[Book Review] The Silver Crown by William Bridges

If you’re a fan of White Wolf’s old Werewolf the Apocalypse RPG series, you’d surely love Bill Bridge’s “The Silver Crown”. The novel showcases the game’s signature characters and their never-ending quest to save Gaia from the evil clutches of the Wyrm. This time, Lord Albrecht fights for the kingship of the Silver Fang tribes, and seeks the famed Silver Crown artifact to reunite the thirteen werewolf tribes.

A friend of mine introduced me to the world of Werewolf years ago. The game reinvents the werewolf mythos, making them warriors and spiritual guardians of the world. Through the ages, the werewolves or the Garou prowl the physical and spiritual realms, keeping balance and harmony. The current age of man had corrupted Gaia and it is the task of the Garou to fight off the spiritual darkness.

The novel is filled with a lot of combat. The Garou are creatures of rage and Bill Bridges has a gift for narrating fighting scenes. The book starts off with a fight at the Silver Fang court, leading to the death of the old king. There are plenty of gory battle scenes scattered all throughout the book – from limbs being torn off, decapitation, and disembowelments. We even get to see Lord Albrecht have his pretty pelt ripped out as well (but then werewolves regenerate, so everyone is okay in the end).

Fans of the game would certainly enjoy the book. They’d get to see how Lord Albrecht redeems himself and become the Silver Fang king. Evan of the Wendigo tribe and Mari of the Black Furies are also there to help him fight for the crown. The book also gives an insider’s look into Garou politics, and a brief historical background on the Silver Fang tribe. Readers are introduced to the various political figures, and how the Fangs interact with the other twelve Garou tribes.

The novel uses a lot of game terminology, but it has a glossary page at the end to help guide new readers. I give the book a three-star rating simply because – (1) I love the RPG game and (2) I wanted to know what happened to Lord Albrecht and his packmates.