Wolves Dressed as Men

by Steve Lowe

Thiess remembers very little of his life before he changed. His only memories now are of frozen mornings, naked and coated in human blood, and of running for his life from a Tracker bent on his destruction. Thiess prays for forgiveness and begs God to cure him of an affliction that turns him into a murderous beast, but as the Tracker closes in, he is losing any hope for salvation. Then he falls in love with Maria, and together, they race through the crumbling slums of a city slowing burning to the ground at the hands of a serial arsonist, setting off a chain of events that will threaten the existence of mankind.

Genres: Horror, Bizarro Fiction, Fiction, Werewolves

61 pages, Paperback

First published November 4, 2010

About the author

Steve Lowe misses riding Big Wheels in the cul-de-sac. He is the author of a handful of Bizarro books, including MUSCLE MEMORY, KING OF THE PERVERTS, and YOU ARE SLOTH! Hey, look! That's him over there! No, the other way. Yeah, that's definitely him.

Reviews

[Dan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Maria is interested in a mysterious co-worker named Thiess but Thiess is the bearer of a dark secret: he's a werewolf! Will Thiess share his secret with Maria before the mysterious Tracker guns him down?

Remember the good old days before sparkly vampires and baby-lovin' werewolves, when monster tales were more than excuses for some smut? Wolves Dressed is Men is a throwback to those glorious days.

Wolves Dressed as Men is a slim, 60 page volume but Steve Lowe crams it to the brim with lycanthropic goodness. It's like a Ramones song. It's really short but still the perfect length. You get werewolves, action, intrigue, a touch of romance, and a nosy reporter trying to tie it all together.

I can't say much more than I already have without spoiling things. If you think you can find a better sixty page werewolf novella, be my guest. I'll stick with this one.

On a side note, I may have to add Steve Lowe to my short list of Goodreads Authors who aren't assholes. After I ordered Muscle Memory from Amazon, he sent me Wolves Dressed as Men as a bonus.

[Kelly (Maybedog) · Rating 4 out of 5]

As I expect from Steve Lowe, gifted writer, witty man and all around nice guy, this book was written well and had an interesting new take on the werewolf mythos. But from the first page it was depressing as fuck, Steve. 

Full disclosure: Steve is a friend but because of his books. I was interested in another of his novels and tried to win a free copy. I didn't but we got to chatting and I won a free friend instead. But he was an author first and foremost and I honestly reviewed his lighthearted Muscle Memory. So now I'm honestly reviewing this book too, even though it was depressing as fuck, Steve.

The story was well told, the characters three dimensional and believable, even the idiot woman he likes works right. Her behavior makes sense in light of her string of poor choices in men who end up violent and hurting her. As I said, it was, from the beginning, depressing as fuck, Steve. 

The plot moved at a good pace and was not at all predictable. There was the right amount of action, of tension, of philosophizing by most of the characters because they all were close to rock bottom. As I said, it was depressing as fuck, Steve. 

The writing was smooth and clean which, as I said before, is customary with Steve and the book was enjoyable to read if not always pleasant in content (remember, depressing as fuck, Steve.)

The story went where it was meant to go and even though it didn't go any of the places I thought it might, the ending was what it really had to be. It was the right ending because Steve is a great writer and let the tale tell itself rather than roping it in to fit some commercial and trite template. It was a job well done.

It was still depressing as fuck, Steve. But that's partly why it was so good.

[Michael · Rating 2 out of 5]

Sometimes as I finish a book I didn't enjoy, I relish the thought of writing the review that will tear the author a new asshole. I had a distinctly different reaction as I reached the end of Wolves Dressed as Men, because I didn't enjoy it, AND it was written by a friend.

I was confused. Last year, I read Steve's debut, Muscle Memory, and it narrowly missed being in my 2010 top ten. Literally just missed it; it was number eleven. MM was clever, surprising, constantly funny and poignant, and it ended perfectly.

Then, a few months later, I read this, and it was...well, an unpleasant experience. Werewolves? I fucking hate werewolves! And I'm beyond tired of the whole supernatural romance thing....publishing companies have been vomiting out so many empty calories' worth of supernatural romance that it's quite possibly a fatal disorder, and when it finally suffers a heart attack and dies on its own bathroom floor as a DIRECT RESULT of its own self-destructive tendencies, I'll be first in line to laugh and point. Err, but, back to the book: after loving his first book, this one just didn't leave much of an impression at all.

Despite what some people would tell you, though, I'm not a total jerk: I talked to Steve before deciding to write a review because I wanted to see what was up with this. It turns out this was his FIRST book--written first--even though MM was the first book published. So this novella is fair game to be picked on, because you're SUPPOSED to pick on people's first novels. First novels are usually a teeth-sharpening process, and almost always end up being generic supernatural romance novels. Hemmingway's first book? Supernatural romance. Faulkner? Southern supernatural romance. Even the greatest novelist of our time, Guy N Smith, started his illustrious career with a supernatural horror novel that was basically a proxy of Twilight, only more hot chicks and mutant crabs were involved.

So, when I write my debut, you ALL have permission to pick on it. Unless I never manage to get anything published, in which case I'd appreciate it if you just softly tell me I'm truly an awesome writer and it's what's on the inside that counts, or some crap like that to make me feel like less of a failure.

Back to the book. I've had a lot of caffeine, btw.

I shall recount for you the reasons this book didn't work for me.

1. The lack of humor. This book took itself surprisingly seriously considering it was a supernatural romance. And, the characters were archetypal in...well, in much the same way the characters in my first novel were archetypal. I had the good fortune of being turned down by all the publishers, though, so I don't get to be publicly humiliated.

2. THE BACK COVER IS PINK. Pink. I'm not a homophobe or anything, but I don't want to carry a goddamned pink book around Phoenix.

3. As seems to happen increasingly, I knew what was going to happen before it happened with all of the plot points. I'm not sure if this was the result of foreshadowing or the use of these archetypal characters, but either way, I prefer my reading experiences to be surprising. And to not be populated with werewolves. Or detectives. I kind of hate detective fiction.

Those are my bones of contention, and I don't really want to click the "Save" button now, because this is the second time in a row I've read a book by a friend and then written a negative review of it. But, dammit, if I don't give them honest ratings, I might as well not even be here reviewing them. I DO NOT LIE unless money is involved.

But I can assure you I'll be buying the next thing Steve publishes--I can't wait to see what comes after Muscle Memory.

By the way, the official day for burning Muscle Memory is July first, so I suggest buying several copies before then so you don't get left out on all the fun!

[Lou · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good stuff a short sharp and deadly story. Hunter and hunted, hunter is the tracker and hunted is the wolfman. Written in flowing visceral pace a joy to read. We heard these stories before but the way Steve wrote this was good and engrossing. I would have not read this If it wasn't for cheapness and easiness of ebooks and plus a Goodread friend's review.

Excerpt from Tracker's voice
"The mid-morning bustle ebbed
and flowed in waves of ill repute along
the sidewalk - the wretched homeless,
the addicted, the pushers and the pimps. He loathed this city and its inhabitants. The vain, the Godless, the packs of politicians and greed-blinded business- men who preyed on the sloth of the poor and the weak-minded, they were no different than his quarry. The World was infected."

[Steve Lowe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Please note that this five star rating is out of a possible 17 on my own personal scale. Anything more than that would be downright unseemly. Don't blame me for Goodreads' illogical rating scale.

Please also note that if you got the eBook version of this story, it was published JUST before I perfected "aromatic" eBook technologies that would have added the distinct smell of wet dog to your reading experience. Perhaps if this is ever reprinted at another time in the future, you will be able to enjoy it as I originally intended you to do so. Don't blame me for the technological lag.

Thank you for reading.

[Amy Eye · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mercy - it is a word that many people hope will be shown to them in their time of need, but what does mercy truly mean? Snuffing out one life for the sake of many other lives, or is the risk of saving that one life merciful enough?

The Tracker understands his form of mercy. Handed down through generations his task has been sent down from God to save the world from the demons of the Devil himself. He will destroy every last one of them and anyone who stands in the way.

Theiss is in need of true mercy. His life has been stripped from him, right down to his very being. He can not recall even his own name. All there is - is right now - and the urges that come in the night. Momentary eases in the anger and pain come in the beautiful form of Maria, a woman who sees the turmoil behind his eyes and resting in his soul.

Jocoby is a journalist who has seen his better days, reduced to writing drivel in a common tabloid. Stumbling across the story that could make his career with this company, he discovers that the unbelievable is happening. The werewolf exists; the werewolf lives. A real story is here, not a manufactured one waiting on the presses. Jacoby starts out to catch the truth, and ends up with more than he can claw his way through.

Although quite short, this book gives plenty of bang for the buck. There is no time in its pages for a lull in the action. Everything is there that is needed, no extra garbage added in to give the author the feel of a "full" novel. This has everything one one quaint, convenient package. The cover is brilliant. The tracker is depicted on the front, outlined and see-though. To me this represents his personality and his purpose perfectly. Noticeable - but without true substance. He was following an old set of laws blindly, mindlessly. The thought of true mercy never crossing his mind.

The depth given to the characters in the book are surprising given the short amount of time we have with each of them, the feelings and thoughts are expressed without many of them saying a word. Steve does not take his audience for fools - having to spell out to the letter what is going on with each of them, giving us a chance to feel it with them through the experience.

A werewolf story truly turns into a thought provoking read in Wolves Dressed as Men. Don't be that lazy reader and let these pages slide by you without picking up the brilliance and subtlety contained between the covers.

[Sheldon · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is going to have to be a very brief review. Otherwise, it will give too much away for a very brief book.

Wolves Dressed as Men by Steve Lowe feels like a classic take on a werewolf story. None of that touchy feely paranormal romance crap that seems to have infected most bookstores like a cancer in the last few years. The werewolves depicted in this book are brutal, animalistic killing machines.

The book follows three viewpoints: Thiess (who recently contracted lycanthropy), Jacoby (a disgraced tabloid reporter following a series of murders), and the Tracker (who is...well, if you can't figure that out...). Through each one, we see the story but through different eyes, as well as different philosophical and religious viewpoints on the worth of a man's life and his soul. My personal favorite was Jacoby's parts, mostly because we learn about the story from an outsider perspective, as well as a few bits of other information that...again, I don't want to give too much away, but let's just say that there's a reason I would categorize this under “horror” or even “science fiction” more than “fantasy” or “paranormal.” No, it does not have to do with aliens. And Jacoby is just a really interesting and identifiable character, with the feel of having a much richer background than we are given a chance to fully learn about.

Very craftily written, and I was kind of disappointed at the book's short length. I really wanted to read more. There are heavy details that are left unanswered and open to interpretation, or they could just be left open for a potential sequel. The way the book ends was brilliant in it's own way, and again could be left to the readers' interpretations, but if it's how I took it, I would absolutely devour a sequel to see where this goes.

A short but worthwhile and highly recommended read that will definitely leave you thinking.

4 out of 5 stars.

[Robert Beveridge · Rating 4 out of 5]

Steve Lowe, Wolves Dressed As Men (Eternal Press, 2010)

Dear Stephenie Meyer, Maggie Stiefvater, Jessica Coulter Smith, and, well, everyone back to, and maybe including, Whitley Streiber: this is how you write a werewolf novel. Or, given its length, the outline of one. But seriously, Steve Lowe just kicked all your butts around the room in a steel cage match, and you probably didn't even notice.

Plot: there's a werewolf. He's not too happy with being a werewolf. (Okay, the rest of you lot got that part down.) There is also a Tracker, who's trying to kill the werewolf. (Most of you got that bit, too.) But this werewolf, who goes by the name of Thiess, is confused enough with his werewolf self that he's not acting like a regular werewolf, at least “regular” as defined by the tracker. Thiess lives in the big city, trying to blend in. He's infatuated with Maria, a co-worker (when was the last time one of your werewolves had, you know, a job?), and she's kind of drawn to him, too. Every day after work, he goes to St. Stanislaus, a local church, and begs God for forgiveness for the crimes he commits in wolf form, begs God to lift this affliction from him. You know how well that's going to work. But the longer Thiess is afflicted, the more of his humanity he loses. As a bonus hidden track, there's also a serial arsonist at work in the ghetto where Thiess lives, and he's becoming more and more active as Thiess gets worse. The cops are looking for Thiess, of course, and the arsonist as well in their spare time, but the guy who actually has a chance of finding him is a reporter, once an embedded war correspondent in Afghanistan, now reduced to writing trash articles for a local tabloid. (And if you've never seen the 1983 movie Strange Invaders, do it now. I'll wait. That goes triple if your name is Steve Lowe and you hit on this plot angle by sheer coincidence.)

I've already mentioned the book's major weakness: its length. Wolves Dressed As Men reads far more like an outline than an actual novel. There's so, so, so much more that could have been done with this wonderful mix of characters and situations. The arsonist plotline, especially, is begging for a fuller treatment, and an examination of the parallel between werewolf and arsonist would have been endlessly fascinating, had it appeared. The conflict between the journalist and his buddy on the police force had a few great moments, and could have had much more. Imagine a confrontation between the police and the Tracker... I could go on like this for the rest of the review. This is a sixty-one-page book that could have been ten times as long, and Lowe (Muscle Memory) has the chops to make it work.

On the other hand, what's here is as solid as they come. When you find yourself holding a book this small, what you expect to be leaving behind on the cutting room floor is characterization. And to be sure, these characters could have been more fully fleshed out, but Lowe used a lot of the space here to draw a few of his characters as well as anything you'll find in a major-label novel. The action is believable (as much as can be in a novel about a werewolf living in a ghetto, you understand), the pace is breakneck, the plot is as hooky as the premise would have you believe.

I will continue to live in hope that Lowe eventually comes back to this story and turns it into the epic it so richly deserves to be. I'll buy it all over again, and be thankful for the opportunity, and if a six-hundred-page treatment of Wolves Dressed As Men is as good as a sixty-one-page treatment, there's no chance it won't show up on my best reads of the year list. Until then, I'll be glad I've got what I've got here. *** ½

[Nate D · Rating 1 out of 5]

I probably deserve to get straight-up bit by this lycanthropic gift horse, but I was not so into this book. Since the thrill and terror of Goodreads is that I can be pretty certain that Steve will see this, I'll just write a couple notes to him. Hopefully he will keep I mind that I totally enjoyed his other book, which seemed far more original to me.

likes:
1. moral ambiguity, or rather the denial of a proper moral center.
2. the tweaking of the otherwise central-casting characters in the interest of 1
3. the out-of-narrative context of the rampaging arsonist. Best background touch. (in fact one of the only background touches, but a good one)

dislikes:
1. the otherwise central-casting characters (but then, they've been cast into a pretty familiar b-movie that's also pretty action-centric, so perhaps they've not much opportunity to be anything else)
2. the over-familiar b-movie premise (was this a story that held anything personal for you or -- I can't help thinking -- did this simply offer itself because of the sudden surge in popularity of werewolf- and vampire-themed fiction? To be fair, stock genres are probably totally fun put your own spin on, but I could have appreciated quite a bit more personal spin.)
3. a style point: I like the shifting perspectives, but the ways scenes were replayed from different POVs didn't tend to offer much information that couldn't be guessed from early passes or later context, so they tended to be sort of unnecessary to me.

hmmmm, yeah, I dunno. Those are my reactions and I can't really unreact them.

[Natalie · Rating 4 out of 5]

What could have been the most tedious day of my life was SAVED by Wolves Dressed as Men! Seriously, I forgot my phone this morning AND I had an appt at the hairdresser's. That is a TERRIBLE combination worthy of complete fear and loathing and all things impatient!

BUT lucky for me I started Wolves last night and it is such a tidy, slim little entertaining short piece of fiction that it fit in my handbag AND happened to be there.

What kind of person takes were-fiction to work with them? Well, I guess now you know!

Anyway, it is really maybe ONLY a 4.5 of a book because in this genre there honestly could be some more gratuitous sex scenes, or senseless violence, or maybe some more visceral gore, but this book makes up for it with a strangely compelling reporter character who's had more important stories, some unusual were-action and an uncanny sense of the olfactory. hmm.

Plus there was nothing else like it at the hairdresser's, I guarantee it! Didn't even miss my phone which I usually tap on with ruthless abandon while waiting around for anything sort of like an adult finger pacifier!

So damn it, this little book gets five stars for being my savior today.

[Alexa · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very good short novel! I enjoyed it a lot. Not what I expected it to be. Especially the ending, none of that happily-ever-after crap. Very smooth ending. (It sort of reminded me of the ending to the movie Splice...) But I loved it. It had potential, so it should have been longer! But the length also attributes to how nice of a book it is to read. I'm so used to reading very, very detailed novels that I kept wondering what the characters were wearing, and what everything looked like, but it was simple and I find simplicity very attractive.

-A

[Jenn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Steve Lowe is an amazing author who weaves an incredible tale. I've yet to read any of his works that haven't blown me away.
Wolves Dressed as Men is a change of pace from the typical PNR. Theiss is not a Chippendales model with a chip on his shoulder, and Maria is not a delicate flower with boundless love that can change the world. This novel is gritty, dark, and packed with all the goods you'd expect in a full length book.
My only complaint is the same I have for all of Lowe's stories, and that is "MORE, DAMMIT, I WANT MORE!"

[April · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting tale of werewolves and the men who become them. One man struggles with his curse, a Tracker whose sworn duty it is to kill the beast, a woman who wants to help, and a journalist who is caught up in the story. They all have a story and we got to see a brief glimpse into each one and how they relate to each other. Enjoyable story!
I liked the twist at the end, I sort of expected it, but was surprised anyway!

[Graeme Reynolds · Rating 4 out of 5]

Steve Lowe creates an excellent werewolf story here. He does not back away from the blood and gore side of things, that are essential for any werewolf book, but he manages to fill the spaces between the death and destruction with some very good character moments. The plot is solid and cracks along at a great pace, with great descriptions and believable dialogue.
Great book. Can't wait to read more by Steve.

[Kevin Wallis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dark, urban, gritty, bleak - just what you want in a werewolf story. But what sets this werewolf story apart is that it is character-driven rather than violence and gore-driven. That being said, however, there is plenty of that to go around too, with an ending that is dead-on. Highly recommended.

[Robert Eccles · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Wolves Dressed as Men" is a wonderful fast-paced tale of hunter and prey unlike anything else I've read in the werewolf genre. Steve Lowe pulls you in and doesn't let go until the tale is told. And even then, he leaves us wanting more.

[Brian Tasler · Rating 4 out of 5]

I must first admit that the author was kind of enough to send me this free so I will preface this by saying that hasno bearing on my enjoyment of the story.

Needless to say I breezed through this in around an hour. Excellent short novel with a fresh new take on the werewolf legend. This one involves more science than other traditional werewolf stories. The characters and the action is well drawn. My only complaint is that I would like to see a longer version of this so we have more background on the characters. Specifically the events leading up to those described in the book and the background on the tracker doing the stalking.

Recommend strongly though checking it out.

Check out Mr. Lowe's book Muscle Memory also available through Amazon.com. Purchase it here:

http://www.amazon.com/Muscle-Memory-S...

Muscle Memory

[Claudia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really more of a long short story...like the opening chapters of a longer book. Thiess is a loner, even as Maria tries to burrow into his isolation -- she sees the good man he's trying to submerge.

Who's the Tracker,with the military-issue rifle? Who's he tracking and why? And then there's Jacoby. A down-and-out journalist who saw action in Afghanistan...and is now working for an unscrupulous tabloid.

The characters are in place, and we learn more and more. Thiess is a werewolf, but we're never told how this happened to him...The Tracker's determined to kill him, even following him into a church. Can he be saved? Does anyone care?

It looks like this is part of a longer story...I need to know what's going to happen to them all.

[Donald Armfield · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lowe touched on all different subjects here.
Horror, Detective, & a little romance. I did not really care for most of it, but the dialouge between the police & detectives was funny!

Can't wait to read Muscle Memory 2

[Brandy]

just bought this and reading now! plus the sale of this book helps foster children! Check it out: Buy a Book, Help a Kid http://steve-lowe.com/2011/01/21/buy-...

[Tina on the Hill · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting spin on a traditional tale!