Horror Story Review: "The Real Wolf" by Thomas Ligotti

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This atmospheric little piece begins with the narrator transforming into a wolf—his blemished flesh blossoming into perfect silver-white fur, his flat face pushing itself into an elegant snout. He rejoices in the change, invoking the moon to shine on its “moonchild.” He’s not going to be just any wolf. He’s going to be a Wolf. And tonight, he will take the life of a human for the first time. He promises the moon a human heart. The beauty of this short tale is in the imagery and the language. Author Thomas Ligotti gives the reader a sense of a running through a city, almost like a predator on the hunt. The wolf hears cosmic music in the background wherever he goes. He wonders, do all animals? His philosophical wonderings give the werewolf a bit of a pompous air. The reader may want to tell him tell him, “No, you hunt and eat things because you like it, not because it’s part of some grand scheme of things.” The plot itself is shopworn, but at the same time, one can’t help feel a little empathy for the poor wolf, as entranced as he is with himself and his place in the world. According to Wikipedia, Ligotti, a native of Detroit, is short story writer noted for his Lovecraftian horror and pessimistic outlook. He has written, in addition to his fiction, the non-fiction The Conspiracy Against the Human Race. I could not find an online copy of this story. _____ Title: “The Real Wolf” Author: Thomas Ligotti (b. 1953) First published: Nocturne, Primus Autumn1988 Source: ISFDB