Autobiography of a Werewolf Hunter

Everything About Fiction You Never Wanted to Know.

Autobiography of a Werewolf Hunter is a series by Brian P Easton and published by Permuted Press.

Starring the titular werewolf hunter, Sylvester Logan James, its first volume chronicles his twenty year hunt for "The Beast. The books are notable for their grim and unromantic depiction of werewolves, treating them as brutal monsters that need to be put down. They also refuse to romantice their titular hero, frequently showing him as no better than the creatures he fights. The books have a decidedly hard edge to them, frequently depicting consequences to Sylvester's actions that most books do not consider.

A sequel to the original book, Heart of Scars was released in 2010.

Tropes used in Autobiography of a Werewolf Hunter include:
  • Exclusively Evil: Without question this is the most vicious unsympathetic horrific depiction of werewolves ever created.
    • The sequel takes it to Beyond the Impossible levels, making werewolves vicious Satanic cannibal slavers and gangsters (amongst other things).
  • Badass: Arguably one of the best since Solomon Kane.
  • Badass Normal: Sylvester in the first book.
    • Becomes a Badass Abnormal in the second book. Sort of. It's never clear if Sylvester's possession grants anything but uncommon sociopathy.
  • Bad Boss: C-SIS. It attempts to take Sylvester out after he kills a werewolf baby.
  • Big Bad: Diego.
    • Peter Strubbe takes the role in the sequel.
      • Sylvester's mother looks like she'll assume the role in the sequel.
  • Death by Sex: Apparently, all female werewolves are this. Sylvester gets an up close and personal encounter.
  • Despair Event Horizon: Sylvester goes through one of these in the second book.
  • Dirty Communists: The Russian government is willing to use vast numbers of prisoners to lure out a werewolf. The Viet Cong are pure evil. How much is just Truth in Television is up to the reader.
  • Fantasy Kitchen Sink: Averted. It's a Judeo-Christian mythos with Native American elements. It's implied all other religions interpret, essentially, the Christian mythos.
    • Loki, for example, is actually the Devil.
  • Heel Realization: Sylvester has one of these after Diego's Hannibal Lecture.
    • He has a protracted one encompassing the entirety of the second book.
  • Heroic BSOD: Sylvester has the mother of all ones after Diego totally shreds his reality.
  • Hijacked by Jesus: Somewhat questionable as while Christianity seems to be "correct." Native American shamanism also seems to be factually correct.
  • Hollywood Voodoo: Possibly played straight, possibly not. Sylvester is unsure if Voodoo magic works or not or if he's being played by all the theatrical characters he meets in New Orleans.
  • I'm a Humanitarian: Werewolves run a business based on this.
  • Magical Native American: Partially subverted. Sylvester is trained as part of a secret Cheyenne werewolf hunting sect, but they have no special powers. Sylvester's relationship with the spirits is also treated as a purely real-life quest for a genuine religious experience.
  • Mighty Whitey: Averted. Sylvester is trained as a werewolf hunter by his Cheyenne guardian but, to all appearances, doesn't actually become any better than other members of the sect.
  • One-Man Army: Sylvester versus an entire town turned into werewolves.
  • Politically-Correct History: Subverted. Sylvester is a Canadian (!?!) Vietnam War veteran who holds the attitudes of many soldiers of that time towards the conflict. The book refuses to romanticize either side, treating the enemy as particularly vicious while simultaneously showing the United States government as handling the war incompetantly.
  • Sociopathic Hero: Deconstructed. Sylvester thinks he's okay with being one. Diego promptly then destroys all sense of his self-worth, showing him what a pitiful self-justifying philosophy it is.
    • Sylvester tries to be this AGAIN in the second book, believing himself to be a Villain Protagonist. Unfortunately, he comes face to face with the soul-crushing consequences of this and the fact it's literally impossible to outdo werewolves in evil.
  • If You're So Evil Eat This Kitten: A local branch of the KKK demands Sylvester, part Cheyenne Indian, kill a Mexican man to prove his loyalty. Sylvester, unfortunately needs their help tracking down Diego. Sylvester pulls the trigger on the gun, only to find it was empty.
  • Our Werewolves Are Different: There's numerous races of them with some classes being more powerful than others.
  • Reality Ensues: Sylvester gets caught by the police after a particularly successful hunt. He's promptly sent to maximum security prison and is unable to escape, spending a number of years behind bars in deplorable conditions.
  • Trauma Conga Line: Sylvester's life can be summarized as this.
  • War Is Hell: Vietnam in particular.
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