Wolf's life in the wood might be happy, except for one problem. He can't control his urge to devour children who stumble across his path. His runaway desires have made him an outcast among his peers. He lives an unhappy, solitary life — until he encounters the Brothers Grimm.

Wolf is thrilled to realize that in the presence of these scholars, he can speak. The Grimms take Wolf into their camp, fill him with brandy, and poke at the source of his unhappiness. When they learn the truth about Wolf's cravings, they propose a cure.

Now Wolf must make a decision. Can the satisfaction of a "normal" life outweigh the joys of his perversion? Are his desires truly deranged, or is he simply giving full expression to his nature? Does he have an obligation — as his occasional companion Devil argues — to live as a unique individual in the manner to which he was born?

Originally published by Ecco/HarperCollins, Darkest Desire was called "brisk and sly" by Publishers Weekly; "a mordantly witty, slyly intelligent take on the Brothers Grimm and their folktales" by Kirkus Reviews; and "a tour-de-force of first-person narration" by the Minneapolis StarTribune. "People who believe that 'ethical journalist' is an oxymoron will love Anthony Schmitz's prickly novella," said the New York Times Book Review.