Voices of Rage
Andy Holberry
Independently published (October 26, 2024)
Reviewed by Nora B. Peevy
When I first started reading this short collection of werewolf stories, I was skeptical that there was going to be enough variety because the first two seemed so similar, but then as I settled further in, I fell in love with the character Emily in Adopted who was found as a toddler living with wolves and has known nothing all her life but an orphanage. She is adopted by two wonderful parents, but her real mother is out there hunting for her and refuses to give up her daughter, a mother’s love for her daughter being the strongest bond that cannot be broken. And it turns out that all of Emily’s eccentricities over the years are not strange nuances, but perfectly normal, like her mother. Holberry does such a good job writing about the bond between the mother and daughter that I really felt for the mother and didn’t see her as a villain in this story, even though she was bloodthirsty and wanted vengeance.
Bloodthirsty was also a theme seen in Big Bad Wolf, another favorite of mine, which took an old fairy tale and twisted it on its head twice. I loved the ending and found it very clever indeed. That big bad wolf definitely got what was coming to him, justice, which is one of three common themes radiating throughout all of Holberry’s work – truth, justice, and some sense of closure for the victims, who more often than not are the werewolves and NOT the humans in the stories. This is another aspect of Holberry’s writing I appreciated.
Another favorite story of his was Lost, where the young pups of the village must venture out beyond the village wall to test their mettle and prove they are now young men ready to serve amongst the village to protect everyone in it. Lee and Jax are best friends, but only one of them comes home after a harrowing adventure, which brough a tear to my eye. The quick action fighting scenes are another skill Holberry holds in his back pocket. None of his fights are slow. The pacing is on point. And the fight descriptions are beautifully choreographed.
The last story in the book, The Fight in the Dog is my favorite because it shows the werewolf fighting to win back its humanity and not stay a beast. He refuses to give in to the blood lust of his master, who has been making money off him in shows similar to those in the times of the gladiators. In all of Holberry’s stories, the werewolves are not just bloodthirsty beasts. They live by a code and have their own sense of honor and duty as well. This is something admirable and not seen in all werewolf literature, where a lot of authors just choose to let the beast out and there is blood bath after blood bath until the terrible, Bid Bad Wolf is finally put down.
I think this collection was well-thought out. There is high-packed action along tender human moments that lends it to being more than just a creature feature collection. These aren’t your average predators. This werewolf collection has something for everyone.
Andy Holberry is a member of The Butchered Writers, a group that writes all genres of horror. If you would like to check out more of his work, you can go to thebutcheredwriters.com.
