Cold at Heart

Cold at Heart is a fast-paced yarn about two manly men, a wildlife photographer, a biologist who studies wolves, and the biologist's Nordic beauty of a daughter, who encounters a fierce, intelligent, shapeshifting monster in the wilds of the Arctic Circle. Brian Hopkins's writing is a welcome throwback to the best of the horror/fantasy/adventure tales that used to appear in American pulp magazines from the 1930s through the 1950s. He adheres to the same storytelling principles of economical characterization, vivid descriptions, lots of action, and a bang-up ending. Even the scene where the blonde babe gets naked right off the bat is forgivable in the context of goodhearted, retro fun. Praises are due to Starlance Publications for having the cojones to publish a novella--that satisfying length for a supernatural tale--as a stand-alone paperback.