Book Review: Murcheston: The Wolf's Tale

Reviewed By: Harriet Klausner

Murcheston: The Wolf's Tale     Amazon US HC Amazon Canada HC
David Holland
Class/Genre:   Fantasy   Werewolves
Forge, Feb 2000, $23.95, 349 pp.

Edgar Lenoir, the thirteenth Duke of Danby, is wealthy, powerful, and takes his responsibilities seriously. However, everything changes following a hunting rip in the Carpathian Mountains when Edgar kills a wolf, which is not quite the pure blood lupine it appears to be. Before killing the beast, the animal claws Edgar, which leaves him sick. He recovers to return to his home in Victorian England.

On the first full moon since he returned to England, Edgar turns into a werewolf, frolicking on his estate with a sense of freedom he never felt before. He cherishes his so-called affliction, embracing lycanthropy to the point that his human soul begins to shrivel. Unable to deal any longer with the human cattle, Edgar withdraws from society. His isolation ends when he wanders into London only to receive protection from his best friend Charles Meredith and the man’s wife Elizabeth, the only woman Edgar ever loved. However, his transformation horrifies them, but not as much as Edgar’s plans for the city.

MURCHESTON: THE WOLF’S TALE is a gothic-like novel complete with foggy nights, an isolated manor, and a damsel in danger and distress. The story line is written in the Victorian style, which adds to the overall impact of the tale. Tom Holland writes a werewolf tale that will set the standard for future such books to be measured against as he makes werewolves seem genuine and Edgar’s joyful dissent into hell feel very real. This novel will be for years to come the definite fictional work on lycanthropy.

Harriet Klausner

Reprinted with permission. Do Not repost without permission from the author, Harriet Klausner