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fredosbrother's review
adventurous
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
tbr_the_unconquered's review
3.0
When the silvery rays of the moon come down to Earth, there is the first trembling of anticipation felt deep within the bones. Every last shred of will power is exerted in pushing down that dreaded feel and to stamp on its head and yet like an unrelenting nemesis, it rises within the body spreading its tentacles over every cell. Bones rearrange, skin transforms to fur, teeth start changing into fangs and finally what emerges from the throat is a primal howl that strikes fear in human minds. SNAFU takes up this breed of monster in this volume : the lycanthrope. Spanning nine stories across diverse backgrounds and quality of writing, the realm of the werewolf is explored. The stories were :
Taking Down the Top Cat by R.P.L. Johnson : A special forces raid on a drug cartel in South America comes across a beast that is unlike any living on this planet. There is a certain whiff of difference in this tale in terms of its unique monster and backstory which takes shape from Aztec myths. While not exactly a werewolf, the animal here is pure evil. 3 stars.
Skadi's Wolves by Kirsten Cross : The Saxon invasion of Britain is in full swing and a weakening legion finds itself battling a character straight out of the Norse myths. Skadi’s wolves has an atmosphere that befits a monster story : the incessant biting cold, a night that has a hint of brutality and in the darkness are eyes blazing with murderous fury while all you have are your swords to defend yourself. An entity stronger and fiercer than the gods of Asgard stands tall behind the wolves and the men standing in their way have very little hope of coming out of it alive. The story practically drips blood and deserves 3 stars for its atmosphere alone.
Semper Gumby by Steve Coate : Hand-to-hand combat with a werewolf in the desert. There is no preamble in this story and it jumps straight into action. There are times when I watch kungfu fight scenes from movies in YouTube without bothering with the story or the rest of the movie just for the kicks and this story gave such a feel. Soon as the tale is done, there isn’t much to remember. The wolf though is a very nasty one. 2 stars.
Ancient Ruins by John W. Dennehy : A group of rookie US Marines are on a recon mission in Beirut when they come across sporadic firing. On investigation, they determine that the fire was not directed at them but at the lycans. From then on it is bloody mayhem, firefights and hand-to-hand combat. While it looks fabulous on the outside, I had contentions with how this story was structured. Questions like : how did the lead character determine they were facing werewolves ? How did he know to use silver to battle them ? Where did they come from ? were all left hanging in the air. Not a very convincing tale even for one that features the lycans. 2 stars.
The Fenrir Project by David W. Amendola : That favourite haunt of most writers in the SNAFU anthologies : WWII and the Nazi obsession with the occult. A group of American tank teams along with an intelligence office chase a rogue German Panther tank and its team. The Germans are not what they seem at first and in a remote town in Germany, the two face off with violent results. It’s more of a so-so story. 2 stars.
Project Lupine by Brian W. Taylor : An experiment on lycanthropy in an isolated bio-lab, everything goes berserk and then it is Jurassic Park all over again ! The characters here are all rather wooden and clichéd : the macho soldier, the mad scientist, the helpless diva, the innocent victims and the slobbering monster looming over them all. If you have been through a few monster flicks, you will yawn away to glory here. No excitement. 1 star and the weakest card in the pack.
werwolf! by W.D. Gagliani & David Benton : This story begins life in a little village in Italy after they have surrendered during WWII. What sets this story apart from most of the others is that it focusses on character development. The werewolf is not a monster in here but a horrific mistake. It is only in this story that there is a solid portrayal of what happens to a human being as it turns into a wolf and how much a human mind battles against this feral infection and finally slides down, defeated. The results of losing this battle are gory, horrific and tragic. The man who becomes a werewolf here has a family : a wife and son and they are part of an increasingly paranoid society under siege from the dreaded Germans. It is a tad like being family to someone who was diagnosed with the black death. This is a tragic story and one that weaves the werewolf myth into its fold. Solid tale – 5 stars.
The Wild Hunt by James A. Moore : What happens if you are an all-powerful werewolf but you are forced to watch an even bigger monster in the guise of man doing an absolutely terrible act ? How far would you go for revenge ? The lycans in this story are feral and capable of incredible violence and yet they are noble creatures. The monstrosity here is man and a clan of anthropomorphic werewolves avenge a dastardly act of three men in the most ingenious way possible. The humans in this story are quite good character studies with all their flaws and helpless rage in the face of a bestial adversary. The human characters also grow and evolve during the course of the tale thereby making it quite a strong tale. If we were to step beyond the regular horror tropes, this is also a strong short story about retribution and forgiveness. 5 stars.
The rating of 3 for this book is owing to the fact that only two stories from the lot stood out for their inventiveness and appeal. The rest of them are all pretty mediocre.
Taking Down the Top Cat by R.P.L. Johnson : A special forces raid on a drug cartel in South America comes across a beast that is unlike any living on this planet. There is a certain whiff of difference in this tale in terms of its unique monster and backstory which takes shape from Aztec myths. While not exactly a werewolf, the animal here is pure evil. 3 stars.
Skadi's Wolves by Kirsten Cross : The Saxon invasion of Britain is in full swing and a weakening legion finds itself battling a character straight out of the Norse myths. Skadi’s wolves has an atmosphere that befits a monster story : the incessant biting cold, a night that has a hint of brutality and in the darkness are eyes blazing with murderous fury while all you have are your swords to defend yourself. An entity stronger and fiercer than the gods of Asgard stands tall behind the wolves and the men standing in their way have very little hope of coming out of it alive. The story practically drips blood and deserves 3 stars for its atmosphere alone.
Semper Gumby by Steve Coate : Hand-to-hand combat with a werewolf in the desert. There is no preamble in this story and it jumps straight into action. There are times when I watch kungfu fight scenes from movies in YouTube without bothering with the story or the rest of the movie just for the kicks and this story gave such a feel. Soon as the tale is done, there isn’t much to remember. The wolf though is a very nasty one. 2 stars.
Ancient Ruins by John W. Dennehy : A group of rookie US Marines are on a recon mission in Beirut when they come across sporadic firing. On investigation, they determine that the fire was not directed at them but at the lycans. From then on it is bloody mayhem, firefights and hand-to-hand combat. While it looks fabulous on the outside, I had contentions with how this story was structured. Questions like : how did the lead character determine they were facing werewolves ? How did he know to use silver to battle them ? Where did they come from ? were all left hanging in the air. Not a very convincing tale even for one that features the lycans. 2 stars.
The Fenrir Project by David W. Amendola : That favourite haunt of most writers in the SNAFU anthologies : WWII and the Nazi obsession with the occult. A group of American tank teams along with an intelligence office chase a rogue German Panther tank and its team. The Germans are not what they seem at first and in a remote town in Germany, the two face off with violent results. It’s more of a so-so story. 2 stars.
Project Lupine by Brian W. Taylor : An experiment on lycanthropy in an isolated bio-lab, everything goes berserk and then it is Jurassic Park all over again ! The characters here are all rather wooden and clichéd : the macho soldier, the mad scientist, the helpless diva, the innocent victims and the slobbering monster looming over them all. If you have been through a few monster flicks, you will yawn away to glory here. No excitement. 1 star and the weakest card in the pack.
werwolf! by W.D. Gagliani & David Benton : This story begins life in a little village in Italy after they have surrendered during WWII. What sets this story apart from most of the others is that it focusses on character development. The werewolf is not a monster in here but a horrific mistake. It is only in this story that there is a solid portrayal of what happens to a human being as it turns into a wolf and how much a human mind battles against this feral infection and finally slides down, defeated. The results of losing this battle are gory, horrific and tragic. The man who becomes a werewolf here has a family : a wife and son and they are part of an increasingly paranoid society under siege from the dreaded Germans. It is a tad like being family to someone who was diagnosed with the black death. This is a tragic story and one that weaves the werewolf myth into its fold. Solid tale – 5 stars.
The Wild Hunt by James A. Moore : What happens if you are an all-powerful werewolf but you are forced to watch an even bigger monster in the guise of man doing an absolutely terrible act ? How far would you go for revenge ? The lycans in this story are feral and capable of incredible violence and yet they are noble creatures. The monstrosity here is man and a clan of anthropomorphic werewolves avenge a dastardly act of three men in the most ingenious way possible. The humans in this story are quite good character studies with all their flaws and helpless rage in the face of a bestial adversary. The human characters also grow and evolve during the course of the tale thereby making it quite a strong tale. If we were to step beyond the regular horror tropes, this is also a strong short story about retribution and forgiveness. 5 stars.
The rating of 3 for this book is owing to the fact that only two stories from the lot stood out for their inventiveness and appeal. The rest of them are all pretty mediocre.
anna_hepworth's review
2.0
Disclaimer: This book was one of many I read as a judge for the 2015 Aurealis Awards. This review is my personal opinion and does not necessarily reflect the opinion of any judging panel, the judging coordinator or the Aurealis Awards management team.
Short review: consistent, but only in being uninspiring and icky. Unlike the previous SNAFU anthology I had read, where I was pleasantly surprised at the quality of writing, this just failed. There are so many interesting things that could be done with the werewolf myth in a military setting, but this set of stories appeared completely fixated on a single (dull) variation.
Unfortunately, I didn't make specific story notes.
Short review: consistent, but only in being uninspiring and icky. Unlike the previous SNAFU anthology I had read, where I was pleasantly surprised at the quality of writing, this just failed. There are so many interesting things that could be done with the werewolf myth in a military setting, but this set of stories appeared completely fixated on a single (dull) variation.
Unfortunately, I didn't make specific story notes.
daveversace's review
3.0
I've been enjoying the SNAFU series and usually like (non-romantic) werewolf fiction, but the stories in this volume, while all good, began to feel a bit samey. The best were the first ("Taking Down the Top Cat" by RPL Johnson) and last stories (James A Moore's "The Wild Hunt"). Good stuff, but maybe take it in sensible bites rather than consuming the whole thing at once.
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