The Wehrwolf: A Short Story

I am turning into quite a big fan of Alma Katsu because all of the previous novels I have read of hers have been great and this novella was no exception. This was a great little spin on the werewolf story just in time for Halloween. I really appreciated that the story went back to the werewolf "roots" in Germany and her historical fiction take on the story really added an extra layer of brevity and urgency to the story.

Very good novella and a satisfying werewolf story!

Wow, this was deep! The story is a combination of history and horror--ironic considering that much of our history IS horror. The story takes place in a small, out-of-the-way German village during the tail-end of WWII. It follows Uwe, a kindhearted farmer whose only major care is for his wife and daughter. The Nazi party had all but lost the war at this point, and there was much talk in the village regarding the possibility of Allied soldiers storming the village. As always, there was one loudmouth, alpha male, Hans, who bullied enough men into forming malitia to "protect" the village. Hans preyed on Uwe's insecurities and sense of duty to convince him to join the malitia. What he didn't do was tell the truth about what initiation into the malitia entailed. Without spoiling, this short story felt like a full-length novel. It was full of backstory and substance. I felt I knew the characters and was in the struggle with them. It was full of emotion and heartache. I felt for Uwe, who only wanted to feel the comraderie of his peers and to do what he believed was right to protect his family. He was naive and taken advantage of. His desire to protect his family became his downfall. It was heart-wrenching and so beautifully written.