Sharp Teeth, the debut novel from Toby Barlow, brings a new twist to one of our culture's favorite monster legends: werewolves ... well, in this case, more like weredogs.

From the publisher's synopsis:

An ancient race of lycanthropes has survived to the present day, and its numbers are growing as the initiated convince L.A.'s down-and-out to join their pack. Paying no heed to moons, full or otherwise, they change from human to canine at will -- and they're bent on domination at any cost.

Written in free verse, Teeth offers, at times, a stream-of-consciousness take on events, memories and feelings from the characters' perspectives. And the vers libre approach allows the author to offer poetic and thought provoking anecdotes and get playful with language in a way that doesn't distract from the flow of the story or seem at all out of place.

Of the classic monster pantheon, the werewolf is perhaps the best representative, psychologically, of the concepts of dualism and transformation. And Teeth is rich in transformative themes -- not just between man and wolf/dog, but in the lives of the characters themselves.

The book is good. It is unique. The story is very original and the characters are colorful and well-developed. My only real criticism of Barlow's novel would be that there seem to be a few too many protagonists.

A common mistake -- in my opinion -- made in many modern novels is the lumping together of several protagonists into something of a "protagonist team," with scenes or chapters flashing back and forth between different characters' experiences. While having multiple important characters is not at all bad in itself, it helps to have one main character with whom to sympathize or empathize -- if not someone around whom the rest of the story revolves, then at least someone for whom the story is weighted (for lack of a better word) toward their perspective. It's hard to identify a single main protagonist in Sharp Teeth.

The problem with this 'multiple main character' tact is that processing the story can become a bit convoluted -- sometimes you think a character may be one of your key protagonists and then he or she turns out not to be, sometimes it sucks some of the gravity out a twist or a resolution because you had not really been giving the character involved in said twist/resolution the thought, attention or appreciation that they deserved, etc.

All in all, the story is a very good one told well. The humor is dark, but funny. The imagery is vivid, and violent at times (be aware if you are sensitive to that kind of thing). Sharp Teeth is certainly worth the read and a book I heartily recommend.

And the book's got a clever web site. Check it out (and DEFINITELY make sure to watch the "public service announcement!"

http://www.sharpteeththebook.com/

Buy it on Amazon here:

http://www.amazon.com/Sharp-Teeth-Toby-Barlow/dp/0061430226