In this little story titled 'Notre-Dame des Loups' (roughly translatable as 'Our Lady of the Wolves'), we follow a group of huntsmen (including one woman) in North-America in the year 1868. There, they hunt down werewolf-shaped wendigos (Wikipedia), people who by day do what people do: work, take care of the family, and so on, and by night hunt the forests and innocent people.

That's where the veneurs (French for huntsmen; CNRTL.fr) come in:
* Aidan Malcolm Arlington (former journalist)
* Jonas Jorgensen (master of the forge for the silver bullets)
* William "Billy" Winters (the youngest one, sometimes a little too naive)
* Wilhelm Friedrich Würm (a German huntsman who already hunted down the werewolves on European soil; also responsible for the group's finances)
* Evangeline (responsible for the pack of dogs, as a trainer, not a caretaker; she's also the only black person, speaks very little; her being silent does have a reason, as the saying goes: Still waters run deep.)
* Waukahee Oowesha (a redskin, Native American, whose people were brutally taken out; to avenge their deaths and also take down the Lady of the Wolves - same goal as the huntsmen - she decides to join the group, though that doesn't go as smoothly as hoped/expected)
* Jack (fierce and authoritative leader, though he does rely on Würm's advice now and then).

All these people were forced, by their own initiative or because they experienced the atrocities of the wendigos first-hand, to become a veneur. However, one does not simply become a veneur by choice: one must prove one's worth and skills. Can you handle a weapon? Are you a good shot? Are you precise? Do you think for the group? When hunting down wendigos, it's of the essence to "be quick of be dead" (any link with this Iron Maiden song is purely coincidental ;-)).

The only one not accustomed to using revolvers or firearms in general is Waukahee Ooweesha, as she's been using bow and arrows (with silver heads) for years. She's as good with her weapons as the veneurs are with their firearms. However, she too possesses the skills to melt and remelt the silver in order to reuse the heads or bullets. As silver is a precious element and a huntsman can't carry truckloads of bullets with him/her, taking back the bullets from the corpses is key before undertaking the next hunt.

Each character has his/her own chapter, but you'll only understand the story if you read it in the right order: from the first page to the last, as each new chapter continues where the other left off (part of the explanation: each character dies at the end of his/her chapter... well, some don't, but you'll only find out near the end). In other words, each chapter ends with a cliffhanger, which is an excellent way to turn this book into a page-turner and keep the reader's attention.

At the end, there's an extract from the Archives of the Würm domain, explaining who the Lady of the Wolves originally was and how she became the Lady of the Wolves. Throw in a bit of Circe, and Romulus and Remus (for the founding of Rome), and you've got an attractive bit of background story in your hands here.

Although you are instantly thrown into the story, the little lack of build-up or world-building is actually not a flaw, even if a few tens or hundreds (?) of pages to amend that would be welcome; or perhaps another such book, but focusing on the hunters' experiences in Europe, prior to the events in North-America. Nevertheless, this is an exciting, western-influenced quest, topped with a bit of horror, taking place near the west coast of North-America in 1868, a period in which racism was not yet abolished and women needed to stand their ground to be respected for whom they are (as shown in the characters of Evangeline and Waukahee); something that is still the case today. The dense forests, the cold winter nights, ... all help create the perfect, eerie scenery for this kind of story, not to mention the tension between the various hunters, when they (and mainly Jack) can finally end their decade-long quest/mission.

If you're unfamiliar with Adrien Tomas's writing and want to start with something small, then 'Notre-Dame des Loups' is an ideal starting point.

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What I previously read by Adrien Tomas:
* [b:Trolls et Légendes - L'Anthologie Officielle|25301813|Trolls et Légendes - L'Anthologie Officielle|Valérie Frances|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1428245862l/25301813._SX50_.jpg|45029808] (my review)
* [b:Fées et Automates - Anthologie des Imaginales 2016|29848394|Fées et Automates - Anthologie des Imaginales 2016|Jean-Claude Vantroyen|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1460013912l/29848394._SY75_.jpg|50209665] (my review)
* [b:Destinations - Anthologie des Imaginales 2017|35004321|Destinations - Anthologie des Imaginales 2017|Stéphanie Nicot|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1493381757l/35004321._SY75_.jpg|56282674] (my review)
* [b:Créatures - Anthologie des Imaginales 2018|40131137|Créatures - Anthologie des Imaginales 2018|Stéphanie Nicot|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1526470147l/40131137._SY75_.jpg|62247823] (my review)
* [b:La Geste du Sixième Royaume|19201656|La Geste du Sixième Royaume|Adrien Tomas|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1386232857l/19201656._SY75_.jpg|17790125] (my review) ( )