Werenight

Gerin the Fox #1-2

by Harry Turtledove

From out of the savage North, ruled by Gerin the Fox, a tribe possessed by a wizard--who is himself possessed by the Book of Shabeth-Shiri--descends on the Southern Empire. Original.

Genres: Fantasy, Fiction

271 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published February 1, 1994

About the author

Dr Harry Norman Turtledove is an American novelist, who has produced a sizeable number of works in several genres including alternate history, historical fiction, fantasy and science fiction.

Harry Turtledove attended UCLA, where he received a Ph.D. in Byzantine history in 1977.

Turtledove has been dubbed "The Master of Alternate History". Within this genre he is known both for creating original scenarios: such as survival of the Byzantine Empire; an alien invasion in the middle of the World War II; and for giving a fresh and original treatment to themes previously dealt with by other authors, such as the victory of the South in the American Civil War; and of Nazi Germany in the Second World War.

His novels have been credited with bringing alternate history into the mainstream. His style of alternate history has a strong military theme.

Reviews

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you go in reading this book expecting massive battles with werewolves and whatnot you will be sorely disappointed. Towards the very end of the book there is one battle with werebeasts, but that is it. Primarily it is about Gerin the Fox's attempt to make it south to the capital, recruit a Mage to battle the wizard besieging his land, and make it back and defeat said wizard. Slightly Tolkienesque in that it is a journey away from home and back with much talk of travel with several interesting encounters along the way. A good read if you are expecting what you get, but it can be a little boring if you expect werewolf battles galore.

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wereblood (Gerin the Fox, #1) and Werenight (Gerin the Fox, #2) were published as two books in 1979 under the pseudonym Eric Iverson. In 1994 the two books were reprinted as 1 book under his real name Harry Turtledove titled Werenight. This info came from the afterword in the 1994 edition.

[Helle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Definitely enjoyable, but don’t expect greatness, or many werewolves for that matter. I liked the second book (Werenight) a little better than the first (Wereblood), but enjoyed both well enough. It is a nice introduction into the world of Gerin the Fox, and I am looking forward to reading more.

[Pam Bales · Rating 5 out of 5]

Harry Turtledove is always a good read for alternative historical fiction. His Gerin the Fox series is great.

[Will Sawtelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

I can't say much that hasn't been said before. A good, easy read by a master of alternate history. I'm looking forward to the rest of the series.

[Joshua Taylor · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book - Turtledove is an excellent story teller, and a solid world builder, so there was no real question that I was going to be entertained by this book. The title is ... confusing, I guess I would say. As other reviewers have commented, this book wasn't really "about" were-creatures, although they do at least appear. I'm very curious why the original book 1 (called Wereblood I believe - the first two books were combined in a restructuring in 1994) was actually given that title, because it doesn't seem to have played any role at all in the first part of the story. In any case, whatever the title you will enjoy this if you're looking for a quick fantasy read with some reasonably good world building. Definitely didn't rise to the heights of a 5 star book, but I also never found myself bored or frustrated by the book. It was a solid, easy read and deserving of 4 stars.

[Shane Duquette · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is one of those books where a few adventurers go on a quest across a magical medieval landscape, running into trouble and intrigue along the way. And it was great. I loved it.

I'm not sure why I loved these books so much. In most ways, they seem fairly average. But the writing is rich while remaining easy to read, and even though it's a simple adventure tale, the author's background as a historian shines through. I felt totally immersed in this world.

The downside is that this book seems to be at least somewhat historically accurate with its sexism, too. That made the characters feel more real, I suppose, but it also made me cringe, and it prevented me from ever truly rooting for most of the characters.

[Kent Hartsoe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Typical Harry

It is a good read, filled with Sorcerers, Demons, and sword play. I especially liked the ending as it made more sense than most! I definitely recommend this book as being worth a try!

[Brian Terence · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm a fan of Mr Turtledove and have read many of his stories, I wouldn't say this was his best. To me, at least, it has the feel of a YA, which isn't my thing.
It's a fast-paced and mildly amusing story, great for listening to during a long commute.

[Ron · Rating 4 out of 5]

First in a series. Of course I picked up vol. 2 first, so I had to find a copy of this title so I knew what I had missed.

[David Haddon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read this about 30 years ago and enjoyed it well enough to keep for a future reread. Upon that reread, not sure why I kept it. Not going into a future stash to reread in 20 years.

[Jim · Rating 3 out of 5]

While at times a bit hard to follow and maybe even a tad slow at parts, "Werenight" was probably more enjoyable than not, and the second half really picked up, nearing greatness. I wish we could've seen more of the title event though. That part was one of my favorites. Probably 2.5 or 2.75 stars really, but rounded up.

[bluetyson]

WERENIGHT by Turtledove (1994)

[Aurora · Rating 3 out of 5]

Got off to a slow start but it's picking up

[Anton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good rewrite

Enjoyable story a bit straightforward as might be expected from an early work but fun
Will be reading the second book