Queer Wolf (Queer Legends) [Paperback]

Ginn Hale (Author), Charlie Cochrane (Author), James EM Rasmussen (Editor)

Book Description

Series: Queer Legends | Publication Date: June 7, 2009

Their world lies between the shadows and the moonlight, between man and animal...and in the city under neon moons and through on-treed streets, the queer wolves run. Bound within QUEER WOLF is an exciting collection of contemporary, urban and sensual werewolf tales; a gathering of queer wolves presented by exciting, new and established authors. Stories by: RJ Bradshaw; Naomi Clark; Charlie Cochrane; Laramie Dean; Moondancer Drake; Ginn Hale; Erica Hildebrand; Michael Itig; Lucas Johnson; Andi Lee; Charles Long; Stephen Osborne; Robert Saldarini; Quinn Smythwood; Jerome Stueart; Anel Viz; Cari Z "The debut anthology from James EM Rasmussen's QueeredFiction is an entertaining and varied collection, boasting such talents as Charlie Cochrane and Ginn Hale. Lovers of the lycan will find much to slaver over here: from the werewolf wanabee to the lovers-through-time, to waifs and strays. From the carnal to the violent to the passionate, this anthology will wag your tail, I guarantee it." Erastes author of Standish

Editorial Reviews

Review

"The debut anthology from James EM Rasmussen's QueeredFiction is an entertaining and varied collection, boasting such talents as Charlie Cochrane and Ginn Hale. Lovers of the lycan will find much to slaver over here: from the werewolf wanabee to the lovers-through-time, to waifs and strays. From the carnal to the violent to the passionate, this anthology will wag your tail, I guarantee it." Erastes author of Standish

"Overall, I enjoyed reading this anthology. There were a good range of stories from authors who mostly did interesting things with what many people are calling a tired genre. It was refreshing to see f/f stories amongst the m/m, and even more refreshing was the consistently high quality of the writing from all the authors - even if some worked better than others. I may have had some quibbles with plotting, but the writing itself was excellent. I'm going to give this anthology a grade of 'Very Good' as I will definitely be reading many of these stories again when I'm in the mood for something with a bit of bite." Well Read

--This text refers to the Kindle Edition edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 300 pages
• Publisher: Queered Fiction (June 7, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 192044100X
• ISBN-13: 978-1920441005
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #662,428 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Great for paranormal romance fans and GLBT fantasy fans, August 24, 2009

By 

Michele Lee (Louisville, KY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Queer Wolf (Queer Legends) (Paperback)

The Queer Wolf collection kicks off with "Wolf Strap" by Naomi Clark. Ayla gave up a lot to be a lesbian, like her entire family, who raised her to believe her role was to get married and pop out a lot more werewolves for the good of the species. But when a child, a member of her family pack, is killed she and her partner Shannon head back to her childhood home. Its clear that things have changed since she left, but how much have they changed in this city where the human and wolves used to live in peace? The only flaw in "Wolf Strap" is that it's too short. The plot and setting could have held a full novel and while the pacing doesn't feel rushed it's hard not to want more of everything Clark has to offer.

"Moon Sing" by Laramie Dean is a beautiful love story between a wolf and a witch. Acting as a metaphor for being queer in a straight world, even Drew's pack can't accept him falling for someone not of the Breed. It doesn't have much plot outside the romance, but that alone is taken to a haunting, yearning level that's purely magnificent.

"Wolf Lover" by Michael Itig is a cruder, more raw, sex-centered tale of fetishism and, of course, werewolves. Nige is an impatient, sex-charged gay man with a passion, shall we say, for werewolves. So much so that he lures them to his home and tricks them into shape shifting during sex. But the man he meets at a club for those trolling for werewolf hook ups turns out to be something else altogether. "Wolf Lover"gives readers a more raw look at the psyche of a gay man, but doesn't feel cliché, preachy or stereotypical in the end.

"Shy Hunter" by Ginn Hale centers on David, scent dog and queer man, and not sure how to balance the two. Until he falls for a man who is being stalked by the monster who attacked David and turned him into a werewolf. This is another excellent tale, with equal parts action, emotion and mystery.

Anel Viz's "The Stray" is the lightest tale of the book so far, making nearly every canine joke and pun, without being completely cheesy as it tells the story of a couple making a major commitment to each other.

"New Beginnings" by Cari Z focuses on the only pack that accepts gay wolves in this paranormal world and a bitter curmudgeon of a wolf, Michael, who finds himself attracted to and depended on by their newest rescue. But exile wasn't enough for Tori's family. They want him dead and Michael must keep him safe in this action-adventure-romance.

Jerome Stueart's "Where the Sled Dogs Run" is another lighter tale, focusing less on the romance angle and more on creating a sweet sense of wonder. In this story the werewolves are a group of shamans, immortal, reluctant and shy, who want to reconnect with the world around them rather than hide from it, but they don't know how. It fits the anthology, but it could have been found in a number of other fantasy-themed magazines just as easily.

"Pavlov's Dog" by Andi Lee shifts straight back to hardcore erotica, and is nothing but. This tale is all set up, Josh and Caleb have just been approved to start their own pack and decide to celebrate. It's not bad, there just isn't much story to it.

Charlie Cochrane's "Wolves of the West" is the most civilized story of the book, a tale of a pack that meets in an English museum for what is far from a mess of drooling, carnivorous monsters. Here Rory and George, who put the pack together and have run it for quite some time, work to create a haven for both their fellow queers and werewolves and must work to keep certain indiscretions from public light. It's an amusing, but meaningful addition to the collection's theme.

"Family Matters" by Moondancer Drake is another example of a solid piece, featuring a lynx and wolf lesbian family and pack, that feels less like a short story and more like an opening to a book. This piece could easily be stretched and expanded, in fact there are fight scenes that are glanced over and while werebadgers, lynxes, Fae and witches are all mentioned they aren't very fleshed out. Drake is a good writer though, so one can only hope more than this story comes from her world.

In "Wrong Turn" by Stephen Osborne a young gay man finds more than he bargained for when he stops at a bar for directions and a drink and ends up smack in the middle of a werewolf tift. This falling in love story is simple and sweet, with a wrap up that seems to come too soon.

"Leader of the Pack" by Robert Saldarini is a historical werewolf tale, told by flashback, about a pair of men who survived World War II. Being steeped in the time period adds a weight of interest and credibility, but again, the tale's flaw is its brevity.

"War of the Wolves" by Charles Long is the first to include (by a brief mention) an intersexual character. This tale also takes a more fantasy-angled approach, embedding a strong sense of the surreal into a story of people coming together, not just trying to find their place in the world, but willing to fight for it.

Lucas Johnson's "Flip City"is a more traditional horror take on werewolves, a cliched take, unfortunately. The first real hiccup in the book the lead is not gay, so much as a borderline rapist and killer. Luckily the speed of this one is stuck on fast forward, burning through the story with little depth.

In "Night Swimming" by RJ Bradshaw, Joseph is indulging in a secret night swim when a wild-living werewolf finds him. They catch scents and Todd, the wild-wolf insists that he can smell that they are meant to be lifemates, and also proposes that they begin their life together by spending half the year in the city and winter helping Todd's pack in the woods. After some thought Joseph agrees, they hash out the details, and unfortunately that's all there is to this tale.

"In the Seeonee Hills" by Erica Hildebrand leads with a lesbian who contracted lycanthopy from a lover who got a bit too rough in bed. Claire is new to the paranormal world and caught between two packs who want to use her for ill means. It's part Romeo & Juliet and part something all it's own. Like some of the other tales there is room for more expansion, but it doesn't feel unfinished or sped up for the sake of the short story form.

"A Wolf's Moon" by Quinn Smythwood is certainly different. But three pages in I had no real clue what was going on or what the characters were hinting at, which left me feeling completely disconnected from the story and the characters. A depressingly weak end to this collection of tales.

Overall, there is a lot of good in Queer Wolf. It manages to represent the scope of urban fantasy, from a queer angle, though it leans heavily toward m/m paranormal romance. I really would have liked to see more f/f or even a transgender or bisexual story or two. From a genre point of view I'd have liked to see more mystery, traditional fantasy and even horror-based tales. But that's what second volumes are for.

7 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Queer Wolf edited by James EM Rasmussen, March 23, 2009

By 

Elisa (Italy) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Queer Wolf (Kindle Edition)

WOLF STRAP by Naomi Clark (F/F): Ayla is a female werewolf in a world where shifters are respectable member of society, but if you are homosexual it's better if you still stay in the closet. And so Ayla left home at 17 years old, finding her way in the big bad world alone, without the safe shelter of a pack. Nine years later, she has a partner, Shannon, and a good life, but an old friend calls her back at home for the funeral of her cousin, a 15 years old boy killed in a bashing against his race. Both for human than shifter standards, Ayla is not a strong woman: she is small and pretty, and she tries to hide it with short hair and piercing. But still she is not a tough woman, and this is reflected in the choice of her partner, a barbie doll type, pretty, blonde and soft. The strength of both Ayla and Shannon don't lie in their bodies, but in their behaviours, and Ayla will prove that, even if it doesn't seem, she is a real bd wolf (if not big). The interest in this short story lies in the contrast between Ayla as a human and her strength as a wolf, always retaining her female side, that makes her cute and pretty, even if she doesn't want it.

MOON SING by Laramie Dean (M/M): Drew is a 17 years old boy with a lot of problem: he is gay, he is a werewolf and he has no family. He was welcomed by Doll and her partner Stephanie, and they treat him like a little brother, but Drew is not happy. He doesn't know if his unhappiness is due to the fact that he is a werewolf, and has to hide it, or that he is gay, and has to hide it. In a way or another, Drew is a misfit among his similar, and to add trouble to trouble, he is starting to feel desires that he doesn't understand, an urge to hunt or to have sex, all of them mixed together. And then Drew meets Jason, another boy like him, probably gay like him, but not a werewolf. And Drew knows that he can't live in this way no more, he needs to be free, free to be a wolf and free to be gay. For how strange it could be, Drew is a very normal boy: he is feeling the uneasiness that is typical of an age that is not yet adult but that is no more child, and he is trying to find his way in a world that seems too small for him.

WOLF LOVER by Michael Itig (M/M): Nigel is a werewolf's lover, means that he likes to have sex with werewolves while they are in shifted form. And since werewolves don't like to be exposed, he tricked them. Till now he was lucky, nothing bad happened to him, but his last werewolf told him that he is doing a dangerous game, and give him an advice. And so Nigel finds a place where humans and shifters play together in a safe haven and among them he finds Luke, a nice guy that, with the fact that he is also a werewolf he could be the perfect partner for Nigel. But Luke is young, in age and also as werewolf, and Nigel becomes almost a training ship for him; they start a sweet relationship, made of wooing and tenderness, and Nigel starts to think to have find the real deal, if not for the fact that Luke is always shy dealing with his inner wolf, he doesn't like to show it to Nigel. And Nigel doesn't know if for him is enough to have a good man by his side, or if he will miss the wolf. For Nigel arriving to term with his relationship with Luke, is like for a straight man to accept that he is in love with another man; apparently Luke is not the man for Nigel, he is not "wild" enough, but if Nigel manages to move on to his fetish, maybe he will realize that the happiness is near him ready to be taken.

SHY HUNTER by Ginn Hale (M/M): David is a werewolf, but he is not the classical strong big bad wolf, he is more like an overgrown puppy; during the day he works in a kennel, and sometime he shifts to become a rescue dog, helping the police to find missing person. David was turned by a rogue werewolf that still haunts the city, and every time David is searching for a missing person, he fears to find out that the evil struck again. The fear is always with David and his work partner is worried for him, and in the end she convinces David to try to date. David is lucky, his first night out he finds Edgar, a shy boy like him. Edgar is perfect, apparently innocent, he is eager in bed and David finds in him the welcoming mate he needs; Edgar's body and home are like a safe haven for David, but more he is with him, more David starts to realize that Edgar is not a normal guy, and above all, he seems to be the target of the rogue werewolf. Even if in this story David plays the role of the hero, he is not at all in the role; David has too much the good boy feeling in him, he is not bad enough. Apart from the shifting thing, and even when he does it, he is still a good "boy", more a pet than a wild wolf, David has no one of the characteristics of a werewolf: he is not driven by lust, he is not bloodthirsty, he is not sex obsessed... really, David is more like a big mutt searching for a warm spot to cuddle, than a lust filled werewolf...

THE STRAY by Anel Viz (M/M): John has finally manages to convince his lover Farkas to come to live with him, but even if they now live together, Farkas is still a bit of mystery for John: sometime he disappears for hours without notice only to reappear with a good excuse and a lot of cuddling to make John forget. At the beginning of their relationship maybe John was not happy of it, but lately he found something else to distract him: a stray dog that visits him every time Farkas is out. The dog is friendly and protective, and John feels safe with him; sometime John feels like he is not in the same league of Farkas, his lover is athletic, always active, and instead John sometime likes to stay at home and cuddle on the couch, and the dog allows him to do that while Farkas doesn't... in a way Farkas and the big dog complete themselves, and they never met! John realizes that something is missing, there is a piece in this story that eludes him, but, or he doesn't want to understand it, or he really has no idea that such a thing could exist, and Farkas smiles behind his shoulders, and plays along. The story is really light and funny, and the reader smiles along with Farkas of John's naïveté.

NEW BEGINNINGS by Cari Z. (M/M): Michael is the second in command of an all gay werewolves pack. Some weeks before he welcomed Tori, a young runaway shifter in the pack, but after entrusting him in the hands of the Alpha, he didn't want to have to deal with him. Apparently Tori is the one who needs a new beginning, but also Michael has his own issue, he doesn't trust too young men for relationship, since he doesn't believe them serious, and Tori is barely 20 years old. But Tori is not a normal guy, he has seen a lot in his young age and this made him older than he appears; Tori is respectful, quiet and able to follow a good leader, the perfect partner for Michael, if only Michael will see the obvious. But his Alpha is a lot more wise than him (he is an Alpha after all), and forced Michael to take Tori under his wing... it will not take longer for nature to have its course.

WHERE THE SLED DOGS RUN by Jerome Stueart (M/M): Drew is a fourth grade teacher and in a way he is innocent like the kids he teaches to. He likes stories, he is romantic and he has faith, and so when he receives and anonymous card asking for an appointment, he is willing to try. Girdard, the man who sent the card, probably chooses Drew for the ability of the man to believe in dream, since what he has to say to the man, only a fool will believe, or a dreamer. The story is very short, even among all these short story, and has quite a fairy tale feeling on it. Probably it's not even a romance, even if Drew and Girard "dated" (like told us Drew), but they never ever kissed during the tale! Anyway I like the old fashioned feeling of it, and Drew is really cute as elementary teacher. I also like the small town feeling of the place where he lives, a place where he can be an elementary gay teacher, attend a liberal church and fall in love through an anonymous card.

PAVLOV'S DOG by Andi Lee (M/M): A really "fast" story, barely a scene, and mostly sex, about Josh and Caleb, two lone wolves that decided to build together a pack, to be their family. Caleb owns a isolated pub near a forest, Caleb is a wandering musician that when enters the Pavlov's Dog, Josh's pub, knows that he is finally at home. Now it's only question to make it official, filling the necessary forms for the Werewolves council to recognize them as a pack and family.

WOLVES OF THE WEST by Charlie Cochrane (M/M): Rory and George are a more than 100 years old couple of werewolves, but they are not your usual alpha / beta pair, all rutting around and snarl and sex, they are English and even in shifted form they behave! During the day they work as professors in an science history museum, and they are also member of a council of werewolves; usually their meeting are boring science lessons, but sometime they need to take care of the misbehaviour of one of the pack... more or less every one hundred years, and if you think that this is a long time, remember that Englishmen have very long memory. Tinged with a sharp humour, this is mostly a funny tale; sometime there is a sad undertone, when Rory and George remember all the atrocity they witnessed in their life, but above all is a sweet tale of the life of a long loving couple, that was lucky enough to find each other and that is happy to grow old together. BTW it's the second time in few day that I read a story set in England, among Englishmen of an more than average class, and there is a not so friendly hint to Australians... being in Australia or having relationship with Australians seem to be the worst case scenario ever!

FAMILY MATTERS by Moondancer Drake (F/F): Another really short story, almost a glimpse in a more complicated and long tale that we have no chance to... Read more ›

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Queer Wolf, September 12, 2009

By 

Stephen Stefl (Albion IL.) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Queer Wolf (Queer Legends) (Paperback)

Fun Book. I've always enjoyed werewolf stories, they have thrilled me since childhood, and this book is no exception.