Stephen King’s Werewolf Cycle was written around 10 years into the author’s career, initially released as a limited edition hardcover in 1983 and then released for general release 2 years later. King’s novel is a short horror picture book, with many drawings by Bernie Wrightson, an artist synonymous with comics.

The story takes place in Maine, in the fictional city of Tarker’s Mill and follows a werewolf who kills the inhabitants of the city on a monthly cycle, coinciding with the full moon. The main character of the short novel is a boy in a wheelchair, Marty Coslaw and King switch between fierce werewolf attacks and Marty’s everyday life. King happily admits that he had to use some literary license with the actual lunar cycle, adapting it to the purpose of the story as each of the chapters represents a month throughout a single year, with each month seeing a full moon and an attack. werewolf.

Stephen King’s Werewolf Cycle includes an interesting selection of characters. Due to the limitations of the short novel, there are a number of characters that unfold in King’s usual captivating manner, such as Marty Coslaw and the werewolf himself, Reverend Lowe, as well as a number of characters that are almost indescribable. In fact, the third victim of the werewolf after Arnie Westrum and Stella Randolph is an unknown character, described as a homeless vagrant. When killed, many of the most prominent characters in the book hear the howls of a wolf, sparking rumors that a killer wolf or some kind of werewolf is responsible for the recent killings.

The length of the novel makes it a perfect introduction for anyone new to Stephen King’s work. The book is around 120 pages long and therefore readable quite quickly, although King still manages to build suspense and horror throughout the story. The opening chapters of the book are told from different perspectives of the inhabitants of Tarker’s Mill before meeting in the middle of the book to provide some clarity of the story to the reader. King manages to create a story that has intricate connections between the characters, both those who are victims of the werewolf and the survivors.

The story culminates in Chapter 12, which is the 12th month of the year after Marty sends anonymous letters to Reverend Lowe asking the Reverend why he doesn’t stop the carnage by killing himself. Marty first encountered the werewolf in July, where he managed to fight the beast, gouging out its eye with firecrackers. In their final meeting, Marty uses the silver bullets that he had asked his uncle to make for him, first managing to blind the werewolf before finally killing him.

Cycle of the Werewolf features a different illustration for each of the separate chapters, almost a marker for the reader to point out what’s to come. Combine this with King’s highly entertaining storytelling and it all adds up to a near-novel short book that packs a very entertaining punch.