Fiction Friday: Apex Predator – Wolf Moon

“Wolf Moon” is a fast-paced horror fiction novel that seamlessly blends urban fantasy with fascinating Native myth and legend.

Wolf Moon offers a unique and rarely seen story about humans encountering the cryptid Dogman of local legend in real life, showcasing the author D.A. Roberts’ ability to seamlessly blend different genres into a riveting read.

Roberts has also authored the Dark Frontier, The Lakeview Man, The Wild Hunt, and the Apex Hunter series. These series, like Wolf Moon, center around normal people encountering urban myths and legends, only to discover these creatures are real.

Roberts, an Army veteran and Law enforcement officer with vast years of experience, brings a high level of expertise to his storytelling. He combines his knowledge of the military and law enforcement with his love of cryptids to create a world not seen in past horror fiction.

In Wolf Moon, the story centers around Detective Sergeant William Greyeagle of the Lacland County Sheriff’s Department, which includes Lebanon, Missouri.

Greyeagle is a tall man of Oglala Sioux ancestry and an excellent tracker. Called in to investigate the horrible murder of two teenagers on a cold January day. Greyeagle surveys the crime scene, taking note of the scent of blood, which tells him there is a lot of it. The bodies were torn to pieces and scattered across a field half the size of a football field.

The horrific scene shocks and appalls Greyeagle, but worse than the scent of blood is the scent of “something” else that his civilized mind doesn’t understand.

Still, a deeper part of his soul does understand, and it scares the hell out of him. Greyeagle finds the murderer’s tracks and deciphers the impossible story they tell him. The toe impressions were like the pads on a wolf, but they were much too large. Combined with the elongation of the heel, the print was too long to fit any known canid species. On top of that, there hadn’t been a wolf sighting in Missouri for over a hundred years.

So, what is this thing?

The old tales told to him by his grandfather, sitting around the campfires, flooded his mind. The Cherokee called it Oolonga-Doglalla — the legend of the Dogman.

Now begins the terrifying journey of Greyeagle and his men as they try to stop these creatures of myths come to life from continuing on their murder spree, especially when no one will believe his story, even if it’s the truth.

Roberts leads the viewer on with more than just a storyline. You learn about weapons, Army and Law Enforcement tactics, Native culture, and Legends. He also throws in elements of urban fantasy and cryptids that are written about but do not have their own stories until now.

The first sighting of the Dogman was in 1887 in Wexford County, Michigan, and has been seen sporadically throughout Michigan and, lately, Missouri. But nothing has been written in a fictional story like Moon Wolf.

Roberts does a great job interlacing multiple tropes into an excellent story.

My only criticism is that I struggled with the pace; Roberts throws too much information at the reader. This story could have easily been longer without the reader losing interest in the outcome. Make no mistake; that’s a critique, but it’s also a compliment. I wanted more from this compelling story. 

This is an excellent novel to pick up if you’re craving a meaty story about cryptids and legends coming to life and haunting our world.