Book Review: The Promise of Plague Wolves by Coy Hall

Set in Austria in 1686, Dorian Toth, a brother of the Order of Saint Guinefort, is tasked by Bishop von Thun to investigate strange reports coming out of the small village of Drunstall. Nestled in the beautiful Styrian woods, the village is quarantined for plague. However, the dead don’t seem to be staying dead. The parish priest has fled, leaving his flock vulnerable to the plague wolves seeking to feast on souls. 

Traveling with Dorin is his faithful greyhound, Vinegar Tom. Facing plague, prejudice, and perhaps witchcraft, will the brave duo be able to lance the boil of evil at Drunstall’s heart?

I want to congratulate Nosetouch Press for the beautiful presentation of this book. I loved the vintage style plate at the front of the volume, announcing the tale. The note at the back of the book about the fifteenth and sixteenth century originators of the typefaces they used was informative, and I found it surprisingly touching. This is a volume that deserves pride of place as a hardback on a shelf. 

The story is engrossing from the first page. I didn’t expect the gross, gooey mixture of the undead, ghosts, and folklore presented within the pages, but I loved them! I thought the mixture of new technology and old ritual a nice touch. 

The characters were exceptionally well drawn, being real from the first time they appeared. They were believable for people living in the seventeenth century, and I loved that the author depicted them as human beings while also capturing the essence of the time period. My suspension of disbelief was never stretched by them appearing to be too modern in their thoughts or actions, nor did they ever become puppets dancing to the author’s tune. I particularly liked Dorin, as well as Anna and Cili’s children from the village. 

Of course, the dogs were the highlight of this book for me. Tom and the other canines were wonderful characters, as important as any of the humans in the book, without losing any of their canine nature. The author obviously knows dogs, for he writes about them with such love and accuracy. It is one of the best depictions of friendship between man and dog that I’ve ever read. There is true respect to the dog, without delving into sentiment. 

You know that a book has nailed its world building when you find yourself considering a character dilemma as if it were a real life problem. At one point, about half way through, I started pondering why a character didn’t take a certain course of action, based upon my limited knowledge of the place and time period. I had to stop when I remembered that the book was not fact but a work of fiction. 

There are some tense and atmospheric scenes within this book. The horror element is imaginative and satisfying. There is a certain element in the book that I found so delicious and creepy that I wish I’d thought of it! 

The writing is excellent and, like all good writing, fades into the background to allow the characters, setting and story to come to life. I know such seemingly effortless writing only comes about through hard labor, and I congratulate the author on this achievement. 

My only niggle, and it really is a tiny nitpick, is that I wished for the characters, as Catholics, to have more thought of God, especially at the denouement. 

I enjoyed ‘The Promise of Plague Wolves’ and I highly recommend it.