Werewolf! A Chrestomathy of Lycanthropy

by Bill Pronzini (Editor, Introduction), Brian W. Aldiss (Contributor), Barry N. Malzberg (Contributor)

Fiction; Horror

Genres: Horror, Werewolves, Anthologies, Short Stories, Fiction

201 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1979

About the author

Mystery Writers of America Awards "Grand Master" 2008
Shamus Awards Best Novel winner (1999) for Boobytrap
Edgar Awards Best Novel nominee (1998) for A Wasteland of Strangers
Shamus Awards Best Novel nominee (1997) for Sentinels
Shamus Awards "The Eye" (Lifetime achievment award) 1987
Shamus Awards Best Novel winner (1982) for Hoodwink

Married to author Marcia Muller.

Pseudonyms:
Robert Hart Davis (collaboration with Jeffrey M. Wallmann)
Jack Foxx
William Jeffrey (collaboration with Jeffrey M. Wallmann)
Alex Saxon

Reviews

[Zain · Rating 4 out of 5]

Werewolf Addiction! 🐺

Since I am a fan of old-school werewolves, I have to give this book some “props.” (Did I just use street?)

Anyway, some of these stories are pretty old, but I still have a great fondness for them. The reason being, they show the true essence of the werewolf.

The cruelty, the brutality, the gory violence, and dissonance that the true werewolf experience.

The werewolf is, at first, unaware of his animal nature. And as he gains knowledge, he tries to gain control, but the horror of it all stymies him, and slowly convinces him his life must end.

Unfortunately, modern Hollywood has ruined the image of the werewolf. It has definitely attempted to destroy the mythos and replace it with the lovey-dovey mess that many teenagers are attracted to.

Fortunately, most of the stories here, are following the theme of the mythos and the historical werewolves that l love.

You know, the kind that is violent and horrific and kill you with their bad breath?

That’s right, the scary kind.

[Nancy · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Werewolf! A Chrestomathy of Lycanthropy", edited by Bill Pronzini.

The collection of stories are in three parts:

Classic Stories - Clemence Housman, Guy deMaupassant, Rudyard Kipling, Bram Stoker, Saki (H.H. Munro)

Contemporary Tales & Variations - James Blish, Barry N. Malzberg, Fritz Leiber, Bruce Elliott, Peter S. Beagle

Two Views of Tomorrow - Clark Ashton Smith, Brian W. Aldiss

The Peter Beagle and Clemence Housman stories feature female werewolves.

Last time I checked, the book was out of print. I found it purely by accident at my local library.

If you like werewolves, this won't disappoint!

[Che · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the best collection of short fictional werewolf stories I have read. It is divided into Classic Stories and Contemporary Tales. The Classics are excellent, including authors such as Bram Stoker, Rudyard Kipling and the prettiest werewolf story i have ever read, The Were-Wolf by Clemence Hausman. The contemporary stuff is mostly useless garbage, even Beagle's offering is lame, his writing unrecognizable as being from the same author of The Last Unicorn.

[Maurean · Rating 2 out of 5]

An interesting collection of shorts by an interesting collection of authors - from Rudyard Kipling to Bram Stoker to Bruce Elliot - some better than others,but isn't that always the case? Definately a fun read for this halloween season!

[meg · Rating 4 out of 5]

Picked this up at a used bookstore due to the incredibly iconic cover and, while the stories were a bit hit or miss, I really enjoyed all the introductory notes, and there were definitely a few standouts. My favorites were The Were-Wolf by Clemence Housman, There Shall Be No Darkness by James Blish, and Lila the Werewolf by Peter S Beagle. Really had fun with this one

[October · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm a big fan of short stories, as they give me convenient stopping places when I have to get to work on something or other such distraction--which was why I picked "Werewolves!" up at the library book sale this year. Just like with the "Steampunk'd" anthology, I have very mixed feelings about the stories collected within.

Considering "Dracula's Guest" was part of the collection, I was initially excited to have gotten my hands on such a gem (being a fan of Dracula to begin with), but the rest of the book is a bit of a roller coaster.

There are a number of stories that show up elsewhere--such as "The Hound," which wasn't wholly unenjoyable, actually!--so I skipped over those. However, I now regret doing that.Some of the other stories were incredibly boring and/or had characters with motives that made little to no sense--even upon reflection. This holds especially true for the attempt to blend science fiction and werewolves--sort of a futuristic thing. One of those sorts actually started out very well, but the ending left much to be desired. The other one was just downright ridiculous.

Yes, it's a collection worth skimming through for anyone who likes werewolves (see the parallels between "Werewolves!" and "Steampunk'd"?), but on the whole, it's probably best to find it on clearance or at a garage sale. The collection begins well, and quickly goes downhill, alas.

[Ian · Rating 4 out of 5]

A nice collection of classic Werewolf related short stories ranging from the Victorian to the early modern era. Highly recommended if you want to dip your toes in the water for this sort of fiction. The subject is the same but the approach taken varies. Some play gothic elements straight while others take a more comedic tone or invert the tropes altogether. The Stoker story is a nice intro but of particular note I'd point to Blish's "There Shall Be No Darkness" as both well written and a nice attempt to balance science with the supernatural. Also a story about a "were-man" that is both funny and oddly poignant. Overall a good collection and one I tend to return to if I feel like something moody for Halloween.

[Rena Sherwood · Rating 5 out of 5]

Granted, I wasn't expecting much from this anthology and so was pleasantly surprised to get drawn in and wrapped up in it. Very sorry when it ended. You do need to be familiar with both werewolf and vampire legends in order to get some of it. No sappiness or teenage angst.

[Edwina Book Anaconda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Until reading this book I never knew that Bram Stoker had removed the first chapter from his book Dracula. So glad it was included in this book. What a wonderful lost treasure.

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love everything werewolfesk some of these I have read before some are new to me all are good in their own way.

[Jeff · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very good collection of stories dealing with lycanthropy, from the 19ths and 20 centuries. My favorites were "Gabriel-Ernest" by Saki, a very wry story about a young man and his aunt who take in a seemingly orphaned boy who turns out to be a werewolf; "Wolves Don't Cry" by Bruce Elliott, about a wolf who becomes a were-human; "Lila the Werewolf" by Peter S. Beagle, an urban fantasy about a man and his werewolf girlfriend; and "A Prophecy of Monsters" by Clark Ashton Smith, about a werewolf in the far future. Great reading for an autumn evening, preferably when the moon is full!

[Dalton Gibson · Rating 2 out of 5]

Meh

[Holly Interlandi · Rating 4 out of 5]

New words, new sentences, new perspectives. Said by someone who thought they knew all werewolf lore. Well effing done.

[Jaime · Rating 5 out of 5]

What I enjoyed most about this collection was the visceral and multi-dimensional aspect of most of the collected tales. This collection stays away from the watered-down werewolf tales that now dominate the horror field in lieu of hard-hitting and dramatic tales of terror and suspense. If you like your werewolf tales to have a brain and sophisticated terror, check out this book. Mr. Pronzini provides a great introduction that combines history and a fan's glee. Bravo!