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Werewolves
Edited by Martin H Greenberg
Reviewed by Joe Parra
Rating: 3 out of 4
No, I'm not going
to start this review by explaining what a werewolf is. If you don't know
that by now, oh well. The wonderful thing about Werewolves,
an anthology of tales about beast people, is that each story does not insult
the intelligence of the reader by defining (or re-defining) lycanthropy
- either supernaturally or psychologically. Editor Martin H. Greenberg
(with the help of various authors) has collected an entirely new set of
stories; and they are, on the whole, a nice set. The tales are fairly evely
divided between the half-human/half-beast type of werewolf (my favorite)
and the four-legged "big doggies."
"Extinctions in Paradise," by Brian Hodge,
offers a wonderful solution to the plight of homeless children in a Latin
American country. The story also seems to be inspired by the Argentine
death squads of the 1970s, and it counters the police nicely.
In "Bindlestiff," by Peter Crowther, we
are told things from an evil werewolf's point of view on his slaughterhouse
tour across the country. He learns a lesson from (and teaches one to) a
little girl looking for a pet doggie.
"Never Moon a Werewolf," by Barbara Paul,
examines what life is like for a pack of lycanthropes
belonging to a W.A. (Werewolves Anonymous) group - and is hilarious.
Many of the other tales deal with vengeance
from a lupine perspective, such as: "Dumpster Diving," by Nina Kikiri Hoffman,
about meaningul werewolf adoption; Wendy Lee & Terry Beatty's "Double
Identify," about sibling rivalry; "Wolf," by Max A. Collins, in which a
ladykiller meets his match; Mike Baker's "Bark at the Moon," which reminds
us about the age-old lesson - never talk to strangers; and a great many
other tales too numerous to mention.
Other stories in the anthology are absolutely
hilarious, the best being "Woofman," by Brenda Crank and Scott Nickell,
which tells the story of a man trying to please his horror-film-obsessed
girlfriend by becoming a werewolf - and having to settle for something
else...
There is also the deeply-moving novelette,
"Some Touch of Pity," by Gary A. Braunback. It relates the tale of a werewolf,
beginning at childhood, and his relationship with the Native American who
both cursed him and taught him how to become an adult at a young age.
All in all, there are 23 tales of terror
in Werewolves, to delight, tantalize, and occasionally stifle us
into believing that, come the full moon, you must beware. Enjoy!!!
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