Stephen King’s werewolf cycle

Website design By BotEap.comStephen King’s The Werewolf Cycle was written around 10 years into the author’s career, initially released as a limited hardcover edition in 1983, and then published for general release 2 years later. King’s novel is a short illustrated horror book that features many drawings by Bernie Wrightson, an artist synonymous with comics.

Website design By BotEap.comThe story takes place in Maine, in the fictional town of Tarker’s Mill and follows a werewolf who kills the town’s inhabitants on a monthly cycle, coinciding with the full moon. The novella’s main character is a wheelchair-bound boy, Marty Coslaw, and King switches between vicious 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 for 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 a werewolf attack

Website design By BotEap.comStephen King’s werewolf cycle includes an interesting selection of characters. Due to the limitations of the novella, there are a number of characters that develop in King’s usual captivating fashion, such as Marty Coslaw and the werewolf himself, Reverend Lowe, as well as a number of characters that are almost nondescript. In fact, the third victim of the werewolf after Arnie Westrum and Stella Randolph is an unknown character, described as a homeless drifter. As he is killed, many of the most prominent characters in the book hear the howling of a wolf, sparking rumors that a killer wolf or some kind of werewolf is responsible for the recent murders.

Website design By BotEap.comThe length of the novel makes it a perfect introduction for anyone new to the work of Stephen King. The book is around 120 pages long and therefore can be read fairly quickly, though King still manages to build suspense and terror throughout the story. The opening chapters of the book are told from different perspectives of the inhabitants of Tarker’s Mill before joining in the middle of the book to give the reader some clarity on the story. King manages to create a story that has intricate connections between the characters, those who fall victim to the werewolf, and the survivors.

Website design By BotEap.comThe story climaxes in chapter 12, which is the 12th month of the year after Marty sends Reverend Lowe anonymous letters asking the Reverend why he doesn’t stop the killing by killing himself. Marty first encountered the werewolf in July, where he managed to fight off the beast, gouging out the werewolf’s eye with some firecrackers. In his final meeting, Marty uses the silver bullets that he had asked his uncle to make for him, first blinding the werewolf before finally killing him.

Website design By BotEap.comCycle of the Werewolf features a different illustration for each of the separate chapters, almost a marker for the reader pointing to what’s to come. Combine this with King’s very entertaining storytelling and it all adds up to a short book, almost like a novella, that packs a very entertaining punch.