” The Wolf-Leader” by Alexandre Dumas is a supernatural horror novel set in France during the early 1800’s . Originally published in 1857 , the version I’ve read is an english translation available on the Kindle .

The novel starts with a brief segment explaining how the author came to hear this tale from a hunter ( Mocquet ) as a young boy . Our main story follows a sabot-maker ( Thibault ) whom, after being beaten by the local baron for attempting to poach a deer the baron was hunting , decides to make the rational choice of talking to a black wolf which claims it can grant wishes . All it wants in exchange is a single hair per wish . Thibault being beaten down and naturally envious of others agrees with the deal . The hair turns a blood red for each wish and by the end of this novel only one hair remains unturned . Almost all his wishes backfire causing him to grow angrier and even more envious . By the end of the novel he has wolves eating people all around and even Thibault himself turns into a werewolf .

This is an old werewolf story , in fact , it is considered one of the oldest werewolf novels ever published . Being such , it’s a tad bit different . There are still wolves ripping and tearing folks around but the main werewolf is treated more like an evil genie , able to talk as a wolf and granting wishes . I like that aspect to it , makes the story stand out amongst the many werewolf stories , and the ” be careful what you wish for” story type I’ve always been an easy mark for . The book is an easy read despite it’s age and I would suggest getting it especially for werewolf fans .