The Cry of the Wolf is the first novel by author Melvin Burgess. It was published in 1990 by Andersen Press Limited and republished by Puffin Books in 1991 and 1995.

Tagline: Always before, he had been the Hunter. Now he had been the prey and he had survived. He would live. He would kill again.

Plot Summary

The book tells the story of a man who tries to kill the last wild wolves in England, and the wolf, raised among humans, who will try to strike back.

Characters

The Animals

Greycub - Son of Silver and Conna. Main character of the story, he grows up to live alone in Scotland where he kills his enemy, the Hunter.

Silver - Greycub's mother. Her original mate was killed by the Hunter, she then mated Conna. She is described as being cunning and intelligent.

Conna - Father to Greycub, second mate to Silver. He is a skilled hunter, killed just before Silver.

Jenny - The Hunter's trustful hunting dog, she had an accident with a hyena, making one of front her legs smaller than the other. Killed by the Hunter for betraying him.

Goldface - Silver's original mate, the first kill of the Hunter.

Cacoo - Conna's cousin. Killed by the hunter.

Brindles - An old wolf in Silver's pack. Killed by the Hunter.

Clapper - A farm dog. Killed by the Hunter when he kidnaps Greycub.

Bell - Farm dog. Killed by the Hunter while keeping watch with Clapper.

The Humans

Ben Tilley - A nice boy who tries to help Greycub for most of his life after letting slip to the hunter that their are still wild wolves in England.

The Hunter - The evil man of the story, he is driven into a madness to kill the last wolves. He is killed by Greycub.

John Tilley - Ben's father and farmer at High Pond Farm.

Margaret Tilley - Ben's mother. She is somewhat of a clean person but cares for the wolves and her family.

The Breeder - The one who weans Greycub and the only one, besides Ben, that Greycub really respected. He kept over forty deerhounds in his kennels.

Footnotes

Ben Tilley - A young boy how accidentally lets the truth slip that there are wolves in England, and despretly tries to save them.

The Hunter - The bad guy of the story, he is a ruthless hunter driven mad by the wolves, and will stop at nothing to see he kills the last one. Greycub tries to kill him but he doesn't succeed the Hunter tries to drown himself.

John Tilley - Ben's father and farmer at High Pond Farm.

Margaret Tilley - Ben's mother. She is somewhat of a clean person but cares for the wolves and her family.

The Breeder - The one who weans Greycub and the only one, besides Ben, that Greycub really respected. He kept over forty deerhounds in his kennels.