Jackson R. Thomas’s debut comes to us in the form of a small-town werewolf yarn, The Beast of Brenton Woods. As far as debuts go, it’s a decent one, but the Beast also has a few fleas that I would like to see removed. Bodies are starting to show up again in Brenton Woods after many years of tranquility. Legend has it that the last time this happened in the mid-1980s, a white wolf was responsible. And just like that, the wolf disappeared. Now 13 year-olds Ben and Tyler have seen it. So have early 20-somethings Jimmy, Wendy and Bryan. They are all too young to remember the last time the Beast made it’s appearance in Brenton Woods, but it’s back, bloodthirstier than ever, and it wants revenge on a past that won’t stay buried any longer.
Thomas does many things right in The Beast of Brenton Woods. For one, the dialogue. I think this is the strongest part of the book. So many authors, especially in their debuts, swing and miss with the dialogue. It’s either too wooden or completely unrealistic. In Beast, it’s pretty much spot on. Kudos to Thomas. Second, the characters are interesting. While that’s another bonus, it also left me wanting for more…much more. And this is where we come to the flea portion of the werewolf. The story and character development. While the characters are interesting and realistic, I felt they needed to be much more fleshed out. The story is told in a frenetic pace, but we’re left to continually go back to see which character is who. After just finishing the story, I couldn’t tell you what many of the characters looked like, what the town of Brenton Woods looked like, why the Beast came back or have a clear understanding of what happened in the past. This is the frustrating part, because I really like what the story had for it’s base. I only wish it was more of a smorgasbord than an hors d’oeuvre. Jackson has a ton of promise and I look forward to watching him grow as a writer.
3 1/2 Yellow Eyes Glowing in the Dark out of 5
You can also follow my reviews at the following links:
Into The Macabre 