The Reading Bud

Book Details:

Author: Mark Leslie
Release Date: August 18, 2020
Series: Book 2 of 9: Canadian Werewolf
Genre: Science-Fiction Fantasy
Format: E-book
Pages: 139
Publisher: Stark Publishing
Blurb:
HOW DO YOU KEEP AN INNOCENT CHILD SAFE FROM A PREDATOR WHEN YOU HAVE NO CONTROL OVER THE BEAST THAT ASSUMES CONTROL OF YOU?
A train bound for Vermont leaves Manhattan at 11:35 AM. It takes approximately 9 hours to arrive. Sunset at the arrival destination occurs at 8:20 PM. How does Michael Andrews, a man on that train who is afflicted with a werewolf curse, resolve the fact that the math just doesn’t work out in his favor? Or in favor of the young girl who is

Review

Stowe Away by Mark Leslie is a paranormal road-trip novella that blends urban fantasy, suspense and warm character drama into a deceptively thoughtful story about trust, responsibility and what it truly means to protect another person. The second instalment in the Canadian Werewolf series finds bestselling author—and werewolf—Michael Andrews travelling from New York to Vermont after learning that Gail’s beloved uncle has suffered a stroke. His already complicated journey takes an alarming turn when he discovers thirteen-year-old Bridget Wells hiding aboard the train, fleeing an adult who has violated her trust and now intends to take her home by force. With the full moon approaching and Bridget’s pursuer searching for her, Michael must find a way to keep his promise to deliver her safely to her mother while concealing the transformation he cannot prevent.

The finest element of the novella is the relationship between Michael and Bridget. Leslie gives Bridget intelligence, courage and agency without making her implausibly invulnerable; she remains a frightened young person processing a profound betrayal, yet she also thinks quickly, protects Michael when he becomes powerless and recognises emotional truths that he repeatedly avoids. Michael, meanwhile, is immensely likeable precisely because his decency is instinctive but imperfect. His heightened senses and physical strength make him a convincing protector, but the story is equally interested in his humour, awkwardness, romantic blind spots and tendency to involve himself whenever someone needs help. Their exchanges lend the book its warmth, and the contrast between genuine care and the possessive behaviour of the men who have failed Bridget gives the adventure considerable moral weight.

The supernatural premise is handled with an appealing lightness. Leslie places a werewolf inside a recognisable world of railway compartments, rural stations, buses, hospital corridors and inconvenient travel delays, allowing the extraordinary to coexist naturally with the mundane. Michael’s Canadian self-deprecation, literary references and frequent dad jokes prevent the story from becoming oppressively dark, while the pursuit through Vermont gives its central section genuine tension. The expanded five-part epilogue then moves into more emotionally difficult territory as Michael finally reaches Gail. Rather than offering an uncomplicated romantic reward for his efforts, the narrative examines grief, timing, emotional boundaries and the uncomfortable difference between giving someone what they need and giving them what we want them to accept.

That later section contains some of the novella’s most mature observations, although it also changes the pace and shape of the book considerably. After the economy and forward motion of the train journey, the prolonged hospital vigil can feel repetitive, particularly when Gail’s grief and guardedness are repeatedly interpreted through similar descriptions of scent, heartbeat and physical withdrawal. A little compression within these passages would preserve their emotional significance while allowing the pivotal interactions to strike with greater force. Readers beginning with this volume should also know that, although the immediate adventure is understandable on its own, Michael and Gail’s history belongs to a continuing series and carries greater resonance when approached in sequence.

Compassionate, funny and unexpectedly perceptive, Stowe Away succeeds because its paranormal hero is allowed to misunderstand people even when he can literally smell their emotions. Leslie delivers an entertaining journey while asking serious questions about belief, consent and the responsibilities involved in caring for somebody vulnerable. Readers who enjoy character-led urban fantasy, reluctant heroes, found-family bonds and supernatural stories grounded in ordinary human dilemmas will discover considerable heart beneath this novella’s claws and fangs.

Content note: References to sexual assault and attempted sexual assault involving a minor, parental disbelief, serious illness and anticipatory grief.

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