Running with the Pack

Kitty Norville #0.7 - Wild ride

by Ekaterina Sedia (Editor), Carrie Vaughn (Contributor), Steve Duffy (Contributor)

Remember the werewolves of classic stories and films, those bloodthirsty monsters that transformed under the full moon, reminding us of the terrible nature that lives within all of us? Today's werewolves are much more suave - and even sexy - and they've moved from British moors to New York City lofts, shaved, and got jobs. But as the tales of these writers will show you, they remain no less wild and passionate, and they still tug at the part of our being where a wild animal used to be. Running With the Pack includes stories from Carrie Vaughn, Laura Anne Gilman, and C.E. Murphy, and they will convince you that despite their gentrification, werewolves remain as fascinating and terrifying as ever.

Contents

Wild ride / Carrie Vaughn --
Side-effects may include / Steve Duffy --
Comparison of efficacy rates for seven antipathetics as employed against lycanthropes / Marie Brennan --
The beautiful Gelreesh / Jeffrey Ford --
Skin in the game / Samantha Henderson --
Blended / C.E. Murphy --
Locked doors / Stephanie Burgis --
Werelove / Laura Anne Gilman --
In sheep's clothing / Molly Tanzer --
Royal bloodlines / Mike Resnick --
The dire wolf / Genevieve Valentine --
Take back the night / Lawrence Schimel --
Mongrel / Maria V. Snyder --
Deadfall / Karen Everson --
Red Riding Hood's child / N.K. Jemisin --
Are you a vampire or a goblin? / Greoffrey H. Goodwin --
The pack and the pickup artist / Mike Brotherton --
The garden, the moon, the wall / Amanda Downum --
Blamed for trying to live / Jesse Bullington --
t The Barony at Rødal / Peter Bell --
Inside out / Erzebet Yellowboy --
Gestella / Susan Palwick.

Genres: Fantasy, Urban Fantasy, Anthologies, Werewolves, Short Stories, Paranormal, Shapeshifters

339 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2010

About the author

Ekaterina Sedia is also credited as E. Sedia.

Reviews

[carol. · Rating 2 out of 5]

A short story collection centered around a wolf transformation, aligned more closely to horror than urban fantasy. While some are inventive, many read like a short story workshop: "What if you mix werewolf with...?" Some of these are Very Serious Short Stories with Important Life Lessons. (Must outsider always equal woman/native/gay?)

In the spirit of not taking myself too seriously (with apologies to Gail Ambrosia (http://gailambrosius.com/explore-flav...) story by story:

Wild Ride: Hershey's dark
Side-Effects May Include: green-tea infused chocolates
Comparison of Efficacy Rates for Seven Antipathetics As Employed Against Lycanthropes: cacao beans
The Beautiful Gelreesh: chocolate chips
Skin in the Game: Cocoa Puffs
Blended: cognac chocolates
Locked Doors: leftover Halloween chocolate
Werelove: Chocolate Chunk Luna Bars
In Sheep's Clothing: Ghiradelli bittersweet baking chocolate
Royal Bloodlines: Fig chocolates
The Dire Wolf: dark chocolate truffle
Take Back the Night: Easter Bunny missing an ear
Mongrel: Nutella by the spoonful
Deadfall: vanilla creme chocolates
Red Riding Hood's Child: Caramel Sprinkled with Grey Salt
Are You a Vampire or a Goblin: Cinnamon/Cayenne chocolate
The Pack and the Pickup Artist: Shiitake Mushroom chocolate
The Garden, The Moon, The Wall: Sweet Curry with Saffron chocolate
Blamed for Trying to Live: pecan turtles
The Barony at Rodal: Soy Delicious Chocolate ice cream
Inside Out: chocolate chip cookies
Gestella: Orange Almond chocolate

[Nancy O'Toole · Rating 4 out of 5]

To be honest, I don't always get along very well with paranormal short story anthologies. Oftentimes, I pick them up due to an interest in a few of the contributing authors, but find the collection on a whole to be very uneven. This was not the case at all with Ekatrina Sedia's latest anthology, Running with the Pack, which focuses on werewolves. I picked it up due to interest in the stories by Carrie Vaughn, Marie Brennan, and Maria Snyder. What I got was a treasure trove of fantastically written stories that draw their inspiration not just from the paranormal genre, but from humor, science fiction, and horror among other genres. All stories focus on the stories of werewolves, regular humans encountering werewolves, or a human becoming a werewolf. The narrators range from children to the very old, and I was happy to see we even got a few gay and lesbian protagonists as well. Here are short reviews for each of the stories

Wild Ride by Carrie Vaughn. This story seems like a nice gift to fans of the Kitty Norville Series. It gives us background information on the character of TJ, showing how he became a werewolf. I like the parallel it draws between being in the closet in regards to being gay, and keeping your werewolf identity a secret. Reading this made me very excited for the upcoming Kitty book, Kitty Goes to War.

Side Effects May Include by Steve Duffy. A man travels to China on business, and fractures a wisdom tooth very shortly after the start of his trip. After a few days of immense pain, he finds himself begging for a secret “miracle cure.” Unfortunately. this cure has a few side effects that he wasn't planning on. “Side Effects May Include” was at times slow moving, but I found that I enjoyed this quirky story and really appreciated the twist at the end.

Comparison of Efficacy Rates for Seven Antipathetics as Employed Against Lycanthropes by Marie Brennan. Marie Brennan's contribution really stands out from the rest of the anthology due to the fact that it's written in the form of a scholarly article. Inspired by Mike Briggs (urban fantasy author Patricia Brigg's husband), experiment with casting silver bullets, it follows the work of a researcher attempting to find the best way to kill werewolves. I couldn't help but laugh at some of the humorous developments, and really enjoyed how well Brennan inserts a story into the unconventional format of a research paper.

The Beautiful Gelreesh by Jeffrey Ford. I believe this is my second time encountering Jeffrey Ford. Once again, I found myself enjoying his contribution quite a bit. His story is about a mysterious creature called the Gelreesh that kindly and compassionately talks people into suicide. The writing here is quite lovely and the end left me really curious.

Skin in the Game by Samantha Henderson. Sandy is excited when she's invited to play bunco with a group of coworkers. When she gets too greedy with her cheating, there's no way she could predict the deadly outcome. While reading, “Skin in the Game,” it doesn't take too long for the reader to suspect what the ending is going to be. Still, it's a lot of fun getting there. Perhaps it's a cruel thing for me to say, but I didn't end up feeling all that bad for Sandy.

Blended by C.E. Murphy. I was quite nervous about reading “Blended,” after having a very negative experience with one of Murphy's novels, Urban Shaman. Little did I know, “Blended” would become one of my favorite stories of the collection. It tells the story of a young werewolf on a mission of revenge. Although it's never quite clear if this story takes place in the past, or an fantasy setting designed to look like the past, I enjoyed the change of setting and found myself really sympathizing with the main character. I also enjoyed the romantic elements.

Locked Doors by Stephanie Burgis. Tyler is an expert liar at a young age. After all, his father is a werewolf and he often has to spin falsehoods to explain his absences around the full moon. “Locked Doors” is an interesting little story that makes you think about child abuse. It's not Tyler's father's fault that he's a werewolf, but I couldn't help feeling awful for Tyler and the adult responsibilities he has to take on at too young an age due to his father's “condition.” “Locked Doors” is a sad story, with quite an ending.

Werelove by Laura Anne Gilman. “Werelove” tells about an old alpha female who gives advice to young werewolves. Although the story at times feels overly vague, it gives the reader a new perspective on the idea of werewolf love.

In Sheep's Clothing by Molly Tanzer. “In Sheep's Clothing” is a sci-fi/dystopian short story about the downfall of our society, and what happens after that. Reading this story reminded me a lot of “The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson. The werewolf aspect is not obvious at first, but it's done quite well. Tanzer has created a fantastic voice in “In Sheep's Clothing,” and the twist at the end is really well done. If you're going to only read one story in this collection, read this one. I think it's my favorite.

Royal Bloodlines by Mike Resnick. “Royal Bloodlines” tells this story of a shifty preacher who accidentally makes friends with a werewolf, with hilarious results. This is the second short story I've read by Mike Resnick. Although I was less than fond of the first one, I found I really enjoyed “Royal Bloodlines.” I like how he creates s humorous story where other authors would make horror. The protagonist, Lucifer Jones, was also quite amusing.

The Dire Wolf by Genevieve Valentine. “The Dire Wolf” tells this story of a werewolf named Velia. Her day job is to inspect suspicious looking wolf bones, and draw away attention from the fact that they look like werewolf remains. “The Dire Wolf” is an interesting story about one woman's struggle with her inner wolf, and with romance as well. Rather solid story.

Take Back the Night by Lawrence Schimel. This is a story about a woman who owns an all night feminist bookstore. One day, what looks like a large dog wanders in. Of course it's not really a dog, but a werewolf. “Take Back the Nigh” is an interesting story about a woman trying to reclaim her feminist fury from her youth, as well as being a story about werewolf love. Although a couple elements didn't quite ring true, I found I enjoyed the story.

Mongrel by Maria V. Snyder. “Mongrel” tells the story of a young homeless woman who adopts stray dogs. One day, she takes in an injured dog, only there's more to him than she realizes. Although this story is rather different than Snyder's full length fiction, I found it to be very enjoyable. Mongrel is a fully fleshed out character with an interesting past and understandable motivations. The story ends with an open door for a possible follow up story, if Snyder so chooses. I hope she does.

Deadfall by Karen Everson. “Deadfall” is the second story (after “Blended”) in this anthology that focuses on revenge. It tells the story of a teenage werewolf named Olwen. One day Olwen and a close friend are attacked by a school bully, and Olwen is determined to get back at him for this vicious attack. It took me a little while to get into this story, but once I did I couldn't help but cheer Olwen on as she worked towards her revenge. I see that this author is planning on writing a full length novel on this character, and I'd be interested in reading more.

Red Riding Hood's Child by N.K Jemsin. “Red Riding Hood's Child” tells the story about a young orphan changing from a boy to a man. He's grown up hearing stories about his supposed wanton mother, and has a fascination for the night. There's always been something sexual about the fairy tale, Little Red Riding Hood. Jemsin's story just makes the sexual aspects more obvious. It's a very well put together little story about predators, and prey.

Are You a Vampire or a Goblin? by Geoffrey H. Goodwin. This story takes place in a strange alternate universe where people randomly start to turn into vampires or goblins. To help them in this process, they're sent to special institute where they have to decide which group they want to turn into. Yvette is a patient in The Institute only she doesn't want to be either, she wants to be a werewolf. The dreamlike, stream of conscious style of writing of this story reminded me of Kelly Link, strangely beautiful and fascinating. It can be a little tricky to follow at times, but I ended up enjoying it.

The Pack and The Pick-Up Artist by Mike Brotherton. Prime is a pick up artist, with a knack for charming beautiful women. Then he meets Anastasia, who attracts him like no other woman. “The Pack and the Pick-Up Artist” does a great job of telling us a story about predators. I had a hard time with connecting to the scumbag character of Prime, but I really liked the ending.

The Garden, The Moon, the Wall by Amanda Downum. There are two things about Sephie that are a little strange. 1. She's haunted by ghosts. 2. She eats people. The Garden, The Moon, the Wall is the story I struggled with the most with in this anthology. Although beautifully written, I could never really connect with the characters, and as a result don't have too much of a memory for it.

Blamed for Trying to Live by Jesse Bullington. After his mother dies, Charles, a young black teenager, moves to a bad neighborhood and becomes obsessed with becoming a werewolf. I really felt for Charles in this story, and enjoyed the little twist in the end.

The Barony at Rodal by Peter Bell. The Barony at Rodall tells the story about a father/daughter team traveling in Norway. I really appreciated the Dracula-esque atmosphere of this story, and found that it was written quite well. I think it falls short of some of the other stories in the anthology. I can't put my finger on it but I felt as if something was missing. Still, it was an interesting story that I ended up liking in the end.

Inside Out by Erzebet Yellowboy. This story tells about a werewolf named Gretchen, who lives with her two sisters. Gretchen despises her werewolf nature, and the limits it puts on her and her family's lives. This all changes when one full moon, she finds a woman locked in a cage. This tale of sisterhood really drew me in from the start, and I liked how well developed all three women were. I also enjoyed the concept of sort of a reverse werewolf that was introduced here.

Gestella by Susan Palwick. I actually had heard about this story on a podcast before reading it. It tells about a young werewolf who falls in love with a human man. In the beginning of the story, the werewolf is still a teenager, but because she ages in dog years, she quickly catches up and surpasses her human mate. This is my second favorite story in the anthology. I love how it examines the impact a beautiful young woman has on the men and women around her. The relationship between Gestella (werewolf) and Jonathan (the human mate) is highly disturbing and abusive, especially as she ages as becomes less appealing to him. The story ends on a terrifying note that will probably give me nightmares. Very well done.

Typically, werewolves play second fiddle to the more popular/sexy vampires, but Running with the Pack shows that werewolves can stand on their own very well. Often breaking the horror movie tradition of a wild uncontrollable wolf, Running with the Pack gives us twenty-two stories that examine our darker natures and more violent urges. I would highly recommend this to werewolf fans.

[Carolyn F. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Anthology. Average rating is 3.52 stars. There were a few I skipped because of violence against children, there were a few stinkers but quite a few good ones so worth the read.

1. Wild ride by Carrie Vaughn. A lonely man finds out he's got a horrible disease and discovers a way to get a cure. Then he has to either live the life that's expected or try to move on. Good story. 3-1/2 stars.

2. Side-Effects May Include by Steve Duffy. A guy breaks his wisdom tooth on a business trip to China and after reading an article in a scientific journal he tries to find the miracle cure. It doesn't end well. 2-1/2 stars.

3. Comparison of Efficacy Rates for Seven Antipathetics as Employed Against Lycanthropes by Marie Brennan. Didn't read. No rating.

4. The Beautiful Gelreesh by Jeffrey Ford. Really strange story of a kind of counselor who fixes and then consumes his patients and the legend he creates. 2-1/2 stars.

5. Skin in the Game by Samantha Henderson. Bunco gone wrong with the adage "Cheaters never prosper" thrown in. 4 stars.

6. Blended by C.E. Murphy. This was a great short story! An orphan werewolf girl meets her family's killer and finds a companion. I wish there were more in this series. 5 stars.

7. Locked Doors by Stephanie Burgis. A little boy is left to take care of his dangerous father. Very good story, I wish it were longer. 5 stars.

8. Werelove by Laura Anne Gilman. Such a short but powerful story. I'm wondering how it ends. I a definitely going to check out more of this author's work. 5 stars.

9. In Sheep's Clothing by Molly Tanzer. Didn't read. No rating.

10. Royal Bloodlines by Mike Resnick. Okay -what I found wrong/strange with this story. 1) The country preacher reads/talks with a country accent but everyone in Hungary understands him? Are they speaking English? 2) This is supposed to be 1936 but the card game in the toilet has a pot of several thousand dollars - so first off the amount is way too large for 1936 and dollars? 3) The dog show in Hungary has a $10,000.00 prize (again dollars and the amount) and the wolf wins in the miniature poodle division? 4) The ending was kind of gross - well not kind of, it was gross. 2 stars.

11. The Dire Wolf by Genevieve Valentine. Sad story about a lone wolf and what she does and has to give up for her people. 3-1/2 stars.

12. Take Back the Night by Lawrence Schimel. Lesbian werewolves gone wild - literally. 3 stars.

13. Mongrel by Maria V. Snyder. A foster girl forced on the street finds a life with stray dogs, rescues one and starts a new, hopefully better. life. Very good story. 5 stars.

14. Deadfall by Karen Everson. A high school girl feels the power of her family against horrible bullies. Really good story. 5 stars.

15. Red Riding Hood's Child by N.K. Jemisin. A boy loses his innocence and finds not only a companion but revenge. Pretty good story. 4 stars.

16. Are You a Vampire or a Goblin? by Greoffrey H. Goodwin. Didn't read, no rating. Well, I take that back, I started it but it had dreams/nightmares of the main character eating a neighborhood kid. The other one I skipped had the same kind of story. I can't handle that even if it's fiction.

17. The Pack and the Pickup Artist by Mike Brotherton. A playa boy is smitten and then his whole life changes. The pick-up lines were a little ridiculous and pretentious bit it was still a pretty good story. 3 stars.

18. The Garden, the Moon, the Wall by Amanda Downum. The main character is I think a goblin not a werewolf. The only werewolves are the once she thinks she glimpses from the shadows and the ones to greet her and ask a price at the gate to the garden. Does she change into a werewolf?There are also ghosts thrown in that only she can see. I didn't get it. Maybe if I read a longer version of this story it would make more sense to me. 2-1/2 stars.

19. Blamed for Trying to Live by Jesse Bullington. A trying to be vegan boy wants to become a werewolf. Cute story. 3-1/2 stars.

20. The Barony at Rødal by Peter Bell. A father who loves to travel to gardens goes on a holiday with his daughter and might have come across Nazi shapeshifters. This story was strange. I could not get into it at all. 2-1/2 stars.

21. Inside Out by Erzebet Yellowboy. For a short story, this dragged a lot. Gretchen kept going back to the cabin, over and over and over and over. It was a little ridiculous. Not my favorite. 2-1/2 stars.

22. Gestella by Susan Palwick. A girl who ages as a dog finds a pedophile, then lover, then husband, then executioner. Really sad story. 3 stars.

[Hesper · Rating 2 out of 5]

The good: most of the stories at least attempt to do more with the beast within genre conventions, albeit in a paint-by-numbers sort of way.

The bad: they don't, for the most part, succeed at being anything more than that.

The ugly: "Side Effects May Include" brims with reinvented Orientalism, while "Take Back the Night" saddles its lesbian character with penis envy, which is then symbolically linked to her new found sense of power as she wolfs out. Yay.

The so dumb it's ridiculous: "The Pack and the Pickup Artist," in which said pickup artist is questionably redeemed via liberal application of wild sexy times with an unironically described cool girl and possibly her whole monobrowed family as well. Of course she's a werewolf, and also foreign. (wow! such exotic)

The weird: "Are You a Vampire or a Goblin?" Lots of pretty words making pretty sentences, but what does it want to be?

The beautiful: "The Beautiful Gelreesh" features a werewolf psychotherapist; "The Dire Wolf" dials up the werewolf-human relationship angst to 11; "Inside Out" does werewolf coming into its own quite well.

Honorable mentions: "In Sheep's Clothing" probably has the most original concept in the anthology; "Red Riding Hood's Child" might be the most predictable, and that's probably why it succeeds; "Mongrel" is quirky cute.

In conclusion, this might be the most successful werewolf themed anthology out there, but it lacks bite.

[Rachel-RN · Rating 4 out of 5]

I bought this one for the Carrie Vaughn story "Wild Ride." However, I've already read that one in Kitty's Greatest Hits. Oops. I was able to get into a few others and they were really good!
Blended (CE Murphy)
Oh how sweet the vengeance! This one was good. Marketa was a pup when her pack was hunted, she was the lone survivor. She was taken in by another werewolf and taught how to blend in as human. So she learns and bides her time. I loved the ending.
Mongrel (Maria V Snyder)
This one was very interesting. Unique. Homeless woman (she's 18!) who takes in dogs that no one wants. She rescues one....only he isn't a dog. I think this was my favorite.

[Hilary · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although initially disappointed to discover the very first story was one I'd already read, and not even one of Vaughn's best, I soon got over it. The stories were incredibly varied, and despite normally expecting to dislike a few there was really only one that fell into this category for me. The rest ranged from interesting to excellent, some feeling very real.

Some people might care to know that there are 2 stories which actively involve gay or lesbian relationships, but none of the stories are explicit.

In short, this collection includes stories about science, love, family, hatred, loyalty, betrayal, longing and loss, all portrayed with a twist on "normal" werewolf fiction. I'd happily buy it.

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's werewolves. It has a Carrie Vaughn story. You bet I'm going to pick this one up.

[Shanna Germain · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fave stories:
In Sheep's Clothing, by Molly Tanzer
Giselle, by Susan Palwick

[Tammy · Rating 3 out of 5]

1. Wild Ride by Carrie Vaughn - 3/5 - Kinda random. TJ tests positive for HIV, which leads him to seek out Alex, a miraculous survivor of a motorcycle crash. For some reason, this causes Alex to recruit him into the pack on the promise of curing his HIV. TJ doesn't like the restrictions of being in a pack, and fights instincts to leave. He confirms he's now HIV negative.

2. Side-Effects May Include by Steve Duffy - 3/5 - Made no sense. A business man in Hong Kong gets some black market tooth gel that turns him into a werewolf. I have no idea why the hotel bellhop thought he wanted such a thing, nor why the old apothecary man gave it to him. Especially since he ended up murdering him to get more. He then tells his story to a real dentist hoping to score, and then murders him when the dentist refuses.

3. Comparison of Efficacy Rates for Seven Antipathetics Employed Against Lycanthropes by Marie Brennan - 4/5 - Pretty amusing. A scientific paper, with terrible ethics and science, on testing various methods to kill werewolves. The only successful kill was made by the author to the second (failed) participant hunter in her study using a wolfsbane tea.
4. The Beautiful Gelreesh by Jeffery Ford - 3/5 - Weird. A werewolf therapist gets his meals by convincing his patients to commit suicide.

5. Skin in the Game by Samatha Henderson - 3/5 - Again, weird. New girl joins a ladies dice game night, and cheats for fun and profit. They're all werewolves who get offended and eat her.

6. Blended by C. E. Murphy - 3/5 - Marketa realizes her suitor's father killed her family. She kills him, and a competing suitor sees what she is. He is entranced, and they run away to be together.

7. Locked Doors by Stephanie Burgis - 4/5 - I liked this one. A son keeps his father's werewolf-ness a secret for fear that he will end up in a lab, but his father grows more dangerous as time goes on. He realizes he might too become a werewolf, and decides it's worth the risk because with study might come a cure.

8. Werelove by Laura Anne Gilman - 3/5 - Apparently, weres murder instead of divorce.

9. In Sheep's Clothing by Molly Tanzer - 3/5 - I have no idea what just happened. People turn into animals via an illness from corn? The narrator seems unreliable and a conspiracy theory nut. Civilization has collapsed due to a fatal plague? The narrator turns into a wolf and eats her kid, who turned into a lamb.

10. Royal Bloodlines (A Lucifier Jones Story) by Mike Resnick - 3/5 - lol A doctor? priest? (missing context here) convinces a suicidal werewolf to enter a dog competition to win a 10K prize. The werewolf ends up meeting his future love, and both woman and her dog are pregnant at the end. eee.

11. The Dire Wolf by Genevieve Valentine - 3/5 - All the jumping around was distracting. A woman fears loving a human because [long living] dire wolves mate for life, and tend to commit suicide when their mates die.

12. Take Back the Night by Lawrence Schimel - 3/5 - wat. A werewolf comes into a lesbian woman's feminist all night bookstore, and the woman decides she too, wants to be a werewolf. They have sex (in human form), then go out as wolves and murder some dude.

13. Mongrel by Maria V. Snyder - 4/5 - I liked this one. Interesting and sweet. A homeless runaway who takes in stray dogs saves a werewolf fighting off a challenger for his pack. He repays her by turning her into a werewolf and making her part of his pack.

14. Deadfall by Karen Everson - 3/5 - A teenage werewolf confronts racist bullies who beat up her black friend. She decides not to murder him, but his cowardice facing the wolf taints his hold on his minions

15. Red Riding Hood's Child by N. K. Jemisin - 4/5 - Really well written, but also, wat. A orphan son of an unwed woman becomes the focus of unwanted attention from the blacksmith. After running from the blacksmith, who tries to attack him in the night, he stumbles across a werewolf, who has much the same intentions, but less unwanted? The old woman who shelters him dies defending him, so he runs into the forest and let's the werewolf fuck him and make him into one.

16. Are you a Vampire or a Goblin? by Geoffrey H. Goodwin - 3/5 - wat. Some people have to decide whether they are a vampire (drink blood for darkness) or a goblin (eat people for souls). Yvette decides she wants to be a werewolf, who is suppose to help people? But, the change brings about hunger, and she ends up eating them instead.

17. The Pack and the Pickup Artist by Mike Brotherton - 3/5 - A pickup artist falls in love with a werewolf and joins her pack.

18. The Garden, The Moon, The Wall by Amanda Downum - 3/5 - Not really sure what happened. A woman shows a bunch of ghosts, including the werewolf boyfriend she murdered, to Hades? She decides not to stay.

19. Blamed for Trying to Live by Jesse Bullington - 3/5 - Outsider black kid moves in with his father when his mother dies. His father lives in a much rougher neighborhood, and does not approve of his gentler son. Charles becomes obsessed with becoming a werewolf, for unclear reasons. He succeeds at the end, but thinks maybe this wasn't the solution to his problems

20. The Barony at Rodal by Peter Bell - 3/5 - Weird story of a woman trying to investigate an old family, who turns out to be werewolves, and crimes during the Nazi era. She ends up killed for her troubles. Her father is a witness.

21. Inside Out by Erzebet Yellowboy - 3/5 - Woman turns into a werewolf, and her sisters sacrifice their lives to keep her safe. She spies a woman, who seems to be an inverse werewolf (woman during the full moon), being kept in a cage and abused by a man in a cabin. Over *months* she stalks them, until she comes up with a rather elaborate plan (you know, instead of just biting him as a wolf), to murder him and rescue the wolf/girl. Her sisters and the cops find her curled up in the cage around the wolf, but finally accepting her wolf-self.

22. Gestella by Susan Pauwick - -

[Theresa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Anthology of offbeat werewolf transformation stories. There’s a few well-known authors, buts several of the authors are unknown, at least I couldn’t find anything else they wrote. I skimmed through the beginning of each story unless it caught my attention enough to read the rest of it.

Several were thinly disguised preachy stories hoping to get their personal POV across. Why do authors think they can get away with this? This is escapism fiction. We want to be entertained not taught lessons. Plus it shows a lack of imagination and effort. Almost anyone can take a normal story and slap some sup labels on it.

1) ‘Wild Ride’ by Carrie Vaughn. Kitty Norville 0.7. 2 stars. This is the story I got this for, but not what I expected and made rethink about whether to read the series. It’s about TJ, Kitty’s pack Beta and why he chose to be a werewolf. Kind of depressing.
2) ‘Side Effects May Include’ by Steve Duffy. 2 stars. Story about a man with a toothache and miscommunication.
3) ‘Comparison of Efficiency Rates for Seven Antipathetics as Employed Against Lycanthropes’ by Marie Brennan. 3 stars. Strange title. Scientific study analysis on the best way to hunt werewolves. Fascinatingly amusing.
4) ‘The Beautiful Gelreesh’ by Jeffrey Ford. 1 star. The history and life of a strange creature who uses persuasion and illusion to encourage the depressed to commit suicide and then eats them. Ewww.
5) ‘Skin in the Game’ by Samantha Henderson. 1 star. Unless you know how to play the game of Bunco you’ll be very confused. But the lesson is: it doesn’t pay to cheat.
6) ‘Blended’ by CE Murphy. 3 stars. The last survivor of a human-murdered pack of werewolves tries to fit into human society.
7) ‘Locked Doors’ by Stephanie Burgis. 2 stars. A young boy has to keep the secret that his dad is a werewolf. Very simple story.
8) ‘Werelove’ by Laura Ann Gilman. 2 stars. A retired Alpha gives advice to the young weres who come to visit her.
9) ‘In Sheep’s Clothing’ by Molly Tanzer. 1 star. An apocalypse story. Lost me at the first sentence when he mentions eating her children.
10) ‘Royal Bloodlines’ by Mike Resnik. 5 stars. A Lucifer Jones story. Made me smile. I loved it. Jones travels to Budapest and befriends a werewolf count. Based on this story I added this series to my ‘to read’ list.
11) ‘The Dire Wolf’ by Genevieve Valentine. 5 stars. Sad romance about a female direwolf giving up her true love to protect her endangered species.
12) ‘Take Back the Night’ by Laurence Schimel. 2 stars. Not a bad story just prefer not to read about F/F or M/F relationships.
13) ‘Mongrel’ by Maria V Snyder. 5 stars. A homeless girl who befriends lost dogs rescues a large ‘wolfhound’ and gains a pack.
14) ‘Deadfall’ by Karen Everson. 3 stars. A simple story about how werewolves take care of high school bullies.
15) ‘Red Riding Hood’s Child’ by NK Jemisin. 2 stars. Odd story about an illegitimate boy coming of age in a remote village in the forest and how a strange wolf changes his life. Definitely an ‘adult’ story.
16) ‘Are You a Vampire or a Goblin’ by Geoffrey H Goodwin. 1 star. A woman in an Institute has strangely gruesome nightmares and has to decide why she wants to eat people. Loosely masked lesson in people’s sexual differences.
17) ‘The Pack and the Pickup Artist’ by Mike Brotherton. 4 stars. A professional teaching his students how to pick up girls in bars run into true predators and get pick up himself.
18) ‘The Garden, the Moon, the Wall’ by Amanda Downum. 1 stars. Girl craving and eating body parts. Too gruesome.
19) ‘Blamed for Trying to Live’ by Jesse Bullington. 1 star. Another preachy lesson story thinly covered with sup labels.
20) ‘The Barony at Rodal’ by Peter Bell. 3 stars. On a trip to Norway, a Scottish horticulturist and his daughter get caught up in a historical Nazi plot. Story reads a little like a tour guild of Norway’s history and scenery. Odd ending.
21) ‘Inside Out’ by Erzebet Yellowboy. 3 stars. Three young orphan women live alone, the oldest two caring for the younger who was infected with lycanthropy the day their mother died.
22) ‘Gestella’ by Susan Palwick. 3 stars. Strange relationship between a human man and a female werewolf. As a human they’re husband and wife, as a wolf it’s a man and his unusual dog. At first they cope with some interesting problems until the man gets tired of it and does something horrible.

[Shazza Maddog · Rating 3 out of 5]

Werewolves are my favorite. There, I've said it. When I spotted this book at the library used book sale, I snatched it up and brought it home...then promptly forgot about it until I was looking for something to read. I have no idea how long I've actually had this book without reading it so shame on me.

A collection of short stories about werewolves, either obliquely or told in limited POV, there are some stellar stories in this book.

"Skin in the Game" by Samantha Henderson tells of a newcomer invited to a regular Bunco game and how she thinks she can get away with cheating...and finds out differently when the other players take extreme exception to this.

"Blended" by C.E. Murphy tells of how a wolf came to pass as human and hunt the hunter who destroyed her pack.

"in Sheep's Clothing" by Mike Resnick is a creepy look at a dystopian society and how people change afterward.

"The Dire Wolf" by Genevieve Valentine tells of a woman archeologist, called to Alaska to look at a bone found there. It looks new, green, which it can't be, right, because Dire Wolves are extinct?

"Mongrel" by Maria V Snyder has a young runaway girl who rescues dogs, but the most recent one she saves is something different and brings a lot more danger than she expected.

"Inside Out" by Erzebet Yellowboy has Gretchen, who is a werewolf loved by her sisters, trying to go through her life without hurting anyone. At least until the wolf sees a woman in a cage deep in the forest.

The anchor story is a killer, "Gestella" by Susan Falwick, follows the titular wolfgirl and her mate, Jonathan, who loves having a hot little number in his bed and on a leash. Until he doesn't any more.

There are multiple other stories, I just mentioned the ones that grabbed me by the throat and shook me hard. Don't let the bizarre cover throw you, there are some really good stories in this collection.

[Matty · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fun anthology of werewolf stories. I enjoyed almost all of them, especially:

-Inside Out by Erzebet Yellowboy was my favourite. Great writing, fleshed out characters,unique premise. I want to know more!
-The Garden, The Moon, the Wall by Amanda Downum. This felt like part of a series I'd love to read more of.
-Gestella by Susan Palwick had great writing, unique premise, but too sad.
-Blended by C.E. Murphy. Another unique idea and one I wanted more from.
-Mongrel by Maria V. Snyder.
-Deadfall by Karen Everson.
-Blamed for Trying to Live by Jesse Bullington

Happy there were several LGBQT stories too!

[Christiana · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love collections like this because I often find new authors to try out. This is a good mix of different story telling styles; serious, silly, casual, formal, adult etc. I Especially enjoyed two of them. The Beautiful Gelreesh by Jeffrey Ford was sad in a beautiful way. In Sheep's Clothing by Molly Tanzer was especially hilarious to me in a messed up way. Gestella by Susan Palwick was personally triggering for me and I couldn't finish it. Inside Out by Erzebet Yellowboy had too much cruelty in it for my taste. I'm not a huge fan of werewolves, so I think this book is pretty good since it kept me so interested.

[Kaye · Rating 2 out of 5]

Starting to think I'm just not a themed short story collection person? I really liked a lot of the stories, listed below, but after every one I had the thought "Oh, there's how much left of the book?"
Had a similar situation happen with another themed collection but not the Star Wars ones I'v read, so I dunno.
Ones I liked:
Blended by Ce Murphy
Wild ride by Carrie Vaughn
in Sheep's clothing by molly tanzer
The dire wolf by genevieve Valentine
Read up until "Take back the night" by Lawrence Schimel
Did NOT like: Royal bloodlines by Reznick.

[Rebecca · Rating 2 out of 5]

Short stories about werewolves. It's always hit or miss with a short story anthology. I kept plodding along through this assortment, and enjoyed a couple of gems, but otherwise wasn't really my style. Oh well.

[Kathy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This collection of werewolf-based short stories was enjoyable with some unique takes on the archetype however it needed to be spaced out with other readings in between as otherwise it was hard to enjoy each individual story without them all blurring together.

[Elizabeth Rose · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was only moved by maybe one or two of the stories in this collection- the rest of them were fairly bland.

[A.L. Kaplan · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you like werewolves, this is the book for you. Lots of great stories. My favorites were BLENDED by C. E Murphy and MONGREL by Maria V. Snyder.

[Eavan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I do like a good werewolf story.

[Michelle (RavenLily) · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[Jess · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rating just for Genevieve Valentine's "The Dire Wolf," reprinted in Weird Fiction Review.

[Kelly Young · Rating 2 out of 5]

Mix of good, bad & disappointing. NOT for teens!

[Mangamaximis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Some great stories though i have to warn the last one is a sad one. Why they ended with that story rather than one of the horror or happier ones is beyond me.

[Jade]

Found this in the library catalogue and thought it looked interesting but I've decided to drop it after only a few stories. I liked the idea of new, interesting takes on werewolves outside what you normally find in urban fantasy and paranormal romance. These are just a little too weird or, in some cases, upsetting for me.

Here are my thoughts on what I did read (with mentions of story elements):

"Wild Ride" - Carrie Vaughn
I liked this one but it left me wondering what the point was. That might just be me. I often have that reaction to short stories, but in this case, it felt like the story was building to a moment of acceptance and instead T.J. gets the cure he wants, rejects the family that helped him get it, and...walks into the sunset? I'm not sure where he goes from there but I guess it doesn't matter. Another small nitpick, but did T.J. have to be gay? Heterosexual people can catch AIDS too, but this story felt like a flashback to the time when people thought AIDS only affected gay men, which made his sexuality feel like a tool instead of a part of who he was. It never comes into play, other than when he brushes off the woman's attentions, which he could have done by saying "I'm not interested." I want to see more diverse representation in books, but here it didn't feel right.

"Blended" - C.E. Murphy
My favorite and a great reminder of how you can like an author's writing even if you didn't enjoy it previously. I've tried Murphy's Walker Papers series and just couldn't get into it, mostly because of the narrator/main character. I really liked this short story, though, and would have happily read more with these characters.

"Locked Doors" - Stephanie Burgis
I guess I should have stopped reading this one once I got a bad feeling in my stomach, but I, the optimist, was holding out hope that it would get better. It didn't. Seems like a parable of a child stuck with drunken, abusive father, except there was no lesson learned at the end. I found it really upsetting since I wasn't expecting such a downer of a story in this anthology.

"Werelove" - Laura Anne Gilman
Another story that ended and left me going, "Huh? That was it?" I liked the style and it seemed interesting but then it just ends and nothing was resolved. Did the woman go back to her husband, even though the implication was that the relationship was unhealthy? Or did she stand up to him and strike out on her own? I understood the story's point that love is different for weres but ending on that note did nothing for me.

"Red Riding Hood's Child" - N.K. Jemisin
I think highly of Jemisin's writing, even if I couldn't get into the books I tried before. I was curious where this story was going and I like the idea, but the wolf sex was too much for me. Two men having sex: a-ok by me! But when you use descriptions to constantly remind the reader how much wolf is in this man-shape, and it paints a really ugly picture in my mind. Maybe I'm a weirdo, but I like my werewolves to be fully human if they're going to get it on with anyone.

Part of me wants to give the other stories a try but I'm also not interested in reading stories that make me feel bad or gross, so I'll set this one aside and try something else.

[Jennybeast · Rating 3 out of 5]

I know I read it years ago, I think I liked it at the time. Not feeling it at the moment, however.

[Juushika · Rating 3 out of 5]

Werewolves on motorcycles, in suburbs, locked in the basement; family curses, aquired diseases, accidental side-effects—Running with the Pack offers up 22 werewolf stories from a variety of modern urban fantasy authors. Those offerings are plentiful and brief, and werewolves are an engaging base premise, and so the collection is more consumable than most short story anthologies. However, few of the stories stand out: there's a number which are decent but forgettable, just as many which are disappointing, and only a handful I'd consider good—of which only two are must-reads. Too often the stories are written to theme, even if they weren't written for this collection; they rely on the fact of their werewolves, putting all their energy into basic world/monsterbuilding, and say little more than that: where werewolves are an analogy, it's cursory or blatant; in large part, there's nothing alive or wild in these beasts. Downum's "The Garden, The Moon, The Wall" is one exception—her story is dreamlike, liminal, and haunted. Palwick's "Gestella" is another, a brutal experiment in voice which turns werewolves into incisive social critique. "Blended," "The Direwolf," and "Inside Out" are also pretty good, and some of them are unique to this collection. But on the whole, Running with the Pack is uninspired. It can be an addictive mix, and offers an interesting (if not particularly promising) overview of modern urban fantasy authors, but that's about all. I can't recommend it.

[Marie · Rating 3 out of 5]

When I pick up an anthology, it's usually for one particular author. There are a few I recognized in this one, but I was most interested in Maria V. Snyder. I wasn't disappointed.

It was by far my favorite story from the lot, and I really enjoyed her character, Mongrel. I would love to read more about this particular character, because she was just so interesting. The story line, once you get past the characters, is pretty standard. Girl meets mysterious guy(or in this case, dog) who pulls her into a scary situation.
Anyway, definitely worth a look.

Besides that, I also enjoyed the story by Stephanie Burgis quite well, even though I've never read her writing before. Not my typical type of story, but I wanted to know everything that was going to happen after the story ended.

The other story in this book I'll mention was Werelove by Laura Anne Gilman. It wasn't what I expected, and I liked it alright. It was an interesting way to approach the werewolf side of things, even if it left me feeling a bit mopey and sad.

Overall, I don't regret picking the book up at the library, but I'm glad I didn't go out and buy it. Not much re-read value, but certainly worth a first look. There were a few other stories in the group that I enjoyed to an extent, besides the ones I mentioned up above, so flip through the book and take a look.

[Yvensong · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked this up for free at this year's WorldCon event off of the Freebie table.

Wild Ride by Carrie Vaughn - 4 Stars
Side-Effects May Include by Steve Duffy - 2 Stars
(Odd twist just didn't do it for me)
Comparison of Efficacy Rates... by Marie Brennan - 3 Stars
The Beautiful Gelreesh by Jeffrey Ford - 2 Stars
Skin in the Game by Samantha Henderson - 3 Stars
Blended by C. E. Murphy - 4 Stars
Locked Doors by Stephanie Burgis - 3 Stars
Werelove by Laura Anne Gilman - 3 Stars
In Sheep's Clothing by Molly Tanzer - 2 Stars
Royal Bloodlines by Mike Resnick - 4 Stars
The Dire Wolf by Genevieve Valentine - 3 Stars
Take Back the Night by Lawrence Schimel - 3 1/2 Stars
Mongrel by Maria V. Snyder - 4 Stars
Deadfall by Karen Everson - 3 1/2 Stars
Red Riding Hood's Child by N. K. Jemisin - 3 Stars
Are You a Vampire or a Goblin? by Geoffrey H. Goodwin - 3 Stars
The Pack and the Pickup Artist by Mike Brotherton - 3 Stars
The Garden, the Moon, the Wall by Amanda Downum - 4 Stars
Blamed for Trying to Live by Jesse Bullington - 2 1/2 Stars
The Barony at Rødal by Peter Bell - 3 Stars
Inside Out by Erzebet Yellowboy - 4 Stars
Gestella by bySusan Palwick - This one I'm having a real hard time rating. Loved the writing, hated the ending.

[Orrin Grey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Anthologies are, pretty much without fail, mixed bags, and sometimes they'll work for you more often, and sometimes they'll work for you less often, but it's rare indeed to find one that completely connects with you 100% all the way through. At least, it is if you're me.

Running with the Pack is in that mixed bag category for me, with a bunch of stories that I really liked and a bunch of others that weren't really for me, but I think it's a pretty balanced anthology, that'll probably have a little something for most anybody who may want to read it.

Which ones did I like? Well, the usual suspects (Molly Tanzer, Amanda Downum, Jesse Bullington) really impressed me, as did "The Barony at Rodal" by Peter Bell. I'm sure there were others, but those are the ones I'm remembering right now.

[Janine · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Wild Ride" - Carrie Vaughn ★★★★
"Side-Effects May Include" - Steve Duffy ★★
"Comparison of Efficacy Rates for Seven Antipathetics as Employed Against Lycanthropes" - Marie Brennan ★★★★
"The Beautiful Gelreesh" - Jeffrey Ford ★★
"Skin in the Game" - Samantha Henderson ★★
"Blended" - C. E. Murphy ★★★★
"Locked Doors" - Stephanie Burgis ★★★
"Werelove" - Laura Anne Gilman ★★
"In Sheep's Clothing" - Molly Tanzer ★
"Royal Bloodlines" - Mike Resnick ★★★★
"The Dire Wolf" - Genevieve Valentine ★★★
"Take Back the Night" - Lawrence Schimel ★★★
"Mongrel" - Maria V. Snyder ★★★
"Deadfall" - Karen Everson ★★★
"Red Riding Hood's Child" - N.K. Jemisin ★★★
"Are You a Vampire or a Goblin?" - Geoffrey H. Goodwin ★★
"The Pack and the Pickup Artist" - Mike Brotherton ★★★
"The Garden, the Moon, the Wall" - Amanda Downum ★★★★
"Blamed for Trying to Live" - Jesse Bullington ★★
"The Barony at Rødal" - Peter Bell ★★★
"Inside Out" - Erzebet YellowBoy ★★★★
"Gestella" - Susan Palwick ★★★★ (ending ★)