Alma Katsu, the visionary author of The Fervor, The Hunger, and The Deep, brings readers a terrifying short story about monsters among men—and the thin lines that divide them.
Germany, 1945. In the waning days of World War II, the Nazis have been all but defeated. Uwe Fuchs, never a fighter, feels fortunate to have avoided the front lines as he cared for his widowed mother.
But Uwe’s fortune changes when Hans Sauer, the village bully, recruits him to join a guerilla resistance unit preparing for the arrival of Allied soldiers. At first, Uwe is wary. The war is lost, and rumor has it that Hans is a deserter. But Hans entices him with talk of power, brutality, and their village’s ancestral lore: werewolves.
With some reluctance, Uwe joins up with the pack and soon witnesses their startling transformation. But when the men’s violent rampage against enemy soldiers takes a devastatingly personal turn, Uwe must grapple not only with his role in their evil acts but with his own humanity. Can he reclaim what this group of predatory men has stolen from him?
Or has he been a monster all along?
Sadie’s Review:
“I just read this last night and I loved it! It’s available on Kindle Unlimited and less than $2 gets you into the Audible edition. In classic Alma Katsu tradition this is historical, horror fiction richly detailed and grounded in its place in time. In this case, World War II.
In just a short amount of time, Alma establishes an immersive setting, transporting readers to war-torn Germany. Our protagonist, Uwe, escaped the battlefield caring for his mother but the battle comes right to his door.
Uwe finds himself recruited by rogue extremists who will not go down without a fight. More beasts than men.
Alma Katsu tells the absolute perfect human monster story…
…a cautionary tale playing on the timeless theme of the proverbial saying absolute power corrupts absolutely.
As a person’s power increases, their moral sense diminishes. The depravity of man.”
SUCH SHARP TEETH by Rachel Harrison– A young woman in need of a transformation finds herself in touch with the animal inside in this gripping, incisive novel from the author of Cackle and The Return.
Rory Morris isn’t thrilled to be moving back to her hometown, even if it is temporary. There are bad memories there. But her twin sister, Scarlett, is pregnant, estranged from the baby’s father, and needs support, so Rory returns to the place she thought she’d put in her rearview. After a night out at a bar where she runs into Ian, an old almost-flame, she hits a large animal with her car. And when she gets out to investigate, she’s attacked.
Rory survives, miraculously, but life begins to look and feel different. She’s unnaturally strong, with an aversion to silver—and suddenly the moon has her in its thrall. She’s changing into someone else—something else, maybe even a monster. But does that mean she’s putting those close to her in danger? Or is embracing the wildness inside of her the key to acceptance?
This darkly comedic love story is a brilliantly layered portrait of trauma, rage, and vulnerability.
Sadie’s Thoughts: I can’t wait to read this! You might want to check out the Night Worms theme reveal on Instagram today!
THE BEAST IN AISLE 34 by Darrin Doyle– Sandy Kurtz has problems. He’s got a baby on the way, his wife doesn’t love him, and he’s struggling to find passion or purpose at his big-box retail job. And, once a month, he turns into a werewolf.
In Darrin Doyle’s deft hands, Sandy’s story is a tall tale for our times, an absurd and darkly comedic take on toxic masculinity, small-town America, and the terror of not knowing who you are—or who you’re capable of becoming.
Join us on the trip. Feel the power of the full moon as it turns you into a carnivore capable of ruling the wilds of rural Michigan. Taste the rich blood of a pulsing animal heart; feel it cascade down your face as you transform into what you always wanted to be. Enter…the wolf.
Sadie’s Review:
“A delicious page-turning drama that will keep readers wondering what will come of The Beast in Aisle 34. Fans of John Landis’s American Werewolf in London and Mongrels by Stephen Graham Jones will enjoy this original, witty character study wrapped in the blood-soaked pages of a horror novel. “
Older Titles:
THE WOLF’S HOUR by Robert McCammon– Master spy, Nazi hunter—and werewolf on the prowl—in occupied Paris: A classic of dark fantasy from a Bram Stoker Award—winning author.
Allied Intelligence has been warned: A Nazi strategy designed to thwart the D-Day invasion is underway. A Russian émigré turned operative for the British Secret Service, Michael Gallatin has been brought out of retirement as a personal courier. His mission: Parachute into Nazi-occupied France, search out the informant under close watch by the Gestapo and recover the vital information necessary to subvert the mysterious Nazi plan called Iron Fist.
Fearlessly devoted to the challenge, Gallatin is the one agent uniquely qualified to meet it—he’s a werewolf.
Now, as shifting as the shadows on the dangerous streets of Paris, a master spy is on the scent of unimaginable evil. But with the Normandy landings only hours away, it’s going to be a race against time. For Gallatin, caught in the dark heart of the Third Reich’s twisted death machine, there is only one way to succeed. He must unleash his own internal demons and redefine the meaning of the horror of war.
THE CYCLE OF THE WEREWOLF by Stephen King– The classic masterpiece by #1 New York Times bestselling author Stephen King—illustrated by the legendary artist Bernie Wrightson!
Terror began in January—by the light of the full moon…
The first scream came from the snowbound railwayman who felt the werewolf’s fangs ripping at his throat. The next month there was a scream of ecstatic agony from the woman attacked in her cozy bedroom. Now scenes of unbelievable horror unfold each time the full moon shines on the isolated Maine town of Tarker’s Mills. No one knows who will be attacked next. But one thing is sure. When the full moon rises, a paralyzing fear sweeps through Tarker’s Mills. For snarls that sound like human words can be heard whining through the wind. And all around are the footprints of a monster whose hunger cannot be sated…
SHAPESHIFTER J. F. Gonzales-Forced by a wealthy, powerful man to do his bidding, Mark Wiseman, who does not want his secret to get out, must use his curse to kill, but when he begins to lose control over the wolf within him, things take a terrifying turn. Original.
Sadie Hartmann
“Mother Horror”