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| Cry Wolf (Alpha and Omega, Book 1) | 
 enlarge | Author: Patricia Briggs
Publisher: Ace
Category: Book
List Price: $7.99
Buy New: $3.43
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New (41) Used (15) from $3.43
Avg. Customer Rating:  54 reviews
Sales Rank: 267
Media: Paperback
Edition: Ace Mass-market Ed
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 320
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.4
Dimensions (in): 6.7 x 4.2 x 1.1
ISBN: 0441016154
Dewey Decimal Number: 813.54
EAN: 9780441016150
ASIN: 0441016154
Publication Date: July 29, 2008 (New: Last 30 Days)
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Condition: 100% Brand New! - Ships Today! Identical to Amazon's book in every way. Flawless! Not a cheap Remainder or Book Club Copy! *We recommend Expedited Shipping option for much faster mail delivery
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Product Description
Now Briggs begins an extraordinary new series set in Mercy Thompsons worldbut with rules of its own.
INTRODUCING THE ALPHA AND OMEGA NOVELS...
Anna never knew werewolves existed until the night she survived a violent attackand became one herself. After three years at the bottom of the pack, shed learned to keep her head down and never, ever trust dominant males. But Anna is that rarest kind of werewolf: an Omega. And one of the most powerful werewolves in the country will recognize her value as a pack memberand as his mate.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 49 more reviews...
 Excellent Start to a New Series August 4, 2008
47 out of 50 found this review helpful
Though it is not absolutely necessary, readers should definitely start with Briggs' short story in the On the Prowl anthology. She introduces Anna and Charles, and the events in "Cry Wolf" begin immediately following that story. Patricia Briggs really hit her stride with the Mercy Thompson series. Great urban fantasy with a smart, resilient heroine. So, I was surprised to find I enjoy her new "Alpha and Omega" series just as much. It is set in the same world as Mercy; she is mentioned and characters from her books make an appearance. Mercy is a great heroine, but she is somewhat an outsider looking in on (and getting dragged into) paranormal affairs. Anna is a were, and knee deep in werewolf society.
In the short story, Anna was changed against her will and has been beaten down and brutalized by her pack ever since. When a local young man turns up dead, Anna recognizes him as one killed by her pack. She drums up the courage to call Bran, the Marrok and leader of all alpha werewolves. I was intrigued by this character when he was introduced in the Mercy books and was happy to see more of him. Bran sends his son and enforcer, Charles. When Charles meets Anna, he recognizes what she is - a rare and precious Omega wolf with the ability to calm wolves and keep their violence in check. Anna returns to Montana with Charles to join The Marrock's pack. Charles is needed almost immediately to investigate a possible rogue were killing people in the mountains. But, the problem is much more than a rogue - dark magic is targeting the pack. And only Anna and Charles stand in the way.
I think I enjoyed this book so much because we got a deeper look into how Briggs' has formed her werewolf society. Every paranormal series has its own "rules" for weres and vampires, and this is no different. Here the author expands on pack hierarchy, the role of the Marrock, Anna's Omega status and more. Yet, this book also leans far more toward paranormal romance than urban fantasy. Though Mercy has some great sexual tension with Adam and Samuel, she doesn't have a romantic relationship with either. So, the opportunity for witty repartee with someone she loves is missing (though the first chapter of book 4 included here indicates this will change). Anna and Charles make a great couple. Briggs' takes time to build the relationship, while simultaneously weaving her plot around them. Obviously, Anna's abilities as Omega will make her vital to the story's resolution, but the author makes it more than a plot device. Though they are mates, Anna was raped by members of her old pack and is uncertain of herself and Charles. Charles has never let himself have a long term relationship because a human mate would grow old and die. They have issues to overcome. Another big bonus for me was the direct inclusion of Bran in the story. Though he has a history with Mercy, his role in those books is very minor and in the background. Here, he takes center stage for a time and we learn more about him and his family. Though this is more romance than Mercy's series, I think that will change in subsequent books. Now that Anna and Charles are committed, and resolved many of their issues, a more straightforward adventure/mystery is possible without losing their closeness.
The book is well-paced, with great dialog and likeable characters. I could not put it down. The ending was so good, I re-read it twice after I actually finished! Highly recommended.
I'd have liked a bit more at the beginning July 31, 2008
15 out of 22 found this review helpful
I love the Mercy Thompson series and other books by Patrica Briggs. I don't generally read short stories so I missed the first Anna & Charles installment, though, and that made getting into this book seriously annoying--especialy since this book is listed as the first book of a series. As the first book of a series, the story needs to be clear from the beginning and NOT read like a sequel. Other than that, great book.
New series August 2, 2008
15 out of 21 found this review helpful
If you have followed Briggs, Mercy Thompson series you know who Charles is. If not he is the son of the Marrok, the leader of all the werewolves. He met and mated Anna in a short story in the anthology ON THE PROWL. Now they have their own book and it is rich and full of the mysteries of the Pack.
Anna is an Omega wolf, she is above and outside the Pack. She brings calm and peace to the ever anxious wolf. That is why the leader of the Chicago Pack had her made into a werewolf. But she was never told what she was only that she was a submissive wolf and because she fought, she was subjected to many tortures and rapes. Only when Charles came to find out what was wrong with the Chicago Pack did she find out she was an Omega and she has not yet come to realize who and what she is. She is still scared of the males in the Marrok's Pack.
Charles found Anna being abused in Chicago. He finally had to kill the alpha of the Chicago Pack and he was shot with silver bullets at that time. He has not quite recovered when they return to Montana. The only thing he is sure of is that his wolf has claimed Anna.
Bran is trying to decide whether to reveal the existance of the weres. Someone has killed a hiker in the mountains. He was killed by a were and Bran needs Charles, who is his enforcer and son, to go to the mountains and if necessary kill the rogue werewolf. Anna asks to go with him and against Charles will, Bran agrees.
The problem is that it is not just a were but also a black witch who is looking for one of the wolves in the Pack. She has hunted him for many yrs. The rogue wolf is not alone and there may be more than one.
I liked the story about Anna and Charles, some of the part about the black witch and her motives left me abit disturbed. I really didn't like that part as much. But this is a good series and it can only get better.
Move over Mercy, make room for Charles and Anna. Miss the short in On the Prowl? No biggie, the important stuff is all here too. July 30, 2008
12 out of 13 found this review helpful
In Cry Wolf we finally get to see more of the members of the werewolf pack who fostered coyote-shifting Mercy Thompson during her youth. I had been intrigued by several of the characters from the brief glimpses in the early Mercy books and I've been eagerly awaiting more of Charles and Anna since I read their short story in the On the Prowl anthology.
If like me you've read these too, you'll have a head start reading Cry Wolf because we've already had glimpses of Bran the Merrick (alpha to the alpha's) of North America, and his sons, Samuel, who only has a bit part here since he's headed off to invade Mercy's home, and Charles, who is a werewolf but also has magic from his shaman mother. And you'll have already met Anna and know that, while she is not another Mercy incarnation, she is an extremely interesting combination of vulnerability and strength and has a rare power coveted by wolf packs everywhere. But if you're unfamiliar with the Mercy books or the short don't despair, Briggs does a perfectly fine job of bringing in all the significant bits into this story so you won't be totally lost and confused if you just start here, just be patient -it's all here if you keep reading.
The story starts out with Bran retrieving Anna and a wounded Charles from Chicago and give us a brief glimpse of Anna's former pack just to let us know what she's escaping. But when she reaches Charles' Montana home everything is not all hearts and flowers, though their wolves have already bonded its going to take a bit for Anna's human side to catch up, especially when communication is not a strong point for either of the leads - Anna because hiding has been the only way she's survived and Charles because even though he's hundreds of year old, as his father's executioner/enforcer he's been solitary, feared by all of the other werewolves. And the `honeymoon' is going to be an odd one because Charles' father needs the still healing Charles to investigate a human death and subsequent attack on another human that appears to be the work of a werewolf and Bran decides that Anna is to accompany Charles on the hunt to find the rogue. But there is a reason why Bran is Merrick, besides being older than dirt, he is pretty savvy and this physical journey into the wilderness for Charles and Anna may be just what is needed to build Anna's strength and confidence and to cement her bond with Charles, that is if they survive the unexpected danger that is waiting for them in the snowy wilderness.
Though it has some romantic elements, Cry Wolf doesn't just focus on Anna and Charles and their relationship. Briggs has several great characters making significant contributions to this story and she has shifted from the first person voice of her Mercy books into a third person narrative which works very effectively to keep us in the loop so that we get to know the nuances and inner thoughts of all these important players. Along with Charles and Anna and Bran, a damaged old wolf Asil has a fascinating back story that is the catalyst for much of the action and a rogue Walter, with his own tormented past, also has a key part to play. And though we only get to see a small part of Bran's pack in this book, we've been told that Anna's powers are sorely needed by many of the members who walk the edge of sanity and wildness, so I am sure that Anna has her work cut out for her as her story continues in the next books.
I thoroughly enjoyed Cry Wolf, I just loved this journey into another part of Briggs' Mercy-universe. So you can bet that the rest of the Alpha and Omega books are going to be on my must buy list as soon as the links come up. I think that Briggs' website said that she was going to be doing one Mercy and one Charles and Anna story a year. Can't wait! But until then I'll be checking out Briggs' backlist, I'm starting to see them being rereleased with new beautiful covers, but I already have most of them in my TBR pile.
Excellent book but not outtanding July 31, 2008
12 out of 15 found this review helpful
The protagonists are well written and compelling. There are some bobbles, Walter (a new wolf) started with 2 tours in Nam and wound up with three and started as a gray on gray wolf and became a black wolf. But they aren't really annoying and overall the author and editor are to be congratulated. Congratulations are also due the author for the clear distinction between a bandage and dressing. A dressing is like a telfa pad and a bandage holds it in place, important when you are looking at serious trauma. But the major problem that I have is that Charles is his father's uber enforcer and from previous books a financial genius; but he gets viewed as a simple thug? Over all that inconsistency and a good but not excellent plot keep the book from 5 stars.
Slightly annoying in that if you didn't read the Charles and Anna short this book can be hard going at first.
Still a very good read though.
BTW this book was on the stands 2 weeks before Amazon shipped it.
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