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Of Wizards and Wolves: Tales of Transformation
A memorial anthology for fantasy master David Farland
A good story can entertain us. A great story can transform us.
Two iconic archetypes in fantasy and fairy tales are wizards and wolves, and both are known for their ability to transform. Wizards can work magic to change the rules of the world to fit their wants and needs. Wolves can transform from man to beast under the light of a full moon. Both can represent power and danger as well as inspire loyalty or fear.
This collection of eighteen short stories celebrates a wide variety of both wizards and wolves—often in the same story—as well as peels back the layers of what it means to be transformed. You’ll read stories of people turning into wolves—or wolves turning into people—but you’ll also read stories of a wizard passing on his legacy before he dies, and a hockey game played to reclaim part of a stolen soul. You’ll find a twist on the familiar story of a young girl in a red cape, and a tale of a pinball machine that is more than it appears to be.
From fantasy to horror, to science fiction to humor, these stories offer something for everyone.
David Farland transformed lives, not only with his writing and imagination, but also with his mentoring of new writers. This anthology supports the scholarship fund of the Superstars Writing Seminars, which he co-founded.
“By turns heartbreaking and humorous—but always magical—this anthology is a fitting tribute that’s sure to please Farland’s fans.”—Publishers Weekly
Don’t miss the other anthologies that support the scholarship fund.
A good story can entertain us. A great story can transform us.
Two iconic archetypes in fantasy and fairy tales are wizards and wolves, and both are known for their ability to transform. Wizards can work magic to change the rules of the world to fit their wants and needs. Wolves can transform from man to beast under the light of a full moon. Both can represent power and danger as well as inspire loyalty or fear.
This collection of eighteen short stories celebrates a wide variety of both wizards and wolves—often in the same story—as well as peels back the layers of what it means to be transformed. You’ll read stories of people turning into wolves—or wolves turning into people—but you’ll also read stories of a wizard passing on his legacy before he dies, and a hockey game played to reclaim part of a stolen soul. You’ll find a twist on the familiar story of a young girl in a red cape, and a tale of a pinball machine that is more than it appears to be.
From fantasy to horror, to science fiction to humor, these stories offer something for everyone.
David Farland transformed lives, not only with his writing and imagination, but also with his mentoring of new writers. This anthology supports the scholarship fund of the Superstars Writing Seminars, which he co-founded.
“By turns heartbreaking and humorous—but always magical—this anthology is a fitting tribute that’s sure to please Farland’s fans.”—Publishers Weekly
Don’t miss the other anthologies that support the scholarship fund.
321 pages, Kindle Edition
Published February 10, 2023
6 people are currently reading
18 people want to read
About the author
Lisa Mangum
27 books897 followersLisa Mangum has loved and worked with books ever since elementary school, when she volunteered at the school library during recess. Her first paying job was shelving books at the Sandy Library. She worked for five years at Waldenbooks while she attended the University of Utah, graduating with honors with a degree in English. An avid reader of all genres, she has worked in the publishing department for Deseret Book since 1997.
Besides books, Lisa loves movies, sunsets, spending time with her family, trips to Disneyland, and vanilla ice cream topped with fresh raspberries. She lives in Taylorsville, Utah, with her husband, Tracy. She is the author of the Hourglass Door trilogy and After Hello.
Besides books, Lisa loves movies, sunsets, spending time with her family, trips to Disneyland, and vanilla ice cream topped with fresh raspberries. She lives in Taylorsville, Utah, with her husband, Tracy. She is the author of the Hourglass Door trilogy and After Hello.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
February 20, 2023
David Farland (Dave Wolverton) was one of the greatest authors in the fantasy community and possibly one of the most influential educators in the field. His influence has spread to hundreds of writers over the last few decades. His death last year was tragic, too soon, and painful for the genre community. In order to honor Dave, WordFire Press decided to release a book focused on two things Dave used in his stories, Wizards and Wolves, and decided to use the proceeds from the anthology to fund expenses for students on the Superstars conference. I think it was a very classy move on Kevin J. Anderson and Lisa Mangum's part.
As mentioned, this anthology contains short stories (18 in fact) which have to deal with either Wizards or Wolves (and in some cases, BOTH). Because of the broadness of the topic, some of the short stories are set in our world, some are in Fantasy worlds, and at least 1 is set in a Science Fiction world. All short stories allow writers old and new to flex their muscles at writing Fantasy literature.
The final short story is actually by David Farland himself! It was originally published in another anthology previously and is available online for purchase as an e-book, but for us print-only people it is hard to find a copy. It is published here and it was an absolute delight to read. I would have read an entire book with those characters and actually was reminded of just how special David Farland's writing is to me and makes me want to do a reread of the Runelords series!
Some of the shorts stories were amazing, some of them were just fine or good, and a few were dull and boring. This is inevitable with almost any anthology collection, especially one as broadly topiced as this one. I will focus on the ones I loved the most below. (These are in order of publication in the book, not my ranking of favorite stories).
1. First Story: Magic Hands by Storm Humbert: Dealing with Death and Loved Ones. So sad and well written, kind of made me want to cry. Did a good job of leading off the collection in honor of an author we lost too soon.
2. The Punstoppable Catfish Stanley by Becca Lee Gardener: This story had Puns as a Magic System. It was hilarious, bonkers, and I absolutely want a full novel set in this universe.
3. Silver Sentinels by Jen Bair: This was a sweet High School story about bullying and accepting others. Almost Disney-channelish, but cute and sweet to read nonetheless.
4. Which wolf will you feed? By Tanya Hales: In this tale, a girl must choose between 3 Magic wolves, letting two of them die and one live. A predictable yet sweet story to read.
5. Peace on the Argent by JJ Lynn Daniel’s: This was the Sci-Fi werewolf story with sweet message. Kind of coming of age. It felt like the prose would have fit within a YA story like the Hunger Games, although it was a Sci-Fi book with Fantasy worldbuilding.
6. Of Wolves and Wives by Mel Todd: Definitely the sadest story in the book, it is about slowly losing a spouse, and the toll it takes on you. How do you follow that up?
7. Barbarians by David Farland: although published in 2013, this story reminds us of the Magic and power of the Runelords universe and why we need more books set in it! So entertaining!
Overall, there were amazing parts to this collection, and some weaker elements, but overall worth it to honor David Farland, fund a scholarship, and tell some new stories. 8 out of 10.
(P.S. Note that I want to include: This would have worked better if every story had been either set in the Runelords world or if it had been set in one of Dave's other universes. This might have been controversial and the estate may not have wanted that, but I think it would have generated more buzz, more sales, more attention to David Farland's writing (and the writing of these other authors), and ultimately, would have given us some more stories in one of our favorite universes. Just a thought from me.)
As mentioned, this anthology contains short stories (18 in fact) which have to deal with either Wizards or Wolves (and in some cases, BOTH). Because of the broadness of the topic, some of the short stories are set in our world, some are in Fantasy worlds, and at least 1 is set in a Science Fiction world. All short stories allow writers old and new to flex their muscles at writing Fantasy literature.
The final short story is actually by David Farland himself! It was originally published in another anthology previously and is available online for purchase as an e-book, but for us print-only people it is hard to find a copy. It is published here and it was an absolute delight to read. I would have read an entire book with those characters and actually was reminded of just how special David Farland's writing is to me and makes me want to do a reread of the Runelords series!
Some of the shorts stories were amazing, some of them were just fine or good, and a few were dull and boring. This is inevitable with almost any anthology collection, especially one as broadly topiced as this one. I will focus on the ones I loved the most below. (These are in order of publication in the book, not my ranking of favorite stories).
1. First Story: Magic Hands by Storm Humbert: Dealing with Death and Loved Ones. So sad and well written, kind of made me want to cry. Did a good job of leading off the collection in honor of an author we lost too soon.
2. The Punstoppable Catfish Stanley by Becca Lee Gardener: This story had Puns as a Magic System. It was hilarious, bonkers, and I absolutely want a full novel set in this universe.
3. Silver Sentinels by Jen Bair: This was a sweet High School story about bullying and accepting others. Almost Disney-channelish, but cute and sweet to read nonetheless.
4. Which wolf will you feed? By Tanya Hales: In this tale, a girl must choose between 3 Magic wolves, letting two of them die and one live. A predictable yet sweet story to read.
5. Peace on the Argent by JJ Lynn Daniel’s: This was the Sci-Fi werewolf story with sweet message. Kind of coming of age. It felt like the prose would have fit within a YA story like the Hunger Games, although it was a Sci-Fi book with Fantasy worldbuilding.
6. Of Wolves and Wives by Mel Todd: Definitely the sadest story in the book, it is about slowly losing a spouse, and the toll it takes on you. How do you follow that up?
7. Barbarians by David Farland: although published in 2013, this story reminds us of the Magic and power of the Runelords universe and why we need more books set in it! So entertaining!
Overall, there were amazing parts to this collection, and some weaker elements, but overall worth it to honor David Farland, fund a scholarship, and tell some new stories. 8 out of 10.
(P.S. Note that I want to include: This would have worked better if every story had been either set in the Runelords world or if it had been set in one of Dave's other universes. This might have been controversial and the estate may not have wanted that, but I think it would have generated more buzz, more sales, more attention to David Farland's writing (and the writing of these other authors), and ultimately, would have given us some more stories in one of our favorite universes. Just a thought from me.)
November 22, 2023
This was such a fantastic read! I was truly impressed by the quality of the stories, though I shouldn't be surprised... these authors are part of a fantastic seminar and they all thrive to be better authors. It was hard to choose a favorite since I loved so many of them.
The book is dedicated to the late David Farland, and there is a wonderful story of his, in the Runelords universe, that is a true gem--stories like this inspire you, for sure.
If you love fantasy, if you love wolves, if you love wizards... better yet, if you love all three ... give this a chance. You won't regret it, for sure!!
The book is dedicated to the late David Farland, and there is a wonderful story of his, in the Runelords universe, that is a true gem--stories like this inspire you, for sure.
If you love fantasy, if you love wolves, if you love wizards... better yet, if you love all three ... give this a chance. You won't regret it, for sure!!
June 7, 2023
4*
Seattle Slayers U - Twilight Bargain - Ken Bebelle & Julia Vee
Prequel SS featuring Yvonne & Dario
How they met & how Dario became the type of werewolf he is.
I haven't read any of the other stories yet.
Contents:
Of Wizards & Wolves …& Dave - Kevin J. Anderson
Magic Hands - Storm Humbert
Inspirational Theurgist - NV Haskell
An Abundance of Wizards - Linda Maye Adams
A Sprig of Wolfsbane - Mary Pletsch
To Mend or Rend - Morgan J. Muir
Last Call - Nic Lishko
The Punstoppable Catfish Stanley - Becca Lee Gardner
Silver Sentinels - Jen Bair
The Immortal Dez’itny - Jesse Sprague
Red - Lehua Parker
Which Wolf Will You Feed? - Tanya Hales
Wolfskin - Brenda Carre
Peace on the Argent - JJ Lynn Daniels
Seattle Slayers U [Prequel] - Twilight Bargain - Ken Bebelle & Julia Vee
IF—Wolf - Mike Jack Stoumbos
The Journey Within - William Joseph Roberts
Of Wolves and Wives - Mel Todd
Just Another Pinball Wizard - Robert J. McCarter
Barbarians • Runelords Universe - David Farland
Seattle Slayers U - Twilight Bargain - Ken Bebelle & Julia Vee
Prequel SS featuring Yvonne & Dario
How they met & how Dario became the type of werewolf he is.
I haven't read any of the other stories yet.
Contents:
Of Wizards & Wolves …& Dave - Kevin J. Anderson
Magic Hands - Storm Humbert
Inspirational Theurgist - NV Haskell
An Abundance of Wizards - Linda Maye Adams
A Sprig of Wolfsbane - Mary Pletsch
To Mend or Rend - Morgan J. Muir
Last Call - Nic Lishko
The Punstoppable Catfish Stanley - Becca Lee Gardner
Silver Sentinels - Jen Bair
The Immortal Dez’itny - Jesse Sprague
Red - Lehua Parker
Which Wolf Will You Feed? - Tanya Hales
Wolfskin - Brenda Carre
Peace on the Argent - JJ Lynn Daniels
Seattle Slayers U [Prequel] - Twilight Bargain - Ken Bebelle & Julia Vee
IF—Wolf - Mike Jack Stoumbos
The Journey Within - William Joseph Roberts
Of Wolves and Wives - Mel Todd
Just Another Pinball Wizard - Robert J. McCarter
Barbarians • Runelords Universe - David Farland
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews