Ok but struggling with it.

I am not a fan of war books or of historical novels.
This is mostly a WW2 book with some fantasy in it.
The fantasy is ok, the idea is nice but it is simply not my cup of tea.
More than half way trough and I am very curious about the Nazi plan that is only hinted at until now.
No sign of the SF in this yet.
No magick besides the werewolf part and that is not in your face.
Not sure I will finish it but it is a good book and clear about what it is.
I tried it out of curiosity.

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Outstanding

I've had this book in different forms for most of my adult life. It's a fantastic read and listen. Its narrated well by Simon Prebble, who really brings the story to life.

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Riveting

A fascinating read/listen, narration first rate. The story grips from page one and leaves you wanting more at the end of each chapter.Highly recommend

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superb

I read the book years ago and have now listened to the audiobook which I enjoyed immensely. very well performed by Simon prebble.

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Taut, tense and thrilling

I don't do war books! This was an entertaining and thrilling story merging a believable fantasy into a plausible past. I found myself gripped my Michael tale. A real page tuner. Thanks Mr McCammon. Awesome read.

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Not usually my thing but brilliant

Checked out other reviews and thought, why not. Wasn’t disappointed. Excellent narration as ever from Simon Prebble. Looking forward to the next one

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Wasn’t sure at first...

Not my usual type of book, but I thought I would give it a try. Starts ok, but while listening to it in the car with my teenage son, I could have done without the graphic sex bit.... the story get much better as you get into it... The reader does a really strong job. Overall worth a listen.

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Don't usually do werewolves but..

Devoured the Matthew Corbett series because the writing was always good. Characters and storyline fantastical but very engaging. Same could be said for this. No matter the 'unbelievability' of the situation the writing brings it all to life. Bit more bone crunching and flesh ripping than I'd usually stomach but then what else would there be in a werewolf book =} Thumbs up to a good narrator too. Easy to listen to which makes all the difference 👍

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A Truly Original Story.

This was a great read that kept me interested over the couple of months it took to finish.
This was the first Robert McCammon book and first historical fantasy book I tried and I'm glad I did. I was intrigued by the premise and the book starts quite literally in the middle of the action, which gripped me instantly. As it is quite a lengthy book it slowly unfolds, but it's worth sticking with as the multiple layers of the story pay off in spectacular fashion.
I really enjoyed Simon Prebble's narration too, his intonations were deliberate and the accents of each character and pronunciations of the different languages helped to immerse me in the world.
After reading this, I immediately followed it up with the collection of stories surrounding the same protagonist "The Hunter from the Woods" which is also narrated by Simon Prebble and I highly recommend that if you like "The Wolf's Hour."
This was a great story to escape into, I'll definitely be coming back to this one.

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Well written World War Two werewolf novel

"The Wolf's Hour" was a surprising and memorable read.

This is not modern urban fantasy, with hip, kick-ass characters, struggling against their wolf nature while trying to save the world from demons in just three days.

This is a book with the self-confidence to save the world over several months (and seven hundred+ pages) AND interweave an "origins of" story as it moves along.

The hero, Michael Gallatin is a man more likely to rip an enemy open that engage in witty reparté. He is a serious, focused man, totally committed to his mission. Turned into Werewolf as a child in post-revolutionary Russia, Gallatin now works for the British Secret Service, fighting to destroy the Nazi war machine.

On the surface "The Wolf's Hour" is the kind of book I would normally pass over: it was written in 1989, the plot sounds like "Indiana Jones goes wolf", the Nazis are bad, the allies are noble, there a snow-bound Russian palaces, castles full of evil Nazis, brave resistance fighters, beautiful women who can shoot, drive tanks or fly planes, and larger-than-life evil bastards with no redeeming features.

And yet this book WORKS.

It works because McCammon can write. He knows how to build a scene and evolve a character. If it takes weeks to get from Paris to Berlin, McCammon takes you on the journey and helps you feel the passage of time and understand the sustained stress imposed by the situation and the focused determination needed to win. He describes places in a way that gets under my skin, whether it's the snow-covered corridors of an abandoned Russian palace, the grotesque grandeur of a Nazi castle or the unbearable inhumanity of a Concentration Camp. He delivers wonderful set-piece action sequences. He allows his hero enough introspection to make him to give him a worldview and not just killer reflexes.

It works because the evil things that McCammon's Nazis do are not fiction but horrifyingly real and he does not flinch away from them. They fuel the anger of Gallatin's wolf and make the Nazis far more monstrous than any werewolf could be.

It works because of the skillful way that McCammon weaves the story of how Gallatin became both a wolf and a man into the story of how Gallatin takes on the Nazis in a way that adds depth to Gallatin's character and delivers a welcome change of pace.

Finally, it works because Simon Prebble is the perfect narrator for the twenty-two hour-long audiobook.

There are things I could have lived without. The sex scenes seem somehow dated, although you could think of them as period, and the scenes with Hitler seemed to add little except caricature.

If you are looking for a change of pace and want to spend some time in another era (actually TWO other eras) and a different perspective on the supernatural thriller, then "The Wolf's Hour" is worth a listen.

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14 people found this helpful