Since ancient times, full moons have been regarded as omens of supernatural phenomenon, and it isn’t hard to see why. After all, if you saw your silver moon slowly turn red without knowing what a lunar eclipse was, you might think the world was about to end!

Luckily we know now lunar eclipses, which occur when the moon passes into the Earth’s shadow, appear red because of the dispersed sunlight coming from the Earth. While they are commonly referred to as blood moons due to their color, they do not have anything to do with blood or magic. Not that that makes them any less cool!

This year on January 20, 2019 North Americans will be able to witness a fantastic phenomenon called a Super Blood Wolf Moon! This refers to a time when a lunar eclipse (a blood moon) occurs when the moon’s phase is at its closest point to Earth (a supermoon). In North America, the first full moon in January is known as the Wolf Moon, hence the epic name: Super Wolf Blood Moon!

Now with a name that fantastic, we’ve put together a list of recommendations based on, you guessed it, our favorite supernatural wolf-creature: the werewolf! After all, full moons are their time to shine.

While legends of shapeshifters and werewolves, or lycanthropes, exist in cultures all over the world, the werewolf, a human who can take on the form of a wolf under the light of a full moon, as we know it today came into the public consciousness as a result of the release of Universal’s The Wolf Man (1941), starring Lon Chaney Jr. as the title creature. After being bitten by a werewolf, the protagonist becomes a werewolf himself when the full moon shines.

Ever since, the werewolf has become a staple of the horror genre in the same vein as vampires. The differences between the two creatures are too vast to cover here, but they have commonly been portrayed as mortal enemies in media such as Len Wiseman’s Underworld (2003) film series.

The lore surrounding werewolves seems to change depending on the needs of a particular narrative as well as the source material the narrative is being drawn from. For instance, "Bisclavret" ("The Werewolf"), one of the twelve Lais of Marie de France, is one of the earliest werewolf stories. In "Bisclavret," the werewolf transforms back into a human by putting on his human clothes, which is extremely different from modern werewolves whose transformations are uncontrollable.

There are some things about werewolves that stay consistent: the fact that they transform into wolves or wolf/human hybrids, their allergy to silver/silver bullets, and their constant battle to maintain control over the beast within.

In honor of the Super Blood Wolf Moon, let’s take a look at some of our favorite werewolf stories!

Fiction

The Wolf’s Hour by Robert R. McCammon
Allied Intelligence has been warned: A Nazi strategy designed to thwart the D-Day invasion is underway. A Russian émigré turned operative for the British Secret Service, Michael Gallatin has been brought out of retirement as a personal courier. His mission: Parachute into Nazi-occupied France, search out the informant under close watch by the Gestapo, and recover the vital information necessary to subvert the mysterious Nazi plan called Iron Fist.

Fearlessly devoted to the challenge, Gallatin is the one agent uniquely qualified to meet it—he’s a werewolf.

Now, as shifting as the shadows on the dangerous streets of Paris, a master spy is on the scent of unimaginable evil. But with the Normandy landings only hours away, it’s going to be a race against time. For Gallatin, caught in the dark heart of the Third Reich’s twisted death machine, there is only one way to succeed. He must unleash his own internal demons and redefine the meaning of the horror of war.

The Last Werewolf (The Last Werewolf / Bloodlines Trilogy #1) by Glen Duncan
One last full moon — then it will all be over.

Jacob Marlowe has lost the will to live. For two hundred years he has wandered the world, enslaved by his lunatic appetites and tormented by the memory of his first and most monstrous crime. Now, the last of his kind, he knows he cannot go on.

But as Jake counts down to suicide, a violent murder and an extraordinary meeting plunge him straight back into the desperate pursuit of life—and love.

 

 

The Werewolf of Paris by Guy Endore 
In a work that strives to do for werewolves what Stoker's Dracula did for vampires, Endore's werewolf, an outcast named Bertrand Caillet, travels round seeking to calm the beast within. An episodic tale, the story wanders through 19th Century France and into hotspots like the Franco-Prussian war. Stunning in its sexual frankness and eerie, fog-enshrouded visions, this novel was decidedly influential for the generations of horror and science fiction authors who came after.

 

 

Cycle of the Werewolf by Stephen King
The first scream came from the snowbound railwayman who felt the fangs ripping at his throat. The next month there was a scream of ecstatic agony from the woman attacked in her snug bedroom.

Now scenes of unbelieving horror come each time the full moon shines on the isolated Maine town of Tarker Mills. No one knows who will be attacked next. But one thing is sure.

When the moon grows fat, a paralyzing fear sweeps through Tarker Mills. For snarls that sound like human words can be heard whining through the wind. And all around are the footprints of a monster whose hunger cannot be sated . . .

 

Frostbite (Cheyenne Clark #1) by David Wellington
There's one sound a woman doesn't want to hear when she's lost and alone in the Arctic wilderness: a howl.

When a strange wolf's teeth slash Cheyenne's ankle to the bone, her old life ends, and she becomes the very monster that has haunted her nightmares for years. Worse, the only one who can understand what Chey has become is the man–or wolf–who's doomed her to this fate. He also wants to chop her head off with an axe.

Yet as the line between human and beast blurs, so too does the distinction between hunter and hunted . . . for Chey is more than just the victim she appears to be. But once she's within killing range, she may find that–even for a werewolf–it's not always easy to go for the jugular.
 

The Wolfman by Nicholas Pekearo
Marlowe Higgins has had a hard life. Since being dishonorably discharged after a tour in Vietnam, he's been in and out of prison, moving from town to town, going wherever the wind takes him. He can’t stay in one place too long—every full moon he kills someone.

Marlowe Higgins is a werewolf. For years he struggled with his affliction, until he found a way to use this unfortunate curse for good--he only kills really bad people.

Settling at last in the small town of Evelyn, Higgins works at a local restaurant and even has a friend, Daniel Pearce, one of Evelyn's two police detectives.

One night everything changes. It turns out Marlowe Higgins isn’t the only monster lurking in the area. A fiendish serial killer, known as the Rose Killer, is brutally murdering young girls all around the county. Higgins targets the killer as his next victim, but on the night of the full moon, things go drastically wrong . . .

Sharp Teeth by Toby Barlow

An ancient race of lycanthropes has survived to the present day, and its numbers are growing. Bent on dominance, rival factions are initiating the down-and-out of L.A. into their ranks. Caught in the middle are Anthony, a kindhearted, lovesick dogcatcher, and the object of his affection: a female werewolf who has abandoned her pack.

 

 

 

 

The Werewolf of Bamberg by Oliver Pötzsch; translated by Lee Chadeayne

In 1668, hangman Jakob Kuisl, his daughter Magdalena, and her husband Simon are traveling to the town of Bamberg. But what was planned as a family vacation soon becomes a nightmare: there is a murderer in Bamberg who is leaving the severed limbs of victims in the trash outside the city. When rumors quickly spread that the murders are the work of a werewolf, Jakob Kuisl must prove the superstition wrong and embarks on a search for the “devil of Bamberg.” This thrilling fifth entry in Oliver Pötzsch's Hangman's Daughter series follows the continuing adventures and mysteries that surround the Kuisl family.

 

 

St. Lucy's Home for Girls Raised by Wolves by Karen Russell

In these ten glittering short stories, debut author Karen Russell takes us to the ghostly and magical swamps of the Florida Everglades. Here, wolf-like girls are reformed by nuns; a family makes its living wrestling alligators in a theme park; and little girls sail away on crab shells.

 

 

 

 

 

Saint Peter's Wolf by Michael Cadnum

Obsessed with the latest addition to his collection--a set of fangs embedded in silver--art collector Benjamin Byrd soon finds himself transforming into a nocturnal, bloodthirsty being.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fool Moon (The Dresden Files #2) byJim Butcher

Harry Dresden--Wizard

Lost Items Found. Paranormal Investigations. Consulting. Advice. Reasonable Rates. No Love Potions, Endless Purses, or Other Entertainment.

Business has been slow. Okay, business has been dead. And not even of the undead variety. You would think Chicago would have a little more action for the only professional wizard in the phone book. But lately, Harry Dresden hasn't been able to dredge up any kind of work--magical or mundane.

But just when it looks like he can't afford his next meal, a murder comes along that requires his particular brand of supernatural expertise.

A brutally mutilated corpse. Strange-looking paw prints. A full moon. Take three guesses--and the first two don't count...

Graphic Novel 

Wolf Moon Cullen Bunn, writer; Jeremy Haun, artist; Lee Loughridge, colorist; Travis Lanham, letterer

A new brand of Werewolf carves a bloody rampage into this collection of Wolf Moon! How do you hunt a werewolf if a different person becomes the monster with every cycle of the moon? Dillon, a former victim of the Wolf's transformation, is taking it upon himself to track the sporadic movements of the Wolf in hopes to kill it. Hoping to uncover some clues, Dillon turns to a reclusive expert on werewolf legends, and what he learns crushes any hope of ever destroying the creature. 

 

 

Romance

Once in a Full Moon by Ellen Schreiber

Beware of a kiss under the full moon. It will change your life forever.

Celeste Parker is used to hearing scary stories about werewolves—Legend's Run is famous for them. She's used to everything in the small town until Brandon Maddox moves to Legend's Run and Celeste finds herself immediately drawn to the handsome new student. But when, after an unnerving visit with a psychic, she encounters a pack of wolves and gorgeous, enigmatic Brandon, she must discover whether his transformation is more than legend or just a trick of the shadows in the moonlight.

 

 

Blood and Chocolate by Annette Curtis Klause

Vivian Gandillon relishes the change, the sweet, fierce ache that carries her from girl to wolf. At sixteen, she is beautiful and strong, and all the young wolves are on her tail. But Vivian still grieves for her dead father; her pack remains leaderless and in disarray, and she feels lost in the suburbs of Maryland. She longs for a normal life. But what is normal for a werewolf?

Then Vivian falls in love with a human, a meat-boy. Aiden is kind and gentle, a welcome relief from the squabbling pack. He’s fascinated by magic, and Vivian longs to reveal herself to him. Surely he would understand her and delight in the wonder of her dual nature, not fear her as an ordinary human would.

Vivian’s divided loyalties are strained further when a brutal murder threatens to expose the pack. Moving between two worlds, she does not seem to belong in either. What is she really—human or beast? Which tastes sweeter—blood or chocolate?

Bitten (Otherworld #1) by Kelley Armstrong

Elena Michaels is the world’s only female werewolf. And she’s tired of it. Tired of a life spent hiding and protecting, a life where her most important job is hunting down rogue werewolves. Tired of a world that not only accepts the worst in her–her temper, her violence–but requires it. Worst of all, she realizes she’s growing content with that life, with being that person.

So she left the Pack and returned to Toronto where she’s trying to live as a human. When the Pack leader calls asking for her help fighting a sudden uprising, she only agrees because she owes him. Once this is over, she’ll be squared with the Pack and free to live life as a human. Which is what she wants. Really.

 

 

Young Adult

Shiver (The Wolves of Mercy Falls #1) by Maggie Stiefvater

For years, Grace has watched the wolves in the woods behind her house. One yellow-eyed wolf—her wolf—is a chilling presence she can't seem to live without.

Meanwhile, Sam has lived two lives: In winter, the frozen woods, the protection of the pack, and the silent company of a fearless girl. In summer, a few precious months of being human… until the cold makes him shift back again.

Now, Grace meets a yellow-eyed boy whose familiarity takes her breath away. It's her wolf. It has to be. But as winter nears, Sam must fight to stay human—or risk losing himself, and Grace, forever.

 

How to be a Werewolf: The Claws-on Guide for the Modern Lycanthrope by Serena Valentino

Are you subject to savage moods, extreme and unexplained buffness, and cravings for meat on the rare side? Do you long for super speed and reflexes, along with rapid healing and maybe a talent for telepathy? Welcome to the pack -- and get ready to howl -- as you sink your claws into this guide to everything life as a werewolf has to offer.

 

 

Movies

Curse of the Werewolf (1961)
Leon is a werewolf—half-man, half-beast, who loves by day and kills by night. This maniacal tale of terror follows the life of Leon from his innocent youth to his deadly adulthood. Try as he might, Leon is unable to control the dark forces within him and when the moon is full, he becomes an uncontrollable killer beast who terrorizes the town.

 

 

 

The Howling (1981)
Traumatized by a near-fatal encounter with a serial killer, a TV newscaster takes time off at a secluded retreat. But after nights of being tormented by bestial, bloodcurdling cries, she ventures into the woods seeking answers and makes a terrifying discovery. Now she must fight not only for her life—but for her soul.

 

 

 

An American Werewolf in London (1981)
It's a rainy night on the Welsh moors. Two American students on a walking tour of Europe trudge on to the next town, when suddenly the air is pierced by an unearthly howl . . . Three weeks later, one is dead and the other is in the hospital.

 

 

 

 

Underworld (2003)
A war has been raging between the Vampires and the Lycans for centuries. Selene is a vampire Death Dealer who finds out that the Lycans have plans to capture Michael. As Selene begins to track Michael, she becomes more convinced that the Lycans are planning an attack against the Death Dealers. The vampire kingpin, Kraven, is certain the Lycans do not have that kind of intelligence. As Selene shadows Michael, she finds herself wanting to protect him, but when he's attacked by Lucian, the leader of the werewolf community, and the man she wants to save has now become a sworn enemy.

 

 

The Wolfman (2010)
Lawrence Talbot is lured back to his family estate to investigate the savage murder of his brother by a bloodthirsty beast. There, Talbot must confront his childhood demons, his estranged father, his brother's grieving fiancée, and a suspicious Scotland Yard inspector. When Talbot is bitten by the creature, he becomes eternally cursed and soon discovers a fate far worse than death.

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Staff picks are chosen by NYPL staff members and are not intended to be comprehensive lists. We'd love to hear your ideas too, so leave a comment and tell us what you’d recommend. And check out our Staff Picks browse tool for more recommendations!

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Book descriptions taken from NYPL catalog unless otherwise noted.

Image credit: "Blood Moon"  by Wladows is licensed under CC BY 2.0