The Son of the Werewolf by Guy N. Smith

The Son of the Werewolf

by Guy N. Smith
1978 New English Library
Paperback, 124 pages

                The end of The Return of the Werewolf lets you know that this one was forthcoming, and it does not disappoint. At 124 pages, there is no time to be anything but a fast-paced page turner to be devoured in an afternoon.

 

                Margaret Gunn, pregnant after an assault from the baddie from the previous book, gives birth to Hugh, an ugly baby whose third finger on each hand was longer than the rest. A sure sign of a werewolf. He is an outcast, hated in school and in the town and he likes it that way. And then he committed a murder and was jailed. It was while incarcerated that he discovered his own secret, his lycanthropy.

 

                After his release, the book follows ugly Hugh as he leaves his home and goes out on a blood-drenched road trip. GNS gives us what we all love in his books; blood, guts and some “oh no he wouldn’t” sexual situations. Gordon Hall returns from the previous books and tells us some legends that come in handy for the denouement of the book. He also gives us some words to live by… “You can never be sure of anything where werewolves are concerned”. Indeed not. Cover art by Bill Francis Phillips.

 

                This book ends the trilogy that started with Werewolf by Moonlight. All three books have been collected into Werewolf Omnibus (Sinister House, 2019), along with a short story. As the original New English Library books have become pretty expensive, the Omnibus seems like a pretty good way to go if you want to read these. And you should read these.

Spore 7 By Clancy Carlile

Spore 7
By Clancy Carlile
1979 Avon Books
Paperback, 280 pages

                This one had been on my shelf for a long time. Every once in a while, I’d pick it up, think it looked great, then start a different book. I finally gave this one the green light and it turned out to be a pretty satisfying experience. Not perfect, but good.

                It starts right off and hits the ground running. A disease is running rampant in Mendocino, California. People are losing their shit, going feral and becoming slime mutants. What caused this to happen? Germ warfare? Outer space meteor shit? Something far more sinister? All of these theories are pursued, and a case could be made for any of them. But while everyone tries to understand and solve the problem, the disease is running rampant, spreading like wildfire, and time is of the essence.

                The military move in and block off the area but as always, things aren’t that easy. If it sounds to you that a lot of meetings with scientists, doctors, generals, and the president take place, you’re not wrong, but it never drags the story down too much (I’m looking at you, Edward Jarvis’ Maggots). Carlile manages to keep the reader interested and emotionally invested as the mystery is unraveled.

                One point to nit-pick… the main character, a middle-aged doctor, is romantically linked with a 19-year-old girl. At no point in the story does her being almost underaged come into play; she could just as easily have been 25. To me, her being just 19 speaks more to the author’s wish-fulfillment than anything else.

                That aside, Carlile delivers a page turner with an ending that plays like an intense 80s action flick. Some might find it preposterous, but I found it fun and exciting. This is the only novel by Carlile that would interest me. He is best known for the book, then screenplay, to Honkytonk Man, the 1982 Clint Eastwood film.