The Last Werewolf

The Last Werewolf by Glen Duncan

Hard Cover: 304 pages
Published: 2011
Amazon Customer Reviews: 4 stars****

“A brilliantly original thriller, a love story, a witty treatise on male (and female) urges, even an existential musing on what it is to be human. Get one for yourself and one for the Twilight fan in your life.”—James Medd, The Word (UK)

“Space should be cleared for this violent, sexy thriller . . . The answer to Twilight that adults have been waiting for.”—Courtney Jones, Booklist

“Yes, there are vampires here . . . But don’t give this book to Twilight groupies; the frank tone, dark wit, and elegant, sophisticated language will likely do them in. . . . smart, original, and completely absorbing. Highly recommended.”—­Barbara Hoffert, Library Journal (Starred review)

“The best books are blurb defying; they're far too potent for a flimsy net of adjectives ever to capture them. I could say that The Last Werewolf is smart, thrilling, funny, moving, beautifully written, and a joy to read, and this would all be true. But it would also be a woeful understatement of what Glen Duncan has accomplished with his extraordinary novel. The only useful thing I can offer you is a simple admonishment. Stop reading my words, and start reading his. Trust me: you’ll be happy you did.”—Scott Smith, author of The Ruins

“A magnificent novel. A brutal, indignant, lunatic howl. A sexy, blood-spattered page-turner, beautifully crafted and full of genuine suspense, that tears the thorax out of the horror genre to create something that stands rapturous and majestic and entirely on its own.”—Nick Cave

These were some of the reviews from Amazon. Personally, I am not sure if I can recommend this book or not. I loved it! But it is harsh and horrible and beautiful and brilliant. It’s written as a journal and seems so personal that you almost feel like you are not supposed to read it. But you can’t seem to stop. It is so heartbreaking that you can’t help but cheer for this ruthless killer. He wants to die. He is so tired and disgusted with himself but there are certain groups who want him alive and he doesn’t know why. It is very interesting to watch him “run for my life so I can die in peace”. Not like anything I have ever read before.
It is written by an English writer and his use of words is so different and appealing. I was mesmerized with this book. The writing is beautiful and heartfelt and this tragic character is amazingly loveable. There is also aching love story mixed within that is unexpected.

There is some rough language and definite crudeness but the story is deep and thoughtful.
I gave it 3 stars as a recommendation with the forewarning of some rough stuff but on a personal note I loved it and give it 4.5 stars. It has that “Dr. Zhivago” type of heartache and suffering and beauty. Not for everyone.