Werewolf Wednesday Entry 3/26/25

Title: Cycle of the Werewolf.

Media: Book, by Stephen King, illustrated by Bernie Wrightson.

Later adapted into the 1985 film, Silver Bullet, directed by Dan Attias, Cycle of the Werewolf was originally published in 1983 as Stephen King’s shortest novel. The book is divided into sections meant to represent the happenings of each month in the fictional small town of Tarker’s Mills, Maine. To the great misfortune of the town’s citizens, each month a life is claimed by a ravenous werewolf which stalks the area. The ghastly nature of the werewolf featured in the book is all the more profound paired with Bernie Wrightson’s illustrations, which depict a handful of the terrible killings in rich detail.

Marty Colsaw, a rebellious ten year old boy and wheelchair user, begins to notice the peculiar pattern of the attacks occurring in his community after a chance encounter with the beast on Independence Day. Luckily, Marty is able to deter the beast and wound it by throwing firecrackers into it’s face. Aware that he’s wounded the creature, and speculating that the injury will appear on the werewolf’s human counterpart, Marty begins to investigate, quietly observing the locals for anyone with a recent eye injury. As the monthly killings persist, Marty’s family send him away to Vermont for the remainder of the summer. However, once he returns, he happens to spot Reverend Lowe wearing a newly acquired eyepatch. 

Confident that he has determined the werewolf’s identity, Marty begins to send Reverend Lowe a string of threatening anonymous letters, asking that he take his life and cease the murders altogether if he cannot control himself. In the meantime, Marty manages to convince his uncle Al to craft silver bullets for him. By December, Marty sends a final letter and signs his name, anticipating that the beast will target him, and he will be able to kill the monster. Luckily, and with the help of his uncle and the odds in his favour, Marty manages to shoot the beast as it attempts to attack him. Once the beast falls dead, it transforms back into the body of Reverend Lowe. 

Among the greatest strengths of the book is Marty’s intense badassery as a disabled boy who defies the expectations of his family by saving his town from a bloodthirsty werewolf. The positive representation through Marty’s character is truly an admirable feature of the book, as he manages to retaliate against the blatant ableism expressed by his family, and be the hero of the story.

As always, be sure to appreciate your local monsters.