What do You think about Howling III (1985)?
This is the final book in "The Howling" trilogy and, I think probably the best of the three, at least right up until the end. The plot and characters have very little to do with the first two books and other than references to 'what happened in the town of Drako before' this is pretty much a stand-alone book. In a way, this can almost be called a 'coming-of-age' werewolf book featuring a young 15-16 year old who does not yet understand the nature of his lycanthropy or how to control it. The novel is also a bit different from its predecessors in that the werewolves are much more sympathetic characters this time around; it is the humans that are often the stuck-up, bigoted, holier-than-thou types who deserve what they get. The two main human characters are personable though, and very likable and I did find myself rooting for them.This one was on its way to a comfortable "4" rating from me...until the end. The whole thing wrapped in the space of a page and a half, almost like the author had reached his word count and was done. Not a very satisfying ending either for the investment I put into the characters. I even considered a "2" just for how that made me feel.I'm glad to have read these classics of werewolf fiction but can really only recommend them for fans of that sub-genre who feel the need for completing their libraries.
—Benjamin Thomas
Strange to say that I agree with the reviewer who said that this was the best of the three books. I say strange, because it isn't really a part 3 of the story but a different story all together. Howling III is a coming of age story for a lycanthrope boy where the real villains are the humans. I don't know if it is 3 1/2 or 4 stars---I can say that it was fun and I read it straight through to the finish in one day and it was exactly the type of 80's style horror that I thought it would be. If you liked the first two parts or you like the genre, or you just like werewolves, you will enjoy this book. You really don't even need to read the first two---which do have continuous storyline, to read this one.
—Chris
The Howling 3 was a slippery slope for me. I enjoyed the new designs given to the werewolves as I am more of a fan of the bipedal versions versus the large wolf version. However, the reason for their change was never given, not to mention the entire story arc presented in the first two novels was completely ignored and redone. These loopholes held me back from enjoying the novel therefore I forced myself to separate all ties this book had with its predecessors. As a separate story altogether it is great, filled with action, horror, romance, and suspense. As a sequel however it falls short, seeing as how it completely changes the origins originally presented in The Howling. Very good read though, and a very good standalone werewolf novel.
—Cole
