Books like Brother Wolf — picked by fans

The pages of The Exorcist brought me as close to the experience of true evil as I ever want to be.

Evil triumphant. Evil that seemed ultimately destined to remain triumphant. Beyond the capacity of feeble humans to even resist, much less to mount an attack and snatch back innocence from the demon’s control.

To read The Exorcist is to inhale fumes of hell. And the smell lingers.

After Bram Stoker and Vlad the Impaler, the real person most closely associated with vampires has to be Bela Lugosi—so why not write a horror novel with him as the villain? This book underscores the important role that unsettling and dramatic occurrences can play in shaking us out of our own accustomed vices, as well as the difficulty we often face when trying to discern the difference between the works of evil and the truly mundane. After all, Bela Lugosi is nothing more than a tired, sad old man still pining for his glory days on the silver screen—isn’t he?

Part horror novel, part hard-boiled detective story, part Hollywood summer blockbuster, Whisper Music is an eclectic grab bag of a story that probably shouldn’t work, but it does. J.B. Toner has an unmatched ability to integrate soaring, lyrical prose with low-brow cop-speak in a book where a vampire does battle against the Virgin Mary. With both the blood of the Virgin and the blood of Satan in her veins, Danyaela Morrigan finds herself uniquely positioned to play both sides of a great spiritual battle, while at the same time being torn between them. Hold on to your hats. You’re in for a treat.

Tim Powers is an acknowledged modern master of the preternatural, but many readers probably don’t know he’s also a practicing Catholic. In Hide Me Among the Graves, his passion for the Romantic poets brings poor Christina Rossetti, her family, and others both historical and fictional under the sway of her vampire-uncle John Polidori, author of The Vampyre. Powers’s wild imagination casts the Thames River as Purgatory, songbirds as soul-catchers, and vampires as the ancient Biblical Nephilim. It’s a kitchen sink approach to fantasy that will keep readers guessing until the end.

I’m a fan of many of this author’s books, though I haven’t read them all yet. But I love this story because it is so unique and entertaining. Mandy is the world’s only half-sheep girl, and while she has a few sheepish qualities, this character is not weak at all, and she doesn’t let differences stand in the way of making friends. This story is packed with excitement but also with solid messages and Christian themes. It speaks to an issue relevant to everyone: regardless of the strength of the temptations we face, we need to work hard to rise above our impulses and do the right thing. And the least likely characters in this story are the greatest examples of resisting nearly overpowering urges.

This werewolf coming-of-age story is amazing. There is an absolutely terrible movie version that is nothing like the book. Skip the movie. Read the book!

I devoured it in one sitting and immediately started rereading it. It’s got all that angsty romance that a YA paranormal story should have and then some.

I have adored everything Helen Harper has ever written (and I mean EVERYTHING), but this series, beginning with Bloodfire, holds a special place in my heart. This series was my gateway into urban fantasy—a genre that has magic in our contemporary world. It was the book that sneakily drew me away from my first love, epic fantasy, with humor, magic, and the promise of lighthearted escapism.

Let me introduce you to my girl, Mac. Mackenzie Smith is an ordinary human raised among werewolves. Although she seems woefully underpowered, Mackenzie relies on her wits and self-reliance to navigate treacherous paths with aplomb. I love Mac’s tenacity; she never laments her lack of power; instead, she dives headfirst into challenges, determined to save the day. Her unwavering spirit makes her an inspiring and totally relatable heroine, and I cheered her on loudly as she came into her own (much to the vexation… show more.

I hear you saying to yourself, “Please, recommend another book by a dead guy, Jason!” Well, sorry to disappoint, but this recommendation is from a living author. I’m actually a huge fan of this guy and he’s still alive putting out books. Awfully Appetizing follows Walter, a ghoul (undead carrion eater), that was raised by humans. Walter runs a funeral parlor where he disposes of bodies in the secret war between the werewolves and the vampires in a Colorado college town. The writing is funny. The characters are great. If you like the Harry Dresden books by Jim Butcher, you’ll love Awfully Appetizing.  

Ordinarily, a werewolf novel with a strong emphasis on the romance angle wouldn’t rate so highly with me, but Kelley Armstrong’s book was the right one at the right time. Elana, our heroine, is the world’s only female werewolf; her job has been killing rogue shapeshifters. She gets tired of that and tries to retire and live as a normal human, but that doesn’t work out.

What I liked about this was that it was my first exposure to a werewolf novel that really dealt with the political and social dynamics of a worldwide werewolf pack. Fortunately, Armstrong is a great storyteller, so there is more here than politics or romance. Her worldbuilding is fantastic, as evidenced by the fact this became the first in a long series of Otherworld novels.

Ever wonder what would happen if paranormal beings were ousted on social media? Kinney explores this enticing idea in her Texas Shifter series, where she’s created a gritty new existence for vamps and wolves. With one of the MCs a freshly-bitten hot mess, and desperate to avoid eating her family, she seeks help from her equally troubled (and broody) ex. Cue the drama, sass, chemistry, and steam. What I enjoyed most is how the more hard-hitting, sobering themes of this book are balanced out by the spice and sarcasm. But best of all? No damsel in distress!