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The Wereling
Ocean City has a lot going for it. Nice beaches. The boardwalk. Tourists. But now something new is prowling Ocean City. Something that feasts on those tourists. Something that howls at the moon, and bullets can’t stop.
- GenresHorrorWerewolves
336 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published October 1, 1983
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Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
October 8, 2023
A rather tame outing for Robbins to say the least. Set in a resort town south of Atlantic City, The Wereling features Harvey, a recent high school graduate still living with his alcoholic mother. Harvey loves horror, movies, comics, novels, you name it, but his favorite genre is werewolves. Harvey also loves to wander at night on 'the dunes', an undeveloped piece of land just south of town where the beach is too rocky for the tourists.
The Wereling starts with a prologue in Eastern Europe circa 1880s were a local priest kills a werewolf. The lore is that while the werewolf was killed, the wolf spirit still lives and will return someday. Well, that day seems to be about 1983 when this novel first came out.
Harvey loves wandering the dunes and hates it when his ramblings are interrupted by tourists and/or lovers who also like the secluded area. In the back of a comic book, Harvey finds an ad for a werewolf costume; a really nice costume! It comes with feet, hands and a pliable mask that features real wolf hair. Harvey works at a local deli and for the last decade or so has been a bodybuilder. When he puts on the costume, he looks ferocious! Just the thing to scare away those pesky intruders on 'his' dunes. Yet, shortly after the arrival of the costume, Harvey starts having wicked headaches that only seem to go away when he puts on the werewolf outfit and roams. Sure enough, bodies start to pile up and the local cops are at a loss...
Very linear novel by Robbins that lacks his bat-shit crazy schlock found in his other horror novels like Prank Night. The novel unfolds in a rather predictable manner and you can tell this is one of Robbins' earlier efforts. Still, decent prose and pacing move the story along nicely and a passable set of characters animate the tale. Good, but not great. 2.5 howling stars!!
The Wereling starts with a prologue in Eastern Europe circa 1880s were a local priest kills a werewolf. The lore is that while the werewolf was killed, the wolf spirit still lives and will return someday. Well, that day seems to be about 1983 when this novel first came out.
Harvey loves wandering the dunes and hates it when his ramblings are interrupted by tourists and/or lovers who also like the secluded area. In the back of a comic book, Harvey finds an ad for a werewolf costume; a really nice costume! It comes with feet, hands and a pliable mask that features real wolf hair. Harvey works at a local deli and for the last decade or so has been a bodybuilder. When he puts on the costume, he looks ferocious! Just the thing to scare away those pesky intruders on 'his' dunes. Yet, shortly after the arrival of the costume, Harvey starts having wicked headaches that only seem to go away when he puts on the werewolf outfit and roams. Sure enough, bodies start to pile up and the local cops are at a loss...
Very linear novel by Robbins that lacks his bat-shit crazy schlock found in his other horror novels like Prank Night. The novel unfolds in a rather predictable manner and you can tell this is one of Robbins' earlier efforts. Still, decent prose and pacing move the story along nicely and a passable set of characters animate the tale. Good, but not great. 2.5 howling stars!!
February 10, 2024
A cheesy 80's thriller!
(And that's a good thing)
This is quite a different take on the werewolf genre, that takes a while setting everything up. But once things start rolling, it rolls for good.
Recommended. It's not a deep thought-provoking story and it may not have amazing character work, but it's quite fun.
(And that's a good thing)
This is quite a different take on the werewolf genre, that takes a while setting everything up. But once things start rolling, it rolls for good.
Recommended. It's not a deep thought-provoking story and it may not have amazing character work, but it's quite fun.
April 1, 2024
What to read? What to read? It’s a question I often ask myself while staring at my collection of horror paperbacks, trying to decide which will be next to come off my TBR mountain. I found myself craving a werewolf tale and, low and behold, there was one staring back at me from an author I hadn’t read before.
The Wereling by David Robbins, written in 1983, the Paperbacks From Hell glory years, reads like B-movie from the same time frame. Harvey Painter, a young loner still living with his alcoholic mother, both trying to deal with the murder of Harvey’s police officer father. While she turned to the bottle, Harvey retreats into lifting weights and watching horror movies. His favorite being ones with werewolves as the main character. So much so, when comes across an amazingly elaborate werewolf costume in one of his horror magazines, he feels compelled to order it. At first, he uses it to scare tourist away from the Dunes, where he likes to go at night and meditate. It works so well that he keeps doing it, feeling a sense of power unlike anything he’s ever experienced before. Then come the blackouts…and the murders.
Robbins takes the werewolf trope and attempts to do some interesting things with it. The Wereling has shades of Psycho mixed with numerous 80s B-movie cliches. There are plenty of eye rolls to be had, to go along with the schlocky goodness. I don’t think the entire police force could catch a cold if they tried. You have token characters introduced to either be led like lambs to the slaughter or weakly move the story along. Again, much like an 80s B-movie. If that’s what you’re in the mood for, The Wereling sufficiently scratches that itch. If you’re looking for a deep plot with surprises you didn’t see coming - move along.
3.0 Sand-filled Werewolf Suits out of 5
The Wereling by David Robbins, written in 1983, the Paperbacks From Hell glory years, reads like B-movie from the same time frame. Harvey Painter, a young loner still living with his alcoholic mother, both trying to deal with the murder of Harvey’s police officer father. While she turned to the bottle, Harvey retreats into lifting weights and watching horror movies. His favorite being ones with werewolves as the main character. So much so, when comes across an amazingly elaborate werewolf costume in one of his horror magazines, he feels compelled to order it. At first, he uses it to scare tourist away from the Dunes, where he likes to go at night and meditate. It works so well that he keeps doing it, feeling a sense of power unlike anything he’s ever experienced before. Then come the blackouts…and the murders.
Robbins takes the werewolf trope and attempts to do some interesting things with it. The Wereling has shades of Psycho mixed with numerous 80s B-movie cliches. There are plenty of eye rolls to be had, to go along with the schlocky goodness. I don’t think the entire police force could catch a cold if they tried. You have token characters introduced to either be led like lambs to the slaughter or weakly move the story along. Again, much like an 80s B-movie. If that’s what you’re in the mood for, The Wereling sufficiently scratches that itch. If you’re looking for a deep plot with surprises you didn’t see coming - move along.
3.0 Sand-filled Werewolf Suits out of 5
November 6, 2023
Harvey Painter loves werewolf movies and monster magazines, but when he orders a realistic costume from an advertisement in his favorite comic, he gets more than he bargained for.
As always, I'm sad about the lack of a half-star option. I'd give this a 3.5, on the high end of B-Movie pulp, with an extra half-star for concept.
Unfortunately the execution leaves a bit to be desired. Quite a few typos and errors throughout.
None of the characters ever reach the coveted position of "likable" (even though there's like a dozen of them), almost no time is spent with the hero of the story, and once the plot fully reveals itself (starting on about page 100), everything is very predictable.
On the bonus side of things, the characters have slightly more meat on them than your average Soon-To-Be-Murdered Victim and the pacing and descriptions make for some quick, schlocky gruesome fun. I'd probably read another book by this author.
Recommended for fans of movies like Friday the 13th or American Werewolf in London. Or those who enjoy pulp novels.
Find More Reviews @ www.hunterandspider.com
As always, I'm sad about the lack of a half-star option. I'd give this a 3.5, on the high end of B-Movie pulp, with an extra half-star for concept.
Unfortunately the execution leaves a bit to be desired. Quite a few typos and errors throughout.
None of the characters ever reach the coveted position of "likable" (even though there's like a dozen of them), almost no time is spent with the hero of the story, and once the plot fully reveals itself (starting on about page 100), everything is very predictable.
On the bonus side of things, the characters have slightly more meat on them than your average Soon-To-Be-Murdered Victim and the pacing and descriptions make for some quick, schlocky gruesome fun. I'd probably read another book by this author.
Recommended for fans of movies like Friday the 13th or American Werewolf in London. Or those who enjoy pulp novels.
Find More Reviews @ www.hunterandspider.com
May 7, 2021
A rather different take on the werewolf genre. It took a little bit to get going, but once it got into gear, it didn't let up. Lots of twists and turns kept this exciting even though you know who the wolf is and who's going down next. Good 80's thrills. David Robbins seems to never let you down.
July 22, 2019
In THE WERELING, author David Robbins takes a somewhat different approach to the conventional werewolf legend, but the result is nonetheless an extremely engrossing and satisfying interpretation of one of horror's most enduring sub-genres. Robbins has a powerful, driving literary style that keeps his novel moving quickly from one plot point to the next, and before the prologue is finished the reader is hopelessly hooked--at least if that reader is a werewolf fan! Robbins also has a good feel for action, and the all-important werewolf attacks--and there are quite a few--are vicious and terrifying without wallowing in gore. THE WERELING is a great addition to the werewolf canon and it may not be long before I read it again.
February 19, 2009
Read for research on a YA esay on werewolf literature.
I must say I was impressed. The writing isn't dumbed down for the age group. It's filled with mostly action and some genuine horror. The lore is original and interesting. The love interest is unconventional. I enjoyed it.
I must say I was impressed. The writing isn't dumbed down for the age group. It's filled with mostly action and some genuine horror. The lore is original and interesting. The love interest is unconventional. I enjoyed it.
May 25, 2015
A gripping read that has pleanty of action and the right amount of gore. One of the few werewolf books I have found that treat the werewolf as it should be: not a romantic, misunderstood hero but as a primal, killing machine that is a true force of nature.
July 23, 2020
Bad...and only intermittently in a good way. Reads like one of those “contest winners” where a high school student gets his book published.
July 30, 2025
The Wereling - 3,5 stars.
This is again an occasion where the Goodreads scoring system just doesn't work out. This book is a solid 7: a rather basic werewolf story, which is a good thing. No huge packs, no complicated love stories, no eternal feuds with other paranormale beings, just a regular, 'meat and potatoes' werewolf story, which I like.
The book does bring a certain twist to the lore, though, which was rather original, a bit of a play on more established lore and legend.
The author also doesn't shy back from what one would expect from such a creature: sheer brutality.
The dialogue was fine but basic, although the ongoing interaction between a certain group of police officers was highly entertaining. I believe the book was written in the 1980s but it has certain elements, putting it the current era: a movie poster from the 2000s, cell phones, etc., yet, the book kept its decidedly 80s vibes, which felt odd.
The main character - if you could call him that - was interesting essentially interesting but I felt the author could've explored his character in more depth. The book starts our with plenty of characters to begin with but eventually focuses on a select few. The only downside for me, was that there wasn't really an emotional connection to those characters, which was unfortunate.
All in all, it was a straightforward, but enjoyable read. The ending left me with questions, but in a way, that might actually be a good thing.
This is again an occasion where the Goodreads scoring system just doesn't work out. This book is a solid 7: a rather basic werewolf story, which is a good thing. No huge packs, no complicated love stories, no eternal feuds with other paranormale beings, just a regular, 'meat and potatoes' werewolf story, which I like.
The book does bring a certain twist to the lore, though, which was rather original, a bit of a play on more established lore and legend.
The author also doesn't shy back from what one would expect from such a creature: sheer brutality.
The dialogue was fine but basic, although the ongoing interaction between a certain group of police officers was highly entertaining. I believe the book was written in the 1980s but it has certain elements, putting it the current era: a movie poster from the 2000s, cell phones, etc., yet, the book kept its decidedly 80s vibes, which felt odd.
The main character - if you could call him that - was interesting essentially interesting but I felt the author could've explored his character in more depth. The book starts our with plenty of characters to begin with but eventually focuses on a select few. The only downside for me, was that there wasn't really an emotional connection to those characters, which was unfortunate.
All in all, it was a straightforward, but enjoyable read. The ending left me with questions, but in a way, that might actually be a good thing.
February 28, 2024
This is really quite a different werewolf story. This story begins with a young man in his twenties obsession with werewolves. His shrine was a room filled with werewolf posters all over his walls, huge collections of movies and werewolf magazines. He even howls and believes deep inside that he is a werewolf. Next, he orders a full body werewolf suit made out of real wolf hair. That's when the killer werewolf is born. He starts going out at night to scare people, but his obsession takes him to a new level of the wolf. People are getting killed all of a sudden and some escape. A fatal mistake, by the wereling, he left a witness. Now the police are on his trail, but a huge body count still occurs. The young man can't stop killing. Everytime he puts the costume on it takes over and he goes out on the hunt. How many people must die, before this man, lunatic wereling is stopped? This story really grabbed me from start to finish.
June 30, 2022
Not as schlocky or pulpy as Hell-O-Ween or Prank Night. I'm a little disappointed.
February 12, 2024
I read this many moons ago as a teenager while on vacation in Ocean City. This is one of the first horror books I ever read, definitely the first werewolf book. I honestly don't remember that much of the plot outside of the basics. Since it was one of my first introductions into the horror genre, it will always have a high regard for me.
September 30, 2024
Way too many deaths and obvious pacing issues make this a fine outing for a werewolf story and gains much more intrigue from the idea it briefly poses of cyclical violence and evil in the mundanity of small towns and their institutions which are not given room to breathe and is merely me grasping at straws for any conclusive thread that could tie Robbins book together.
July 10, 2023
This Book is unique, the real book and NOT the eBook has the Spirit of the Wolf as the Catalyst that sets everything in motion, the eBook on the other hand removes this critical part of the story diminishing it to a regular serial killer, Get The Book!
December 31, 2024
This was a much better, easier read than I was expecting it to be.
It reads well and leaves you unsure whether he is actually a real werewolf or just a schizophrenic lunatic in a Halloween costume
A good werewolf runs amok story
It reads well and leaves you unsure whether he is actually a real werewolf or just a schizophrenic lunatic in a Halloween costume
A good werewolf runs amok story
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 5, 2020
Enjoyable read. Fast paced entertaining a new twist to an old story
October 5, 2021
Good, fun, pulp. Once again, my cover is way cooler
August 1, 2022
Decently entertaining. Pretty weird and unusual for a "werewolf" story.
April 4, 2009
Very Good!
May 23, 2015
Great story
Really enjoyed this book. Great characters and storyline. Mr. Robbins does a great job of drawing you into his tale.
Really enjoyed this book. Great characters and storyline. Mr. Robbins does a great job of drawing you into his tale.
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews