Reynolds, a contemporary of Dickens and Thackeray, was a prolific writer of popular fiction who has been called the most popular writer of his times. Set in Florence in the early 1500s, Wagner, the Wehr-Wolf tells the story of how Fernand Wagner becomes a werewolf after making a pact with the devil. This gothic novel is full of family secrets, mysterious manuscripts, and supernatural encounters. The tale was originally serialised between November 1846 and July 1847.