Gods with Fur

by Fred Patten (Editor/Contributor), Alice "Huskyteer" Dryden, Field T. Mouse

From the very beginning, mankind has found the divine in the shape of animals from across the world. Deities such as Ganesha, Coyote, Anubis, and The Monkey King—even Zeus took to the wing from time to time. In ancient Egyptian deserts, misty Central American rainforests, and across wind swept tundra, man has forever told stories of gods with fur, feathers, scales, or tusks.

Gods With Fur features twenty-three new stories of divine animals working their will upon the land. You may recognize gods such as Bastet, while other stories see authors working in their familiar worlds, such as M. R. Anglin’s Silver Foxes books or Kyell Gold’s Forester University books. Others are set in new worlds where the anthropomorphic gods have tales to tell us. We are proud to present this new furry view of divinity.

Contents

400 Rabbits by Alice “Huskyteer” Dryden
Contract Negotiations by Field T. Mouse
On the Run from Isofell by M. R. Anglin
To the Reader… by Alan Loewen
First Chosen by BanWynn Oakshadow
All Of You Are In Me by Kyell Gold
Yesterday’s Trickster by NightEyes DaySpring
The Gods of Necessity by Jefferson Swycaffer
The Precession of the Equinoxes by Michael H. Payne
Deity Theory by James L. Steele
Questor’s Gambit by Mary E. Lowd
Fenrir’s Saga by Televassi
The Three Days of the Jackal by Samuel C. Conway
A Melody in Seduction’s Arsenal by Slip-Wolf
Adversary’s Fall by MikasiWolf
As Below, So Above by Mut
Wings of Faith by Kris Schnee
The Going Forth of Uadjet by Frances Pauli
That Exclusive Zodiac Club by Fred Patten
Three Minutes To Midnight by Killick
A Day With No Tide by Watts Martin
Repast (A Story of Aligare) by Heidi C. Vlach
Origins by Michael D. Winkle

454 pages, Paperback

First published July 1, 2016

About the author

Fred Patten was an American writer and historian known for his work in the science fiction, fantasy, anime, manga, and furry fandoms through both print and online books, magazines, and other media.

Reviews

[Alice]

Disclaimer: I have a story, '400 Rabbits', in this anthology.

Considering the theme, this is a surprisingly varied collection. There are animal-shaped gods from Egyptian, Norse and other pantheons, and gods from other worlds and realities entirely. There's a lot of variety, too, in tone and length. I tended to favour the shorter, more humorous works, but there will be something for everyone.

Standouts: Mut's 'As Below, So Above', which finds a fox alone in a spaceship above a dead Earth...alone, that is, except for the gods vying over who will recreate the world; Michael H. Payne's whimsical 'The Precession of the Equinoxes'; and Frances Pauli's atmospheric 'The Going Forth of Uadjet'. I also loved the world setup in Heidi C. Vlach's 'Repast', and will be seeking more of it in her other works.

[Zeta Syanthis · Rating 5 out of 5]

It is rare that one finds an anthology where every story is beautiful and wise in its own way. This is one such, and all the authors should be proud of their work. (I know the editor would be too.)

[Shiloh Skye · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is certainly one of my favorite furry short story anthologies. So many different mythologies are referenced here, and there are even some new mythologies dreamed up to tell a few of the tales. The result is an anthology with a huge amount of variety that never gets boring. It's one of those anthologies in which you can feel the editor's careful selection of the stories to really round out the book. His little introductions for each story also benefit the tone throughout.

This anthology might be a bit aged now, but it's aged like a fine wine and is well worth your time.