Murcheston: The Wolf's Tale

by David Holland

Amid the gothic backdrop of Victorian London, Edgar Lenoir, Duke of Darnley, aristocrat and werewolf, chronicles his life as a wolf. He views his condition not with horror, but with a fascination he believe to be thoroughly modern. Unfortunately, he is also narcissistic, ruthless and ultimately seduced by his own misguided self-interest to justify as natural and healthy the bestial desires that consume him...

Genres: Horror, Fiction, Werewolves, Gothic, Historical Fiction, Fantasy

384 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published February 1, 2000

Reviews

[Tony Copper · Rating 5 out of 5]

In a sub-genre (werewolves) that has only a handful of titles that aren't teenage romance but a genuine horror story this is definitely a stand out.
A frame tale with well written, established and believable characters. Quickly paced action and scenes of violence that are sudden and bloody makes this a novel I highly recommend. Good stuff!

[Jesse · Rating 3 out of 5]

In my ever continuing quest to find the perfect werewolf novel, I approached this book already convinced that I had struck gold. "Murcheston" enjoys something of a cult status among hardcore werewolf fans, and the story sounded interesting and ripe for exploration. Unfortunately, having now read the thing, I find myself disappointed. While the prose is excellent, accurately recreating the tone and style of other 19th century classics such as "Frankenstein," I found the plot itself wanting. Darnley's philosophical struggle with being a werewolf is fascinating, and the book attempts to set up a complex debate on nature vs. willpower, humanity and animality. However, this argument is terribly one-sided. For not one moment does Holland attempt to thoroughly convince us of Darnley's viewpoint, which is espoused mostly through sub-Nietzschean nihilism that is inevitably easily and thoroughly countered by his adversaries. A good story should be two sides of a good argument, to paraphrase Sydney Pollack, and while we see much evidence for morality, goodness, and humanism, there is very little attempt to actually entertain Darnley's notions, and as he slips further into bloodlust and madness, it becomes even easier to dismiss him. The fact that every prejudiced myth about werewolves turns out to be true felt disingenuous. Though there is a single line professing that it is not the werewolf curse itself that makes one evil, we are never presented with evidence of the fact in the entire book, and so the story devolves into a didactic treatise on good vs. evil. All of the pious, moralistic, God-fearing characters are presented without reproach, while Darnley, who is the only character who presents an alternative viewpoint, is vain, self-absorbed, petty, and delusional. This leaves the entire thing feeling too much like a treatise against scientific modernity, where religion and piety wins out over rationalism and atheism. For all the talk of his approach to werewolfism being modern and scientific, most of Darnley's observations are very vague, as if Holland didn't want to delve too deeply into describing what it might actually feel like to be a werewolf. So what could have been an illuminating and potentially frightening look into man's bestial nature instead turns out to be disappointingly conventional, despite beautiful prose and some interesting ideas.

[Graham · Rating 4 out of 5]

An ambitious piece, to be sure : a full-length werewolf novel, written in period style and set right bang in the middle of Victorian London. The intent is to hark back to the “good old days” of the horror classics, of which Stoker’s DRACULA is perhaps the most popular, although the style of the story also owes something to Stevenson’s THE STRANGE CASE OF DR JEKYLL AND MR HYDE. The book uses a number of devices to tell its story – there’s an atmospheric frame to the main narrative, which is a series of diary extracts written by a character struggling with the fact that he is a werewolf. The book feels very authentic, utilising only a few major characters and bringing them to life through action and intrigue.

One problem that some readers might find hard to accept is the pacing of this book; it’s extremely slow, with nothing in the way of action until the final few chapters of the story. The horror content is for the most part psychological, charting a disintegration and collapse as the narrator gradually becomes more unhinged due to his condition. Copious bloodshed and nastiness is thrown in at the end of the story to startle and excite the reader. I didn’t mind the slow pacing of the story, as the narrator always questions himself and his actions in philosophical tones that keep it interesting. Atmosphere is thick and the book is extremely suspenseful in spots, especially the climax. The first half is the hardest to read with a lot of material in which nothing really happens to plough through, but it is worth persevering.

Although Holland is adept at conjuring up an atmosphere rife with period detail, he does lose his way occasionally. The level of swearing and bad language in the book is totally out of place for its time. I don’t mind bad language at all – in fact it can be pretty dramatic if used correctly – but in the middle of Victorian London? A range of swear words used fairly frequently, written as well as spoken? I think not. Holland also slips up on one occasion and reveals himself to be American when the main character spies a chipmunk in the woods. Not this side of the Atlantic, I’m afraid. Otherwise, a damn good effort, deserving kudos for trying something else and being so different.

[Sean · Rating 5 out of 5]

David Holland's "Murcheston: The Wolf's Tale," is a refreshing rejection of the splatterpunk school of contemporary horror. Rather than churning out just another hack'n' slash gorefest, Holland goes for a refined, richly atmospheric morality tale--which, consequently, is what traditional horror is all about, not graphic decapitations and streaming blood. Perhaps Holland's novel could be alternately known as "Interview with the Werewolf," as in essence that is what much of the novel is. Through his diary, we're with him all the way as the Lord Darnley records his transformation from draconian but all-too-human aristocrat to monster wolf. The ensuing insight into the nature of evil, human and inhuman, and by contrast the opposing nature of good, is starkly illuminating and particularly pertinent to our own society. If the Victorian world in which Holland set his tale was one teetering on the brink of a moral abyss, what of our own, wherein morality is often defined in terms perhaps a bit too Darnley-like: you are your own judge, and no man--no God--can ever condemn you. Despite the supernatural basis of his story, Holland eschews many of the overly fantastic and traditional trappings of his genre, and so avoids some of the cliches that sink so many fantasy tales. His characters, human and otherwise, are well-developed and easy to identify with. Holland's style is scholarly but realistic and holds the reader in thrall to the end. A wonderful cauldron of misty mountains, spiraling emotions, moon-haunted skylines, and stealthy death, "Murcheston" is one of the finest literary horror novels available. If you are a frustrated horror fan who longs for something more than the usual fare, "Murcheston" has my highest possible recommendation.

[Christine · Rating 1 out of 5]

You know what? I couldn’t finish this book but I am still reviewing it. Tough luck! The book is dull and disjointed. It is a rather interesting idea but if your only sense of tension is waiting for the wolf, it only works for so long, regardless if it is a beast or madness.

[Sarah · Rating 2 out of 5]

Favorite Quotes
• "What? Leap upon me and gobble me up like the wolf in the fairy stories?" he said with a natural contempt, looking in the trees. "Forgive me, sir, but I can't work up a second's bother over something I've no control over. Something I haven't even seen and don't know for certain whether it even exists. I can't fear what's invisible, sir. I've got to know a thing for myself before I let it concern me that way."

• It was the smell of fear that drew me on, the scent of terror, and it acted as a drug upon my senses, causing all else to fade away in my mind until only the scent existed for me, the scent and the man.

• His final moments of life were a nightmare of pain and horror, yet I carry no more responsibility than if I'd witnessed the attack from a distance. Impossible to generate a sense of guilt over such an act. I know with a certainty that I'm innocent of all evil intent in Liam's death. It was my nature that caused me to pursue him, my nature that was seduced by the smell of his fear. The same nature that led me to kill Cabrini. The same nature that would kill again if given the opportunity.

• I can't deny what I am any longer. I've treated my lycanthropy as something I put off and put on every month, like a suit of clothes to play in. Now I must face it for what it truly is. My being. My future. The thing that I am, whether the moon hangs full and fat in the sky or is hidden in the shadow of the earth.

Thoughts
• Darnley is a rather disgusting character. The book reads as though the reader is supposed to be sympathetic to his sudden predicament, at least initially, but his attitude and actions make him an unbearably unpleasant individual to listen to and follow.

• Unfortunately, the book gets extremely tedious very quickly. It is hard to read more than 10-20 pages at a time without getting sleepy and bored. It would heavily benefit from cutting out the repetitive complaining and overused descriptions to bring the overall text down to half.

• I gave in and was forced to skim the remainder of the book. It is generally well written but is simply too unnecessarily long. The reader can gather the key points of the story just by skimming, especially the majority of Darnley's journal portion. I wanted to finish this and move on to more interesting novels.

1.5 / 5

[Zane · Rating 4 out of 5]

I didn't actually start this novel (or even pick it up out of the free library) with high hopes.

I actually only grabbed it because I had recently read an (admitedly odd) vampire-esque novel that I found in the same place which--while far from what I usually read--was surprisingly good. So I was feeling optimistic and ready to try new things.

I am glad that I tried this new thing.

Mr. Holland delivers some chilling lines in this text, but what really sets it apart (and what I enjoyed most) is the examination of humanity from a character who has become exiled from humanity. Even as he is turning into a monster, Darnely as a character often appears far more human than the full humans in this tale, and I find many of his viewpoints highly relatable. He raises some good points, and while I ultimately come down on the side of morality, I can certainly appreciate his more pessimistic outlook.

[Heres hoping 2023 brings me good books, good times and good wine but especially wine. · Rating 4 out of 5]

I remember in my younger days. Having sleepovers and telling scary stories. The stories themselves were not so scary but sitting there surrounded by darkness, hearing th whispered stories, looking at the scared faces of my other companions, looking behind me just to make sure nothing wasthere....that was was the best part.

That was this story , it was not fast ...it was slow..a slow burn, it quietly gave you goosebumps...This book is a whispered story being told in the dark...and I loved it.

[Greg · Rating 3 out of 5]

Echoing most of the other reviewers: well written atmospheric throwback saddled with a purposefully unlikable lead character. Makes for a bit of a chore to get through but not without some horrific pleasures along the way.

[Juushika · Rating 3 out of 5]

Edgar Lenoir, Duke of Darnley, survives a wolf attack only to discover, on the next full moon, that he is a werewolf. His diary tells the story of his lycanthropy, from his first transformation and his research on his affliction, through his slow descent into bestial nature. With a dark Victorian setting and careful themes of human nature, animal nature, and morality, Murcheston tries to be an unusual and intelligent werewolf novel. Unfortunately, it is bogged down by redundancy and a lengthy, unbelievable narrative style. I didn't enjoy it, and I don't recommend it.

Murcheston is an unusual, historical, intelligent werewolf novel, quite outside the contemporary genre. It is told in a combination of personal accounts, Darnley's dairy, and transcribed fictional documents, and it takes place in a detailed Victorian setting. Most interesting by far are the theories and themes. Darnley describes his mental states and his time as a wolf, theories about the causes and results of lycanthropy, and his changing views on human morality, human nature, and animal nature. These aspects show careful thought and slow development, and the contrast between Darnley's convincing argument for amorality and the judgment of the narrator is compelling and horrifying.

All of these factors are promising and well-intended—but they all falter and fail. The thoughtful, careful themes of the book are hobbled by predictability (the plot developments are blatantly predictable, Darnley of course turns into just the sort of monster that he initially scorns) and redundancy. Over and over, via diary and description and transcribed text, Darnley repeats his thoughts on morality and man's bestial nature until it becomes banal, obvious, and therefore meaningless. Furthermore, the writing style is lengthy, slow going—I could only slog through twenty pages at a time before growing bored and taking a break. Holland's narrative choices are poor and unrealistic: the third person narrative which ends Darnley's story conflicts with the first person narrative which begins it, and Darnley's diary and the transcribed texts are unbelievably lengthy, full irrelevant descriptions and precisely quoted dialog. The unbelievable storytelling is frustrating to read, and it makes the themes even more meaningless.

I love the concept and intentions of this novel, and I tried hard to like the book itself. I still appreciate some of Darnley's insights into man's animal nature. Nonetheless, I grew increasingly frustrated as the book dragged on—first with the unrealistic narrative, and then with the increasingly predictable and repetitive themes. I don't regret reading it, and the interested reader (and werewolf fan) may still want to pick it up—for the book's attempt, at least, if not its execution. But I ultimately did not enjoy and do not recommend Murcheston, and the casual reader would do better with a different werewolf novel.

[William Dalphin · Rating 2 out of 5]

If you're one of those snooty readers who thinks Shakespearean prose is the only true way to tell a story, then you would fall in love with Murcheston: The Wolf's Tale. Everything I heard before reading the book was, "oh, it's written in a very eloquent, formal, old-fashioned style." Lovely.

So, Murcheston is a book about an elderly man telling a story to a young man about when he was young, and when he read the journal of a friend who happened to be a werewolf. Yes, it's a book about a story of reading another book. That is to say that most of the action in the story comes in the form of journal entries written by the werewolf in which he mildly details how lovely it is to turn into a wolf. A couple times he kills people, but mostly he runs around in the woods, maybe kills a deer or a horse, then tries to figure out how to cover it all up from his servants. It's about as boring as it sounds.

It isn't until the end of the book that things really begin to get interesting, when the werewolf decides he wants some company, and with his secret revealed, decides to make as many werewolves as he can. Of course, since he only turns into a wolf once a month, the action stagnates quite frequently with months worth of preparation and talking.

This is supposed to be all refined and intellectual, but really it's just dull. You'll wish that the entire book revolves around the ending and that all the build up could be fit into one or two chapters. You can only read it once... it has no re-read value. You'll be dreading reading all the boring werewolf journal entries.

[Sarah Castillo · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ok, so what is different about David Holland's werewolf book, Murcheston?

Not a lot. It's set in London in the middle 1800's. The werewolf, the narrator in much of the book, does what werewolves do, and mauls a bunch of people and slowly reveals himself to be evil. There is a question of whether he was evil before. He was, at least, a jerk, before being turned into a werewolf, which made it very difficult for me to care whether or not he figured things out or not.

I guess the argument could be made that he is not supposed to be likeable, that it's about someone bad spiraling into madness. Except the main character is so unsympathetic from the beginning that I don't recognize any spiral. He doesn't seem to change through the novel at all, he was a selfish jerk in the beginning and he's a selfish jerk at the end.

There are several sympathetic characters in the book, but they aren't fleshed out very well, since our narrator is a selfish jerk, they are only described insomuch as they inconvenience him... or don't.

This is a great example of how not to do a book with a misanthropic main character. Dreoteth is a book I would point to as a book that did it very well. Except with awesome dragons.

Pass it up if you see it. I'm glad to be done with it.

Check out my other reviews at my blog

[Jean Haus · Rating 4 out of 5]

I bought this book years ago off the clearance rack. I’ve read it several times—at least the parts I liked. It’s one of those stories within a story and somewhat of a gothic horror, which follows the standard formula guy gets bit, guy turns into a monster, guy goes nuts. Unfortunately, the main narrator and ‘good guy’ is a bit of a bore. I tend to skim his parts when re-reading.

But Darnley, the werewolf and bad guy, is just plain fascinating. Though arrogant and moody, he starts with some semblance of honor. For example, he treats the people at his estate fairly and with respect. But once he’s bitten, he not only changes physically, but mentally. As a nineteenth century man interested in science, he keeps a journal —which is how his part of the story is told—documenting his experiences during the full moon and due to his arrogance is oblivious to the monster he is becoming, not just in animal form. He also spends a fair amount of time researching lycanthropy and recounts several ancient sources in his journal. These little ‘stories’ are also fascinating. However, if you’re not a fan of reading from the villain’s POV—and he is most decidedly a villain—this book is probably not for you.

[Jamie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very eerie and atmospheric werewolf tale. Its told in gothic style without being too cumbersome and I found this book to be highly enjoyable.

[Suzanne Cadwell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Protagonist is one of the most unlikeable characters captured between the pages of a book.

[Erin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good book, but it dragged on a lot, and hardly any of the action happened until the end. Characters were good, it was one of the very few books which I do not like the main character.

[Maggie · Rating 4 out of 5]

The tale of a werewolf--interesting and suspenseful.