Sharp Teeth
by Toby Barlow
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other reviews (showing 1-20 of 542)
Read in April, 2008
Unknown to the rest of us, L.A. is populated by packs of werewolves, humans that change into dog-like beasts at will. In Sharp Teeth, three packs fight for power and vengeance, a dog catcher falls in love with a female werewolf, and a detective investigates a string of dog-related murders. The plot is tight and closely interweaving, the content is brutally violent, and the text is written in blank verse; somehow this unusual novel works, moving at a swift pace through a large cast and complex pl...more
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Read in February, 2008
Toby Barlow's version of Los Angeles is one that teems with werewolves who run in rival gangs, challenge Mexican crystal meth kingpins, change form at will and regardless of the moon’s cycle, and manage to go largely unnoticed by the human population. They infiltrate the city’s animal shelters, play bridge, surf, battle one another for dominance, build and destroy crime empires, and fall in love. And inexplicably, Barlow chooses to tell their story entirely in blank verse.
If you're anyth...more
If you're anyth...more
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Writing in verse has its drawbacks in that some people instantly recoil when they see something that reminds them of some poetry class where they got their heart smashed apart and the instructor didn’t care because he/she demanded that they interpret some form of verse which they didn’t want to not because they couldn’t but because it was too close to heart and they couldn’t go on….
Or they don’t like things that rhyme unless it’s rap or some children’s story, which of course ...more
Or they don’t like things that rhyme unless it’s rap or some children’s story, which of course ...more
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Read in February, 2008
By Holly Myers, LA Weekly
Like most exhilarating works of copious bloodshed, Toby Barlow's debut novel, Sharp Teeth, begins on a quiet note: with a solitary, mild-mannered figure named Anthony Silvo, flipping through want ads at his East L.A. breakfast table. After several fruitless phone calls, he happens upon a position with the city's animal-control department, which triggers the memory of a puppy he received as a child from a bullishly built but warm-hearted father. It is the only clue we ...more
Like most exhilarating works of copious bloodshed, Toby Barlow's debut novel, Sharp Teeth, begins on a quiet note: with a solitary, mild-mannered figure named Anthony Silvo, flipping through want ads at his East L.A. breakfast table. After several fruitless phone calls, he happens upon a position with the city's animal-control department, which triggers the memory of a puppy he received as a child from a bullishly built but warm-hearted father. It is the only clue we ...more
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Read in March, 2008
recommends it for:
irene & her posse
Toby Barlow writes
about the good things in life
and the bad.
Oh, you know:
Blood, sex, death, hunger, frenzy
But his
conceit!
His
gall!
Is to structure his story
as 308 pages
of free-verse poetry
whose style this preview crudely mimics.
But wait!
Oh gentle goodreads friend
I haven't even told you
the best part.
For Barlow's
book?
poem?
experiment?
What do you call something
that defies all genres?
Anyway, Barlow's..
product
follows the lives
of A PACK OF FREAKIN' WE...more
about the good things in life
and the bad.
Oh, you know:
Blood, sex, death, hunger, frenzy
But his
conceit!
His
gall!
Is to structure his story
as 308 pages
of free-verse poetry
whose style this preview crudely mimics.
But wait!
Oh gentle goodreads friend
I haven't even told you
the best part.
For Barlow's
book?
poem?
experiment?
What do you call something
that defies all genres?
Anyway, Barlow's..
product
follows the lives
of A PACK OF FREAKIN' WE...more
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(9 people liked it)
2 comments
Read in July, 2008
recommended to max by:
Weekly Diggrecommends it for: folks who like graphic novels
Judging by Toby Barlow's popular debut novel set in Los Angeles and crafted in free verse, the occupation of advertising executive is reasonable preparation for writing long poetry, and probably not a handicap in publishing the results. Our ad man first pressed his epic in the UK, where he built enough buzz to overcome us verse-averse Yanks. Equipped with quip-length lines and slogan-strength strophes, Barlow furiously tears down the page with more elan than poise, but this is perhaps befitting ...more
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Read in April, 2008
A book about werewolves, and other dogs, written in free verse and set in LA. What could be better? Well, if you must know --
It's a thoughtful book. The verse is deceptive. You can breeze right through it and suddenly you've lost a sense of what's going on below the surface. I had to slow down my reading to make sure I was paying attention to the nuances of the writing, which meant that the story, for me, dragged at that speed. Maybe if Barlow didn't leave so many things for resolution ...more
It's a thoughtful book. The verse is deceptive. You can breeze right through it and suddenly you've lost a sense of what's going on below the surface. I had to slow down my reading to make sure I was paying attention to the nuances of the writing, which meant that the story, for me, dragged at that speed. Maybe if Barlow didn't leave so many things for resolution ...more
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2 comments
When I first opened this book and saw that is was written in verse stanzas rather than straight prose, I groaned. "Oh no," I thought, "an epic poem."
In fact, the book's format turned out to be one of its greatest strengths, as I quickly gathered after the first few pages. The line breaks and pronounced rhythm of poetry make it perfect for emphasizing a choice phrase or idea, and the relatively small amount of text on each page contributes greatly to the feeling of motion.
...more
In fact, the book's format turned out to be one of its greatest strengths, as I quickly gathered after the first few pages. The line breaks and pronounced rhythm of poetry make it perfect for emphasizing a choice phrase or idea, and the relatively small amount of text on each page contributes greatly to the feeling of motion.
...more
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Read in February, 2008
This book was quite a bit different from the normal werewolf book, and much more rewarding! It didn't take much convincing for me to go ahead and just buy it, and I'm glad I did so because I imagine it'll get a number of re-reads over the year.
The concept behind Sharp Teeth is unusual, and might throw a lot of readers off initially. We're all used to stories of werewolves, but how often do they come in the form of an epic poem?
Not only is it poetry, but it was good poetry. I was a bit di...more
The concept behind Sharp Teeth is unusual, and might throw a lot of readers off initially. We're all used to stories of werewolves, but how often do they come in the form of an epic poem?
Not only is it poetry, but it was good poetry. I was a bit di...more
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Read in May, 2008
recommends it for:
Poets, sci-fi/horror fans, dog owners, Los Angelinos
I got this book because 1) awesome cover 2) who could resist at least trying a novel in verse about werewolves in Los Angeles? (Lots of people, apparently, because no one I mentioned it to wanted to read it. Oh well.) C'mon, the author is described as "If Ovid had been raised on a steady diet of Marvel Comics, Roger Corman, and MTV," that doesn't make you want to at least open the book?! Once I got used to following the plot I thought it was well-constructed, and the characterizations ...more
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recommends it for:
Fans of Cormac McCarthy, DeLillo, poetry & horror flicks
DO NOT be put off by the verse structure--I'm not a poetry aficionado in the least-- but this bold experiment works!
Barlow's epic resonates Homer's Iliad, noir crime, urban fantasy, and the above mentioned McCarthy, Delillo.
A plausible world of werewolf gangs struggling to live amongst the masses of LA. SHARP TEETH isn't just horror-fare, it recasts humanity's desires and failings against the meaning of 'pack' loyalty, craven urges, feral vs. civilized, love and power. And it has some ...more
Barlow's epic resonates Homer's Iliad, noir crime, urban fantasy, and the above mentioned McCarthy, Delillo.
A plausible world of werewolf gangs struggling to live amongst the masses of LA. SHARP TEETH isn't just horror-fare, it recasts humanity's desires and failings against the meaning of 'pack' loyalty, craven urges, feral vs. civilized, love and power. And it has some ...more
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Read in April, 2008
This book lies somewhere between a novel and a "novel in verse." At times it has the clear look and feel of an extended poetic narrative, and at other times it more closely resembles fragmentary prose. While this is not always a problem, it can be distracting, and I don't have the feeling it is always intentional.
The principal concept here - that werewolves of a somewhat different type than that with which we are familiar from old horror movies or more recent effforts such as The H...more
The principal concept here - that werewolves of a somewhat different type than that with which we are familiar from old horror movies or more recent effforts such as The H...more
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Read in March, 2008
I keep going back and forth on this.
Sometimes I like it, and sometimes I don't.
There really are far too many names to keep track of, and, even after more than 100 pages, I'm still not sure of the plot.
But at other times, a particular passage will strike me, or the atmosphere will shine through and I will dig it.
I guess you could say I am liking it on a micro level, but on a macro level it is leaving me cold.
...
I'm struggling with this.
Too many characters!
About 1/2...more
Sometimes I like it, and sometimes I don't.
There really are far too many names to keep track of, and, even after more than 100 pages, I'm still not sure of the plot.
But at other times, a particular passage will strike me, or the atmosphere will shine through and I will dig it.
I guess you could say I am liking it on a micro level, but on a macro level it is leaving me cold.
...
I'm struggling with this.
Too many characters!
About 1/2...more
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8 comments
Read in May, 2008
recommends it for:
no one, really
I really wanted to like this, but it had too many subplots for an abstract story "poem" about man-dogs/werewolves. I pretty much skimmed through the last fifth of it or so out of boredom and frustration. I really didn't care how it ended, I just wanted it to end. I didn't care for the way it was written in free form verse, either. That felt sloppy, like Barlow didn't really have enough text to qualify as more than a long short story/novella, so he figured he'd put it in verse form ...more
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Read in April, 2008
recommends it for:
everyone - actually REQUIRE it for everyone, not just recommend.
OK, I'll admit it-werewolves are my favorite monsters, among the old-school/Universal Classic crowd. So I'll check out pretty much anything on the topic. But Sharp Teeth is something a bit different, and amazingly good.
The book reads like a noir thriller in an epic poetry style. It is one of the more quotable books I have read, and the reviews on the dust jacket deliver additional praise. And this is a first novel for the author, Toby Barlow. There are books that you start reading and...more
The book reads like a noir thriller in an epic poetry style. It is one of the more quotable books I have read, and the reviews on the dust jacket deliver additional praise. And this is a first novel for the author, Toby Barlow. There are books that you start reading and...more
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Read in March, 2008
recommended to Jennifer by:
Entertainment Weeklyrecommends it for: fans of George Pelecanos, Kelley Armstrong, and Sonia Sones
If George Pelecanos, Kelley Armstrong, and Sonia Sones all got together in a dive bar in L.A., talked for hours and had a few too many, a novel like this might have been the result. Written in blank verse, Sharp Teeth tells the gritty, bloody, yet strangely captivating story of a lycanthropic underworld in Southern California filled with schemers, criminals, and down and out folks simply wanting to belong . . . to something. The multiple viewpoints and the relationship between Anthony, a reluc...more
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Read in June, 2008
Wow, am I glad the front of this caught my eye at the library. I wasn’t sure what to expect from it, between the graphic novel comparisons and free verse format. Happily, I found the verse to be almost mesmerizing, sucking me and and pulling me along until before I know it, another 50 pages have passed. The story itself is actually pretty classic… a struggle between the bad guys and the kinda good guys, with a love story woven in between. It’s hard to choose just one excerpt. Overall, I wa...more
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Read in March, 2008
I attended a reading for Sharp Teeth with a friend knowing nothing about the book. I must admit, the brief run-down left me a little bit skeptical of the "werewolves in Los Angeles written in poetry" premise that was laid out. After dutifully picking up a copy (signed "savor every bite"), I went home to read.
In short, I flew through the book, not just because it was easy (which it was) but because it was so engaging. The story, albeit a little fantastic, was jus...more
In short, I flew through the book, not just because it was easy (which it was) but because it was so engaging. The story, albeit a little fantastic, was jus...more
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Read in May, 2008
The story was good, and I liked the set up of the plot. That said, I didn't get particularly attached to the characters and the format (it's written in free verse) would have kept me from getting too into it, even if I'd felt more for the characters and plot. It was...distancing. It got a lot of praise as being werewolf epic poetry, but if you're going to write an epic poem, you need the writing to back it up, and Barlow's not Homer. The scale of the story is too everyday, too small, and the l...more
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Read in April, 2008
I initially gave this book 4 stars simply because I was being a snob, thinking "It's pop fiction, 'AWESOME' doesn't rank 5 stars, does it?"
To hell with that. It's probably hard to imagine a well-written book about werewolves, but you'll have to read to understand. Definitely inventive and an entertaining page-turner, but moving and beautiful at the same time. It'll transport you to a different (yet familiar) world while you're reading it.
Maybe it's my chemically-regulated hormo...more
To hell with that. It's probably hard to imagine a well-written book about werewolves, but you'll have to read to understand. Definitely inventive and an entertaining page-turner, but moving and beautiful at the same time. It'll transport you to a different (yet familiar) world while you're reading it.
Maybe it's my chemically-regulated hormo...more
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2 comments
book data (includes all editions)
avg rating (all editions): 4.02 (266 ratings) avg rating (this edition): 4.14 (7 ratings) number of reviews: 135popular shelves
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quote
"Some things don't pass, the injuries don't heal they merely find a place in our guts and in our bones where they fifully rest, tossing and turning between our knuckles and ribs waiting to wake as the shadows grow long."
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