Review of Full Moon & Howlin'

What a treat to sink my elongated canines into this juicy anthology. It is twenty interpretations of the lycanthrope myth and legend from twenty talented storytellers. And is it ironic (in a good way) that we find in the role of anthology editor none other than Lupa herself, Stephanie J. Bardy. I know we are in safe hands with Steph putting it all together, especially when the contributor list reads like a who's who of the Dark Myth family. Alan Russo, Jeff R. Young, Melissa Ridley Elmes, Bruce Rowe, Steve Carr, James (Jim) Bates, T. Fox Dunham, Michael Arnold, Jenna Sparks, our Queen of Scream Dawn DeBraal, and of course El Presidente Mr. David K. Montoya, and the wolf herself, Stephanie J. Bardy (aka Lupa). Amongst this familiarity I discover new names, new styles, new talent, (new victims? Or am I the prey and they the hunter?) Edward Ahern, Andy Rausch, Thomas K. S. Wake, amongst others. As Steph suggests in her introduction each story is a unique viewpoint on the werewolf ideal. We get stories of strength and power, those which look at that power as a curse. Faith is trialed and tested, human nature is explored, as is the question what truly is it that makes one a monster? There is love, and lust, and oh so much blood. A hunger that cannot be sated. As I read through each story, digest every scene, I cannot help but wonder if werewolves are truly real, do they live amongst us? Some of these stories echo with an element (a howl perhaps) of truth. There is an unnatural amount of talent here, and so lucky are we the readers to have this served up for us to enjoy. From classic, to modern, and everything in between, the range of tails (see what I did there? I bet you're howling… and hopefully in a good way) really is a smorgasbord of horror with the wolf featuring front and center. After reading this anthology cover to cover, I truly did consider sleeping with a torch under my pillow, and it also has me wondering about Malcom from the mailroom. So many questions, and yet I think I don't want to know the answer to any of them.
We get to see things from the point of view of the creature, the hunter, the victim, and all the way through we feel like we are the beast devouring this talent. Zombie Works has stayed true to its promise and delivered utter wolf-man (or woman) goodness consistently throughout. Every story just makes you want to read more, and it is with great delight and remorse that you finish with an epic ending from the Fief of Fantasy, Jeff R. Young. There is so much to enjoy here, and so much to reflect upon.
Five soul-shivering howls out of five, with a strange feeling that my steak will not be hitting the hotplate tonight. If you like your werewolf fiction pure, with not a vampire in sight then 100% this is the book for you. So go hunt down your copy now before the pack sniffs you out and finds you lacking this silver bullet.