The Cry of the Wolf
Encyclopedia
The Cry of the Wolf is the first novel by author Melvin Burgess
. It was published in 1990 by Andersen Press
Limited and republished by Puffin Books
in 1991 and 1995.
Tagline: Always before, he had been the Hunter. Now he had been the prey and he had survived. He would live. He would kill again.
What if there were still wolves in England and only a few people knew it? What if one of those people was an obsessive, half-mad, extremely able hunter who was determined to have the honor of killing the last wolf in England? We are with the last wolf cubs as they are born short minutes before the slaughter begins. The female survives, wounded by The Hunter, only long enough to teach her sole surviving cub a few skills before she too is killed by the man. The cub, Greycub, is reared by Ben and his family and, being a social animal, waits in vain for the sound or scent of a remaining wolf. This is not to be for he is the last wolf in England. Regretfully leaving his human friends, he roams for years searching for sign of his species. In a bizarre but very fitting climax to the story, Greycub becomes the hunter and The Hunter knows, too late, the feeling of the prey.
This is a raw and brutal book and, to be sure, a cautionary tale about extinction. However, the focus is on obsession verging on madness. Ben, the boy who rears Greycub, becomes an innocent betrayer of the wolves for it is he who first alerts The Hunter to the presence of the wolf pack. The book reads like non-fiction with an almost detached manner but the brutality is so compelling that detachment on the part of the reader is nearly impossible. In fact, the feelings of readers would make for a fascinating discussion. At which point did they become engaged? Did they ever feel any sympathy for The Hunter? How did the author do that? Also, there is some anthropomorphism present. Could Burgess have done the book without it?
Silver - Greycub's mother. Her original mate was killed by the Hunter, she then mated with Conna. She is described as being cunning and intelligent.
Conna - Father to Greycub, second mate to Silver. He is a skilled hunter, killed just before Silver.
Jenny - The Hunter's trustful hunting dog, she had an accident with a hyena, making one of her front legs smaller than the other. Killed by the Hunter for betraying him.
Goldface - Silver's original mate, the first kill of the Hunter.
Cacoo - Conna's cousin. Killed by the hunter.
Brindles - An old wolf in Silver's pack. Killed by the Hunter.
Clapper - A farm dog. Killed by the Hunter when he kidnaps Greycub.
Bell - Farm dog. Killed by the Hunter while keeping watch with Clapper.
The Hunter - The evil man of the story, he is driven into a madness to kill the last wolves. He is killed by Greycub.
John Tilley - Ben's father and farmer at High Pond Farm.
Margaret Tilley - Ben's mother. She is somewhat of a clean person but cares for the wolves and her family.
The Breeder - The one who weans Greycub and the only one, besides Ben, that Greycub really respected. He kept over forty deerhounds in his kennels.
Melvin Burgess
Melvin Burgess is a British author of children's fiction. His first book, The Cry of the Wolf, was published in 1990. He gained a certain amount of notoriety in 1996 with the publication of Junk, which was published in the shadow of the film of Irvine Welsh's Trainspotting, and dealt with the...
. It was published in 1990 by Andersen Press
Andersen Press
Andersen Press is a British book publishing company. It was founded in 1976 by Klaus Flugge, and was named after Hans Christian Andersen. Random House has a holding in the company and has a strong association with Andersen....
Limited and republished by Puffin Books
Puffin Books
Puffin Books is the children's imprint of British publishers Penguin Books. Since the 1960s it has been the largest publisher of children's books in the UK and much of the English-speaking world.-Early history:...
in 1991 and 1995.
Tagline: Always before, he had been the Hunter. Now he had been the prey and he had survived. He would live. He would kill again.
Plot summary
The book tells the story of a man who tries to kill the last wild wolves in England, and the wolf, raised among humans, who will try to strike back.What if there were still wolves in England and only a few people knew it? What if one of those people was an obsessive, half-mad, extremely able hunter who was determined to have the honor of killing the last wolf in England? We are with the last wolf cubs as they are born short minutes before the slaughter begins. The female survives, wounded by The Hunter, only long enough to teach her sole surviving cub a few skills before she too is killed by the man. The cub, Greycub, is reared by Ben and his family and, being a social animal, waits in vain for the sound or scent of a remaining wolf. This is not to be for he is the last wolf in England. Regretfully leaving his human friends, he roams for years searching for sign of his species. In a bizarre but very fitting climax to the story, Greycub becomes the hunter and The Hunter knows, too late, the feeling of the prey.
This is a raw and brutal book and, to be sure, a cautionary tale about extinction. However, the focus is on obsession verging on madness. Ben, the boy who rears Greycub, becomes an innocent betrayer of the wolves for it is he who first alerts The Hunter to the presence of the wolf pack. The book reads like non-fiction with an almost detached manner but the brutality is so compelling that detachment on the part of the reader is nearly impossible. In fact, the feelings of readers would make for a fascinating discussion. At which point did they become engaged? Did they ever feel any sympathy for The Hunter? How did the author do that? Also, there is some anthropomorphism present. Could Burgess have done the book without it?
The Animals
Greycub - Son of Silver and Conna. Main character of the story, he grows up to live alone in Scotland where he kills his enemy, the Hunter.Silver - Greycub's mother. Her original mate was killed by the Hunter, she then mated with Conna. She is described as being cunning and intelligent.
Conna - Father to Greycub, second mate to Silver. He is a skilled hunter, killed just before Silver.
Jenny - The Hunter's trustful hunting dog, she had an accident with a hyena, making one of her front legs smaller than the other. Killed by the Hunter for betraying him.
Goldface - Silver's original mate, the first kill of the Hunter.
Cacoo - Conna's cousin. Killed by the hunter.
Brindles - An old wolf in Silver's pack. Killed by the Hunter.
Clapper - A farm dog. Killed by the Hunter when he kidnaps Greycub.
Bell - Farm dog. Killed by the Hunter while keeping watch with Clapper.
The Humans
Ben Tilley - A nice boy who tries to help Greycub for most of his life after letting slip to the hunter that there are still wild wolves in England.The Hunter - The evil man of the story, he is driven into a madness to kill the last wolves. He is killed by Greycub.
John Tilley - Ben's father and farmer at High Pond Farm.
Margaret Tilley - Ben's mother. She is somewhat of a clean person but cares for the wolves and her family.
The Breeder - The one who weans Greycub and the only one, besides Ben, that Greycub really respected. He kept over forty deerhounds in his kennels.