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Werewolf #1
Werewolf by Moonlight
The Welsh hills are beautiful by day, attracting visitors from miles away. But at night an uneasy silence reigns, and in the gathering mist and darkness lurk the ancient evils.
The people of the village near the Black Hill shunned the night. Only the shepherds stayed out to guard their flocks. Till one night, when a sheep was found savagely mangled. The old men muttered of the 'Black Dogs', harbingers of death, while the young men laughed uneasily.
Not only were animals in danger but the young women too. Soon no-one dared go out at night, for the danger that threatened was more fearful than anyone imagined. When the moon was full, the shape of half man half wolf was seen on those hills...
The people of the village near the Black Hill shunned the night. Only the shepherds stayed out to guard their flocks. Till one night, when a sheep was found savagely mangled. The old men muttered of the 'Black Dogs', harbingers of death, while the young men laughed uneasily.
Not only were animals in danger but the young women too. Soon no-one dared go out at night, for the danger that threatened was more fearful than anyone imagined. When the moon was full, the shape of half man half wolf was seen on those hills...
- GenresHorrorWerewolvesFiction
110 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1974
6 people are currently reading
177 people want to read
About the author
Guy N. Smith
175 books298 followersI was born on November 21, 1939, in the small village of Hopwas, near Tamworth, Staffordshire, England. My mother was a pre-war historical novelist (E. M. Weale) and she always encouraged me to write.
I was first published at the age of 12 in The Tettenhall Observer, a local weekly newspaper. Between 1952-57 I wrote 56 stories for them, many serialized. In 1990 I collated these into a book entitled Fifty Tales from the Fifties.
My father was a dedicated bank manager and I was destined for banking from birth. I accepted it but never found it very interesting. During the early years when I was working in Birmingham, I spent most of my lunch hours in the Birmingham gun quarter. I would have loved to have served an apprenticeship in the gun trade but my father would not hear of it.
Shooting (hunting) was my first love, and all my spare time was spent in this way. In 1961 I designed and made a 12-bore shotgun, intending to follow it up with six more, but I did not have the money to do this. I still use the Guy N. Smith short-barrelled magnum. During 1960-67 I operated a small shotgun cartridge loading business but this finished when my components suppliers closed down and I could no longer obtain components at competitive prices.
My writing in those days only concerned shooting. I wrote regularly for most of the sporting magazines, interspersed with fiction for such magazines as the legendary London Mystery Selection, a quarterly anthology for which I contributed 18 stories between 1972-82.
In 1972 I launched my second hand bookselling business which eventually became Black Hill Books. Originally my intention was to concentrate on this and maybe build it up to a full-time business which would enable me to leave banking. Although we still have this business, writing came along and this proved to be the vehicle which gave me my freedom.
I wrote a horror novel for the New English Library in 1974 entitled Werewolf by Moonlight. This was followed by a couple more, but it was Night of the Crabs in 1976 which really launched me as a writer. It was a bestseller, spawning five sequels, and was followed by another 60 or so horror novels through to the mid-1990's. Amicus bought the film rights to Crabs in 1976 and this gave me the chance to leave banking and by my own place, including my shoot, on the Black Hill.
The Guy N. Smith Fan Club was formed in 1990 and still has an active membership. We hold a convention every year at my home which is always well attended.
Around this time I became Poland's best-selling author. Phantom Press published two GNS books each month, mostly with print runs of around 100,000.
I have written much, much more than just horror; crime and mystery (as Gavin Newman), and children's animal novels (as Jonathan Guy). I have written a dozen or so shooting and countryside books, a book on Writing Horror Fiction (A. & C. Black). In 1997 my first full length western novel, The Pony Riders was published by Pinnacle in the States.
With 100-plus books to my credit, I was looking for new challenges. In 1999 I formed my own publishing company and began to publish my own books. They did rather well and gave me a lot of satisfaction. We plan to publish one or two every year.
Still regretting that I had not served an apprenticeship in the gun trade, the best job of my life dropped into my lap in 1999 when I was offered the post of Gun Editor of The Countryman's Weekly, a weekly magazine which covers all field sports. This entails my writing five illustrated feature articles a week on guns, cartridges, deer stalking, big game hunting etc.
Alongside this we have expanded our mail order second hand crime fiction business, still publish a few books, and I find as much time as possible for shooting.
Jean, my wife, helps with the business. Our four children, Rowan, Tara, Gavin and Angus have all moved away from home but they visit on a regular basis.
I would not want to live anywhere other than m
I was first published at the age of 12 in The Tettenhall Observer, a local weekly newspaper. Between 1952-57 I wrote 56 stories for them, many serialized. In 1990 I collated these into a book entitled Fifty Tales from the Fifties.
My father was a dedicated bank manager and I was destined for banking from birth. I accepted it but never found it very interesting. During the early years when I was working in Birmingham, I spent most of my lunch hours in the Birmingham gun quarter. I would have loved to have served an apprenticeship in the gun trade but my father would not hear of it.
Shooting (hunting) was my first love, and all my spare time was spent in this way. In 1961 I designed and made a 12-bore shotgun, intending to follow it up with six more, but I did not have the money to do this. I still use the Guy N. Smith short-barrelled magnum. During 1960-67 I operated a small shotgun cartridge loading business but this finished when my components suppliers closed down and I could no longer obtain components at competitive prices.
My writing in those days only concerned shooting. I wrote regularly for most of the sporting magazines, interspersed with fiction for such magazines as the legendary London Mystery Selection, a quarterly anthology for which I contributed 18 stories between 1972-82.
In 1972 I launched my second hand bookselling business which eventually became Black Hill Books. Originally my intention was to concentrate on this and maybe build it up to a full-time business which would enable me to leave banking. Although we still have this business, writing came along and this proved to be the vehicle which gave me my freedom.
I wrote a horror novel for the New English Library in 1974 entitled Werewolf by Moonlight. This was followed by a couple more, but it was Night of the Crabs in 1976 which really launched me as a writer. It was a bestseller, spawning five sequels, and was followed by another 60 or so horror novels through to the mid-1990's. Amicus bought the film rights to Crabs in 1976 and this gave me the chance to leave banking and by my own place, including my shoot, on the Black Hill.
The Guy N. Smith Fan Club was formed in 1990 and still has an active membership. We hold a convention every year at my home which is always well attended.
Around this time I became Poland's best-selling author. Phantom Press published two GNS books each month, mostly with print runs of around 100,000.
I have written much, much more than just horror; crime and mystery (as Gavin Newman), and children's animal novels (as Jonathan Guy). I have written a dozen or so shooting and countryside books, a book on Writing Horror Fiction (A. & C. Black). In 1997 my first full length western novel, The Pony Riders was published by Pinnacle in the States.
With 100-plus books to my credit, I was looking for new challenges. In 1999 I formed my own publishing company and began to publish my own books. They did rather well and gave me a lot of satisfaction. We plan to publish one or two every year.
Still regretting that I had not served an apprenticeship in the gun trade, the best job of my life dropped into my lap in 1999 when I was offered the post of Gun Editor of The Countryman's Weekly, a weekly magazine which covers all field sports. This entails my writing five illustrated feature articles a week on guns, cartridges, deer stalking, big game hunting etc.
Alongside this we have expanded our mail order second hand crime fiction business, still publish a few books, and I find as much time as possible for shooting.
Jean, my wife, helps with the business. Our four children, Rowan, Tara, Gavin and Angus have all moved away from home but they visit on a regular basis.
I would not want to live anywhere other than m
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
January 18, 2024
Amazon Rejected This Review!
Journalist, Gordon Hall decides to visit the Welsh town of Shropshire, for some rest. He enjoys trapping the foxes in the Black Hill area, in his brutal steel traps. He also likes to spend his time with the local women, even if they are married.
Philip Owens has a reputation for being dim-witted. He lives with his parents and work on their farm.
The small village is isolated, which appears to be a code for superstitious. The old timers, and younger ones, too, spend a lot of time gossiping about the old days, and the old monsters.
Both Philip and Gordon become attracted to Mrs. Margaret Gunn. Once Philip discover that Gordon has already “hit that,” he becomes extremely jealous and builds intense hatred for Gordon.
A short time later, animals are viciously slaughtered whenever a full moon appears...
This is the first werewolf book by Guy N. Smith. He was asked to write this book and given a short space of time to do so. Although he follows most of the tropes of the classic werewolf story, he also deviates.
He gives his werewolf self awareness, but then at times he gets his werewolf to tune out his humanity. This is confusing at times. But as the story progresses, so does the beast, until that is all that is left.
I liked most of the story, but I have a problem with a “conscious werewolf.”
Is he a wolf, is he a man? Is he aware, is he unaware? This causes confusion. And this takes points away from what should have been a great werewolf story and makes it only a good one.
3.5 stars. ✨✨✨✨
Journalist, Gordon Hall decides to visit the Welsh town of Shropshire, for some rest. He enjoys trapping the foxes in the Black Hill area, in his brutal steel traps. He also likes to spend his time with the local women, even if they are married.
Philip Owens has a reputation for being dim-witted. He lives with his parents and work on their farm.
The small village is isolated, which appears to be a code for superstitious. The old timers, and younger ones, too, spend a lot of time gossiping about the old days, and the old monsters.
Both Philip and Gordon become attracted to Mrs. Margaret Gunn. Once Philip discover that Gordon has already “hit that,” he becomes extremely jealous and builds intense hatred for Gordon.
A short time later, animals are viciously slaughtered whenever a full moon appears...
This is the first werewolf book by Guy N. Smith. He was asked to write this book and given a short space of time to do so. Although he follows most of the tropes of the classic werewolf story, he also deviates.
He gives his werewolf self awareness, but then at times he gets his werewolf to tune out his humanity. This is confusing at times. But as the story progresses, so does the beast, until that is all that is left.
I liked most of the story, but I have a problem with a “conscious werewolf.”
Is he a wolf, is he a man? Is he aware, is he unaware? This causes confusion. And this takes points away from what should have been a great werewolf story and makes it only a good one.
3.5 stars. ✨✨✨✨
June 19, 2023
I mean, it’s Guy N Smith.
July 28, 2009
First published back in 1974, ‘Werewolf by Moonlight’ was Guy N Smith’s debut novel, starting off his lucrative career that will span decades, involving an almost unusually high volume of releases throughout. ‘Werewolf by Moonlight’ was also the only horror novel to date to appear under Guy’s name without his middle initial being included. The novel was later followed by two sequels; ‘Return of the Werewolf’ in 1976 and ‘The Son of the Werewolf’ in 1978. The novel has since become one of the more collectable of Smith’s novels, fetching reasonably large sums of money due to its subsequent rarity.
The novel is set at the border between Shropshire and Wales, in the heart of wooded hillside known as the Black Hill. Here the Owen family run their farm amongst the few other farms situated around the area. Gwynne Owen has recently acquired a jet black dog named Loup, that he had imported from the Black Forest of Germany. Before long the dog bites the leg of Gwynne Owen’s son Philip Owen. The bite isn’t too bad, barely breaking the skin, and as such Philip doesn’t mention his wound to anyone.
The Owens’s nearest neighbours are Vic and Margaret Gunn who own a farm within walking distance. With Vic often out performing the daily chores of the farm, Margaret Gunn begins a lustful affair with the reporter and hunter Gordon Hall, whose smooth and arrogantly confident nature easily wins over Margaret. Philip Owen learns of their affair when he calls around the Gunn residence whilst Vic is away, also hoping to seduce the fair Margaret Gunn.
The following day Philip returns once again to the Gunn household. Vic Gunn is away from the farm, so Philip enters the house with the intention of forcing Margaret to have sex with him. After a small struggle between Margaret and Philip, Gordon appears and sends the farmers boy away with a throbbing jaw.
That night with a full moon in the sky, Philip is out in the fields, tending to the sheep, as is often his way. With the moon shining down on Philip, he changes for the first time into a bloodthirsty werewolf. His lustful thoughts once again return to Margaret, but a hunger for blood quickly overwhelms these desires. Philip dines on his first victims that night; a rabbit and a sheep.
The nearby Jones family have the hired help of the young Peter Pike staying with them, who is learning the ways of the farm life for a small wage and lodgings. Also staying at the Jones residence is the attractive young niece of the Jones’s, Jennifer Hughes. Pike takes a shine to Hughes and soon takes her out for the night on his motorbike. Pike’s advances on the girl become too much and when he turns nasty, Jennifer runs off into the night. The full moon is once again out, and with that, so is Philip Owen in his bloodthirsty new state. Owen takes his first human victim that night, satisfying both his carnal and bloodthirsty urges.
Pike is the first to find the ravaged corpse of Jennifer Hughes, and is quickly presumed to be the girls murderer by the local community. However, it is soon discovered that the girl was ripped apart by claws ad fangs, so a hunt is on for a suspected wolf that is on the loose.
With the local law enforcement, the majority of the men within the local community and with the additional help of Gordon Hall, a search is soon put together throughout the Black Hill forest area. No wolf is turned up, but it’s only a matter of time before the real killer of Black Hill murders again...
Guy N Smith’s novel ‘Werewolf by Moonlight’ is a surprisingly gory tale that throws in a thick wedge of seedy sex and graphic depictions of the gory violence that is brought about by Philip Owen whilst in his werewolf state.
The storyline itself is fast paced and layered with the intriguing subplots that weave into the developing werewolf tale.
Characterization is carefully chosen, with some characters such as that of Gordon Hall developed throughout the tale, whereas the majority of the other characters are only given a skeleton of a personality.
Smith manages to keep the erotic charge alight, with the affair between Gordon Hall and Margaret Gunn given a major role within the tale. The secretive relationship adds an additional interest value to the storyline, keeping it feeling involved and well constructed.
With regular switches to a first person perspective, Smith delivers a clever insight into the transformation process from human into werewolf, for the character of Philip Owen. This first person perspective also enables the reader to glimpse the power of the carnal and bloodthirsty urges that control Owen in his new state, as well as the confusing nature of the bestial mind.
The final few chapters of this short novel are pure edge-of-the-seat material. Owen is still on the rampage and the community are moving in fast. The characters are each given their own roles within the tale, making the potential deaths of each a dramatic turning point for the storyline.
As the novel draws towards the final conclusion, so the interweaving subplots merge with the main thrust of the tale, bringing it all together into a tight finale. Alas, with the whole tale set up for a conclusive and ultimately satisfying conclusion, Smith ends the tale on what can only be described as a weak afterthought.
For a novel that delivered an involved and fast paced approach throughout, the ending is disappointingly simplistic. Even after the ending has been set down, Smith wraps up the characters loose ends in an unrealistic and wholly out-of-character manner, deciding on a more simplistic approach to closing the tale.
All in all, ‘Werewolf by Moonlight’ is a thoroughly enjoyable read, with a fast paced and involved storyline that manages to keep the reader gripped from the outset. The disappointing ending does let the novel down somewhat, but does not detract too much from the enjoyable pulp horror nature of the novel.
The book runs for a total of 110 pages and was first published through the New English Library.
The novel is set at the border between Shropshire and Wales, in the heart of wooded hillside known as the Black Hill. Here the Owen family run their farm amongst the few other farms situated around the area. Gwynne Owen has recently acquired a jet black dog named Loup, that he had imported from the Black Forest of Germany. Before long the dog bites the leg of Gwynne Owen’s son Philip Owen. The bite isn’t too bad, barely breaking the skin, and as such Philip doesn’t mention his wound to anyone.
The Owens’s nearest neighbours are Vic and Margaret Gunn who own a farm within walking distance. With Vic often out performing the daily chores of the farm, Margaret Gunn begins a lustful affair with the reporter and hunter Gordon Hall, whose smooth and arrogantly confident nature easily wins over Margaret. Philip Owen learns of their affair when he calls around the Gunn residence whilst Vic is away, also hoping to seduce the fair Margaret Gunn.
The following day Philip returns once again to the Gunn household. Vic Gunn is away from the farm, so Philip enters the house with the intention of forcing Margaret to have sex with him. After a small struggle between Margaret and Philip, Gordon appears and sends the farmers boy away with a throbbing jaw.
That night with a full moon in the sky, Philip is out in the fields, tending to the sheep, as is often his way. With the moon shining down on Philip, he changes for the first time into a bloodthirsty werewolf. His lustful thoughts once again return to Margaret, but a hunger for blood quickly overwhelms these desires. Philip dines on his first victims that night; a rabbit and a sheep.
The nearby Jones family have the hired help of the young Peter Pike staying with them, who is learning the ways of the farm life for a small wage and lodgings. Also staying at the Jones residence is the attractive young niece of the Jones’s, Jennifer Hughes. Pike takes a shine to Hughes and soon takes her out for the night on his motorbike. Pike’s advances on the girl become too much and when he turns nasty, Jennifer runs off into the night. The full moon is once again out, and with that, so is Philip Owen in his bloodthirsty new state. Owen takes his first human victim that night, satisfying both his carnal and bloodthirsty urges.
Pike is the first to find the ravaged corpse of Jennifer Hughes, and is quickly presumed to be the girls murderer by the local community. However, it is soon discovered that the girl was ripped apart by claws ad fangs, so a hunt is on for a suspected wolf that is on the loose.
With the local law enforcement, the majority of the men within the local community and with the additional help of Gordon Hall, a search is soon put together throughout the Black Hill forest area. No wolf is turned up, but it’s only a matter of time before the real killer of Black Hill murders again...
Guy N Smith’s novel ‘Werewolf by Moonlight’ is a surprisingly gory tale that throws in a thick wedge of seedy sex and graphic depictions of the gory violence that is brought about by Philip Owen whilst in his werewolf state.
The storyline itself is fast paced and layered with the intriguing subplots that weave into the developing werewolf tale.
Characterization is carefully chosen, with some characters such as that of Gordon Hall developed throughout the tale, whereas the majority of the other characters are only given a skeleton of a personality.
Smith manages to keep the erotic charge alight, with the affair between Gordon Hall and Margaret Gunn given a major role within the tale. The secretive relationship adds an additional interest value to the storyline, keeping it feeling involved and well constructed.
With regular switches to a first person perspective, Smith delivers a clever insight into the transformation process from human into werewolf, for the character of Philip Owen. This first person perspective also enables the reader to glimpse the power of the carnal and bloodthirsty urges that control Owen in his new state, as well as the confusing nature of the bestial mind.
The final few chapters of this short novel are pure edge-of-the-seat material. Owen is still on the rampage and the community are moving in fast. The characters are each given their own roles within the tale, making the potential deaths of each a dramatic turning point for the storyline.
As the novel draws towards the final conclusion, so the interweaving subplots merge with the main thrust of the tale, bringing it all together into a tight finale. Alas, with the whole tale set up for a conclusive and ultimately satisfying conclusion, Smith ends the tale on what can only be described as a weak afterthought.
For a novel that delivered an involved and fast paced approach throughout, the ending is disappointingly simplistic. Even after the ending has been set down, Smith wraps up the characters loose ends in an unrealistic and wholly out-of-character manner, deciding on a more simplistic approach to closing the tale.
All in all, ‘Werewolf by Moonlight’ is a thoroughly enjoyable read, with a fast paced and involved storyline that manages to keep the reader gripped from the outset. The disappointing ending does let the novel down somewhat, but does not detract too much from the enjoyable pulp horror nature of the novel.
The book runs for a total of 110 pages and was first published through the New English Library.
December 14, 2019
There is always something I like in a Guy N. Smith book. Whether it's a great, or bad book. He just has that knack. Horror potboilers with necrophiliac devil-worshipers or bats out of hell, not many do schlock like him.
The Welsh boarder lands are being ravaged by what old farmers believe to be dogs of lore. What it is, is a dimwitted farmers son that was bitten by a dog from the Black Forest of Germany. He soon transforms into a rampaging werewolf. At first he's disgusted by his actions he can no longer control. Later, still not pleased with himself, he starts to except it. Even killing when in human form. Nice bit of pulp, this.
The Welsh boarder lands are being ravaged by what old farmers believe to be dogs of lore. What it is, is a dimwitted farmers son that was bitten by a dog from the Black Forest of Germany. He soon transforms into a rampaging werewolf. At first he's disgusted by his actions he can no longer control. Later, still not pleased with himself, he starts to except it. Even killing when in human form. Nice bit of pulp, this.
February 24, 2012
A cool horror that was actually a horror and not some romantic chick flick series that is served up to us readers since 2009.
July 29, 2014
Typical Guy N. Smith novel, his first. An enjoyable read.
August 10, 2019
Spoilers in the review.
TW: Violence, gore, rape, animal death
I've decided to read a handful of the old, sleazy, dime store horror novels from back in the day and randomly started with Werewolf by Moonlight by Guy N. Smith because I enjoy werewolves and this is the guy that famously wrote a seven book series about giant crabs.
Werewolf by Moonlight had, more or less, what people expect from these kinds of books: sex and violence. It's a straightforward story about a man who is bitten by a dog that was bitten by a werewolf and so he becomes a werewolf (no really), and kills a few animals, then later people. Like most werewolves, Philip Owen is a tragic figure. Sort of. The book introduces him as a slack-jawed yokel that's only interest is sheep-herding, and it DOES make a point of letting the audience know that he had never had a sexual or violent thought in his life until his transformation. That being said, the novel uncomfortably treats his thoughts of rape as something that's not all that bad, and it's something that Philip Owen himself never shows remorse over (he does show remorse over killing people at various points). The entire novel, in fact, treats sexual assault and rape as something that is more just "what men do" rather than the horrible act that it is. Even the scenes of consensual sex come off as rape-y.
We also have our "hero" of the novel, Gordon Hall. Gordon is described- frequently- as handsome, ruthless, and tough. He is shown to be all of those things, and throughout the entire novel I couldn't help but dislike him. This was mostly because the novel didn't make it very clear if I was even supposed to like him. His thoughts of "hunting women like game" were disgusting, and it was his only actual personality trait besides his intense love of hunting animals. However, despite it being unclear throughout the book, the ending (literally the last page) actually seemed to confirm that Gordon was a bitter, bad guy that had hurt a lot of people.
Honestly the book is mostly average (for this type of book), but it does have some moments that were pretty clever. Philip Owen's, though somewhat inconsistent, has a pretty interesting fall, as each full moon transformation not only renders him less human each time, but it is vaguely implied that werewolves have some sort of genetic memory. Near the very end of the novel, Philip remembers the Mother of All Werewolves from Germany, and is apparently suddenly unaware that he's in England instead of the Black Forest. As mentioned, Gordon is something of a human monster, and the novel (far, far too late) draws apt comparison between himself and the werewolf. There's also a scene in which two people watch a werewolf movie, and make fun of the predictable nature of the climax: that it's always a chase scene ending in a silver bullet death. The novel, of course, ends very anticlimactically, with the werewolf caught in a fox trap and drowning in a river.
Despite these few clever moments, and mostly competent writing style, I can't say this book is anything other than mediocre, even for the sleazy dime store horror that it is. Still, I am looking forward to Smith's later (and much more famous) novel Night of the Crabs. Hopefully it pulls back on the "men just do that" attitude to sexual assault, and gives even wilder monster scenes.
TW: Violence, gore, rape, animal death
I've decided to read a handful of the old, sleazy, dime store horror novels from back in the day and randomly started with Werewolf by Moonlight by Guy N. Smith because I enjoy werewolves and this is the guy that famously wrote a seven book series about giant crabs.
Werewolf by Moonlight had, more or less, what people expect from these kinds of books: sex and violence. It's a straightforward story about a man who is bitten by a dog that was bitten by a werewolf and so he becomes a werewolf (no really), and kills a few animals, then later people. Like most werewolves, Philip Owen is a tragic figure. Sort of. The book introduces him as a slack-jawed yokel that's only interest is sheep-herding, and it DOES make a point of letting the audience know that he had never had a sexual or violent thought in his life until his transformation. That being said, the novel uncomfortably treats his thoughts of rape as something that's not all that bad, and it's something that Philip Owen himself never shows remorse over (he does show remorse over killing people at various points). The entire novel, in fact, treats sexual assault and rape as something that is more just "what men do" rather than the horrible act that it is. Even the scenes of consensual sex come off as rape-y.
We also have our "hero" of the novel, Gordon Hall. Gordon is described- frequently- as handsome, ruthless, and tough. He is shown to be all of those things, and throughout the entire novel I couldn't help but dislike him. This was mostly because the novel didn't make it very clear if I was even supposed to like him. His thoughts of "hunting women like game" were disgusting, and it was his only actual personality trait besides his intense love of hunting animals. However, despite it being unclear throughout the book, the ending (literally the last page) actually seemed to confirm that Gordon was a bitter, bad guy that had hurt a lot of people.
Honestly the book is mostly average (for this type of book), but it does have some moments that were pretty clever. Philip Owen's, though somewhat inconsistent, has a pretty interesting fall, as each full moon transformation not only renders him less human each time, but it is vaguely implied that werewolves have some sort of genetic memory. Near the very end of the novel, Philip remembers the Mother of All Werewolves from Germany, and is apparently suddenly unaware that he's in England instead of the Black Forest. As mentioned, Gordon is something of a human monster, and the novel (far, far too late) draws apt comparison between himself and the werewolf. There's also a scene in which two people watch a werewolf movie, and make fun of the predictable nature of the climax: that it's always a chase scene ending in a silver bullet death. The novel, of course, ends very anticlimactically, with the werewolf caught in a fox trap and drowning in a river.
Despite these few clever moments, and mostly competent writing style, I can't say this book is anything other than mediocre, even for the sleazy dime store horror that it is. Still, I am looking forward to Smith's later (and much more famous) novel Night of the Crabs. Hopefully it pulls back on the "men just do that" attitude to sexual assault, and gives even wilder monster scenes.
November 21, 2022
In the introduction Guy N Smith states that, back in the early 1970s when this was published, the New England Library didn't have a horror section, and asked Smith to write a werewolf novel for them. My question is why? This is Smith's first published novel, so what prompted that request to Guy specifically? The reason this puzzles me is because this is simply awful. I mean, I know Guy N Smith is now a very collectable legend, and I'm sure his work improved - indeed, as the book progressed the writing did get better- and I'm sure latter books are way superior, too. But this... There is no characterisation of any note, no hero, no sympathetic characters. The dialogue is poor. The plot awful. There are some nice descriptions (I know Smith has written some "countryside" books and that may explain the request and the good descriptions of the countryside), but there is too much exposition, viewpoint inconsistencies, people accepting the incredible with nary a "you what? Are you crazy?" The "hero" is anything but. The women characters - indeed, all the characters - are stereotypes. You get the idea...
I remember reading one of Guy Smith's "Crabs" books back when I was at school in the mid '70s. I recall thinking then it wasn't a patch on James Herbert who himself wasn't a patch on Stephen King. I read this one again all these years later really for old time's sake. It was cheap on Kindle. I bought a Shaun Hutson, too... That'll be interesting.
Anyway, the other reviews give you more on the story, so I won't recount it now, but my advice is if you want a good werewolf novel seek out the work of David Case. He's a master!
I remember reading one of Guy Smith's "Crabs" books back when I was at school in the mid '70s. I recall thinking then it wasn't a patch on James Herbert who himself wasn't a patch on Stephen King. I read this one again all these years later really for old time's sake. It was cheap on Kindle. I bought a Shaun Hutson, too... That'll be interesting.
Anyway, the other reviews give you more on the story, so I won't recount it now, but my advice is if you want a good werewolf novel seek out the work of David Case. He's a master!
October 20, 2023
Terrible writing, ghastly characters, hideous sex scenes… but enjoyably bad and a fast horror tale.
Our hero is a hunter and a greedy journalist, what’s to like?
A werewolf in a nearby forest bites a farmer’s dog, who in turn bites the farmer’s son, Philip, turning him into a werewolf. (This is revealed very early in the story). There’s been no trouble for years with the nearby werewolf forest, but there’s suddenly trouble with this new werewolf?
Anyhow, everyone misses that there’s animal killings every full moon, but the locals are blaming other local legends, like druids (!) and a pack of mystical ‘black dogs’.
The sex scenes and the descriptions of several of the men’s sexual desires are pretty twisted and very, very 1970s. Heartless, obsessive, self centred on gratification and graphically detailed. I skipped these passages and an entire early chapter devoted to a night of passion.
I want a horror story, not sleaze. Though I’m well aware Guy N Smith mixes up both. James Herbert, in his books from the same period, included sex, but dealt with more interestingly, whilst still being lurid. Smith’s stuff is predictable and repetitive, but presumably popular enough to deserve becoming part of his winning formula. The Slime Beast, from the following year, had even more sex in it, at the expense of the plot.
Some non-werewolf deaths pad the bodycount, but are barely logical and verging on silly.
But the non-sequiturs, cliches, clumsy grammar and head-scratching plot turns certainly entertain.
Onto the sequels!
Our hero is a hunter and a greedy journalist, what’s to like?
A werewolf in a nearby forest bites a farmer’s dog, who in turn bites the farmer’s son, Philip, turning him into a werewolf. (This is revealed very early in the story). There’s been no trouble for years with the nearby werewolf forest, but there’s suddenly trouble with this new werewolf?
Anyhow, everyone misses that there’s animal killings every full moon, but the locals are blaming other local legends, like druids (!) and a pack of mystical ‘black dogs’.
The sex scenes and the descriptions of several of the men’s sexual desires are pretty twisted and very, very 1970s. Heartless, obsessive, self centred on gratification and graphically detailed. I skipped these passages and an entire early chapter devoted to a night of passion.
I want a horror story, not sleaze. Though I’m well aware Guy N Smith mixes up both. James Herbert, in his books from the same period, included sex, but dealt with more interestingly, whilst still being lurid. Smith’s stuff is predictable and repetitive, but presumably popular enough to deserve becoming part of his winning formula. The Slime Beast, from the following year, had even more sex in it, at the expense of the plot.
Some non-werewolf deaths pad the bodycount, but are barely logical and verging on silly.
But the non-sequiturs, cliches, clumsy grammar and head-scratching plot turns certainly entertain.
Onto the sequels!
November 6, 2024
This is the second Guy N. Smith book I've read after 'Night Of The Crabs' and I can officially now claim to be a fan.
The writing is fast paced, punchy with absolutely no fat whatsoever. Characters have been fleshed out as appropriate and behave exactly in the way they should to move onto the next plot point. One characterisation oddity was the police officers' irritation at being dragged out of bed to investigate strange deaths.
After two books, it's pretty safe to say Smith isn't bothered about women being kept to the bedroom and kitchen whilst the men drink beer, smoke pipes, and have sex whenever they fancy. If it wasn't for the violence and occasional 'rapey' intentions, these are no stronger in dubious attitudes than a Carry On film or Hammer movie.
The protagonist, Gordon Hall, is a classic 'mans man' of the mid-70s. To read he was almost played in a failed adaptation by Matt Berry makes me very sad about what could've been. He is so perfect and really epitomises the tone I found in the book.
The story is so simplistic that there's no messing about. People immediately point and state 'that's a werewolf'. I love this about Smith. Why fanny about? Just get on with the sex, gore, and violence.
Werewolf by Moonlight is a fun read which elevates Guy N. Smith to a Kendall Reviews 'must-read' author. I have the second and third books in the 'Crabs' series lined up to read, and I can't wait to get my claws into them.
The writing is fast paced, punchy with absolutely no fat whatsoever. Characters have been fleshed out as appropriate and behave exactly in the way they should to move onto the next plot point. One characterisation oddity was the police officers' irritation at being dragged out of bed to investigate strange deaths.
After two books, it's pretty safe to say Smith isn't bothered about women being kept to the bedroom and kitchen whilst the men drink beer, smoke pipes, and have sex whenever they fancy. If it wasn't for the violence and occasional 'rapey' intentions, these are no stronger in dubious attitudes than a Carry On film or Hammer movie.
The protagonist, Gordon Hall, is a classic 'mans man' of the mid-70s. To read he was almost played in a failed adaptation by Matt Berry makes me very sad about what could've been. He is so perfect and really epitomises the tone I found in the book.
The story is so simplistic that there's no messing about. People immediately point and state 'that's a werewolf'. I love this about Smith. Why fanny about? Just get on with the sex, gore, and violence.
Werewolf by Moonlight is a fun read which elevates Guy N. Smith to a Kendall Reviews 'must-read' author. I have the second and third books in the 'Crabs' series lined up to read, and I can't wait to get my claws into them.
April 17, 2025
I enjoyed this. The author can put some good sentences together and there are some genuine thrills. There are issues - the characterisations are not very in depth, but it is a short book, so it is understandable. I think my biggest gripe is that it is somewhat sexually naive. That and the fact that no one really questions the possibility of a werewolf. Would anyone really accept it so readily? I think not.
Still, I will be back for the sequel as there was a lot of fun in the book. Whenever you finish a book wanting more, then you are onto a good thing.
Still, I will be back for the sequel as there was a lot of fun in the book. Whenever you finish a book wanting more, then you are onto a good thing.
May 26, 2018
This is the first novel I ever read. I must have been about 11. After that, I just couldn't stop. First it was horror and scfi, and then Dickens and the Victorian novelists. I owe Guy. N. Smith a debt of gratitude. Very enjoyable book and can still remember most of the details all these years later.
November 29, 2021
Not very much action, and had a rather anti-climactic ending. It was more like a simple older werewolf story. The werewolf was not only driven by rage and hunger, but by his sexual lust for a married woman who lived on the farm near him. The protagonist, who was attracted to the same woman, learned a valuable lesson from the werewolf, one that pointed to his own deviant behavior.
January 31, 2020
Werewolf by Moonlight was his first novel and you can tell. It gets three stars instead of two because I love the ending. It's not the same old overdone crap. I'm definitely a fan, so it's nice to see how he's grown as a writer.
August 1, 2021
A simple farmer gets bitten by a dog who was attacked by a wolf which eventuates in being turned into a bloodthirsty, sex maniac werewolf in a small Welsh village. He will start ripping the throat of a sheep and greedily stuff warm bloody meat down his cavernous jaw relishing the entrails and have a rabbits head in his mouth feeling the screams and drink the blood from its headless neck. He will stuff his head in the stomach of a sheep still alive and devour the offal then start on human flesh. The first published book by Guy and one to treasure in his impressive career. Fast and ever bloody entertaining.
June 24, 2023
A fun and gory rural werewolf story.
December 22, 2024
Excellent pulp horror classic novel by Guy N Smith.
June 9, 2022
An uncomplicated werewolf tale, set in the countryside, full of country folk, with few fripperies; well-paced, briskly characterised, and full of incident (Smith's one invention is to make the werewolf aware of his condition, which leads to a couple of unintentionally funny scenes .
There's a lovely opportunity for a great twist near the end that Smith misses (even though he's created all the setup), which is a shame.
There's a lovely opportunity for a great twist near the end that Smith misses (even though he's created all the setup), which is a shame.
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