Cycle of the Werewolf
by Stephen King
King's novella uses a contrivance to tell a werewolf story that is perfectly suited to the topic. Since werewolves attack on the night of the full moon, chapters are set up as months in a year. Each chapter covers an attack. A subscription, really-- "Attack of the Month." The chapters are arranged like pearls separated by knots on a strand: each contains one full-page color illustration, one half-page black and white, and one small sketch at the end. The illustrations lend a sly, storybook feel to the book’s design.
The structure of the story allows King to paint his folksy portraits of townspeople, sinners and saints alike. He uses an omniscient point of view to zero in on Marty Coslaw's mom and dad's less-than-admirable inner lives. I liked his cynical take on Mr. Coslaw's "Big Pal" voice that feigns supportiveness but is really a tool he uses to distance himself from people, especially his son.
After reading the first few chapters, I was worried that the story might devolve into an anthology and nothing more--a sort of Our Town with a monster. But each vignette provides details that eventually add up to a fully-realized hero in Marty and clues to the werewolf's human identity through Reverend Lowe's confessional dream. November's story breaks the mold entirely by recounting an attack from the werewolf's point of view. I was happy to discover that werewolves can drive! It was also interesting to learn that Rev. Lowe had no memory of the attacks he carried out in his wolf state.
Like Rawhead Rex, this story reminded me of David and Goliath. There are silver bullets instead of a slingshot and a stone. Still, Marty is a vulnerable little kid who manages all the detective work and planning independently (with a bit of help from Uncle Al) and slays the monster all by himself.
Two things about the book bother me. First, it contains some racist language. It's true that King has the n-word come out of the mouth of someone who is unlikeable. Still, it's not okay. Secondly, the book mixes present and past tense in several spots--even in the same sentence. Since it's Stephen King, I question whether it's correct in some way that I don't see:
Uncle Al listened with growing disquiet as the tale is told.
Or maybe, since this is an e-book, it's a typo. These few things were distracting, but overall I enjoyed reading Cycle of the Werewolf and admire its craft.