Red Moon is an edgy, multi-layered thriller that uses Lycans (werewolves) as a vehicle for social and political commentary, similar to what Max Brooks did with zombies (Brooks did it the best though). In Percy's world, lycanthropy is a prion-based disease that sets Lycans apart from Humans in all aspects of life. Whether they change form or not, the Lycan characters are outsiders looking in on Human society, even though they appear just like their neighbors most of the time. The US Government forces Lycans to take mind-numbing drugs (a neuro-inhibitor combined with colloidal silver) to control the urge of some to shift and attack.This is as much a story of individuals as it is of a movement... a revolution. The Lycans are treated like second class citizens and fight to remove the boot of society from their neck almost the entire book. I found myself rooting for the underdog, in spite of their horrific methods. I understood and empathized with those fighting for their freedom with any tool that came to hand. While I certainly don't advocate violence, it was easy to identify with the willingness to be killed or to shed blood in order to be left alone and liberated. History easily bears this out, distasteful though the idea may be.I didn't mind so much that the writing was a little clunky and unwieldy in places. The descriptive prose and multi-faceted characters more than made up for any unwieldiness in getting from point A to point B. An example of the evocative descriptiveness is this line, which has stuck with me since finishing the book (paraphrasing): The crows sat on the branches of the tree like some sort of poisonous fruit. The imagery and texture of the story was resounding. One thing to mention though... the style of the prose, with switching points of view and overlapping timeframes, may get confusing to some readers. I hope readers don't get discouraged as it isn't jerky or abrupt...the changing of perspectives is done with finesse and grace.The characters are believable and have depth. Claire, a young Lycan girl, and Patrick, a young Human boy have a thread that ties them together throughout the book. I really like the juxtaposition of the cross-species love/anti-love story going on between them. While the events of that occur to the character of the incumbent President, Chase, are a bit far-fetched, his buffoonery and general lecherousness is a striking parody of current politicians. I truly wish we'd gotten some more time with the character of Miriam, Claires hard-as-nails/brittle-as-glass Aunt.All in all, the story was fast-paced and kept me intrigued. There were some predictable parts when building the foundation of the story. And, while the ending was abrupt and cliffhanger-ish, it leaves me hoping that the author has plans to continue with this story and fill us in on what happens from here.Ultimately, I gave Red Moon 4 stars. It was good but fell slightly short of great. The feel of it was reminiscent of a first book in a trilogy, so I look forward to the next book as it will likely be more polished and insightful. It was an entertaining way of commenting on current socio-political events.