Fiction Books With Were-Creatures

[Ashen]

Blood and Chocolate - Annette Curtis Klause
(Vivian Gandillon relishes the change, the sweet, fierce ache that carries her from girl to wolf. hen Vivian falls in love with a human, a meat-boy. Aiden is kind and gentle, a welcome relief from the squabbling pack. Vivian’s divided loyalties are strained further when a brutal murder threatens to expose the pack. Moving between two worlds, she does not seem to belong in either. What is she really—human or beast? Which tastes sweeter—blood or chocolate?)


The Silver Wolf Triology (Silver Wolf, Night of the Wolf and The Wolf King) - Alice Brochardt
(Regeane is a fatherless royal relation who happens to be a werewolf. Her guardian, Gundabald, and his venal son Hugo plan to recoup their fortunes by marrying Regeane to a wealthy bridegroom, even though she might inadvertently make him into a bedtime snack. )

The Year the Wolves Came - Bebe Faas Rice
(In this fast-paced, turn-of-the-century thriller, a young homestead girl's fairy-tale family turns upside down when a mysterious pack of wolves appears, eliciting very peculiar--and terrifying--behavior from Mama.)

Spirit Fox - Mickey Zucker Reichert
(It is the story of a magic-filled land at war. A mythical battle of gods and goddesses. An epic struggle that could ultimately destroy an entire civilization unless a special young woman, spirit-linked to a fox at birth, can harness the gift that runs like a wild creature trapped within her soul...)

The Hollows Series (so far 11 books) - Kim Harrison
(All the creatures of the night gather in "the Hollows" of Cincinnati, to hide, to prowl, to party...and to feed.A bounty hunter and witch with serious sex appeal and an attitude, she'll bring 'em back alive, dead...or undead)

Mercy Thomspon Series (so far 10 books)- Patricia Briggs
(Mercy Thompson's life is not exactly normal. Her next-door neighbor is a werewolf. Her former boss is a gremlin. And she's fixing a VW bus for a vampire. But then, Mercy isn't exactly normal herself.)

Alpha and Omega Series (so far 4 books) - Patricia Briggs
(Anna never knew werewolves existed, until the night she survived a violent attack... and became one herself. After three years at the bottom of the pack, she'd learned to keep her head down and never, ever trust dominant males. Then Charles Cornick, the enforcer- and son- of the leader of the North American werewolves, came into her life.)


Anita Blake Series (so far 22 books) - Laurell K. Hamilton
(In a world where vampires, zombies and werewolves have been declared legal citizens of the United States, Anita Blake is an "animator" - a profession that involves raising the dead for mourning relatives. But Anita is also known as a fearsome hunter of criminal vampires, and she's often employed to investigate cases that are far too much for conventional police.)

The Passion & The Promise (2 books) - Donna Boyd
(Hannah Braselton North has abandoned civilization to spend her life in the Alaskan wilderness. And now she holds in her hands the supposed "memoirs" of one Matise Devoncroix. And it is somehow connected to the critically injured male wolf Hannah pulled from the same airplane wreckage in which she discovered the diary.But the deeper she delves into Devoncroix's story--and the stronger her recovering "patient" becomes--the more the sad, reclusive scientist realizes that what she is reading is no mere fiction. The world's true rulers have been revealed to her: fierce, strong, beautiful, and sensual creatures who have long dominated civilization in secret)

Bitten & Stolen (2 books) - Kelly Armstrong
(Elena Michaels seems like the typically strong and sexy modern woman, She lives with her architect boyfriend, writes for a popular newspaper, and works out at the gym. She's also a werewolf. Thrown into a desperate war for survival that tests her allegiance to a secret clan of werewolves, Elena must recon with who, and what, she is in this passionate, page-turning novel)

Raised by Wolves Series - Jennifer Lynn Barnes
(Adopted by the Alpha of a werewolf pack after a rogue wolf brutally killed her parents right before her eyes, fifteen-year-old Bryn knows only pack life, and the rigid social hierarchy that controls it. But when her curiosity gets the better of her and she discovers Chase, a new teen locked in a cage in her guardian's basement, and witnesses him turn into a wolf before her eyes, the horrific memories of her parents' murders return. Bryn becomes obsessed with getting her questions answered, and Chase is the only one who can provide the information she needs.)

Sookie Stackhouse Series (so far 12 books) - Charlene Harris
(Sookie Stackhouse is just a small-time cocktail waitress in small-town Louisiana. Until the vampire of her dreams walks into her life-and one of her coworkers checks out....(True Blood) )


Walking Wolf Road - Brandon M. Herbert (A therian from Colorado)
(Uprooted and dumped in a small town at the edge of the Colorado mountains, Jimmy Walker is at odds with everything. He feels adrift, alienated from his classmates and even his own family. It’s hard being a teenager in a new town, struggling with grades, depression, hostile classmates, and a stepfather bent on making his life hell—Until a violent collision with fate leaves Jimmy bleeding under the light of a Full Moon…)



Not Were-Creatures but worth Mentioning

Redwall Series (so far 22 books)- Brian Jacques
(As the inhabitants of Redwall Abbey bask in the glorious Summer of the Late Rose, all is quiet and peaceful. But things are not as they seem. Cluny the Scourge, the evil one-eyed rat warlord, is hell-bent on destroying the tranquility as he prepares to fight a bloody battle for the ownership of Redwall. )

Firekeeper Saga (6 books) - Jane Lindskold
(Firekeeper only vaguely remembers a time when she didn't live with her "family," a pack of "royal wolves"-bigger, stronger, and smarter than normal wolves. Now her pack leaders are sending her back to live among the humans, as they promised her mother years ago.)

Call of the Wild/White Fang - Jack London
(The Call of the Wild is the story of Buck, a dog stolen from his home and thrown into the merciless life of the Klondike to endure hardship, bitter cold and the savage lawlessness of men and dogs.

White Fang tells of the adventures of an animal, part dog, part wolf, turned vicious by cruel abuse, then transformed through the patience and affection of one man.)

The Jungle Book - Rudyard Kipling
(The Jungle Books can be regarded as classic stories told by an adult to children. But they also constitute a complex literary work of art in which the whole of Kipling's philosophy of life is expressed in miniature. They are best known for the 'Mowgli' stories; the tale of a baby abandoned and brought up by wolves, educated in the ways and secrets of the jungle by Kaa the python, Baloo the bear, and Bagheera the black panther. The stories, a mixture of fantasy, myth, and magic, are underpinned by Kipling's abiding preoccupation with the theme of self-discovery, and the nature of the 'Law')

Wild Angel - Pat Murphy
(Sarah's parents were murdered, and she, only four years old, was left for dead in the wild mountains. But Sarah was rescued by a wolf who had lost her cubs, and accepted into the pack. There, against all odds, she thrived. Part Mowgli of the Jungle Books, part Tarzan of the Apes, Sarah's story is a delightful adventure for all ages.)


Add to the list!!

[wolfvanzandt]

Two books that I consider classic or near to classic are Sharp Teeth by Toby Barlow and Murcheston: A Wolf's Tale by David Holland. The first is a modern story of werewolf packs in California written in free verse and the later is a fairly traditional Gothic werewolf tale.

Robert McCammon's heroic werewolf, Michael Galatin appears in his World War II novel, The Wolf's Hour, and the anthology, The Hunter From the Woods.

Two exelent anthologies are The Ultimate Werewolf and The Mammoth Book of Wolfmen. The later contains my favorite werewolf short story, Night at the Towers by Clive Barker.

Steven King has written some werewolf fare, most notably, The Cycle of the Werewolf, but my favorite is The Talisman.

White wolf has come out with some fun, if far from Norton quality, novels sch as Breathe Deeply and The Silver Crown, but my favorite is The Watcher because it takes place in the Southeast and I can recognize many of the places portrayed in it.

While not specifically a werewolf novel (though Neal Gaiman has written some of those also that are worth tracking down and reading), Weres would appreciate his American Gods and The Anansi Boys.

[Ashen]

Sept 17, 2012 23:21:21 GMT -6 wolfvanzandt said:

While not specifically a werewolf novel (though Neil Gaiman has written some of those also that are worth tracking down and reading), Weres would appreciate his American Gods and The Anansi Boys.

American Gods, Anansi Boys and Odd and the Frost Giants are all great books that I think every person should read. ..Neil Gaiman is by far my favorite author..and I believe American Gods specifically has amazing points brought up about culture in America as well as our relationship with our god(s)

[moonbeam]

The Silver Wolf is by a wide margin my favorite werewolf book ever. I felt like the other two in the trilogy did not live up to the Silver Wolf, sadly. And I am a fan of Patricia Briggs (She gave me a hand-forged silver bullet, so I will support her work for life), though not totally liking her portrayal of the werewolves in her "Mercyverse."

This is a great list. I've read a lot of these, but some of them I've not heard of, so it gives me some stuff to look forward to reading.

[arcanusgreywolf]

I'll need to check out some of these. Mind you I'm more of an action/fantasy/sci-fi guy as opposed to the more common gothic horror associated with weres. I'm over the whole "lycan vs. vamp" thing.

In fact, I've been working on my own were-ish fiction. It does involve shifters. These shifters do have magical or psionic powers, but only when they are shifted. The powers range from the common fast healing associated with weres (regeneration), telepathy, telekinesis, the ability to call flame, cold and storm and yes, I've even included matter transmutation in there. But there's even more...

Our hero, Robert, is a "newborn". He was "created" through a ritual that involved his parents giving a piece of their own immortal spirits to create a new spirit. He knows nothing of this as he was orphaned a year after his creation. He is not due to awaken until his 21st birthday, but something goes wrong...

He is now 26 years of age and works as an IT consultant. He is married to a Wiccan High Priestess, but his "logical" mind prevents him from accepting magick fully (he's still a 1st degree after 3 years.) His close friends that work with him at the company are Amber, a tall "amazonian" woman who is an accountant and Harry a short Englishman with red hair who is a whiz at cyber-security.

After work one day the three coworkers are confronted by men in black suits, one of which has red hair but of a darker shade than the ginger Harry.
Amber immediately tells Robert to get behind her as she shifts. She becomes a huge 8 foot tall dire werewolf and begins to transmute matter with her paws! Harry shifts into a sandy red-orange furred coyote were and begins performing feats of illusion and trickery.

Of course Robert is freaked, until Amber is hurt...
Then he shifts...

...and stops time!

I'm still revising the story, but I might be convinced to give interested readers a copy of what I have. I warn you it's not ready for prime time yet.

[wolfvanzandt]

I'm reading Anne Rice's "The Wolf Gift" now. It's more of a romance than an adventure or horror novel.

Peter David's Howling Mad is a flat out funny story about what happens when a Werewolf bites a wolf and that wolf becomes a werewolf and has to start adapting to human life.

[Ashen]

Apr 25, 2013 16:50:29 GMT -6 wolfvanzandt said:

I'm reading Anne Rice's "The Wolf Gift" now. It's more of a romance than an adventure or horror novel.

If you haven't read it yet The Silver Wolf by Alice Brodchart (Anne Rice's sister) is 100x better. Still has romance aspects but mixed in with a very interesting take on werewolves in Rome in the times of Charlimain (my spelling of those names is horrible I know >.<)

[moonbeam]

Apr 26, 2013 0:36:59 GMT -6 Ashen said:

Apr 25, 2013 16:50:29 GMT -6 wolfvanzandt said:

I'm reading Anne Rice's "The Wolf Gift" now. It's more of a romance than an adventure or horror novel.

If you haven't read it yet The Silver Wolf by Alice Brodchart (Anne Rice's sister) is 100x better. Still has romance aspects but mixed in with a very interesting take on werewolves in Rome in the times of Charlimain (my spelling of those names is horrible I know >.<)

AGREE! I have read both, and I liked The Silver Wolf better. But I'm partial to that book anyways... I think that the historical setting goes a long way toward my feelings for that book as well, because of my love for history. I can't think offhand of any other historical fictions that involve werewolves.

[wolfvanzandt]

Aye. I've read the whole Borchardt trilogy and the two novels of the Guinevere series that also features Manael and his son. She was planning a trilogy but, unfortunately she died before finishing it.

[Canarius]

They're typically labeled as romance novels (and I don't typically read romance, but I'll make an exception for these) are the books by Sherrilyn Kenyon. "Bad Moon Rising", for instance. Her "Dark Hunter" universe sets animal shifters against each other which is explained using a version of King Lycaon's story/myth/legend. The Katagairi are animal base form shifters while the Arcadians are human base form shifters. For example, the Katagairi wolves would be labeled 'wolfweres' while the Arcadian wolves would be labeled 'werewolves'. The distinction in and of itself is fascinating, and the book is excellent for those in need of a good shapeshifter's book.

Beware, however. It's not for young audiences.

[Hopper]

I'm reading a book now called The Wolf Age by James Enge. It's a fantasy story and mostly revolves around werewolves. The main character of the story isn't a werewolf himself but basically everyone else in the book is. I am about halfway through now and am really enjoying it.

To be honest I'm not sure how to describe it. On the one hand it is hilarious but on the other it has some dark and violent parts as well as some adult themes/situations. I would say it's mostly an action book though. I think the real winning part of the story though is the werewolf culture the author has imagined. It's very unique to werewolves in any other book I've read.

[Ashen]

In what way hopper? I'm stuck reading a ton of college textbooks so can't read anything on my own right now but curious as to how it's a different werewolf culture

[twoworlds]

I too would like to know.

[Hopper]

Well, the story takes place in a fantasy world and the gods of said world want to destroy a particular city. This city happens to be a city entirely of werewolves. Basically the main character of the story, who is not a werewolf, is sort of being unknowingly used as their pawn as they are trying to set events in motion that would cause the city's downfall.

Anyway, as far as the culture goes it is different than other books I have read because in those other books they always seem to be about a pack of werewolves that is basically hiding out in the middle of modern society and the werewolf pack will loosely follow the way a wolf pack would work.

In this story, since the werewolves live in their own city, they don't follow a wolf pack structure. They function like a human society but with differences as to the way their politics work and the way they do things since they are werewolves and not completely human.

Some parts I thought were pretty clever were that the werewolves have two separate languages. One they only use in wolf form and the other they only use in human form. Also, not all of the members of werewolf society perfectly shift back and forth between wolf and human. Some can't change at all and are either fully wolf or fully human. Some are mostly one or the other, with physical characteristics of the other thrown in. Some can change into wolves but their human form might have physical characteristics of a wolf and they can't become completely human. These sort of things effect their social status.

The whole book just feels really imaginative to me. It was not at all what I expected when I picked it up and although I was a bit disappointed that the main character is not himself a werewolf it's got enough werewolves in it that it makes up for it, in my opinion.

One other thing I will mention is that the author has written other books in this universe before and I'm really not sure at all were this one fits in with the others or if it even matters at all as part of a series. The other books I think mainly focus on human characters and I haven't read them at all. While this book is good on it's own there have been a few parts were I wished I understood a bit more about the world it takes place in.

Sorry that was so long.

[kitfallen]

I don't have a lot of specifically werewolf genre books, but I have collected more general shapeshifter and cat-related books.

"The Catswold Portal" by Shirley Rousseau Murphy
about cat shifters who end up in our modern world via some political fighting and such. it's a pretty standard romance-plot with some interesting notions about other worlds and shape-shifting. and cats, of course.

"Switchers" by Kate Thompson
modern set with the idea of some children as natural shapeshifters. the main female lead relates mostly to squirrels, owls, and other such standard forest-y animals. the main male lead relates mostly to rats, goats, and other "odd" sorts of misunderstood animals. it's a series, but I've never managed to read more than the first book, but it's full of adventure and saving the world and all sorts of things.

The Kiesha'ra series (starts with a book called "Hawksong") by Amelia Atwater-Rhodes
set in a world with kingdoms of shapeshifters that center around the species that they change into. the main focus is on the kingdom of avian shapeshifters and another kingdom of serpentine shapeshifters, and a kind of romeo-juliet romance that is born of trying to bring their kingdoms to peace after centuries of war. it's pretty fascinating the mix of cultures based around the shapeshifters and how it's completely normal for them to change forms. the later books focus on various other characters and gets into some really interesting magical systems.


As for cat-centric books, my favorite would have to be Diane Duane's "Book of the Night with Moon" which centers around a group of cats who live in New York City and are magic workers. it's a pretty fascinating take on feline culture, energy work, and how the world works. Diane Duane's other series Young Wizards is set within the same world, and features some cameos of characters. I enjoy it because the cats are unapologetically feline in both culture and personality and not just humans in a cat-like body.

There's also the Warriors series, although in the end, I didn't enjoy it because the cats in it don't really act like cats, but more like something half human, half wolf pretending to be cat. I tend to have issues with books that try to fit cats under a wolf-like hierarchy, but some of the wolves in here might enjoy it more.

As for other mythos, dragon-wise I really suggest the Temeraire series by Naomi Novik. It follows the French Revolution but adds dragons to the mix. It's a really nifty mix of fantasy and history that I adore. Plus the dragons are hilarious and very interesting themselves.

For unicorns, I suggest the Acorna series by Anne McCaffrey and Margaret Ball. It's a future-set scifi series with unicorn aliens and adorable alien little girls finding her place in a world of humanity.

For insects or just more alien kinds of 'kin, I suggest Alan Dean Foster's Humanx Commonwealth series, which starts with "Midworld" but I started with "Nor Crystal Tears" and ended up just fine. It's a scifi series about a kind of ant/praying-mantis-like alien race and their contact with the human race--but most of the series is from both perspectives, not just the humans' side.


Anyway, I'm also working on a urban fantasy novel with both werebeasts and shapeshifters within a modern setting. I've been amusing myself by comparing and contrasting my werebeast races to my shapeshifter races and how different, yet alike they are. I mean to make it a quartet or a trilogy, depending on how many characters end up having their own stories need to be told. The first book will probably start with a pixie fae boy that thought he was human up until his brother died and the spell broke. The second book will deal with a rabbit shapeshifter who is a mage dealing in history like a mix of druid and news reporter. The third deals with a cat shapeshifter who is caught up in a curse that causes him to grant wishes. The fourth book might either deal with a half-werewolf caught up in a similar curse, a elemental fae who is a activist for dragon rights, or a mermaid who hates water and likes crosscountry races, I haven't yet decided whether their stories will be enough to fill a book.