Werewolves With a Twist: Sharp Teeth

From the first sentence, Sharp Teeth by Toby Barlow strikes a chord. Written in poetic form, it is a novel of action and brutality. I must confess, I was thoroughly impressed.

The pacing is perfect, each sibilant and exhalation fits into place. I found myself reading passages aloud, just to hear them spoken, and to savor their flavor.

After two days, the book took over my dreams. The images were strong enough to seed my subconscious. Most interesting, these dreams came with their own soundtrack. I've never composed music in my sleep before, or since.

Cast:

Lark: Leader of the pack, he uses their abilities for shady, but legal money-making schemes. He is a tactician and philosopher. His charisma is genuinely portrayed, and one cannot help but identify with him even in his darker moments.

Unnamed woman: Alpha female of Lark's pack. Her character is deliberately generic, though this only makes her easier to sympathize with somehow. She was beaten by her ex, and gladly accepted Lark's offer of power.

Anthony: A dog catcher in L.A., love interest of the unnamed woman. He has a good heart, but is a bit anti-social.

Baron, Zack, Cutter, Blue: Some more of Lark's pack.

And many more.

Plot:

Lark forms a pack of modern-day werewolves. Unlike their ancestors, these men and women can shift at will into the shape of dogs. Large, strong, intelligent dogs. The unnamed woman is second in command, the tension she creates (she is off-limits) forges a bond between the pack and instills a sense of discipline.

The pack carries out various deals and contracts for large amounts of money. Only Lark understands the full scope of the operation. When the unnamed woman falls in love with a dog catcher things start to crumble. That, however, is only the beginning.

I recommend this book to anyone, except children and puritans.