Book Reviews

Book Blurb

Jackson is a member of a wolf pack, though he feels alone and not at all like the others. A chance meeting with a bear named Woodly shows him he isn’t the only vegetarian in the forest; it also unites him with Frank, a wolf who happens to share the same deep, dark secret. Together, the pair of outcasts might be the only hope for the other woodland creatures who are different.

A story from the Dreamspinner Press 2016 Daily Dose package “A Walk on the Wild Side”.

 

NOTE: This book was previously published by Torquere Press in April 2013.

 

Book Review

This short story reads like a fable. It is filled with animals who talk and have all sorts of human issues, but, basically they are animals the vast majority of the time. It’s an interesting take on the ‘Walk on the Wild Side’ theme of this year’s Dreamspinner Daily Dose collection, and even though I’ve read the story’s first edition, reading it again was just as much fun as the first time. The idea of a vegetarian werewolf, just barely accepted by a pack despite his “proclivities”, as they call it, is pretty funny to start with. But to then have him find others with his “preferences” and see them deal with life as the forest rejects them is pretty darn entertaining.

Jackson may look like a scary predator, but he doesn't want to eat meat and, in fact, hates seeing blood. When a bear catches him crunching on some delicious carrots, Jackson’s secret is out and he fears the worst. His reaction to the bear “confessing” similar issues is hilarious, and Jackson’s curiosity is piqued. What follows when Jackson attends his first "carnivores anonymous" meeting whose motto is “meat is murder” is the beginning of a new life for Jackson.

Frank is another werewolf attending the secret meetings of carnivores repulsed by killing their food, and Jackson is more than excited by the prospect of finding some real companionship, a pack, tiny as it may be, where he is accepted just the way he is. But the approaching winter with its lack of growing things to feed on presents a real challenge, and Jackson and Frank need to figure out how to survive. I can't tell you more without giving away the ending - which is brilliant, funny, and totally logical, yet I did not expect it.

If you like fables that will make you think, if you enjoy reading about a different kind of werewolf, and if you're looking for a short read that is funny but with a serious message and a surprise ending, then you should give this very entertaining short story a try.

 

 

 

 

DISCLAIMER: Books reviewed on this site were usually provided at no cost by the publisher or author. This book has been provided by Dreamspinner Press for the purpose of a review.

Additional Information

Format	ebook
Length	Short Story, 19 pages/4860 words
Heat Level
Publication Date	01-June-2016
Price	$1.99 ebook
Buy Link	https://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/books/a-werewolf-in-sheeps-clothing-by-rob-rosen-7132-b