A compilation of short stories all pertaining to...you guessed it. Aahhrrrooooo! There were some absolute gems and a few clunkers. My absolute favorites were Maberry, Meikle, Newman, and Smith. Here's the breakdown of each story:

Like Part of the Family - Jonathan Maberry

Mr. Hunter is a private detective that moved to Philadelphia. He can be very persuasive to get what he wants. Even if he's up against something not quite human. Great story.

5 out of 5 stars

Baby - James Roy Daley

It's good to know who the man really is that you're marrying, especially if you ever plan to have a family with him.

4 out of 5 stars

Anniversary - John Everson

Every month Margaret prepares for her date with Charles when the moon is full. When the sex is that good, you'll do anything for your partner no matter how unorthodox their relationship is.

4 out of 5 stars

The Virgin O' Full Moon Falls - James Newman

Quick little tale of revenge when a pack of rednecks attack the high school virgin queen.

5 out of 5 stars

The Trojan Plushy - David Bernstein

Another revenge tale that combines the werewolf with witchcraft and the Trojan Horse. Has a Twilight Zone-kind of feel.

4 out of 5 stars

Jesus When The Sun Goes Down - Simon McCaffery

The church camp counsellors are hell-bent to save the souls of their campers. But, who is going to save the counsellors?

5 out of 5 stars

Three Dog Night - John F.D. Taff

An animal control officer brings in a strange stray dog.

4 out of 5 stars

Grandma, What Big Teeth You Have - Rob Rosen

Grammy has a secret. Sammy thinks he know what is. He's right...and he's wrong.

4 out of 5 stars

Scarred For Life - Michael Laimo

Fairly predictable yarn about the birth of a father's child.

3 1/2 out of 5 stars

 

Hairs and Graces - William Meikle

Set in a fairy tale, magical and medieval Britain which makes for the perfect setting for a werewolf story. A female investigator is hired by a Lord to find the original owner of a belt he recently purchased. Ah, but this is no ordinary belt. Love, love this story. The only downside is that it ended when I wanted it to keep going. But, isn't that the sign of a good story - you don't want it to end?

5 out of 5 stars

Out of the Light - Douglas Smith

Jan is a hunter of shape-shifters from the old country. After a tragic mistake takes the life of the girl he loved, Jan moves to Toronto into the big city and away from their habitat. But as time passes, all things evolve. Great story.

5 out of 5 stars

Hungry Like The Moon - Rob E. Boley

A tale about what happens if you're a werewolf and are caught in the zombie apocalypse. Nice merge of genres.

4.5 out of 5 stars

Unlucky Moon - T.J. May

Be careful when you answer those ads on Craigslist.

3.5 out of 5 stars

A Taste of Blood and Roses - David Niall Wilson

A woman's disabled veteran husband is a werewolf. While the writing was decent, the story had no substance and went nowhere.

2.5 out of 5 stars

Under A Civil Moon - John Grover

Werewolves Union soldiers racing through the south. This southern belle knows what to do. Not a lot of meat in this story to gnaw on.

2.5 out of 5 stars

Unleashed - Nina Kiriki Hoffman

What to do about childcare when you're a new mom AND a werewolf. Could've been so much more entertaining than this mess.

2 out of 5 stars

 

Steak - Randall Lahrman

Turning into a werewolf is like discovering the Fountain of Youth. Simple and fun story.

3.5 stars out of 5

Silver Anniversary - Stephen M. Wilson

Wedding gifts can come in handy. Another simple, fun one.

3.5 stars out of 5

 

Buy A Goat For Christmas - Anna Taborska

A werewolf attacks an African village, but the blacksmith has a secret weapon. Great storytelling with a nicely fleshed out setting

4.5 stars out of 5

Sq389 - David Wesley Hill

A werewolf attack in virtual reality, blah, blah, blah. Don't even waste your time.

1/2 star out of 5

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Meh. The Repairman Jack series has been getting less and less interesting the more it becomes the story about the Adversary. This is just a big old disaster movie, with Jack's story arc shunted into an unimpressive ending. Disappointing.

Sam and Julie are identical twins. One is an artist and the other a scientist. Julie has been doing research into looking into memories and people's mindscapes while Sam is living in Paris, painting and living impulsively. They lost their parents early and were brought up by their uncle.Sam is found in her apartment in Paris, unconscious and her rooms ransacked. There's no obvious reason for the unconsciousness and Julie decides to investigate the only way she knows how.What she finds could shatter her life.It's interesting, the characters are different and the tech isn't explored in depth but assumed, meaning that it doesn't come across quite as dated as some descriptions of virtual worlds from the 90's. Enjoyable but somehow lacking a bit, the ending felt a bit of a letdown, I did guess some of the mysteries quite early on.

First of the Repairman Jack books that I didn't like. Jack has always been a dark character. There is nothing particularly bad that he does in this book that he hasn't already done earlier in the series, but he does it here with such flat and ruthless affect that it's hard to get behind him. The supporting cast range from blandly unsympathetic to plain nasty. There's no-one likeable to get behind.

Dark Duet - Linda D. Addison, Stephen M.... I really enjoyed this book of poetry. Though billed as dark/horror poetry, there is a thread of sly humor that runs through much of it, both lightening what could otherwise have been a dreary tone and showing that the authors understand the tight relationship between fear and laughter.

One thing that I liked in particular was the readability of the poems. There are a great many poets who seem to think that the goal of poetry is to be obtuse as possible in order to force readers to consider it deeply. I disagree with this approach. Rather, I feel that the best poems are eminently readable, allowing the readers to comprehend story and image on the very first read... and then permitting them to glean deeper layers of meaning on later examination. Addison and Wilson managed this wonderfully. If you like horror, poetry, or just a good read, this one is highly recommended.