The Original’s Rage by David Watkins

Book Review

Sarah Deeming

For ten years, Captain Peter Knowles has been in the middle of a war between humans and werewolves, hunting down and executing werewolves. The job is dirty and bloody, but it is keeping people safe. However, a botched mission allows some wolves to escape and reveals to Knowles that the secret he has been hiding for those ten years is not so secret. The wolves know that Jack Sadler, an Original wolf, is still alive, and they know where he lives. If just one of the ordinary wolves gets Jack’s power, then the balance of the war will tip towards the wolves, and Knowles may not have the firepower or manpower to stop them. 

The Original’s Rage reads very much like the final in a series, mopping up the loose ends from the previous book, The Origin’s Retribution. In the second book, there is an epic scene where a pack of wolves kills everyone in a motorway service station, but not before a video of the massacre is leaked, and the existence of werewolves becomes common knowledge. Now, there is a task force whose sole focus is exterminating wolves without prejudice. It doesn’t matter whether they have killed anyone or not; all werewolves are killed. We also learn that Jack didn’t die at the end of the second book; he and his family move to Scotland and settle into a new life with different identities. It seems like they have escaped the past until some fugitive wolves hunt him down, needing his help.

The series has gotten more and more brutal as it has gone on, and Rage is no different with an intense opening scene with parallel POVs of Knowles and Harry, a wolf who is hiding with his wife and a group of stoner wolves. We see how both sides are terrified of each other but for different reasons and the visceral, bloody, bowel-emptying nature of this fear. It is not for the faint-hearted. Without giving any spoilers, there is also a very tense scene on a train with a shocking conclusion that will stand out as one of the goriest moments in the book.

As always, the place descriptions are on point, making the scenery part of the story. Jack’s isolation is reflected in his choice of a new home, a cottage in the middle of nowhere. The council estate squat captures the depths the wolves have fallen to in this new world Harry finds himself in. I have always appreciated Watkins’ choice of location for his stories.

The Original’s Rage is a strong and satisfying end to a powerful series which is worth reading in its entirety. In the self-publishing world, this series is a diamond that stands out from other works. Highly recommended.