The Compleat Werewolf and Other Stories of Fantasy and Science Fiction
by Anthony Boucher
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Anthony Boucher was a literary renaissance man: an Edgar Award-winning mystery reviewer, an esteemed editor of the Hugo Award-winning Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, a prolific scriptwriter of radio mystery programs, and an accomplished writer of mystery, science fiction, fantasy, and horror. With a particular fondness for the locked room mystery, Boucher created such iconic sleuths as Los Angeles PI Fergus O'Breen, amateur sleuth Sister Ursula, and alcoholic ex-cop Nick Noble. This show more collection features ten of Boucher's greatest stories of science fiction, fantasy, mystery, and horror. A down on his luck college professor chats with a magician over cocktails, and a hairy situation ensues in "The Compleat Werewolf." Private detective Fergus O'Breen visits Mexico to investigate a peculiar case of a man with a skeleton in "The Pink Caterpillar." Meet androids and aliens in "Q.U.R." and "Robinc." A terrifying-but tiny-demon is summoned in "Snulbug." And a man discovers true terror lingering in the corner of his eye in the California desert in "They Bite." show lessTags
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Member Reviews
Boucher (rhymes with "voucher") is another of those pulp-era authors who was equally proficient in SF and in mystery; he was also an important critic in both genres. When writing and reviewing mystery, he used the pseudonym "H. H. Holmes," though his mystery novels these days are usually published under the Boucher name.
He was also an important editor in SF. He co-founded and was the first editor of The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, which celebrates its 75th anniversary this year and is still one of the genre's major magazines.
This collection was published in 1969, shortly after his death, and gathers the best of his SF stories from the early 1940s. I had picked up the book mostly to read the two award-nominated stories, but show more I enjoyed them so much that I wound up reading the whole book.
Boucher's writing is recognizably 40s SF (it's hard not to notice the almost complete absence of female characters in these stories), but it's a notch higher in literary style than most of his contemporaries -- more graceful prose, a bit more character development, fewer overwrought adjectives and exclamation points.
The stories for which I picked up the book both hold up well after roughly 80 years. "Q.U.R." is a tale of an inventor who has to fight entrenched business interests after finding a solution to a crisis in the robot industry; "We Print the Truth" centers on a newspaper editor who finds himself with unusual power and responsibility after being granted a wish.
But I liked some of the other stories even more. Several of the stories lean slightly into horror, and Boucher finds just my level of eerie and creepy without getting too gross. "Mr. Lepescu" starts with a familiar theme -- a child convinced that his imaginary playmate is real -- and gives it a sharp final twist; "The Ghost of Me" is a witty piece that combines ghost story with a touch of time travel gone wrong.
Solid, well-crafted stuff, and still thoroughly readable and enjoyable today. show less
He was also an important editor in SF. He co-founded and was the first editor of The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, which celebrates its 75th anniversary this year and is still one of the genre's major magazines.
This collection was published in 1969, shortly after his death, and gathers the best of his SF stories from the early 1940s. I had picked up the book mostly to read the two award-nominated stories, but show more I enjoyed them so much that I wound up reading the whole book.
Boucher's writing is recognizably 40s SF (it's hard not to notice the almost complete absence of female characters in these stories), but it's a notch higher in literary style than most of his contemporaries -- more graceful prose, a bit more character development, fewer overwrought adjectives and exclamation points.
The stories for which I picked up the book both hold up well after roughly 80 years. "Q.U.R." is a tale of an inventor who has to fight entrenched business interests after finding a solution to a crisis in the robot industry; "We Print the Truth" centers on a newspaper editor who finds himself with unusual power and responsibility after being granted a wish.
But I liked some of the other stories even more. Several of the stories lean slightly into horror, and Boucher finds just my level of eerie and creepy without getting too gross. "Mr. Lepescu" starts with a familiar theme -- a child convinced that his imaginary playmate is real -- and gives it a sharp final twist; "The Ghost of Me" is a witty piece that combines ghost story with a touch of time travel gone wrong.
Solid, well-crafted stuff, and still thoroughly readable and enjoyable today. show less
I had previously read only mysteries by Anthony Boucher. These stories are some fantasy, some horror, some science fiction. Quite unusually there are a couple of appearances by Boucher's series detective Fergus O'Breen, but in stories of fantasy/horror. My favorites of the stories were the two long ones, The Compleat Werewolf and We Print the Truth, and the short-short, Mr Lupescu, is quite good of its kind.
This is a collection of short stories. The first is the title story & was amusing, an interesting take on lycanthropy. Kind of hoaky, but fun & full of older references from the McCarthy era. Well worth reading. 4 stars.
The second story is a different sort of horror story, "The Pink Caterpillar". It is told by Fergus, the detective from the first story. Interesting, but I wouldn't rush out to read it again. 3 stars.
I continued to read this collection & was more & more amazed by the number of stories & genres it covered. They were all good stories, somewhat dated in most cases, but not badly. Some stories were SF, others a blend of SF & Fantasy or even the paranormal - time travel mixed with a demon or a newspaper that always prints the show more truth. Some were horror, without gore, but pretty terrifying. Again, I'll use the truthful newspaper as an example or a man who chats with his own ghost.
All were well worth reading. show less
The second story is a different sort of horror story, "The Pink Caterpillar". It is told by Fergus, the detective from the first story. Interesting, but I wouldn't rush out to read it again. 3 stars.
I continued to read this collection & was more & more amazed by the number of stories & genres it covered. They were all good stories, somewhat dated in most cases, but not badly. Some stories were SF, others a blend of SF & Fantasy or even the paranormal - time travel mixed with a demon or a newspaper that always prints the show more truth. Some were horror, without gore, but pretty terrifying. Again, I'll use the truthful newspaper as an example or a man who chats with his own ghost.
All were well worth reading. show less
For QUR and the sequel...
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- Canonical title
- The Compleat Werewolf and Other Stories of Fantasy and Science Fiction
- Alternate titles
- The Compleat Werewolf and Other Tales of Fantasy and Science Fiction (dust jacket) (dust jacket)
- Original publication date
- 1969
- First words
- The professor glanced at the note:
Don't be silly--Gloria. == The Compleat Werewolf
"And their medicine men can do time travel, too," Norm Harker said. == The Pink Caterpillar
It's got so the yo... (show all)ung sprouts nowadays seem never to have heard of androids. == Q.U.R.
You'd think maybe it meant clear sailing after we'd got the Council's OK. == Robinc
"That's a hell of a spell you're using," said the demon, "if I'm the best you can call up." == Snulbug
The teacups rattled, and the flames flickered over the log. == Mr. Lupescu
There was no path, only the almost vertical ascent. == They Bite
The following is a transcript of the recorded two-way messages between Mars and the field expedition to the satellite of the third planet. == Expedition
"All right, then, tell me this: If God can do anything-- " Jake Willis cleared his throat and paused, preparatory to delivering the real clincher. == We Print the Truth
I gave my reflection hell. == The Ghost of Me - Last words
- (Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)Young Ali had climbed up only five minutes ago, but now as he descended he was a hundred pounds heavier and wore a curious fringe of beard. == The Compleat Werewolf
(Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)There are some questions you don't even try to answer. == The Pink Caterpillar
(Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)Except maybe Dugg Quinby. == Q.U.R.
(Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)Proud of myself, sure, but only because it was me that discovered Dugg Quinby. == Robinc
(Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)And he shook his head with dismal satisfaction. == Snulbug
(Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)He knew that she was waiting for the hollow stone to fill. == They Bite
(Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)Because remember this always, and feel secure: No being on the third planet ever knows what is happening on the other side of the satellite. == Expedition
(Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)"Yes, Whaling, I wish--" == We Print the Truth
(Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)What happens after death to a man whose ghost has already been murdered? == The Ghost of Me - Original language
- English
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Statistics
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- Popularity
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- Reviews
- 4
- Rating
- (4.15)
- Languages
- English
- Media
- Paper, Ebook
- ISBNs
- 8
- UPCs
- 1
- ASINs
- 11
