Snarl

by Lorne Dixon

Chev Worke thought he had found a path to easy money. It was quite simple, really: sacrifice Christmas with his family and drive his truck across the country on an overnight run for his employer. Done. Case closed. He just didn't count on things going wrong and getting stranded on State Highway 59 with no one around except for a pack of hungry werewolves. Barely escaping with his life, Chev makes it to a grocery store in Easter Glen only to learn of a secret pact that has been in place for centuries, the only thing that keeps the town safe from the bloodthirsty beasts. There's just one problem: the pact has been broken and Chev is thrust into a world where nightmares run on all fours, blood flows freely and no one is ever safe. In Easter Glen, by the time you hear a snarl, it's too late.

Genres: Werewolves, Horror

132 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2009

About the author

Lorne Dixon grew up on a diet of yellow-spined paperbacks, black-and-white monster movies, and the thunder-lizard backbeat of Rock-and-Roll.

Reviews

[Amy R · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. It was a quick read, but very detailed.

[Rhonda · Rating 4 out of 5]

When family man Chev Worke decided to pick up some extra money by spending Christmas on the road driving his 18-wheeler, he wasn't expecting to slam into an animal on State Highway 59 and then have his truck die. And he REALLY wasn't expecting said animal to turn out to be a werewolf that belonged to a pack of werewolves that decide to hunt him down, since he has killed one of their own. Given a head start, Chev makes it to a little grocery store in the town of Easter Glen on foot and meets up with some townsfolk. Together they try to make a break for it, but soon Chev learns of a pact that the townsfolk have made with the werewolves. At that point everyone has choices to make. Hopefully they will make the right choices, and make it out alive, but will they?

Lorne Dixon has taken a refreshing look at the world of werewolves. He keeps you clawing at the edge of your seat up until the very end of Snarl. The story is fast-paced throughout, with enough action and plot twists to keep you guessing all the way through so that you aren't sure exactly how things are going to wrap up. It's a very powerful novella and feels more like a full novel. The main character in the story is very likable and you sympathize with him immediately wanting to help him out of his predicament, especially considering he just happened to be "in the wrong place at the wrong time". This is my first experience with the works of Lorne Dixon, but I will definitely be looking into reading more by this fine author as I was highly entertained by Snarl. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!

Contains: Adult Language, Violence

Review also posted at MonsterLibrarian.com

[L.G. Brock · Rating 5 out of 5]

An underrated gem!

There's never a dull moment here, the story is always moving with grizzly action set pieces and relatable or memorable characters. Chev Worke is such a likable everyman who becomes a total badass by the end that when finishing the last page I totally had a smirk of delight on my face. Ross Eloyan and his grandson David might be two of the most tragic characters I've ever seen depicted in fiction and it's a total gut-punch with how their fates turn out. Admittedly there are a few plot twists I should have seen coming but I was so into the novel that I had my blinders on that when they came it was still a total shock. To me, that's what good storytelling does. Even if something may seem kinda obvious it's still a surprise by gripping you emotionally with the story and characters. Mr. Dixon does a great job of setting up the lore and Easter Glen. This fully feels like a fleshed-out community with side characters that leave an impact despite only appearing in a few pages.

I know I'm gushing a lot here but I really enjoyed this and think it needs to be read by more people. I would also love to see an adaptation of this one day because in the right hands could be an amazing movie or limited series. If you haven't read Snarl definitely check it out because it really sinks its teeth in.

[Michele Lee · Rating 4 out of 5]

* Reviewed for Monsterlirbrarian.com

Chev, Ross and David, a trucker, a grandfather and his ten year old grandson who just lost his whole family to a house fire all have the bad luck to find themselves in a horror novel, the kind where they each get lost and end up in a tiny town terrorized by a gang who also happen to be werewolves. The human townies can't give the outsiders over to the beasts quick enough and the werewolves want to use Chev and Ross as excuses to break the pact made between human and monster fifty years ago.
Snarl is a tale that belongs with the best of werewolf movies, fast paced, dark and gruesome with no clear good guy between humans willing to live complacently with the brutal deaths of many (as long as it isn't them) and shape shifters who might have motive to slaughter, but still aren't white hats for any cause. Good for werewolf and general horror fans it's a good, solid read that would make a quality addition to public and private libraries looking to expand the number of horror titles in their collection.
Contains: Gore, language, violence

[Victoria · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! This was a very brief, but very exciting little novel. I really enjoyed Lorne Dixon's writing style - he is very talented! My only complaint was that the story ended too abruptly. The book really could have been expanded into a longer and richer story, though that would certainly slow down the nonstop action. The book was thrilling in its brevity and was a fun take on the werewolf myth. I really had a fun time reading it and will certainly keep an eye out for his other books!

[Tanya · Rating 4 out of 5]

i loved this story it had amazing details and fast pace was great it was amazing

[Ruth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really good fast paced violent gory werewolf and human caper x