Dwarfs, wolves and werewolves, the Watch and some Igors...
923497
The Fifth Elephant is the 24th Discworld novel.
In Ankh-Morpork, the Scone of Stone, the Dwarfs' sacred relic, has been stolen, and the director of the rubber factory has just been murdered.
As Sam Vimes is sent on a diplomatic mission to Uberwald for the coronation of the new King of the Dwarfs, and Captain Carrot has gone in search of missing Angua, Lord Vetinari reluctanctly promotes Fred Colon as Captain of the Watch...
Although presented as a novel of the Ankh-Morpork City Watch, the action is principally centered on Sam Vimes and his struggle with the not-so-nice werewolves of Uberwald.
With its numerous winks to our own world, as well as the guest appearence of dear characters such as DEATH or Gaspode the Wonder Dog, the Fifth Elephant turns out as funny as I expected a Pratchett novel to be. Definitely a very good read!
2814596
OVER THE MOON is an anthology.

Angela Knight gives us a story of the Direkind. It seem that the aristocracy of the Direkind are the ones made by Merlin. The rest are peons who are bitten. The men actually rule over the females in their familys like they did in old England. Marriages are made by the men for different reasons mostly money and politics. The women have no say in their own lives.

Elena, has been ordered to marry a man she despises and as she will soon be in her burning moon there is no question of her refusal. She will be confined until that time and Stephen Bradford will be the only Direwolf allowed to see her. Her only chance is to escape and find another Direwolf strong enough to keep her safe and get her pregnant quickly.

Lucas Rollings has been a Direwolf for 5 yrs. He is a detective in a small police dept not to far away. Suddenly a gorgeous woman is begging for his help as he snatches her away from her abusive fiance. After watching the male punch Elena in the face he sees his duty to protect her. A wonderful story in the continueing saga of Merlin and the supernaturals he left to protect Earth.

Mary Janice Davidson tells us about a werewolf and a vampire who fall into a hole on the beach. Even though the werewolf is claustraphobic he bravely jumps down to help the woman out of the hole. Unfortunately, it is daylight and she is a vampire. Very cute story.

Virginia Kantra takes us back to her story in the anthology MAN OF MY DREAMS. It is 26 yrs later and the daughter of the couple who escaped the Fairy Queen finds herself alone in the mountains on the night of Beltain. It seems the Queen has never forgotten nor forgiven the loss of Caitlin's father. I loved the story and enjoyed revisiting the fae again.

Finally, the story by Sunny, which seems to be a set up for a new series was so much like a rip off of Laurall Hamilton that I personally did not like it. As so many of Hamilton's latest tales have become more and more erotic, this series seems to be on the same order.
2272430
The Complete Book of Werewolves

Leonard R. N. Ashley is Professor Emeritus of Brooklyn College of the City University of New York. He has written many books on a wide range of subjects, such as seven previous books on the supernatural. This 2001 book has an introduction (Read This First), seven chapters, and an Index in its 272 pages. The belief in werewolves is old and ancient. Lycanthropy is a mental illness classed under schizophrenia. The werewolf myth is found in scary movies. [Does it refer to The Wolf of Wall Street?] This book takes a light-hearted view to it subject, entertaining more than educational. Chapter 1 has the introduction. Criminals were outlaws and were killed like wolves (man wolf). Why does criminal activity increase when the moon is full (p. 38)? Simple, there is more light for human activity. The werewolf symbolizes mans ability to kill.

All the languages of Europe have a word for werewolf (p. 52). Chapter 2 discusses the werewolf in Europe. There are many references to books over the centuries and the different beliefs in countries. Chapter 3 discusses the werewolf in America. Hollywood created our ideas about werewolves. Do stories about werewolves appeal to teenagers (p. 120)? There are books for them to read (p. 121). Amerindians had beliefs about animals. [Would this explain sports teams with names of animals?] What is the reason boys play at killers (p. 133)? Chapter 4 tells about werewolves in the rest of the world. Other animals replace wolves (tigers, jaguars, hyenas). Movies spread legends of werewolves throughout the world (Chapter 5). Werewolf movies are commercial products. This chapter lists the many horror movies from 1900 to 2000 (a good reference guide).

Chapter 6 tells about werewolf fiction. They were popular in the 19th century, such as Wagner, the Wehr-Wolf by George Reynolds. The moral seems to warn against strangers found in forests. Chapter 7 discusses stories about werewolves in ancient literature and folklore. It goes back 4,000 years to the Sumerians and The Epic of Gilgamesh. The ancients feared many monsters. Le Morte d Arthur tells about a knight made into a werewolf. These stories tell about the superstitions in olden times. [Do we have beliefs that future generations will mock?] There is a list of modern books about werewolves on page 263.

The author has a humorous outlook as he writes about supernatural beings that have no real existence. What are todays beliefs that are similar? Note the supernatural beings used in advertising, such as breakfast cereals for children. You can make your own list.
1322376
Most of the stories are quite enjoyable and the writing is engaging. They are mostly vampire stories and the title story is
about an interesting werewolf. Many are cleverly imagined, just a little different. I enjoyed reading the book and will probably look for something else by Wilson.
956776
NIGHT WATCH is the first in a very popular series of novels by Russian writer Sergei Lukyaneko.  This book is an interesting blend of horror, sci-fi/fantasy, and suspense that in the end falls a bit short.

The real strength of NIGHT WATCH is the imaginative world building, and Lukyanenko does a great job explaining the supernatural forces at war with each other in this novel.  There are also a lot of interesting moral debates in this novel, which you don't normally find in books of this type.  I found all of this material quite fascinating, but I wish Lukyanenko had constructed a better plot for the universe he created.  I also thought the main character was too introspective and indecisive for his own good -- more Hamlet than hero.

NIGHT WATCH is not a true novel, but is instead structured as a set of three novellas, each about 150 pages long.  I didn't really care for this format, since it deprives this book of any real momentum.  The stories, in my opinion, are quite uneven in quality.  The first novella is quite terrific, the second is decent, and the third is plodding.  All three novellas end rather similarly, and the third novella has a remarkably anti-climactic ending.

I found this book enjoyable for the most part, but I think you can do much better than this (Stephen King's THE STAND and Robert McCammon's SWAN SONG are similar novels that are far superior).
3061582
Stories are full of imagination. They are somewhere between fairy tales and science fiction- maybe even scripts for Twilight Zone. There was violence in struggle between good and evil.
4396251
Most of these are backstories of minor characters, although it includes a Mercy story and the first story in the Alpha and Omega series as well as 2 stand-alones.  I wasn't crazy about the stand-alones, but I enjoyed getting to know the other characters.  My favorites were Silver, the backstory of Samuel and Ariana (though it contradicts Silver Borne), and Seeing Eye, the story of Tom and Moira the witch from the Alpha and Omega series.  All in all, an enjoyable collection.
1297583
Once again, darkness falls across the land.  All is safe, thanks to the savage three sentries we know as the Three Wolves.  Their sonorous howls cover the land in security and serve as warning to any enemy.  Tread lightly my dubious friend.  The Three Wolves are afoot for thee...
2901164
This is a beginning of a trilogy during pre-history.  Wolves and man are getting closer together and sometimes learning to live with one another.  The story begins with Swift River pack.  A female wolf has given birth to pups belonging not to lead wolf but another male.  The male kills all the pups except for one which the mother fights for and is driven from the pack for defending.  Her male pup is Kaala.  That begins the story of the wolf pack and how they begin to live closer and closer to humans.  Will humans and wolves begin like each other or just hunt together?  I suspect that will be a topic for the next book.  I liked the book and believe it may have a big life in the Fantasy/ Trilogy market.  I just like more literary books myself.  I think the targeted audience will love it.
3887146
The prospect of reading a prequel to a series that I hadn't read--in a genre, Fantasy, that I don't really like--made me nervous. It shouldn't have though, as I learned just pages into this short novel. It succeeds admirably on three levels. First, it will satisfy fans of the trilogy, who want to know how a different breed of wolves came to populate another planet. Second, it will introduce Fantasy sceptics to a series they'll want to pursue--because we come to love the wolves. Third, this tale will satisfy fans of Diane Rapp's popular mysteries, for she artfully spins a tale of cross-breeding between dogs and wolves, an evil corporation with agendas of its own, and heroic researchers who risk their lives to save the noble wolves. Rapp does a first-rate job in portraying the mental telepathy between the wolves, dogs and cast. Highly recommended.
3726723
An unusually close look at these creatures, including behaviors and traits not seen in the usual short sightings reported.  If I had a Bigfoot group living across the street that tended to wander the neighborhood at night, I'd have a hard time getting in my car to go to work in the morning.  LOL  Spooky!
3248624
I greatly enjoyed reading Candy Rae's "Wolves and War", although not as much I admit as I enjoyed reading "The Dragonriders of Pern" by Anne McCaffrey and "The Valdemar" series by Mercedes Lackey, both of which fall into the talking animal who love me unconditionally class of fantasy writing along with this book. However that might be due to the fact that I read those series between the ages of 13 and 16, when I think we as humans are most in need of that feeling of unconditional love.

I don't feel it necessary to explain to you in detail what this story is about, plenty of other reviews here will do that for me, it should be sufficient to say it's about humans bonding telepathically with giant alien wolves to defend their homes from invaders. What you want to know is should you get it? I would say yes.

I've seen some reviewers here say they couldn't suspend their disbelief at all of the necessary contrivances required to bring the humans in this series in contact with the two species of alien wolf-like creatures that inhabit their new home and my response to them is it's no more unbelievable than the circumstances that lead to similar circumstances in both "Dragonriders" and "Valdemar". It is fantasy after all and such books tend to be fantastical by their very nature.
This book has an interesting and varied cast of characters who in good "Roshomon" like fashion respond same circumstances in different fashion and we as audience come to care for most of them.

If this book fails, it is in its villains who seem one dimensional and quest for power for seemingly no other reason than to do so. However even there this book leaves you a light at the end of the tunnel with secondary cast of heavies which seem much more human to me with varied motivations and desires who might be well used in the continuing volumes (I haven't read that far yet).

Other than that the only thing I might recommend is a slight formatting change relocated the character list to the front of the book instead of the back because at times I was slightly confused as to who a particular character was when they were referenced and I don't routinely check the back of Kindle books to see if there is a character list.
1270733
Promise of the Wolves is an enthralling and enjoyable "prehistoric fantasy" set 14,000 years ago, when we humans were just starting to get organized.  The book centers on a mythical culture of wolves.  One of the book's conceits is that back then, all the higher species of creatures had been able to communicate with each other verbally, but they were beginning to lose this ability, especially among the humans, whose changing lifestyles were already beginning to upset the balance of nature.  There is a strong ecological theme, in fact, that runs throughout the book.

The story is told from the point of view of Kaala, a young member of the Swift River wolf pack who has difficulty fitting into her adoptive family.  Their leader Ruuquo distrusts her because she bears a moon-like mark that brands her as potential bad luck for the pack.  The wolves' lives are guided by ancient legend and a code of conduct enforced by the leaders of the valley, the Greatwolves.  The foremost of these prohibits humans and wolves from associating with one another, because ironically, they are so much alike, and the last time they interacted, a war ensued between them.  However, Kaala feels an inexorable pull toward the humans, especially after rescuing a human girl, TaLi, from drowning.  As Kaala feels more ostracized by Ruuquo, she feels more of a need to be with and hunt with the humans, and she is guided in that direction by a spirit-wolf whom only she can see.  The internal and external conflict this eventually creates is what drives the latter half of the book.  And the door is left open just enough at the end to set up the sequel to this planned trilogy.

The characterization and dialog, particularly by the wolves, are other reasons to enjoy this book, which seems geared primarily at a YA audience. I don't know how accurate the "science" is in this depcition of early wolves and humans, but it's an intriguing legend to help describe the origins of the relationship of modern humans with dogs.  For some reason, I keep picturing this story as an animated film project - Disney might make it too sugar-coated and pat, but Dreamworks might do a good job.  I can picture Tlitoo, the haiku-speaking raven, as the comic relief.  Due to the life-and-death themes and occasional violence, I wouldn't recommend the book to anyone ten or under. However, as soon as I hand it over to my twelve-year-old son, who loved the Redwall series, he will probably gobble this one up.
561857
I liked this book.  I have hope that the entire series will be really good.  I'm a huge fan of Patricia Briggs, but have been let down by some other authors (like Laurell K. Hamilton), so I was really hoping I could find another fantasy fiction series that deals with werewolves.  I think The World of Lupi series may be that.  Not as good as Briggs, but it's interesting, and I like that the werewolf mythology is different than in other series that I've read.  I'm enjoying this series so far, and will continue reading it.
4560284
The story takes quite a different turn from what I expected (The cover made me think of Little Red Riding Hood). Rather than running from a big, bad wolf, Leah is actively moving toward the creatures of the forest. Things have been planned. Leah and the animals all work toward a common aim.

A ceremony.

She understands the animals, and they, in turn, understand her. As the trackers search for a gentle, elderly woman with a penchant for wandering into dangerous situations, Leah herself is skillfully navigating through the brambles in perfect safety.

During this time, the trackers deal with animals acting in unusual ways. The dogs that they brought to track Leah's scent run into difficulties, as well. This is all carefully planned by the creatures of the forest.

But while the trackers may be nervous, there is no danger... only the fear of danger.

Our emotions are powerful. The creatures realize this, and use this knowledge to confuse, then guide the trackers.

This story brings us into a mystical world, leading us on a woman's sacred journey. It causes us to wonder what is truly at work in this world. Cox makes us see that situations may come into play due to a greater purpose.

She teaches us not to fear the unknown.

While I think this short story could go through one more round of copy-editing, and the ending wasn't quite as strong as I'd like, this story can teach us to view the world with wonder, and to not assume that our perceptions are always the correct ones.

(This is a truncation of my full review on Undiscovered Tomes.)
4109819
I liked this fantasy story. Haven't read too many stories about fae. They made a good who done it with dog that changes into a wolf. Vampires and witches. Working together? Or are they read it to find out.
4352978
I'm really enjoying the Lunar Chronicles.  They are a very enjoyable take on classic fairy tale characters.