Tag-Archive for » Werewolves «
I’m a fan of Moira Rogers’ writing (and the women who comprise her) (I have a review to finish of one of Moira’s books, actually), and I think this contest is not only fun and entertaining, but a really great way to get people talking about two different characters (or categories of characters).
Disclaimer Text:
This post is a part of Moira Rogers’ Creature Feature Kindle Throwdown Contest. By leaving a (meaningful) comment, you will be entered to win a Kindle from Amazon.com, or an alternate grand prize of $275 to spend at an online book retailer. For a full list of rules and more ways to win, visit the contest page.
I’m sure it surprises no one to know that I’m Team Werewolf. I’m not sure there’s been a time when I wasn’t Team Werewolf, if a Team Werewolf was available. (For example, in The Lost Boys, I’m Team Vampire all the way, but there wasn’t really a Team Werewolf option then.)
In this particular case, I was kind of torn, though. A vampire lumberjack sounds awesome. All that flannel and slamming down of axes and cutting things — hot. (Though I prefer my trees standing tall and still growing.) (That’s what she said.)
However, a werewolf bootlegger — well now. That’s pretty spectacular itself, illicit brewing, sneaking alcohol into secret parties, tommy guns and sepia tones, pinstripe suits and fedoras cocked just so — also hot. Plus I love the way cars and alcohol and secret parties can be combined when it comes to stories about bootleggers. Add to that werewolves and the beast inside, there’s no real contest.
Team Werewolf Bootlegger all the way.
Which team would you join? Why?
Still trying to get into the swing of blogging regularly. Life has been particularly wild lately — in good and bad ways — and I haven’t had much time to sit down and write a thoughtful blog post.
Instead, have an annotated collection of werewolf links.
DreadCentral.com: Paul Davis updates on S.C.U.M. and Gladiators vs. Werewolves.
Apparently Shaune Harrison has done some “wonderful work . . . on the werewolf designs and sculpts.” I withhold judgment until we can see more, but way, way too often the werewolf designs and implementations of those designs leave me wanting a lot better. (I frequently curse that with all our tech, no one has given me a werewolf look I love. Some have come close — I’m pretty fond of Dog Soldiers — but nothing that really blows me away.)
Bloody-Disgusting.com: Elvis’s granddaughter joins cast of Jack and Diane.
I am still intrigued by this movie. And from the pictures included in the article, Riley Keough is gorgeous, if a bit thin and young for my tastes. We’ll see how this goes. The way they keep switching up actors and delaying things, though, I worry it will never be made.
Cakewrecks has a hilarious post about wrecked werewolf cakes. If you know of any good werewolf cakes, I would love to see them. Cakewrecks did the post in honor of the release of Claire de Lune by Christine Johnson, which looks like it might be a really intriguing werewolf book, maybe without some of the sexist trends I keep running into in other books.
Fearnet.com: Teen Wolf series a go.
I’m not sure which would be worse: a ridiculous farce or if they tried to make it dramatic and serious. Or maybe both? Who knows.
Only tangentially related to werewolves, in that Jackson Pearce as a book, Sisters Red, out next month about werewolves that looks really awesome, but damn, the author is hilarious in this vlog music video about writer’s block.
I was supposed to be preparing to head to a conference this weekend, but life got in the way and I can’t attend. Still, maybe I’ll make writing progress instead. And blogging progress.
Hot Tub Time Machine’s Steve Pink to Direct Werewolves of Reseda.
“The film, written by Brian Frank, will center around a group of guys who gradually turn into werewolves that benefits their suburban lives.”
As much as I love werewolves, I’m not thrilled about the sound of this one. My guess it will be a bunch of white guys having adventures and there are too many movies like that already. Adding werewolves to the mix doesn’t make it interesting or new.
Sadly, I will still watch it, because I am feeling the lack of werewolves in my media. There’s only so many times I can marathon Cursed, The Howling, An American Werewolf in London, etc., before I need something new.
A Dark Moon Rising Gives Way to a Wolf Moon for Lionsgate.
On dvd June 22.
“The story of Wolf Moon goes like this: “Real love and fate collide in a small town girl’s life as Amy falls in love with a mysterious drifter who brings with him a family curse and the unimaginable horror that follows. Bender, who shares the curse with his son, brings hell to Amy’s small town. As Dan and Amy’s love is put to the test, Thibodeaux, an ex-cop from another city who has witnessed Bender’s lust for blood firsthand; Sam, the local sheriff and an ex-homicide detective; and John, a local farmer and Amy’s father, head for the ultimate showdown with Bender and the evil web of terror that he has drawn them all into.”
Wonder if the werewolf ends up dead in this one. Seems to be the trend even in werewolf movies with romances in them. Still, I’m kind of excited about this one.
The Wolfman Blu-ray and DVD specs.
Director’s cut! Though it only adds sixteen minutes. And it looks like the Blu-ray will get all the good special features, which means I might actually buy it on Blu-ray, which will be my first. (Not counting the one that came with the PS3 back when I bought it.)
(Though if this is true (Sony’s new Blue-Ray won’t work with your old Blu-Ray player), I am done. Damn it, Sony. This is one of the reasons why people turn to illegal copies, because you are making it impossible for them to watch it on what they own. Look, yay technology, see what we can do, want to make money, etc., I get it, but starting a format war with yourself is not a good plan.)
The Design, Tech, Execution, and Politics of The Wolfman Transformation Scenes.
“so rather than traditional close-ups of bones stretching and hair sprouting he might turn into something resembling an almost fetal orc-like creature.”
A) I love the traditional bones stretching. Like, a lot. Bones moving beneath the skin is so very creepy. B) I wonder if that orc-like creature is what they used during the illness hallucination/dream sequence. If so, it looked far more like Gollum than an orc.
The Fangs, Fur, and Fey is holding a discussion/recommendation list of books which deal with stories that focus on characters of color, queer characters, non-European mythology, etc.
I recently read Karen Healey’s Guardian of the Dead, which I highly recommend, set in New Zealand and featuring Māori mythology, though with a straight white point of view character. The main character’s best friend is asexual, too.
Will Patricia Briggs Mercy Thompson Make It to Big Screen?
No real news yet, but I didn’t know it had been optioned at all, so that’s interesting. (I have some issues with how rape has been handled in the series, and also dominant males, but on the whole, I really enjoy both it and the Alpha and Omega companion series.)
Patricia Briggs on How She Writes and Who She’s Reading Now.
I am really envious of her home in Washington. I want space for coyotes to roam. (Also, I love Washington.)
Plot Details and Artwork for Gladiators v. Werewolves: Edge of Empire.
That’s getting to be quite a long title, isn’t it. I really like the tagline, though: The Hunt. The Trap. The Games. I’m a fan of stories about hunting and trapping, especially when humans are the prey. Or werewolves hunting other werewolves. Or — okay, basically I just like hunting and trapping stories.
Slaughter’s Road renamed to Wolves.
Director David Hayter describes it as “Twilight with a bit more bite to it, and without abstinence.” I am not really sure how those things mean it’s anything like Twilight, but whatever, I’m interested.
I love western werewolves, but this looks really, really horribly cheesy and over acted. I’m not sure it will be bad in the right way to be a good bad movie, but we’ll see.
I realized that I had saved a draft with a couple werewolf links back in February, but had never scheduled it to publish. Oh well. These three are from back in February.
The Wolf Man: The Hollywood History of a Howling Success.
Listen to Excerpts from The Wolfman’s Score
More recent werewolf news follows.
Werewolf Fever is a movie about a werewolf attacking a burger joint. The website made me grin, and the trailer had me laughing so hard I could barely watch it during the action sequence. It looks like it will be a fabulous, ridiculous low-budget werewolf movie.
Top Five Vintage Werewolf Movies at Werewolves.com.
I really like all the movies they suggested, but I do think the book Wolfen is a lot better — and scarier — than the movie. Generally I think books are better but can still enjoy the movie version, but with Wolfen, the first time I watched the movie I was really let down because I’d so enjoyed the book when I read it. On repeated viewings, the movie grew on me, but I recommend watching it before you read the book, if you haven’t had the joy of experiencing either.
Plot Details for The Howling Reborn.
The Howling was what started my love of werewolf movies, so I am understandably leery, but I am also looking forward to this. The plot details aren’t fantastic, but maybe they’ll be able to pull off an interesting movie.
Smoking Lesbian Werewolves in Love.
Jack & Diane sounds like it might be a lot of fun, though I’m somewhat leery of the whole teenage sexual puberty being the catalyst for werewolf-like anything, but we’ll see. Also, the two actors look like they’re twelve or younger, which is a bit of a turnoff when I’d love to see lesbian werewolves I don’t feel wrong for finding attractive. Ah well.
I have been collecting links but not posting them for far too long, so here are all the links from my werewolves collection.
Werewolf Prevention Training Videos
At moments, these are hilarious.
A More Human Twist on the Werewolf Legend
DreadCentral.com doesn’t seem too thrilled about it because it’s the story of a wolf turned human, but I’m a fan of that, too. I’d love to see more stories which explore the ways a wolf-turned-human would view the world in a different way than a human-turned-wolf.
Ryan Colucci to co-produce Skin Trade.
I am really looking forward to this movie and I’m not even sure why. I mean, of course I love werewolf movies in general, but this one seems particularly interesting.
I’m also absolutely thrilled by this bit of news from the end of the article: “The Skin Trade” isn’t Colucci’s only werewolf venture; in 2008, he sold his script “Lobo” to Stone Village Pictures. John Stockwell (“Blue Crush,” “Turistas”) is attached to direct. It involves a colony of werewolves deep in the jungles of Brazil, and could become a trilogy.
I LOVE Blue Crush (though Turistas I could do without), and werewolves in jungles is one of my favorite tropes. So I’ll be keeping an eye out for this one, too.
Neowolf is Gonna Rock You.
and
Rock ‘n Roll Werewolf Pics from Neowolf.
It’s going to be really, really horrible and ridiculous, isn’t it, though hopefully so ridiculous it is AWESOME. I love werewolves and musicians and really want this to be incredible and fun, but from the pictures, the special effects are going to be bad enough to make me sad. Still, I’ll give this one a try.
QA Lucy Monroe on her Medieval Scottish Werewolves.
For those of you who are fans of historical romances and werewolf romances. I haven’t read any of these (and may not, historical romances aren’t really my thing), but some of my siblings really enjoy them.
Read an E-Book Week: Keith Melton.
Part interview, part book recommendation, I read the warnings for this book and immediately wanted to read it: Warning: Contains savage werewolf combat, defiant love, graphic violence/language/sex, kangaroo trials and unrepentant criminal havoc.
My favorite religious conspiracy ever: Jesus was a werewolf.
Teen Wolf has Horror and Humor
“[T]he new MTV Teen Wolf takes out a totally different slant, taking more of the slant of The Lost Boys, so to speak. It still has humor, but it’s basically got horror and humor.”
I’ve been waiting a long time for a movie that does for werewolves what The Lost Boys did for vampires. (Though I do sometimes watch Cursed and The Lost Boys together and call them similar.)
And in really worrisome wolf news, Alaska wolves “killed” US teacher out jogging. I fear this just fans the flame of wolf hatred in Alaska (and elsewhere).
I will start this mini-review with a bit of funny that happened. The other day I sat down to continue reading Wolf Signs, the awesome Elizabeth Reeve popped up on IM, and we had this exchange (mostly paraphrased):
Eliza: I read some short stories I liked. They were about werewolves. You like werewolves. Let me tell you about them! (She also thoughtfully provided links, because she is awesome. Because I am also awesome, I will pass those links on to you: “First Howl” and “Second Howl” by Vivian Arend.)
Eliza: *talks a little about the short stories and the things she likes about them*
Eliza: And a female lead who is deaf!
Me: *double take* I think I am reading these books! I was just going to tell you about this free book I got for the Kindle. (Because I am still awesome, I will include a link, though I can’t guarantee how long the freebie will last: Wolf Signs.)
Me: Shared brain for the win!
So these stories are so enjoyable we simultaneously found them and started reading them, then recommended them to each other before we even finished.
And now I will recommend them to you, with some spoilers. Well, I’ll recommend Wolf Signs, though I still haven’t had the chance to read the two short stories linked above.
Wolf Signs by Vivian Arend from Samhain Publishing
From the publisher’s blurb: Robyn Maxwell doesn’t care that her brother has to cancel out on their backcountry ski trip. She can do it alone. The fact she’s deaf doesn’t make her survival skills any weaker. The chance to get away from it all and relax in the Yukon wilderness is just what she’s been craving.
Meeting wilderness guide Keil at the cabin starts cravings of another kind. Keil’s one hot hunk of ripped, tasty male. Now she has to deal with raging hormones as well as strange questions about wolves and mates and challenges to the death.
Keil was trying for a nice reflective retreat before challenging for the Alpha position of his Alaskan pack. He wasn’t planning on meeting the woman destined to be his mate, or finding out she’s not aware she has the genes of a wolf.
Between dealing with his accident-prone younger brother, a deaf mate with an attitude and an impending duel to the death, his week—and his bed—is suddenly full.
Far from the relaxing getaway any of them had in mind…
Mini-review: Mostly, this was a lot of fun. I really like Robyn. She’s an intriguing, stubborn, strong woman. I particularly like that she’s deaf, but still does all the things she loves. I really enjoyed the opening scene with Robyn and her brother, Tad. It’s obvious they love each other very much, and though Tad is very overprotective, he listens to what Robyn says. Unfortunately, Tad is also keeping a major secret from Robyn, which I hated. If the siblings are that close, I think he would have told her the truth. As it is, his secret starts to look like a big coincidence used to make the plot work.
I loved that Arend doesn’t gloss over some of the difficulties Robyn faces because she’s deaf, especially when meeting strangers in the wilderness, but there’s a twist later which allows Robyn and Keil to talk to mentally talk to each other which seemed like a cheat to get around the limitations Robyn’s disability poses for them.
Robyn deals really well with learning that not only do werewolves exist, but she’s a werewolf, which she doesn’t know because her parents were killed when she was very young. I’m torn on this issue; partly I am glad to see a character not waffling with disbelief, because frequently that takes up a huge chunk of stories, but partly I think she accepted it way too fast.
What there is of werewolf politics is really intriguing, but the story lets that fall flat. Throughout the story, I thought all the discussions about werewolf politics and pack law were building to an exciting, culminating official challenge for leadership of the pack, but after a too brief fight while Robyn and Keil are still on their way back to civilization, the book just kind of ends. The fight itself is quite a let down, too, and is won far too easily by Keil and Robyn despite the fact that Robyn has no experience facing werewolves and can’t yet shift herself. Though Keil says he can’t handle three wolves attacking him at once, he deals with that and more. The story really feels incomplete, like this is only one half of the actual tale. I’ll check out the sequel and see if it fleshes out the abrupt, too brief ending on this one.
Though the sex scenes are hot and fun, there were moments when they were also incredibly cheesy, which knocked me out of the story. One example is this description: Kisses like a ten-car pile up. It has the scared virgin trope, and I’m definitely tired of that, as well as the pain during the first penetration, which yes, does happen for some women, but not for a lot of them, and in romances seems to happen to every single one. As active as Robyn is, I’m not sure I believe she’d feel pain. Keil also frequently comes across as a bit of an ass, especially when it comes to sex; not only dominant but demanding, and frequently pushing for anal sex, which actually seemed out of place with the rest of the story.
Finally, I really am not a fan of the mating for life concept which shows up in so many werewolf stories, but many people love that and expect it and if you do like it, it fits well in this story.
Overall, I really enjoyed the story. It was a quick, fun read with some interesting werewolf politics and the potential for a really fun series. There were a number of characters I’d like to read about in sequels and I’m looking forward to reading more.
Instead of a Waiting on Wednesday this week, I thought I’d share some of the many werewolf links I’ve seen recently.
The Howling, Hell Yeah! at Fearnet.com.
I love The Howling, and so does Fearnet.com.
The Wolfman mobile game from Namco.
Control two different characters, Lawrence Talbot and The Wolfman, through ten levels of angry villagers, woodland creatures, and police.
I’m not a big mobile gamer right now, but I’m tempted by this.
Ten Songs about Wolves and Werewolves in Honor of The Wolfman by Aida Ekberg.
I can never get enough of werewolf songs.
Blogger Beware reviews Werewolf Skin and The Werewolf of Fever Swamp by R.L. Stine.
Hilarious. I’m a big fan of all the bloggers snarking on our favorite horror books when we were kids in the 80s and 90s, and though this isn’t the funniest of the book blogging sites, these two reviews are fab.
Legacy of the Lycanthrope: A Werewolf Timeline 1913-2010.
Useful and interesting!
Bloody-Disgusting.com has hi-res pictures of The Wolfman.
I can’t wait for this movie. It’s going to be cheesy but gorgeous and I’m down with that.
Boody-Disgusting.com talks about Sci Fi Channel’s horrific fairy tales.
I refuse to call them by their stupid new name, but their Little Red Riding Hood story means I’ll be watching it at least one movie night. (A descendant of Little Red discovers her family secretly hunts werewolves.)
From Living Dead Press:
DEAD HISTORY: A ZOMBIE ANTHOLOGY
The history of the walking dead is a long one.
Since before man walked the Earth, the dead have been with us. [...]
From Egypt, to London, to the first moon landing, to the old West; zombies have been a part of our culture, our very lives, though each time it has been erased, eradicated from our history.
Perhaps in these lost tales of our past is the hope for our future. [...]
From Mike Oliveri:
The Pack Book One: Winter Kill
(Except by waiting on, I mean it’s already available and I didn’t realize it until I went to find a link for this post. Huh.)
For generations, the northern Minnesota mountain region has been a haven for peaceful hikes and breath-taking scenery. But when tourists suddenly turn up dead, FBI special agents Angela Wallace and Brian Shilling are called in to investigate, only to discover that the murders may be part of a deadlier, supernatural mystery.
The Pack series of horror fiction and graphic novels tells the story of the Tylers, a close-knit family trying to deal with their supernatural legacy in an ever-changing world.
Winter Kill picks up two years after the events of Werewolves: Call of the Wild, a comic miniseries from Moonstone Books. A prose book, it was released for the Kindle on Halloween and in trade paperback in December.
From BBC:
George’s friend, Kaz, arrives at the flat with a staggering request: she and her partner Lucy want to have a child, and they’d like George to be the father. George is warming to the idea – he’s always wanted kids, and he can be as involved in the baby’s life as he wishes – but he is wary: what if his condition is genetic?
Mitchell and Annie don’t approve of the new plan, but Mitchell is wrestling with a difficult decision of his own. His new friend, Leo, is surprisingly good company for a pasty older bloke who believes the 1980s were a golden age. But he seems a little too interested in Mitchell’s family and history – and he has a surprising request of his own in store for his new friend…
The first in a brand new list of tie-in novels for the hit BBC series Being Human.
Annie has learned quite a bit about her new friend Gemma: she’s 40 and used to work in a pharmacy, she likes to go bowling, and she’s never forgiven herself for the suicide of her teenage son. She also died ten years ago and doesn’t know why she’s come back through that door…
Perhaps it has something to do with the new road they’re building through the rundown part of town. The city’s plans are sparking protests, and Annie knows those derelict houses hold a secret in Gemma’s past. Will stopping the demolition help Gemma be at peace again? Annie wants George and Mitchell to join the road protest, but they’re more concerned by mysterious deaths at the hospital. Deaths that have also attracted the attention of the new Hospital Administrator…
Kiss and Van Halen rockers provide howl effects for The Wolfman.
Joe Johnston confirms Jurassic Park 4 as start of new trilogy.
Some of my favorite rockers providing howls for the first movie I am really looking forward to this year and potentially another three ridiculous and amazing dinosaur movies? Dude, I am so there!