A review by bosermoki
Breeds by Keith C. Blackmore

dark fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

A different sort of werewolf novel. Blackmore doesn't get enough credit for how efficient his prose is. He manages to convey a lot of descriptiveness, world building and fantastic characterization in a small amount of text. This was a fairly short novel ~300 pages, but I feel like Stephen King or enough other authors would struggle to convey the same story without 200 more pages of fluff. 

The base premise is what if a remote Canadian village mostly populated by tea and toasting pensioners were overrun by dogs turned werewolf in a town now snowed in by a major storm. It's brutal, harsh, but excellently written. Some interactions became repetitive, and while it's different than enough werewolf stories, not's not all that different than 30-days of night but with werewolves.

It's the excellent characterization that makes it excel.