| The Wolf Gift Author: Anne Rice Genre: Paranormal Publisher: Alfred Knopf Publishing Inc. Release Date: February 14, 2012 Hardcover: 416 pages Source: Purchased at the LA Book Fair 2012 (and signed by the author) Buy the Book: Amazon |
Book Description
A daring new departure from the inspired creator of The Vampire Chronicles (“unrelentingly erotic . . . unforgettable”—The Washington Post), Lives of the Mayfair Witches (“Anne Rice will live on through the ages of literature”—San Francisco Chronicle), and the angels of The Songs of the Seraphim (“remarkable”—Associated Press). A whole new world—modern, sleek, high-tech—and at its center, a story as old and compelling as history: the making of a werewolf, reimagined and reinvented as only Anne Rice, teller of mesmerizing tales, conjurer extraordinaire of other realms, could create.
The time is the present.
The place, the rugged coast of Northern California. A bluff high above the Pacific. A grand mansion full of beauty and tantalizing history set against a towering redwood forest.
A young reporter on assignment from the San Francisco Observer . . . An older woman welcoming him into her magnificent family home that he has been sent to write about and that she must sell with some urgency . . . A chance encounter between two unlikely people . . . An idyllic night—shattered by horrific unimaginable violence, the young man inexplicably attacked—bitten—by a beast he cannot see in the rural darkness . . . A violent episode that sets in motion a terrifying yet seductive transformation, as the young man, caught between ecstasy and horror, between embracing who he is evolving into and fearing what he will become, soon experiences the thrill of the wolf gift.
As he resists the paradoxical pleasure and enthrallment of his wolfen savagery and delights in the power and (surprising) capacity for good, he is caught up in a strange and dangerous rescue and is desperately hunted as “the Man Wolf” by authorities, the media, and scientists (evidence of DNA threatens to reveal his dual existence) . . . As a new and profound love enfolds him, questions emerge that propel him deeper into his mysterious new world: questions of why and how he has been given this gift; of its true nature and the curious but satisfying pull towards goodness; of the profound realization that there may be others like him who are watching—guardian creatures who have existed throughout time who possess ancient secrets and alchemical knowledge. And throughout it all, the search for salvation for a soul tormented by a new realm of temptations, and the fraught, exhilarating journey, still to come, of being and becoming, fully, both wolf and man.
Review
I picked this book up last year at the LA Book Fair when I was strolling through and saw my favorite author signing books. I quickly jumped in line to purchase one of the three books they were selling of hers and I stood in the hot sun for about one hour to get the petite Anne Rice's signature in my hardcover copy of The Wolf Gift. I had no idea what the book was about, if it was part of a series or not.
I have read Anne Rice's Gothic Vampire Chronicles from start to finish. And I was hooked. The writing was poetic and it charmed me from the first page. I have to say this didn't have the same power for me as I was expecting from her.
The story of a young reporter, Reuben coming to tour an old mansion in Northern California for the purpose of writing an glowing article to help Merchant sell it seems to full of "Say what?!" moments.
Ok. Get this! He is from a wealthy family and is more or less a lost soul. He is a junior reporter trying to find himself when he gets this assignment. Merchant is the niece of the long lost home owner and is much older. Of course they would end up in bed right? Exactly, "Say what?" Just like that! The book is full of moments I kept saying that to myself along with "Are you kidding me?"
What would you do if you see a wolf like man standing a few feet taller than you in the wood? Run? Scream? What about let him "take you"? Yessss! You heard me! They have sex. No "Hi. How are you?" or "What are you?" or "Who are you?" And when he changes back to regular Reuben she is cool with that too! She has zero, I mean ZERO freak out! Can we please say it together?
SAY WHAT!!!?? (God I need a gif for that one.)
Anyways, I love Anne Rice and I have followed her from Gothic Vampires to the story of Jesus. Loved them both. The Song of Seraphim's series which I read this year was just so-so for me.
I think I am not really feeling the old Anne is back. She has all the elements mixed up kinda. Since she found God she has included characters on a deep spiritual quest or awakening and it somehow takes away from the book.
But that being said there are too, too many "Say What?" moments in this book for me. (ie, Reuben takes a long time to figure out that he is a werewolf that got it from a bite. I knew minutes into it. Not weeks.)
I picked this book up last year at the LA Book Fair when I was strolling through and saw my favorite author signing books. I quickly jumped in line to purchase one of the three books they were selling of hers and I stood in the hot sun for about one hour to get the petite Anne Rice's signature in my hardcover copy of The Wolf Gift. I had no idea what the book was about, if it was part of a series or not.
I have read Anne Rice's Gothic Vampire Chronicles from start to finish. And I was hooked. The writing was poetic and it charmed me from the first page. I have to say this didn't have the same power for me as I was expecting from her.
The story of a young reporter, Reuben coming to tour an old mansion in Northern California for the purpose of writing an glowing article to help Merchant sell it seems to full of "Say what?!" moments.
Ok. Get this! He is from a wealthy family and is more or less a lost soul. He is a junior reporter trying to find himself when he gets this assignment. Merchant is the niece of the long lost home owner and is much older. Of course they would end up in bed right? Exactly, "Say what?" Just like that! The book is full of moments I kept saying that to myself along with "Are you kidding me?"
What would you do if you see a wolf like man standing a few feet taller than you in the wood? Run? Scream? What about let him "take you"? Yessss! You heard me! They have sex. No "Hi. How are you?" or "What are you?" or "Who are you?" And when he changes back to regular Reuben she is cool with that too! She has zero, I mean ZERO freak out! Can we please say it together?
SAY WHAT!!!?? (God I need a gif for that one.)
Anyways, I love Anne Rice and I have followed her from Gothic Vampires to the story of Jesus. Loved them both. The Song of Seraphim's series which I read this year was just so-so for me.
I think I am not really feeling the old Anne is back. She has all the elements mixed up kinda. Since she found God she has included characters on a deep spiritual quest or awakening and it somehow takes away from the book.
But that being said there are too, too many "Say What?" moments in this book for me. (ie, Reuben takes a long time to figure out that he is a werewolf that got it from a bite. I knew minutes into it. Not weeks.)
Reviews by Other Bloggers
Recommendations
I recommend this book to adults due to some violence and sex.
Challenges
This book is number 3 in my Anne Rice Reading Challenge
This book is number 15 in my Off the Shelf Challenge
This book is number 7 in my Dusty Shelf Challenge
This book is number 27 in my Women Reading Challenge
This book is number 17 in my TBR Pile Reading Challenge
This book is number 38 in my Goodreads Challenge
This book is number 3 in my Anne Rice Reading Challenge
This book is number 15 in my Off the Shelf Challenge
This book is number 7 in my Dusty Shelf Challenge
This book is number 27 in my Women Reading Challenge
This book is number 17 in my TBR Pile Reading Challenge
This book is number 38 in my Goodreads Challenge
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