Bewere the Night

Kilgore Jones #1 - The Heavy

by Ekaterina Sedia (Editor), A.C. Wise (Contributor), Holly Black (Contributor)

Kitsune. Werewolves. Crane wives. Selkies. Every culture has stories of such strange creatures -- animals turning into humans, humans shapeshifting into animals. Sometimes seductive, sometimes bloodthirsty, but always unpredictable like nature itself, these beings are manifestations of our secret hearts, our desire to belong to both worlds: one tame and civilized, the other unfettered and full of wild impulse. Here are stories that will make you wish you could howl at the moon until your heart bursts with longing or feel yourself shedding your human body as easily as a snake sheds its skin. Beware the night...it might not kill you, but it will certainly steal you away!

Genres: Fantasy, Anthologies, Short Stories, Horror, Werewolves, Fiction, Urban Fantasy

351 pages, Paperback

First published April 19, 2011

About the author

Ekaterina Sedia is also credited as E. Sedia.

Reviews

[Rayne · Rating 3 out of 5]

It took me quite a while to finish this one, mostly because I simply couldn't bring myself to pick it up, fearing being bored out of my mind, and, instead, decided to ignore it for a couple of days after getting a taste of the first few stories. I have a very bad track record with anthologies, but I keep getting excited about them and buying them. Mostly because Holly Black is almost always in them, even if the great majority of her contributions to anthologies are either "The Coldest Girl in Coldtown" or, like in this one, "The Poison Eaters", which I still love despite having encountered it previously in about 5 different anthologies and whose presence in this shape-shifter compilation of short stories puzzled me. Still, I had been interested in this one for a long time, so, when I finally bought it, I immediately began reading it hoping to fall in love with the promised stories of shape-shifter folklore from around the world. There were a few really good ones, but the great majority simply bored me to death. I even gave up on some halfway through them or skip them altogether. There was just no pull, no enthralling, mystifying qualities that one would expect from stories about shape-shifters, and I think that is largely due to the fact that many of the authors went for the werewolf theme. The promise of shape-shifter stories from folklore, or even stories from uncommon shifters was half-fulfilled and I felt slightly betrayed because of that.

Some of the stories were simply bizarre, meandering and redundant, non-sensical and mind-numbingly boring. Others were memorable, but that was the minority. So, in the end, if you are looking for a light, fun read, this one is not for you. It is interesting and some of the stories were fantastic, but you might want to take this one slowly and with a bit of patience.

[Sean Silva · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bewere the Night is a memorable dive into the world of werecreatures and shapeshifters because the editor wasn't afraid to take risks. As with any anthology, tastes and quality of the stories can vary, and I expected to see countless takes on the same old werewolf idea. Thankfully, I was wrong, and pleasantly surprised to see so much variety. From crows to foxes and selkies to tigers, the animals and themes change as often as the shapeshifters themselves. We get to see tales of boars, coyotes, jaguars, and even jellyfish and scarecrows. Yet there are still enjoyable and fresh romps into the common theme of werewolves, like "Watchmen", which deals with a bloodthirsty group of violent werewolf bouncers at a dance club. "Swear Not by the Moon", which examines a father and son relationship and having to deal with the fact that everyone has to grow old and die--even werewolves. Want something more out there? How about a modern werewolf spin on the classic Wizard of Oz story? Want some action, how 'bout a monster hunter doing battle with a wereboar? There is a lot here to enjoy, and any reader will definitely find plenty to like about this anthology.

[Soo · Rating 1 out of 5]

I started this book with the idea that I would have fun exploring short stories by authors I know and get to know those I don't. The topic seemed interesting and there are some familiar names on the list. Out of the first six stories, the only one that I enjoyed reading was 'Go Home Stranger' by Justin Howe. It was excellent and I look forward to reading more by him.

'A Song to the Moon' by Richard Bowes was a disaster that went on forever. I have no idea why anyone would pick that ill-written piece to be included into a collection. That was when I gave up on the book and lost any interest in reading a collection edited by Sedia.

It's hard to write a good short story. It's easier to forgive a novel for mistakes because there's time and length to smooth over the rough edges. Short stories require a different skill set than writing a full novel. Just like it's easy to find bad to mediocre books on Kindle for cheap, it's easy to find crappy short stories. Life is too short to waste on reading junk and if there are other gems in this book, perhaps they will show up elsewhere and be acknowledged for being a good piece.

[Anna · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is, bar none, one of the best collection of were stories I have ever read. Each is beautifully written and intriguing, with characters and worlds I want to visit. After each story, I had to go find more that author and look up phrases and people and places. The funniest story In here is the were-maid tale,

[Thistle · Rating 2 out of 5]

A series of short stories about were-animals. The first story was outstanding. Set in a future, destroyed version of our world, there were Crow Lords (men who could turn into a dozen crows), Fox Girls (werefoxes, always female), and a small handful of humans. The Fox Girls apparently lived forever(? or a seriously long time), and the three groups were at war. The story followed one Fox Girl as the Crow Lords tried to use her against the humans. I would have happily read a whole book based on that world, the characters, and the magic system.

Unfortunately the next three stories were a miss for me. Since I'm no longer permitting myself to fall for anthologies' traps (put the best story first so people keep reading hoping for another one that good, and put the second best one last so the reader is left with a good impression of the book), I stopped reading after those few duds (13%).

[Barrita · Rating 3 out of 5]

Me gustan las antologías que tienen un tema tan bien definido pero un riesgo suele ser que sean repetitivas.

En este caso, cada autor acordó el tema desde perspectivas tan diferentes que no llegan a coincidir realmente. Curiosamente, en estas páginas no encontrarán hombres lobo, sino selkies, personas zorro o tigre.

Tristemente, la calidad de las historias varía mucho,. Aunque no odié ninguna, me hubiera gustado que aprovecharan mas los elementos culturales que utilizaron, y creo que por lo mismo hubieran funcionado igual sin ser tan sangrientas.

[Émilie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Average Rating: 3.65

The Thief of Precious Things - 3 star
The Poison Eaters - 4 star
Go Home Stranger - 1 star
The Heavy - 4 star
Tusk and Skin - 5 star
A Song to the Moon - 3 star
In the Seeonee Hills - 4 star
The Sinews of his Heart - 5 star
(Nothing but) Flowers - 5 star
The Coldest Game - 4 star
Red on Red - 2 star
Extra Credit - 1 star
Thirst - 5 star
Grotesque Angels - 5 star
Blue Joe - 5 star
The Were-wizard of oz - 1 star
Seven Year Itch - 3 star
An Unnatural History of Scarecrows - 2 star
The Gaze Dogs of Nine Waterfall - 3 star
Snow on Sugar Mountain - 3 star
The Aphotic Ghost - 5 star
The Fowler's Daughter - 5 star
Moonlight and Bleach - 5 star
She Drives the Men to Crimes of Passion! - 4 star
Coyotaje - 5 star
Swear not by the Moon - 5 star
Infested - 3 star
Watchmen - 2 star
And Neither Have I Wings to Fly - 4 star

[Carolyn F. · Rating 3 out of 5]

I only read the story below but plan on reading the rest of the book at a later date

The Thief of Precious Things by A.C. Wise. Fantasy/dystopian world. I'm not exactly sure if the ending was good or bad. 3 stars. I read this in the anthology Magic City: Recent Spells

[Miranda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hit or miss. Some of the stories were great! Other ones were a complete bore. At times I'd find myself not being able to put the book down & at other times I couldn't find it in me to pick it back up.

I liked
The thief of precious things
The poison eaters
The aphotic ghost
Snow on sugar mountain
Infested

That's only 5 out of 30

[David Grierson · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5. As with all anthologies some stories are brilliant in their brevity. Others had many good points but I was disappointed with their editing or the advice the author sought.
If you like a bit horror in your stories then this book should keep you up and worried about creaks and groans or the owl on your windowsill.

[Erika · Rating 3 out of 5]

Definitely contained some stories with unique were creatures, and one story with a surprise sex scene.

Some typos and other edits escaped the editing process, but it was nice to read a collection of stories were most of the stories were original to the volume again.

[Jordan Jones · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not a very well edited compilation... The stories I liked came near the end of the book. They are:

Snow on Sugar Mountain by Elizabeth Hand
The Aphotic Ghost by Carlos Hernandez
Infested by Nadia Nulkin

[Kay Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great range of stories with diverse takes on temporary transformations aka having a were identity. Did they all appeal? No. Overall though an interesting collection with some excellent takes on the genre.

[Jessica Connelly · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was interesting...some LGBT rep and really...explores what the idea of a were is. I've never even thought of a were-maid (like a literal maid) and now I will never forget it.

[Jessica Lerbs · Rating 2 out of 5]

I only enjoyed fewer than a handful of the stories, so this was not a success for me

[Nerdy Werewolf]

This is going to be for my own reference. :)

The Thief of Precious Things: Foxes/Crows
The Poison Eaters: Ghosts?
Go Home Stranger: Were-Jellies
The Heavy: Wereboar
Tusk and Skin: Walrus-Selkie
A Song to the Moon by Richard Bowes-Face-Changing pompous people.
In the Seeonee Hills by Erica Hildebrand-lesbian Werewolves!
The Sinews of His Heart by Melissa Yuan-Innes-Were-Tiger and ghoul?
(Nothing but) Flowers by Nick Mamatas-homeless college werewolves that never changed? Existentialism bull.
The Coldest Game by Maria V. Snyder-Were-Tigers-pretty good high school story.

[Kate · Rating 3 out of 5]

A varying variety of shifter-inspired tales (not tails) are featured here. As with many short stories some were well self-contained, while others felt like more could been added to it. I especially liked A.C. Wise's, Melissa Yuan-Innes's, Gwendolyn Clare's, Stephanie Burgis's, and Marie Brennan's story contributions. These stories felt self-contained, but also would probably make for amazing novels (if expanded).

[Richard · Rating 5 out of 5]

Full disclosure: I'm in this anthology with a tale of Were Actors! But if you can get past that there's a remarkable range of subjects and style. On hand are Werewolves, Were Marxists, Were Cleaning Ladies. 29 tales in all. Classics old (Elizabeth Hand's SNOW ON SUGAR MOUNTAIN)and new (Holly Black's THE POISON EATERS). Stories by veteran writers and new names like Genvieve Valentine and Justin Howe.

[Mary MacKintosh · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don't typically like short story anthologies. This was recommended by someone whose advice has been good in the past. It is uneven. Some of the stories are good, some not, as is the way of anthologies. There was one author I meant to take note of. I liked her story and was going to look for more of her work, but I returned the book to the library before writing down her name . . . . shoot.

[Meleofa · Rating 1 out of 5]

The book was mostly just dark and creepy. In a very unpleasant way. I did like one story about a woman who had a clean freak father and a werewolf mother, and so she turned into a maid every full moon, and had to clean the night away. Made me chuckle. Other than that, though, I was mainly just creeped out.

[Kilgallen · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really good collection of short stories that all have the common theme of shapeshifting. Some of the tales were better then others as is normally the case with short story collections. I was introduced to a few authors whom I had never read before and was quite impressed with. Certainly worth the read!

[Ron · Rating 3 out of 5]

Decent collection of short stories all dealing with were-creatures. As in any collection, some stories (such as Grotesque Angels by Gwendolyn Clare) are more enjoyable than others. Enjoy at your own risk.

[Mallory · Rating 5 out of 5]

By my "was it a quick read" standard, this was good. It also had some interesting twists on the theme, some of which worked. Again, I recommend reading it yourself. You'll probably find something interesting in it.

[Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm not usually one for short stories but I really enjoyed this book, favorite stories were: the coldest game by Maria v Snyder, snow on sugar mountain by Elizabeth hand and the aphotic ghost by Carlos Hernandez

[Gevera Piedmont · Rating 4 out of 5]

The stories were better than I expected...however, I read the Kindle version and it was marred by errors throughout every story--seems like the words "one" or "body" were replaced by nothing, making some sentences very hard to puzzle out.

[Tessa in Mid-Michigan · Rating 1 out of 5]

I am not a fan of horror, violence, or graphic sex. This book has a lot of all of that. I finally gave up when one really short story ended with the main character killing a small child by tearing her throat out and eating her...Nope, no, not gonna do it.

[Amelia · Rating 4 out of 5]

An above average collection of transformation stories. Especially memorable were the grotesque (gargoyle) story, the were-jellyfish story, and several based on non-European shapeshifter myths, such as the Japanese kitsune, Native American, and Central American traditions.

[Catherine · Rating 3 out of 5]

A few of the stories were great, made me interested in finding more of those authors work. A few of the stories that i actually looked forward to, because I knew of the authors, were disappointments!

[Nicolette Dewsbury · Rating 3 out of 5]

A little hit and miss. Some stories were excellent some I had to skim to get through.

[Igorina · Rating 2 out of 5]

The only story that I particularly enjoyed was "The Poison Eaters" by Holly Black.