The Experiment

by Gary Brandner

Education, Pearson

Library Binding

First published January 1, 1987

About the author

Gary Phil Brandner (May 31, 1930 – September 22, 2013) was an American horror author best known for his werewolf themed trilogy of novels, The Howling. The first book in the series was loosely adapted as a motion picture in 1981. Brandner's second and third Howling novels, published in 1979 and 1985 respectively, have no connection to the film series, though he was involved in writing the screenplay for the second Howling film, Howling II: Your Sister Is a Werewolf. The fourth film in the Howling series, Howling IV: The Original Nightmare, is actually the closest adaptation of Brandner's original novel, though this too varies to some degree.

Brandner's novel Walkers was adapted and filmed for television as From The Dead Of Night. He also wrote the screenplay for the 1988 horror film Cameron's Closet.

Born in the Midwest and much traveled during his formative years, Brandner published more than 30 novels, over 100 short stories, and also wrote a handful of screenplays. He attended college at the University of Washington where he was a member of Phi Sigma Kappa fraternity. After graduating in 1955, he worked as an amateur boxer, bartender, surveyor, loan company investigator, advertising copywriter, and technical writer before turning to fiction writing. Brandner lived with his wife, Martine Wood Brandner, and several cats in Reno, Nevada.

He died of esophageal cancer in 2013.

Reviews

[Peter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Frank Traveler (!) is watching monkeys that are fed with out of space nutrition in an institute. All of a sudden people in his surrounding begin to change, grow tentacles and speak in a strange pitched language. Besides there is an incredible smell. What is going on here? Gary Brandner mixes aliens into his tale of horror and does this quite well. Terrifying read you can't put down. The end has a very special twist too. Really recommended 80s horror treat.

[Ann · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fast read...predictable, but not bad when you're trying to sneak a little reading in the last hour of a workday.