Plot Summary:
Life in the Tulenar Internment Camp for Japanese-Americans in 1942 is not easy. The detainees obviously don't want to be there, living in captivity instead of their own homes. Plus, their incarceration forces them to face the cultural identity struggle between the younger, more assimilated Japanese-American citizens and their stricter, more traditional Japanese elders.
Most of the military and civilians working at Tulenar don't want to be there either. They must overcome their exhaustion, loneliness and personal prejudices to balance the needs of the detainees with those of the U.S. during wartime. Tulenar's newly-arrived captain, still recovering from an accident outside of camp, is almost overwhelmed with his new job. The camp's civilian leader assists the captain as much as their personal and professional dislike and standoffishness will allow.
To add to the stress and paranoia already running rampant at Tulenar, a vicious wild animal is stalking the camp and slaughtering its inhabitants one by one. It will come as no surprise – given that the book is titled Full Wolf Moon – that the animal causing this mayhem is actually a werewolf. Tulenar's captain and civilian director are forced to work together to figure out what to do. (How to fight werewolves isn't covered in the manual, so they have to be creative.)About the Author:
K.L. Nappier writes different kinds of fiction, but seems to have an affinity for supernatural thrillers. (Her biggest childhood influences were Edgar Allan Poe and Rod Serling, so this is to be expected.) She lives in the Tampa Bay area and may be found online at www.klnappier.com.
Aisling Press is releasing Full Wolf Moon as a paperback this month. Nappier's book launch party will be from 4-6 p.m. on February 23, 2008, at Panera Bakery and Cafe at Feathersound (2285 Ulmerton Road, Clearwater, FL 33762). The book launch party is free and open to the public. Nappier will be there, of course, signing and selling her books, and there will be entertainment, food and door prizes.What I Liked:
I liked the unusual setting of the book. I had not read a novel set in a Japanese-American internment camp before. Even without the werewolf, this book is intriguing, with its vivid depiction of characters – Japanese, Japanese-American, American, detainee, military, civilian, young, old, male, female, kind-hearted, prejudiced and every combination thereof – and their struggles. Nappier did a good job of breathing new life into the familiar werewolf genre. She mixed traditional lycanthropy legend (markings on the palms of the victims) with new elements (a Navajo healer-turned-werewolf hunter dedicated to killing the werewolf but saving the person).What I Disliked:
I didn't have any dislikes, but I was surprised that the grisly death sequences weren't really all that grisly. Hopefully this will make Full Wolf Moon more palatable to readers who usually avoid "the gross stuff," but hardcore blood-guts-n-gore fans might be slightly disappointed. (But they should read it anyway!)Bottom Line:
Drama, war, intrigue, tension, conflict, murder, werewolves, accidents, mystery, Navajo legend, silver bullets, werewolf hunters and an ending that doesn't wrap everything up neatly but still satisfies. Yum.
Rating: A
"FANGRRL" is ©2008 by Lisa Ciurro. All graphics, except where otherwise noted, are creations of Nolan B. Canova. All contents of Nolan's Pop Culture Review are ©2008 by Nolan B. Canova.
