Customer Reviews

Animal Behavior and Other Tales of Lycanthropy

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

From beginning to end this collection is an excellent addition into the genre of werewolf tales.

When I first heard of this book, my mind flashed to there being a bunch of stories that only 20% were good and the rest would probably struggle to keep my attention. I am happy to say that Keith Gouveia has completely proved my first thought wrong!

This is a collection of straight up draw dropping, stomach churning, awe inspiring, well thought out and intelligently executed short stories. I wish they were not short stories! Out of eleven I would like to see seven of them developed into a full book. Especially, my favorite, The Guardian. What an awesome story! I can not tell which story is the best, simply because of the merit of each story will draw on the tastes of seperate individual readers. The likes and dislikes of one person is not always going to carry over to another's, so the one thing that I can generalize is the quality of writing.

Although this book is not my favorite of Gouveia's, the quality of writing, the detail, the imagery, the explanations and illustrations, the authenticity, is top notch!

It deserves a five star rating on the ability to tell eleven completely distinct - seperate stories in which all pull their own weight.

There was, for me, one story that was the weakest, which is Wolf Maiden, and, actually two, Lady in the Forest; They were not weak in the sense of bad writing, but rather because I believe these stories needed longer storylines. For me to thoroughly enjoy them I would need more depth. But, then I have to yank myself back and remember that these are just short stories, they are not novels. But they would make compelling novels for sure.

The stories that I would like to see turned into novels right away are: The Guardian, Voodoo Moon, War Dog and Mind, Body, and Soul. These stories have so much depth and potential as is! So many directions you can go with these.

The stories I would like to see more developed, or maybe a tad longer are: Wolf Maiden, Dance of the Wolf, Lady of the Forest, Shadows of the Wolf and Animal Behavior.

The stories I would like to see turned into movies or TV series: The Guardian, Voodoo Moon, Mind, Body, and Soul, Animal Behavior and Shadows of the Wolf.

Overall though, Gouveia reached deep into himself and pulled out some great reading material.
He leaves the endings on some of the stories up for your imagination, and completes other ones, which lends a nice mix.
And there is one common occurance that the reader should pick up on, in every story... I like that....

Even if you're not so much into werewolves, these stories were written so that anyone can pick up and enjoy. I stopped reading werewolf stories years ago, because of the direction they were going in, and the basic "cookie cutter" types of stories out there. But KG brought these stories in with class and intrigue. A little old school and a little new scool.

Cons: I'm searching for something negative to say and can only highly recommend this book. I don't like that some of them are short stories because I want to read more, other than that its great.
A must buy at a decent price.

"For the reader hungering for a change, Keith Gouveia offers an irresistible buffet of werewolf stories. Succulent and satisfying, fans of lycanthropes won't be able to resist digging their teeth into these tales.": I wrote that blurb minutes after finishing ANIMAL BEHAVIOR in manuscript form, with the stories, characters, and images still swirling in my head. Gouveia has taken on a seemingly thankless task: eleven werewolf short stories collected in one volume. There are innumerable ways this could have derailed, but, against all reason, the author navigates through the minefield and emerges with a series of compelling, exciting stories. Fans of werewolf fiction should celebrate this release, it's not often that a book arrives with as much story diversity as this. Sink your teeth in.

ANIMAL BEHAVIOR AND OTHER TALES OF LYCANTHROPY
By Keith Gouveia

Coscom Entertainment 2010
Ebook edition 114 pages
ISBN 978-1-926712-42-0

Keith Gouveia's contribution to the werewolf mythos, ANIMAL BEHAVIOR AND OTHER TALES OF LYCANTHROPY is packed with eleven short stories exploring existing legends of lycanthropy as well as establishing new ones. From a cursed former Catholic priest seeking redemption to teens finding themselves in the wrong place at the wrong time, there is something here for everyone.

My favorite story is The Guardian about Adam who is hunting and killing werewolves in the hope of finding the one who killed his daughter and put his wife into a catatonic state. What Adam discovers is that werewolves are guardians of the gates of Hell and keep demons from crossing into our world. The wolf that killed his child succumbed to the temptations of the devil and went rogue. Adam decides to become a guardian to atone for the killings of the other guardians. I love this story because Keith uses Christian lore as a basis for the existence of werewolves and portrays them as good creatures, not the murderous beasts we usually see them portrayed as.

Another favorite of mine is The Wolf Maiden, another story in which the werewolf and the wolf in general is depicted as a good and loving creature. A female wolf has lost her mate to a car and her pups have been stillborn. In her loneliness she seeks company and finds a baby who she wishes to protect from its father. She stays by the house night after night, keeping watch on the child and witnessing the abuse of the baby's mother. The wolf's desire to be a mother leads to something extraordinary. Again, I loved this story because the werewolf in question is by no means a murderous beast but a loving mother.

Other notable stories include Lycanthropy about a cop called to a crime scene in a psychiatric hospital that will have you wondering if the murderer is really a werewolf or only believes he is; Animal Behavior about Nicky and Jonah, two high school kids who think that eating the brain of a dead wolf will turn them into werewolves so they can get revenge on those that bully them; War Dog about Marcus, an Army recruit who is not cut out for the military until one night when he decides to attempt to use the myths of his Gypsy ancestors to acquire the traits of the wolf; and Lady of the Forest about a woman who is cursed to turn men who act on their desire for her into the "animals" that they are.

Overall I thought this was a fun read that takes a different slant on the werewolf story. I thought the story Voodoo Moon could have had a little more explanation into the voodoo aspects of the story. I also had questions in Shadows of the Wolf, like how could the cabin be used by teens if someone lived there, and the circumstances of the woman they found. Other than that, I did like ANIMAL BEHAVIOR. I have to say, though, that I would love to see The Guardian turned into something longer--a novella perhaps?
I recommend it to any horror fan; and don't rule it out if you think you've read `enough' werewolf stories....these are different.

Contains some sex and lots of violence and gore.

Colleen Wanglund
6/30/2010

"For the reader hungering for a change, Keith Gouveia offers an irresistible buffet of werewolf stories. Succulent and satisfying, fans of lycanthropes won't be able to resist digging their teeth into these tales.": I wrote that blurb minutes after finishing ANIMAL BEHAVIOR in manuscript form, with the stories, characters, and images still swirling in my head. Gouveia has taken on a seemingly thankless task: eleven werewolf short stories collected in one volume. There are innumerable ways this could have derailed, but, against all reason, the author navigates through the minefield and emerges with a series of compelling, exciting stories. Fans of werewolf fiction should celebrate this release, it's not often that a book arrives with as much story diversity as this. Sink your teeth in.

This new edition, with much improved cover art, only enhances the experience.