Catherine LundoffRecensioni

I read the description for this one and you had me at SAPPHIC MENOPAUSAL WEREWOLVES! Becca, 50, and recently divorced, comes up on her "change of life" and SURPRISE! In this town, that might mean you join the pack of werewolves protecting the town! One day she's just living her life, keeping her head down, and the next... hot flashes, a sudden primal urge to take long runs under the moonlight, and OH YEAH, her cute lesbian neighbor, Erin, is making her feel some type of way!

That is a WHOLE LOT of life changes to process at once, and Becca does not take it all gracefully, but I am here for a snarly, out-of-sorts, doing-her-best, middle-aged mess!

Fantastic popcorn summer read, with the post-menopausal heroines WE DESERVE!½

An interesting take on werewolves: post-menopausal women who go through ‘the change’ literally and become the protectors of a small mountain town.

Unfortunately, I found the plot rather pedestrian and mildly incoherent. I also felt it was a bit ‘New-agey’ and the LGBT subplot felt as though it was added to make the book more marketable.

Boring.

This one wasn't a winner for me. I got about a quarter of the way through and noped out after skimming the last few chapters. There's nothing especially wrong with it, but there's also nothing especially right with it. The plot was predictable and unpleasantly ominous, the characters weren't very interesting, and the writing didn't sing. The main character seemed to only care about money and sex, which is not any more appealing in a queer woman than it is in a straight man.

My wife gifted me this book and I was a bit leary because the last time I tried to read a lesbian werewolf novel (come on, so much promise!) it was TERRIBLE and I could not finish. But happily, this was a very different book, and I enjoyed it.

I really like how Silver Moon turned the werewolf trope on its head: the local magic in the town of Wolf's Point turns women into werewolves as they go through menopause. (There are not enough stories about mature women, especially in SFF, IMHO.)

I liked Becca, her bravery, her experience of being a wolf, the way the magic called to her, and her willingness to explore the unexpected (both the werewolf and her handsome lady neighbor, natch). Shelley, Erin, and Lizzie were also interesting. Most of the other characters weren't drawn in depth, but I'd totally read more about Becca and Erin and what is in store for them.

Anthologies are generally hit or miss, but this is a solid collection of stories. The various settings are handled beautifully, and even if some aren't developed beyond the historical reality, they are still explored in enough detail to be thoroughly convincing. I loved the heroines in all the stories (a nice sampling of characters), and the writing was wonderful.

This was a really intriguing concept (menopausal lycanthropy), with a solid cast of heroines. Unfortunately, it seemed as if all the effort went into developing them, and the villains were left to be stock (and unrealistic). The romance was nice, subtle and tasteful, and the pro-lesbian community was refreshing.

In a little town, women turn into werewolves after menopause. Interesting idea!

A wide variety of stories about... well, what the title says, from secondary world fantasy, through urban fantasy, to laser-eyed witch-hunters. Anthologies are always a mixed bag - all here were perfectly good stories and while some didn't have that je-ne-sais-quoi that zings for my personal tastes, others did. "Gloam" and "Witches Have Cats" were fantastic - great characterisation. I enjoyed "Sky-Lit Bargains" though I think the story I really wanted to read was the one implied by its ending. "And Out of The Strong Came Sweetness" was a particularly strong (and sweet!) story.

All four of the stories in this book are good in their own ways.

I hate to say too much about them, in case I'd reveal spoilers, but:

"Silver Moon" by Catherine Lundoff was the one I liked the most. As a menopausal woman myself, I love the idea that the "gifts" it brings are not always nuisances like hot flashes! Well-drawn characters and a sympathetic protagonist, plus a solid plot round it out.

I was less smitten with Erzebet YellowBoy's "Inside Out", for several reasons. I think Gretchen- and her sisters- got really, really stuck in their life situations, and were not even trying to make any changes- even though they were not at all happy as they were. Lots of agonizing there, all around. Also, I know I've read this story before, though I cannot place where.

"Sanquali" by Racheline Maltese had a good pacing and some intriguing characters. My only quibble about it is that it read more like a prelude to a novel than a stand-alone story; perhaps that's what it is. I'd be interested in the future adventures of these characters.

"The Dime in the Penny Well" (Tyree Campbell) was the least werewolf-y of the 4, but has both a good heart and some twists.

It's a good selection, and I loved the various takes on werewolves... especially female werewolves, who do not get a lot of attention generally.½

As the title indicates, this is an analogy of lesbian ghost stories. Not erotica -- one or two of the stories might edge up as far as an R rating, but otherwise it's solidly PG-13 and under. It's from Lethe Press, edited by Catherine Lundoff.

The very first story was what hooked me in, and I still consider it one of the strongest: "Spirit Horse Ranch" by Sacchi Green, a mystery tale with a twist at the end I would never have suspected. A few others I particularly liked were "Some Old Lover's Ghost" by Dayle A. Dermatis, which I could picture myself reading in a mainstream magazine just by changing the gender of the viewpoint character; "Ostraca" by Brenta Blevins, a hilarious send-up of pompous academic silverbacks; and "The Oath" by Lynne Jamneck, which made me want to read more stories about that set of characters (hint, hint!).

But don't think that I disliked the stories I didn't single out. In fact, this anthology has no "Waste of Ink" award; even the stories I considered less strong were still pretty good. They range in style from humor to horror, and have a diverse, interesting set of protagonists. My one real criticism is that "Meeting Mr. Krenshaw" by Ka Vang might have worked better at novelette length -- anti-gay bigotry, anti-Asian bigotry, culture clash, family drama, and a relationship beset by communication issues is an awful lot of conflict to resolve in one short story, and I'd have liked to see a bit more time taken to explore at least the latter two topics.

Overall, I would rate this book at 4 stars, "above average", and recommend it to anyone who likes love stories and supernatural elements.