FANTABULOUS FRIDAYS A-Z: W FOR WERES WITH CURTIS JOBLING

Scribble City Central's fortieth Fantabulous Friday comes from Curtis Jobling, author of the Wereworld series, (and also creator of Bob the Builder, beloved by kids everywhere).  I first came across Curtis's Wereworld hero, Drew Ferran - the rightful king of Westland - back at the beginning of 2011 in the first book of the series, Rise of the Wolf. I described that book in a review as 'just my sort of thing...a tightly plotted gripper of a novel with some interesting and original twists to it'.

I haven't changed my mind as the series has grown and developed - Book 4, Nest of Serpents, was published earlier this year, and it's a cracker, with an injured Drew coming to the aid of the besieged Staglords, and a former foe reappearing at the worst moment.  Curtis writes in a vividly descriptive prose style which had me whipping through the pages at a rate of knots, eager to see what happens to Drew and his friends Hector, Gretchen and Whitley as they battle their way through the events of the Lyssian war. A fair splattering of bloodshed and brutality, brave (but badboy) boar warriors, renegade lion lords - and my favourite character of all, Vega the swashbuckling shark pirate - make this a series which should be on every boy's bookshelf.  The Times calls it 'a fantasy world...superior to Eragon, and great fun.'  I'd second that, and what's more, with CGI becoming ever more clever, I can see these books being made into brilliant films. Dreamworks, where are you?!

Given what I've said above, it's obvious that Curtis is just the man to explore the finer points of

W for Weres

Wolves & other Were Critturs

CJ: Although I've just had a look at Anne Rooney's fabulous previous guest post I already knew the Vampire had just bared his gnashers. Admittedly the Vampire has the advantage of being one step ahead of the Werewolf in the alphabet, as well as in many other mediums. In literature and on the big screen the Werewolf was always late to the party, very much a beast of the 20th Century whilst 'Ol' Toothy' before us was a darling of gothic novels and early European cinema. But for all that, the lycanthrope shares his hairy, scary roots with the Vampire, his legend born out of myth and folklore the world over.

Whilst the Vampire represents something seductive, exotic, equally enthralling and terrifying, your common or garden Werewolf is a beast of pure physical horror. The idea that a normal, happy human being can transform into a hideous ravenous beast is a staple of fables from every continent. The classic Werewolf origin lies firmly in Europe, via French myths such as the Beast of Gevaudan and Grimm's Faerie Tales, cautionary stories that warn children to stay away from the woods and the creatures that lurk within. Little Red Riding Hood didn't half give the lycanthrope bad press. But further back we had the Norsemen, ransacking their way across the continent, their 'Berserkers' leading the way in battle. These were warriors clad in bear or wolf skin cloaks who would supposedly acquire the physical characteristics of these animals, their ferocity in battle unequalled.

But across sea and ocean one can find other shapeshifting legends: Werejackals in the Congo, Wereowls in China, aboriginal terrors in Australia and native American nasties too! Every culture understands and retells the myth of the man turning into monster, and unsurprisingly this has inspired writers across the planet. My own love of the Werewolf comes from the old movies and TV shows I watched as a kid. Universal Studios have a lot to answer for, specifically the appearances of Lon Chaney's Wolfman character in the old black and white 'Creature Features'. But there's also British Fayre that frightened the wits out of me, old Hammer House of Horror shows from the Seventies that I watched with my dad, leaping off the sofa as some furry-faced Werewolf suddenly appeared at a window (see: Children of the Full Moon). As I grew and hair started to appear all over my good self (not in a lycanthropic way, alas, but something far more awkward - curse you, puberty!) my taste in horror expanded accordingly, as I fell in love with now legendary horror movies The Howling and An American Werewolf In London, films that dragged the lycanthrope kicking and howling towards the end of the century.

The Werewolf I know, love and admire is the bipedal beast, walking on two legs, the marriage of man and animal. I'd us the term 'Manimal' here but that particular concept has already been done, to equally inspiring effect upon an eleven year old me in the TV show of aforementioned name! Indeed the special effects wizard behind the make-up in this show was Rick Baker, the man who created the terrifying American Werewolf transformation visual effects, and thereby responsible for many fevered dreams in my youth. That and Jenny Agutter, but we won't go there right now, I don't know who's reading this, Lucy! In folklore the lycanthrope was a man shifting entirely into a wolf, but my favoured version was the one immortalised in The Wolfman, the upright horror which was far more terrifying. Hollywood is entirely to blame for this kind of Werewolf, and for that I thank Hollywood profusely.

So how does the Werewolf inspire me as a writer? My twin loves have always been fantasy and horror, and whilst living on the moors in North Yorkshire many moons ago - American Werewolf country, don'tcha know? - that's where Wereworld first came to me, a marriage of the two genres. I saw more to play with than just Werewolves though, imagining a world where many different kinds of shapeshifters ruled: Bears, Lions, Stags and Rats- these are just a few of the Werelords who appear in the first novel, Rise of the Wolf, and as the series progresses we open the world up to the reader. The canvas is vast, the variety of different animals who can be realised as Werelords almost limitless. As the title of book one intimates, it wouldn't be a Werewolf story without the appearance of a lupine hero, and we have that in Drew Ferran, a farmer's son on the brink of manhood. He's going through changes, hair sprouting all over the shop when the moon comes out, his body burning up, guts twisting about and finding fresh homes. Rise is a rollercoaster ride as we follow Drew, last of the Werewolves and rightful king of the realm, as he's chased across the Seven Realms of Lyssia by the wicking King Leopold the Lion and his agents, out of the frying pan and into the fire, encountering all manner of exotic Werelord along the way.

You might be able to tell that the Werewolf in my story is a good guy. Well, the lycanthrope's had a tough time down the years as everybody's go-to, hairy-arsed villain. I wanted to consider the wolf as the hero here, so Drew really does have to step up to the plate. It was a balance that I felt needed redressing, especially as so many of my childhood nightmares had revolved around the fascinating monsters. Another word I've brought into use into the Wereworld series is 'therianthropy' - rather than just relying upon the word lycanthrope (which obviously is only relevant to a wolf), the therianthrope is any man or woman who can shift into a specific kind of beast. And I'm not making this up - have a looksie, google it, you'll find the word existed before muggins here coined it in Wereworld. So, a Bearlord would be an ursanthrope, a Hawklord an avianthrope etc.

As a result of incorporating these many other therian races into Wereworld, I'm very much hoping I've brought my own spin to Werewolf mythology. Setting it in the fantasy world of Lyssia allows me free reign over the do's and don'ts of the lycanthrope myth - whilst silver is harmful to a shapeshifter in this world, there are other ways of killing a therianthrope: fire, decapitation, a clean blow to the heart. My Werelords can also master the beast within - by controlling their therianthropy this gives them an even greater advantage in battle: brawn and brains.

I'm just editing book five in the Wereworld series presently, Storm of Sharks, which will be released into the wild early next year. A sixth book will follow bringing the tale to a close... for now. If you like your fantasy with a soupcon of horror, chances are Wereworld is a fit for you. Or if you're a lover of all things shapeshifty and lupine, you may enjoy this fantasy romp. But most of all, if you've grown up fearful of the dark things that lurk in the woods, do give Wereworld a read: hopefully I've dispelled the myth that big bad ears, big bad eyes and big bad pointy teeth doesn't always mean big bad news.

Curtis, November 2012
UK:  http://wereworldbooks.com
US: http://wereworldseries.com
Twitface:  @curtisjobling

SCC: I'm champing at the bit to read Storm of Sharks (more Vega - yay!) and will have to read the whole lot all over again before book six comes out.  What a treat in store.  Thank you so much for a fab post, Curtis - I'm off to revisit Lon Chaney, and I'm sure others here will be doing the same.

You can buy the first book in Curtis's Wereworld series HERE

Next week: Lauren St John, award-winning author of the White Giraffe series and many other wonderful books, takes on X for Xanthos.  See you then! 

The British Books Challenge 2011 - Review of Wereworld: Rise of the Wolf by Curtis Jobling

The British Books Challenge 2011 is up and running--and I'm late to the January party.  So, with no further ado, here's Scribble City Central's first review of the year, together with a little 'added extra'.

To be honest, when I first heard about it, I wasn't quite sure what to expect from Curtis Jobling's Rise of the Wolf--the first book in his brand-newWereworld series.  I knew little about Curtis himself except that (as he says on his website) he is 'possibly most (in)famously known as the designer of the BAFTA winning BBC show Bob the Builder', and that Wereworld was his first novel.  There was a positive buzz about it on Twitter, though, so I decided to buy it.  Were-beasts, a fantasy world--just my sort of thing, I thought.  How right I was.  It's a tightly plotted gripper of a novel with some interesting and original twists to it. 

Drew is the odd one out in his family--and on the night of the full moon he finds out why.  A nightmare time ensues for him, and he seeks refuge in the Dyrewood.  But Drew is not destined for a hidden life in the forest.  Soon he is enmeshed in a net of dangerous royal politics and prophecy--however hard he tries to run away from himself and his inner were-beast, he is always brought back to the centre of the action.  It's been some time since I stayed up till 2am reading--I need my beauty sleep too much nowadays.  But I found Wereworld just too fascinating to put down easily, and I shall certainly buy the next in the series as soon as it's out. All in all Drew is a great new addition to the ranks of YA fantasy heroes--and I recommend him to you most highly. 

Because of my all night marathon, I'm blaming Curtis for any new wrinkles--although I think they were probably worth it!  Talking of Curtis, he kindly agreed to answer what I hope is going to be an extra feature of these BBC 2011 reviews...cue atmospheric music:

The Burning Question

Warning: There may be the tiniest of Spoilers! 

SCC: “So, Curtis.  Were creatures have a long history stretching right back to ancient times when storytellers huddled round the fires and tried to make sense of a world full of scary ferocious beasts. Which myths or stories about weres did you first come across, and what in particular made you want to write about a were-shark?”


CJ: I've always loved the idea of the old storytellers rustling up tales that were meant to scare rather than soothe children to sleep. The Brothers Grimm are a fine example of cautionary tales that warn us to 'stay away from the woods', the wolf being the choice villain in many of their writings. It's not surprising that every culture around the world has their own variant of the lycanthrope myth, there's something universally terrifying about the werewolf that translates into every tongue. Fear has always been a healthy emotion to me, certainly in literature. When one reads a horror tale late at night and those telltale signs appear - a quickening heartrate, wary glances at the window and a reluctance to turn the page - it gives us a vicarious thrill, a reminder that we're still alive from the comfort of our dressing gowns, slippers and living rooms!

My first encounter with werewolves was through cinema - Lon Chaney Jr's "Wolfman", specifically - and he's still a timeless monster in the Universal Studios pantheon. Then it was on to "An American Werewolf in London" as I grew older, a huge pull for me with its marriage of horror and comedy. I love browsing through myths and legends on the subject, inevitably drawn back repeatedly to the French Beast of Gevaudan, as featured in the splendid movie "Le Pacte des Loups" (AKA "Brotherhood of the Wolf"). Also, the Welsh legend of Bedd Gelert has fascinated me since my childhood, a tragic tale that features a Prince making a grievous assumption and slaying his faithful wolfhound. Upon returning to his home he finds the dog standing over his baby's upturned crib, gore flecked about the room and blood covering the beast's jaws. He runs it through with his sword, stepping by to discover a wolf, slain by the dog, and when he turns the crib over he finds the child safely sheltered within. I love that kind of awful mistake, and that carries through into Wereworld: Rise of the Wolf.

Are we allowed to talk about Wereshark without a Spoiler Alert? ;-D [SCC: Don't worry, I've put one in!] Yes, the wider mythos of Wereworld allows me to play with just about any kind of creature, transforming it into a therianthrope according to the locale and the story. Setting a portion of the novel at sea meant that A Certain Shark Gentleman's delicious background wrote itself, although he isn't the only Sealord out there, as we'll discover in later books. There's something primal and monstrous about the shark, possibly more so than the wolf. Ask me which I'd rather take on in a scrap and the pooch would win paws down every time!

SCC: Thanks so much for visiting Scribble City Central, Curtis, and for giving such a full and fab answer to my Burning Question.