Reviewer: Marc Ruby from Warren, MI USA

Good - Up to a Point.
Kaitlin, a young black woman, has fled from the pain of her ability to perceive the world of the monsters that surrounds her. Originally from around Detroit she has moved to a small northern town. Unsuspectingly she discovers that her neighbor, a small town bar, is a hangout for werewolves. Thus forcing her to confront the very issues she was trying to avoid.

Black Rindle is the metis werewolf that Kaitlin spotted after a kill. He is a child of a forbidden relationship between two werewolves, and bears a hunchback as the brand of his parentage. Metis are normally killed at birth, and the other Garou in his sept see his deformity as a mark of shame. To them, Black Rindle is a barely tolerated outcast, rejected by his father, and blamed for the illness and death of his mother. Browbeaten since birth, Rindle has internalized everyone's opinion of himself and has become a drifter and an alcoholic.

Kaitlin, terrorized by the appearance of Black Rindle, manages to overcome her fear of him when she finds his broken body by the road. Rindle had been set upon by one of his sept brothers, EveSong, and left to suffer. Kaitlin brings Rindle to her home and helps him to recover. A thorny and difficult relationship forms between them. When Kaitlin lands a job as a local waste disposal site Black Rindle smells a taint lingering about her. A sure sign of the Wyrm. When they discover that the taint is coming from a laboratory at the hazardous waste repository Rindle realizes that he must turn his life around. He is an Ahroun, a warrior, and is duty bound to fight any manifestation of the Wyrm. He must arouse the sept and prepare for battle.

This series was originally intended to illuminate the role of the Hunters, new characters in the World of Darkness. With this, the third in the series, I am beginning to suspect that the focus of the series is elsewhere. While Kaitlin, the hunter of the tale, has a prominent role, it is trivial compared to that of Black Rindle. The story says almost nothing about the hunters, although it provides a wealth of information about werewolves. Nor is Kaitlin particularly sympathetic. She can barely control here cowardice, and often lashes out in paranoid anger. This is a far cry from the Hunters as described in Andrew Bates' "Heralds of the Storm."

Gherbod Flemming, as usual, manages to make the plot work and keep the reader's interest up, despite the flawed characterizations. Unfortunately something inexplicable happens at the end of the novel. Actually the end never really happens. Having set the scene for what should be a titanic struggle with the Wyrm, and a growing relationship between Black Rindle and Kaitlin, Flemming suddenly abandons the tale in midstream. The entire tale is left hanging, apparently to make space for promotional material for a new series. This ruins this story, makes me wonder if this series is doomed to mediocrity, and certainly does not make me interested in the new series. I am tempted to suggest that Flemming abandon the White Wolf label and strike out on his own. Unfortunately that would deal too severe a blow to the World of Darkness game world. It would be unfair to punish so many gamers for the sins of their publisher.