Animal Behavior: And Other Tales of Lycanthropy

by Keith Gouveia

A Chilling Collection of Werewolf Horror! Animal Behavior and Other Tales of Lycanthropy delivers thirteen startling tales - a lone wolf wishing to be a mother, a police detective with an animal edge on the criminals, big plans for prom night, a natural born werewolf discovering there is something far deadlier stalking the streets, the strenuous trials of boot camp, caged women in isolated cabins, lone sharks coming to collect, the best Halloween costume money can't buy, and more... The moon is full. The beast is restless. Are you brave enough to answer the call? This revised and expanded edition contains 2 NEW stories.

Genres: Werewolves, Horror, Fiction

258 pages, Paperback

First published March 16, 2010

Reviews

[Tanya · Rating 3 out of 5]

I won this book in a First Reads giveaway here on Goodreads. The book contains 13 stories about werewolves.

I like that the characters varied in each story. From teenagers to older men, from priests to criminals and to those seeking revenge, each character is unique. There are also a bunch of different myths presented. There's the usual one of anyone being bit by a werewolf becoming a werewolf, but various shape-shifter myths are presented as well as some religious ones. I read the book in one sitting and found each story interesting.

The first two stories had more prominent religious themes and I didn't like them as much as the rest of the stories, but that's a personal preference, not a complaint. Only two of the stories were connected ("Mind, Body and Soul" and "Dog Fight") and I wouldn't mind reading more about the main character, Jesse. I'd recommend this to anyone who likes werewolves, shape-shifters, short stories or monsters.

[Sheebs · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed almost every short story. Love all the different myths about how to become a Werewolf that he covers.

[Colleen Wanglund · Rating 4 out of 5]

Keith Gouveia’s contribution to the werewolf mythos, ANIMAL BEHAVIOR AND OTHER TALES OF LYCANTHROPY is packed with eleven short stories exploring existing legends of lycanthropy as well as establishing new ones. From a cursed former Catholic priest seeking redemption to teens finding themselves in the wrong place at the wrong time, there is something here for everyone.

My favorite story is The Guardian about Adam who is hunting and killing werewolves in the hope of finding the one who killed his daughter and put his wife into a catatonic state. What Adam discovers is that werewolves are guardians of the gates of Hell and keep demons from crossing into our world. The wolf that killed his child succumbed to the temptations of the devil and went rogue. Adam decides to become a guardian to atone for the killings of the other guardians. I love this story because Keith uses Christian lore as a basis for the existence of werewolves and portrays them as good creatures, not the murderous beasts we usually see them portrayed as.

Another favorite of mine is The Wolf Maiden, another story in which the werewolf and the wolf in general is depicted as a good and loving creature. A female wolf has lost her mate to a car and her pups have been stillborn. In her loneliness she seeks company and finds a baby who she wishes to protect from its father. She stays by the house night after night, keeping watch on the child and witnessing the abuse of the baby’s mother. The wolf’s desire to be a mother leads to something extraordinary. Again, I loved this story because the werewolf in question is by no means a murderous beast but a loving mother.

Other notable stories include Lycanthropy about a cop called to a crime scene in a psychiatric hospital that will have you wondering if the murderer is really a werewolf or only believes he is; Animal Behavior about Nicky and Jonah, two high school kids who think that eating the brain of a dead wolf will turn them into werewolves so they can get revenge on those that bully them; War Dog about Marcus, an Army recruit who is not cut out for the military until one night when he decides to attempt to use the myths of his Gypsy ancestors to acquire the traits of the wolf; and Lady of the Forest about a woman who is cursed to turn men who act on their desire for her into the “animals” that they are.

Overall I thought this was a fun read that takes a different slant on the werewolf story. I thought the story Voodoo Moon could have had a little more explanation into the voodoo aspects of the story. I also had questions in Shadows of the Wolf, like how could the cabin be used by teens if someone lived there, and the circumstances of the woman they found. Other than that, I did like ANIMAL BEHAVIOR. I have to say, though, that I would love to see The Guardian turned into something longer—a novella perhaps?
I recommend it to any horror fan; and don’t rule it out if you think you’ve read ‘enough’ werewolf stories….these are different.

Contains some sex and lots of violence and gore.

Colleen Wanglund
6/30/2010

[Keith Gouveia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Since I wrote, it's not fair for me to rate it higher than a 5 :-)

[Vance Knox · Rating 3 out of 5]

Table of Contents:
Introduction || The Beast of Garden Row || Lycanthropy || The Wolf Maiden || The Guardian || Dance of the Wolf || Voodoo Moon || Lady of the Forest || War Dog || Shadows of the Wolf || Animal Behavior || Mind, Body, and Soul

Lycanthropy, werewolves, my favorite horror genre arrived in my email box the other day. I converted it from PDF to epub and loaded it on my Kobo so I could read anywhere. The book is a nice collection of short stories and unlike many other collections, not all the stories were the same.

The collection starts off with a bang, a priest attends an exorcism only to find out the man is not possessed by a demon. The guardian had so much potential but for this reviewer the story failed. It would work better as a standalone novella or novel. A little rewriting and it would slip into the YA genre easily. Animal Behavior and Mind, Body and Soul, Dance of the wolf and Lady of the Forest really make this collection rock. Although for this reviewer, The Wolf Maiden is one of the best stories in this collection, though in saying that the human emotions displayed by the wolf were off-putting. Still, this story grabbed me and drew me in. it is the story of a wolf having lost its pups and she watches a young couple with a new born.

This is a short and fast paced book that will keep you engrossed in the characters and what they face. No two stories are the same and you’ll be pleased to have they collection on your shelf.

[Monster]

Keith Gouveia’s contribution to the werewolf mythos, Animal Behavior and Other Tales of Lycanthropy is packed with eleven short stories that explore existing legends of lycanthropy as well as establishing new ones. From a cursed former Catholic priest seeking redemption to teens finding themselves in the wrong place at the wrong time, there is something here for everyone.
My favorite story is “The Guardian”, about Adam, who is hunting and killing werewolves in the hope of finding the one who killed his daughter and put his wife into a catatonic state. What Adam discovers is that werewolves are guardians of the gates of Hell and keep demons from crossing into our world. The wolf that killed his child succumbed to the temptations of the devil and went rogue. Adam decides to become a guardian to atone for the killings of the other guardians. I love this story because Keith uses Christian lore as a basis for the existence of werewolves and portrays them as good creatures, not the murderous beasts we usually see them portrayed as.
Another favorite of mine is “The Wolf Maiden”, another story in which the werewolf and the wolf in general is depicted as a good and loving creature. A female wolf has lost her mate to a car and her pups have been stillborn. In her loneliness, she seeks company, and finds a baby who she wishes to protect from its father. She stays by the house night after night, keeping watch on the child and witnessing the abuse of the baby’s mother. The wolf’s desire to be a mother leads to something extraordinary. Again, I loved this story because the werewolf in question is by no means a murderous beast but a loving mother.
Other notable stories include “Lycanthropy”, about a cop called to a crime scene in a psychiatric hospital, that will have you wondering if the murderer is really a werewolf or only believes he is; “Animal Behavior”, about Nicky and Jonah, two high school kids who think that eating the brain of a dead wolf will turn them into werewolves so they can get revenge on those that bully them; “War Dog”, about Marcus, an Army recruit who is not cut out for the military until one night when he decides to attempt to use the myths of his Gypsy ancestors to acquire the traits of the wolf; and “Lady of the Forest”, about a woman who is cursed to turn men who act on their desire for her into the “animals” that they are. “Shadows of the Wolf” and “Voodoo Moon” left me with questions, but outside of those, I did like Animal Behavior.
This is a fun read that takes a different slant on the werewolf story. I would love to see The Guardian turned into something longer—a novella perhaps? I recommend it to any horror fan. Don’t rule it out if you think you’ve read ‘enough’ werewolf stories….these are different.
Contains: some sex and lots of violence and gore.
Review by Colleen Wanglund

[Kristina · Rating 4 out of 5]

While it has a long title it's a great collection of short stories! Keith delivers a great bunch of of werewolf tales in this book.

I REALLY enjoyed each story, with many being based on a different myth or legend. There was a good variety of tales ranging from semi-sweet (although I do believe that at least one person was mamed in each story) to totally freaky and gruesome.

If you're into old school werewolves with a modern day twist then I would check this one out.

[Amber Welch · Rating 2 out of 5]

I got this book from goodreads for a honest review. There was just nothing in it that made me say wow at all. There were a few this I liked but not many.