Wolf Land by Jonathan Janz is a horror werewolf novel steeped in blood and guts. It is the most disturbing werewolf novel I have ever read, and possibly the most disturbing horror novel I’ve read, period. If you want relentless werewolf action, this is the book for you. Janz says in the opening that this is probably the darkest book he has ever written, and I believe him. No one is safe in this novel.
The basic plot follows a bonfire held the week before a ten year high school reunion, where a werewolf attacks. Many people die, and the survivors begin turning into werewolves themselves. Everything eventually collides at the reunion, held at a local amusement park.
The action is intense. The opening scene is better than most books’ climaxes. The ending is an 80-page barrage of nonstop action with a body count in the hundreds.
The werewolf lore is one of the novel’s strongest elements. The transformations are not tied to the full moon but to the Seven Deadly Sins. Some characters turn through lust, while others transform through wrath. I thought that was a clever and original take on werewolf mythology. The novel also plays with the traditional Alpha and Beta dynamic, having the handsome, muscular alpha male become a Beta to his skinny, overlooked friend, who becomes the Alpha. These werewolves are nearly immortal and can only be killed by fire or beheading.
The story also explores the grudges people carry long after high school, including jealousy, resentment, and insecurity. It becomes especially interesting once the werewolf instincts amplify those buried emotions.
The story is told as an ensemble piece, as we dip in and out of character’s POV. Which works for showing more werewolf action, but limited time with characters I was forming a bond with.
I would classify this as extreme horror. Janz describes every werewolf attack in vivid, bloody detail. Every gash, torn muscle, broken bone, and bite is described in graphic fashion. This novel comes with major trigger warnings. Sexual assault is one of the biggest, and the scenes are extremely disturbing, though there is a satisfying element of revenge later in the story. No one is spared in this book: men, women, or children. The werewolves cannot control their hunger and will attack anyone in sight, friend or foe.
This novel seems to have everything, so why isn’t it a five-star read for me? This is the first novel I’ve read that combines extreme horror with nonstop action. At times, those graphic descriptions interrupt the momentum instead of enhancing it, slowing down scenes that should have been racing forward. I also thought the novel did an excellent job setting up Short Pump, the lovesick underdog still pining for the girl he loved in high school, as someone I wanted to root for. Then it shifted focus to another character who felt more like a side character, and I wasn’t nearly as invested.
Wolf Land was first published on November 3, 2015, by Samhain Publishing.
Why did I read Wolf Land by Jonathan Janz?
I was first introduced to Jonathan Janz through The End of the World as We Know It: Stephen King’s The Stand Anthology. His story Lenora, about a miniature dik-dik deer and an ornery man who has lost everything during the apocalypse, was heartbreaking. It immediately made me want to read more of his work.
I chose Wolf Land because I made werewolves my Monster of the Month. I’ve pledged to read one werewolf novel every month, and this is by far the most intense and action-packed one I’ve read so far.
I’m also meeting Jonathan Janz in July, so I wanted to experience more of his writing before then.
Plot Summary:
Short Pump has been in love with the most popular girl from high school for years. Since she returned to town pregnant, he’s been there for her as a friend, hoping their relationship might become something more. With their ten year reunion approaching, however, he’s worried she’ll reunite with her old boyfriend, Mike.
A few days before the reunion, the class gathers for a large bonfire. An uninvited guest arrives: a werewolf. The beast tears through the crowd, killing and maiming people in its path. Those who survive soon discover they’re healing unnaturally fast and feeling something monstrous growing inside them. Will they use their new powers to protect others or settle old scores?
What I Liked:
The action scenes are phenomenal. There are two massive set pieces that feel absolutely relentless. The opening attack is better than the finales of many action novels.
I really liked the characters of Barb and Melody. I thought both deserved even larger roles in the story.
The werewolf mythology was fresh, creative, and well developed. It gave the novel its own identity instead of relying on familiar lore.
What I Disliked:
I wanted to learn much more about the werewolf leader and the mythology surrounding them.
During the biggest action scenes, some of the extended gore descriptions slowed the pacing. Trimming a few of those moments would have made the action feel even more intense.
Recommendation:
Wolf Land is a disturbing, blood soaked gorefest with a surprising amount of heart. If you’re a fan of Jack Ketchum or Brian Keene, two authors Janz credits as influences in the opening, this novel delivers that same level of brutality.
Janz also creates a fresh and original werewolf mythology that helps the novel stand out from others in the genre.
I recommend Wolf Land only to followers who enjoy extreme horror. Please check the trigger warnings before picking this one up.
Rating:
Wolf Land by Jonathan Janz
3.5 out of 5
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