Furry Book Review

Denton Brislow is a pretty average cop - with an above average libido - in an anthropomorphic future Denver. He and his partner are called to investigate the horrific slaying of one of the city’s most influential families and one of their servants.This may sound like the start to your run-of-the-mill cop action novella, but I assure you, it is not. You see, it comes to be that Denton’s bloodline has ties to Society - an underground religion whose divination consists primarily of… homoerotic sex.Before reading this book (having been briefed on its content) I feared this plot device would amount to little more than a convenient excuse to introduce an orgy every few pages. The orgies were there, I assure you. But I am happy to report that St-Pierre managed to take the high road and craft a cohesive, believable religion with clearly defined rules, checks and balances. A lot of thought went into the way it manifests itself and how it folds into larger society.Fair warning. This book is not for the squeamish. It describes bodily fluids a plenty. Sex. Lots of Sex. And then some more sex. There is mention of incest. Denton is reminded of his initiation, which happened whilst he was still a minor. And twice in the novel, he has visions of him having intercourse with the ghost of his own father.As a counterpoint, he does not agree with all the traditions and rituals of his newfound brotherhood. At times, he is truly disgusted. (You will be too.)The great irony of this novel - where sex is such an important theme - it is not very sexy. It does not feel pornographic. St-Pierre does not spend a lot of time gushing over the characters’ sexual encounters. Sometimes it is as crude as “...and then we fucked for three hours.” I believe this was done to emphasize the doctrine of Society, that sex is about the transfer of life energy from one vessel to another. Enjoyment thereof being a convenient side-effect. So this is not a big loss to me.My main criticism of this book, aside from the dubious legality of some of its sexual encounters, is that the “furry” aspect of the book feels more like spice added, rather than a key ingredient to the recipe. This story could easily have worked with human characters. Apart from the occasional mauling, the only benefit of adding tail, paw and claw to the mix would be to soften the unpleasantries - to remind the reader that this is a different society and universe than the one we live in.Your mileage will vary with “Finding the Line”. You are likely to either love it or hate it. Though it falls flat as a pornographic piece, I will recommend this book based on strong characterization, solid narrative, good flow and the uniqueness of the concept. Recommended. * * * *

Rise of the Patcheé is a self-published collection of three short stories by Eben Prentzler. The three stories are "Part 1 - The Scavenger Wars," "Part 2 - The Scribe’s Crystal" and "Part 3 - Touch of the Firstborn." They are all set in a fantasy world established in his earlier novel, Chronicles of Solo - Moments Away, and revolve around Mother, the title given to the leader of a Patcheé (African wild dog) pack.When reviewing, or writing in general, it is good practice to keep your audience in mind. I see reviewing as generally having three potential audiences and functions: giving feedback to the author of a piece in order to help him improve, using a piece as an example to teach others what they should or should not do, and providing information to potential readers so that they can judge whether a piece is suitable for them. I feel that, in the furry fandom, all three of these functions overlap: authors are likely to read reviews by other furs, potential readers read the reviews and, with the fandom focused on creation, many of those readers are themselves aspiring authors. As such, I will talk about what does and does not work in this collection and why.The biggest problem with the Rise of the Patcheé is that, as a self-published book, it has not been looked over by an editor or a professional proofreader. The entire book is plagued by missing commas, incorrect words, mixed up pronouns, and other issues that a proofreader would catch. Perhaps most noticeably, there is a paragraph in Part 3 where the focal character's name is misspelled nine out of 12 times! Interestingly, the "correct" spelling is not even consistent; the first half of the story spells it using the character "é" while the second half uses "è."An editor might also push for many aspects of the story to be expanded. Part 1 is undoubtedly too short for everything that is supposed to happen. There are too many characters, too many locations and too much intrigue that there isn't space for characterisation or motivations. Throughout the book, we are constantly told what characters feel but never shown those feelings or allowed to discover them ourselves. For example, when one character sees another killed at the end of Part 2, we read that "She has grown to like the tough little apprentice, and now she had to see her die." This will be news to the reader as the two characters had essentially no one-on-one conversations and had never displayed any particular affection. A single scene earlier in the story could have established that affection and allowed an emotional connection.Eben is certainly capable of writing good characters. Part 3 was undoubtedly the best of the three stories and that's largely due to focusing on the interaction between just two characters. There are more things that happen but we start with just the two characters and space is given to develop them and their individual personalities. It is great! This is the first time that it doesn't feel like the characters are merely doing what the plot demands but that they are doing something because of who they are! When we get to know the characters, we care about them and it allows the scenes to have a far greater emotional impact.One of the biggest strengths of the book is that the world is interesting. In this world, we see three different societies – Patcheé (African wild dogs), Scavengers (hyenas) and Pridekeepers (lions) – all of are structured differently. The most unusual being those of the Patcheé, a species which also possess many magical abilities, including changing their appearance. Seeing these new societies and magics is fascinating and Part 2 and Part 3 go into the most detail on Patcheé magic.While mostly existing in a familiar fantasy world, the book has some cool new ideas that would be worth exploring but fails to give the characters and story time to fully develop. It's then further let down by constant language errors which are common enough to detract from the storytelling itself. While I cannot fully recommend the book, I will say that Part 3 deserves a read. It has some of the same flaws as the earlier parts but the characters come alive and drive the story forward. It has unexpected twists, genuine emotion and explores the unusual magic and society of the Patcheé.

If an apocalypse happens, what will our successors think of the things we leave behind? That is what Renee Carter Hall seeks to explore in Signal.Jak, an overly curious young adult “rakuun,” finds a strange shell-like object while foraging. It’s not an animal shell, not a rock, not alive, not dead, and after a couple days in his possession, it lights up, blinking. Jak’s clan recognizes it as an artifact of the “Before” and urges him to get rid of it, but he refuses. As Jak keeps the artifact, he starts to have dreams of its creators and becomes increasingly obsessed with it until the clan finally gives him the ultimatum. It goes, or he goes.Fortunately, one of the elders knows a “yotl” who’s knowledgeable of the artifacts of those who lived Before, and he gives Jak directions to find him. And thus, the young rakuun sets out on a journey across a dangerous landscape of post-apocalyptic ruins and hungry wildlife.The rakuun are fleshed out as a species derived from, but not quite the same as, raccoons. Their ritualized hand-washing provide a link to their ancestry. But I would have liked more detail on the other sapient species.The corrupted names of the sapient species was a novel means of indicating which modern day animals they evolved from, while using modern English names for the non-sapient species differentiated them from the sapient ones. Though I would appreciate more description, the writing relies heavily on the species names to give you a picture of the characters. “Rakuun” and “yotl” were clear enough, but “khoni” confused me until I remembered that “coney” was an old name for rabbits.At first, I thought that Jak’s extremely detailed dreams might be caused by a virtual reality app of some sort. We never get a real answer for the source of the visions, though Inkari speculates Shinto-esque animistic spirits provided the knowledge of such long-dead things as the Rolling Stones.In all, Signal is an inventive exploration of a modestly-developed post-apocalyptic world. I would recommend it as an example of the world after humanity.

Patrick "Bahu" Rochefort is a technical writer, editor, novelist, and judge for the Best Anthropomorphic Artwork Awards. He lives in the prairies of Canada.His recent furry genre works include "The Years of Living Dangerously Happy" in Hot Dish #2, "Plow Mare" in Will of the Alpha #3, "After the Last Bell's Rung" and "Eight Seconds and the Grace of God" in Claw the Way to Victory, and "Prospero" in Abandoned Places.Look for his presentation "This Year in Furry Books", presented at Fur-Eh! and online at https://bit.ly/2J4ptriAs an avid reader, writer, and advocate of the furry genre since 1996, he's excited to join the ranks of furry book reviewers, to elevate the exceptional and champion the best of our genre.Donald Jacob Uitvlugt lives on neither coast of the United States, but mostly in a haunted memory palace of his own design. Over five dozen of his short stories have appeared in print and online, as well as microfiction, essays, reviews, and the occasional poem. Perhaps a quarter of his stories have also been produced in audio format. He has published furry stories in both fandom and non-fandom venues, including “Outliers” in 2017’s Bleak Horizons and “In the Sands of Rubal-Khali,” appearing in 2018 on the podcast StarShip Sofa.While he can often be found prowling the science fiction and fantasy section of bookstores and libraries, his reading tastes are voracious and eclectic—including biography, history, science, religion, poetry, and manga. He especially appreciates well-executed adaptations of folklore from around the world, as well as authorial voices that are perfectly matched to the stories they tell.This is his first time as a Leo Awards judge.Scott Hughes received a BA in English and Creative Writing from Mercer University and an MFA in Creative Writing from Georgia College & State University. His fiction, poetry, and essays have appeared in such publications as Crazyhorse, One Sentence Poems, Deep Magic, Redheaded Stepchild, Entropy, and Strange Horizons. He is the Division Head of English at Central Georgia Technical College, and his short story collection, The Last Book You’ll Ever Read, is forthcoming from Weasel Press in 2019. For more information, visit writescott.com.I am excited to participate as a judge in the Leo Literary Awards because I have some knowledge of the furry community, mainly through documentaries (some made by furries themselves, some not), but I must confess I have never read any furry literature. Approaching this as a non-furry, I’m eager to delve into what must be fascinating stories and to be drawn into a new world that I have so far only viewed from the outside.Stanley Jenkins is the author of A City on a Hill: An Indirect Memoir (Outpost19, 2013) and Down the Plymouth Road: An Indirect Spiritual Autobiography (Thurston Howl Publications, 2018). His story “George” was published in The Best Creative Nonfiction, Vol. 2 (Norton, 2008).

Sci fi and horror is a match made in hell. And that's where all furries yiff, right? When Tarl Hoch created the call for submissions for this dark anthology, he knew he was playing with a cross of genres that was ripe for a furry lens, and he was totally right. Bleak Horizons is more than just a loose collection of sci fi horror stories, the anthology stands as a testament to both Tarl's eye for good stories and his ability to organize diverse material into a cohesive structure, built from blood and ink.The anthology opens with Kandrel's "Adrift," a story of the horrors of cryosleep. It is a deeply chilling story and offers a new twist on the often cliche narrative of people not being able to stay unconscious during cryosleep. The emotional evocation throughout this piece was rich, making it a strong start to the anthology. My only real critique of it is definitely that it's probably one of the least furry stories in the anthology. It begins with a furry line, and we're occasionally told the character is a cat every other page, but otherwise we forget.Next is Franklin Leo's "4/13/2060." What we have here plays out like a mystery, not so much a whodunnit as a whyhedunnit. Science experiments on a virtual reality drive a very smart man over the edge, and his assistant is in utter disbelief. This story excels in its fast and gripping pacing, its use of furry elements, and its metaphysical horror of a twist. A fun read for anyone who likes sci fi horror with a touch of Noir."Hardwire" by Ton Inktail begins with, "I love you, Master. Won't you fuck me?" Yes, a furry android built to be a sexual object starts gaining intelligence of its own. The objectification of androids is such a trope of sci fi, it is so refreshing seeing this taken to a sexual level, and, more interestingly, taken to the fetishization level that furries have to their cartoon characters. Such an innovative concept, and it exposes a lot of the ethical horrors in the potentials of our own wish fulfillment. What's interesting with this story, too, is how the perspective of the tale (being from the droid) serves to shame the average furry reader, rather than include them. Stellar writing here.The next story is "The Ouroboros Plate" by Slip Wolf. Agh, this is one of my favorite stories in this collection, and it's so fucked. This is one of the few stories I've read that does time travel right, and it's done to such horrific effect here that it made me queasy. I refuse to spoil any plot details, but definitely make sure you're not reading this on a full stomach. As Slip Wolf told me before I started reading, "Bon appetit.""The First Viewing" by Corgi W. is paws-down my favorite story in this collection and—naturally—the most fucked up of the book. Dark Mirror meets furries in this story of a scientist gone mad with sadism and vengeance. I feel like Corgi W. tried to think of ways to make the worst possible tortures for his characters here. My only critique might be that the final torture wasn't surprising enough by the time we get there. Otherwise, a fucking flawless story in terms of horror and pacing.Next is Ianus J. Wolf's "Clicking," one of a few stories in this collection following the narrative structure of let's-visit-a-planet-that-looks-cool-but-starts-killing-us-so-we-spread-it-to-other-planets. While this isn't the most innovative story in the collection, I loved this story from the way it was written. The sensory details are just so evocative, and even while I knew where it was going from the first page, I was creeped out throughout the piece. The auditory details work exceptionally well in this furry universe, and I wish more furry writers took advantage of senses the way Ianus does here.James Stone's "Blink," however, seems to show how furry can ruin a tried-and-true narrative structure. Don't get me wrong: the piece was beautifully and creepily written, with probably some of the eeriest and most sublime setting and world-building in the anthology. My rub is that the species distinction necessary for the plot spoils the ending super early. Trying not to spoil it as much as I can, imagine if in Prisoner of Azkaban, we had a clear visual of what the caster of the Patronus looked like across the lake. Even if Harry had been confused and thought it was his dad, we wouldn't have been confused. We would have known what was up. Because of furry species, this story is spoiled for us in a lot of ways.In Ross Whitlock's "Pentangle," we get this lovely of Barkerian body horror in which a five-person body is fighting for survival, trying to pretend to be just four bodies—the max socially acceptable bodies in one. This story is grotesque and so action-packed. I think there's a lot of potential for Whitlock's world here, and I would love to see this setting in their future works.We get our second iteration of the let's-visit-a-planet-that-looks-cool-but-starts-killing-us-so-we-spread-it-to-other-planets motif in Searska GreyRaven's "Starless." This story is fun in its in-depth characterization. There are not many avians in this anthology, but this story is one of the rare exceptions. And it's one of the few stories where I actually wanted specific people to survive. Searska does a great job making you care for their characters, even if the plot itself is fairly generic. One of the "furrier" stories in the collection, and the author shows mastery of that kind of distinction here.Frances Pauli's "This Way" is all about intelligent spiders. Plotwise, it's very similar to the let's-visit-a-planet-that-looks-cool-but-starts-killing-us-so-we-spread-it-to-other-planets motif on a smaller scale, so...basically the parasite narrative. BUT I love this story because it's such a creative use of spiders in a sci fi horror furry context. Pauli puts so much attention to detail with their spiders, and it makes such a difference in the reading. The spiders become real, and that can be what makes this story terrifying all on its own. It forces readers into the heads of what they likely fear already.Donald Jacob Uitvlugt continues the let's-visit-a-planet-that-looks-cool-but-starts-killing-us-so-we-spread-it-to-other-planets with his steady mystery, "Outlier." Here, the survivors are telling inaccurate accounts, so you have to solve the mystery of who's telling the truth...and who could possibly still be infected... *cue dramatic music* Great pacing with this story, and, again, despite being a cliche plotline, the author makes it very fresh through this mystery tone.KC Alpinus takes us in a rather unique direction, toward The Twilight Zone, with "Not Like Us." Here, she tackles xenophobia in a small town when all power goes out...even for battery-operated devices. The creepiness of the situation escalates into the social justice/violence of "The Lottery," and even an involved reader will be pointing fingers. Alpinus excels with characterization throughout, and the pacing leaves you on the edge of your seat.Bill Kieffer is largely a TF writer, and he does not disappoint with his story, "Clear and Cruel," in which a cataclysm has deformed a hefty percent of the population, leaving the protagonist with shattered memories and a shattered form. But this isn't just a tale of futuristic transformations and body horror; it's about loss, dealing with that trauma, and facing the real horrors that dwell within us. The pacing for this piece is a bit slow and clunky, but the emotional payoff by the end makes it worth it.Rechan's "Blessed are the Meek" is unfortunately a counterexample in world-building, in which nine proper nouns are introduced in the first two pages, not counting world-specific lingo, too. After getting through the first five or six pages of infodump, the story really does pick up and has a captivating plot similar to The Secret of Nimh. It does not deviate from it too much, just making it with rabbits instead of mice. The ending is sadly also fairly anticlimactic.Chris "Sparf" Williams finishes the anthology out with his piece, "Hollow." This is also the last of the parasite/possession stories. However, what makes this story gripping is the gory detail of it. By this point, the suspense of this potential narrative had worn off for me, but the gore really stood out, making this easily one of the darker stories in the collection. There are images, particularly of the "hollowness," that will stick with me long after this anthology.While this anthology had its fair number of typos, I can see Hoch's clear love of and dedication to this project, and the finished book is a wonderful addition to any furry book reader's collection. Just be careful as the sun starts setting. The more you read, the bleaker and bleaker the horizon becomes...

What do you get when you enter a world full of nekomimis--a mixture of human and feline, usually indicated by cat ears and a tail? A bunch of empty bottles of lube and tissues strewn about as you watch their escapades go wild.Purrfect Tails, edited by Tarl Hoch, goes through a cast of feline-human hybrids trying to find their way into a myriad of others’ pants. From a workhouse escapee sneaking into a noble swan lady’s garden, to a cybernetically modified hedonist testing shady attachments, there is no shortage of sexual activities to be had throughout these nine stories.Unfortunately, I found the proofreading of this anthology lacking. It was difficult to read through most of these stories. Misspellings, missing words, the wrong word; it felt like the stories were just picked and slapped into the book without a second thought or look. That being said, the stories that were well-written kept my attention well enough, the characters within feeling alive and vibrant.“Milk and Brass” by Madison Keller takes the reader to the streets of London where a neko named Carla has just escaped a workhouse with miserable conditions and is on the run from the police. She winds up within the garden of Nellie, a swan lady who offers shelter to the feline-human hybrid and, despite being betrothed to someone she despises, experiences her first time—and love—with a woman behind closed doors. Now, while I do enjoy a good story about two hopeless romantics who try to find happiness no matter where they came from, it does irk me that there is mention that the hybrids were created with no further backstory to it, just that the swan was created for her master’s purpose. It adds a completely different element to the story that’s left in the dust to further the goal of carnal delights, especially considering it seems that mostly the nekos are the ones who end up caught and forced into a kind of slave labor in this universe. Also, the sex was written out in a tantalizing way that showed how much the two were enjoying themselves romantically.“Following the Trail” by Dark End follows Jacqyl, a girl bored of her everyday life and stuck in a dead-end job until a chance encounter with Martin, a splicer—a human whose DNA has been spliced with another animal—changes her perspective on life. This story ended up piquing my curiosity, placing me in a world where having your DNA spliced to become part-animal was considered bad and treated like a kind of racism. The story flowed smoothly, and the sexual interactions were short but poignant, going so far as to explore how a human would explore a splicer’s body.Next, we have “Cat Toy” by Royce Day. This time, we’re looking through the eyes of a crewman on a freighter working a shift on Felicia, a town filled with feline-analogs described as a kind of cat-like alien. One particular Felician who simply goes by Princess stumbles upon him, leading him back to a hotel and claiming to have made him hers. This story was a delight to read. The writing gripped me, particularly in regards to Princess’s personality displayed throughout, and was a fair bit descriptive, too; it moved along into the sex, detailing how it felt to have a feline’s tongue inside the crewman’s mouth. Everything felt so smooth with how the scenes transitioned from one to the next.In “Schematic for a Purrfect Artifact,” Akiko, a destitute and jobless neko, is salvaged by Yuka. The fox woman decides to employ the cat boy in her machinist company Naked Creations. The name wasn’t just for fun, though: all employees are required to be nude while they work, whether it is on machines or on Yuka as per their contract. This one was a bit of a hurdle for me to get through. While I put this more on the editor for not correcting, there were far too many misspellings and grammatical errors that tripped me up as I read. The writing seemed plain and uninteresting. Even the sex felt dull and methodical, just the participants going through the motions. Also, all the characters just seemed simple and childish. While I admit one can get flustered with their first time as Akiko did, the character seemed completely inept at first, as if he had never researched or heard of sex in the slightest. And this character also had the sex appeal to attract every woman and even cause them to change their goals.In “Enter the Garden” by James Pyke, a goddess has recreated the Garden of Eden, bringing in two human-feline hybrids, Cryo and Priscille, in the hopes of spreading the goddess’s glory across the desolate land outside the garden. This one was an interesting read. The writing took a flourishing outtake on Genesis where sex is spread out as a gospel. Also, it portrays a lover’s first time mating beautifully, depicting the emotions and even the bit of pain following with it.“Leather Boots” by Thurston Howl centers around Jonas, a Canadian visiting Japan on a business trip. On the news, there’s talk about a neko—nude aside from a pair of leather boots—who’s committed three murders in the area. Treating the strange murders as just a typical day in Japan, he starts flipping the channels, soon actively enjoying himself as he watches a game involving swimmers. When Jonas hears a knock on the door, however, his world is flipped upside down. The only horror erotica in the collection, this story was quite the thrilling sexcapade. The creepiness factor was up there with the writing, and the ending was a hell of a turnaround. The pacing was fluid as well, leading into the sex scene—which itself was fantastic, leading from hesitation and fear to pleasured moans and then confusion—exactly when the protagonist was at his most vulnerable.“The Good Girl” by E. S. Lapso revolves around the neko Sora and the man that bought him, Samson. The neko loses a bet and has to dress as a maid for the day while serving his master’s whims. The writing was short and sweet, and the sex scene was definitely enticing with how the characters expressed themselves. However, the entire story was just one single sex scene, more of a “smut” story than erotica, and, considering this is a collection of erotica, “The Good Girl” shouldn’t belong in this anthology.Delving into “Lacuna Vice” by Searska GreyRaven, Ganymede the hedonistic cyber-neko makes his entrance into the nightclub Purgatory. The place is alive with spliced and cybernetically-modified people, with some of the spliced beings going through the full process of becoming two-legged, sentient animals. Gan is soon greeted by Mr. Goodfellow, a representative of a shady company known for scandals such as the illegal splicing of a tentacled creature known as the Protheopi and attempting to steal the plans for a set of implants. What Mr. Goodfellow doesn’t know, though, is that the offer he has to give may actually bite him in the ass. “Lacuna Vice” was wonderful to read through. I was enthralled with the writing, particularly with how Gan was fleshed out and how Mr. Goodfellow doesn’t live up to his name. Even the transitions from place to place impressed me: the switch didn’t leave me jarred and wondering how everyone got from the club to the testing facility. It was intriguing to see how a tentacled machine works to invade and pleasure a living being, while the crafty neko was battling against the machine’s true objective.The last story, “Pussy Perfect” by Kandrel, starts with a group of four friends, Lee, Kim, Charles, and Judy, making their way into an exotic brothel in China Town. With Kim hesitant about this particular cathouse, Lee takes the time to enjoy a gene-modded neko courtesan in the back room. It’s not until after that, after listening to Kim’s protests, that Lee learns a deep secret about his friend. While I enjoyed the writing and content, there were a couple of red flags. The word “Asian” was overused far too much to my tastes in describing Kim’s appearance, and how the author described her laugh as “the typical ‘Asian’ habit of covering her mouth” was just appalling. While it was pleasing to see how a neko acts and lives once out of a subservient position like a brothel, the blatant use of “asian [sic]” to describe Kim’s actions just left a bad taste in my mouth to where I couldn’t truly appreciate the story. Barring that, though, the story paced nicely and kept my attention, and the sex scenes were expressive with how the emotions and even the features of the nekos were detailed.Overall, Purrfect Tails was an arousing anthology to read. If not for the lack of editing, most of these stories would be provocative. Many of the stories gave such unique and ravishing tales that left me wanting more. I’m excited, if the editor can improve with future projects, to see what other stories may make their way to Armoured Fox Press.

After her initial adventure in Otter Space, Kipper just wants to go home... Unfortunately, she might have to save the galaxy first.Jupiter, Deadly is the second book in the Otters in Space universe. It follows the continuing journey of an ordinary tabby cat with the extraordinary ability to find trouble. Kipper and her otter friends are dragged into a mysterious battle centered around Jupiter while, back on Earth, her family and her best dog pal Trudith are embroiled in a political campaign that could mean everything for the cats of Earth.From page one, Kipper and Trudith have their work cut out for them. Kipper rushes to rescue a secret space cat colony from maybe the coolest alien invaders ever, and Trudith gets to deal with Kipper's siblings, their drama, and the confusing and convoluted world of politics, romance, and family dynamics.Otters in Space II brought all the things I loved about the first book and made them even shinier. I found Kipper a great deal more likable as her arc continued to blossom, and the action/adventure element was dialed up to eleven in this one. The writing is sharp and simple enough for any audience, and the story is delightful from start to finish.It is a multi-POV book, and in places the heads hop more than I'm used to, but the switches were done smoothly enough that after an initial pause, they didn't distract me or detract from the reading experience. I found Jupiter, Deadly to be fun, playful, exciting, heartwarming, and very satisfying. My tiny quibble with the ending was that a few things that got summed up rather than experienced on the page, but Otters in Space II definitely left me wanting more. As soon as possible.I'd recommend it for anyone who likes a good space romp, scifi, space opera, otters, and/or just a heartwarming and fun family-friendly read.

When a naïve puppy’s favorite human goes missing, he decides to leave the safety of his family pen to track him down and bring him home. However, this seemingly simple decision sets in motion a whirlwind-paced plot full of intrigue, colorful worlds, and a delightful cast of characters. Shaune Lafferty Webb’s Once a Dog begins with its focus on Jessie B. Collie. He’s young and completely unfamiliar with the world around him. Terms that humans have ready names for are described in a very simple way (a personal favorite example is the lack of the word "cat," instead opting for the much more appropriate "scratch-and-spit"). His world is small and simple, and he is content. Much like the classic narrative from The Wizard of Oz, this sepia-toned farmscape soon gets blown away, leaving Jessie to try and find his way through a fantastical world full of new friends, new rules, and the realization that not everyone is as friendly as they seem to be. Overall, Once a Dog is well written. The settings are wonderfully imagined and fully realized, and that really helps bring this narrative to life. Additionally, the cover art by Lew Viergacht is absolutely wonderful. One minor gripe I had while reading this book was with the pacing. While the characters that Jessie B. Collie meets along his journey definitely have their own quirks, and are each memorable, the speed at which the narrative is moving left me craving a bit more development. What this pace does allow for, though, is to let the reader watch Jessie grow and mature as a character. The importance of life, and the gaining of experiences, is a running theme that, as an older reader, I can definitely appreciate. No matter what your age is (and even if you’re more of a cat person), you can find something to enjoy about Once a Dog. It’s a fun, occasionally poignant adventure that called back to a few of the classic Don Bluth animations I enjoyed as a kid. It’s definitely worth a read!

Whandirlust, Aisha Gaillard’s first novel so far as I can tell, is a trippy rampage through the “trapped in another world” genre.It starts out with Rasheeda having the worst day of her life: first her attempt to escape her shitty life gets her shot up by her ex-boyfriend’s gang, then she loses her job as an underground stripper, then she is caught up in this bizarre storm full of dragon-like monsters. When she finally gets to the hospital, they put her in a drug-induced coma until somebody pays for her medical treatment, as is standard procedure in this world. She then wakes up on the planet Whandirlust in another dimension populated by animal-like aliens, her soul having been transferred to a scaled pseudo-feline creature referred to as a “fauxbird.” Apparently how the empire acquires new slaves. Put to work excavating a ruin, she accidentally awakens the monstrous elder god Salen, who kills her new owner and drops her on another part of Whandirlust, setting a pattern for the rest of the novel.I must compliment Gaillard on her worldbuilding and scenery, but the characters and plot leave much to be desired. The world of Whandirlust is colorful and unique, populated with a wide variety of species that aren’t simply humanoids or animal-people, but bizarre creations more akin to mythical creatures. Both the Empire and the Rebellion have sound motivations and methodologies, which turn a conflict that can easily get simplified into black and white into shades of grey. In fact, the monarchy is shown to enjoy significant popular support due to both religion and good old-fashioned panem et circenses, which is something a lot of popular writers have forgotten to include when explaining the longevity of their tyrannical regimes. Unfortunately, Whandirlust also includes a fair number of petty tyrants determined to do evil for evil's sake and do nothing to advance the plot.However, I found the characters more than a bit flat. Prince Fawxfire is the reluctant playboy heir to the throne, one of Rasheeda’s Neohuman friends thinks they’re being deceived by demons while another has bought into the monarchy’s claims of divinity, and then there’s Gage the charismatic rebel leader: they all seem rather one-dimensional up until the chips are down in the last big fight. It would have been nice to give them more characterization before then. Now, Rasheeda herself, her constant confusion from being suddenly thrust into a strange new world might be more believable than other “trapped in another world” protagonists who take charge of the situation after the first couple encounters. But she goes to the opposite extreme by displaying virtually no initiative of her own until the final battle. She just winds up somewhere due to Salen, or kidnapping, or following whomever she’s “befriended” most recently. What makes this worse is that in the first two chapters when she was still human she did stand up for herself and attempts to escape her shitty life, but the only times she shows initiative after leaving Earth are when she’s trying to keep her Royalist and Rebel friends from killing each other.In conclusion, I would recommend this book to people who appreciate good worldbuilding.

Bad things sometimes happen to good people.As the cover of this hair-rising collection suggests, Cold Blood: Fatal Fables is a Noir-themed book of Bill Kieffer's furry novelettes set in Aesop's World. Now, for me, as a publisher, editor, and reader, I've read quite a lot of Kieffer's work over the years, from his horrifying novel The Goat to his short stories in a few THP works, to shorts he's posted on online archives. One might even go so far as to say I am quite the fan of Kieffer's work. Of course, I was eager to get my paws on his newest work, Cold Blood. However, I was ultimately a bit disappointed.Before I get into critique, though, I want to talk about the layout of the book. We have six stories here. The first focuses on the gritty cop Shepard as he tries to rescue his son from a supernaturalist cult. There is a lot of genuine emotion at work here, and it is probably the most truly Noir of the stories. It makes me think of the popular supernatural Noir novel Falling Angel, and its subsequent film Angel Heart. The next several stories track army veteran Brooklyn Blackie and his—as the back cover suggests—love of "sex and violence, no matter the species or gender." We start to get some fun mysteries from Blackie, but the plot kind of falls away for the sake of character development; that is, the author seems like he likes talking about the character interactions way more than he cares about the larger plot for Blackie. But, we do get a fun s/m story out of it, and it's gritty and cringy and all things erotic horror.The finale of the book centers on a couple of rap stars in the middle of a gang war. The plot gets a bit of a revival here, and the characters start to flatten out.The world of Aesop as presented in this book translates species into races comparable to the struggles we face in America today. The "Repts" (short for Reptiles really) are stand-ins for black people, their stories told predominantly through rappers and civil rights activists and riddled with crime, violence, and gangs. While the work does not promote any kind of racism whatsoever—and, in fact, condemns racism rather explicitly—the work does engage in an institutional racism and allows for that kind of thinking to be considered "non-racist" in that world. There is further annoyance for me in the common trope of beginning race-writers of naming everyone based on a play off a color word. Thus, in this one book, we have characters named "Blackie," "Jewel Onyx," "Blanche," and even "Ivory." This not only made the characters blur together at a point, but also restricted characters to a kind of coloration that the plot tried to resist. In other words, the plot asks us to not judge characters by color, while the characterization begs us to.The genre of the book became rather problematic for me as well. Yes, today, we are in the age of what is called the "blended genre," the ideal work that utilizes elements of multiple genres: horror, action, romance, adventure, etc. Most novels today implement the blended genre. However, that said, there is such a thing as trying to do too many things at once. Part of having a market/audience implies having readers that have certain expectations. It's great as an author to challenge and push those expectations, but it's another matter entirely to just crush those expectations. For most of this book, Kieffer does not present particularly high stakes for the detective work; very rarely do we feel any kind of suspense. Yet, the characters are pushed through this Noir plotline while Kieffer continues to throw fantasy elements at us. He throws sci fi elements at us. He tries to bring in Beat bisexual erotica. He brings in romance. But these genres don't blend. It's more like the genre changes every few pages to something else. I hesitate to even call the book Noir; rather, it has a Noir shell.As usual for my reviews, I also want to pick on the product itself. The cover is just gorgeous. It sets up a clear genre expectation, and I know exactly what I'm getting. The back synopsis works out well too. The interior formatting, however, is shoddy, with super wide line spacing, running headers that align toward the center of the book instead of the edges, and lazy font selection. The editing too misses whole paragraph breaks, missing words, and misspelled words.Now, even with all that said—much of it nitpicking, perhaps—I did enjoy reading this book. I do not think it is Kieffer's best work, but it is still a book worth reading. It does challenge traditional Noir through a progressive lens, advocating for some racial equality that was not kosher for old-time Noir. It is great to see bisexual characters in literature, period! And it is great to see kink-positive writers engaging in creative genres outside of strictly erotica. There is something in this book for any fan of literature. And, it's a very fast-paced read full of drama and action and memorable moments.So I would recommend this book to any furry readers. Just read with a critical eye. Get Cold Blood, unless you've got cold feet.

Brush up on your Polish and Korean, and join in the adventures of the modern-day remnants of an ancient werecat clan. Blood runs deep—and flows frequently—in this high-stakes game of cat and mouse that involves many different players—each with their own agenda and reason for wanting to see the MGS (Morphogenic Synthesizer) surrendered or returned to their side of the family.The emphasis here is on family. Though this is a Paranormal Sci-fi Action piece with a strong military flavour, a lot of time is spent exploring the relationships between the characters. It is an interesting take. Also, werecats, not werewolves. This is not your run-of-the-mill transformation piece!Engels’ debut novel is well written. It is richly textured, well researched and very thoroughly thought through. The dialog in particular stands out for me. Every detail—from the military lingo, the way the characters speak with one another and the Christmas traditions of this Polish-American family—feels authentic and sincere.Frequent changes in perspective mean that there is no distinct voice in this novel. It all just flows together in symphony. I was expecting Pawlina—the were-lynx lady featured on the book’s Ursa-Major nominated cover—to feature more prominently. This is not a problem, however, as the writing flows well and every character has something to add plot-wise.The characters (there are rather many of them) are all solid. They each have a favorite sports team. A favorite food. A nickname or two. It can be daunting at times for a casual reader like myself to keep track of everyone and everything, which is probably the novel’s main weakness. More disciplined readers will probably gloss over this and appreciate the effort that went into creating them.I highly recommend Always Gray In Winter for folks with an interest in Were-creatures, folks who like action pieces with a military flavour, readers of the Paranormal. Furries and non-furries alike will enjoy this first book in what promises to be a saga that will see us explore more of this world.

What the Fox?! is a light-hearted romp by a variety of writers. Some well-versed in the comedic writing style and others more well-known for their dramatic pieces, all come together to create this interesting look into some of the "funnies" that we sometimes miss while picking up a good book. Think of it as a very well-rounded compilation of furry-inspired literature. From a Zootopia/Rogue Cop inspired romp through the city to a classical Brothers Grimm inspired world full of all the fairytale characters. For those interested in the raunchier side of things, it seems the compiler, Fred Patten, had found it pertinent to allow a couple of “TBAGS” to creep in, which are good for a laugh with friends as you try desperately to maintain a reputation while reading them aloud.I felt the stories themselves were written competently for what they set to put out, although the ordering could have been a little better since it seemed like being tossed from world to world like a ragdoll which gave me pause at times. I had to re-read some stories because I'd still be in different mindsets because of one or two previous ones, and I felt thrown from one perspective to the other. As a collection, however, it paid off because it added to the feeling of the madcap nature of what satire is all about. As a whole, the anthology has some amazing stories in it that, while reading, had me take little excerpts and tidbits from it and read them to friends over Discord to share a little bit of the reason why I was quietly chuckling to myself. Every story has a stylised picture as its accompaniment which helps add flavour to it.FAPD - Sofox As an opening story, it makes light of many situations where police may be a bit heavy-handed in their approach to active duty and being completely unapologetic about these incidents. It really sets the pace as to what to expect. If one looks at the ending, one can really draw a comparison to Furaffinity admins and some connection with police brutality. I, however, felt that some of the connections could have been a bit more subtle.Perfect Harmony – Jaleta Clegg A short story about a barbershop quartet of llamas who desperately need help in order to win a singing competition. The characters' general development was very in-depth. Who'd have thought that an al-packa of llamas would be what I needed to read about. This was a good piece overall and had a very interesting premise.Counter Curlture – TelevassiSometimes, the idea of being a wolf may seem taxing when your best friends are huskies. This story, about a teen wolf who finds herself trying to deal with overly 'traditional' parents and what seems to be the wolf version of 'Sunday School', finds a unique way to get out of it for good. Well-written and with just the right amount of snark, this story is one that many of us can relate to. “A good wolf always has a plan."The Carrot is Mightier than the Sword – Nidhi SinghClever imagery and very beautifully put forward, this story has a fair amount of clout to it., revolving around a more antiquated lore in respect to our fables. Armies of bunnies, dragons and humans duke it out against one another for power. Hares outnumber the lot of them. Reminds me of Redwall in some senses. But maybe that's my own nostalgia.A Web of Truth – James HudsonWhat would you do if you found out your kid was dating a massive spider? If your answer is attempt to burn the house down, I think I'd agree very much. It has a lot of good characterization to it, and the parents somehow remind me of the Dursleys from Harry Potter when they encounter magic for the first time. At the same time, it also reminded me of a Courage the Cowardly Dog episode. I'm sure what the artist drew with the accompanying picture ensured that my mind go in that direction. A different take on some interspecies relationships, and the character interactions were excellent: they had spark, and there was a genuine connection with them. I felt the writer did a fantastic job.Suddenly, Chihuahua – Madison KellerThis story is a quaint romp into our psyche when faced with a mundane job, that of a postal officer and the day-to-day issues one might face en-route. Including the fear of all postal officers, being bested by the tiniest canine of all the rat – chihuahua and the subsequent lessons learned from the entire experience.This story was interesting: it had the makings of the old RL Stine books I used to read as a kid, although not nearly as terrifying. This story has a fair premise and is well-written with a few amusing asides. This has the kind of spunk that a story about chihuahuas should most probably have: punchy and entertaining.Kenyak's Saga – MikasiwolfA look into the worlds of the Vikings and their travels. Written like the epics of old, with a little more of an honest depiction of encountering certain tribes of the old days, Kenyak is the most innocuous 'alpha' of his pack. His travels lead him to many lands and some of the stranger stories that many of the epics of old seem to pave over...such as repopulating an entire island and teaching a group of otters to fight. Oddly, minus the re-population which was quite well-written to be subtle, I felt like I was reading about an episode of Samurai Jack.Rapscallions – Mary E. LowdAn engaging piece that plays on the Star Trek themes where some hilarious episodes have been created, much like 'Trouble with Tribbles' and some of the more interesting tropes. It plays on the whole, “what if they were made younger by some stroke of sciency thing.” It really transported me back to some of the books and animated series I used to consume in my younger years. This story is quite the stand-out.I really hope to pick up more of her full length novels at some point: sci-fi and furries is a little interest of mine, and she knows how to make a light-hearted romp out of her writing.Dazzle Joins the Screenwriters Guild – Scott BradfordDazzle, our protagonist, goes through a long waiting period for the creation of a film based on him and the seemingly endless 'meetings about meetings' that happen in the film industry. Well-written and almost striking painfully close to home on the front of what really happens in Hollywoo, I was quite starkly reminded of similar concepts while watching Bojack Horseman.However, I felt like I was missing context at times in respect to the story.A Late Lunch – BanWynn OakshadowWhere to even start? Our protagonist, a fairytale dragon, sets out to find himself a bite to eat and the various hi-jinx that would go along with it. This story had some interesting twists on the entire fairy-tale ending and even has a gloriously long-awaited punchline.Masterfully executed.Riddles in the Road – Searska GreyRavenReynard the mischievous fox, King of Trickery, finds himself in a new land with new customs and meets a sphinx where he duels with her in a battle of wits and, more importantly, food. I actually quite enjoyed this story: the attention to the characterisation of our protagonists really fleshed out this piece. The pacing was nice, and the premise interesting. The ending left me wanting to hear much more of Reynard and his travels!The Lost Unicorn – Shawn Frazier Miracles, unicorns and the 'saviour' of a small family on a small plot. We follow a rather convoluted story about a unicorn and a farmer's household. Oddly, reminded me of The Last Unicorn in some senses in the manner of writing. Very 1980s fantasy orientated. I felt like I'd been transported to watching the Sunday Afternoon kids movies like Never Ending Story and the Pagemaster. Sadly, I tilted my head a lot at this story and at times found it to be confusing. Boomsday – Jenny Brass Plots to take over the world, more chihuahuas and some really pyromaniacal tendencies allow this story to take some interesting spins. Protagonists Enfuego the chihuahua and the pine marten Alsadair have the means to make many explosives...for science of course. These elements make for some very 'Pinky and the Brain'-esque scenes except our 'Pinky' is far more fleshed out in her love for explosives than anything else. Almost reminds me of Jinx from League of Legends...Fun interactions, but I felt like I was dropped into the middle of a story; characters were well-fleshed out though.Oh What a Night – Tyson West A charming lakeside retreat with an equally charming homme fatale in our vulpes vulpes (it's always foxes isn't it), John H. Truehart finds himself attempting to make a few 'business deals' that would benefit himself, and he has a mark in mind but may find it more trouble than it's worth. Written with noir-esque stylings as well as charmingly dark humour, the premise of this story fared well amongst some of the sillier notions that have been offered. (Chihuahuas? Really?)Moral for Dogs – Maggie Venesee A love triangle of the strangest nature. A dog, a fish and a snake. Because why not? Short, titular and a stark reminder of the tribulations we have with relationships of all shapes and sizes. This was fun, if somewhat short.Broadstripe, Virginia Smells like Skunk – SkunkbombA cautionary tale as to what happens to those older conspiracy theorists amongst us that just can't let go for their own good. Our protagonist, a bloodhound, Grand Uncle Hubert has a problem with skunks. They're taking over the town, and it seems like no one else is much too worried about it. I felt the story to be fun, maybe a little on the nose (pun most definitely intended) but an honest look at some of the issues we may have with those pesky, stick-in-the-muds that we seem to exclusively find in smaller towns.A Legend in his own Time – Fred PattenAs far as stories about the future of mankind go, this one is actually the most likely that I've seen. An otter-like alien goes in to a human settlement planet for trading goods. He instead meets a lost girl and befriends her.Truly a feel-good story: although as humans we seem rather secessionist by nature, our kids will always be the people to bring us to an understanding that's far beyond our own comprehension. Well paced, and the accompanying art reminds me of Elmyra which is a massive plus point.The Cat’s Meow (Le Miaulent du Chat) – Lisa PaisA French tabby cat, named Kitty Pierre, and two dogs aptly named Scruffy and Pug are house pets in this story that revolves around the introduction of a very strange new object to their lives. This story takes some ingenious twists and turns in their attempts to find out what the object of attraction is. It highlights the tenacity of cats, the helpful nature of dogs and the obliviousness that we humans so often have. Fun, light-hearted and a fair read.Super – Billy Leigh Chock-full of the kind of antics you would expect from a super heroes league where some powers seem to be better than others, we find our unwilling son-of-a-hero Spike, who deals with the trials and tribulations of having to live up to his father when all he really wants to do is get high and play video games (ah the life of a student). However, there's trouble afoot, and it will be up to Spike to save the day!A good story overall: some interesting superpowers in it, and the villain reminded me so much of Dr. Robotnik I couldn't help but mention the similarities.Woolwertz Department Store Integrated Branch Employee Manual: Human-Furred Relations – Frances PauliAs the title suggests, if there were Furries among us, this guide may well be the type we get to be able to handle a more animalistic bunch. The guide is well put together, gives some of the most practical suggestions as well as the kind of store 'HR' or in this case 'HFR' rules there would be. Most of them to avoid lawsuits.The Dark EndAnd thus, we enter a point that needed its own paragraph breaker to warn us to 'take heed all ye who enter here' and with good reason. We've hit the wonderfully cringe-worthy world of TBAGS better known as “The Best and Greatest Story” coined by the ever-present Mog Moogle and now (unfortunately) trending as its own brand of erotic literature.A List of Erotica Clichés You Should Avoid in Your HEAT Submission – Dark EndEver wonder why some books never see the light of day beyond Deviantart and Wattpad? Yes, this list gives all the reasons why they wouldn't. Definitely worth a read-through if you're a budding novelist/erotica writer.The Best and Greatest Story – Mog MoogleThe story revolves around a trio of protagonists, Mog Moogle, the obvious protagonist, and two characters with names that beg belief, Moonstar Packhowler and Twinky Yiffslut, and the variety of sexually deviant antics they get up to. Honestly when it comes to TBAGS, I'd almost say it's the best there is...it was like staying up until 4am in the morning and reading the stories on Deviantart that are ordered by least read first.Self-Insertion – Jaden DrackusAnother take on the TBAGS theorem of things, comes this story about a writer who clones himself in an attempt to jog his writing speed and to come up with plots. Everything goes balls-up from there. Literally. Jack and Jason find the best way to write a story. Also, “Stud Mayo.” I found this to be rather coherent. It had a fair premise and showed promise in some senses. There's a lot of raw sexual emotion, and the characters are almost believable.The Best and Greatest Sequel: Pron Harder Damnit! – Some Guy Who is Definitely Not the Main CharacterI thought it couldn't get better (worse). I was wrong. Amethyst Twilight Tw'inkle has her fun with Professor Mog Moogle in this final (thank the gods) story. From wild sexual abandon to some of the stranger fetishes within the spectrum, we have the sequel of the original TBAGS and what a sequel it is. Forgive me father for I have sinned, I've looked upon this work and despairingly regret every moment of it.Jokes and Recommended Reading The final part of this anthology contain jokes/funny anecdotes from the writers featured here as well as a piece by Fred Patten in respect to where one can find more furry-themed novels and short stories.

Witch-Hazel, by her own admission, isn’t very good at being a squirrel. In fact, one might argue that she is downright foolish. When lured into a dark underground labyrinth by an enigmatic snake - with questionable motives - she obliges! Thus begins a quest which sees her solving puzzles, fighting the undead, meeting Gods and fighting monsters as well as ghostly apparitions.Dungeon Solitaire: Labyrinth of Souls is a Tarot-card based roleplaying game, created by Matthew Lowes. ShadowSpinners Press publishes books based on this fantasy universe. Mary E. Lowd, well known and well respected author within the furry fandom, gives this world the talking animal treatment.On entering the snake’s labyrinth, Witch-Hazel is at first claustrophobic and confused. She does, however, press on with her quest and gradually starts to appreciate the deceptive nature of this netherworld that doesn’t always play by the rules. Environmental hazards, high-stakes puzzles, monsters and enemies abound.Not everyone she meets underground is out to kill or deceive her, though. A friendly beaver, an otter (called Fish Breath, no less!) and a bee join her on her quest. The storyline is fairly linear, as is expected of a dungeon crawl style adventure. There are, however, enough surprises to keep it interesting.The reader is teased throughout by the notion that the antagonistic characters know a lot more about the true nature of the netherworld and Witch-Hazel’s quest than they are willing to share. With courage and a fighting spirit neither she (nor the reader) knew she had within her, she manages to unravel - at least part of - the mystery surrounding the Celestial Fragments. She also gets a glimpse of the All Being, the deity who created all Animals in this world.What gives this story its charm are the little details, such as the concept of Nut Gathering Songs that Witch-Hazel sings to herself as she tries to stave off fear and hunger. The animal characters are all fully realized, each having the traits, motives and behaviourisms one would expect. They each have a purpose and each have their own hopes, dreams and aspirations. Some of these are realized; some of these are sadly not. The world of The Snake’s Song is tightly woven and though at times (intentionally) confusing, it all pulls together nicely at the end.Whether you are familiar with the Labyrinth of Souls universe of not, you will find this novella an enjoyable, quick read that provides a glimpse into a well-developed fantasy world that begs further exploration. Highly recommended for lovers of high-fantasy (that crosses into the realm of mythology), those who love talking animal stories and those who enjoy DnD-style exploration and questing.

In a dog-eat-dog world, there's little room for a cat with high ambitions, and even less for her feisty, alley cat sister...Welcome to the world of Otters in Space, a future Earth where the pesky humans have wandered off to the stars and their overly loyal canines have remained to build society in their image and wait and wait... and wait for their return. It's not a great place to be a cat, and Kipper and her family know that as well as anyone. So when Kipper's sister decides to change the world and then mysteriously vanishes, there's nothing to do but suspect the worst.Has Petra met with foul play, or has she gone on a wild goose hunt, searching for a way into space and the fabled cat utopia to be found there? Kipper intends to find out, and her own fantasies of the feline paradise drive her straight toward the space elevator and a whole lot of trouble.Otters in Space takes a little while to get to the actual otters, but don't fret. They are there in spades for the second half of the book. It's a fun read and a solid adventure overflowing with furry characters to love, world-building that is unique and delightful, and a simple, sweet narrative that makes the book appropriate for any age.Though I had a few quibbles with Kipper's logic, and occasionally disagreed with her choices, the read was engaging, fun, and full of delightful surprises like Emily the octopus chef, a whole band of otter space pirates, and the very concept of "rivers in the sky." As a first installment in this series, the world was infectious, and Otters in Space is a fantastic hook that will definitely make you seek out the next volume. The ending puzzled me a little, in particular the non sequitur resolution of what actually happened to Petra, but it wasn't enough of an issue to detract from the real fun, which is Kipper's adventure and Lowd's wondrous vision of "otter space." This book will be a solid win for fans of lighter space opera, otters, and just plain fun.

The Dragonsbane Saga by Madison Keller is a four-book series of humorous fantasy romance novellas. The books are short and easily digestible, although of substantially increasing length as the series progresses. I was finished with book 1 after only an evening of reading, and the full series took barely a week to complete.(SPOILERS AHEAD)The first book, The Dragon Tax, has a premise worthy of Sir Terry Pratchett. Sybil Dragonsbane, a dragonslayer of some renown, is hired by the king of Thima to deal with his kingdom's resident dragon. However, he doesn't want it slain per se; rather, he wants it to pay taxes. To make sure the dragon, Riastel the Scourge of the Eastern Sea, takes her seriously, the king gives her an enchanted dagger to stab him with. Much to their surprise, the dagger turns Riastel into a human, and an assassin attempts to kill Sybil. After some fighting, the two come to an accord and work together to escape the kingdom. I thought this one made a decent start to a series, though the romance between Sybil and Riastel seems a bit rushed. Mere hours after their life and death struggle is cut short by transformation, they’re doing the “who gets the bed?” routine except that they’re each making a case for themselves taking the bed. Then, their heated passions turn to sex, and the next day Riastel is able to resist supernatural compulsions for Sybil’s sake. Aside from that point, the story works well. I liked seeing Riastel’s reactions to everyday human situations as mundane as ordering food.Book 2, Dragons Ahoy, has Sybil and Riastel, still stuck in human form, journeying to a wizard's college that may be able to remove his curse. But, short on funds they stop in a port city looking for work. Sybil takes a job as a bodyguard to a shady merchant, while Riastel proves to be fluent in a dozen languages and gets work as a scribe for the local wizard in exchange for magic lessons. However, the city's resident pirates have a bit of a dragon problem they want Sybil to deal with, or so they think, and they're not about to accept "no" for an answer. This one is pretty well-written, though you can see the twist ending coming from halfway through the short novel. We see Riastel continuing to adjust to human life, and learning that knowledge in some areas doesn’t guarantee proficiency in others: apparently, writing is difficult with fingers if you’re used to talons.Dragon Fried Cheese picks up further along in Sybil and Riastel's journey as they stop in a village for a cheese festival. Unfortunately, Riastel turns out to be allergic to cheese, and a bounty hunter Sybil used to date turns up looking for her. Things get even more complicated when a man is murdered with one of Sybil's daggers. Honestly, I found it more than a bit frustrating when nothing Sybil or Riastel did could prove their innocence, even though the sheriff believed them over the ex-boyfriend bounty hunter, and the guy was caught with a golem-controlling amulet on his belt.The final book, Silence of the Dragon, starts in media res. Riastel, lacking Sybil, his cursed bracelet, and his voice for mysterious reasons, is attempting to sneak into his sister's lair. All while inwardly cursing some unicorn who screwed him over and attempting to fend off slime monsters without speaking spells. In the next two-thirds of the book, we learn how he ended up in this situation. In media res is a difficult starting point to write from, but if you pull it off well, as Madison Keller did here, you get the reader intrigued by how the characters could have ended up in such a situation. Keller even threw in a few red herrings in the intervening chapters to keep the mystery going. The series also avoids the usual "shapeshifted lover" ending where the non-human elects to remain human or they break up.(SPOILERS CONCLUDED)The world of Dragonsbane is very clearly inspired by Dungeons & Dragons, almost to parody levels: there's even a scene where they're in a tavern full of adventurers meeting with quest-givers. Riastel is written believably for a fire-breathing lizard trapped in a pink ape's body, addressing not only the physical differences between humans and dragons but also the psychological and ethical distinctions as well. Most adult humans would understand why you can't just take what you want or take it personally when your mentor turns out to be a criminal mastermind, but not Riastel.In all, I would recommend the Dragonsbane Saga to lovers of comedic fantasy and atypical transformation romances. At the very least I'd suggest picking up the ebook of Dragon Tax as it's available for less than a dollar on most sites.

Eldin is a solitary prospector, living at the edge of a small town. He spends his days in the dark tunnels of an old mine, digging up precious stones and metals to support himself as he hunts for an elusive vein of gold.One day, two orphans arrive at his door. They have no idea who they are, nor where they come from. The sweet red-head he names “Vixy,” and her grey haired compatriot, he names “Spider.” For lack of a better explanation, Eldin concludes they are sisters. Attempts to reunite them with their parents prove futile, and Eldin eventually adopts them and raises them as his own.The novella follows a journey of self-discovery for these two girls, spanning approximately fifteen years. Whereas Vixy embraces her new life and father right from the outset, Spider grows distant, jealous and miserable. Evil. She gravitates towards dark magic and eventually reveals herself to be something much, much more sinister than just a little girl lost in the woods.This is a transformation story that uses rural America as a backdrop. (SPOILER ALERT): Eldin is a good father, but he remains ignorant to his daughters’ strange abilities until right at the end, when Vixy shows her mettle and uses her newfound abilities to save him from her sister’s clutches. (SPOILERS CONCLUDED)There are parts that are touching. The love and warmth between Vixy and Eldin are heartfelt and sincere. Spider is clearly evil, though. The author makes no secret of this. Only the magnitude of her evil escalates as the story unfolds.Other parts of the novella are let down by a very matter-of-fact style of writing. The fact that the story is told in the third-person present tense makes it even more difficult to smooth over these.Not without its faults, this is a solid piece of writing by a young author that manages to entertain in a nice compact package. Something to look into if you like transformation stories involving foxes, humans and... spiders!

A Wasteful Death is a cross between a murder mystery and a love story set in a city populated entirely by anthropomorphic animals. While the main characters are two Registered Investigators, sort of like police, this story is nothing like Zootopia. Instincts remain, and everyone in this world is acutely aware of the distinction between predator and prey.The main characters are Marlot Blackclaw, a wolf, and Trembor Goldenmane, a lion. Both are Registered Investigators who, unusually for their territorial profession, work together. What exactly is a Registered Investigator? Their job is to investigate unclaimed kills and track down the person responsible. Unclaimed being the key word here.In the world of A Wasteful Death, predation is legal and, with a few exceptions such as students or anyone in a hospital, everyone is a potential target. Once someone is killed, there is a tax that the hunter must pay which is scaled according the value the kill had to society. The tax on a homeless drunk would be low but the tax on a wealthy CEO like Aiden Spottedfur is massive, and it falls on Marlot and Trembor to find out who killed her.Most of the investigation is fairly routine and would be familiar to anyone that has watched an episode of CSI or any of the many similar series. Parts of the investigation are interesting—though as it's a mystery I will not reveal anything here—but I found it was let down by Marlot and Trembor not being particularly good at their job. There were many clues that they should’ve paid attention to and many people that they should’ve focused on more. Luckily, there is also a subplot.Marlot and Trembor are not only partners in investigating unclaimed kills, but they are also romantic partners. The only problem is that Marlot has issues with his sexuality. Homosexuality is legal in their world, but that is a fairly recent development and homophobia still exists. There is a lot of tension, both internal and interpersonal, as Marlot wrestles with trying to reconcile his love for Trembor and his fear of people knowing the real him.The romance and fear of discovery allow Sylvain a lot of room to explore the characters, something he does really well. During their investigation, time spent together and time alone, we get to understand the way they think and what drives them. Because of all this, their romance and insecurities came to the fore for me, and the investigation faded into the background.Beyond the storylines, there is something else I want to mention: world building. Honestly, I would recommend this book for that alone. Sylvain does it perfectly. Nothing felt forced as, bit-by-bit, he introduced us to the world. We learn a bit of its history, some of its politics, day-to-day life and catch glimpses of the way technology is adapted for anthros, all of which makes you want to know more. The way it is introduced, usually without explicit explanation, could be confusing, but he manages to put in enough information that you can come to the conclusions yourself and then get the confirmation later.A key feature of the world is the reality of predation. This could’ve perhaps been explored more philosophically, but instead we are shown the world as it is and left to ponder it at our leisure. We know there is a political movement to end predation and that fake meat is available, but they are mentioned only in passing, teasing the expanse of the world. The reality of predation means that species matters here in a way that is often neglected in furry fiction. Scents matter. Body size matters. The taste of flesh matters. A Wasteful Death moves beyond just using ear and tail movements to emphasise emotion to truly using the animal aspect of the characters in a meaningful way.A Wasteful Death is a novella, only lasting about 100 pages, but it will leave a long-lasting impression. The murder mystery aspect of it is average, but Sylvain St-Pierre’s ability to take us into the minds of his characters in their romantic struggles is engrossing, and the way he built the world and used the animal aspects of his characters should probably set the standard for future furry fiction.

When forced to volunteer for a daring new mission, Kanti and his friends discover the hardships they left behind might just be the least of their troubles...Small World is the sequel to Skeleton Crew, and picks up where book one left off. Kanti and his mate have settled into their new life, and everything looks peachy for our rascally hero until the Krakun commissioner shows up with vengeance on his mind. Suddenly, Kanti, Tish, and forty-eight other unlucky souls are volunteered for a new mission, as part of the commissioner's cleaning crew back on his home world of Krakuntec. The job is a one-way trip, and before they know it, the mission crew is thrust into a toxic environment, cramped conditions, and deplorable circumstances.The primary conflict in book two is more a series of unfortunate events and emergencies. It's a book about survival and a community that has to come together and solve their most basic problems, not the least of which is how to get along with one another. There is plenty of tension and action, but I missed having a solid rising arc and central protagonist a little. Because Kanti is no longer our only POV character, I found myself less embedded in his story, and on a few occasions, siding with other characters against him. Neither of these facts made the book less enjoyable, but it did make the final conflict at the end of the book seem a bit abrupt to me. And though I don't mind a cliffhanger, I felt like the end of the book was a bit unsatisfying, being more a lead-in to the next book, and a whole new problem, than any resolution to the issues in the plot at hand.The way the world uses scale is unique and fun, though I did wish, particularly in book two's setting, that the size differences had been played up even more. It does affect the plot, but with tiny characters living in a giant's apartment, it felt a little bit like a missed opportunity to really have fun with scale. That being said, Luterman's writing is smooth and engaging and his characters are delightfully individual. I became quickly caught in the story and read straight to the end rather than put it down. It's at the same time light and horrific, whimsical and tragic, and I am very much looking forward to the next installment. If you enjoy endearing characters, mischief, survival situations, and space opera, and you don't mind a bit of a cliffhanger, Small World is definitely a must-read.

Species: Foxes was published in 2018 by Thurston Howl Publications and edited by Thurston Howl himself. The anthology holds thirteen short stories centered on one of the the cleverest species, the fox! The book opens with the first and oldest tales about the fox. It is from those that we can see where the myth of the cunning and clever fox originates—a kitsune tale, a story of Reynard, and an Aesopian fable—before coming to the modern furry stories, starting with Mary E. Lowd. “Fox in the Hen House” by Mary E. Lowd is where the fox stories turn to modern authors, though the story’s exceptional quality could easily mark it as a classic. Henry, the newly orphaned fox, is adopted by Henrietta and the other chickens in her coop. The story tackles the nature of a fox and raises the question of can we really choose to become anything other than what we are? Told with a nostalgic style, this story reads like a modern fable or folktale. It is easily one of the best-written in the collection. Next is “The Harvest Moon Ceremony,” written by NightEyes DaySpring. The first time reading the story left me confused, though a second reading managed to clear things up. The story shifts between perspectives of Maleekie and Rata, and it is not distinguishable right away who we are following, as the time also shifts between past and present. Coming from the White Moon tribe, Maleekie is Rata’s rival, a fox capable of magic and a protective brother. Tying their paths together is their love of Aki, a songstress. After forbidden love ends in tragedy, it splits the two foxes even further apart. While the shift in perspectives and time skips are troublesome, I say the story itself is worth a read. “A Part of The Family” by Kittara Foxworthy was an interesting story. It’s a futuristic story, though that’s not immediately apparent. While it doesn’t do much for the story besides the setting, a sentence about a fourteen-year-old bearing a child made me pause, just from the sheer lack of set-up. Victor and Terry return from a family trip with their kits to discover that Terry’s grandmother has passed away in their absence. Being gay and therefore the black sheep (or fox in this case) of the family, Terry and his partner are distanced from the family. Though a nice story, with a message of love and acceptance, there wasn’t much reason why it centered on foxes. “Face Value” by Jasen Devlin Jaden Drackus is set in the era of the the Mafia bootlegging business. Sam, a fox thief, is hired to disrupt Salvatore Russo’s, who is top of the gangster food chain, ball and allow for Caprio to take over. Sam however has other plans. In the true nature of the fox archetype, the story holds a cunning twist. The author himself was clever to use animal senses to lead to this story’s reveal. “A Trustworthy Fox” by Colin Leighton leads the reader into the story by playing the “untrustworthy fox” card but keeps the reader in with twists that follow through until the very end. Another art thief, this time by the name of Lesley Delavinge is preparing to make his name as a member of the Granger Gang. Gaining the trust of Alec Granger, the master thief, Lesley has to lead the thieves into Lord Redmayne’s estate and make off with his artwork. The story stood out to me because, just when you think you have the plot figured out and the story is about to end, it keeps going for another jerking twist and leaves the reader satisfied by the end. “Songs in the Garden” by Matt Trepal is written as delicately as a painter’s brush movements on a canvas. The world in which it takes place appears alive and pops out of the pages with its details. The construction of the story made me feel that there was more history to the work than presented, like it was part of a novel. Brolio, a traveling musician, is invited by the Duchess herself to perform at the palace for the Summer Festival, where an evil plan is to be enacted. While the story’s plot is simple, it is well-written and satisfyingly executed. Taking a slightly different and darker turn, “Street Fox” by SignificantOtter surprised me for its theme and how it dared to be different. Maple is a con artist, forced by his addict father to hustle on the street with his games and sleight of hand. A change happens in Maple’s life when Danny offers to team up with the fox and save enough money for a better life. The story deals with abuse, addiction, and hurting yourself to protect the ones you love. I thought this story was not only relateable but also memorable for its boldness and satisfactory for its concept. “The Fox-Man” by Amy Fontaine is the only story in the anthology to feature humans, though the story is not to be taken lightly. Muties, animals with the ability to turn into humans, are at war with their creators. Hidden under a force field in an abandoned theatre, the group of actors practice and perform plays for an invisible audience. The Fox-Man has a unique plot and fits well with the theme of the anthology. It holds fragments of a Greek tragedy, and the story is written like a play that could be performed by the actors themselves.“Pictures” by TJ Minde calls the phrase ‘love thy neighbour’ to mind, and it makes me mad because we all know that one person who is exactly like the character Frank Jones in this story. Jack Thomason’s story is told in a time shift between past and present. We watch the fox find joy and lose it. Jack holds onto memories through his photographs, the present reminding him of his past. When Frank Jones turns out to have alternative motives, I found myself rooting for the the main character, hoping that they would find a way to win. TJ Minde does a fine job in making the reader care about the characters and the crosses they bear.Species: Foxes features many good stories, and, while they vary in quality and memorability, they all make for an enjoyable read. Most stories play on the stereotype of the trickster fox, the clever one who is always trying to put one over everyone else, but others only scratched the surface of that idea and instead focused on going in a whole other direction. Thurston Howl from Thurston Howl Publications has done an excellent job in picking the featured stories and editing the anthology, and I am sure he will continue to do so in the future.

Cinnabar's people live comfortable, peaceful lives, until the mountains fall and war sweeps down on them without warning...A race of critters almost exactly like rabbits lives in a valley protected by a ring of mountains. Divided by family clans that serve as a caste system, the Leporines are mainly concerned with their harvest, their local politics, and their love lives...until a natural disaster unleashes an enemy like nothing they have seen before. Suddenly, the entire population is on the run and under attack, and the costs are amazingly high.Cinnabar Rusk is a member of the elite clan of Leporines. He's a bit plump, a bit of a dreamer, and a good guy with a huge crush on the most popular girl in town. When the disaster begins, Cinnie rises to the occasion, using his knowledge of history and myth to save his friends and family and guide them toward safety, if such a thing still exists in the Valley.Heirloom of the Rusks is an epic story that contrasts the tragedy of war and abuse against a backdrop of whimsy and fairytale. It began a little slow but, once the action hit, was unbelievably gripping, sweet, heartbreaking, and lyrical. The characters are delightful, fully envisioned, and touching. Each has their own goals, challenges, and deep conflicts. The world is so fully built to be Tolkien-esque. I'm not certain I'm allowed to say "I loved this book," but I did. It put a knot in my stomach and brought tears to my eyes more than once.The writing is fluid and smooth, and my sole quibble would be that the author repeats the same word close together quite a bit, something that could have been easily resolved during editing, and also uses some "pet" words (like purling) enough times that they become jarring and pull you out of the story for just a second. Very minor nitpicks for a story that was such a glorious ride overall.I highly recommend Heirloom of the Rusks to any reader of fantasy, in particular epic fantasy, or to anyone who loves a strong character-driven story and who isn't afraid of a powerful tale that will hit you in the gut more than once.