40th Anniversary Review: #59 Night Of The Werewolf

tomswift2002 · August 19, 2019, 02:45:31 PM

Night Of The Werewolf
Published in 1979
Published by Wanderer Books (1979-1986), Minstrel Books (1987-late 1990's), Grosset & Dunlap (2005-2013, physical & digital)
Ghost Author: Jim Lawrence
Other Hardy's by author: #'s 16-17, 19 (all 3 Revised texts), 37-39 (Original Texts), 58, 60, 62, 67, 74
Reading Level: 7.1

Plot: A ferocious, wolf-like creature appears during the night of the full moon in a small Adirondack town, attacking livestock and scaring many residents. John Tabor, a young man with a history of werewolves in his family line, is suspect. Frank and Joe Hardy are hired to clear the young man's name.

At the same time, Fenton Hardy his sons' on a case of industrial sabotage. The Hardy Boys, with the assistance of Chet Morton, tackle their assignments with gusto and find themselves face to face with danger wherever they go. Joe barely escapes a horrible death as the young detectives battle their unscrupulous enemies before finally solving this exciting mystery.

Review: I remember getting the green Minstrel cover edition for my birthday in 1996, and my mom saying it had taken a while to get the book in. So the Minstrel Edition was still available in 1996. And of course, from 1979-2005, this was the first book in what was coined the "Digests", however, in 2005 the book was added to the Grosset & Dunlap series, just like it was scheduled to be a part of it in 1979. (The first 4 printings Of #58 "The Sting Of The Scorpion" in 1979 had a plug for Werewolf.) And of course in the UK, "Night Of The Werewolf" was #57 in the series and the first Hardy Boys published by Angus & Robertson in hardcover in November (1980), while Armada would release it in paperback in March 1981. (http://www.hardyboys.co.uk/gallery/57.php).

I'm just starting the G&D version (which I last read in 2005 for both the version and book in general). It's interesting that G&D went with the Wanderer text, since the text was revised in 1987 to change a Native American woman's name from Pochahontas to Elizabeth, due to racial concerns. Of course the Wanderer text was the only text to contain interior drawings, so that mayve been a consideration, in order to make the books match more with the other G&D books.

Of course I never saw these books in bookstores, so that may explain why G&D did not renew the license for its physical & digital rights in 2013. In 2005 I learned of them from the web, but I had to order them in as I never saw them in stores. Not even in those displays that would usually show up in department stores for Christmas or other times of the year.

https://hardyboys.fandom.com/wiki/Night_of_the_Werewolf

MacGyver · August 20, 2019, 06:50:18 PM

Nice review! I enjoyed Night of the Werewolf quite well. This was one of the books in a trend in the late '70s and early '80s of having The Hardy Boys deal with supernatural elements, or at least play around with it, as there most always was a logical explanation. I particularly enjoyed these books.

tomswift2002 · August 20, 2019, 08:09:58 PM

It also interesting that it mentions that the Hardy's attend church (on page 14), and the book takes place in August. Which interesting right now as in the real world, it is August!

MacGyver · August 22, 2019, 07:52:50 AM

I always appreciated that The Hardy Boys books mention Frank and Joe going to church in different books. I don't know if that means they're meant to be portrayed as Christians but it does at least show that they have their moral compass grounded in fear of God.

tomswift2002 · August 22, 2019, 03:44:01 PM

Also interesting, but on page 118 Pop Carter, the owner of Wild World, who the Hardy's helped in "The Sting Of The Scorpion", makes a cameo.

Also Sam Radley and Jack Wayne both appear, along with Skyhappy Sal, the Hardy's plane. Those are three things that disappear from the series after 1985. But still, these connect Werewolf and the Digests to the Original Myster Stories.

And in the G&D reprint, the artwork that is suppose to be on page 122, is actually on page 92, while the artwork for page 92 is on 122.

tomswift2002 · September 26, 2019, 08:20:00 AM

You know, ever since I first read the book in the 90's, the name of the fictional author in the book has stuck in my head. Desmond Quorn. What type of name is Quorn?

MacGyver · September 26, 2019, 08:58:52 PM

It's apparently the name of a meat substitute product from the UK.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quorn
It takes its name from a village in Leicestershire, England.

It seems possible the name is drawn from quarrying rocks, which is one thing the village is known for, evidently.

tomswift2002 · September 26, 2019, 10:04:03 PM

Quote from: MacGyver on September 26, 2019, 08:58:52 PM
It's apparently the name of a meat substitute product from the UK.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quorn
It takes its name from a village in Leicestershire, England.

It seems possible the name is drawn from quarrying rocks, which is one thing the village is known for, evidently.

Well Desmond Quorn wouldn't have been named after the meat-substitute food, as that wasn't around until 1985, 6 years after Night of The Werewolf was published.