The Silver Circle

by Kyell Gold

Valerie is on vacation after a messy divorce leads to a breakdown at work, and despite the warnings of wolves around the upstate New York lake she's visiting, she's determined to relax. Her vacation turns more stressful than her life when she happens upon a man with his throat ripped out, and a young man stumbling away from the scene with an arrow in his side. The young man's handsome features and desperate need overcome her New York City don't-get-involved sense, and she soon finds herself caught between a hunter and his prey.

The hunter insists that the man he's hunting is not just a criminal, but a werewolf. Valerie thinks that's the craziest thing she's ever heard--until she realizes that he might be right.

142 pages, Paperback

First published April 12, 2012

About the author

Hi there! I am a writer of gay furry fiction--but you probably know that if you've seen my book listing here. I live in California with my husband Kit, and when I'm not writing, we like to go out to eat and watch movies. We travel a lot, too, mostly around the West Coast, but occasionally to the midwest and east.

I blog at http://www.kyellgold.com/wpblog about upcoming travel plans, upcoming books and news, general writing principles, gay rights, and whatever else seems interesting. And I co-host a podcast, called "Unsheathed," where we talk about the craft of writing and the furry fandom, sometimes at the same time.

If you have a question about any of the books, check the FAQ on my website and then ask away! :)

Reviews

[Chris Williams · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was particularly interested in reading this book because it is very much, in my view, a stretch piece. It is such a departure from Mr. Gold's usual fare that I was very curious to see what elements of his signature style came into play. Here, he offers an interesting take on a werewolf story, without a fully anthropomorphized animal in sight.

Without getting into as in-depth a review as I would like, I will hit some of the high-points here.

First, his werewolves aren't the horrific creatures seen in such films as The Howling or American Werewolf In London. It's a refreshing change in the genre from what I have seen done in the past and certainly doesn't evoke some of the imagery we've seen in films in recent years that further mangles the mythology of these creatures.

Mr. Gold weaves just enough magic into the world to make me want to tug at a few threads and see what the pattern of the full tapestry is. He does not feel the need to over-explain where the creatures come from, nor does he go on a diatribe about werewolf lore, spat from the mouth of Old-Man-Sockpuppet.

What he gives is a very good building of tension and intrigue as our heroine begins to unravel the mystery of what is taking place.

The only issue I have is that the final few pages feel somewhat predictable and raise a few questions that I, as a reader, couldn't formulate ready answers to. I hasten to add that these are not questions that arise from plot holes or other such amateurish mistakes. Rather, they are questions of character behavior, so they don't present loose threads that unravel the tapestry of his story. I would have liked just another page or two, perhaps, to give some more context to the character's decision.

Ultimately, I found the book an enjoyable read. I'd recommend it to fans of lycanthrope fiction as well as to fans of paranormal romance. At 142 pages, it's a slim little work, and while I doubt his busy writing schedule will allow him to do more here, I must say I'd love to see more of this world Mr. Gold has created.

[Basil · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Silver circle features a strong female main character and an interesting take on werewolf mythology.