Written in German and published in 1927, Hermann Hesse's tenth novel, not a biography of the lukewarm band that brought us such classic rock radio hits as 'Born To Be Wild' and 'Magic Carpet Ride,' is decent. It's only 250 pages. It's about a guy who envisions himself as having a psyche that is divided in two. One side can cope in society and the other side, the wolfish side, can not deal with the world and longs to commit suicide. Throughout the novel, the boundaries of fantasy are routinely crossed, especially the ending, the most entertaining part of the book, in which Harry 'Steppenwolf' Haller is described as being in a 'Magic Theater' where he can step through any of thousands of various doors and live out various scenarios. These include a shoot-em-up war scene and an encounter with a chessman who explains life as being chess pieces that are forever being rearranged. By the way, Steppenwolf is a German word that means 'coyote,' literally 'wolf of the steppes.' Some words in English related:lycanthropy (noun): 1. a delusion in which one imagines oneself to be a wolf or other wild animal.
2. the supposed or fabled assumption of the appearance of a wolf by a human being.
lupine (adjective): pertaining to or resembling the wolf; wolflife; wolfish
Not a bad book, however, if you are going to read something written by Hermann Hesse, I would definately recommend reading Siddhartha first. This seemed to me to be the better book, and it's even shorter. It's a book about the main character, Siddharta's, quest for enlightment. Siddhartha was the birth name of Buddha (so Wikipedia tells me), and the novel is set in 6th Century B.C. India. Whether or not Siddhartha is supposed to be Buddha himself in the novel, I don't know. Buddhist philosophy, however, still abounds.
It's a very good book. Thom Yorke likes it and used it for inspiration on at least a couple of songs on the Amnesiac album, most plainly heard in the lyrics to 'Pyramid Song.' So all you Radiohead fans out there, check it out. Quick read, read it in one sitting, beside a river, honestly. It gives you a good feeling. You'll thank me later. 
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