What do you think?
Rate this book
Kornwolf
Tristan Egolf's new novel is a book about the return of an old curse — the Kornwolf, a ferocious werewolf whose nocturnal rampaging becomes increasingly impossible to ignore. Kornwolf takes the reader for a good old-fashioned romp in the stubble — a journey through the slums and honky tundra of rural Pennsylvania, where nothing quite passes for good or bad, sublime or dismal, discrete or brash. And then the monotony breaks. Something — a freak of creation — is running amok in the fields. To solve the mystery, three generations of prodigal sons — a writer and hometown boy who swore he'd never come back to Penn's Woods; a middle-aged former pugilist who runs a decrepit boxing gym; and a misfit, mute, beaten-down Amish boy — are brought together by the light of a blue moon, in a town called Blue Ball. On one level this is a masterfully orchestrated, hilarious, and compelling take on the classic horror yarn, on another, Kornwolf is a social satire of suburban sprawl, closed minds, and all manners and varieties of self-satisfaction — Amish, civilian, or... other — in the best tradition of Tom Robbins and George Saunders.
400 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2005
20 people are currently reading
477 people want to read
About the author
Tristan Egolf
5 books47 followersEgolf was born in San Lorenzo de El Escorial, Spain. His father, Brad Evans, was a National Review journalist and his mother, Paula, a painter. His younger sister is American actress Gretchen Egolf. His parents divorced in Egolf's childhood and he took the surname of his stepfather, Gary Egolf. In his youth, the family moved from Washington to Kentucky. It was life in Philadelphia, however, that inspired Egolf, along with summer visits to his father's new home in Indiana. He graduated from Hempfield High School in Landisville, Pennsylvania, in 1990. Egolf briefly attended Temple University, in Philadelphia.
In Paris, Egolf struck up an acquaintance with the daughter of Patrick Modiano, a prominent French author and screenwriter (Lacombe Lucien). Modiano helped get his first novel published in France in 1998 by Gallimard after it had been rejected by more than 70 U.S. publishers. Lord of the Barnyard was subsequently published in the UK and the US and received moderately favorable reviews - with a few raves worldwide. His second book, Skirt and the Fiddle, was published in 2002 to even better critical response; his third, Kornwolf, was published after his death. He had also been working on a screenplay for Lord of the Barnyard, left unfinished.
In Paris, Egolf struck up an acquaintance with the daughter of Patrick Modiano, a prominent French author and screenwriter (Lacombe Lucien). Modiano helped get his first novel published in France in 1998 by Gallimard after it had been rejected by more than 70 U.S. publishers. Lord of the Barnyard was subsequently published in the UK and the US and received moderately favorable reviews - with a few raves worldwide. His second book, Skirt and the Fiddle, was published in 2002 to even better critical response; his third, Kornwolf, was published after his death. He had also been working on a screenplay for Lord of the Barnyard, left unfinished.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 82 reviews
August 29, 2007
i wish this book would have been around in oh.... 1990. it's the type of book that would have blown my mind the way the Pixies and Sonic Youth did in high school. it's the type of book that makes me feel all giddy and strong. it's a piss 'n' beer cocktail. i love it.
i mean, this book makes we want to write KORNWOLF all over my Trapper Keeper in a Metallica font over and over and over again. bitchin'.
i am almost inconsolable that Tristan Egolf is dead.
i mean, this book makes we want to write KORNWOLF all over my Trapper Keeper in a Metallica font over and over and over again. bitchin'.
i am almost inconsolable that Tristan Egolf is dead.
February 26, 2009
I'm not sure whether this deserves 4 stars or 3, but it definitely merits at least one second reading. This review may change as I think about this book more (and maybe figure things out about it more).
Just a little background on the author: Egolf was born in Spain, his family moved to the U.S., he lived in Washington and Kentucky as a child, then in Philadelphia, Paris (where he claimed was the best place to write about Kentucky), and Lancaster, PA as an adult. In addition to writing, he played in a punk rock band, and was a political activist, supposedly joining several others in laying on a road traveled by George W. Bush in 2004, stripped down to nothing but a thong.
In 2005, after completing Kornwolf, Egolf killed himself with a shotgun. He had been living in Lancaster at the time, where much of the book is set. This indicates that Egolf likely suffered from severe mental problems, which seems even more likely from reading this book.
Based on descriptions and reviews, his other works sound just as warped. Not only is the content of Kornwolf disturbing, the writing style and structure are somewhat strange as well - not necessarily in a postmodern, self-conscious, well-crafted way. The unfolding of the narrative is jarring, if not disjointed. Divided into five parts, the first, called "Introductions," is very simply that - chapters of character introductions, without any seeming connection, although those do come in later. But the characters, odd themselves, seem very disparate from each other, so it's hard to see how they can be part of a unified story. We have:
- "The Blue Ball Devil," a mysterious creature said to haunt the town of Stepford (a small town in Amish country, based for the most part on Lancaster) - no one seems to know what it is or even be able to accurately describe it, other than having a vaguely canine and/or apelike appearance, and an uncanny resemblance to Richard Nixon
- Ephraim Bontrager, a mute and tortured Amish 18-year old who causes mischief and listens to Slayer and George Jones
- Benedictus Bontrager, Ephraim's father, a self-serving and cruel man who seems to paradoxically embody Old Order Amish values as well as secular materialistic greed
- Owen Brymmor, a vagabond reporter/wannabe boxer who (grudgingly) returns to his hometown, seemingly simulatenously blessed with luck and a constant draw to danger
- Jack Stumpf, gruff boxing coach somehow involved with the Blue Ball Devil
- Fannie Hostler - Ephraim's cousin, one of the more innocent characters, an Amish girl who tries to live out her order's values while not being afraid to defy them for the sake of compassion
There are other characters as well, but you get the idea.
Gradually, these characters - a mix of Amish, ex-Amish, and eccentric non-Amish ("English" as opposed to "Pennsyltucky Dutch") - come together in a complicated, bizarre culmination of events that involve the mysterious Blue Ball Devil and mass hysteria.
We never really find out what the Blue Ball Devil is – a werewolf? a Devil-possessed shapeshifter? some kind of genetic mutant? - though Egolf does, via Brymmor's investigations, go into theorizing about various cryptozoological creatures and werewolf myths. It seems to be something straight out of Medeival folklore, purely malicious and beyond human reason. The town takes on Medeival witch-hunt lunacy as well. Just as much horror comes from the very human inhabitants of Stepford as the Blue Ball Devil – vandalism, arson, assault, and murder. The cycles of the moon play into this, affecting them as much as the creature.
Enough information is pieced together to give the story coherence, yet not enough to give full understanding of everything that happens. I’m not sure whether this is intentional – which seems unlikely, given the intricate explications Egolf goes into – or whether this is a consequence of Egolf having killed himself shortly after finishing the book, and thus not being able to revise it – which doesn’t necessarily explain it either, as he clearly wanted things to be bizarre and mysterious. It’s probably a mix of both intentional and unintentional ambiguity.
Most of the time, the writing is fairly straightforward. The only exceptions are a few stream-of-consciousness passages. However, there is also often an edge to the writing. He jumps from character to character, in a series of third-person limited vignettes, and yet Egolf seems to be able to maintain a distinct voice when focusing on each character. The wording and sentence structure reflects the character’s personality to a degree. Brymmor’s is intellectual and sarcastic, for example, while Stumpf’s is terse and tough, and Ephraim’s is confused and angry. This indicates Egolf’s talent, a potential perhaps not fully realized, at least for this novel.
The ending does not really resolve much. It seems to be left open for a sequel. Yet, whatever follows the events depicted here would probably be anticlimactic. A litany of injured and murdered characters – shot, run over, decapitated, mauled to death. In one scene, one unfortunate man ends up suspended from a roof, flogged, beaten with a sack of potatoes, and a candle shoved in his rectum. A 13-car pileup, a riot of scared, angry townspeople setting the fields on fire to flush out the monster….An indication of redemption, if extremely painful and not fully guaranteed….
I had difficulty getting into this at first, even considered putting it down after the first 50 pages seemed to lack any sense of cohesion or compelling reason to go on. Yet, the glimpses of strangeness I got – murky pictures of the Blue Ball Devil, this Amish teenager who listens to heavy metal – made me push myself to investigate further. If it hadn’t picked up, I may have abandoned it, but soon I became enthralled by its tangled, abnormally beautiful tapestry. Also, I was interested in reading a book set in rural Pennsylvania, especially one involving the Amish. (Egolf thinly veils his satire of Pennsylvania, which he calls “Pennsyltucky” – Philadelphia is Philth Town, Pittsburgh is Pittburg, Harrisburg is Horaceburg, etc. Many of the characters behave as luckless hillbillies – some of the characters, though white themselves, call them “honkies.” The Amish are not caricatured into being either pure, isolated holy people, or fanatical bumpkin hypocrites – they are depicted with as much variation of good and bad as the non-Amish.) This was what made me pick this up in the first place, from seeing it on a library display and reading the back cover. This is one of the few books I had I read and enjoyed without any prior knowledge of the author or book, and no recommendations by others.
This deserves a second reading, though I think there’s a 50-50 chance I’ll either like it more or less.
Just a little background on the author: Egolf was born in Spain, his family moved to the U.S., he lived in Washington and Kentucky as a child, then in Philadelphia, Paris (where he claimed was the best place to write about Kentucky), and Lancaster, PA as an adult. In addition to writing, he played in a punk rock band, and was a political activist, supposedly joining several others in laying on a road traveled by George W. Bush in 2004, stripped down to nothing but a thong.
In 2005, after completing Kornwolf, Egolf killed himself with a shotgun. He had been living in Lancaster at the time, where much of the book is set. This indicates that Egolf likely suffered from severe mental problems, which seems even more likely from reading this book.
Based on descriptions and reviews, his other works sound just as warped. Not only is the content of Kornwolf disturbing, the writing style and structure are somewhat strange as well - not necessarily in a postmodern, self-conscious, well-crafted way. The unfolding of the narrative is jarring, if not disjointed. Divided into five parts, the first, called "Introductions," is very simply that - chapters of character introductions, without any seeming connection, although those do come in later. But the characters, odd themselves, seem very disparate from each other, so it's hard to see how they can be part of a unified story. We have:
- "The Blue Ball Devil," a mysterious creature said to haunt the town of Stepford (a small town in Amish country, based for the most part on Lancaster) - no one seems to know what it is or even be able to accurately describe it, other than having a vaguely canine and/or apelike appearance, and an uncanny resemblance to Richard Nixon
- Ephraim Bontrager, a mute and tortured Amish 18-year old who causes mischief and listens to Slayer and George Jones
- Benedictus Bontrager, Ephraim's father, a self-serving and cruel man who seems to paradoxically embody Old Order Amish values as well as secular materialistic greed
- Owen Brymmor, a vagabond reporter/wannabe boxer who (grudgingly) returns to his hometown, seemingly simulatenously blessed with luck and a constant draw to danger
- Jack Stumpf, gruff boxing coach somehow involved with the Blue Ball Devil
- Fannie Hostler - Ephraim's cousin, one of the more innocent characters, an Amish girl who tries to live out her order's values while not being afraid to defy them for the sake of compassion
There are other characters as well, but you get the idea.
Gradually, these characters - a mix of Amish, ex-Amish, and eccentric non-Amish ("English" as opposed to "Pennsyltucky Dutch") - come together in a complicated, bizarre culmination of events that involve the mysterious Blue Ball Devil and mass hysteria.
We never really find out what the Blue Ball Devil is – a werewolf? a Devil-possessed shapeshifter? some kind of genetic mutant? - though Egolf does, via Brymmor's investigations, go into theorizing about various cryptozoological creatures and werewolf myths. It seems to be something straight out of Medeival folklore, purely malicious and beyond human reason. The town takes on Medeival witch-hunt lunacy as well. Just as much horror comes from the very human inhabitants of Stepford as the Blue Ball Devil – vandalism, arson, assault, and murder. The cycles of the moon play into this, affecting them as much as the creature.
Enough information is pieced together to give the story coherence, yet not enough to give full understanding of everything that happens. I’m not sure whether this is intentional – which seems unlikely, given the intricate explications Egolf goes into – or whether this is a consequence of Egolf having killed himself shortly after finishing the book, and thus not being able to revise it – which doesn’t necessarily explain it either, as he clearly wanted things to be bizarre and mysterious. It’s probably a mix of both intentional and unintentional ambiguity.
Most of the time, the writing is fairly straightforward. The only exceptions are a few stream-of-consciousness passages. However, there is also often an edge to the writing. He jumps from character to character, in a series of third-person limited vignettes, and yet Egolf seems to be able to maintain a distinct voice when focusing on each character. The wording and sentence structure reflects the character’s personality to a degree. Brymmor’s is intellectual and sarcastic, for example, while Stumpf’s is terse and tough, and Ephraim’s is confused and angry. This indicates Egolf’s talent, a potential perhaps not fully realized, at least for this novel.
The ending does not really resolve much. It seems to be left open for a sequel. Yet, whatever follows the events depicted here would probably be anticlimactic. A litany of injured and murdered characters – shot, run over, decapitated, mauled to death. In one scene, one unfortunate man ends up suspended from a roof, flogged, beaten with a sack of potatoes, and a candle shoved in his rectum. A 13-car pileup, a riot of scared, angry townspeople setting the fields on fire to flush out the monster….An indication of redemption, if extremely painful and not fully guaranteed….
I had difficulty getting into this at first, even considered putting it down after the first 50 pages seemed to lack any sense of cohesion or compelling reason to go on. Yet, the glimpses of strangeness I got – murky pictures of the Blue Ball Devil, this Amish teenager who listens to heavy metal – made me push myself to investigate further. If it hadn’t picked up, I may have abandoned it, but soon I became enthralled by its tangled, abnormally beautiful tapestry. Also, I was interested in reading a book set in rural Pennsylvania, especially one involving the Amish. (Egolf thinly veils his satire of Pennsylvania, which he calls “Pennsyltucky” – Philadelphia is Philth Town, Pittsburgh is Pittburg, Harrisburg is Horaceburg, etc. Many of the characters behave as luckless hillbillies – some of the characters, though white themselves, call them “honkies.” The Amish are not caricatured into being either pure, isolated holy people, or fanatical bumpkin hypocrites – they are depicted with as much variation of good and bad as the non-Amish.) This was what made me pick this up in the first place, from seeing it on a library display and reading the back cover. This is one of the few books I had I read and enjoyed without any prior knowledge of the author or book, and no recommendations by others.
This deserves a second reading, though I think there’s a 50-50 chance I’ll either like it more or less.
May 8, 2016
Kornwolf (aka the Korndog, the Dutchies' Revenge) is a stench-ridden, Amish werewolf set off not only by the full moon but by Slayer's "Angel of Death," as well. Born of a centuries' old family curse, he is driven more and more to mayhem, madness and violence. Several witnesses independently describe the creature as uncannily looking like Richard Nixon. During the day, he's a seemingly mute lunatic (in his wolfish aspect he curses in gutteral German) who has been abused by his corrupt father. The novel is meticulous in its set-up for a Hallowe'en finale of such weird magnitude and depravity that the mind reels.
When I finished reading this crazy book, I found that its author Tristan Egolf committed suicide after writing it. This was his farewell bid and it reverberates with a good deal of bitterness and nastiness. But there is also a measure of absurdity, some of it wrought by a couple of Discordian characters, brought together by chance and a reluctant homecoming, who write for and edit the local newspaper which sensationalizes the legend of the Kornwolf. The story is so involving and sometimes so funny that the ghastly horror of the last section, "Bring It In," almost comes as a surprise. But in the meantime, everything is spoofed, even cryptozoology. And the novel's perversity insures that the best intentions will ultimately catalyze the worst possible results.
There is a lot going on here. It's a social satire, a study of Amish morals and values in a chaotic world, a ripping good werewolf tale, a critique of the loss of small town charm to the powers of "Sprawlmart" with its attendant protesters and presumptuous security team, and part boxing story featuring a coach who has his own important role in the lupine saga. It all unravels at one of the weirdest barn parties ever, complete with dangling, ball-gagged cop with a lit candle stuck in his ass. Before it all ends in inspired lunacy and Discordian chaos, you may find yourself sympathizing with the Kornwolf's lunatic rampage. It's a sign of Egolf's talent that he is a deeply sympathetic writer, even as he is devastatingly satirical. Whatever drove him to end his life, this book will stand as a powerful testament to his gift.
When I finished reading this crazy book, I found that its author Tristan Egolf committed suicide after writing it. This was his farewell bid and it reverberates with a good deal of bitterness and nastiness. But there is also a measure of absurdity, some of it wrought by a couple of Discordian characters, brought together by chance and a reluctant homecoming, who write for and edit the local newspaper which sensationalizes the legend of the Kornwolf. The story is so involving and sometimes so funny that the ghastly horror of the last section, "Bring It In," almost comes as a surprise. But in the meantime, everything is spoofed, even cryptozoology. And the novel's perversity insures that the best intentions will ultimately catalyze the worst possible results.
There is a lot going on here. It's a social satire, a study of Amish morals and values in a chaotic world, a ripping good werewolf tale, a critique of the loss of small town charm to the powers of "Sprawlmart" with its attendant protesters and presumptuous security team, and part boxing story featuring a coach who has his own important role in the lupine saga. It all unravels at one of the weirdest barn parties ever, complete with dangling, ball-gagged cop with a lit candle stuck in his ass. Before it all ends in inspired lunacy and Discordian chaos, you may find yourself sympathizing with the Kornwolf's lunatic rampage. It's a sign of Egolf's talent that he is a deeply sympathetic writer, even as he is devastatingly satirical. Whatever drove him to end his life, this book will stand as a powerful testament to his gift.
June 15, 2007
There's only so much one can say about the literary testaments of a dead friend
I, unfortunately, had never read any of Tristan's books until after his suicide... and yet in having left my hometown of Lancaster, Pennsylvania ("Stepford" in the book) two years ago, I can only look back on this book knowing that I have alternately known and in some ways been every character in the book...
It wasn't until reading Kornwolf that I recognized Tristan's ability to capture th spirit of the place he was living in and writing about
"He could outrun those honkies."
Tristan sure did... thankfully, so did I
RIP Tristan Egolf
Thanks for the stories
I, unfortunately, had never read any of Tristan's books until after his suicide... and yet in having left my hometown of Lancaster, Pennsylvania ("Stepford" in the book) two years ago, I can only look back on this book knowing that I have alternately known and in some ways been every character in the book...
It wasn't until reading Kornwolf that I recognized Tristan's ability to capture th spirit of the place he was living in and writing about
"He could outrun those honkies."
Tristan sure did... thankfully, so did I
RIP Tristan Egolf
Thanks for the stories
March 29, 2007
Two words: Amish. Werewolves.
Even if those two descriptors don't key you up into rushing out to find a copy of this fine posthumous release by Tristan Egolf, you may still want to consider it for your queue. Egolf died young, after scant but brilliant output. He had a free-wheeling unique style punctuated by breathless burlesque. Hence the frequent comparisons to John Kennedy Toole. But Egolf's vision has more contrast to it - the black in his black comedy is significantly darker than Toole's. The story revolves around a young man coming of age in Amish society during the modern era. The society itself is undergoing transformation, and these two more sweeping shifts are mirrored in the fellow's startling physical changes. There is nothing rote in the werewolf mythos here, it is treated as if it were an obscure but legitimate historical fact with medical and sociological underpinnings. Supporting characters include some prizefighters, both seasoned and rookie, a reporter disillusioned with the truth, church elders both cantankerous and forgiving, and some very supportive friends. By the end, the novel felt more "real" than many conventional stories that don't include such outre elements. This feeling is no doubt compounded by my personal worldview that life is both hilarious and horrifically tragic simultaneously. The book isn't scary in the Stephen King, keep-you-up-at-night sense, but it will shake you in the existentialist manner of Camus.
Even if those two descriptors don't key you up into rushing out to find a copy of this fine posthumous release by Tristan Egolf, you may still want to consider it for your queue. Egolf died young, after scant but brilliant output. He had a free-wheeling unique style punctuated by breathless burlesque. Hence the frequent comparisons to John Kennedy Toole. But Egolf's vision has more contrast to it - the black in his black comedy is significantly darker than Toole's. The story revolves around a young man coming of age in Amish society during the modern era. The society itself is undergoing transformation, and these two more sweeping shifts are mirrored in the fellow's startling physical changes. There is nothing rote in the werewolf mythos here, it is treated as if it were an obscure but legitimate historical fact with medical and sociological underpinnings. Supporting characters include some prizefighters, both seasoned and rookie, a reporter disillusioned with the truth, church elders both cantankerous and forgiving, and some very supportive friends. By the end, the novel felt more "real" than many conventional stories that don't include such outre elements. This feeling is no doubt compounded by my personal worldview that life is both hilarious and horrifically tragic simultaneously. The book isn't scary in the Stephen King, keep-you-up-at-night sense, but it will shake you in the existentialist manner of Camus.
November 20, 2008
First off, let me say that the author of this novel passed before his prime and had the potential to be one of the greats.
Kornwolf takes place in what the author refers to as Pennsyltucky and abbreviates as Py. This is obviously Pennsylvania and the Philth Town he frequently refers to is Philadelphia. Something tells me he had no great love for the City of brotherly Love.
Anyway, the main story revolves around the sighting of what might be a werewolf in the Amish part of Pennsylvania.
This book contains much more than horror. Readers will also find humor, sarcasm, and an interesting look at the Pennsylvania Dutch way of life.
The story is well-written and has a good pace. My main issue with it is that I felt some questions went unanswered at the end and some of the characters were without purpose. Otherwise, this was a good read.
Kornwolf takes place in what the author refers to as Pennsyltucky and abbreviates as Py. This is obviously Pennsylvania and the Philth Town he frequently refers to is Philadelphia. Something tells me he had no great love for the City of brotherly Love.
Anyway, the main story revolves around the sighting of what might be a werewolf in the Amish part of Pennsylvania.
This book contains much more than horror. Readers will also find humor, sarcasm, and an interesting look at the Pennsylvania Dutch way of life.
The story is well-written and has a good pace. My main issue with it is that I felt some questions went unanswered at the end and some of the characters were without purpose. Otherwise, this was a good read.
February 7, 2010
Egolf had the talent granted to so few, the talent to construct jitterbugging phantasms in a reader's mind. While heartbreaking that he chose to Cobain his way into the spirit world, he left behind three raucous novels. Kornwolf was the third, an outrageous monsoon of culture clash amidst the Amish countryside of Lancaster Pennsylvania. The characters are preposterous and legitimate, an ensemble of devout Mennonites, the non-Order townsfolk Egolf categorizes alternately as "The English" and "The Red Coats", an inept police-force in the town of "Lamepeter" (Egolf was arrested as part of a protest against George Bush in Lancaster. The actual police force is Lampeter. The fictional name takes on the appropriate connotations) and the return of The Blue Ball Devil, a werewolf who bears a striking resemblance to Richard Nixon.
At center stage, however, is Egolf's craft. His writing is an absolute joy to read, a commodity not often encountered in contemporary fiction.
At center stage, however, is Egolf's craft. His writing is an absolute joy to read, a commodity not often encountered in contemporary fiction.
March 6, 2013
This guy was like my brother. After reading many reviews posted here I now have salt plastered to my face from the tears so many kind words have brought on. He was a giant in all of our lives, and the hole that was left in the hearts of his friends and family can never be filled. He was like a brother. No. He was my brother.
Hear his voice here.
http://youtu.be/_f7k2z5hxHM
Rest in peace, Tristan. I love you, man.
Hear his voice here.
http://youtu.be/_f7k2z5hxHM
Rest in peace, Tristan. I love you, man.
January 5, 2015
Whew. What started out quite well turned out to be a slog of a read in the end. A Mennonite werewolf is an interesting twist on the traditional story, and I did appreciate the author's attempt to bring in some historical mythology/legend. It did drag, though. At one point I found myself reading an entire chapter about a boxing match, which didn't interest me much at all and took forever to get through. I finished the whole book, but just barely.
Read
February 20, 2018Inferior to the masterful Lord of the Barnyard, superior to the unfocused Skirt and the Fiddle. As with all posthumously published novels, you never know how much of this is Egolf's vision and how much is the work of a skillful editor. But, I liked it. Which I wouldn't expect from a book about Amish werewolves, which sounds like some hideously cloying NPR bullshit (stories like They Might Be Giants songs), but is actually funny and refreshing enough to pass muster.
November 27, 2025
What did I just read? The general story line is interesting but the execution was not great. The transitions were not clear and the random boxing plot line made no sense. The ending was confusing and there is no way those people would have been able to do what was described even if they weren’t injured. All in all, this was not for me
October 27, 2021
5/5
Vraiment barré mais vraiment génial
Vraiment barré mais vraiment génial
August 4, 2021
Don't let the title mislead you, it's actually pretty good.
I think perhaps behind the ghost story, werewolves are my favorite horror sub genre. Even though it's been done many times with different settings, themes and rules regarding the beasts, there is always some new twist or wrinkle that grabs my attention. The major gimmick here is that this story takes place in The Basin, a large farming community with a large population of Amish families. For those unaware, the Amish are a group of Dutch/German immigrants who fled religious prosecution to live in America. They are deeply religious, scorn the use of technology completely, and are expected to police themselves generally. So when one of their own starts to show increasing signs of "the blight" and begins to terrorize the country side with the cycle of the moon, it becomes a mad struggle to try to catch the monster whose attacks are becoming more and more violent and promises an ultimate culmination on Halloween night.
It's a not entirely new to set a monster story in a small community, but the uniqueness of "Pennsyltucky" rural life is very fun to discover. The characters are pretty clearly written and well formed, which makes the overall plot and themes of everyday monsters pretty believable. I loved the action sequences and some of the more nightmarish imagery conveyed by the writing. But there are a couple of mis-steps and obvious flaws in the plotting that slow things down to a crawl that simply weren't needed. Some characters feel over and/or under developed or are dropped entirely after being introduced.
I dunno maybe I am being too critical, but I've seen and read some very good werewolf stories this year (Those Across the Water and The Wolf of Snow Hollow) and this one just feels less than the counterparts. Had Egolf been able to revise his work before passing I am sure it would have jumped up a notch or two in my regard.
I think perhaps behind the ghost story, werewolves are my favorite horror sub genre. Even though it's been done many times with different settings, themes and rules regarding the beasts, there is always some new twist or wrinkle that grabs my attention. The major gimmick here is that this story takes place in The Basin, a large farming community with a large population of Amish families. For those unaware, the Amish are a group of Dutch/German immigrants who fled religious prosecution to live in America. They are deeply religious, scorn the use of technology completely, and are expected to police themselves generally. So when one of their own starts to show increasing signs of "the blight" and begins to terrorize the country side with the cycle of the moon, it becomes a mad struggle to try to catch the monster whose attacks are becoming more and more violent and promises an ultimate culmination on Halloween night.
It's a not entirely new to set a monster story in a small community, but the uniqueness of "Pennsyltucky" rural life is very fun to discover. The characters are pretty clearly written and well formed, which makes the overall plot and themes of everyday monsters pretty believable. I loved the action sequences and some of the more nightmarish imagery conveyed by the writing. But there are a couple of mis-steps and obvious flaws in the plotting that slow things down to a crawl that simply weren't needed. Some characters feel over and/or under developed or are dropped entirely after being introduced.
I dunno maybe I am being too critical, but I've seen and read some very good werewolf stories this year (Those Across the Water and The Wolf of Snow Hollow) and this one just feels less than the counterparts. Had Egolf been able to revise his work before passing I am sure it would have jumped up a notch or two in my regard.
April 26, 2014
Ugh.
First off, I always commend people that can write books, because I know it's a task, and I hate to be critical, and I myself haven't written one, so who am I to say?
The premise was awesome, the execution, was frankly, confusing.
I ditched the book at page 164, almost halfway through, and a full 64 pages past when I had lost interest. I kept wondering when the werewolf would actually show up, and when it would be relevant?
Problems I had:
-The story was disjointed, disorienting, and frankly the plot was only moved along by completely uninteresting, and irrelevant information. I often felt the story was standing completely still spinning it's wheels.
-I didn't attach to most of the characters because they were too gruff and, telling it from no clear narration only made it more detachable.
- I felt myself constantly asking: why do I need to know this? Why do I care? Why is it relevant to the story? ...and not being able to answer it almost every time.
- There was so much random slang and abbreviations that I got so annoyed I didn't even want to look up what I didn't understand. I felt like I was part of a joke I didn't get.
- I hated the constant abbreviation of "Py. Dutch". Who abbreviates in a book?
There were a ton of typos, and spots were information was just not present (i.e. a date as 19___, yes it was written like that) but I attribute that problem to it being a not for resale proof that still needed to be edited (picked up at a thrift store).
Maybe this book was tons better after the editor got a hold of it? Maybe I was just asking too much from it? It's been years since I've ditched a book without struggling through (I think this is only the second time, to be honest), but I felt like it was, for once in my life, sucking my desire to read away. I found myself playing games on my phone in bed instead of reading.
First off, I always commend people that can write books, because I know it's a task, and I hate to be critical, and I myself haven't written one, so who am I to say?
The premise was awesome, the execution, was frankly, confusing.
I ditched the book at page 164, almost halfway through, and a full 64 pages past when I had lost interest. I kept wondering when the werewolf would actually show up, and when it would be relevant?
Problems I had:
-The story was disjointed, disorienting, and frankly the plot was only moved along by completely uninteresting, and irrelevant information. I often felt the story was standing completely still spinning it's wheels.
-I didn't attach to most of the characters because they were too gruff and, telling it from no clear narration only made it more detachable.
- I felt myself constantly asking: why do I need to know this? Why do I care? Why is it relevant to the story? ...and not being able to answer it almost every time.
- There was so much random slang and abbreviations that I got so annoyed I didn't even want to look up what I didn't understand. I felt like I was part of a joke I didn't get.
- I hated the constant abbreviation of "Py. Dutch". Who abbreviates in a book?
There were a ton of typos, and spots were information was just not present (i.e. a date as 19___, yes it was written like that) but I attribute that problem to it being a not for resale proof that still needed to be edited (picked up at a thrift store).
Maybe this book was tons better after the editor got a hold of it? Maybe I was just asking too much from it? It's been years since I've ditched a book without struggling through (I think this is only the second time, to be honest), but I felt like it was, for once in my life, sucking my desire to read away. I found myself playing games on my phone in bed instead of reading.
June 17, 2019
**Warning: this text may contain spoilers** Finished this book!! PHEW...
I wrote about my dream (see below) before I read it.... Interestingly appropriate in retrospect. In my dream-
The soil being bad represents the curse that belongs to the Amish... The stray dogs represents the legacy of their cruelty which I think it's doubly interesting that the puppy mill terrier plays a strong role in the conclusion of this book.
I thank Tristan for influencing this purchase and I will be passing it along to my film maker friend Eric Hurt in hopes that he will carry out Tristan's will to get this made into a movie!! 🤞Or maybe somebody else will... Let's hope...
Dream:
I dreamed about Tristan last night.
I was acting in a movie. I didn't know my lines (written on scrap paper in chicken scratch handwriting) or how I was supposed to express them. I asked Tristan for direction... I needed to pee. I was holding things up.
The movie was a horror...I think... Something about the soil being bad. Stray dogs. (Kind of interesting when u read the description for this book... Oddly coincidental.) There were a lot of people on the set. Perhaps Tristan wrote the movie*.... Anyway he was there. He was fine. Alive and still creating. RIP.
*Another note...I recently found out that Tristan was working on the screen play when he shot himself.
❤️ Peace Tristan
I wrote about my dream (see below) before I read it.... Interestingly appropriate in retrospect. In my dream-
The soil being bad represents the curse that belongs to the Amish... The stray dogs represents the legacy of their cruelty which I think it's doubly interesting that the puppy mill terrier plays a strong role in the conclusion of this book.
I thank Tristan for influencing this purchase and I will be passing it along to my film maker friend Eric Hurt in hopes that he will carry out Tristan's will to get this made into a movie!! 🤞Or maybe somebody else will... Let's hope...
Dream:
I dreamed about Tristan last night.
I was acting in a movie. I didn't know my lines (written on scrap paper in chicken scratch handwriting) or how I was supposed to express them. I asked Tristan for direction... I needed to pee. I was holding things up.
The movie was a horror...I think... Something about the soil being bad. Stray dogs. (Kind of interesting when u read the description for this book... Oddly coincidental.) There were a lot of people on the set. Perhaps Tristan wrote the movie*.... Anyway he was there. He was fine. Alive and still creating. RIP.
*Another note...I recently found out that Tristan was working on the screen play when he shot himself.
❤️ Peace Tristan
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 24, 2011
1 out of 5 stars is generous This is the first book I gave up on, in my life!
I tried on several occasions to read this book and each time I found myself so utterly mind numbingly bored I could barely remain focused from one paragraph to the next. I am use to reading great literature and I can say with confidence that Kornwolf may be many things but, great literature is not one of them. Sadly, this book is a pile of drivel.
I made it to page 159 this time. The words of my dear friend, and local used bookstore owner, were bellowing in my ears as I slogged thru page after page of "literary" effluent, "there are so many incredible books out there; life is simply too short to spend time reading crap.".
Amen.
Upon reaching page 160, I stood up, and committed a sacrilegious act; I dumped the book into a waste paper basket. It's true, and a first for me. I've never given up on a book in my entire life, until Kornwolf.
Frankly, it's not even good enough to bother recycling the paper it's written on, unless one nails it to the wall of an outhouse to be used in leu of toilet paper.
D'ya get the feeling I was a tad unimpressed with this book? Ya, me too. Next book please...
December 8, 2017
Not a bad "werewolf" novel even though it's not actually about a werewolf. Or is it? Hard to tell. The novel itself was about twice as long as it should have been due to a backstory that ran on and on but never went anywhere. I don't mean to give a spoiler, so I'll be careful, but when you read this, you're taken into the world of professional boxing and then you're taken out of it. No explanation as to why, and no reason for the departure to even be in there.
It was as if the author combined two books; one Kornwolf and the other about boxing, and decided about 80% of the way through that he was just going to abandon the boxing part altogether.
Still, it was okay.
I'll forever say that if you want to read the best werewolf novel in existence, that would be Mongrels by Stephen Graham Jones and there are several others better than Kornwolf (The Howling, Wolfen) but give it a try and see what you think.
It was as if the author combined two books; one Kornwolf and the other about boxing, and decided about 80% of the way through that he was just going to abandon the boxing part altogether.
Still, it was okay.
I'll forever say that if you want to read the best werewolf novel in existence, that would be Mongrels by Stephen Graham Jones and there are several others better than Kornwolf (The Howling, Wolfen) but give it a try and see what you think.
December 10, 2016
This is one of the greatest books I have read recently. I stumbled onto it accidentally in the library and after that I could not put it down. The writing itself is beautiful to back up a great story. This particular take on werewolves blows any previous stories out of the water. Instead of falling into a genre rut populated with fan fiction and trite prose, Egolf manages to resurrect something classic and actually frightening. To me, what his does for werewolves is akin to that of Richard Matteson and vampires. This novel is a must read for anyone looking for a serious take on mysticism, an interesting commentary on the Pennsylvania Dutch, satirical grumblings from a failed journalist, or the transformation of a creepy boxing promoter. Reader be ware, the writing is sometimes creepy, bordering on grotesque and will turn iron stomachs. Still, the read is more than worth it.
May 22, 2012
First of all, I didn't finish "Kornwolf." I stopped half way through. Not because I was disgusted with the story or anything about it but because I just wasn't that interested. It's a story that is well written and very atmospheric, but I do not really find that I have the time to invest in reading the second half of this novel. With so many books I want to read (and so many of them shoved into my bookcase and closet and storage shed, I need to limit my time on books that I'm not interested in finishing. There are some books I will not do this with of course (William Gass and William T. Vollmann books come to mind), but there seems to be more interest and merit in my interested in their works over Tristan Egolf.
I'm sure that it's pretty good, but I am satisfied with my decision to stop reading in the middle. I'm pretty sure nothing ground breaking is going to be missed.
I'm sure that it's pretty good, but I am satisfied with my decision to stop reading in the middle. I'm pretty sure nothing ground breaking is going to be missed.
March 8, 2009
um, yea.....amish werewolf doth not Harry Crews make.
it's sort of like watching an episode of Fantasy Island.
i wasn't bored but am i really a better person because of it?
actually, that might be a little harsh on Fantasy Island. i like fantasy island. Especially the one where Annette Funicello is trying to separate her personality from the ventriloquist doll she uses in her Vegas act so Mr. Rourke makes the doll a real person and anything she does, Annette can feel, including the time the sexy ventriloquist doll/woman sleeps with Annette Funicello's love interest. she could feel it (down there). that was a good episode.
the author does not use a single ventriloquist doll in this book.
Or mention Annette Funicello.
too bad.
it's sort of like watching an episode of Fantasy Island.
i wasn't bored but am i really a better person because of it?
actually, that might be a little harsh on Fantasy Island. i like fantasy island. Especially the one where Annette Funicello is trying to separate her personality from the ventriloquist doll she uses in her Vegas act so Mr. Rourke makes the doll a real person and anything she does, Annette can feel, including the time the sexy ventriloquist doll/woman sleeps with Annette Funicello's love interest. she could feel it (down there). that was a good episode.
the author does not use a single ventriloquist doll in this book.
Or mention Annette Funicello.
too bad.
August 31, 2008
What do a middle-aged boxing trainer, a 30-something journalist who has trouble keeping a job, and a young Amish boy whose father brutalizes him have in common? Read this novel and find out. It's a story of prodigal sons (to quote the back cover), werewolves, family curses, rural Pennsylvania, and human weakness. Yet it's also wickedly funny, dark, suspenseful, and satirical. Not your typical werewolf story or really typical in any way.
I found this at a used bookstore in Providence, RI, and bought it because . . . who can resist a story that combines the Amish and werewolves. This, however, nicely exceeded my expectations and I'm looking forward to tracking down Egolf's two earlier works. I wish there were more to come but Tristan Egolf committed suicide in 2005.
I found this at a used bookstore in Providence, RI, and bought it because . . . who can resist a story that combines the Amish and werewolves. This, however, nicely exceeded my expectations and I'm looking forward to tracking down Egolf's two earlier works. I wish there were more to come but Tristan Egolf committed suicide in 2005.
August 6, 2007
Kornwolf was good, but not quite great. I'm a sucker for werewolf stories, and an ahmish werewolf works surprisingly well. This was more of the Lon Chaney wolfman than the Howling, but that's not my beef with it. The ending seemed kind of abrupt, which may have been his intention, since Tristan Egolf definately had those punkish anti-establishment tendencies, but it seemed more like he just rushed to say it was finished so he could go ahead and shoot himself in the face. Which he did. With a shotgun. Maybe I'm an asshole, but I have no sympathy for people who do things I like who kill themselves. All the sympathy goes to his wife and kid.
February 10, 2009
In the small Lancaster County town of Blue Ball, there have been reports of livestock carnage, property damage, and sightings of an odd creature variously described as animalistic, hairy, and strangely resembling Richard Nixon. The events that unfold encompass a large cast of characters, but focus mainly on Ephraim Bontrager, a mute Amish teenager; Jack Stumpf, the owner of a boxing gym; and Owen Brynmor, a junior reporter who just returned to the town where he grew up. Many parts are violent and disturbing, but there is a wicked gleam of satiric humor that keeps the novel from being a regular horror story.
August 7, 2013
I didn't finish Kornwolf, but not because it wasn't worth reading. It is, in fact, worth reading. But it hit a sensitive nerve with me. The character I liked best was being publicly shamed and shunned by his religious community, which is a difficult topic for me to process. More so because I really liked the character, which tells me that the author did his job. I decided I wanted to read something fun, that didn't call to mind the religious shame and anxiety I carry in me. A lot of other people loved this book, but it wasn't a good fit for me. So I gave it to the thrift store. Maybe someone else will find it and enjoy it.
September 14, 2015
Lord of the Barnyard remains for me one of the seminal works of the late-20th century. A fantastic read and nothing quite like it. Kornwolf has a lot of the same feel but is more a straight thriller. Egolf's use of language is again fascinating. He can be hard to grasp at first but then develops a unique persuasive rhythm, much like a marathon runner jostled and a bit unsteady at the beginning of the run and then hitting stride in a relentless drive forward. He engages all the senses in his writing. Sad that he died much too young. Had he lived even a while longer I've no doubt he'd be talked about with the same reverence as David Foster Wallace.
March 30, 2009
I wish I liked it more. It's got all of the ingredients for the type of novel I love. It's a snarling, anarchic, sardonic and often brutal look at small town life in Pennsyltucky. Lots of Amish and werewolves. As a concept, it's great. The execution is breakneck though, often at the risk of coherence. I lost track of characters and plot, and was more or less confused for the majority of the novel. And the ending was somewhat melodramatic and very much over-the-top. For the Foster Wallace fans.
October 18, 2007
Brady sold me on this book with three words: "Amish fuckin' werewolf." This frenetic, disturbing, often hilarious story follows a reluctant hometown reporter, a boxing coach with a hidden past, and a group of Amish teens (to name only a few of the many well-drawn characters in the book) as their town deals with the sudden reappearance of the Blue Ball Devil. There's so much going on here I'm sure I didn't catch half of it, and the ending made me crazy in a good way.
September 11, 2020
I'm honestly not sure if this is 4 stars or 2, but I'm erring on the side of 4. Though I think the fact that it took me 2 years to finish speaks towards the lower end of things...
I found myself often lost in the meandering narrative of this book. One of the reviews likens it to Kerouac and there's a truth in that, it has his same stream of consciousness feel to it. A very ambitious mystery/horror that ultimately left me confused but not upset that I read it. Yeah, I think I'll leave it at 4.
I found myself often lost in the meandering narrative of this book. One of the reviews likens it to Kerouac and there's a truth in that, it has his same stream of consciousness feel to it. A very ambitious mystery/horror that ultimately left me confused but not upset that I read it. Yeah, I think I'll leave it at 4.
February 13, 2018
Another stunning book by the late Tristan Egolf. Not as epic and acid as Lord of the barnyards but so many interesting critics here, nobody gets spare, and though, purity and poetry are there, under all those horrors.
November 22, 2018
Dnfed it got to page 214, which is half way. Been try to read it the last 2 months and cant get back into it to finish. I'm not interested in it anymore.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 82 reviews