A while back we were all bitching about the fact that the majority of werewolf books nowadays are trashy romances – you know, broad shouldered men on the cover with some cleavage-tastic chick in his arms. If that wasn’t bad enough, if aren’t trashy romances, then they’re often an angst-ridden teen romances. Now, there’s nothing wrong with those types of books (I read them myself) but come on, sometimes we just need a tougher book that isn’t full of nauseating love scenes but with scenes of violence and kickassery. These types of books are clearly the minority in the world of werewolf fiction, but they do exist. So here’s a list of a few badass books for those that are sick of the romances. Feel free to add to the list in a comment below.
Autobiography of a Werewolf Hunter by Brian P. Easton
This book tells the story of Sylvester James – a werewolf hunter. His mother died giving birth to him and his father never was butchered by a werewolf. Alone in the world, Sylvester is taken in by Michael Winterfox, a Cheyenne mystic. Winterfox, once a werewolf hunter, trains the boy to be a warrior, teaching him how to block out pain, hunt and kill. Now, Sylvester’s hatred has become a monster all its own, robbing him of conscience and conviction. As he follows his vendetta into the outlands of the occult, options become scarce. And he learns it takes more than silver bullets to kill a werewolf. To kill a werewolf, it takes a hunter with a perfect willingness to die.
Wolf’s Hour by Robert McCammon
Ok, I’ll admit it, this book has SOME romance in it, but it doesn’t take center stage like most werewolf books. This classic follows Michael Gallatin, who was born into the Russian aristocracy, but ‘changed’ and raised by a pack of werewolves. Michael’s journey takes him from his native Russia to the battle-scarred landscapes of a world at war. Offering his unique talents to the Allied cause, Michael becomes a sort of secret weapon aimed at the destruction of Hitler and his ‘Thousand Year Reich.’ His adventures take him all over the world and throughout history. This book is known for mixing myth and history perfectly. Said to be “both a scrupulously researched historical thriller and a brilliant re-imagining of the traditional werewolf tale” The Wolf’s Hour is definitely a badass book.
Cycle of the Werewolf by Stephen King
This is a short novel by the master of horror Stephen King, featuring illustrations by renowned comic book artist Bernie Wrightson. Set in the isolated Tarker Mills, a paralyzing fear sweeps through the town every full moon, for a monster whose hunger cannot be sated comes out and no one knows who will be killed next.
Ravenous by Ray Garton
In this story, there’s a serial rapist is on the loose in the Calfornian town of Big Rock, and sheriff Farrell Hurley’s secretary is the latest victim. When a self-proclaimed werewolf hunter named Daniel Fargo comes into town claiming that Big Rock has been taken over by the beasts, Hurley thinks the man is insane, until the ravaged corpses begin to show up. In this book, lycanthropy is like an STD, spread mostly through rape. The werewolves are a terrifying creature, not a remorseful, helpless cursed human, but a homicidal beast driven by the urge to breed and feed.
Do you guys have any other books worth adding to the badass list? Let us know in a comment below.
– Moonlight
Heart Beast by Tanith Lee. Dark Cry of the Moon by Charles Grant. The Werewolf of Ponkert by Warner Munn. The Black Wolf by Galad Elflandsson. The Undying Monster by Jessie Douglas Kerruish. I have read all of these and have found them to be very good.
Thanks!
Bestial by Ray Garton. It’s a sequel to Ravenous. The werewolves continue to spread through the town of Big Rock.
I get my werewolf fiction from White Wolf’s line of novels for Werewolf: The Apocalypse. I think I already may have told you that though, a while ago though… Anyway, not all the books are directly rend ‘n maim[and maybe disembowel], but it’s generally completely romance-less, and the battles are pretty well detailed. :) So yeah, personally I think it’s pretty badass…
I’ve read McCammon’s Wolf’s Hour, I thought it was pretty good.
Charles de Lint’s Wolf Moon is fairly good. There’s another book of the same title by John R. Holt.
Moon Dance by S.P. Somtow
Any other books I could try to mention are just romances involving chicks and big chested men with one or the other a werewolf.
I would add Murcheston: The Wolf’s Tale by David Holland and Saint Peter’s Wolf by M. Cadnum to the list.
kudos, silver fox for mentioning Moon Dance! such an obscure reference and such a weird and epic story. I mean, how many people have actually even heard about this book, let alone read it?! definately one of the best and most original. other than the ones already mentioned, all I got left to add is “Animals” by John Skipp and Craig Spector. don’t judge this book by the awful attempt at a film version that so recently assaulted my senses with it’s strait to DVD mediocrity. the story is gritty, gory, visceral, and violent…. the very nature of the beast. I highly recomend it as someone who has read all the above mentioned works and then some in search of satisfyingly dark and bestial werewolf genre novels. also, Brian Easton’s “werewolf-hunter” saga has a second novel, heart of scars, which is just as brilliant and excellent as the first, and a third is in the works!
wolf’s hour seams interesting, I’d read it
The Frenzy Way, excellent read. There is two other books in the series that I haven’t read yet, but will be doing so very soon.