Great collection of short stories that all contain werewolves in some form or fashion. A very enjoyable read! ( )

"Alas, poor werewolves," writes Esther Friesner in the introduction to Strip Mauled. "Forever doomed to be Avis to the vampire's unassailable fang-hold on Hertz, Pepsi to their Coke, Burger King to their McDonalds!" To which LupLun replies, "Where you been? Antarctica?"

I shouldn't be mean. Strip Mauled was published in 2009, meaning that said intro was probably penned in 2008. At which point, yes, the bloodsuckers did rule the roost. But, the wheel turns. Over the past two years, we've seen two debuting werewolf series' make the bestseller lists, a number of more established series being rediscovered, and lest we forget Team Jacob was trouncing Team Edward pretty soundly until the latter started firing the canon. The vamps remain on top, but they're slipping. You're as likely to see parodies of vampire romances than straight examples on the bookshelves these days. Clearly, brooding immortals with cold skin and neck fetishes don't do it for the modern fangirl. She wants someone who romances her, as Trent Reznor put it, "like an animal." So, an anthology with a stated goal being "helping our long-suffering lycanthropic brethren to lay claim to their rightful bite of the American Dream" seems almost quaint these days. Our moon, after all, is already waxing.

Read the full review at Lupines and Lunatics

The second in Friesner's latest anthology series after Witch Way to the Mall, the theme here is slightly more cohesive in that all the stories have werewolves in them. (In case you missed the first one, the connecting plot element is fantasy in suburbia.) A few of the authors (and the characters) are back for a repeat appearance, but it certainly wouldn't be necessary to read the first book before enjoying the second. In general, I like this one slightly more than the first, possibly because this time I knew what to expect. ( )

This is one of the best collections I've read recently. Most of the stories were very good, and there were some cool twists on the whole werewolf thing: the guy who was not a werewolf, yet who the weres thought was, so he got a job on a werewolf company and a house in a werewolf suburb, but didn't quite fit in...; and the one where a werewolf girl finds True Love at a furry convention- these were 2 of the standouts. Oh, and Jim Hine's truly peverse take on children's TV. Very fun stuff! ( )