Status
Available
Call number
Call number
F Kin
Collection
Publication
Signet (1983), Edition: Reprint
Description
Terror began in January, by the light of the full moon. The first scream came from the snowbound railwayman who felt the werewolf's fangs ripping at his throat. The next month there was a scream of agony from the woman attacked in her cozy bedroom. Now scenes of unbelievable horror unfold each time the full moon shines on the isolated Maine town of Tarker's Mills. Only one thing is sure-- when the full moon rises, a paralyzing fear sweeps through Tarker's Mills. For snarls that sound like human words can be heard whining through the wind. And all around are the footprints of a monster whose hunger cannot be sated.
Original publication date
1983
Similar in this library
It by Stephen King
User reviews
LibraryThing member jseger9000
A novella that started as a calendar, Cycle of the Werewolf has got to have one of the most interesting backstories of any Stephen King work.
King was challenged to write a story made up of twelve short chapters, one for each month. Each chapter would be paired with an illustration by Bernie
King tells of the year the small Maine town of Tarker's Mills spent under siege by a maniac who would kill under the full moon.
The first few months are self contained scenes, showing what the werewolf was up to the night of the full moon. About half way through, we meet our hero, wheelchair bound Marty Coslaw, the first person to survive an attack.
Marty manages not only to escape, but even manages to wound the wolf. The rest of the novel is spent setting the scene for Marty to take on the werewolf.
This is a quick, short read. Due to the length, there isn't the depth of character you would get in a Stephen King novel, but he still manages in quick sketches to pull off characters that are better than you will find in most horror fiction.
King's writing here is punchy and viceral, his use of the holidays marking certain months is fun, the discovery of the werewolf's identity is handled very well and Bernie Wrightson's illustrations (a remainder from the calendar origins) are fantastic. Easily one of the best werewolf tales I've read.
King was challenged to write a story made up of twelve short chapters, one for each month. Each chapter would be paired with an illustration by Bernie
Show More
Wrightson in a 'Stephen King Calendar'. As a result, each chapter had to be short.King tells of the year the small Maine town of Tarker's Mills spent under siege by a maniac who would kill under the full moon.
The first few months are self contained scenes, showing what the werewolf was up to the night of the full moon. About half way through, we meet our hero, wheelchair bound Marty Coslaw, the first person to survive an attack.
Marty manages not only to escape, but even manages to wound the wolf. The rest of the novel is spent setting the scene for Marty to take on the werewolf.
This is a quick, short read. Due to the length, there isn't the depth of character you would get in a Stephen King novel, but he still manages in quick sketches to pull off characters that are better than you will find in most horror fiction.
King's writing here is punchy and viceral, his use of the holidays marking certain months is fun, the discovery of the werewolf's identity is handled very well and Bernie Wrightson's illustrations (a remainder from the calendar origins) are fantastic. Easily one of the best werewolf tales I've read.
Show Less
LibraryThing member mainrun
The text of the book wasn't too bad. It started very basic, not great, but picked up a lot towards the end. I hated the placement of drawings! They showed what was going to happen before it happened! Hate that, and is the reason for the one star.
LibraryThing member Prop2gether
This semi-graphic novel, which apparently started as a challenge to create a calendar, worked very well for me. Forced to be short and precise, King still manages to evoke the terror of a small town discovering it has a werewolf in its midst. The hero is a small boy and the villain, well, he's not.
Show More
The illustrations are worth the price of the book and wow! this would have been a calendar that I bought. Show Less
LibraryThing member CayenneEllis
Not the normal King fare. It was interesting, well written and engaging, just nothing to write home about. The best part, by far, were the lovely illustrations.
LibraryThing member StefanY
Cycle of the Werewolf is a fun, quick read that can easily be finished in just a couple of hours. Each chapter is only a few pages long and covers the supposed moon cycle for one month in a year of terror. The story centers around a small New England town that is being terrorized by the savage and
This story is very choppy as you might imagine with all of the time in between events, but overall, the storyline itself is fairly well thought out. The idea itself is very fun and the artwork for each chapter really enhances the tale and gives an almost comic book feel to it. In some ways, this is a sort of prequel to King's later works in continuing the Dark Tower series in graphic novel form with Marvel.
On a side note, it may be fairly cheesy (especially by today's standards) but I do also own and enjoy the film version of this book, Silver Bullet, starring Corey Haim and Gary (A)Busey.
Show More
violent attacks of a werewolf. Each vignette centers on the werewolf's activity for the full moon of htat month. King acknowledges that he manipulated the fall of the full moon to fit his own scheme of what dates he wanted to have events fall on and that he knows that his moon cycle is in no way accurate, but accuracy doesn't really matter in the course of the tale itself.This story is very choppy as you might imagine with all of the time in between events, but overall, the storyline itself is fairly well thought out. The idea itself is very fun and the artwork for each chapter really enhances the tale and gives an almost comic book feel to it. In some ways, this is a sort of prequel to King's later works in continuing the Dark Tower series in graphic novel form with Marvel.
On a side note, it may be fairly cheesy (especially by today's standards) but I do also own and enjoy the film version of this book, Silver Bullet, starring Corey Haim and Gary (A)Busey.
Show Less
LibraryThing member NKSCF
An amazingly short novella/graphic novel, Cycle of the Werewolf follows a town in Maine as it suffers from the monthly visits of a werewolf, and the terror that follows. Starring an unlikely protagonist and an even unlikelier antagonist, the story shows all of the normal werewolf characteristics,
A very fun story with an easy to follow plot, Cycle of the Werewolf is a great work of Stephen King, one of his easier ones to follow. Definitely worth five stars out of five.
Show More
while following a formula devoted to days that only fall on those during the (falsified for plot reasons) lunar calendar. A very fun story with an easy to follow plot, Cycle of the Werewolf is a great work of Stephen King, one of his easier ones to follow. Definitely worth five stars out of five.
Show Less
LibraryThing member Anagarika-Sean
This book was great. Better than a classic werewolf tale. I loved the artwork too.
LibraryThing member LaurenGommert
I love King, but his short stories have never been my favorite. For me, King is at his best when he over analyzes, over writes, and over horrifies with his usual 500+ pages. This book just wasn't long enough to showcase King's writing. Good story...but anyone could haver written it. I'd still
Show More
recommend it for a quick read. Show Less
LibraryThing member CynDaVaz
Pretty good (and quick) read of the story which the movie Silver Bullet was based on. Didn't realize this was a short story when I first found it; a longer version would have been nice, but this was enjoyable nonetheless. Now I'm in the mood to watch the movie again. :-D
LibraryThing member Kskye
Yeah you know that movie depicting a different stage of life as a Buddhist monk (Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter… and Spring,) well Cycle of The Werewolf is ten times more exciting.I mean you’re following a werewolf not a monk for one. Each chapter takes place on a full moon of one month (usually
What I love is that the protagonist, Marty Coslaw turns out to be a ten year old boy in a wheelchair that everyone seems to treat in a patronizing sort of way. He’s a paraplegic; he’s not dumb despite people treating him differently. Except for his Uncle Al who buys him fireworks for the Fourth of July when the town cancels their usual celebration. Up until then we had six months of deaths: a railroad employee, a seamstress, a drifter, a small kid etc. Up until July the plot was sort of boring to be honest, but everything changes in the later half.
In July Marty is able to take out one of the wolves eyes by throwing a packet of firecrackers in it’s face (how cool is that?) Fearing some retaliation Marty’s family sends him to Vermont for three months, and while he’s gone law enforcement ignore his deposition and the killings keep happening (really?! He just told you the killer is walking around with one freakin’ eye, and you choose to ignore that?) It gets really exciting in October, because when Marty returns and goes trick or treating he figures out who the werewolf is. And he is pretty courageous about it. Really, he seems like a boy on a mission. Unshakeable.This is like the rated R version of Home Alone, I mean no one believes him so he takes matters into his own ten year old hands. I won’t spoil the ending by saying who the werewolf is but when he is human he has no memories of what he has done. Just evidence, a scratch here, a dream there…an eye blasted out all of a sudden.
The last six months of this story was when I began to notice the brilliance of Stephen King’s storytelling. It painted the story, and drew me in. Now that it wasn’t just following killings, but getting to the point of solving the problem, was it exciting. I didn’t like all the deaths (although I was happy when a man slut, wife beating, librarian got the axe,) but I like that it did have a happily ever after of sorts.
Show More
some kind of holiday) comprising a whole year of werewolf attacks, and forming a single narrative. The small town of Tarker’s Mills, Maine doesn’t know what hit them. Is it a wolf? A man? A man in costume? And the one eye witness is a kid, and no one wants to believe a story from a kid in this town despite their gut feelings.What I love is that the protagonist, Marty Coslaw turns out to be a ten year old boy in a wheelchair that everyone seems to treat in a patronizing sort of way. He’s a paraplegic; he’s not dumb despite people treating him differently. Except for his Uncle Al who buys him fireworks for the Fourth of July when the town cancels their usual celebration. Up until then we had six months of deaths: a railroad employee, a seamstress, a drifter, a small kid etc. Up until July the plot was sort of boring to be honest, but everything changes in the later half.
In July Marty is able to take out one of the wolves eyes by throwing a packet of firecrackers in it’s face (how cool is that?) Fearing some retaliation Marty’s family sends him to Vermont for three months, and while he’s gone law enforcement ignore his deposition and the killings keep happening (really?! He just told you the killer is walking around with one freakin’ eye, and you choose to ignore that?) It gets really exciting in October, because when Marty returns and goes trick or treating he figures out who the werewolf is. And he is pretty courageous about it. Really, he seems like a boy on a mission. Unshakeable.This is like the rated R version of Home Alone, I mean no one believes him so he takes matters into his own ten year old hands. I won’t spoil the ending by saying who the werewolf is but when he is human he has no memories of what he has done. Just evidence, a scratch here, a dream there…an eye blasted out all of a sudden.
The last six months of this story was when I began to notice the brilliance of Stephen King’s storytelling. It painted the story, and drew me in. Now that it wasn’t just following killings, but getting to the point of solving the problem, was it exciting. I didn’t like all the deaths (although I was happy when a man slut, wife beating, librarian got the axe,) but I like that it did have a happily ever after of sorts.
Show Less
LibraryThing member israfel13
It's all about the art!!!
LibraryThing member Brandon.Law
Stephen King is always entertaining. Ever time I finish a story of his, I marvel at the way he tells a tale. This short story is very good indeed, though short, it leaves you satisfied.
LibraryThing member benuathanasia
Simultaneously my introduction to King, as well as my introduction to a lifelong love of werewolves.
I first read this in sixth grade and it haunted me quite a bit until I was able to come by my own copy.
I first read this in sixth grade and it haunted me quite a bit until I was able to come by my own copy.
LibraryThing member srboone
A cliched, but intriguing account of a werewolf stalking the residents of Tarker's Mills over the cource of a year. Would have liked to see this as a calender, as originally inteded. Interesting that the text calls the town "Tarker's Mills." Blubs call it "Tarker Mills."
LibraryThing member andyray
man, i wish i was stephen king. he can sit in the bathroom and write a simple, 10,000 word story, find a brilliant illustrator, wrap it in a perfect binding with glossy paper, and sell it for years. King's only werewolf book is solidly bloody and werewolfy. If you are a fallen Christian, you'll
Show More
love who the beast turns out to be. If you cannot guess it halfway through, you're not trying. Show Less
LibraryThing member srboone
A cliched, but intriguing account of a werewolf stalking the residents of Tarker's Mills over the cource of a year. Would have liked to see this as a calender, as originally inteded. Interesting that the text calls the town "Tarker's Mills." Blubs call it "Tarker Mills."
LibraryThing member JalenV
Stephen King is not at his best for most of the chapters of Cycle of the Werewolf. Aside from the ones for July and December, they're pretty so-so. Each month of the year opens with a beautiful double-page pen-and-ink illustration. Each closes with a pen-and-ink drawing that takes up half or less
Show More
of a page. Each month also boasts a full-color illustration. The werewolf is present in almost all of them, usually going after the victim(s)-of-the-month. The illustrations alone make the book worth owning. One character, a 10-year-old boy, may be in a wheelchair, but he's the smartest guy in town. I really enjoyed his dealings with the werewolf. (The werewolf's rationalizations did not impress me.) The possible reason the Tarker's Mills inhabitant became a werewolf was not one I recall encountering before. Show Less
LibraryThing member srboone
A cliched, but intriguing account of a werewolf stalking the residents of Tarker's Mills over the cource of a year. Would have liked to see this as a calender, as originally inteded. Interesting that the text calls the town "Tarker's Mills." Blubs call it "Tarker Mills."
LibraryThing member Edward.Lorn
Let's get a few things out of the way: First, this is a classic. Second, there's only one version of this book that counts, and that's Plume's 1983 trade paperback. Thirdly, the film adaptation, "Silver Bullet" (written for the screen by Stephen King), is a deeper overall experience: better
Even though the film is an overall better experience, it does not detract from my enjoyment of the novella. To quote King: "Movie and books are like apples and oranges. They both taste delicious in their own ways." I will admit, though, my love for this book has a great deal to do with Bernie Wrightson's artwork. Of course, we wouldn't have Wrightson's fantastic drawings without King's story, and the two go together like sex and heroin.
I was three when the original Plume paperback came out, but I remember finding this on my mother's bookshelves some years later (perhaps around the age of five or six). I mistook it for a comic, and decided to flip through to find all the artwork. The most graphic of these pictures for me at the time was the slaughtered pigs. Forget the cop who has his face torn off, or the decapitated body atop the cab of the Peterbilt, the one who's being feasted upon by the titular hulking beast. The pigs' dismembered corpses upset me to the point that I started crying. Needless to say, Mom put the book up a little higher on the shelving after that.
I reread it at least twice a year, and it remains one of my favorite King stories.
In summation: Cycle of the Werewolf is a great place to start if you're new to King. If you're an old fan of his, you've probably already read this and agree with everything I've said in this review. Highly recommended for fans of graphic novels, werewolves, and bloody good times.
Show More
character development, cooler kills, the inclusion of that most-epic motorcycle/wheelchair every 80's kid wanted whether they were handicapped or not, and mo' frakkin' Corey Haim partnering up with crazy-as-balls Gary Busey. Pure epicosity. Even though the film is an overall better experience, it does not detract from my enjoyment of the novella. To quote King: "Movie and books are like apples and oranges. They both taste delicious in their own ways." I will admit, though, my love for this book has a great deal to do with Bernie Wrightson's artwork. Of course, we wouldn't have Wrightson's fantastic drawings without King's story, and the two go together like sex and heroin.
I was three when the original Plume paperback came out, but I remember finding this on my mother's bookshelves some years later (perhaps around the age of five or six). I mistook it for a comic, and decided to flip through to find all the artwork. The most graphic of these pictures for me at the time was the slaughtered pigs. Forget the cop who has his face torn off, or the decapitated body atop the cab of the Peterbilt, the one who's being feasted upon by the titular hulking beast. The pigs' dismembered corpses upset me to the point that I started crying. Needless to say, Mom put the book up a little higher on the shelving after that.
I reread it at least twice a year, and it remains one of my favorite King stories.
In summation: Cycle of the Werewolf is a great place to start if you're new to King. If you're an old fan of his, you've probably already read this and agree with everything I've said in this review. Highly recommended for fans of graphic novels, werewolves, and bloody good times.
Show Less
LibraryThing member Lukerik
Forgettable, but yeah it passed the time and had pictures.
LibraryThing member supermanboidy
For me this is an extended graphic novel from King. He hires Berni Wrightson to take on the glorious illustrations and explores werewolf lore in a one-off story. In the style of The Long Halloween, King brings the werewolf to town each month, frequently on holidays. It brings terror to, you guessed
I loved the illustrations, the writing style, and the clear comic-book/campfire stories feel. It even referenced the Incredible Hulk!
Show More
it, a small town in Maine. The story is short, but inspires you to consider the potential of the story. It screams to be made into an 80's movie or hopefully Netflix series.I loved the illustrations, the writing style, and the clear comic-book/campfire stories feel. It even referenced the Incredible Hulk!
Show Less
LibraryThing member ChelleBearss
This is a very short novel of a werewolf terrorizing a small town. Quick and enjoyable read and not too scary
LibraryThing member JReynolds1959
There is a werewolf loose during the full moon of each month in Tarker Mills, ME. January has a railwayman killed, February is a woman in her bedroom, etc. Little bit of gore in description, but not too bad.
This book is written with each chapter being the month, for one year. Each month the
My absolute favorite part of this book is how Stephen King describes a grandfather clock: Ticks solemn ticks and tocks solemn tocks.
This book is written with each chapter being the month, for one year. Each month the
Show More
citizens of the town are in fear when the full moon takes over. My absolute favorite part of this book is how Stephen King describes a grandfather clock: Ticks solemn ticks and tocks solemn tocks.
Show Less
LibraryThing member titania86
A werewolf plagues the small town of Tarker Mills. Every month during the full moon, someone is attacked and killed. Marty Coslaw, a disabled little boy, encounters the creature and escapes unscathed after he throws some fireworks in its face. He alone knows the werewolf is out there while others
Cycle of the Werewolf is a short, illustrated horror novel. The illustrations have equal weight as the prose. The story takes place over a whole year and each month takes a chapter. Each chapter starts with the same three pages: one with the twelve months in a list and the current month darkened and two more combining to make sweeping landscape. These are pages are always in black and white and incredibly detailed. The cemetery in November is my favorite. Each chapter also has one full color illustration of the most important or dynamic scene, most often a werewolf attack. These drawings are so varied even within the same subject matter. The first woman killed is shown in extreme closeup with the werewolf, reflecting her feelings at the time. A drifter killed is shown after the event, frozen in the snow with no werewolf in sight. My favorite of them is the priest's dream that his congregation all transform into wolves. The juxtaposition between the snarling wolves and the setting of a church seems wrong and the wolves in the background are bathed in red light, almost like flames are in front of them. These illustrations add tremendously to such a short novel and capture the atmosphere of the small town.
Most chapters focus on a different character, giving the reader a peek into their life and thoughts. These characters usually die right after seeing into them, but it provides a piece by piece view of the inhabitants of the town. King is skilled at creating memorable characters that feel real in only a page or two. The only character that survives an encounter with the werewolf is Marty Coslaw, a child who wants his celebrations and fun. So many treat him differently because of his wheelchair, but he is the same as any kid. Except after his attack, he turns into a stern vigilante, driven by the need to protect his town. We get some insight into the werewolf's mind as he starts to rationalize the violence he inflicts and grows more monstrous even as a human. The reveal of the werewolf and the ending are rather predictable, but it's still enjoyable. The events surrounding the fate of the werewolf stretch reason and seem unbelievable. For such a short story, Cycle of the Werewolf packs a punch and says so much with few words. The wonderful illustrations support and add to the story. The only tiny flaw with the illustrations is that the book clearly says the boy has a motorized wheelchair and the illustration doesn't reflect that. Other than that, this is a very short but memorable read. I hope it comes back into print eventually.
Show More
dismiss it as a child's fantasy and he vows to kill the creature.Cycle of the Werewolf is a short, illustrated horror novel. The illustrations have equal weight as the prose. The story takes place over a whole year and each month takes a chapter. Each chapter starts with the same three pages: one with the twelve months in a list and the current month darkened and two more combining to make sweeping landscape. These are pages are always in black and white and incredibly detailed. The cemetery in November is my favorite. Each chapter also has one full color illustration of the most important or dynamic scene, most often a werewolf attack. These drawings are so varied even within the same subject matter. The first woman killed is shown in extreme closeup with the werewolf, reflecting her feelings at the time. A drifter killed is shown after the event, frozen in the snow with no werewolf in sight. My favorite of them is the priest's dream that his congregation all transform into wolves. The juxtaposition between the snarling wolves and the setting of a church seems wrong and the wolves in the background are bathed in red light, almost like flames are in front of them. These illustrations add tremendously to such a short novel and capture the atmosphere of the small town.
Most chapters focus on a different character, giving the reader a peek into their life and thoughts. These characters usually die right after seeing into them, but it provides a piece by piece view of the inhabitants of the town. King is skilled at creating memorable characters that feel real in only a page or two. The only character that survives an encounter with the werewolf is Marty Coslaw, a child who wants his celebrations and fun. So many treat him differently because of his wheelchair, but he is the same as any kid. Except after his attack, he turns into a stern vigilante, driven by the need to protect his town. We get some insight into the werewolf's mind as he starts to rationalize the violence he inflicts and grows more monstrous even as a human. The reveal of the werewolf and the ending are rather predictable, but it's still enjoyable. The events surrounding the fate of the werewolf stretch reason and seem unbelievable. For such a short story, Cycle of the Werewolf packs a punch and says so much with few words. The wonderful illustrations support and add to the story. The only tiny flaw with the illustrations is that the book clearly says the boy has a motorized wheelchair and the illustration doesn't reflect that. Other than that, this is a very short but memorable read. I hope it comes back into print eventually.
Show Less
LibraryThing member cdyankeefan
One of Stephen Kings earlier works that garnered him the title master of the macabre. Traders Mills is being terrorized by a werewolf. While most of the towns leading citizens believe the number of killings are the work of a vagrant one paralyzed little boy knows better. Marty Coslaw has had to
Show More
create his own July 4th cele ration and that’s where he encounters the werewolf up close and personal. This is a quick read accompaniedbbeautiful illustrations. Show Less
Pages
128