Jump to ratings and reviews
Rate this book

Werewolf Tale

Rate this book
Days after he and a friend discover the victim of a werewolf, Alex Stryker is attacked and bitten.

As his wounds heal, his senses sharpen, and his anxiety around strangers mounts, he prepares for what he sees as a frightful transformation during the next full moon.

And what he may have to explain if his family or his friends ever find out what he is.

266 pages, Paperback

First published August 3, 2018

12 people are currently reading
151 people want to read

About the author

Adam Gulledge

2 books23 followers

Ratings & Reviews

What do you think?
Rate this book

Friends & Following

Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!

Community Reviews

5 stars
20 (45%)
4 stars
10 (22%)
3 stars
8 (18%)
2 stars
6 (13%)
1 star
0 (0%)
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
Profile Image for Scott-robert Shenkman.
235 reviews78 followers
March 28, 2015
I am a werewolf fanatic. I love anything about werewolves. In fact, when I was a kid, I loved werewolves so much that I fell in love with real wolves and now work at a wolf sanctuary on the weekends. Trivia: wolves love anything sweet, so they love bananas, and would have a total blast on Halloween.

I really enjoyed this book. This is the story of Alex, who is a sentient werewolf. His human side rules his lupine side. In fact, he is just as capable of playing chess with his friends as eating a bunny. He can even speak. Now how cool is that? Not many creatures with muzzles can speak English.

There is a plot. Who bit him? Why? Are his friends and family in danger? That's it. No weird twists and turns and secret werewolf societies. We can concentrate on Alex and what he is feeling. It's Teen Wolf on 4 legs, and that's a good thing. Love the show, and read the book quickly. I want a sequel.

The problem I had with the book was his friends. I could never figure out if they were afraid of him or annoyed at him for causing a glitch in their social lives. Especially Catherine. She's like “OMG, you're a werewolf and this is just too weird for me, and did I just break a nail?”. The friends needed some character development. They have the potential to make a fun human and werewolf pack, versus Shane (read it you'll understand it all).

I recommend this book a lot. It was given to me free as a Goodread's Read 4 Review and I am grateful
that I got the chance to read it. I wish lots of future success to author Adam Gooledge.
5 reviews
June 17, 2015
Personally, I thought this book was absolutely stunning. This book is everything I could've asked for when looking for a werewolf story of this fashion. It has the perfect amount of mystery, suspense, and the transformation and character development is incredible. This type of werewolf story suites me perfectly because I love the idea of Alex trying to learn how to control his power and his family and friends learning to cope with his new life. I was disappointed, however, not to see the rest of the book posted here. I've been cliff-hangered! I really hope you do post the rest of the story and the sequel as well. I can't wait to see what happens to Alex on the next full moon and learn more about Shane. Hope to see it posted soon enough. Again, fabulous story and keep up the great work!
13 reviews
August 26, 2022
4.5/5

I am a huge werewolf lover. I'm not gonna say, "I love the movies, the games, the books, the shows - I love anything and everything werewolves!" because, if you're a lycanthrope die-hard, those things are a given.

I came across this book by chance, stumbling upon the cover first. The woodland vibe drew me right in, and I snapped it up instantly. And boy, am I glad I did.

Now, right off the bat, what I say is in no way meant as an insult, or a negative: Werewolf Tale is as traditional as werewolf stories come.

And I LOVE IT.

The story follows Alex - a college student, who's just gotten a new job, enjoys skateboarding, hanging out with friends, and gaming both on tabletop and console. Recently, numerous reports of animal attacks have drawn police attention, and everyone is on high alert - especially after Alex and a friend save a woman from an apparent mauling. Days later, Alex is bitten by a werewolf, and thus his life is set on a downward spiral as he comes to grips with his looming transformation.

It's traditional. It's small scale. It's about sentient werewolves. It's a comfy read that I'll be jumping back into again.

Did I mention I LOVED this book?

I thought that Alex's response to his transformation was one of the most realistic I've read. His panic, first with his ever-changing senses, then with the thoughts of how his family and friends would react to him now, are things that anyone would consider. (And him not doubting what had attacked him, or ignoring the symptoms - typical to most werewolf novels for the first act - was a welcome change.)

Adam's writing style was clear, direct, and smooth. A joy to read, and ever easy to picture. The transformation scenes were incredibly well-written and vivid. Definitely highlights. (And again! I loved the sentient werewolves.)

My only complaint is with some of the characters. I just wish Alex's friends were easier to tell apart, with more distinct personalities and interests. It felt as though I was reading a copy and paste duplicate of a single character. The ending was also jarring, seeming to end in the middle of the action - a clear set up for a sequel. It would have been nice if the climax had been rounded off; aside from that, I loved every minute.

It really surprises me how much I enjoyed Werewolf Tale. It's not a sweeping epic, with a giant narrative arc, explosive climax, or copious plot twists. It was a simple story more akin to a werewolf slice of life, with the structure of Catcher in the Rye or Mongrels. Is it for everyone? If you prefer a Cassandra Clare werewolf urban fantasy, or gore-ridden horror story, then no. But if you're looking for an introspective story which deals with the highs and lows of lycanthropy in small-town America - or if you're looking for a well-written werewolf novel - give it a shot. Like, right now.
309 reviews9 followers
April 1, 2015
Something weird is going on in Alex’s town. First a calf is found dead and mutilated, the victim of some large animal attack. Then while out filming with his friend Nathan, Alex finds a young girl who also seems to have been attacked by a big animal. Imagine Alex’s surprise when she implies that her attacker is male - leaving Alex to wonder if she was attacked by a person using animals. But before he can find out more her body disappears from the hospital morgue. It is only a few days later when Alex himself is attacked that the answers begin to come to light. Alex is attacked by a werewolf. And being attacked has turned him into one. What will he become?

First off let me say how much I loved that this was told from a young male perspective. Recently I have read a whole slew of young adult paranormal books where the protagonist was female or where much of the story revolved around a possible love affair. It was intriguing not to see that here. This is a really unique and fresh take on the werewolf world and it was refreshing to read it. Alex is a really likable character, sensitive and kind (and not defined solely by his werewolf status :)). It was so interesting to watch him cope with the changes his new werewolf status bring, and watching him maintain his relationships with his friends and family really give the book a lot of its heart.

I was really surprised by everyone’s (including Alex’s) initial reactions to the events that unfold. Everyone seems a lot more understanding and unshaken than I would have expected which rings just a little off at times. Also while the novel is really intriguing and really catches your attention it does move a little slowly at times. Often we hear more in depth details about Alex’s skateboarding than we do about his fears and thoughts on being a werewolf. This is not a bad thing but it does slow the pacing down from time to time.

Overall, however, I really enjoyed this and I cannot wait to hear more from this world. Adam Gulledge has a really distinct voice ( even though there were a few typos here and there throughout ;)) and I cannot wait to read more from him.
Profile Image for Katharina Gerlach.
Author 126 books85 followers
March 17, 2015
I want to thank the author for providing me with a review copy. All the more I'm sorry that I cannot give this book a higher rating. I'm not enjoying this, but I try to be as thorough as I can about the reasons.

I decided to read this book because the premise sounded very intriguing. I would have loved to read a story about a boy adapting to his wolf side. I expected that the author had researched wolf behavior and included it instead of interpolating semi-knowledge about dogs (dogs are very different in some respects to wolves). I know I'm probably especially nitpicky about this aspect because I'm a studied forester and notice the discrepancies more. If this were my only niggle, I would have given this book more stars.

However, the good bits (and there were some, see below) got lost in a sea of eating, sleeping, sniffing around, eating some more, talking, thinking, eating some more, more thinking and more eating. At some point I was so annoyed with all that eating and not doing anything that I groaned at the mention of food. I did get that food was an important aspect, yes. There's no need to rub it in. ;-)

Also, the story seems to end in the middle of... There was no sense of a rounded story arc. None of the initial problems were solved, none of the questions raised by the story at least partially answered (except for one), and not even a cliffhanger. At the end of the book I felt as if someone had deleted half the book. Since the end of this book is supposed to sell the next, I consider this goal failed. I'm not asking for the whole story to be over, but I would have needed a sense of closure.

In contrast with the few other books I rated poorly, this one has potential though. The basic idea is extremely intriguing (although lacking some more research), the characters feel real (although a little undecided and inactive), and the initial problem could give the story the urgently needed sense of danger.

I think that with a lot of revision and a good writing coach, the author can turn this into something wonderful. BTW, I liked the cover quite a lot.
Profile Image for Savannah.
65 reviews15 followers
May 13, 2015
I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. In no way does this affect either my rating or my review.

I'm afraid that my first comment has to be on the cover. It was on my mind throughout the entirety of the book. The art is good; it's very well drawn. However, for the cover of this particular book it did not work. I understand what both the author and the artist were trying to convey with the picture, but it was not executed very well. It looks more like it belongs on the cover of a graphic novel. In fact, when I first looked at the book, that's what I thought it was. A different representation of "Alex's Crossing the Threshold" would have been more appropriate for the message the author was trying to send.

As for the rest of the book, I have to say that it was not my favorite. I thought that trying to show Alex's transformation from human to werewolf and both the physical and, more prominent, emotional effect that it was having on him was a bit overdone. It took away from any other storyline that either was trying to be or could have been conveyed. Because of the seemingly desperate need to prove that Alex still had humanity in him even though he was turning into a werewolf, a monster, made every other character seem more like background noise. I think that the message could have still been given while allowing for more development of secondary characters.

I'm not sure if my interpretation of the book is what the author had in mind or not; I could very well have misread the whole thing. This is merely my opinion and how I as a reader saw the book. Don't get me wrong; the book wasn't bad. I just think that it could have been so much more.
Profile Image for Maya.
4 reviews1 follower
January 2, 2019
The Title of my book was Werewolf Tale written by Adam Gulledge. Its about a boy named Alex who, one day while skating on his skateboard gets attacked and bitten by a werewolf. He faces changes with his senses but his main concern is: what if his family and friends find out and what if his family is in danger just like him.

4 reviews
July 13, 2019
This book surprised me with how much I liked it. Most werewolf books are either too far out there to be enjoyable or too much of a romance novel. The way this book played out made it even more enjoyable .Waiting for the sequel!
1 review
February 2, 2016
loved it so much it was so good please make more.wish had actual copy of the book though I have read some of it online and I just want more.
Profile Image for Morley Robertson.
26 reviews5 followers
August 1, 2023
Odd

This book was well written, but probably one of the oddest werewolf books I have ever read. There was little to no action, and way too much dialogue with not very much purpose. I got through it, but the entire book could have been a dozen pages and it wouldn't have changed the story at all.
25 reviews
September 20, 2020
Lot of potential

It just wanders thru the kids very dull life. Got to be the most boring/non-scary werewolf story that I have ever read. I got halfway thru and started skimming.
Profile Image for Elaine Powell.
31 reviews
February 25, 2016
**I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review * *
I am giving this book 3 stars. I hate giving 3 stars to a book after someone took the time to write it and have it published. However, there were a few things that kept it from being a 5 star book. I think there might have been too much description about the skateboarding stuff. I understand that Alex is a skateboarder but not everyone that reads this book will be. I felt bogged down by all the details about tricks that I had no clue about. I couldn't connect with Alex's friends at all. They seemed kind of flat. And once he revealed himself to them, they seemed like they were always avoiding him or they were annoyed with him. If you want to show them as good friends that accept what Alex has become through no fault of his own, being annoyed all the time is not the way to do it. The final reason for my 3 star rating was the ending. It just ended! It seemed like there should have been more to the story. There were too many unanswered questions. I really wanted to like this book. There are lots of books out there that feature a teenage female werewolf as the main character. But not many with teen or early twenty year old male werewolves. I hope that the author writes a second book. I really want to know what happens next to Alex and his friends.
Profile Image for MeaganC..
140 reviews1 follower
March 30, 2015
I received a copy in exchange for an honest review.

This book, unfortunately, while seemingly interesting did not hold my attention. The premise of a boy turned werewolf seemed very "American Werewolf" to me, which I remember being terrified of growing up, so I wanted to give this book a try. I was also interested because it was not a teeny shapeshifter love story. Once i got a few pages in, however, the interest waned considerably. There wasn't a lot of character building, too much dialogue, and too much of the wrong kind of detail. It seemed that all they did was eat, kill, and fight over food. Even the fight scenes didn't seem out of the ordinary.

I think this is a hard genre to write in nowadays so i can applaud the author for attempting it. With so many paranormal stories out there, it's easy to have "seen it all". It's going to be hard for any writer to make a werewolf story and transformation something new and creative. With that being said, I am loving the fact that this is a new author who hasn't been overly tainted by using what's already successful. So the mind being the story is there. I think the next step for him will be to really research the content in order to ensure that the story is being full developed for the reader.
Profile Image for S.A. Carter.
Author 4 books75 followers
March 19, 2015
I received this book in exchange for an honest review.
I give credit to any author who has the guts and perseverance to write anything and put it out there for public viewing. I know how hard that can be and I thank the author for doing so.

But...in relation to this story I didn't like it at all and really struggled to finish it.
Therefore I can't break the plot down constructively and this was primarily due to a few factors:
1. The characters were boring and had no real voice which means they didn't evoke any emotion within me.
2. The story was bogged down in monotonal nothingness. There was a lot of scenes and dialogue about nothing??
3. The writing is unpolished. As an avid reader this was apparent from the very first page and continued throughout the entire book, which made it very difficult to read and remain interested.

On a positive overall I think this story had a little something. It wasn't all bad, just uninteresting. With the reworking of structure, and exploring in more depth the characters and their journey, I think this book could be so much richer and I hope the author stays with it.
Profile Image for Carrie.
47 reviews4 followers
April 22, 2015
I received this book in exchange for an honest review.

The premise of this book is simple, teen boy tries to save girl gets tagged by werewolf and is then later bitten and is turned himself. I do think this book has potential but it has a lot of unnecessary detail. The main character Alex is fleshed out in great detail but the background characters seem unnecessary since they are not treated as more then extras. Personally while reading this book I got the sense that instead of trying to come out as a werewolf to his friends and family, the author was trying to use it as a metaphor for Alex just coming out. Especially given the connection between him and his friend Nathan. I might be wrong, that was just my impression. I can see this book becoming a great read with some serious editing. Take out some unnecessary info (too much on the skateboarding, and gaming aspects) add a little more physical detail about the werewolf change versus the emotional change and I think this can be a hit. For a first book this was ok, but like I said with work it can be great.
Profile Image for Minerva.
156 reviews
March 31, 2015

I was gifted this book for a honest review. Thank you

Where to begin, I liked the whole aspect here with Alex turning and trying to adapt as a werewolf. The book starts off very well, with Alex and his friend finding and trying to help a girl who was attacked and then later Alex is attacked and bitten by a werewolf. You see him start to see these changes, with his hearing, vision and anxiety around people. He comes to the conclusion that he is turning into a werewolf and prepares for the next full moon.

I wish I could of loved this story, there is a lot that could of happened. I felt is was a bit slow and repetitive. I really liked the main character Alex and how we go on this journey with him becoming a Werewolf.

Thank you again.
Profile Image for Les.
85 reviews1 follower
March 27, 2015
I was given this book to give an honest review from the author. I wish I could be more positive but the book was slow moving and very repetitive. All the sleeping and eating was getting me was hungry and tired. I love fantasy books and have read hundreds. This just needed more exciting character(or more about the actual characters and less details about the useless stuff)
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews

Can't find what you're looking for?

Get help and learn more about the design.