One of the ugliest books I have ever read was undoubtedly a challenge. The story does not offer any rewards and it is not even science fiction. Instead, I believe it is about fantasy. It had a rather convoluted plot that was difficult to follow. The characters were not well-developed and lacked depth. The writing style was also quite平淡, failing to engage the reader on an emotional level. There were no real twists or turns to keep the story interesting. It felt like a wasted opportunity to create something truly remarkable. Overall, it was a disappointing read that I would not recommend to others.

The book, The Mammoth Book of Wolf Men, served as the catalyst that introduced me to this particular novel. As the introduction clearly attests, there simply aren't an abundance of truly outstanding werewolf novels in existence. And this one happens to be among the better specimens. It is indeed a good book, yet I'm somewhat hesitant to categorize it strictly as a "werewolf novel." It represents a distinct variation on the theme. In this story, people do undergo a transformation into wolves, but interestingly, they can turn into any animal of their choosing. Moreover, it's not so much a traditional transformation as it is the act of simply selecting an animal avatar that becomes real while the "actual" person slumbers. Essentially, it leans more towards being a book about witchcraft, albeit with a pseudo-scientific explanation.

I did encounter a few issues with the text. The writing style gives off a slightly dated feel. It becomes rather predictable that the "good guys" will invariably make the wrong decisions at every juncture, solely because the plot demands it. However, the main drawback lies in its weak protagonist. Will Barbee appears to lack any semblance of an independent will and seems to be nothing more than a pawn in the schemes of others.

Overall, while the novel has its merits, these flaws prevent it from achieving true greatness.

I truly desired to have a greater appreciation for this. However, once more, an intriguing concept was spoiled by cumbersome plotting and ungainly dialogue.

It doesn't do any good that the protagonist, a fearless journalist, is inexplicably as dumb as a post when it comes to making the connections that are imposed on him and the reader. The reader loses almost all interest as most, if not all, of the twists are known long before they occur.

If the author had permitted the character to possess any consistency, the protagonist's internal struggle could have been captivating. Instead, the reader is left with a haphazard blend of thriller and horror where there is little that thrills or horrifies.

This work had the potential to be something special, but due to these flaws, it fails to reach its full potential and leaves the reader disappointed.

Despite being lauded as “one of the best werewolf novels,” my experience with this book was nothing short of a crushing disappointment. There are several reasons for this.

First and foremost, the protagonist is, without a doubt, the worst I have ever come across in any literary work. His lack of believability is truly astonishing. He spends the entire novel in a state of inaction, much like Hamlet, but without the literary finesse that made Shakespeare's character so captivating. He cowers in the face of the femme fatale, failing to expose her and instead attempting to protect her from those he once considered mentors or friends. In his sleep, he transforms into a werewolf and brutally murders those dear to him, only to wake up, get drunk, and offer empty consolations to their grieving loved ones.

Secondly, the expansion from the original novella, “Wolves of Darkness,” to a full-length novel has not been successful. The author has added unnecessary fluff, which has only served to slow down the pacing and detract from the overall story.

Furthermore, the scientific expedition that serves as the starting point of the book is led by a scientist who is supposed to be an expert in multiple fields, including anthropology, archaeology, zoology, genetics, and psychology. While such a character might have been believable in the post-war era, it is simply implausible in today's world.

Finally, the other characters in the book are nothing more than tired stereotypes. The women are constantly in distress, the men are sulky and silent, the doctors are sinister, and the editors are in league with the conspirators. It all feels so clichéd and unoriginal.

In conclusion, I cannot recommend this book enough. The only redeeming quality is the pseudo-scientific theory behind shape-shifting and witchcraft, but that is not enough to justify the overall mediocrity of the work. Save your time and money and stay far away from this bloated and disappointing novel.

Insipido.

It lacks flavor and excitement.

Non scorre.

It doesn't flow smoothly.

The story could potentially be interesting, but everything happens too simply and too quickly.

There is no build-up, no tension, and no real development of the plot or the characters.

It feels rushed and unfinished, as if the author didn't take the time to fully explore the potential of the story.

As a result, the reader is left feeling disappointed and unengaged.

There is so much more that could have been done to make this story truly captivating, but unfortunately, it falls short.

Abandoning the dreamy/fantastic multiverse of Roger Zelazny, my next reading had to be very different. So I sought an author I had never heard of: Jack Williamson. The chosen book, Darker than you think (a free translation being “Darker than you imagine”), is a fundamental story about werewolves and witches with a noir atmosphere.

Williamson was an American science fiction author with a vast career (he died at 98 in 2006), having passed through various pulp magazines since the 1920s. There is a collection of stories tribute to his work organized by Zelazny himself called The Williamson Effect, with the presence of several authors from Appendix N. From there we can perceive that he influenced not only directly Gygax, but also indirectly the authors he admired.

The entry in the appendix lists only his name, without suggestions of books. And as the great majority of his work is aimed at science fiction, Darker than you think, from 1948, seems a good guess of an “inspirational” work. Besides, this is considered his best work. It is an urban fantasy book, or more specifically a horror one, and the story reminds a little of those black and white monster movies.

Will Barbee is a shrewd and alcoholic reporter of the local newspaper who receives a call to accompany the return of Professor Mondrick and his three companions (respectively his ex-mentor and his best college friends) from an expedition to the Gobi Desert. Still at the airport, he meets April Bell, a beautiful and sensual rival from another newspaper, the perfect definition of femme fatale.

The book also presents the most interesting female character so far of all I read from Appendix N: Rowena Mondrick. Wife of the professor, she used to accompany him in his expeditions around the world until a tragedy happened. When she was studying the supposed leopard-men of a Nigerian cannibal tribe, she was attacked by a black leopard that tore her eyes. Always accompanied by her dog Turk (trained to protect her) and her nurse, this middle-aged lady is tough, carries a hidden silver knife, besides numerous necklaces and rings of the same metal. She is also a pianist and composer, although her music is sad and strange. How can one not like Rowena and want to put her in one's own adventures?

Returning to the story of the book, Professor Mondrick calls all the press to reveal the content of an ancient box excavated in the desert and a terrible secret that threatens all humanity. There is a sinister conspiracy and the advent of the Son of the Night is approaching. Unfortunately he dies in an unexplained way before he can finish his explanation.

Barbee then joins Bell to solve this mystery. During the day, between one drink and another, he investigates the clues, and at night he is taken by strange dreams where he transforms into a gray wolf and attacks his old friends, accompanied by a beautiful albino she-wolf. And the story gets darker than you can imagine...

The book presents a psychological horror plot where the protagonist is being driven to madness, even ending up being institutionalized in an asylum (mirroring an experience lived by the author), as he increasingly assumes his inner evil. Another noteworthy point is that the institution is presented as if it were a temple to the new “Freudian god” and the nurses would be its priestesses. A beautiful image for players of Call of Cthulhu.

Although it is not available in Portuguese, unlike other older works, it does not have a slow pace or a pretentious language, being quite easy to read.

Regarding the influence on games, before starting to read more deeply the books of Appendix N, I imagined that Tolkien, with his bear-man Beorn, would be the main inspiration for the numerous “were-creatures” of the Monster Manual. And here we have a book that presents the term “Lycanthrope” to group this type of creature that can only be wounded by silver weapons. Read this passage and draw your own conclusions:

\\n  “Rowena was preparing to write an article on lycanthropy – the common belief among primitive tribes that certain individuals are capable of transforming into carnivorous animals \\".\\n

\\n  \\"Is that so?\\" the girl whispered breathlessly. \\"Tell me!\\"\\n

\\"The animals are usually the most dangerous found in the locality\\", continued Barbee, eager to keep her interested and happy to find some use, after all, for the dry facts he had learned in Mondrick's classes. \\"Bears in the northern countries. Jaguars in the Amazon basin. Wolves in Europe - the peasants of medieval France lived in terror of the loup-garou. Leopards or tigers in Africa and Asia. I don't know how the belief could have spread so widely\\".”

I liked it very much.

As I was reading, it was not until I reached page 50 that I realized it was first published in 1948. I was truly in awe.

The author's ability to create a character like April Bell, a liberated young woman who is self-aware and in touch with her desires, is remarkable.

In my opinion, this book has aged extremely well.

It was also interesting to read from the perspective of a man who is striving to do good but ultimately can't seem to control himself.

This added an extra layer of complexity and depth to the story.

Overall, it was a captivating and thought-provoking read that I would highly recommend to others.

I wholeheartedly concur with all the other reviews that label this as repetitive. The same cycle of'murder' and 'ooops, was that murder' persisted throughout the middle part of the book. What made it even worse was that I found the main character truly insufferable. He stubbornly refused to come to terms with his actions and was constantly urged by the 'white wolf bitch', a phrase that was repeated ad nauseam. Speaking of which, the numerous cat and dog deaths/murders are yet another reason to avoid this book like the plague and to despise Barbee for going along with it all.

Look, I might have loved this as a child or even ten years ago. However, now I find Barbee's complete willingness to betray everyone he knows and become a total monster highly repulsive. Then again, he can also transform into a dinosaur. So, in a way, the idea of being able to transform into anything and use one's mind and 'probability' on some hazy scientific basis to take over the world is quite seductive. Overall, though, the story simply didn't work for me. I firmly believe that it's Barbee's complete lack of agency and 'hardboiled' dullness that are to blame.

On the positive side, it has inspired all those amazing covers featuring a naked red-haired lady riding a giant sabretooth, which is pure pulp perfection. Sadly, this cover was not used on the copy I had, which instead had a slightly misleading emphasis on a wolf. The book has many aspects to it, and the ending is still rather impressive. But, the characters really, really leave a lot to be desired.

This novel, which was written in the 1940s, is regarded as one of the pioneering "modern" supernatural novels that incorporate iconic folklore elements such as the witch, werewolf, and vampire.

Interestingly, it was also penned during the era of Sigmund Freud, and his work is referenced on several occasions within the book. This juxtaposition of folklore with early modern psychology makes for a truly captivating read.

Overall, it has been a really cool experience delving into this novel. I feel extremely fortunate to have obtained a copy of it. It offers a unique perspective that combines the realm of the supernatural with the emerging field of psychology during that time period.

The way the author weaves these two disparate elements together creates a narrative that is both engaging and thought-provoking. It makes one wonder about the deeper connections between our fears, our beliefs, and the psychological underpinnings of the folklore that has been passed down through the ages.

All in all, this novel is a must-read for anyone interested in either supernatural literature or the history of psychology. It provides a fascinating glimpse into a bygone era and offers a fresh take on some of our most beloved and enduring folklore.

This was possibly the worst book I read this year.

Jack Williamson must have been either on crack or in the middle of a nervous breakdown when he wrote this truly awful piece of writing.

The story was disjointed, the characters were flat and uninteresting, and the writing itself was just plain bad.

I couldn't wait to finish it so I could move on to something better.

Note to self: Never trust publishers that recommend you books. They are most likely just selling their merchandise.

From now on, I will do my own research and read reviews from other readers before deciding which books to buy.

I don't want to waste my time and money on another terrible book like this one.

Wonderful read!

This simple phrase holds a world of meaning. It implies that the text or book being referred to is not just ordinary, but truly remarkable. It has the power to engage the reader, to transport them to another world, to make them think and feel.
A wonderful read can be a thrilling adventure story that keeps you on the edge of your seat, or a heartwarming romance that makes you believe in love again. It could be a thought-provoking non-fiction book that expands your knowledge and changes your perspective.
When we describe something as a wonderful read, we are not only complimenting the author's writing skills, but also expressing our own enjoyment and satisfaction. It is a way of sharing our enthusiasm with others and recommending that they too experience the joy of reading this particular piece of work.
In a world where there are so many distractions and so little time, finding a wonderful read is like discovering a precious gem. It is something to be cherished and savored, and it can have a profound impact on our lives. So the next time you come across a book or text that you can describe as a wonderful read, be sure to share it with others and spread the love of reading.

This was an extremely interesting pulp book to read.

It managed to combine noir, science fiction, and horror in a fairly seamless manner.

It included both lycanthropes and vampires, which was quite exciting. What made it even more engaging was the very interesting scientific background provided for their existence.

This background felt so believable and real that it added a whole new layer of depth to the story.

I really liked some of the noir aspects of the book. The dark and gritty atmosphere, the morally ambiguous characters, and the sense of mystery all contributed to making it a captivating read.

However, I did stumble over some of the other aspects. The palpable sense of dread that was constantly present throughout the book was perhaps a little overdone.

It started to feel a bit repetitive after a while. Additionally, there were some phrasing tics that appeared over and over again, which could be a bit distracting at times.

Overall, though, this was a book that I would recommend to anyone who enjoys a good pulp fiction adventure.