Studios in 2010, then they might find the novelization a better read than is described here. For those who have already watched the film and enjoyed the experience, it might be better to just leave it at that. less

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