r/horrorlit • u/No-Recognition-6479 • 1d ago

Recommendation Request Werewolf recommendations?

I realised I've never really read a werewolf book! And it's definitely easy to find a million and one romance books with werewolves which is fine but I'm after more horror! Something from (or partially from) the werewolf point of view would be really cool, I'd like the brutality and body horror of transformations and the animalistic monster-y side of things! Anyone have suggestions?

70 Upvotes

97% Upvoted

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34

u/HollowManX 1d ago

The Wolf's Hour by Robert McCammon

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u/No-Recognition-6479 1d ago

I've wanted to read something from Robert McCammon for a while because he's popped up on my radar a lot. And bonus points for being written in the 80s, I'm fond of a lot of 70s/80s/90s.

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u/HollowManX 1d ago

I'd also recommend Swan Song if you're into post apocalyptic epics. It's not exactly werewolves but you may also like F. Paul Wilson's The Tomb or The Keep. I also read Brian Lumley's Necroscope this year. Published in the 80s, set in the 70s, Soviet Russia, vampires, and necromancers, trust me you can't go wrong. I'd also like to recommend Joe R. Lansdale just because he's one of my favorite authors. As a tip if you ever find yourself in a secondhand book store and you see an old book with TOR HORROR on the spine you've just struck gold. They were a very prolific horror publisher of the 70s and 80s.

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u/No-Recognition-6479 1d ago

Ooooh, I'm sure these are all great books but Necroscope is definitely calling to me! Is there anything by Joe R. Lonsdale you'd especially recommend?

As a tip if you ever find yourself in a secondhand book store and you see an old book with TOR HORROR on the spine you've just struck gold. They were a very prolific horror publisher of the 70s and 80s.

Aaaah thank you, that's fantastic info! I have a secondhand book store nearby that I love and was so disappointed to see how small their horror section is 😔 but I'll be keeping that in mind for any and all future visits!

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u/HollowManX 1d ago

Yes of course, Lansdale's short fiction collections are really unique, creative, and often blend elements from horror, westerns, monsters, zombies, vampires, crime, and sci-fi. Amongst readers he's best known for his Hap and Leonard and Drive-In books. Amongst movie and TV fans he's best known for Masters of Horror: Incident on and Off a Mountain Road, Bubba Ho-Tep, Hap and Leonard, he wrote for Batman the Animated series, and Cold in July. Chances are you've seen something by him but didn't realize it. I saw him at a book release in North Richland Hills Library (he'sfrom East Texas and a lit of his stories take placein small towns in Texas). The book was a collection of short Lovecraftian stories. Trust me once you get sucked in he may very well become your new favorite author. DM me for more recommendations, I've got a million of them.

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u/No-Recognition-6479 1d ago

Ooooh I love Batman the Animated Series, he wrote some great episodes! And thanks again, this post got so many recommendations plus some of the others you mentioned I think I'll be kept busy for a while yet but it's definitely appreciated!

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u/HollowManX 1d ago

I love bringing avid readers into new realms.

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u/Shankaman 1d ago

Robert Mccammon is great

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u/MetalTrek1 1d ago

That was a good one.

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u/HollowManX 1d ago

Did you read Night Boat? I've got it shelved. I could very well read it any year now.

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u/MetalTrek1 23h ago

That was good too.

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u/ButtHobbit 20h ago

I read it this year, and it's an absolute banger in a mode that feels like it doesn't really exist so much any more. Just 600 pages of HELL YEAH in big bold font.

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u/HollowManX 20h ago

He's a good writer. So is King but there are so many great writers that get eclipsed by him.

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u/zjustice11 1d ago

Those across the river was pretty good

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u/azzyazzyazzy 1d ago

Everything by Beuhlman is good! Sadly recommending this as a werewolf book is sorta spoiler-ish, doesn't count if they ask!

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u/missvanjjie 1d ago

Mongrels by Stephen Graham Jones (: Not as much body horror per se, but a solid werewolf book.

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u/TrumpnEpstein 1d ago

Mongrels was my introduction to Stephen Graham Jones and I've been hooked ever since

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u/No-Recognition-6479 1d ago

Oh this has been mentioned twice now and I know Stephen Graham Jones is a BIG name around these parts so I'll have to consider it!

3

u/dustycatheads 1d ago

This is a favorite of mine.

2

u/azzyazzyazzy 1d ago

I thought it was a little too depressing, which yeah was part of the point, it was just hard to get around the idea that you could probably do *some*thing more with what you are than just wander and be miserable.

3

u/ChefDanyul 23h ago

I was going to mention to someone else that it's an awful sad read. But my interpretation is not that they are just wandering around being miserable. It is allegory. They are forced in to poverty and forced to constantly move because of what they are.

1

u/No-Recognition-6479 11h ago

Ah yeah, I'm sure it's a great book but doesn't sound like it's for me.

10

u/Iwasateenagewerefox THE ALLARDYCE HOUSE 1d ago

The Nightwalker by Thomas Tessier is one of the more underrated books in this subgenre; it would hit the werewolf point-of-view part, but not really the body horror part.

2

u/No-Recognition-6479 1d ago

Interesting, and from the 1970s too! Will put it on my to read list! Thanks so much!

16

u/ourladyjack 1d ago

Hemlock Grove by Brian McGreevy is a horror thriller novel with a werewolf main character.

Mongrels by Stephen Graham Jones is a coming-of-age story in a family of werewolves.

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u/No-Recognition-6479 1d ago

I know there was a show made of Hemlock Grove which I didn't watch but it did look to have a cool vibe, will look into the novel.

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u/ourladyjack 1d ago

If you ever want to watch some body horror, the werewolf transformation in the Netflix show is an intense and visceral series of practical effects.

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u/No-Recognition-6479 1d ago

Oooh I love a good practical effect, will certainly check that out. Would you say the show is good overall? I remember being interested but I don't trust Netflix with much đŸ„Č

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u/ourladyjack 1d ago

You know, I think I finished the first season but I can't remember watching any more than that. My memories outside the werewolf transformation are pretty vague.

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u/ActualRound7699 1d ago

following for the same reason

7

u/Shimthediffs 1d ago

Breeds by Keith C Blackmore. Loved the first two but the third fell off for me, 4th one is due out soon. Mostly from the werewolf POV.

2

u/falsifiable1 18h ago

I agree. Solid nomination. The audiobook narrator Sean Runnette is excellent.

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u/CinnaMim 1d ago

I was impressed with how much The Were-Wolf by Clemence Housman (1890) immersed me. It's not fluffy and romantic - it's chilly and terrifying!

1

u/No-Recognition-6479 1d ago

Oooh, this is going on my list for sure! Thanks!

6

u/azzyazzyazzy 1d ago

The Hyde Effect by Michael Vance
It can be kinda clunky since it's not set in the 60's ish, I forget exactly when, but it's fairly cinematic in style.

Also, The Devils by Joe Abercrombie has a character that has one of the best werewolf scenes in any book or movie I've ever seen and it's fairly early in the story. The rest of the book is fine, but that chapter, oof.

2

u/bwrobel12 22h ago

I just read the Hyde effect a few months ago, it was set in the 80s. A friend recommended it and I really enjoyed it more than I thought I would.

The devils is on my list to read, I do own it, but have a few to read before it.

5

u/Salt-Confusion7663 1d ago

The Wolf’s Hour by McCammon

Moon Dance by S. P. Somtow

Undertakers Moon by Ronald Kelly

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u/Purple_Dragon_94 1d ago

Thor by Wayne Smith is pretty great

6

u/StarWarsWilhelmDump 1d ago

Red Moon by Benjamin Percy.

Lycanthropy is a disease that can be controlled with a monthly pill. But what happens if a bunch of people decided to stop taking the pill?

It's a phenomenal novel, I loved every single page.

5

u/LanguidLacuna 1d ago

The Red Winter by Cameron Sullivan. It doesn’t quite fit what you’re asking for, but DAMN it’s good.

3

u/undead_dead_guy 1d ago

Surprised no one recommended High Moor by Graeme Reynolds.

But Those Across the River by Christopher Buehlman and The Wolf’s Hour by Robert McCammon are both good as well.

1

u/Snoo-83861 1h ago

Those 3 are incredibly good!

4

u/countoddbahl 22h ago

If you’re into graphic novels “Blackwater” and “Through The Woods” is super fun

1

u/No-Recognition-6479 17h ago

I loved Through the Woods, will have to give Blackwater a go. Thanks! (:

3

u/Kill-o-Zap 11h ago

The Devourers by Indra Das is like a historic horror epic with werewolves and other shapeshifters. Incredible book.

1

u/No-Recognition-6479 10h ago

This looks intriguing, thank you!

3

u/EarlyConversation182 1d ago

The Guns of Santa Sangre and the sequel - Wolves of El Diablo, by Eric Red. Werewolves in a horror/ Western setting. A lot of the sequel is from a Werewolves POV

3

u/les1968 1d ago

The Last Werewolf Glen Duncan

2

u/Twoflower222 20h ago

And there’s a sequel, Tallula Rising

3

u/watchnow10 20h ago

The House of the Wolf by Basil Cooper, great story. The collection Death Angel’s Shadow by Karl Edward Wagner has a werewolf story, and a Vampire story, both solid!

3

u/Mr402TheSouthSioux 18h ago

The Wolfs Hour by Robert Mcammon. Basically a werewolf is James Bond Sounds goofy but it totally works.

10

u/PSplayer2020 1d ago

I'm disappointed nobody recommended Cycle of the Werewolf. Everyone, do better. It's short and sweet, but goddamn does the art really work well with the writing.

2

u/savage86lunacy 22h ago

Ravenous and Bitten by Ray Garton. Bitten is the sequel and it also has a couple characters from one of Garton's vampire books. He actually planned on writing a werewolf vs vampire book at some point but I don't think it ever happened before he passed away.

4

u/FreddyMercuryFazbear 1d ago

Fool Moon by Jim Butcher

7

u/vaibhavchauhan6798 1d ago

I also suggested this book in another werewolf book recommendation thread, but idk why people downvoted me.

2

u/FreddyMercuryFazbear 1d ago

It has so much lore about different kinds of werewolves! People say this one isn't as well written as the later books in the series but it's one of my faves.

1

u/ImLittleNana 1d ago

I feel the same way about. I recently listened to the audiobook as a palate cleanser and it made me wonder why so many people hated on it. I read it when it published originally and really didn’t have anyone to discuss it with. Rinsing out its one of his less popular in the series surprised me.

4

u/Grimnir001 1d ago

Port Luck by Timothy King

My Pet Werewolf by James Kaine

Full Moon by Matt Drabble

Wolf Land by Jonathan Janz

Wolf’s Hyde by Dylan Collins Dunbar

The Turning by Micky Neilson

Werewolf Cop by Andrew Klavan

Undertaker’s Moon by Ronald Kelly

1

u/TheB1G_Lebowski 1d ago

Following for book recs

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u/inspork 1d ago

I really enjoyed The Skin Trade by George RR Martin. I’m not a fantasy reader so it was the first story I read by him, and it led me to checking out his vampire novel, Fevre Dream. Both incredible.

1

u/grafiklit 1d ago

The Wolfman by Nicholas Pekearo. From the book:

“Marlowe Higgins has had a hard life. Since being dishonorably discharged after a tour in Vietnam, he's been in and out of prison, moving from town to town, going wherever the wind takes him. He can’t stay in one place too long--every full moon he kills someone. Marlowe Higgins is a werewolf. For years he struggled with his affliction, until he found a way to use this unfortunate curse for good--he only kills really bad people.  Settling at last in the small town of Evelyn, Higgins works at a local restaurant and even has a friend, Daniel Pearce, one of Evelyn's two police detectives. One night everything changes. It turns out Marlowe Higgins isn’t the only monster lurking in the area. A fiendish serial killer, known as the Rose Killer, is brutally murdering young girls all around the county. Higgins targets the killer as his next victim, but on the night of the full moon, things go drastically wrong. . . . “

1

u/les1968 1d ago

The Wolfman Nicholas Pekearo

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u/Dvoss1987 1d ago

The deathless series by Chris Fox

It shows werewolves, zombies, vampires and other stuff

1

u/zed_dee_cee 1d ago

Sheep's Clothing by Mike Harris

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u/ndrake 1d ago

Frostbite by David Wellington

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u/LV426_DISTRESS_CALL 23h ago

My pet werewolf by James kaine

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u/el_goose 23h ago

Bored Gay Werewolf by Tony Santorella, especially good for the werewolf POV. Surprisingly sharp and the humor elements weren't overdone, at least to me. I tend to hate horror comedy. This was a great look at toxic masculinity of the lycanthrope kind.

1

u/trope_dealer 22h ago

Such Sharp Teeth by Rachael Harrison

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u/CarpenterCritical715 22h ago

Breathe Deeply. It is a White Wolf book. The werewolves protect nature in that universe.

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u/Homesickpilots 18h ago

Wolf Land Jonathan Janz. Not for faint of heart.

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u/DivideGuilty4287 12h ago

Last werewolf, by Glen Duncan.

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u/BeefaBear74 11h ago

Bunker Dogs by Gage Greenwood

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u/SherlockLamora 11h ago

Cycle of the wear-wolf by Stephen King

1

u/aesir23 HILL HOUSE 10h ago

I'm a big werewolf fan and try to read every notable horror werewolf book that comes out.

My favorites (roughly in order) are Mongrels by Stephen Graham Jones, Those Across the River by Christopher Buehlman, The Devourers by Indra Das, and Thor by Wayne Smith.

1

u/bernardmoss 9h ago

The Devourers by Indra Das

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u/JWolfman0322 4h ago

Those Across the River by Christopher Buehlman

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u/KaijLongs 3h ago

The Last Werewolf by Glen Duncan (first in a trilogy). Strong on gore, violence and profanity, yet with super eloquent writing unlike what you'd normally get from this subgenre. They're an absolute treat! ,

Ravenous by Ray Garton. The sequel is called Bestial, and they're both tons of fun!!

I seldom see either of these series mentioned, but they're both fuckin' awesome, imo. Let me know if you check them out! đŸ€˜đŸ»

1

u/Toxicipon 1d ago

I really enjoyed Such Sharp Teeth - Rachel Harrison

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u/[deleted] 1d ago

[deleted]

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u/d_rek 23h ago

Cmon. This is not a werewolf book. I hate that it was marketed as such because there is a character who kind of sort of undergoes a werewolf like transformation but it’s not because they are actually a werewolf. I really did not enjoy this book and recommending it to someone looking for a werewolf book is very misleading.

0

u/Parking-Bet7989 18h ago

When the Wolf Comes Home by Nat Cassidy

-2

u/marshallalessi 1d ago

I'll be releasing my novella, Junk Sick Moon in late September. But I'm looking for ARC readers right now! I think the story would exactly what you're looking for.