Lisa Kane: A novel of the supernatural

by Richard A. Lupoff

A twelve-year-old girl growing up in a New England town discovers that she is a werewolf by heredity.

128 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1976

About the author

Richard Allen "Dick" Lupoff (born February 21, 1935 in Brooklyn, New York) is an American science fiction and mystery author, who has also written humor, satire, non-fiction and reviews. In addition to his two dozen novels and more than 40 short stories, he has also edited science-fantasy anthologies. He is an expert on the writing of Edgar Rice Burroughs and has an equally strong interest in H. P. Lovecraft. Before becoming a full-time writer in 1970 he worked in the computer industry.

Reviews

[Indy Severs · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have mixed feelings about this book. I'm glad I read it as an adult and not as a child. When I was a child, this book's pacing would have been too slow and would have had too enough transformation scenes. So, anyone looking for a young adult book with typical werewolf tropes you might want to pass on this one. However, if you would like to read a supernatural book that is more thoughtful than the traditional werewolf story, this is for you.

In short, this book is about a young 12-year-old girl, Lisa Kane. She is trying to live a normal life, but is going through some "changes." Without delving too much into plot information here, she explores herself, her ancestry, and her newfound relationship with others of her own kind. It can be a bit draggy sometimes. For instance, when Lisa goes with her father to a University of California conference to learn more about Lyanthropy, the story becomes more academic, but toned down for children. There is a noteworthy transformation scene, but not the usual "oh, no, she is a monster, she must die" like in the old Universal Monster films.




Spoilers!
This book could have delved further into the aftermath of Lisa telling her best friend about being a werewolf, and Lisa growing up as a teenage werewolf with her (not missing) mother and half-brother, Chris. That was a bit weird since Lisa had a little crush on Chris throughout most of the story, and now, well...they are blood related. Other than that, this is a nice little read for a werewolf or young adult supernatural fan.