The Last Werewolf is a work of fiction by Glen Duncan. The author takes the well-known werewolf origin story and breathes new life into it. Duncan creates a narrator who the reader should by all counts feel nothing but disdain for. He is after all a werewolf who eats people. But Duncan injects an element of empathy and we find ourselves caring for this people eating monster. Canongate | January 1, 2011 | Hardcover | 346 pp
Our main character, Jake Marlowe, is over 200 years old. He’s lived long enough to have lost those he has ever cared for. Over the years he has acquired depths of knowledge most could only dream of. He has even outlived his fellow werewolves who have been continually hunted by an organization whose sole purpose is to assassinate werewolves to extinction.
Jake’s world is sent into upheaval when he discovers that he is in fact the last living werewolf. The last of his kind, therefore the center and complete focus of the organization’s hunt. He suddenly must struggle with his own identity. Is it is even worth to continue living life on the run? Does he have a duty not to eradicate himself and therefore the race of werewolves all together?
As Jake struggles with his identity, he comes along a surprise that suddenly makes his life worth saving. To have avoided love since before he was turned, he must contend with the reality that he could in fact connect and love with another. This makes his future and the threat of imminent destruction suddenly terrifying.
Duncan utilizes poetic-like language and vivid imagery to conjure a character who we find evil and bloodthirsty but also very much human and very much struggling with issues that humans deal with every day. If you’re looking for a descriptive thrill ride that adds a new element to the old werewolf legend this is the book for you!
The Last Werewolf
by Glen Duncan
