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Wendigo
Algonquin legend tells of the Wendigo, an evil spirit sent to punish mankind. It can possess a person and turn them into a monstrous creature consumed by a need to eat human flesh. For John Bear the Wendigo was merely a scary story his grandfather used to tell him. That is, until a man is found dead in the deep northern woods of Maine, butchered like an animal and with his heart cut out. And the only tracks they can find are massive footprints that couldn’t possibly be human. Now, John is sure that what is stalking the inhabitants of their remote outpost is a Wendigo, even if no one else believes it. He must stop a monster he once thought was nothing more than a tale to warn children.
From Vaughn C. Hardacker, acclaimed author of Sniper and The Fisherman and twice finalist for the Maine Literary Awards, comes a supernatural thriller from the winter depths of the Maine wilderness, where the line between myth and reality blurs and ancient horrors are never fully buried. All are in danger of the Wendigo’s endless hunger, but how do you find a creature that can look like anyone until it’s too late?
From Vaughn C. Hardacker, acclaimed author of Sniper and The Fisherman and twice finalist for the Maine Literary Awards, comes a supernatural thriller from the winter depths of the Maine wilderness, where the line between myth and reality blurs and ancient horrors are never fully buried. All are in danger of the Wendigo’s endless hunger, but how do you find a creature that can look like anyone until it’s too late?
328 pages, Paperback
First published July 11, 2017
62 people are currently reading
548 people want to read
About the author
Vaughn C. Hardacker
10 books42 followersVaughn C. Hardacker is a writer. He has completed five novels and numerous short stories. He is a member of the New England Chapter of the Mystery Writers of America and has published short stories in three anthologies: Mouth Full of Bullets; Best of Year One, My Teacher Is My Hero, and Deadfall, Level Best Books' sixth annual anthology of New England crime and mystery stories. His most recent novel, MY BROTHER'S KEEPER was released in July, 2019. Three of his novels (Sniper, The Fisherman, and Wendigo) were finalists for the Maine Literary Awards. H He regularly blogs with The Maine Crime Writers Blog (http://maincrimewriters.com) and his own blog (http://toughguyswrite.blogspot.com).
He is a veteran of the U. S. Marines and served in Vietnam. He
holds degrees from Northern Maine Technical College, the
University of Maine and Southern New Hampshire University.
He lives in Maine.
At this time has two novels under contract with his publisher, Skyhorse Publishing, Inc., both mystery thrillers.
He is a veteran of the U. S. Marines and served in Vietnam. He
holds degrees from Northern Maine Technical College, the
University of Maine and Southern New Hampshire University.
He lives in Maine.
At this time has two novels under contract with his publisher, Skyhorse Publishing, Inc., both mystery thrillers.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 33 reviews
December 16, 2019
4.0 Stars
This was engaging horror thriller that played on the lines of supernatural. Most of the story read like a classic police procedural. However the Wendigo angle made the story so fresh and interesting. The murders were quite grisly in nature, yet the scenes were never described in so much detail that book became gruesome. Given the setting, this was an excellent book to read during the cold winter months. I would recommend to anyone who is open to thriller with elements of horror.
This was engaging horror thriller that played on the lines of supernatural. Most of the story read like a classic police procedural. However the Wendigo angle made the story so fresh and interesting. The murders were quite grisly in nature, yet the scenes were never described in so much detail that book became gruesome. Given the setting, this was an excellent book to read during the cold winter months. I would recommend to anyone who is open to thriller with elements of horror.
February 6, 2023
It's not exactly the "Ghost Story Junkie's" usual fare...but it was well worth my time to read. It's one of those books that once you pick it up you just can't bring yourself to put it down. The author, Vaughn Hardacker, is new to me but I believe we may become "good old friends". He has created a background for his story of northern Maine in winter...a frigid, bitter environment that is home to the relentless, savage wendigo...a creature that stalks humans as its primary food source. The creatures diet bears a curse though, seems that the more the wendigo eats, the more it craves. John Bear, a lone wildlife warden and, a Canadian Algonquin Indian, knows and understands the truth as well as the fiction of the creature. As the torn, ravaged bodies begin to pile up, the warden seeks a means to stop the slaughter. It's a chilling supernatural thriller. A scary tale of legend and myth, with the grim realities, graphic violence, and a game warden facing his greatest fear. The Maine woods are full of stories like this especially when you read about all those hikers that have disappeared there. Fun story to read at night with the lights on and the doors tightly locked, but you may not want to take it with you on your next camping trip.
November 14, 2021
Тук няма да се сдържа, пет звезди за Wendigo! Страхотна книга, много екшън, уникална атмосфера, захваща важна тема и завършва перфектно! Браво на автора!
Подробна рецензия съм писал в Цитаделата:
https://citadelata.com/wendigo/
Подробна рецензия съм писал в Цитаделата:
https://citadelata.com/wendigo/
February 24, 2023
2,5*
Not the best, not the absolute worst. Fast paced, but also kinda predictable and I couldn’t get to like the characters. The ending I did not really enjoy and the writing is not the best, but I guess it could’ve been worse.
Not the best, not the absolute worst. Fast paced, but also kinda predictable and I couldn’t get to like the characters. The ending I did not really enjoy and the writing is not the best, but I guess it could’ve been worse.
May 17, 2019
I wrote it.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 15, 2018
Loved it. Loved the remote location. Loved the straight spoken Maine men and women. Wendigo in Native American lore is an evil spirit capable of taking over a human body and becoming cannabalistic. Before this big cutie is extinguished it has mAnaged to kill a dozen or so men by ripping out their organs and eating them. John bear is a Native American warden, wise in the ways of his people, who finally manages to kill the beast. But it begs the question. Is dwain the next wendigo in training.
October 20, 2017
Dear lord, this book never learned the difference between telling and showing.
April 7, 2020
What's with the constant having a cup of coffee?
February 9, 2021
Like Paul Doiron, Vaughn Hardsacker must have spent a lot of time in Maine's outdoors, because like Paul Doiron he recreates them vividly in this chilling supernatural thriller.
Briefly, the plot concerns the hunt for a brutal, cannibalistic serial killer in the frozen wilderness of the thinly inhabited north woods of Maine, where the communities are small, sparse, and hence largely isolated - and frighteningly so, under the circumstances! John Bear, a detective in the state's Warden service, knows the killer to be a Wendigo, a terrifying creature drawn from Native American folklore. It is appropriate, then, that the villain of this piece should be balanced with a Maliseet nemesis in John Bear.
The cover declares the title to be Wendigo, and adds the subtitle a thriller. And a thriller it genuinely is: the feeling of isolation in the freezing woods, tracking a monster when daylight is on short rations and the beast thrives most in the dark, is palpable. The tension that comes from knowing the monster is somewhere out there and no-one is safe is genuinely gripping - and, believe me, no-one is safe; Vaughn Hardsacker seems quite content to carefully craft characters and fully rounded lives and histories, often to have them perish violently. Even the monster is not without a backstory, nor without sympathy.
When the violence comes, it is often grisly and horrifying, as befits a chilling supernatural thriller.
And the climax is a bloody confrontation; visceral, fast and deadly. And not without a disturbing hook. This is a monster movie on the page, and I do love monster movies.
Briefly, the plot concerns the hunt for a brutal, cannibalistic serial killer in the frozen wilderness of the thinly inhabited north woods of Maine, where the communities are small, sparse, and hence largely isolated - and frighteningly so, under the circumstances! John Bear, a detective in the state's Warden service, knows the killer to be a Wendigo, a terrifying creature drawn from Native American folklore. It is appropriate, then, that the villain of this piece should be balanced with a Maliseet nemesis in John Bear.
The cover declares the title to be Wendigo, and adds the subtitle a thriller. And a thriller it genuinely is: the feeling of isolation in the freezing woods, tracking a monster when daylight is on short rations and the beast thrives most in the dark, is palpable. The tension that comes from knowing the monster is somewhere out there and no-one is safe is genuinely gripping - and, believe me, no-one is safe; Vaughn Hardsacker seems quite content to carefully craft characters and fully rounded lives and histories, often to have them perish violently. Even the monster is not without a backstory, nor without sympathy.
When the violence comes, it is often grisly and horrifying, as befits a chilling supernatural thriller.
And the climax is a bloody confrontation; visceral, fast and deadly. And not without a disturbing hook. This is a monster movie on the page, and I do love monster movies.
April 2, 2017
Fast paced thriller with a lot of action. John Bear is sent to investigate the strange death of a man in the northern woods of Maine. What he sees brings back memories of tales he was told as a child about a mythical creature called Wendigo - who could posses the body of a man and turn him into a creature that eats humans. No one wants to believe John when he tells them this what they are hunting. But, as more and more deaths occur, fear and belief take over. Will they be able to catch and kill this creature? Will he posses another soul and carry on?
February 1, 2020
Mark
I received this book as a gift from my wife, Ina Cox. Her brother, Alan, and Vaughn wer eCaribou high school friends. This is not the sort of story I usually read, however I really enjoyed it.
I am familiar with some of the places mentioned and made the read even more enjoyable. Thank you, Vaughn for an entertaining read. I'll read your other books now
I received this book as a gift from my wife, Ina Cox. Her brother, Alan, and Vaughn wer eCaribou high school friends. This is not the sort of story I usually read, however I really enjoyed it.
I am familiar with some of the places mentioned and made the read even more enjoyable. Thank you, Vaughn for an entertaining read. I'll read your other books now
April 19, 2021
The way the book starts eliminates a lot of the mystery this book could have had. Although I longed for more mystery and suspense I would buy the sequel if they did one.
December 14, 2022
This is a perfectly serviceable thriller with a bit of a supernatural bent. The story is well-told, there's plenty of suspense, the characters are largely believable, and the plot develops nicely -- not too slowly, but not too quickly. There's even an interesting little twist at the end (kind of a twist, as I and certainly other readers knew that there would be something like it) that isn't quite a cliffhanger but intimates that there would be more story ahead, if not for the readers, then for the characters.
That's not to say it's a perfect book. There were lots of little things that I found distracting. Some of them were grammatical things, like run-on sentences (commas used where periods or, at least, semicolons should have been utilized). Some were punctuation issues, like random commas dropped in where they weren't necessary, but other commas left out so that quotes sounded like hurriedly typed text messages (along the lines of "Bob can you come here?" instead of "Bob, can you come here?"), along with dialogue that was missing opening or closing quotation marks, or that had the quotation marks misplaced outside the range of the quote. And some were misused words -- for example, if you pushed the brake pedal on your vehicle but it was in the past, you "braked," not "broke."
There was also the extensive use of terms to indicate location, but that were meaningless to me. Many sections of the book were prefaced with things like "T14, P23," which would mean "Township 14, Perimeter 23." Perhaps if I were familiar with rural northern Maine, those designators would have helped me to picture in my mind where the action that followed took place, but I (and probably many other readers) did not have the experience to actually use those location designators. However, I'll admit that it was only a minor annoyance; I skipped over any such notations and it didn't affect my enjoyment of the story in the slightest.
If you can overlook those little distractions, or if you're not as picky as I am, you'll probably enjoy this book even more than I did.
That's not to say it's a perfect book. There were lots of little things that I found distracting. Some of them were grammatical things, like run-on sentences (commas used where periods or, at least, semicolons should have been utilized). Some were punctuation issues, like random commas dropped in where they weren't necessary, but other commas left out so that quotes sounded like hurriedly typed text messages (along the lines of "Bob can you come here?" instead of "Bob, can you come here?"), along with dialogue that was missing opening or closing quotation marks, or that had the quotation marks misplaced outside the range of the quote. And some were misused words -- for example, if you pushed the brake pedal on your vehicle but it was in the past, you "braked," not "broke."
There was also the extensive use of terms to indicate location, but that were meaningless to me. Many sections of the book were prefaced with things like "T14, P23," which would mean "Township 14, Perimeter 23." Perhaps if I were familiar with rural northern Maine, those designators would have helped me to picture in my mind where the action that followed took place, but I (and probably many other readers) did not have the experience to actually use those location designators. However, I'll admit that it was only a minor annoyance; I skipped over any such notations and it didn't affect my enjoyment of the story in the slightest.
If you can overlook those little distractions, or if you're not as picky as I am, you'll probably enjoy this book even more than I did.
January 20, 2024
A tale of terror and carnage in the extremely frigid and snowy North Maine Woods up in its furthest northern section. Is it a crazed, homicidal maniac that Wildlife Crimes Investigator John Bear is tracking to prevent further brutal slayings and bring the killer to justice? Or is it something worse . . . Something from the collective nightmares arising from Native American myths and legends?
The story grabs the reader from the start and it’s a literal bone-chilling thrill ride to the end. Grab a warm wrap to snuggle in along with a hot cup of cocoa to chase away the chills and goosebumps as you vicariously pursue the killer with John Bear through seven foot drifts of snow and in temperatures plummeting well below sub-zero.
I would have given the story five stars but for some contradictions and inconsistencies within the story. I feel that mentioning any would necessitate a spoiler alert thus ruining the unraveling of the story for the reader. Some readers may read more quickly and they may just skim over those niggling details, not noticing them, unlike with me. Also, I thought John Bear kept repeating some actions that already proved fruitless and ineffective, thereby perpetuating a no-win situation. I think if he would have altered his strategy somewhat, his efforts could have borne fruit earlier, but then the story would most likely have been shorter.
The story grabs the reader from the start and it’s a literal bone-chilling thrill ride to the end. Grab a warm wrap to snuggle in along with a hot cup of cocoa to chase away the chills and goosebumps as you vicariously pursue the killer with John Bear through seven foot drifts of snow and in temperatures plummeting well below sub-zero.
I would have given the story five stars but for some contradictions and inconsistencies within the story. I feel that mentioning any would necessitate a spoiler alert thus ruining the unraveling of the story for the reader. Some readers may read more quickly and they may just skim over those niggling details, not noticing them, unlike with me. Also, I thought John Bear kept repeating some actions that already proved fruitless and ineffective, thereby perpetuating a no-win situation. I think if he would have altered his strategy somewhat, his efforts could have borne fruit earlier, but then the story would most likely have been shorter.
August 20, 2023
Paced well, this story aptly grips the reader throughout the story. A tried and true police procedural with a twist of the supernatural, Wendigo leaves the reader looking over their shoulder in the cold dead of night. Set in spectacular scenery, especially if you have ever visited the northeastern part of the US and it’s Canadian border, the chill of the night comes from more than just the cold out in the isolated forests.
Overall, the writing was interesting. Not too descriptive as some would claim of Stephen King, but enough where the grisly murder scenes could be felt. Plot progressed as expected. A bit of romance kept the story well rounded, but didn’t take away from the main plot.
As far as horror goes, it was a worthwhile read, but didn’t spark any particular novelty that really made your flesh crawl. If you’re looking for a good end of the work day read for the coming spooky season, this is worth your attention.
Overall, the writing was interesting. Not too descriptive as some would claim of Stephen King, but enough where the grisly murder scenes could be felt. Plot progressed as expected. A bit of romance kept the story well rounded, but didn’t take away from the main plot.
As far as horror goes, it was a worthwhile read, but didn’t spark any particular novelty that really made your flesh crawl. If you’re looking for a good end of the work day read for the coming spooky season, this is worth your attention.
February 7, 2018
John Bear has heard the old tales of the Wendigo from his grandfather. He's never believed them but when a body turns up with it's insides torn out and the only tracks are that of a massive footprint, he knows that it can't be a human print. It isn't till another body turns up that he has no other choice but to believe that the Wendigo might just be real.
I was excited to read this because the Wendigo is such an incredibly scary thing and I love to read books about them, and while this was a good read, it suffered a bit from the fact that there was a lot of telling and not enough showing!
The plot was slow going, but it was also intriguing enough that I kept reading. I liked seeing how the Wendigo first came to be and enjoyed the hunt, I just found it a little too slow at parts and my attention started to wander. I wanted there to be more tenseness and excitement!
Character wise, they were all well written and developed! The characters were the best part for me, they were varied and I liked them all. Jonh Bear was interesting and I loved how he tried to tell everyone what they were chasing despite them thinking he was crazy.
In all, I did enjoy the read some what, though it could have been so much better!! If there is a book 2 with these characters, I might just have to check it out.
I was excited to read this because the Wendigo is such an incredibly scary thing and I love to read books about them, and while this was a good read, it suffered a bit from the fact that there was a lot of telling and not enough showing!
The plot was slow going, but it was also intriguing enough that I kept reading. I liked seeing how the Wendigo first came to be and enjoyed the hunt, I just found it a little too slow at parts and my attention started to wander. I wanted there to be more tenseness and excitement!
Character wise, they were all well written and developed! The characters were the best part for me, they were varied and I liked them all. Jonh Bear was interesting and I loved how he tried to tell everyone what they were chasing despite them thinking he was crazy.
In all, I did enjoy the read some what, though it could have been so much better!! If there is a book 2 with these characters, I might just have to check it out.
May 23, 2022
I didn't want to put it down!
This is one of my favorite wendigo stories and it's a perfect tale of survival. What do you do when ancient stories come to life? Is it better to be killed or turn into something else? John Bear and Dwain Doid will figure it out, and the ending is predictable and shocking.
This is one of my favorite wendigo stories and it's a perfect tale of survival. What do you do when ancient stories come to life? Is it better to be killed or turn into something else? John Bear and Dwain Doid will figure it out, and the ending is predictable and shocking.
November 13, 2019
Gripping story and well told. This writer grabs your interest from the first page. He could use a bit of work on sentence structure but I was otherwise impressed with his command of the language. Is there a sequel yet?
April 22, 2022
I had posted previously that I did not finish this book, but yesterday I finished it while I was having a treatment at the Infusion Center. I did get better. It was more like an overly long short story. It's a somewhat interesting tale about an old American Indian god/demon. The story was too gory for such light reading.
abandoned
February 28, 2023Gave up around 10%. The dialogue was longwinded and basically talking heads that went on for pages. There was also no mystery about the wendigo; you learn early on who it is so that killed off any suspense.
Maybe I'll pick it up again later, maybe not. *shrugs*
Maybe I'll pick it up again later, maybe not. *shrugs*
October 17, 2024
Loved this story. It's the second book I've read by this author and won't be the last. I especially liked that the story included one of the scariest local legends and takes place on the east coast, not too far from where I live, so it was easy to picture the landscape.
March 15, 2019
Very good book. If you enjoy books about things that go bump in the night...this is the one for you! Check under the bed, double check the windows........boo!
it will make an excellent movie!!
it will make an excellent movie!!
February 23, 2021
DNFed at page 30. Info dump, painful sentences, ugh characters. Life is too short.
June 2, 2021
Riveting
Well written. I have read several books about the Wendigo and I must say I really enjoyed this author’s version.
Well written. I have read several books about the Wendigo and I must say I really enjoyed this author’s version.
June 3, 2021
Fine monster story
A thriller all they way to the end, with authentic details and plenty of turns. A fine one to take on a camping trip.
A thriller all they way to the end, with authentic details and plenty of turns. A fine one to take on a camping trip.
April 24, 2022
Exciting read
Exciting read and good information about N Maine and native beliefs. One of the better Wendigo stories from what I have read.
Exciting read and good information about N Maine and native beliefs. One of the better Wendigo stories from what I have read.
February 16, 2023
That ending was wild ! I'd love to see this made into a film
Read
June 12, 2023I live in Maine so I typically enjoy books with a home state setting. This takes place in the back woods where most of us never go. A real good tale, I didn’t want to set it down to eat or sleep.
April 4, 2024
Exciting book, slightly disappointing ending.
A good read, I found myself pulled into the plot line and reading very excitedly! I personally found the ending slightly disappointing after all the build up, but over all, a good read!
A good read, I found myself pulled into the plot line and reading very excitedly! I personally found the ending slightly disappointing after all the build up, but over all, a good read!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 33 reviews