“Runeheart”: a werewolf story with a deeper approach

Indie Book Review. Author: Gino Marchetti

Pardon my absence! My wife and I recently returned from a much-needed and enjoyed vacation in southwest Utah. We visited Zion Nat’l Park, Valley of Fire State Park, Snow Canyon State Park, and Red Cliffs Nat’l Conservation Area; it was spectacular. We spent 3½ days hiking, exploring, relaxing, and having fun together, but I also got to spend time diving into a randomly discovered book by Gino Marchetti in Runeheart. With a wonderful cover and intriguing synopsis, I quickly jumped in.

What’s the story about: Runeheart is a first-person, single POV story of a man (named Rune, cleverly) suffering from a curse of being a werewolf while being tasked with the personal mission of assisting a family that comes into his care by chance.

The first and most important thing to get across is Runeheart is a character-driven story through and through. If one is expecting nonstop action in the form of horrific violence, lots of mindless rampaging, and/or a cacophony of shallow situations that pose him as more of a reluctant hulking hero, it won’t be found here. Runeheart is a slower, methodical tale of regret and shame brought on by a life lived under a malediction. The story permeates with moments of warmth between unexpected characters while…