I remember reading and being enthralled by Ann Rice's Vampire Chronicles every time a new one came out and decided it was time to read another of her novels. She's made her name by writing scary horror stories and I thought The Wolves of Midwinter would be as enjoyable as her earlier work. Unfortunately I was wrong. While there were some gory scenes of the Man Wolves devouring their kills, all to often, this novel read like a silly romance novel. It seemed like on every other page some one (human or Man Wolf) was bursting into tears. I don't know about other readers of horror, but I like my vampires, zombies, or man wolves to be more manly. C'mon suck it up already !
And when this novel wasn't reading like a romance novel, it was reading like a work of Christian. Puhleeze ! Spare me the sermons and emotions and give me something I can sink my teeth into. ( )

Corre el mes de diciembre y los fuegos de roble arden en los majestuosos hogares de Nideck Point. Para Reuben Golding, ahora imbuido del don del lobo, esta Navidad promete ser como ninguna otra...
De las sombras de la mansión surge un fantasma atormentado, implorante, incapaz de hablar pero no de abrazar y desear con cariño desesperado... Mientras Reuben se ve atrapado por las pasiones y anhelos de esta presencia espectral, se desvelan secretos asombrosos que hablan de un inframundo extraño, de espíritus centenarios que poseen sus propias historias antiguas y fantásticas y que hostigan con sus poderes oscuros...

My copy provided by Edelweiss.

Not at all what I was expecting -- less paranormal tale than philosophical contemplation on the role of religion among immortals interspersed with comfy, weathly werewolves at home enjoying winterfest. It's oddly seductive and comforting to read a werewolf book in which violence is at a minimum and very little conflict occurs.

Extremely amoral in some ways, because these wolves really don't think of themselves as human and enjoy eating men. But most of the book is full of love and compassion and a protective instinct towards humanity as well. I couldn't tell if Anne Rice was trying to reimagine the inhuman or play out a fantasy christmas party, and it all seemed dreamily lacking in urgency or importance.

I quite enjoyed it, but it is ultimately just as irrelevant to me as any "see how the other half lives" book would be, and I don't want to read any other books, in case something dire happens to these lovely, benevolent wolf overlords. ( )

hb ( )

The "Wolf Gift Chronicles"cast the reader into the rainy landscape of Northern California and the cozy, though tumultuous life of Reuben Golding. Reuben's life is quickly changed, however, when he inherits both the Chrism, (the ability to transform into a man wolf) and the masterful Nideck Point, a sprawling mansion by the coast, surrounded by redwood forests. With the Chrism and the mansion come an entire world previously unbeknownst to Reuben; a world of beasts and spirits and myriad of ageless beings all shrouded in the mysteries of the supernatural. He soon has to confront issues of life and death, love and evil, and most important, family, more intimately than any human could possibly imagine.

Rice's penchant for tragedian structure has not diminished in the 40 years since her first novel. "The Wolf Gift Chronicles" are historically and geographically mesmerizing; Rice deftly recreates myth with the authority of a scholar. Her werewolves are brutal and gruesome yet lavishly elegant and deeply philosophical. Her writing is wholly eloquent, darkly luscious, and resonating with a sombre beauty, a satisfying religiosity that lingers like a melody long after reading, delving far into the depths of the existential; uniquely juxtaposing the worlds of man and beast into a cohesive and compelling experience that borders on the sacred, as if she herself has transformed and lived between two worlds.

Ultimately Rice's newest novels do as good horror should; they exploit the darkest side of the human psyche with violence, death, fear, and force us to not only confront it but to learn from it. By facing our demons, by learning to cope with the beast lurking within, we are given the gift of hope, hope that our experience, whatever it may be, is not meaningless, and that we are ultimately in control of our fates.
Highly recommended 2nd novel in a series. 4.5 stars
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