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Sunday, June 30, 2019
Saturday, June 22, 2019
Taking a Bite Out of THE BEAST OF BRENTON WOODS by Jackson R. Thomas
“Even a man who is pure in heart
and says his prayers by night
may become a wolf when the wolfbane blooms
and the autumn moon is bright.”
may become a wolf when the wolfbane blooms
and the autumn moon is bright.”
The above poem, quoted
from the 1941 movie “The Wolf Man,” has absolutely nothing to do with this
post’s tale.
. . . Except for the
werewolf, of course.
“Not too late, okay?”
“Sure, Mom.”
“If you boys change your minds,
I’m gonna settle in down here and watch American
Werewolf in London.”
He usually loved his mother’s
twisted sense of humor, but as he thought about those yellow eyes, the horrible
growl, and the shape rising among the shadows, he found it hard to crack a
smile.
Susan Cutter’s brave front
disintegrated after the boys went upstairs. She didn’t want to think about the
grave possibilities Ben’s ramblings could mean. She walked to the living room
window and gazed out at the backyard. Was it out there? Was it back?
Oh God, what did it want with her
son.
It wasn’t possible. Scott was
gone. And so too, the legend of the Beast of Brenton Woods. Susan dropped the
blind and returned to the couch and her box of wine. There was no way she’d be
getting to sleep tonight until the box was emptied.
Rather than the werewolf classic
she’d joked with Ben about, Susan put on Downton Abbey and tried not to think
about the secrets she’d been living with.
[page 5 / loc. 71]
§
Written
by Jackson R. Thomas, The Beast of
Brenton Woods was released in June 2018 by Alien Agenda Publishing. This short
novel ran 170-180 pages depending on format (both Kindle and print). This post
is based upon my reading of the Kindle version.
§
There
is not a lot of biographical information on Jackson R. Thomas. Thomas himself
does not seem the type to discuss personal matters willy-nilly. The
Beast of Brenton Woods was his first published work, and it appears a
success.
His
“Good Reads” author page reveals little. He was born in Denver ;
he currently lives in Cooper Mills, Maine
As
an aside, I cannot help but wonder if Thomas’ residence in Maine
§
I
want to start off by saying that I really enjoyed this tale! In fact, I enjoyed
this book so much that the only complaint I have is more of a minor nit-pick.
In the text, the werewolf is referred to as “the white wolf” because of its
white fur (obviously). But the cover of both the Kindle and the print version
show a grayish-black furred werewolf—that’s it.
Much
contemporary werewolf fiction appears to follow the Underworld/Twilight
trope, where vampires and werewolves battle for dominance with some weird
Romeo-and-Juliet cliché emerging. So, I was very pleased to see that The Beast of Brenton Woods is a more
traditional werewolf story, with a few surprising twists. The Beast of Brenton Woods presented themes and subplots that make
it a refreshing horror tale:
- secrets from the past intrude into the present-time.
- the danger of obsessions (on those around the obsessed person).
- kids vs. other—several groups of children are threatened.
- compared to some of the true humans, the werewolf displays honest and straight-forward motivations.
§
What
makes The Beast of Brenton Woods so
compelling, so different from much contemporary werewolf horror fiction, I
believe, is due to several simple factors. To start with, the action starts
immediately. The story opens with two boys, the protagonist and his friend,
encountering the werewolf. Yet for some unknown reason, the beast does not
pursue them. This mystery is the first of several that turn this tale into more
than just a plain gore-fest.
While
mysteries and other secrets are explored and revealed, they in no way distract
from the action and gore. No time and ink is spent on exploring the origins of
the werewolf.
One
of the mysteries explored, however, was why the beast, the white wolf, had
returned. First appearing well over a decade before (and then vanishing), the
beast returned to savage the same community again. This involves one of the
most interesting and complicated secrets in the tale. In no way, did I see this
coming . . .
To
a lesser degree it is also worth noting that in alignment with traditional
werewolf lore, regular bullets hurt, but do not kill werewolves. However, in
contrast to traditional werewolf lore, silver bullets really hurt, but still do
not kill werewolves. An interesting twist.
The Beast of Brenton Woods is a novella and as such does not have the luxury
of exposition and flowery text. It is refreshingly to the point. By necessity,
the action (and gore) is front and center. From the story’s open, it is pretty
much non-stop until its conclusion. Notice, I did not say “resolution,” and
this little fact adds to the story’s freshness as well.
Typically
in a tale focused on a werewolf tormenting a small community, one would expect
the werewolf to be the villain. In The
Beast of Brenton Woods, this is called into question. Yes, there is a
werewolf. And, yes it wreaks bloody havoc, but, surprisingly (and
unexpectedly), the only monsters are human.
§
From
the opening page till the last, The Beast
of Brenton Woods was a thrilling read. Filled with twists and turns galore,
the story kept me invested in the plotline, even surprising me a few times. In
addition, I have to say that I was very happy to note that there was not even a
hint of a vampire in this story.
This
book was well worth the time. I heartily recommend The Beast of Brenton Woods.
Good
night.
References
Print
Resources
Digital
Resources
Thomas,
Jackson R. The Beast of Brenton Woods.
Alien Agenda Publishing, 2018. Kindle Edition.
Online
Resources
—. “Jackson R. Thomas.” Good Reads. Good Reads, Inc. Web. 10
June 2019. <https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/17888806.Jackson_R_Thomas>
Crawford, Angela. “The
Beast of Brenton Woods by Jackson R. Thomas [4.5 stars].” Horror Maiden’s Book Reviews. Blogger. 20 June 2018. Web. 29 May
2018. <http://horrormaiden.blogspot.com/2018/06/the-beast-of-brenton-woods-by-jackson-r.html>
G, Lilyn. “The Beast of
Brenton Woods by Jackson R. Thomas.” Sci-Fi
& Scary. Wordpress.com. 06 December 2016. Web. 29 May 2019. <https://www.scifiandscary.com/the-beast-of-brenton-woods-review/>
Hoffman, Topher. “11 Questions
with Jackson R. Thomas Author of Paradise ,
Maine
Spinetinglershorror. “Book
Review: The Beast of Brenton Woods by Jackson R. Thomas.” Spine Tinglers. 08 September 2018. Web. 10 June 2019. <https://spinetinglershorror.wordpress.com/2018/09/08/book-review-the-beast-of-brenton-woods-by-jackson-r-thomas/>
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