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    The Wolf Gift: A Novel
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    The Wolf Gift: A Novel
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    The Wolf Gift: A Novel
    Audiobook17 hours

    The Wolf Gift: A Novel

    Written by Anne Rice

    Narrated by Ron McLarty

    3.5/5

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this audiobook

    A daring new departure from the inspired creator of The Vampire Chronicles ("unrelentingly erotic . . . unforgettable"—The Washington Post), Lives of the Mayfair Witches ("Anne Rice will live on through the ages of literature"—San Francisco Chronicle), and the angels of The Songs of the Seraphim ("remarkable"—Associated Press). A whole new world—modern, sleek, high-tech—and at its center, a story as old and compelling as history: the making of a werewolf, reimagined and reinvented as only Anne Rice, teller of mesmerizing tales, conjurer extraordinaire of other realms, could create.

    The time is the present.

    The place, the rugged coast of Northern California. A bluff high above the Pacific. A grand mansion full of beauty and tantalizing history set against a towering redwood forest.

    A young reporter on assignment from the San Francisco Observer . . . An older woman welcoming him into her magnificent family home that he has been sent to write about and that she must sell with some urgency . . . A chance encounter between two unlikely people . . . An idyllic night—shattered by horrific unimaginable violence, the young man inexplicably attacked—bitten—by a beast he cannot see in the rural darkness . . . A violent episode that sets in motion a terrifying yet seductive transformation, as the young man, caught between ecstasy and horror, between embracing who he is evolving into and fearing what he will become, soon experiences the thrill of the wolf gift.

    As he resists the paradoxical pleasure and enthrallment of his wolfen savagery and delights in the power and (surprising) capacity for good, he is caught up in a strange and dangerous rescue and is desperately hunted as "the Man Wolf" by authorities, the media, and scientists (evidence of DNA threatens to reveal his dual existence) . . . As a new and profound love enfolds him, questions emerge that propel him deeper into his mysterious new world: questions of why and how he has been given this gift; of its true nature and the curious but satisfying pull towards goodness; of the profound realization that there may be others like him who are watching—guardian creatures who have existed throughout time who possess ancient secrets and alchemical knowledge. And throughout it all, the search for salvation for a soul tormented by a new realm of temptations, and the fraught, exhilarating journey, still to come, of being and becoming, fully, both wolf and man.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherPenguin Random House Audio
    Release dateFeb 14, 2012
    ISBN9780307877239
    Unavailable
    The Wolf Gift: A Novel
    Author

    Anne Rice

    A.N. Roquelaure is the pseudonym for bestselling author Anne Rice, the author of 25 books. She lives in New Orleans.

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    Reviews for The Wolf Gift

    3.5/5

    308 ratings38 reviews

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    Review must be at least 10 words

    • 2/5
      Jacob Black and his angsty teenage sexuality would have been more fun to read.
    • 3/5
      Hmm, tough call. I am glad she has gotten away from as much of her religious conversion though it still plays through quite a but in the writing (And never to fear, we still have tortured souls debating age old morality questions over esoteric philosophy references)This is an interesting new take on a wolf man not being so much as a bestial creature, and more of a man with new sensory/hormonal input. A newer morality based on a new set of circumstances and evolution. This is not a man who is tormented by his curse, doomed to turn into an unthinking brute set on killing, this is the same man with heightened senses and desires. The main character refers to himself as more of a Jekyll and Hyde, except Jekyll has much moire of a say and Hyde more a mask.. Definitely feels a lead in for further new adventures and let's face it, the vampires are about played out for now, as well for the witches. Not overly hard to follow, and I love her use of history/archaeology as always (Pandora still being one of my favs for immersing you into the time) and the seemingly childlike wonder that is applied to what could be perceived by some as more morbid story-lines. This more returning to those earlier works from the Vampire Chronicles, maybe roughly mirroring them in some ways and so I like it overall. Not my favorite, but easy enough to get into, though she ends up makig you more want to look up to the paternal figure of Felix Nideck than our main protagonist Reuben (Who made some rather self centered and dumb decisions throughout the text and is still quite naive in his way even after his change).It helped he had money to not have to really deal with what would've been ongoing real world problems whilst handling his supernatural dilemma. It sounds better to race off to confront your demons in a reliable Porsche than stalling out in your beat up Pinto in the middle of the woods enroute to your final confrontation ;) Just an off hand observation, she tends to have her heroes well monied or able to lay hand on funds at some point. They are cultured typically at least and not the tacky nouveau riche. Overall a decent nightly read if not all out engrossing.
    • 4/5
      I enjoyed this very much. Despite the occurrence of the occasional ripped off head or arm, the pacing is not too fast. The book takes its time to describe the environment, in particular the house in which a lot takes place. It has mystery and camaraderie and a loving relationship (even though that part seemed a bit too easy to be realistic; the girlfriend you sort of loved but that was clearly not a good fit to begin with conveniently falls in love with your best friend when you meet someone out of the blue who digs werewolves. Yes, that would also be my first reaction, 'Hey, a man with a wolf head. Let's kiss!.) Despite the fact that the book has some formidable female characters, it is rather male oriented, but at least some sort of explanation is given: there are female werewolves, but they form their own packs. Fine, there are precedents in nature, although wolves are not among them.Overall, I just loved the idea of the house, with in the end a group of friends who occupy it. It seemed a lovely arrangement and I can't help liking groups of supportive friends in anything I read.
    • 2/5
      I was hoping this book would be more like the vampire chronicles or her sister's Silver wolf series. Instead it is about a super hero werewolf that is more like an ape then a wolf. All he does is run around ripping apart bad guys, philosophizes about good and evil, kills wild life, and screws his girl friend while he is furry. Thank God that there are no details about the ape man having sex with her.
      I found this book quite disappointing.
    • 1/5
      This book is awful. It's so bad that the whole time I was reading it, I wasn't thinking about the plot or characters - I was wondering why I was still reading it. As other reviewers have pointed out, it has practically no depth to its characters, none of whom are likable or interesting anyway, and it has these philosobabble sections in which people chatter on about these supposedly deep philosophical concerns in a way that no real person other than a philosophy professor would do. The action scenes are boring, and for the love of pete please stop using the thesaurus to pick new and fancy words to describe things. Just say it. Trust me, it will be more interesting that way.
    • 3/5
      I did like the story and the start of a new story line. So different from the vampire novels

      The only thing that got a bit weird and creepy was they only had sex when he was the manwolf except for that one time.
    • 5/5
      Master writer Anne Rice returns to the supernatural realm with her newest release, "The Wolf Gift". Reuben Golding was a nice, normal young man who loved to write and was working as a journalist for the San Francisco Observer. While on assignment one day in Mendocino County, California, Reuben stumbles upon the house of his dreams. It’s for sale, and after spending the day with the owner of the estate, Reuben has made up his mind to buy it. That night, he wakes to the sound of screaming and finds himself face-to-face with the dead body of the woman of the house, her murderous brothers, and a creature he has only heard of in fairytales – a giant man wolf. For reasons unknown to him, the man wolf does not kill him but leaves him bitten and wounded on the kitchen floor of the home. Reuben is taken to the hospital, where his recovery is unusually fast and he experiences some unnatural changes. Reuben had been infected by the man wolf and is now a creature of the night himself. He must face the challenges, moral ramifications, and danger that comes with accepting the Wolf Gift. How will he become accustomed to his new strength, the enhanced senses, and the unrelenting voices of the helpless calling to him in the night for vengeance? "The Wolf Gift" is eloquently written with a wonderful mix of the supernatural and scientific possibilities. The characters are all very well-rounded. They show a full range of emotion, dilemmas, and vulnerability. Reuben is endearing and his struggles and general outlook on life make it impossible for the reader to not root for him. With beautiful and entrancing descriptions of Nideck Point and the surrounding landscape, Rice lures readers into Reuben’s world and will not let them go. Along with her wonderful storytelling, Rice raises deeper questions of God, morals, ethics, and responsibility within the novel, as well as bringing new theories and suggestions regarding werewolf lore to the table. "The Wolf Gift" is a must-read for fans of Anne Rice, as well as fans of werewolf fiction. Readers and fans alike will not be disappointed with the fresh voice that one of the greatest literary figures of our time brings to the genre of werewolf fiction.Disclosure: I received my copy of this book free from the publisher. This had no impact on my opinion of the book or my review.
    • 1/5
      Nope. Just nope. What the heck was I thinking. Oh my did life mock me. As I progressed further into the book at first, I thought hey! This is not bad. Reuben of course, could be worked on...maybe with a couple of bats to the face, groin...maybe hear a bone crack or two for his incessant stupidity but hey! We don’t really have to like our main characters do we? I mean come on! It’s werewolves! They’re the rivals to vampires! They’re almost the second best thing when it comes to reading about supernatural beings! Life continues to mock me as I turn the pages. My darling girl, you never learn do you? But please keep reading because your blind faith and love for one of your favorite authors is keeping you going. Perhaps you think there’s going to be a sudden twist and everything is alright with the world right?Haha. Nope.Despite the fact that I didn’t mind Reuben became this werewolf vigilante and there were others who were just as interesting. The plot itself wasn’t so bad. The pages kept turning. Progress was made. Descriptions of scenery and the setting was excellent enough that a clear picture could be done and makes the reading experience better. So what bothers me the most about this?Werewolves and humans interbreeding….with the werewolf still in wolf form.No. JUST. NO. WHY. As I continued reading and when these parts start popping up in the book I started to cringe. I started to develop this horrible taste in my mouth and suddenly the descriptions cannot be unseen in the mind and I had to put the book down and immerse my brain into something Disney related so I can erase those awful pictures in my head. Not my kind of thing. I should have stopped then and there but my loyalty to Miss Rice got the best of me and I continued.And it ends with a possible sequel.I’m sorry I just can’t. I tried. I’m going to stick with the vampires. Reuben isn’t likable, the incessant poetry of having this “wolf gift” just doesn’t quite cut it and isn’t quite the same as what I thought it would be in past novels. I’m skipping the next book and getting the next Lestat book instead. The scenes between human and werewolf just ruined it for me. I don’t recommend this one. It’s not my thing. I really tried. At least I can say I read it. Albeit, a painful read.
    • 3/5
      Not even sure where to go with this. I enjoyed the story, not how it was told.
    • 3/5
      "The highest truths a person could discover were rooted in the natural world."Reuben Golding, is a twenty-something cub reporter working for a San Francisco newspaper who has travelled to Mendocino, a four hour drive outside the city, to write a story about an old mansion situated in the cliffs overlooking the Pacific on the edge of a redwood forest. Rueben is shown around the property by the niece of the previous owner who recently had inherited it from her uncle who had recently been declared dead having disappeared some twenty years beforehand. Almost immediately, Reuben falls for both the house and decides to buy the property for himself. Luckily for Reuben he doesn't have to rely on his salary as a journalist because his parents are wealthy and he has a healthy trust fund.After a few hours of conversation and dinner Reuben and Marchant, the niece, spend the night together. As Reuben enjoys a post-coital nap, Marchant updates her will leaving the estate to him but shortly afterwards she is murdered by her drug addict younger brothers. Rueben is stabbed by the brothers but his life is saved when a werewolf suddenly arrives it kills them instead. Rueben is bitten by the werewolf during the rescue and is turned into a werewolf soon afterwards. The rest of the novel follows Reuben attempts to adjust to his new powers.Just like other depictions of werewolves, Reuben transforms into a hirsute humanoid with a wolf-like appearance, rather than an actual wolf; one with an out-sized appetite for violence; and one who is much stronger than either a human or a wolf could ever be. However, Rice's werewolf differs from the Hollywood stereotype in that Rueben doesn't simply become a mindless beast who goes on killing sprees. Instead, he only attacks wrong-doers, a rapist, the kidnappers of a school bus full of children, a woman abusing an elderly couple, a man who has just murdered his wife and is about to kill his two young daughters and some homophobic gay bashers. Reuben can control his animal urges and channel them for good. Now I should point out at this juncture that this book is a long way from my usual reading choices and generally I wouldn't tackle something from this particular genre. This is also my first book of the author's that I've read.I found the first two-thirds or so of this novel a decent piece of escapism despite a lack of real atmosphere or character development. However, the final third was something of a let down.Now I believe that Rice was asking, whether or not it is ever right for individuals to take the law in their own hands? Was the 'Wolf Man' a vigilante or a mass murderer who had set himself up as judge, jury and executioner?. "Pride is the parent of destruction; pride eats the mind and the heart and the soul."Reuben and his gift had the potential to make for interesting reading but Rice spent far too much time and energy on theological, scientific, philosophic and ethical speculation (Rueben's brother was a priest, his mother a surgeon, his father a poet and his girlfriend an attorney) that the plot rather stalled and became clichéd. It got mired down on whether Rueben's transformation was hormonal, a religious curse or a blessing, one that had a moral and legal considerations or as he saw it himself a 'gift'. A book that started well but ultimately disappointed.
    • 3/5
      Fun. Audiobook. Maybe not quite 3 in the larger world. But I can give Anne Rice quite a bit of room. This one set in the Bay Area. That is fun. And I'm glad she's back to weird creatures that like blood.
    • 1/5
      To call this god-awful would be a kindness. I love me some Anne Rice, but this, this is trash.DNF @ page 20.
    • 4/5
      I expected this to be set in the early centuries for some reason, but instead it takes place in modern day times. The book overall wasn't exactly what I was expecting. but no matter. It was mostly enjoyable. Not much really happened but when you consider that the majority of the book took place over a span of only two weeks that's not too surprising. But I didn't really invest in Ruben as much as I expected to. And I didn't really get how the relationship between him and Laura played out the way it did. There were explanations that I didn't totally like. But I really enjoyed coming back to Rice's romanticization of the supernatural. So it's a low four star. If you like Anne Rice but took a break from her when she moved to books about angels and Jesus, then this book is for you, where she comes back to her supernatural greatness.
    • 2/5
      Anne Rice, instead of the Dark Gift of her vampires, has given us the Wolf Gift of her werewolves. She still has her homoerotic fetish in her writings, giving us a homosexual werewolf toward the middle of the book. This was a werewolf of the superhero variety, but it was an entertaining story. It wasn't as ground breaking as "Interview with the Vampire" was in its day, but I guess that is a hard ruler to judge anyone by. It's hard to ALWAYS be groundbreaking. She had a tale to tell and she told it.

      She used a lot of infodumps, which I didn't like... and her characters were pretty thin... and it was hard to accept a newspaper reporter who drove a Porsche - and could fall into bed with every woman he met without causing a bit of anger or jealousy from his fiancee. He even was able to dump the fiancee without a scene (he text-dumped her, and she was okay with it). He lived a charmed life from the get-go. He had rich parents, a fiancee, was handsome, had a porsche, a good reputation and everything handed to him - and then was handed super powers! Yay! He had no personal wrongs to right, so he righted other people's wrongs. And he didn't even have to worry about leaving behind evidence because it all evaporates. No consequences to his actions, except for the kid he bit - but that turned out okay.

      The characters were flat. The fiancee had no emotional connection to the character. His mother was worried, but really had no personality beyond being a worried surgeon. His brother had no personality. His boss gave him plum assignments despite having no experience. His new girlfriend came out of nowhere, was welcoming to a monster for sex for no reason, had no personality, did whatever Reuban wanted, in whatever form or shape he wanted, and was so emotionally stable she lacked all personality. She was just there to give Reuban just another bit of perfection in his great life without consequences. All the senior werewolves loved Reuban and thought what he was doing was great. Reuban was handsome, and being turned into a wolf just made him even MORE handsome.

      It really annoys me that the main character had no problems in his life and had everything given to him on a platter - and then was given superpowers without consequences - and women who gladly go to bed with him. Why not take a guy whose life sucks and make it better? Reuban has no problems to solve. If he gets lonely, hey! Here's a woman living alone in the woods because she's depressed, but will happily have sex with a wolf-man monster for no reason whatsoever. He is willed the PERFECT house by a woman who had the presence of mind to change her will over the phone mere moments before she is murdered just because he slept with her. The former owner of the house doesn't want to contest the will, but just wants old tablets in the house - oh and he solves Reuban's problem with the law, to boot.

      With the characters who had perfect equilibrium in their lives, and the consequence free superpowers, this werewolf story lacked bite.
    • 4/5
      If I am totally honest, I wasn't really excited about the subject matter of this book. I borrowed the book because I love Anne Rice novels, and I was -finally- getting my turn at The Wolf Gift. I have read around half of her Lestat novels ( unsure exactly), but I have not returned to that world in many, many years. And I wasn't positive if I wanted to, honestly. So I delved in.....and I was immediately spell-bound. This is a totally different universe from the Lestat novels. And I liked it.
      By the time I had made it to chapter 5 I was totally absorbed in the story. Anne Rice has a way of drawing you into her stories, making you care about the people in her novels. You become emotionally invested in what is happening to the characters.

      If you are looking for full moon transformations, mindless killing, and the cliche werewolf story - you won't find it in this book. I don't think it is a book about werewolves as much as it is a story about a man transforming and seeing the world in a different perspective. Yes the Wolf Gift changes him, but to me the book was a story of choices, learning, and understanding. Of course I am sure everyone who reads it gets something unique out of it. I was enthralled by how the Wolf Gift made the main character seek out innocent people who are being harmed, how he questioned whether or not he was good or evil. You fear for his safety, you want him to get the answers he is seeking. I can't remember another werewolf story or movie making me feel that way. It may have been a little gory, for some. But who actually knows an incredibly clean, serial-killer, much less a werewolf...? Blood-spatter and gore happens, folks. We pop open rather messily. And that has not bothered me with this novel.

      By chapter 39 when answers starting coming, I was smiling at the history of were-kind. I really enjoyed this book. I love that is not a typical werewolf story. I enjoyed all of the characters and I am looking forward to the next chronicle. I hope to borrow it soon.
      4.5 stars, what a pleasant surprise!
    • 3/5
      Anne Rice is a fantastic author who's written some incredible books, but I don't think The Wolf Gift is really among them. I had to push myself to finish this one, which certainly wasn't the case when I read the Vampire Chronicles or even Mayfair Witches. Anyone who has read Anne Rice before, knows that her writing is prose heavy and incredibly descriptive, but there are times when it can be too much. There were many points in The Wolf Gift where it felt as though the story line wasn't moving at all, that we were just kept static, reading pages and pages about the setting or other things that could have been focused on a little less. For those of you who like werewolves, it's not a bad story, and certainly somewhat out of the norm from what I've read recently. However, there were some oddly graphic scenes with the main character and his female companion, that some people might find unnecessary.Overall, I don't think is is Anne Rice's best work, but it's certainly not a bad novel if you can get all the way through it. I'm still not certain if I will read the rest of the series, it may depend on how much time I have in the future.
    • 4/5
      Finished this last night. Simply amazing. I enjoyed her vampire series and thought they were wonderful, but this outshines them by far!

      I want more! I want more of Reuben, Laura, Stuart, and Jim. I especially want more of Felix, Margon and Thibault. As much as I would like more about Reuben, I would love to see a book focused on these three.

      I highly suggest this read. It beats the lycanthropy presented in garbage like Twilight, not that that takes much, but her take on it is intriguing.

    • 3/5
      3.5 Stars
      I really liked the premise of this book. The flow of it kept you entertained and wanting to know more. It just felt kind of wordy, or shall I say had too many details. It was one of those books where I just started skipping to the dialogue, because you knew every aspect of feeling, texture, color, smell, etc.. and it made the book a tedious read. I had to put it down and come back to it a few times. But when you finish, it makes you feel like you accomplished something awesome. Overall a good read, but you've got to be in the mood for Anne Rice.
    • 4/5
      I have such a fondness for the way Anne Rice is able to paint such wonderful scenery in her books. This book seems like a slight departure from the same layout and stye of her vampire books but I don't necessarily think that's a bad thing. I was expecting something different and was left with enough interest and intrigue throughout the book to make it quite enjoyable. Nice fast pace with great visual stimuli - pretty much what you expect from Anne Rice at her best.

      I'm very interested to see where, and how far, she takes this series. I want more.
    • 3/5
      I read an advance reader's copy of this on the plane, courtesy of the publisher and Netgalley. It was sort of disappointing, but it did keep me fairly engrossed. It starts off beautifully, with a journalist, a poetic and handsome young man named Reuben, meeting an older woman at her gorgeous spooky old mansion in the isolated redwoods of Northern California, inherited from an exotic uncle who mysteriously disappeared. Bites, wolfishness, philosophical and religious ponderings, and the more interesting pursuit of evildoers and mayhem ensue. Then it devolves into more philosophy lite and overly deliberate explications, around the wolfman dining table, of wolfman origins.

      It's been years since I read the first 3 Interview with a Vampire books, but I think they had more verve than this novel. It had all the elements of a good Anne Rice novel, but put together it lacked a certain passion and liveliness. There is a love story too, but i fail to see the appeal of wolfman nooky, it was kind of odd. I think Reuben needed to be more of a tortured hero instead of a pleasant young nice guy who was basically perfectly fine with his fate. On the other hand, I have zero interest in religion, so it's quite possible others with more will enjoy this book a good deal more than I did.
    • 3/5
      Okay, this book really wasn't as bad as I thought. Yes, there were a whole bunch of things that bothered or bugged me while I was reading, but from some of the horribly brutal reviews I've seen, I truly expected a train wreck.Maybe that's it -- I was so prepared for the worst that I was actually surprised when the book exceeded the very low expectations I had in the first place. Or maybe it's because I listened to the audiobook. The narrator did an excellent job, and we all know how a good voice actor can bring even a mediocre story to life.Except I actually quite liked the story in The Wolf Gift! And I found that I really enjoyed Anne Rice's take on werewolves and her shapeshifter mythology. Admittedly, I picked this book up when I read some reviews on here that described it as Anne Rice back in true form (no pun intended). I think that's what attracted me the most, because I used to be a big fan of Rice's until after a while her books just got way too weird and I gave up on her stuff. Then I realized it's been so long since I've read any of her books, I can't remember what her older stuff was like anyway, so any comparison would be a moot point. Oh well, suffice to say, at least nothing put me off about the story or her writing in this book, so that's a plus.Anyway, on to the list of things that bugged me. First of all, the characters. While I enjoyed the story, I couldn't say the same for the protagonist. Not even close. It wasn't that Reuben was unlikeable, but he wasn't likeable either. In fact, the way he was written I could hardly muster up any feelings for him at all. He was just bland and I found I just did not care. Same for almost everyone else in the novel. I'm not sure if this is because Rice is writing in the third person here, and I am more used to seeing her write in the first.This might not be such a big deal to other people, but the other thing that bothered me was the number of times brand names were dropped in this book. I don't mind the odd mention of an iPhone or a Porsche, but when it's Porsche this and iPhone that and Bose this every other page, it really gets on my nerves. Why not just call it a car, a phone or a music player? Guess what, normal people do!And finally the ending. Like I said, I thought the take on the werewolf origin and mythos in this book very interesting, but the info dump you get in the last two chapters or so was just too much. I would prefer if things like that were revealed and spread out more throughout the entire novel, and not just heaped onto you in one huge exposition like it was done here.
    • 2/5
      Reuben is a 23 year old recent college graduate with a trust fund and a Porsche. Do you hate him yet? Give it a minute. He's also breathtakingly beautiful. The author makes this point over and over again, like she thinks it's developing his character. Literally everyone who meets Reuben will at some point remark on his beauty, probably at length. And ohmygosh, it's such a drag for him! He just wants people to take him seriously as a man, but all they can see is his stunning good looks and his age. But Reuben's girlfriend and mother are constantly telling him to grow up and get a job. I mean, geez, it's not his fault that he has no direction in life! Seriously, his life is super hard, in ways we regular looking poor people probably can't understand. Luckily, things are about to change for the better in Reuben's life. He's sent by the newspaper he works for (he got this job through family connections as he has no experience/education in journalism) to write up a real estate listing for this huge old mansion up on a cliff overlooking the sea. The house is beautiful, surrounded by redwoods as it is, so he decides to buy it from the stunningly gorgeous older woman who is selling it. Naturally, they bang. This is what always happens when two beautiful people meet. I mean, sure, Reuben has a girlfriend but she's cheated on him before, so he figures she owes him and she won't mind because she's super-gorgeous too and so can't be jealous of a woman over 30. (P.S., she isn't). Again, any ugly/poor people reading this book will just have to take it on faith that life is very different for Reuben.Anyway, in the middle of the night, the gorgeous older woman is murdered by her drug-addicted brothers who are looking to score some money for their next party. Reuben is almost killed too, but at the last moment, a huge monster breaks into the house, kills his attackers, bites him and runs away. You guys, this was totes a werewolf and now Reuben has super powers!! He heals from his wounds almost instantly and discovers that his hearing now allows him to eavesdrop on conversations held on the other side of the city. Even better, he can now detect and track the scent of evil. Also, when night falls, he begins transforming into a huge wolf monster with super strength, speed, and agility. Naturally, he begins using his powers to murder people. Don't worry though, only evil people. This is what Reuben has been needing in his life. Finally, he has the power of life and death as well as a slew of other godlike powers. Now people will have to respect him. The rest of the book passes in a series of orgiastic murder sprees where Reuben in wolf form tears apart rapists with his huge claws, scattering their varies pieces to the winds and devouring their innards. Afterwards, he returns to his priest brother for absolution and then home to his fucktoy, a dull-eyed, animated sex doll of a woman who wafts about his castle in lacy nightgowns having sex with him in beast form. She's a nature guide, so she's totally down with bestiality. Reuben moves this soulless automaton into his giant creepy castle like a week after they meet. That's fine with her. Her whole family is dead and it's "the rainy season" so she literally has no job or other concerns to distract her from Reuben. Man, talk about low maintenance! Weeks later he breaks up with his girlfriend over text while he is out to dinner with his Stepford wife. It's almost like the author just remembered, "Oh yah, he had a girlfriend at the beginning of this book!" The scene is so jarringly ridiculous. Don't worry, his girlfriend is already banging someone else too. She's not mad that he hasn't spoken to her since he was almost murdered and has since moved a complete stranger into his remote castle hideaway. She just wants to remain friends. Whew, it really must be easier to be rich and beautiful. "He suckled her breasts as she sighed." GAG. Oh Anne Rice, I grew up reading your early work and now it has come to this. It's like she's writing her own fanfiction. Everyone is beautiful, hyper-sexualized, rich, all powerful, and morally superior. Any and all challenges or antagonists are instantly overcome, so it's hard to say that there is actually a plot of any sort. I was positively staggered by the anti-climax of this novel. The "big baddies" are a pair of cartoonishly evil Soviet scientists with funny accents and forged medical papers that try to have Reuben committed to their care so they can perform evil torture-experiments on him. They show up at his house with thirty peace officers and a sheriff and are like, "You vill be combing vith us now, leetle boi!" The sheriff is all, "Geez, he doesn't seem crazy. Are you sure you're doctors?" And then, predictably, a werewolf tears the doctors to literal pieces in Reuben's living room. Seriously, what did they think would happen?Following this scene, Reuben throws a dinner party in the same house that very night, presumably while cleaners are plucking brain matter out of his carpet with tweezers. Why does no one care about the horror show level violence that they have just witnessed? I think I would be off my feed personally for at least a few hours. But then, I'm not a stunningly gorgeous rich person. Anne Rice then goes on to explain how turning into a werewolf and becoming immortal is nothing more than evolution in action. You see, long long ago, there was this isolated species of humanity who gradually developed the ability to transform themselves into ravenous wolf creatures, and then, one day that ability was transmitted to homo sapiens through a mingling of fluids and a mutation occurred making the recipient immortal and all powerful. It sounds silly explaining it out loud because really, it's SO OBVIOUS. Come on, woman. That's not how science works. That's not even close to how science works. Can't you just commit to this thing and make it a gypsy curse or something? Why the hours of exposition for an equally fanciful explanation?
    • 5/5
      Anne Rice is one of my all time favorite authors. I consider her to be the godmomther of paranormal writing. I have devoured her past paranormal books and waiting anxiously for her to get back into this gene. When I saw she had written a Werewolf book I was jumping with joy. It had been a long time since I had enjoyed her work. I've been reading urban fantasy novels with quick pacing and dramatic events almost constantly. I jumped into this novel expecting the Pow of the current writers in this gene. I was disappointed by the slow, melodic pace she had set. I wanted the rush. I kept reading and found myself falling into the story. I was hooked deeply, living it along with the characters. It read like non-fiction historical, so real. That is the genius that is Anne Rice, she makes you believe.

      We follow a journalist Rueben as he interviews a young vivacious women about the estate she has decided to sell. They are attacked and he is bitten, causing changes. He is very introspective, noticing his body, his outlook and his abilities, all so different. He can feel evil, it calls to him, undeniable, he must answer. After there is a rush of immense joy that this conquering gives him. He can not shed innocent blood, it revolts him. This power to eradicate evil, is it from the gods ? His family and friends struggle with his changes, he must get tested, hospitalized. He can not be tested, something goes wrong with the samples.

      Rueben is alone in his journey till he meets a beautiful women. She accepts him, loves him and searches with him for answers. Together they meet other of his kind. Conflicts arise with one, leaving him with doubts about their saftey. His undinable love for this women never waivers.

      He finds many clues to the history of what he is, many stories. Ms. Rice is excellent with the histories of her characters. He finds answers, he finds more than he ever thought could be. Through some ancient oral histories he learns of a world long gone and how he came to be here now.
    • 2/5
      So, the Wolf Gift.

      What can I say? It could only have been written by Anne Rice. I’m actually stumped as to how someone who hasn’t read any of Anne Rice’s books before would feel about this novel.

      I get the feeling that the world of Anne Rice’s books and the actual world have grown farther and farther apart as the years go by. No one dresses the way they do in her books. No one speaks the way they do in her books. Certainly she had no concept of age – The hero, Reuben already has his Masters at 23, for example.

      I feel like she writes her historical books and her contemporary books in much the same way. But her writing works for historical fiction, or for example, for the vampires who were mostly born in another time, who often act older than they look. It sounds natural when Lestat says, “My god!”, but not so much when a 16 year old boy from California says it.

      However, her writing has a rhythm to it, the essence hasn’t changed at all. It’s her language, her themes, her character types, her dialogue, the catchphrases I recognize from so many other books (‘Dear God’, ‘Lord God’, ‘For the love of hell’, etc. ‘Powerfully excited’ was used at least ten times.) If you had told me that this was a lost manuscript from the 80s, I would have believed you, if not for the fact that everyone had an iPhone.

      In that way, although I’d never read the book before, the reading experience was almost similar to that of reading a comfort read for me. And I found the characters likable enough, because none of them were the old characters I loved being rendered utterly unrecognizable, as happened with the last books in the Vampire Chronicles. So I enjoyed it, It wasn't a hard read at all for me. I read it in a day. I reminded me a lot of The Mummy, for example.

      The only two aspects of this book that I felt set it apart from her earlier writing was: 1) It was much more Catholic. That aspect was much more overt. 2) It was less gay, or should I say, less bi-sexual. There was a gay character, but he was very clearly marked as such, unlike the general love and affection between men in her earlier book where every male character including the hero fell in love with another man or mentioned having been in love with another man despite never being identified as gay or bisexual.

      Also, I can only end with 3 points.

      1.The phrase ‘Man Wolf’ never stopped being funny.
      2.There was WAY too much werewolf/human sex.
      3.The most hilarious line in the book: “Well, you’re one splendid boy wolf I’ll tell you that.”
    • 2/5
      Anne Rice has never been a go-to or auto-buy author for me; I think I missed hitting the crest of her wave of popularity by a few years - when I think of vampires and such, hers aren't the texts that shoot to mind. I've obviously read some of her ubiquitous novels, but never on my own impulse; friends had to coax me into bare interest then bring me their copies or, as in one case, order one from the library for me. I was bored by Interview with a Vampire, almost died of ennui during a mostly-skimming read of The Vampire Lestat and just annoyed at the more religious-in-tone The Songs of the Seraphim series. So I took a chance against my better judgement with this "daring departure from the inspired author" and decided to give a much-maligned author another shot. And while The Wolf Gift didn't inspire the depths of dislike that its predecessors did, it wasn't a complete good read either. I definitely wouldn't stretch the truth so far as to claim this is a daring departure - this is firmly in the vein of what she's produced before.The first problem I had with this was the narrative style of the book itself. Just like Interview, or the Vampire Lestat, this opens with a naive reporter heading to an unknown place to deal with a supernatural creature. However, unlike in Vampire or Lestat, Rueben, the somewhat naive main character, isn't actually aware that he is running headlong into a foray into life's wilder side. Pursuing a story for The San Francisco Observer, Rueben's trek to the mysterious house in question sets an effective and enveloping ominous feeling for the novel. Rueben works as a main character, and that's perhaps the best that can be said of him. He's not one of the intense protagonists that bursts with life - Rueben is more loosely drawn than that, with the focus of the novel on unraveling the mysteries rather than illuminating his personality. Outside of characterization woes, the tone and feeling of the novel really are done quite well, and with a dab hand - I readily admit that Anne Rice is a good storyteller. I just wish I was more easily enthralled in the stories she chooses to write.Rueben is a mostly rounded-out character, I definitely wouldn't call him a cliche yet: he's smart but feels unfulfilled in his job and coddled as "Sunshine Boy" by his well-meaning family and the darling of his parents eye. Reuben's situation and attitude toward his parents was the most believable to me. Like Reuben himself of the novel, Reuben the character has a lot of potential that he unfortunately never quite achieves all the way. He does a few things that are personally distasteful to me (I find it hard to like a main character that cheats on their significant other so easily and readily), but at least he is not a stagnant character: he learns, changes, adapts to his new situation. It's very interesting that a character so ingrained to use technology, one who can't go 10 minutes without his iPhone is the one transformed into a much earthier, natural state. He's decent; he gets the job done and doesn't alienate the reader too much, though his attraction to gray-haired Marchent strains credulity. As the multiple mysteries surrounding older-woman Marchent Nideck, the house and her family evolve more and more, so too does Rueben. I have to say I didn't like any of the romantic entanglements present in The Wolf Gift; neither Reuben and Celeste, nor Reuben and Marchent or Celeste and anyone else, feels like an actual, viable relationship. People are just paired of as convenient or just seems 'sexy' at the time. The sex scenes themselves also just read as cold to me - there was no heat, no chemistry to make them fun to read. The man-wolf/woman sex scenes in particular crossed from "awkward" to almost laughable - I probably snickered involuntarily.The supernatural aspect of this is probably what worked the best and what I liked the most. Marchent's family history was long, complicated and murderous but it only turned truly interesting and compelling when the mysterious Felix was mentioned, or explorations into the "Man Wolf" were written. I wish a bit more thought/time had been given to the exposition of the Man Wolf. Bare bones are present to account for the appearance in Reuben's life, but more forthcoming information would've rounded out the large and important paranormal aspect of The Wolf Gift. The morphenkinder and the history of the "Man Wolf" , besides having an awesome-sounding name, served to balance out the more tedious parts of the novel, especially the beginning. I wish more had been provided.I think long-time and ardent fans will get the most out of this werewolf offering from the queen of vampire novels. Otherwise, this is rather run-of-the-mill, and there are too many books about just this kind of story for this to warrant more than its three (grudging) stars. This drags on and on a bit towards the end, and feels a bit meandering in pace for several bits in the middle-ish, but the ends are nicely wrapped up and the resolution for Reuben is satisfactory. Hopefully this is a standalone, not the beginning of a series featuring Reuben because I think I can say with finality: I am done reading Anne Rice novels.
    • 4/5
      An enjoyably readable and entertaining novel that re-castes the werewolf legend well and truly. When a young and well-heeled reporter visits a remote Californian mansion he gets a lot more than he expected. A night of passion, an horrific attack and an unexpected inheritance combine with life changing consequences. I really enjoyed this tale and hope there is more to come in the Reuben Golding story.
    • 3/5
      I was so excited to read a new supernatural book by one of my favorite authors, Anne Rice. I have been waiting so long, and when I heard that her newest book was about werewolves, I raced to the store and bought it. Then I heard that the main character's looks were based on actor Matt Bomer, I thought that was pretty cool too, since I watch White Collar, the current show he is in. However, I have mixed feelings about this book. The writing, the descriptions, the crumbly house with eccentric, well read, intelligent characters is classic Anne Rice. I could not get enough of Nideck House, and I, like Nick, would have loved to live there. I loved Marchent. I love the account of the attack on them, Reuben's miraculous recovery, his gradual changing into something other, then his first forays as a werewolf and the use of his "wolf gift" to help those that are being killed or abused. Then it starts to get weird. Reuben has a girlfriend, although he seems ambivalent about her. This does not stop him from having sex in his werewolf form with a human he runs into in the woods. That whole part was seriously icky and I did not enjoy reading it one bit. Bleh. This continues throughout the book as well, with the same woman and same furry form. Then other things start to happen, other werewolves, the mystery of Felix Nideck, a fight. That is all pretty interesting, and set up for the next book.I think that Reuben, before he became a werewolf, was pampered, spoiled, and not taken seriously by anyone, not even himself, and was often referred to by close family and his girlfriend as some sort of boy nickname, like Golden Boy, Baby Boy. He is just a pretty face, an innocent almost. Then, he becomes the werewolf and this change not only changed him physically, but also seemed to force him to grow up and become a man, and I believe this was the real transformation.I am not so sure where this series is going - but I am willing to give the next book, which I am sure there will be one, a try.
    • 3/5
      I am only lukewarm on this book. The contrast between pure good and pure evil abound with predictable and unexciting results. The writing is a bit flowery for me, definitely given more over to impress the romance reader. I may be skeptical, but I don't buy this attitude that I love this woman so much I want to have sex with her anywhere, anytime. Love is more substantial, I hope.
    • 5/5
      My favorite character:

      Reuben would have to be my favorite. He is a tormented soul coming to terms with his gift. I like how he is at odds at times with his wolf but still retains his humanity

      My thoughts:

      Anne Rice is one of my favorite authors and I’ve read all her books up until she decided to write Christian fiction then I moved away from her writings. Wolf Gift is her return to the Gothic world and she again writes about monsters that really aren’t portrayed as monsters. The metaphysical connotations really hooked me in and made me think as I was reading Profound thoughts about God, Hell, Love, and Spirit are dappled through the entire book. Her vivid descriptions may seem wordy to some but I really enjoy them as I become immersed within the story and find myself flowing seamlessly into Reuben’s world as I turn the pages. I would classify this as a dark Gothic tale that blends metaphysical world nicely to create a visionary tale of good and evil. There are some sensual scenes that touch a bit on the taboo side of things but I didn’t mind them at all. In fact, it just flows nicely with the story. There is romance, intrigue, mystery and philosophy seamlessly intertwined within the pages which makes it my kind of book. I would recommend this to any Anne Rice fans as well as fans of gothic novels. There are metaphysical ideas that are found within the pages that should whet any spiritual seeker’s appetite. It’s a definite read for werewolf lovers that show a different take on the werewolf legend.

      I give this book 5 star rating for pulling me into the story and making me think about metaphysical philosophies.

    • 4/5
      I haven't read an Anne Rice book in a long time because her religiously themed works just didn't interest me. Her vampires are what hooked me, so when I saw she had decided to tackle werewolves I thought she might be coming back to her paranormal/horror roots. And she did, sorta.Reuben has been bitten by a creature, and he soon transforms into a man wolf - not a wolf, but a cross between the two. And, he retains his full faculties in his altered state. Rice's biggest twist on the age-old story is that Reuben can now hear "voices" - imagine that scene in Superman Returns where he hovers above the earth listening for those who need him; same here. Reuben can hear the innocent in need, and he can literally smell evil. He has a craving to respond to it. It's a cool idea, with a lot of potential. Yet, the book is slow. Very slow. I found it interesting, but never had any problem putting it down to read something else, surf the net, etc. Rice has always included moral introspection in her work - many of her vampires wondered if they were, in fact, evil. So I wasn't surprised when she did the same here. However, she went way overboard. Most of the book is Reuben running an internal monologue of why this could have happened; is it okay to kill people who are evil; is there a purpose to his existence, etc. Over, and over again. Add to that all the highly detailed descriptions of everything and anything, and not a lot happens.Despite these flaws, I did enjoy the book and would read the sequel (which the book obviously leaves room for). The ending was more exciting as Reuben encountered more of his kind, learned of their history, and more. I liked the characters and the world-building. Plus, now that "Peter Parker" has explored his new abilities and gotten the origin story out of the way, he can get on with saving the city. Overall, recommended to paranormal fans looking for something different, but be prepared to be patient. It is worth reading.