Synopsis
One night, Jess, a struggling actress, finds a five-year-old runaway hiding in the bushes outside her apartment. After a violent, bloody encounter with the boy’s father, she and the boy find themselves running for their lives.
As they attempt to evade the boy’s increasingly desperate father, horrifying incidents of butchery follow them. At first, Jess thinks she understands what they’re up against, but she’s about to learn there’s more to these surreal and grisly events than she could’ve ever imagined.
And that when the wolf finally comes home, none will be spared.
Review
My biggest eternal thanks to Tor Nightfire for sending an ARC my way!
Raw, violent, and unrelenting, every single line of Nat Cassidy’s When the Wolf Comes Home proves to be a gift to us all. An all-encompassing confrontation of fear itself, Cassidy’s upcoming release thrives on intensity in every sense, from action to emotionality to depth and everything in between. “No one will be spared,” an incredibly fitting tagline for this story as not even we, the readers, are safe from Cassidy’s thorough interrogation of the idea of fear, the very subject that makes this genre tick. An actress who is down on her luck, Jess, stumbles across one frightened and lost boy, a five-year-old unable to express anything other than sheer dread. And for good reason, as his father soon emerges leaving a wake of destruction in his path. In the unlikeliest of circumstances, Jess takes the boy and runs, trying to escape the claws of this relentless beast with terror lurking around every corner. While this may sound like a game of cat-and-mouse from hell, When the Wolf Comes Home gallantly confronts the beast of anxiety itself (the grown-up version of fear according to Cassidy), giving shape, definition, and words to the inexplicable.
Nearly all of Nat Cassidy’s works have been born from a place of personal examination as reflected in every one of his foreword and afterword entries. It would be remiss of me not to take these passages into account given the weight of the sentiments shared, things that have given an additional dimension to his already astounding narratives. Cassidy’s ability to connect with readers on such a level through his sincerity and earnestness should not be understated as he crafts stories that last. They speak so truly to the human experience even with every unfathomable horror element executed at the highest level. In the case of When the Wolf Comes Home, this comes in the form of Terminator-style werewolves (for one example) engaging in merciless pursuit.
Of course, we have come to understand that this atmosphere of persistent pursuit is a horror writer’s playground (think about The Ring, It Follows, etc.). Cassidy utilizes this well-loved mechanism to explore some gnarly realities surrounding fear and the power such an emotion has over an individual. This fear is eventually promoted to anxiety, particularly with Jess’ character, as she navigates her own sea of grief and turmoil. In fact, ideas of power, consciousness, and perception are all placed on full display with an array of polarizing colors through Jess and the kiddo (affectionally named). These abstract notions, feelings, and ideas are held under a microscope within these pages as the loss of fathers, ideas of fathers, and what life on the other side of this figure of loss looks like. We’re reminded that wherever we go, there we are no matter how far we run, how fast we sprint. More to the point, Cassidy’s writing contains that kind of subtle poignancy that lands emotional blows with the simplest of sentiments, penning lines that hold the power to change a life.
In a world where fear and anxiety are everyday passengers to our lives, a story such as Jess’ entwined with this kiddo comes at a dire time. When the Wolf Comes Home is a profound novel that elicits emotions similarly related to reading Daniel Kraus’ Whalefall and Liz Kerin’s First Light. The commonality between these books (besides being some of my personal favorite works of fiction, ever) lies in the unabashed confrontation of what may harm us most. Nat Cassidy has written a wholly unique, passionate, and deeply moving story that defies so many of our preconceived expectations within the horror genre. This story is a little meta, it’s nonstop-in-your-face action, it is the promise of a monster in every shadow, and above all, it is resonant, soul-changing, and a true masterpiece. When the Wolf Comes Home is a friendly reminder that while what lurks in the darkness may be terrifying, there is indeed a chance to make acquaintances with our beasts, to make a home where the wolf resides.
When the Wolf Comes Home by Nat Cassidy releases from Tor Nightfire on April 22, 2025.
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