Furry Book Review

The ROAR anthologies are always an impressive collection of quality stories, and ROAR 9 continues that tradition with contributions on the theme of “resistance.” The table of contents includes more than a few powerhouse furry authors, and the stories inside are, for the most part, explorations of very serious themes and often heartbreaking situations in which individuals rise up in a spirit of resistance against oppression, discrimination, and bigotry.

"Saguaros" by Watts Martin is an exquisitely written story about a rabbit who lives in service to a coyote woman. This is a tale of magic, illusion, and rebellion that has such a sweet, poetic note to it that it is a delight to read. As an opener to the anthology, it set the bar very high.

Thankfully, the rest of the stories had no problem holding up that standard.

"Ghosts" by Searska GreyRaven features a pizza delivery girl with a crush on one of her customers and a dangerous paranormal secret. The story is touching, sweet, terrifying, and masterfully written.

"Froggy Stews" by A. Humphrey Lanham tells the story of a frog attempting to share living space with a sea lion. Another piece with really stellar writing, this is one of the few stories in the book in which the resisting protagonist isn’t the clear-cut “good guy.” That being said, I found it charming and hilarious despite the somewhat grim ending.

"Post-Isolation" by Ellis Aen is a non-linear story and takes a bit of effort on the reader’s part, but of the lot, I think it is one of my absolute favorites. It is heart wrenching in its plot, beautiful in execution, and saying too much more about it would ruin it for the reader. A stellar tale.

"Resistance" by David M. Sula is another heartbreaking but lovely story about a lion and a human living together in a time of plague. Considering that ROAR 9 was published in 2018, this story has some eerily familiar themes to today’s reader. It might be a tough read, but it’s well worth it. I did see the ending coming a little way in, but it was still very impactful.

"The Hard Way" by Val E. Ford is an unusual exploration on the idea of soulmates that ends up being a strange blend of tragedy and humor. I found it fascinating and delightful with its bizarre mixture of violence and affection.

"Coyote Magic" by Ryan Campbell is another one that quickly became a favorite even while it broke my heart. In a world where everyone has magic, a boy must come to terms with a disappointing manifestation of his power. As a lifetime fan of old man Coyote, this story perfectly captured for me the concept of trickster magic. I loved it.

"The Last Roundup" by Amy Fontaine explores a clash between environmentalism and tradition in a beautiful, nostalgic way. The story has a bittersweet tone that is just delicious and does a fabulous job of showing a situation in which there is no easy, clear-cut answer. Fontaine describes it with a sensitivity and authenticity that is amazing on the page.

"Safe Mode" by John Giezentanner is easily the best, most visceral portrayal of social anxiety I’ve ever encountered on the page. A pangolin is the perfect vehicle for communicating what it feels like inside a panic attack, and the topic was dealt with so sensitively and adorably that it’s impossible not to fully embed in this story. An easy favorite.

"Laotian Rhapsody" by Al Song tells the story of a young Dhole magician who wants to do something meaningful with his music. It illustrates the struggle of a young artist against the tide of commercialism and the solution comes from an unexpected source that makes for a lovely story with a very sweet ending.

"Qibla" by Bill Kieffer follows Cecil and Jinx, an alligator and a cat dealing with the difficulties and differences of being in a relationship together, facing religious and speciesist discrimination, and finding common ground to face their difficulties as a united front. The writing is top notch on this one, and I love the inclusion of a reptilian protagonist. The story is tough and honest yet still manages to be loving and hopeful. I enjoyed every moment with these characters.

"Dear Sis" by Matt Doyle is a story told through a letter to the protagonist’s sister. It is a lovely and intimate look at the struggles of the gender-fluid main character but is another one where the ending becomes clear fairly early into the read. Still a well written and beautiful piece.

"Every Last Paw" by Blake Hutchins is a surprising inclusion in a sea of super serious and somewhat dark stories. The tone of this one is much lighter, and though it’s a well written and fun story, it felt off theme mostly because of the sort of grim-dark feel of the pieces leading up to it. That being said, who can resist a fun adventure story featuring an adorable kitten?

"Mixed Blessings" by Kittara Foxworthy is another one that felt slightly out of step with the literary somberness of the rest of the anthology. It’s a sci-fi piece and definitely fits the idea of resistance, but had a younger, lighter tone than most of the other stories. I still enjoyed it, though I found a lot of the plot’s events tended toward very convenient solutions. It’s a solid story and a fun read, nonetheless.

"No Dogs" by KC Alpinus uses dog breeds as allegory for racism and is both a serious read and a heartwarming story with an uplifting ending. It fits well with the tone of the early stories in the book, but also provides a nice bridge from the preceding two as the young age of several of the characters gives it an almost middle grade feel in places. "No Dogs" does a fabulous job of tying up the end of the collection and leaving the reader on a high note.

Overall ROAR 9 is exactly what I’ve come to expect from this series. Quality stories with excellent writing that will definitely not disappoint. A great sample of furry literature and an inspiring peek into the many forms of resistance.

ROAR 9, ed. Mary E. Lowd

There has been a glut of gryphon books recently: Jess E. Owen’s Summer King series, K. Vale Nagle’s The Gryphon Insurrection, Dire, by John Bailey, and The Gryphon Generation by Alexander Bizzell (not to mention my own Griffin Ranger series). So now we can add the simply titled The Gryphon to this list.

Stripped down to the basics, The Gryphon is a princess story. With a mostly female cast, it definitely passes the Bechdel Test. Sunsky is the princess, set to inherit the rule of Gryphonia from her wise grandmother Queen Heartsong. Gryphonia is a menagerie of gryphons and gryphon-type creatures. There’s the winged gryphons, who are all female, the opinici, who are winged, male, and have the front legs of a lion instead of eagle talons. Then there’s keythongs and kryphons, wingless male and female, who are doomed to sterile servitude to the winged ones. Then there’s winged hippogryphs, winged horses, and regular horses, who live in the Valley of the Outcasts. There’s also an isolated colony of humans, called hopahs by the gryphons.

This cast of species has an interesting biology, and can all interbreed with each other. Gryphons can give birth to live young, or lay eggs that they keep in a pouch, and produce both winged and wingless offspring from any given mating. Even though contact between the gryphons and equines is strictly forbidden (according to the Gryphonic Code), everyone in this story is very promiscuous (which is why there’re so many hippogryphs). So in addition to her two full sisters, Sunsky has a half-sister named Talona, the result of a ‘courtesy mating’ her father had with another gryphon. With a name like “Talona,” she’s pre-destined to be the bad guy, and her conniving mother wants her to inherit the queenship instead of Sunsky.

When Sunsky is injured and nursed back to health by a dashing winged stallion, of course mating with him is the only polite thing to do. Since she’d already mated with her promised prince, Dreamspinner, when she finds out that out that she’s expecting she hopes all the offspring will be gryphonic. Unfortunately one of the three offspring is going to be a winged hippogryph, and Sunsky is given a choice between renouncing her royal title and going to the Valley of the Outcasts, or turning the ‘choal’ (chick + foal) over to the hippogryphs to be raised by them.

She chooses exile, which sets off the main plot of the evil Talona becoming queen, while Sunsky (renaming herself Sunground) raises her offspring among the winged horses and hippogryphs. Skip ahead a lot of years, and (predictably) Talona’s reign has not gone well, and Sunsky is called on to reclaim her throne.

The overarching theme of this book is tolerance and forgiveness, where Sunsky chooses a Ghandi-type approach rather than a bloody civil war. All the characters and species have to overcome long-standing prejudices, and in some cases admit their own culpability when things go wrong. It is rare to come across such an aggressively non-violent tale.

Stylistically, the book is an odd amalgam of My Little Pony type princesses, with characters that really sleep around (no graphic sex, however). In other ways the cast of gryphon and equine characters reminded me of the excellent Firebringer books by Meredith Ann Pierce. The prose at the beginning is awkward and could use some work, but it gets smoother after the first couple chapters. Unusually, this is a self-contained story, and so a good choice for people who don’t want to commit to a long series.

If you don’t mind the character’s laissez faire attitude concerning fidelity, this is an excellent story for tweens, and a good addition to the growing shelf of gryphon-specific tales.

The Gryphon, by Paula Grover

This is your classic animal fantasy novel in the “tradition of” (as they like to say in book blurbs) Watership Down. But instead of common European animals, the book features the trials and tribulations of a pack of African hunting dogs (aka Painted Dogs, or Cape Hunting Dogs). This book has a distinct African flavor, with Afrikaans or native names for the characters, and all the flora and fauna painstakingly identified.

Wait a Season for Their Names is the story of alpha female Aalwyn, her mate Grootboom, and their pack, composed of subordinate sisters and brothers of the two alphas. The title refers to the heavy mortality of pups, most of whom don’t survive their first season. Life is hard in the African bush. Prey is sometimes difficult to find. Hyenas and lions steal their kills and threaten their pups. When an exceptionally aggressive male lion, Moordenaar, enters their territory, they’re forced to leave and take a dangerous trek to find a safer place to call home.

Towards the beginning of the story, the pack is joined by a wandering older male named Blackthorn, who ingratiates himself by providing desperately needed food. His help proves invaluable during the journey (It would’ve been nice to have a map) which takes them from Botswana to Zimbabwe to Mozambique, through war-torn lands and farms.

Along the way they encounter all the problems facing wild dogs (referred to in the book as wolves or painted wolves). Chief among them is rabies, which the characters refer to as The Rage. It’s made clear early on that Aalwyn and a couple of the other characters were given an oral vaccine by some park rangers, but the rest of the pack is vulnerable, and every village dog or strange wolf is suspect. There’s also internal strife, as two of the pack want to breed, something that only the alpha pair is allowed to do.

Other than rabies, humans present the biggest danger. There are hazardous roads to cross, poachers and poison to avoid, and angry farmers with guns. In some areas they cross the land is so barren and desertified there’s nothing to eat at all except hares and wandering cattle left to fend for themselves after the farmers were killed by civil strife. But preying on cattle, even stray ones, can have dire consequences.

Because this is meant to be a realistic animal novel (talking wolves not withstanding), the plot is episodic, without a driving goal other than finding a safe place to live. Most of the characters do behave in a realistic way, sometimes even shocking (such as Aalwyn’s treatment of wayward pack members). But there’s also some artistic liberty taken, such as a scene where Aalwyn bites through a chain. Unless it was a decorative necklace chain, I don’t think that was happening. . . . They also seem a lot more willing to take on dangerous foes like lions and hyenas mano a mano than real-life painted wolves, although wolves in this story do get injured and killed during those fights.

Overall, this is not the best of the genre, on level with masterpieces like Watership Down and Garry Kilworth’s Hunter’s Moon, but it is a decent and interesting work. And it’s nice to see this type of book set outside Europe and North America for a change. Definitely recommended for fans of talking animal fiction, as well as anyone who is interested in stories with an African setting. There is a sequel, with the cheerful title of Death Will Know My Name, but I have not read it (yet).

Wait a Season for Their Names, by Alexander Kendziorski

When I saw that Ash Coyote had released another documentary, I admit I was a bit apprehensive. Her previous treatment of marginalized communities ,,in The Fandom left me worried about what her newest work Hero might be like. She has apologized for this in the past, saying, “[W]e received criticism that was very valid. Criticism about inclusion and diversity. Which are things that I’m trying to learn from.” Unfortunately, Hero has proven she has much more to learn.

This documentary follows the story of Hero, a furry who was diagnosed with cancer at the age of 22. It shows his fursuit being made by WaggeryCostumes while building up to the moment Hero receives it. Fursuits can be a fantastic way for furries to express themselves, and knowing that Hero was able to enjoy the experience of fursuiting with a grim health diagnosis is undeniably a feel-good story, and I’m personally so happy for Hero. However, sharing it with this inspirational narrative ignores fundamental issues that haunt the furry fandom as a whole.

Walela Nehanda has ,,discussed why inspiration porn like this hurts disabled people, especially those with cancer, and I couldn’t agree with them more on the points they raised. For those who do not know, inspiration porn is the portrayal of people with disabilities as inspirational solely or in part on the basis of their disability. Inspiration porn exists so that able-bodied people can put their worries into perspective. “Well, it could be worse; I could be like that person!”

This documentary does just that and serves as nothing more than a way for able-bodied people to pat themselves on the back for doing something when in all reality the furry community actively ignores its disabled members in a way that is almost hostile.

As of writing this review, I am only aware of two conventions that take accessibility issues seriously. Texas Furry Fiesta has an Accessibility Officer, and Harvest Moon Howl Fest intends to be fully ADA compliant. How can we say we care about people who aren’t able-bodied when our entire community can’t manage something that has been standard at almost every single major anime and gaming convention for many years?

Conventions being forced to go digital in 2020 has been one of the only reasons that accessibility has been increased in the furry community, and that’s inexcusable. Between hotels with panel room doors too small for wheelchairs to fit into, lack of seating consideration for panels, ,,incredibly old wheelchair lifts, and having to take elevators through kitchens to reach panels, the community is doing a bad job here. This is only for one kind of disability consideration too — if I listed issues for other kinds of disabilities most people would declare this review too long to finish reading.

Most conventions cannot even bring themselves to donate towards causes that affect marginalized people like those who aren’t able-bodied as they would rather focus on cute animals. Why not do both? Donating to causes that help connect disabled people with service animals (which can cost anywhere from $15,000 to $50,000) is a possibility. What if we took it a step further and helped these people with funds for housing security? Homeless disabled people often find that shelters refuse them as many aren’t accessible. Efforts like these aren’t made, however, as the community feels like they are “doing enough,” and documentaries like Hero cement that belief in their minds.

The closest I could find to this happening was ,,Fur The More supporting ALS charities in honor of Dogbomb. While admirable, this was done for only a single year. Dogbomb was a fantastic man who was well-loved in the fandom but is already being so quickly forgotten. If this is how a “popufur” with a disability is treated, imagine the treatment of disabled furries at large.

This doesn’t even scratch the surface on issues fursuits present themselves. This major status symbol in the furry fandom is inaccessible to most disabled members of the community. Not only are fursuits like this hard to afford for disabled people, ,,26% of whom live in poverty in the United States, but almost no thought has been put into trying to make fursuits easier to use for those who aren’t able-bodied. Can you name a single fursuiter that uses a wheelchair? A fursuiter that uses crutches? A deaf fursuiter? No? Fursuiters like this do exist, and the lack of awareness of them is fostered by the community.

Most people with a terminal illness or disabilities couldn’t even consider affording a fursuit. This one story of joy should highlight just how many more are faced with not only crushing disappointment but exclusion from the community they love. Too bad able-bodied viewers won’t see that. ,,Chadwick Boseman was bullied and ridiculed for his unknown cancer diagnosis, and those within the furry community continue similar mistreatment to disabled people within Furry while trying to feel better about themselves.

The truth of the matter is that Hero’s story will be used so that furries can pat themselves on the back like they did something when they didn’t. They didn’t speak up for better accessibility at conventions, they didn’t donate their time or funds to furries that aren’t popular and able-bodied, and large portions didn’t take seriously a pandemic that kills immunocompromised people like those with cancer.

While the documentary does mention some issues about accessing healthcare, this really isn’t enough to give it a pass here. It’s likely impossible to cover the entirety of issues facing disabled members of the furry community but them being nothing more than a side note shows they were barely a consideration to begin with. While I love this celebration of Hero’s life, this documentary puts into focus how the community only wants to focus on disabled members when it is convenient to them or when it makes them feel better. And the inspiration porn narrative of the film suggests that our community is above such critical issues and that our fandom is good for or on-the-whole empowering for people with disabilities in a way non-furries are not when this is untrue.

I wish instead of this documentary being made to tell one good story, one was made that discussed the major issues the furry community faces when it comes to the treatment of disabled people and how we could do better. The documentary Hero adds to a problem the furry community faces while taking us two steps back to make it worse.

I cannot recommend anyone watch Hero. Instead, I hope readers will consider watching Crip Camp, ,,which is also free to watch on YouTube, as it offers actual insights into the struggles disabled people face and shows the good a community can do. I hope Ash will do better when considering marginalized people within her documentaries in the future, but her current track record gives me little reason to do so.

Hero, by AshCoyote

The huge success of fantasy series for older children such as Harry Potter, Warriors and Wings of Fire has developed into an industry led by authors who hope their books are the next big hit. Luckily for fans of anthropomorphic literature, a number of these series feature animal characters.

Pride Wars is a recent series about a war between anthro lions and tigers, set in a typical feudal world with a vaguely African setting. It faithfully follows the major tropes of this genre: a bullied, socially outcast lead character with a hidden special power (who is also an orphan!), a scheming uncle, misunderstandings, and a hidden danger no one knows about. So if you’re looking for something groundbreaking and unusual, this probably isn’t it. But on the other hand, if you were simply interested in a decent yarn, you could do worse.

Leo (not a terribly original name for a lion character) is the bastard grandson of the current king, the son of his dead daughter and an unknown male. Despite this, he’s heir to the throne, which makes his uncle a bit resentful. The opening sequence shows Leo on his rite of passage—a life-or-death hunt against a venomous creature called a slaycon. Nobody expects him to survive the hunt, since he is small and not a good fighter.

When, through dumb luck, Leo successfully takes out the slaycon, he’s sent to an elite battle school to learn to be a fighter. Of course his cousin, daughter of the jealous uncle, is there and prepared to make his life a living hell. I was worried that this was going to turn into yet another “bullied kid at school story,” having to slog through chapter after chapter of Leo getting humiliated and beaten up. Luckily, he only spends a couple of days there before events beyond his control call him back to the capital city, where the plot really gets moving.

The lion’s society is shown to be strictly science- and reason-based. It’s a terrible crime to lie, and they consider fiction stories as lies, since they’re not true. But there are some people, known as "spinners" that have a magical compulsion to tell stories. Spinners are outlawed and reviled, and if one is discovered, their tongue is cut out, and they’re sent into exile. So of course Leo is a very powerful spinner.

Besides the involuntary need to tell stories, Leo’s magic is so strong that after each story a character from it appears to him, ready to do his bidding (a plot twist not unlike the Inkheart series). At first he sends them away, fearful of being found out, but later they prove to be valuable allies.

Forced into exile when his devious uncle seizes the throne after the death of his grandfather, Leo flees into the land of the enemy tigers, trying to avert a war that could destroy both sides. He is helped along by some wise elders and friends from the battle school, and learns the truth behind the long conflict that has divided the lands. Volume 2 ends on a cliffhanger (though it does answer some questions), and so far volume 3 hasn’t been published.

Because this is meant for a younger audience, there’s no adult action. There are plenty of battles and fighting, but no excessive gore. The book would probably appeal to people interested in stories with lion characters, or a younger audience. Readers looking for something unique or challenging (or adult themes) should probably look elsewhere. All that being said, I’m still planning to read book 3 whenever it comes out. The story did keep me reading, and that’s a success for any book.

Pride Wars, by Matt Laney

A Wizard’s Guide to Defensive Baking by T. Kingfisher is certainly one of the more…odd novels I’ve read in recent memory. On the surface, it sounds less like a fantasy novel for young adults and more like the name of a Hogwarts textbook, doesn’t it? And going into this novel, I certainly broke one of the more traditional rules by judging a book by its cover.

I seriously cannot think of any other book that has managed to combine fantasy and cooking together in a way that is fun and creative with its premise, while also being able to remain epic in its small-scale setting.

So, what’s the story? In the city-state of Riverbraid lives a fourteen-year-old girl named Mona who works day-to-day in her Aunt Tabitha’s bakery. When she isn’t serving customers or feeding the living sourdough starter that she keeps in her basement (aptly named Bob), she likes to use her magicker abilities to create and bake the tastiest of bread. She even likes to entertain some by animating gingerbread men to dance and perform tricks in her spare time.

That is, until she wakes up one morning to discover a dead girl’s body in her workspace. Due to the circumstances and even the prejudice of a leading Inquisitor named Oberon, Mona is immediately suspected of the murder despite her supposed lack of adaptability in using bread for magic, especially in committing something as vile as murder.

Worse for Mona, a serial killer called the Spring Green Man is rumored to be the one responsible for the girl—revealed to be a magicker like her named Tabbie—being murdered in her bakery, and is actively targeting magic users. Now with the help of Tabbie’s younger brother, a ten-year-old street thief named Spindle, and a variety of strange and whimsical characters to aid her, Mona must avoid being captured or killed in a city that she’s lived all her life in, while trying to unravel the mystery of the Spring Green Man. Some of these characters include a crazed magicker named Knackering Molly, who can bring dead horses to life, her extremely caring Aunt Tabitha, her war veteran Uncle Albert, and even the Duchess of Riverbraid herself.

Forgetting about the fantasy setting and the imaginative idea of a "wizard baker" for a moment, what really holds A Wizard’s Guide to Defensive Baking is its charm. Riverbraid is charming, its inhabitants are charming, and everything about the setting has a wholesomeness to it without detracting from the unease of prejudices and gritty dangers around every corner.

You easily connect to Mona as a protagonist, understanding how she feels such low self-esteem in herself but not in her craft as a baker. After all, once I started reading this book, I did not know what to expect regarding "bread magic" and if it had any applications. However, that all changed as the novel progressed and Mona—and you, as the reader—start to think outside the box about what it can do. How much magic does it take to animate a small object? Can Mona animate a large amount of bread dough? Can they think for themselves? What can bread be used for to escape life-or-death situations? These questions, combined with the decent mystery she’s trying to unravel, makes Mona an interesting protagonist to get behind.

Spindle is also very likable, like a cross between Tom Sawyer and a snarky, unapologetically blunt street urchin who wants to see justice brought to his sister’s murderer. At times, he can be grating and act like a brat, but he is a kid, and the brother/sister dynamic between him and Mona does allow his character to shine as a rambunctious but kind-hearted young boy going through almost the same turmoil.

Aunt Tabitha has to be one of the great fictional aunts in fantasy, the novel going so far as to describe her as being placed on this Earth to feed anybody in need. The characters who surprised me the most in A Wizard’s Guide to Defensive Baking were probably the Duchess of Riverbraid herself, as well as the small but feisty gingerbread man who sticks with Mona throughout her misadventures as her faithful familiar. Really, Kingfisher went above and beyond to figure out ways to create so many out-of-the-box ways to give a personality to what basically amounts to an edible treat.

Aside from prejudice towards magickers as well as corruption among authority figures, the novel also managed to explore themes of hero worship and how most heroes are only fallible and human. There’s a brilliant speech Uncle Albert makes near the middle of the book about how sometimes a hero is only made because a system failed to do its job in preventing a catastrophe from occurring. Even if the hero is applauded and the problem is fixed, nobody thinks about why it even happened in the first place. That is a difficult perspective to explain, but Kingfisher found a way to convey it without being too pessimistic.

If I really had to nitpick some things and find some elements to complain about, it would have to revolve around the current draft. I’ve noticed how Kingfisher has multiple moments where she switches between past tense and present tense. One minute, Mona is monologuing to herself (and the audience) about how her magical abilities are second-rate compared to the more widely experienced readers, like she is writing it in a journal, while the next it feels like we are following her thoughts directly in present tense.

Sometimes, I also feel like A Wizard’s Guide to Defensive Baking could have benefited from at least one more rewrite in certain sections throughout. Some scenes either go on too long, repeat statements we already know as the reader, or are left too vague. One such example for the latter is the fact I have almost no idea what Mona looks like, or even which hair color she has. Normally, I don’t mind it because too much description isn’t a good thing to have in a story, but it is distracting for some readers like me.

However, they are only small details compared to what an entertaining and fun read T. Kingfisher’s latest young adult novel entails. With a dash of Disney’s The Owl House and a pinch of Hayao Miyazaki, mixed together with an interesting fantasy setting with wholesome characters and an epic climax of bread magic in the final battle, A Wizard’s Guide to Defensive Baking will interest those who love to read as well as bake. I certainly feel hungry for more.

A Wizard's Guide to Defensive Baking, by T. Kingfisher

When I was younger, I used to watch a lot of action movies. I liked watching things explode, I liked those near-death experiences the main character would go through, I liked the crushing hope followed by those last-minute decisions that saved the day. And man, I got so much of that while reading Crossroads. It was exciting and thrilling. and every character had a part to play in being a hero. The scenes in the book played in my head like an action movie, and many of them were vivid enough to let me almost reach out and touch them.

Crossroads is the second book in the GENMOS series. Having not read the first one, I was a little worried about not knowing what was happening, but Stephen Coghlan did a great job of peppering in small amounts of background information that allowed me to understand the position these genetically modified people find themselves in. In this world, there are humans, and there are Genmos. Genmos are genetically modified humans that have turned partly into anthropomorphic animals. Not only that, but each one has a special ability or two that allows them to fight. They’ll need these abilities if they hope to bring down the evil agency that’s trying to kill them.

*SPOILERS AHEAD* The book starts off with half of the Genmos wanting to get revenge for what happened in the previous book. Against their “father’s” wishes, they infiltrate the agency’s HQ and corrupt their database. Hearing word of their stupid plan from one of his children, the symbolic father figure of the Genmos, Devlin, brings some of the others to help rescue the first group. Barely getting out of there alive, Devlin and his children escape to a new hideout where they try to live a peaceful, hidden life away from society. The group finds Brent Ives, a former evil agent, in their old house when looking for supplies, except he’s broken and mangled—a result of an incomplete Genmos process. Upon seeing him, Devlin is forced to make a choice: either go against his promise and complete the Genmos process again, or leave Ives there to suffer a painful death. Going with the former, Devlin brings Ives back to their hideout and saves him against some of the Genmos’ wishes. When he awakes, Ives is not himself. He’s a cat! And with the bodily change comes an attitude change. Ives—now known as Ibi—rejects his former life as an agent and swears his loyalty to helping the other Genmos. What they don’t know is that this is all according to the agency’s plan…

After they find the Genmos’ hideout and capture some of them, an agent named Ghost—who’s also a tiger Genmos—and the rest of the agency torture Devlin into giving them the rest of the Genmos process. It’s up to the remaining Genmos to rescue their father and siblings and stop the process plans from falling into the wrong hands, or paws. *SPOILERS CONCLUDED*

My main concern with reading this novel was that I wouldn’t understand the gravity of the characters’ situations. As expressed in the previous paragraphs, this was not the case, and I applaud Coghlan for giving just the right amount of explanation in the beginning chapters. With that worry out of the way, I greatly enjoyed this book. It was fun, it was dangerous, and it was very entertaining.

One of the main strengths of this book was the action. It seemed very clear to me as a reader that the author knew they wanted to make an action book that balanced well with the fantasy genre, and that came across strong. The action scenes were strong and well-written. They were clear and decisive, and they did a good job heightening or lowering the growing tension throughout the novel. There were a few places where I got confused as to what was happening, but they didn’t distract me too much.

The plot was pretty simple, which I also felt was a good thing. A book like this doesn’t need a complicated plot to be entertaining. However, I did feel like nothing really got accomplished. There seemed to be a few loose threads that remained from the first book, like Siren and Milan not knowing if their dad was alive. That question gets answered at the end of the book, which is a nice closing point. But that’s about all the ending does. It’s an answer to a question that I didn’t really know was there at the start. Reading only book two, I was more concerned with how this ragtag group of furries was going to stop the evil agency, and the story gets really close to answering that question, but it never quite closes it off. I’m assuming this is to leave room for a book three, but there wasn’t really another sub-plot for me to focus on, so this story just kind of...fell off a cliff at the end.

I did really enjoy the characters though. I can imagine it’s really difficult to write a story with so many characters wanting the spotlight, but Coghlan balanced it out really well, especially in the action scenes. I felt like I got a decent view of each character, which is impressive when you consider that there are like, more than twenty characters in this story. I felt like every single one had a significant moment, and I really admire writers who can manage that.

This book would appeal to teens, young adults, adults, and really anyone who likes action stories. There are some extreme moments where reading it out loud to a kid might not be the best idea, but for the most part it’s an easy-to-read story that’ll keep you entertained.

GENMOS: Crossroads by Stephen Coghlan

Howloween—not related to the con of the same name—is one of the latest anthologies by Thurston Howl Publications. This erotic-horror collection contains six short stories by different authors which take a new approach to common horror tropes such as haunted buildings, trick-or-treating shenanigans, and, more importantly, monsters. CW: while the anthology focuses more on the erotic part than horror (with one very notable exception), it does contain depictions of dubious consent, physical violence, assisted suicide, among others, so reader discretion is advised. The anthology starts with "Willful Assumption of Chains" by Al Song. This story starts with Will, our foxy main character, restraining Uwe, his wolf boyfriend, before the full moon rises. Unsurprisingly, this is because Uwe is a werewolf (well, he was already a wolf before transforming, so... a wolf-wolf?), but things take a turn for the sexual when Will decides to go check on his boyfriend after not hearing any noises coming from where he's supposed to be kept. What really makes the story for me, besides the hot werewolf bondage action, is how Uwe manages to be quite charming both before and after his transformation, something which plays a role later on in the story. Next is "Cherry Red on Pumpkin Hill" by Richard Coombs. Playing on the typical "haunted house on the hill" trope, this story follows Trisha, a young vixen who decides to stay one night inside an old, dark house where no one who has entered has left...unspanked. Personally, not one of my favorite stories, but this is mostly because of the choice of kink. However, the story does have a nice and fun setup and follow-up, so if spanking's your thing, this should be right up your alley. After that, we continue with "Shockingly Straight" by Ferric. In this story, the only one without a supernatural component, we follow Reeve, a crow porn star, and her attempts to film alongside Smoke, her new feline coworker and the "straight" in the title. One thing that really makes this story stand out is the dual narration between what's being recorded vs. what's actually happening on set, with a very start contrast on the relationship between Reeve, Smoke, and their characters; though the constant interruptions, while realistic, kill some of the pacing. "Good Girls Get Treats" by Faolan comes next. This story stars "Belle," a dog-play enthusiast who has troubles connecting to other pups due to her gender, but who finally finds a kindred spirit in Angel, another pup, and her handler, Meifeng. However, as Meifeng and Angel leave, Belle has to decide whether she follows the pair to who-knows-where to have some more...fun. Personally, my favorite story in the anthology, thanks in no small part to the kinks that were chosen for it, but the characters and pacing also played a big role in it. Next is "Venus in White" by Cedric G! Bacon. In this Gothic horror tale, we follow Severin, a tortured soul whose life revolves around his mistress, the eponymous lady in white. Now, as it can be guessed by the "horror" part, this is the one exception I mentioned at the beginning. Not only do the overall feelings of dread, decay, and stagnation shown by Severin's narration separate this story from the rest of the anthology, but the sex in this story is not what could be considered "good sex." Overall it's a really good story, and if you're looking for horror, this is the one piece you should make sure to read, but if you're here more for the erotic parts, well, let's just say that the Venus does not stay long in white and that many of the content warnings apply almost exclusively to this story. Last but not least, we have "Gently Kept" by Royce Day. This story follows Pete and Chaula, a couple of friends who go to an abandoned asylum, but things get complicated when Pete gets trapped inside one of the rooms with no way of getting out, and that's besides the disembodied voices they've been hearing. While not to the same extremes as the previous story, this one could also be considered to lean a little more on the horror part of erotic-horror, especially when taking into account that the kink explored in this story is chastity (an ironic yet fitting choice). As a whole, Howloween was a fun read, and the several nice illustrations by Tokenworks were the icing on the cake. If you're looking for something short and sweet to read next October, this might just be the book for you; but if you're looking for something to make your skin crawl, there might be better options.

Howloween, vol. 1, ed. Thurston Howl

Species: Wildcats is a recent installment in a series of short story anthologies arranged by theme according to their protagonist’s species. In Wildcats, our focus is on felines, and each story features a large cat character. The anthology opens with some public domain works, beginning with William Blake’s "The Tyger" followed by one of my favorite short stories of all time," The Lady and The Tiger?". Next up are a pair of folktales that add a nice touch of both lyrical language and dark grimness which perfectly captures the overall tone of the anthology. The rest of the stories are reviewed individually below.

"Wanderlust" by Cedric G! Bacon:

"Wanderlust" is the story of a bobcat ghost who befriends a tigress with a long history of being abused and subsequently abuses her. Because I was intensely triggered by this story, I am unable to give it an unbiased review aside from saying that it has some glaring tense issues that didn’t get caught in editing and that it very much needed a trigger warning for Abuse, Rape, and the way it portrays violence against women. [Editor's note at end]

"The Corvette Nedra" by Sonriah Thais:

The second “new” story in Wildcats is a science fiction story about a Felid Tiger stranded in a ship’s graveyard who attempts to steal a derelict ship with the help of its sassy A.I. This is a really cute and sweet story with a twist that, while somewhat guessable, was still really fun. It was a light, refreshing read to follow the opener, though it too suffered from the tense issues that, oddly enough, are sort of consistent across the first half of the book.

"On The Hunt" by Ferric the Bird:

This is another story with a sprit of fun behind it. It opens very originally with a protagonist who is playing out their sentence in Hell. We learn as we go that Jake is a demonic agent who is often sent back up to the world above to catch other demons who are breaking the rules. The opening scene in Hell was witty and delightful, and the story has a good pace and clean writing. I found the over-sexualization of all the female characters a little tedious, but it fit the theme and the character well.

"What It Means To Be Loved" by Isa Al-Ramad:

Here is an interesting inclusion of a pro-religion story in which a gay Lynx deals with his love for his husky friend. Instead of rebelling against his faith’s teaching that gay sex is “wrong,” the character follows the tenets to the letter. And this is where the story really challenged me. It is very sweet and gentle, and I found the description of the “three types of love” interesting. But while there are many valid and beautiful reasons for a protagonist to seek out a relationship without an erotic/sexual component, the fact that he did so because gay sex is “wrong”, made me intensely uncomfortable. I’m still attempting to digest this story and to parse where the line should lie between pro-religion and anti-gay. For me, this story left me sad and a little disappointed and so wasn’t quite a win. I would have loved to see a pro-religion story that highlighted the support, charity and forgiveness religion can provide rather than one that seems resigned to something that felt discriminatory.

"Fathers To Sons" by Mikasi Wolf

This was the first story in the book that hooked me entirely. It’s a tale abut a lion who has been conscripted into the service and his experience in boot camp. I loved the deep way we’re embedded in the character, the language, and the sensitivity of this story. It was one of the cleanest written pieces as well with a heartwarming ending and marked a distinct uptick in the stories in the book for me.

In Search Of The City Below by Thurston Howl

Start with a Siberian Tiger on a search for Atlantis, and you’ve pretty much won me over. Add in a skunk, some twists, and Howl’s lovely, solid writing and this story was all win. Like all the stories in the second half of Wildcats this one is well-written, enjoyable, and lovely.

"The Night The Stars Fell" by KC Alpinus

This story was a re-read for me as I’ve encountered it before in another publication. It is written in lush descriptive language and deeply embedded in culture and history. The tale relates the trials of Arrow Stars and her betrothed Obsidian Fang as they attempt to save their people from the influence and treachery of foreign invaders. The language is beautiful, and the treatment had a ring of authenticity to it that makes this story an absolute delight.

"Ember In The Night" by Ban Wynn Oakshadow

Farrah is a mystical tiger in the midst of one of his people’s most holy ceremonies. He is devout and has ascended to one of the highest levels he can attain in this existence, until one of the lowliest of creatures teaches him a profound and heartbreaking lesson about love, faith, and change. The tone in this story is delicious. The writing is rich and lyrical and, while a little slow at the start, so enjoyable to read. This story is poetic, and to me was the real gem of this anthology. I fell in love with both the message and the writing and it let Wildcats end on a very high note for this reader.

Overall, Species: Wildcats was something of a mixed bag. Most of the stories are well written and fairly polished, and I found a good mix of lightheartedness, sharp wit, and dark contemplation. It is, in my opinion, not a book for the very sensitive reader. But if one enjoys stories that really challenge them, maybe even keep them up late at night, then you will definitely find what you’re after here.

[Editor's note: Regarding the lack of content warnings, the publisher does apologize for this. Due to a moving situation at the time of formatting, it was definitely overlooked by Thurston Howl. However, THP has long been a proponent of including content warnings in creative projects, has done so both before and after this title but definitely dropped the ball with this one. So Thurston Howl humbly apologizes and promises to do better with that in the future. It is no fault of the editor.]

SPECIES: Wildcats, ed. by KC Alpinus

I’m in the age group that might have found dirty magazines hidden under parents' beds before so many things went digital. Of course, I’ve also had the opportunity to see modern offerings as an adult. So the idea of a magazine styled to be something like Hustler, but primarily for furries, was a fascinating prospect to me. A project like this that could be far more diverse, queer-affirming, and kink-focused than typical offerings? Sign me right up! But did #ohmurr live up to the hype it built from its concept? Let’s look at all of the content it has to offer!

Fiction: #ohmurr’s first volume sports stories from several of the fandom’s finest authors — these stories are no “Dear Penthouse” affairs! You get to explore a wide variety of scenarios, from settling pre-flight jitters from Whiteclaw to sex on the beach (and I don’t mean the drink) from Circ. Each story presents a curious scenario with well-written furry characters. These are sexy bites of fictions that don’t overstay their welcome if you’re trying to, you know, enjoy yourself. #ohmurr’s fiction offerings are certainly worth checking out.

NonFiction: There was one piece of nonfiction in this issue discussing Reverie’s first time experiencing an organized house party! Okay fine, this might be more of an orgy than your typical party. I could see this being not only fun and curious to read for folks with experiences in this regard, but helpful towards someone who might be curious in such an event but may be nervous about what to expect. Interviews: There are many sexy product makers within the furry fandom, but rarely do we get an inside glimpse into their creative process. This issue features three interviews with Wandering Bard, Rudderbutts, and Rogue Fang respectively. These are not only fun and informative but...

Reviews: Some of them even have reviews of their products in the issue as well! It’s fun not only learning about the companies but hearing about if their products are also up to snuff. This is the kind of thing you’d expect to see out of one of these magazines, and these recommendations legitimately may make you consider buying some of these products.

Features: Getting to sit down and look with an artist in the fandom as well as having a section specifically to talk a bit about kinky furry literature was very cool to me. This feels like something that’s more exclusive to this as a furry publication; who’s featuring "fandom" folks in mainstream pornography magazines?

Pictures: Finally, what’s a magazine without a centerfold? While this magazine may not have what you’d traditionally consider one, there’s a fantastic quantity of pictures to enjoy in #ohmurr’s inaugural issue. Not only are there lots of unique kinks on display, but also lots of gender identities and expressions able to view! Did I also mention there was a fantastic amount of different body types on offer as well? Basically, this is wonderful not only in terms of representation but also will provide something for everyone flipping through the pages.

So did #ohmurr live up to the hype? I normally wouldn’t consider picking up a magazine like this truthfully—there’s such a bounty of free content online—but #ohmurr impressed me enough that I might make an exception for its future issues. There’s such a wide variety of well-produced content with a furry focus you’re not going to find anywhere else all presented in one convenient magazine. I’d recommend this to anyone looking for something kinky, fun, and furry to read by yourself or with a partner. I’m looking forward to seeing what #ohmurr has to offer in future issues!

#OHMURR, Fall 2020

Exploration! That age-old activity. Whether it be exploration of new lands, planets, universes, or mindsets, people have been Exploring New Places for a long time and hopefully will continue to do so far into the future. But why should humans have all the fun? This anthology has stories where furries make first contact with humans, and others where they test themselves against hostile environments, and in yet other stories they make more esoteric discoveries.

The first story, “To Drive the Cold Winter Away” by Michael H. Payne, is one of those more esoteric expeditions. In this one, a simple country mouse learns that his entire world is nothing but the fiction of another, far larger, species, and that music has a quite literal magic to it. When he finds himself stranded in the human world, how will he get back home? This story shows how alien and terrifying humans can be through the eyes of small creatures, even if they mean well. It’s a bit unorthodox, somewhat evocative of Neil Gaiman’s lighter stories, but has an upbeat ending.

Alan Loewen’s “In Search of the Creators” is another story about furries discovering humans, this time in a sci-fi setting. After an exploratory craft crewed by “uplifted” rabbits finds not only signs of the species that created their ancestors, but a small colony, questions arise of how to handle this galaxy-shaking discovery. I appreciated the nod to lapine mentality as fear-motivated, being descended from prey species, but thought the apparently enlightened nature of the humans on their metal-poor planet seemed overly optimistic. It makes one wonder if they’re not being totally honest with the bunnies.

“The Rocky Spires of Planet 227” is one of Mary E. Lowd’s “Tri-Galactic Trek” stories, actually included in the more recent compilation, and based loosely on a Star Trek: The Next Generation episode. I’m afraid I haven’t seen this one, but it’s where the crew accidentally kidnap a silicon-based lifeform that uses sound to attack them. An unprecedented situation, and an innocent mistake, yet the consequences could have been dire. It’s interesting that the sound only affects the cats in the crew at first, given that Lowd uses both cats and dogs as stand-ins for humans in these Trek-inspired stories; it was nice to see some differentiation between them.

Horwich Wolcott’s “Defiant” shows how first contact with another culture can go horribly, terribly wrong when a human ship lands on a planet populated by stone-age squirrel people. Plans of making peaceful contact go out the window when the squirrels assume their drones are creatures of some kind of evil god, and the translator software misses that particular nuance. I have a bit of a nitpick on that one scientist who tries to relate to the squirrels on religious terms: she seems to have a concept of “God” limited to a Christian viewpoint, despite being said to have grown up with a Hindu cultural background. I also didn’t think the big reveal at the end was strictly necessary for the story as a standalone, but it could act as foreshadowing for a greater series.

“Why Indeed” by Pepper Hume has a feline alien as the protagonist, but the main focus is on a species of trilaterally symmetrical aliens that can’t really be called “furry.” You see, the trilateral aliens are applying to join the galactic Federation and claim to be complete pacifists, yet it appears that some of their youths murdered a few off-world merchants. The feline is there to investigate what happened. I appreciated the exhibition of cultural differences, but I have to wonder what “incompatible barbarities” the investigator was attempting to suss out exactly. The Federation investigator wears a sword as a badge of her office, while the aliens applying to join the Federation ban all blades longer than their own claws. Also I could see the plot twist coming a mile away.

Editor Fred Patten’s own story, “Come to Todor,” is set amid a universe where humans live peacefully with many alien species. When a ship of otterlike traders lands on a human frontier colony they find very little of value, but one of the crew decides it looks like a nice place to retire and stays behind. A couple years later, she’s decided that homesteading ain’t all it’s made out to be. It’s pretty good at subverting the “idyllic country life” trope, while still showing that it has its perks. However the captain’s objections to coming back seemed a bit forced, like he didn’t really believe them.

“You Are Our Lifeboat” by Dan Leinir Turthra Jensen is one of those stories where humans are exploiting uplifted animals for their own benefit, in this case sapient rats forming the crew of a colony ship to Proxima Centauri. Only, it turns out the rats’ creator decided the humans in hibernation didn’t deserve a new planet after they destroyed their old one. So, now the rats have a choice to make that will decide the fates of two different species. I appreciated the little reminders that the rats are not humans with fur and tails, like their difficulty forming certain sounds with their mouths and the resulting changes to their number-based names like “743” to “Sehunsotre.” However, I’m still a little sick of “humanity is evil” furry stories and differentiating your furries from the humans isn’t quite enough to salvage this story in my view.

Vixxy Fox’s “The Animal Game” seems at first to be a dig at the FurryMUCK segment of the fandom, with a new “drug” making the rounds that seemingly allows online roleplayers to enter a full virtual reality. Unfortunately, diving into their fursonas so deeply makes it harder for them to hide their furriness in public, especially once their tails come in. Aside from the furry self-references it’s good with fakeouts. Are the lozenges actually a drug, is it a placebo, or perhaps something entirely new? Is the protagonist of this story the teenage fox boy, the diner’s owner he introduced to the game, or possibly the detective searching for the origin of the Animal Game who keeps switching species?

“Ashland’s Fury” by MikasiWolf seems evocative of old-style dark fantasy stories like “Conan the Barbarian,” as seen when we start with a cougar adventurer in the middle of a bar brawl. Soon he gets hired by a maned wolf druid to escort him to the volcanic Ashlands, where some strange disappearances have occurred recently. Unfortunately, this story exposes the weaknesses of such nihilistic stories: there’s no sympathetic characters. You’ve got the abrasive barbarian, the mage who refuses to use magic except to smack his bodyguard silly, the villagers who want to burn said mage at the stake, the baron who almost let them, and the lizardfolk who’ve been tossing villagers into the volcano. (SPOILER ALERT) And it all amounts to nothing in the end, the volcano blows and everyone but the two main characters die, having accomplished nothing but some abstract “restoration of balance.” (SPOILERS OVER)

M.R. Anglin’s “Legacy” is part of her larger “Silver Foxes” series, about a world with a militant isolationist nation of foxes called Expermia surrounded by several multi-species countries. This story is set right after Expermia lost a war with those other countries. Our POV character is a teenage Expermian who has to venture to another country in order to settle the affairs of his uncle who was executed for war crimes. When a song on the radio catches his attention he finds himself forced to confront the differences between the propaganda he grew up with and the reality of the world outside. It’s depressing, but shows how travel can expose a person to different viewpoints and even tackle one's own subconscious racism. Seeing that people outside your community are really just people, only a little different, listening to their music, walking around their cities, talking to them… No matter how central to one’s identity such beliefs might be.

The next two stories are both in the same military sci-fi series, “Umbra’s Legion”, but by different authors and from radically different perspectives. “Shamblers of Woe” by Adam Baker takes us into the heat of the war between the Canines and their Feline allies against the Getran Empire of United Simians. After taking out one of the Empire’s pet mad scientists a mixed-species squad finds themselves confronted by creatures that have no business being in the same universe as them. Again, I found indications that these characters had their own unique cultural quirks, which got me curious to learn more about them. One of the cats removing a fallen saber-toothed comrade’s fangs, was that some funeral rite or just to keep the enemy from making trophies of them? Why is it a big deal that one character was half-thylacine? The lack of dog-cat animosity was something of a breath of fresh air too, even if it was only due to a common enemy.

Geoff Galt’s “Where Pride Planted” gives us the civilian view from within the Getran Empire. Specifically that of a gorilla child on a school field trip to a museum. After she’s shown the story of a self-proclaimed God-King who got flattened by an asteroid, and how the ensuing wars between religious fanatics and scientists led to the foundation of the Empire, she wanders off. There she finds much later exhibits chronicling the beginning of the Empire’s conquest of the stars. Many modern readers might find the apes’ response to picking up radio signals of other planets to be disturbing, but it sounds in line with the “Manifest Destiny” attitude so common in the 19th century.

“Beyond Acacia Ridge” by Amy Fontaine is a tale of inter-class friendship in a hyena clan. The tribe has a quite rigid hereditary hierarchy, Straggletail is at the bottom, like her mother before her; while Glossycoat’s mother expects her to succeed her as matriarch. Yet Glossycoat has no desire to perpetuate the grossly unfair system and actively seeks out Straggletail’s friendship, even though her mother killed her mother for defying her. Male hyenas aren’t even worth notice. After Glossycoat’s mother tries to separate them, the two of them leave the safety of the clan to seek where the sun goes at night. This story shows the difficulties of inter-class relationships, and why some people might remain in an oppressive society, though presented as simply something that may be overcome. Both main characters have their own reasons to go on their quest, unattainable as it may be, and it truly doesn’t matter whether they actually achieve their goal.

Thomas “Faux” Steele’s “One Day in Hanoi” is a bit of an alternate history, post-WWI with some steampunk elements, though moving to internal combustion. Our heroes, a French bluejay detective and his Russian otter boyfriend, have barely left the airship to French Vietnam when they get pick-pocketed. Thus leading them on a sweep of the Hanoi underworld in pursuit of the stolen property, impersonating the local police and both winning and losing a small fortune in the gambling dens. It comes across as a lighthearted interlude to a larger noir story, 20s tourist drama with low physical stakes. However, it does jump you into the world without much of an introduction and you might find yourself wondering who these people are.

“Welcome, Furries” by Cathy Smith is a comedy of errors based around culture shock and mistaken identities. Earth has made contact with some sort of interstellar Empire that already has human citizens, somehow, ruled by these vaguely defined “Overseers” who have formalized some student exchange programs with the humans of Earth. Unfortunately it doesn’t seem to have percolated down to the average “Terran” citizen that one of the Empire’s other sapient species is feline, with the attitudes to match. Thus, we find a pair of feline exchange students who get mistaken for pets, assume the fish in an aquarium are snacks, and then get directed to a furry con. All while making the poor unaware Terrans bend over backwards apologizing for the inconvenience. These two are probably the most catlike furries in terms of behavior that I’ve read, and they make sure everybody knows it. Stories about “real” furries coming into contact with the furry subculture are always fun to read, and this was one of the more entertaining ones.

Frank LeRenard’s “Back Then” is more confusing than anything else really. You’ve got a nameless male and nameless female working in an immense otherwise abandoned laboratory; there’s some hints they’re reptiles of some sort. It doesn’t really give anything to latch onto. Just leaves the reader confused about what’s going on and who’s in there.

“Tortoise Who” is another story by Mary E. Lowd, this time set in her “Shreddy the Cat” universe, at least at first. As Rosie the mouse tries to escape Shreddy’s claws, she runs into The Tortoise, whose shell is a bit bigger on the inside. The Tortoise claims he wouldn’t interfere with Shreddy’s hunt, but he can give his prey a lifetime before he claims her. And thus, The Tortoise takes Rosie on a series of adventures through space and time. A fascinating story that gets a bit trippy at times and forces a housecat to philosophize. It would make a good Doctor Who episode.

Cairyn’s “I Am The Jaguar” is a long one, not only telling a story of exploring the unknown, but also the inventions, diplomacy, and logistics needed to carry out the expedition beforehand. As well as the fate of the previous expedition’s last survivor. The focus are a tribe of jungle-dwelling bat-people called the Awraa, who have an uneasy peace with the nearby Jaguars. The Awraa are adept at botany and animal domestication, while the Jaguars have made great strides in metalwork since the two species made their treaty; the expertise of both species is needed if they can hope to reach the far side of the great desert. Yet, is even that enough? The tensions between the species are palpable, with the fructivorous Awraa suspicious of the sharp-fanged Jaguars, but as the title suggests the expedition gives the Awraa an opportunity to see themselves on their neighbors’ footpads. I also appreciated the misdirection with the first expedition’s dying words, “We drank…”

The final story, “The Promise of New Heffe” by Kary M. Jomb, illustrates the differences between those who would seek a new home and those who would rather stay. About a generation before the story some human scientists accidentally triggered a supernova that destroyed a star system inhabited by a canine alien species. Fortunately, they were able to evacuate the population, who’ve been living as refugees aboard human space stations ever since. Now the human government has chartered a new colony planet for them, but not all of the Heffens are interested in going, such as a few of the younger members of one family who grew up on the station and are annoyed with their elders. I thought the contrast between the elders who want to live on a planet again and the younger generation who’ve grown up stationside was an interesting exploration, possibly even moreso than any exploration of New Heffe itself.

This anthology has been sitting on FBR’s virtual desk for a while, and given its size that’s not particularly surprising, but unfortunate nonetheless. Like any anthology, the stories are somewhat hit-or-miss, but if you like at least half of them I’d consider this book worth the price. Overall, I feel the collected stories give a good sense of the exploration of strange places, meeting new life and civilizations, going where no furry has gone before!

Exploring New Places, ed. Fred Patten

I had my suspicions from the title that this book was going to be kinky--and it was--but I knew after reading the first chapter that there was going to be so much more to it. This isn’t to say writing kinky stuff is a bad thing. In fact, I quite enjoyed the interactions between Will the dalmatian and Anne, his mistress. They were fun, mysterious, and daringly beautiful. Being with Anne served as a striking contrast to his stressful job as a fireman, where every call may be the last, especially in a city that’s losing its sanity.

“Fire Branded Leather” by F. Gibbs is about Will, a dalmatian who works as a fireman in V-town, one of the last cities remaining after the Cataclysm. With his best friend Davies, a cougar, he stands as second-in-command beneath a verbally abusive bull by the name of Masterson. After a day of getting yelled at for not following the government’s new orders, Will goes home and responds to a personal ad from a lady in her mid-thirties. One date leads to another and the two figure out together just how nice it can be to devote yourself to another. This newfound self-confidence gives Will the power he never knew he needed, but is it enough to stand up to Masterson and keep V-town from burning to ashes?

I really enjoyed this story! It was well-written, balanced, and pretty solid. I enjoyed the characters, especially Will and Davies. Will had good character development; Davies was funny. The tone shifted smoothly from depressing to empowering and nothing felt too jarring or out of place. Moments of action felt exhilarating and moments of vulnerability felt a little uncomfortable and awkward, like they should. It was entertaining from beginning to end, but there were some slightly confusing things.

First, Anne. Don’t get me wrong, she’s supposed to be a mysterious character who lives by her own rules, but there are a few points in the story where she does “things” to Will that make him “better.” These “things” are never explicitly stated, which leads to my confusion. Normally I’d cast them aside as just side effects of devoting yourself to someone else, but these were things that changed Will physically. One example of this is his endurance. Before meeting Anne he has limits: he can’t run that fast for too long, and he can’t breathe in too much smokey air before becoming fatigued. After Anne does something to him, he suddenly can? These weird things didn’t distract from the story all that much, but they did linger in my mind for quite some time. I simply chalked it up to the newfound self-confidence he got from Anne, which works because (spoilers) it also gives him the inner strength to stand up to Masterson. I would have just liked them to be a little more clear.

Second, the world confuses me a little bit. The Cataclysm is mentioned a few times and serves as an anchoring point in the city’s history, but I never fully understand its effects. A story doesn’t need to dive into every aspect of worldbuilding, but I was confused on why there wasn’t more about the history because it seemed like the anti-human riots that were going on were an indirect result of whatever the Cataclysm was. This left a bit of a hole in my understanding of the world, especially because a big part of Will’s motives in the story came from his mother being human. What little information I have about the Cataclysm makes me think that humans had something to do with it. Additionally, Anne mentions time and time again that this world isn’t ready for something. It’s a good thing to say if you’re trying to be ominous, but it just seemed like there was more that could have been said. With all that being said, it didn’t distract from the story too much.

Though there were some things about the story that were ominous or confusing, it was really easy to take in the world as it is. Not only that, but the way F. Gibbs uses the strengths and weaknesses of certain animal species is really fun to read about. I love the imagery of a fireman cat scaling a wall, or horses pulling the fire carriages. Had no idea what the fox character was doing there, but maybe I’m just supposed to come up with my own interpretation…?

This book would appeal to adults who are curious or open to the idea of anthropomorphic animals and/or sexual kinks. This book isn’t overly explicit or detailed about these moments, but they are in there. More importantly, the effects of these intimate moments are shown throughout the book. So keep an open mind and happy reading.

Fire Branded Leather by F. Gibbs

A dead parent, a trapped protagonist, evil stepmothers and sisters, and a kind woman who dresses up and transports our main character to a party where they might find the love of their life, only for everything to go back to normal at the stroke of midnight—Whip and Boot could be best considered a modern, kinky, and gay take on an old story.

When Derek moved to Atlanta, the last thing he expected was to fall head over heels for the gator across the bar. The leather-clad Frank is all that the german shepherd-golden retriever could wish for, and yet Derek still wonders. Because, you see, the problem’s not Frank's love for the whip, how he doubles him in age, or the fact that they just met. No, the problem lies with Derek. His family, what's expected of him, and even his own identity. Thus starts Whip and Boot, by Herr Wozzeck, a new-adult novel not about the endless sexual adventures of our hero, but rather about the journey of man as he discovers not only his own worth and his voice, but also what it feels to be in a non-toxic environment (with a healthy dose of sexy moments).

The one thing that stands out the most from this novel is its characters, especially our main character. Shy, closeted, naive, and traumatized, Derek has a lot of room for growth, and Wozzeck greatly delivers throughout our hero’s journey, and the huge number of flashbacks we get serve to give us a clear picture of how he, and several other members of the supporting cast, came to be. This is even more pronounced when it comes to the most important relationship in his life: his family. This coupled with a nice cast of characters, from the almost perfect Frank to Derek's despicable stepmother; and the vivid descriptions when it comes to the leather community make this book a pleasure to read. In fact, the way these scenes are described show how much experience, and fondness, the author has with this content. However, some of the strengths of this book can also be its weaknesses.

For starters, there's the pacing. The overabundance of flashbacks, important as they might be to the story and characterization, sometimes make the chapters feel slower than they are, especially when taking into account that the events in the "current" time tend to breeze through, which leaves the story feeling rushed while also being like it dragged on, sometimes even in the same chapter (for comparison’s sake, the flashbacks cover several weeks and years in the characters' lives, yet in the present we're left with a story that takes place in roughly 1-2 weeks with more than half of those days being skipped over). Moreover, there's the dissonance in tone between the suggestive cover, the blurb, the events of the first chapter; and the rest of the book, with everything giving a more sexual vibe than what we got, or at least giving an impression that the story will focus on Derek and Frank's relationship, yet it's also not the case. Frank barely appears throughout the book, being more present in the main character's thoughts than in the flesh, with the only relationship truly explored being that between Derek and his family (which, while appreciated, I feel that detracts from what was promised).

Overall, I have to say that I loved Whip and Boot, but it's always good to set the right expectations. If you're looking for a fun and quick read with interesting characters, a story about a young man learning to stand up for himself, or you're into kind leather-daddies (and who isn't?), then this is the book for you. But if you're just looking for some quick smut... get it anyway. It might not fulfill your expectations, but it's a good book and you'll thank me later.

Whip and Boot by Herr Wozzeck

WHAT MAKES A WITCH by Linnea Capps follows a rat named Greer who is down on his luck and living (barely) on the streets. He eventually finds his way to a forest and the welcoming arms of an exiled witch named Addison. Both have their secrets which are eventually revealed as Greer observes and experiences a world he didn’t know was there before: a world of magic. The one caveat to this is that magic is only available to females in this world. Mostly. This riveting story starts off a little slow as the characters and world are introduced but quickly picks up with the introduction of Addison and her personable accent. Her accent along with her mannerisms make for a vivid character that you could nearly see standing before you, cane and all. Addison is easily one of the highlights of this story and sends the plot speeding along right from her introduction. The way that transgender themes are woven in and expressed are relatable and interesting, regardless of the reader’s specific circumstances. It’s almost as if the reader is going on Greer’s journey with them, discovering their identity and the magic inherent in the world. This is the true strength of this story. WHAT MAKES A WITCH depicts an impressive journey of figuring out complex emotions and finding one’s place in the world. The characters are expressive, and you can almost cheer for them as they navigate through difficult situations. Though the intro can be dense, I urge you to wade through it and get to the juicy middle of the story. It’s delectable and well worth the read. For me it’s 4 paws out of 5.

If you’ve ever wanted to know what a mystery novel set in a world with anthropomorphic animals looks like, THE CITY OF BARKS AND ROARS is a great example. J. T. Bird writes about a crime-filled world that has developed long after the fall of humans, yet their civilizations are quite similar. Animals use the traits they’ve been given before their evolution to contribute to this world, a world that some believe to be better than that of Man. On the surface, however, most creatures seem to fall in line without a care of what was before...but not everyone.Trouble arises in Noah’s Kingdom when Frank Penguin--lead detective of the city’s police department--loses his partner, Lucas Panda. Detective Chico Monkey from West Bay is called in to find the missing panda. From then on this story reads as your typical noir-style mystery story, complete with witty banter, crime bosses, and rainy weather. Frank and Chico scour the city in hopes of finding clues to track down the kidnapper. One clue leads to another, the two start getting used to each other, and, with some help, the duo finds a hidden truth they didn’t know they were looking for.The first thing I want to mention before going into the critical part of this review is the description for the book. Mainly, the part that says “...peppered with plenty of humor.” I bring this up mainly as a point of understanding why this story was written the way it was written. Frankly, I was laughing AT the story way more than I was laughing WITH the story, and I think that’s because it was written in such a way that the narrator was like an annoying friend of mine who happened to witness this whole thing play out and decided to recount it to me.While the story’s plot was solid, the writing was not. I struggled to get through the story because the narrator kept telling me what I could imagine on my own. Most of the time, these were either character details or scene details. Here’s an example: “You can tell from his crisply ironed light blue uniform, and rigorously buffed shoes that he takes his role very seriously.” I feel that the need for second person--i.e. the ‘you’--here is completely unnecessary, and it distracts from the scene because it pulls me out of the story and back to reality. I also felt that a lot of intense scenes were made less intense because the dialogue was trying to do what simple descriptions would do better. That, or they were just so absurd that I couldn’t take the story seriously. One example of this comes later on in the book when Chico is chasing after one of the criminals. (Warning: a bit of a spoiler) Chico is chasing a hog through a swamp. The hog trips and falls into a sort of quicksand? But it’s mud? And as the hog is sinking Chico just sits there saying, “And this little piggy went wee wee wee...all the way home.” I just couldn’t take them seriously.Another small thing I want to mention is the editing. There are a litany of grammar and punctuation mistakes, at least in the Kindle version I received. A few typos here and there as well. It could use another look-over.This book would appeal to those who are interested in furry literature. Bird does a good job at giving different animals different roles in the society he writes about, so it’s an interesting look into the furry world. Children may enjoy the silliness of it, but I hesitate to say that it’s for children because there are darker themes involved. Curious teens and young adults shouldn’t have too much trouble with it though.

What does a secret cult, a shapeshifter, a femme fatale, and a penis-stealing opossum have in common? Well, it is that they all appear in this book! Burnt Fur is an erotic/horror anthology by Blood Bound Books themed around animals (ironically, not all of them furred). From talking animals to shape-shifters, and all the way to humans in costumes, this collection explores not only the horror of being hunted as a prey by a non-human being, but also the one that even we as humans can cause against ourselves.CW: This book contains graphic depictions of gore, cannibalism, torture, mutilation, rape, bestiality, among others. The anthology opens with "The Moon in her Eyes" by Sarah Hans. This is the story of an aging werewolf who meets Hannah, a human girl, after she escapes from her abusive father. Compared with the rest of the anthology, probably one of the tamest stories when it comes to the violence or scare factors, but easily makes up for it with what it is and does: a somber character development story with a solid outcome. Next comes "Mallard's Maze" by Joseph Sale. This is the tale of Phaedra, a girl on the run after watching a murder committed by a man in a duck mask. For starters, Sale's story stands out for me because not only is it the only story in the whole anthology written in present tense, but, more importantly, the all-around feeling of paranoia that permeates it really settled well with me. However, the ending, while satisfactory, did feel like it came a little out of the blue. In "Salivation" by Theodore Deadrat we follow the thoughts of our protagonist, an unnamed goat who gets an unhealthy fixation on a deer he meets every day at the subway. What starts as a simple fascination turns into something more sinister as our protagonist thinks more and more about his prey. One of the shorter pieces in the anthology, and the page-turning writing makes it feel go even faster. "The Hamford Pigs" by N. Rose is when things start getting more graphic. In this story, Toby, a police officer, gets invited to join a club founded by his late father, one which demands absolute secrecy and for him to wear a pig mask as they go on their activities. While I'll admit that maybe it's not the best story to read in the current political climate, the story does pose some interesting questions about, as another reviewer once noted, “duty, morals, and responsibility.” Next is "The Willingness of Prey" by Paul Allih, a tale about three friends who share one interest in common: vore—but what will happen to this trio when one of them reveals a way to fulfill their fantasies? Without going into much spoilers, the multiple POVs in this story really help to crank the horror since we, as the audience, are the only ones getting the complete picture of everything that's happening all the way to its satisfactory conclusion. Next comes "6 Dicks" by Rachel Lee Weist, a black comedy about Wax, an opossum on a mission. Said mission: to steal six human dicks to craft a skin suit from them. Overall, a pretty fun read, though it might be the only one I'd consider to be a little gratuitous given one very specific scene near its end. In "The Others" by C. M. Saunders we see a difference between the protagonist and the narrator. In this story, James meets Marilynn on a blind date, a girl with the ability to see things that others can't, one of which is a very mean and jealous panda. While reading this, I couldn’t help but to get vibes of r/NoSleep, given the casual tone of the story and how most of it read as a second-hand experience. Next comes "Randall Rabbit." In this story by Elliot Arthur Cross we follow Fred, a young man who recalls his life in a foster home after one of his clients shows up dressed in a bunny costume. While the ending was more than satisfactory, it also felt like most of the horror in the story came from the ending alone. The morale of this story is simple: Don't fuck with rabbits. Dealing less with horror and more with the erotic side of this anthology we have "A Concubine for the Hive" by Rue K. Poe. This is the tale of Lora, a woman in an unhappy marriage who decides to take advantage of her husband's bee allergy to get rid of him, which leads to several unforeseen consequences. Sweet sex scenes notwithstanding, Lora's ultimate fate did leave much to be desired for me. #TeamRandyForever A mix of erotic and body horror come together in "Five Nights With Teddy" by Thurston Howl. This be-careful-what-you-wish-for story deals with Dante, a furry fan who goes to meet the eponymous Teddy for a chance to be transformed into his fursona, each night getting closer to his goal, for better or for worse. A very unsettling story, with the main character's way of coping making it even more so as the nights go on. Next comes "Oh Piggy, My Piggy" by Matt Scott. In this story, John is awakened by Potter, his pet pig, who has recently gained the ability to talk and... well, let's just say that the title of this story sets the right expectations from the go. In some ways, this story reminded me of "A Concubine for the Hive," especially in how John also deserved better than what he got. In "Ware the Deep" by Stephanie Park we follow Zachary, a werewolf who's on the lookout for his next meal and ends up picking a girl he meets at a bar, one with an obsessive for and unusual interest in sharks. Extremely well paced, this cat-and-mouse story will have your eyes glued as you wonder who'll come out triumphant. Well, who am I kidding? We all know who was going to win, but, as the saying goes, "The journey, not the destination matters." Featuring transformation horror at its core, we have "The Molt of a Diminishing Light" by Michelle F. Goddard. In this tale, Amara, a shape-shifter, decides to go back to her original form after the "magic" disappears from her relationship with her human husband. Most of the story deals with Amara's painful transformation as she takes a walk down memory lane, unaware that her husband is on his way. Will he be able to accept her for what she is or are things doomed from the beginning? Somber and nostalgic. Last, but definitely not least, we have "The Victims" by James L. Steele. In this story, a female wolf recounts to one of her newborn pups about a yearly ritual that he'll eventually have to take part in. Every year, for one day only, evil spirits are given full control over their bodies and in exchange these spirits leave the world alone. As expected from this kind of spirit, what they decide to do with their new, temporary bodies and the aftermaths of it make up the bulk of the story. Body horror, dread, and somberness are all over the place, more than making "The Victims" a great way of finishing this collection. Overall, a fun and disturbing anthology with a wide enough variety for fans of horror. This book will make you cringe, will make you sad, will make you root for some heroes while hating some of the others, and will keep you on the edge of your seat most of the time. However, as much as I liked several of the stories, I have to admit that I'd have mixed feelings recommending the anthology as a whole due to some of the subjects contained within it and the way they were handled. If any of the tagged warnings might offend you, this might not be the best book for you. If, on the other hand, you think you can stomach through all of them, pick this one up. I can assure that you'll have a beast of a time.

Furry Galaxy 75 Book One: Pandora’s Box is a novel of “a clean anthropomorphic space fantasy” written by Van Hill Millvele. It’s a family friendly novel designed to “introduce family members to the furry fandom.” I received an advance copy for review. The story seems to be about ancient prophecies and three people who must come together to release Pandora from a magical/technological set of boxes that are actually ancient pottery?It’s not often I have to use a question mark in a review like that, but unfortunately that’s the case with this book. It’s incredibly hard to follow what is going on and why half of the time for various reasons. These boxes I mentioned, that are really ancient computer pottery, seem to have viruses mentioned that can mess with them but somehow also magic maybe preventing some people from using them? It’s too confusing to fully understand. The writer has a habit of suddenly throwing huge concepts at you with minimal explanations. In the first few chapters the idea of being able to come back to life after dying exists, tons of races, what seems to be an important government and religious system, magic, science, robot people, smart AIs in computers, alternate universes, and time travel are all things mentioned. Oh, and I guess for some reason some people’s timelines can be locked down somehow? There’s so much information being dumped at once it’s almost impossible to keep track of it all. It doesn’t help that some of that information doesn’t even seem important either. The exact kinds of sugarless gum flavors a character likes as an example, why did that need such a specific attention? Then there’s so many characters thrown at you so quickly there’s no way to remember them all. I think at least 20+ characters were mentioned by name within the first few chapters. It’s unfortunate too as almost all of these concepts are explained in dialogue. Unfortunately the characters don’t speak to each other like regular people making it extra awkward to read what is supposed to be so important. The story in general also feels so erratic, it’s hard to focus on what is happening or even know what is important. Out of nowhere, a character is suddenly dumped as they find out the person they are dating MARRIED their friend with absolutely no warning, as an example. Another issue I found was how simplistic the writing was in general. It reminded me of the kinds of books I read to my daughter when she was five, though honestly a bit clunkier. “Toby walked slowly to the shuttle bay. He was a Lycan and looked sort of like a husky. Toby had fur but no hair, but his markings made him look as if he did. He was dressed in black pants and a blue shirt.” This is the first sentence you see in the book as an example. It’s choppy and certainly doesn’t get people excited to read forward. Which, if the book has the goal of introducing family to the furry fandom, is a very bad sign. I personally found the book exhausting to try and read. Now, the goal of the book is to introduce furry to family members while keeping clean. I would say it doesn’t succeed purely because of how exhausting it is just to read the book. Even in the attempts to explain furries have so much hand-holding it feels overkill.“Furry fingers looked different from Human hands because they had paw pads. Some Furries had only paws, but most had fingers.”In a world with Zootopia, The Secret of Nimh, Watership Down, Robin Hood, and even the Warriors series of novels people can understand anthropomorphized animals without needing it explained that simply. Or if it needed to be, it could be done so more subtly. Perhaps he shakes hands with a human and feels the skin under his paw pads then says how it’s interesting it always is feeling a hand so different than his own. I do not want to leave this entirely negative however, so let’s try to leave some strong constructive feedback. First, the idea in general of a clean novel designed to help transition people into reading furry writing is honestly a marvelous idea! So would potentially having a book designed for younger audiences specifically: there’s furries out there with kids too after all. Second, the general concept of interesting ancient technology could be an interesting draw. Or a prophecy of some kind. Or multiple universes. Or the differences between magic and science. Or government versus religion. There’s FAR too much going on here and here needs to be more of a focus. Also, if a character isn’t completely vital to the story they shouldn’t be in it. Pick a single lane and try to keep more focus on it while only using a couple of these other things if they are needed to tell the story.Finally, the writing in general needs to be far more fluid. Even if this does end up focused to be for young readers, there’s plenty of examples out there that show they don’t need such strong hand holding. Catwings is a phenomenal example, while also keeping quite furry in nature.So to be blunt, I could not bring myself to finish the entire story. It simply was too confusing, written too choppily, and was not engaging enough for me to do so. Life is too short to read through books you are not enjoying. However, this was an advance copy. So perhaps some work could be done to try and clean it up so it can be something better before release. If it comes out without major changes, I hate to say I cannot recommend purchasing or reading this book.

Mary E. Lowd’s “When a Cat Loves a Dog” starts with a mixed-species wedding, something that has only just become legal in the setting. Lashonda, a black cat, and Topher, a pug, are getting married over the objections and disbelief of their families. Topher is a comedian who gets paid to make jokes about cats, while Lashonda is a grad student working with 3-D printing. But as the ceremony ends, a comment from Lashonda’s new mother-in-law gets stuck in her head: dogs and cats can’t interbreed. This sets her on a path leading to a scientist offering a quite radical solution to their problem: genetic engineering.“When a Cat Loves a Dog” seems to take place in the same universe as Lowd’s “Otters in Space” series and possibly the standalone novel “In a Dog’s World” as well. That is to say, a post-humanity Earth dominated by uplifted dogs, with cats as a significant minority and otters colonizing space. You might even consider it a bridge between the two works. There was a creative bit of foreshadowing when the priest at the wedding mentioned another couple who spent their honeymoon in jail, later meeting said couple at the lab. Though Topher’s job as a comedian making off-color jokes about cats raises some uncomfortable questions about privileged groups, especially when Lashonda says she’s fine with it because they need the money. There’s no real “antagonist” to this story, no specific character opposing the heroes, opposition is more diffused across society in general.It’s a bit unclear if the book is going for interspecies marriage as a parallel for gay marriage or interracial marriage in the all-too-recent past. The couple being two different phenotypes (one an oppressed minority) automatically draws thoughts of interracial couples, the central plot of a couple who can’t procreate attempting to have kids reminds one of gay couples, but it’s belied by their being straight. Lashonda and Topher getting turned away by adoption agency after agency will remind most people nowadays of gay couples, but the solution they settle on is very pie-in-the-sky for current gay couples while an increasing number of agencies are allowing gay couples to adopt. It’s like dog (and to a lesser extent cat) society is a case of “low culture high tech” regarding civil rights, which would make sense for what’s essentially a post-apocalyptic scavenged civilization, though the otters seem to have escaped that.**spoilers**This book also doesn’t pull punches about the failure rate for experimental genetic modification, Topher and Lashonda’s litter aren’t the first dog/cat hybrids to be conceived, but they are the first to be born alive.**spoiler end**If you’re familiar with Lowd’s other stories in this ‘verse this book provides a satisfying addition to the setting and presents a whole host of new possibilities for future installments. If you’re reading it on its own, it’s a nice story that may leave you feeling uncomfortable at times.

Give Yourself a Hand: A Furry Masturbation Anthology is a collection of eight stories focusing on, you guessed it, masturbation as a theme. It’s edited by Skunkbomb and is published by Panged Fiction. I admit, I was quite curious when going into this one. There’s always the potential with something like masturbation for stories to feel a bit the same. There’s only so many things you can do with solo play right? As you’ll see in my review however, there are plenty of curious scenarios to be explored. Let’s take a look at the stories!“The Christian Boy’s Guide To Sex With Demons” - PJ Wolf The first story of any anthology is so important. It’s what draws the reader in, shows off the theme, and sets the tone for the rest of what you are about to be. PJ Wolf’s story does just that. I absolutely adored this story, the idea of a succubus or incubus trying to explain masturbation to an 18-year-old who really has no knowledge of sex proper is wonderful. Masturbation is an act of self-love and not just in a joking sense. Embracing your own pleasure and knowing yourself is an important facet in enjoying masturbation, and this story shows that fantastically.“With One Hands Tied Behind His Back” - Royce DayWhat better way to get back to sleep than with a bit of release right? Well in this story when that doesn’t quite work for a vixen, her husband gets involved. Despite there being a couple in the story it is most certainly still focused on masturbation! I love how this story shows some BDSM elements and does so in the correct light, safewords (or songs, you’ll see if you read it) prominently mentioned. It shows how you can have sex with a partner all while you only are touching yourself, perfect for the anthology’s theme.“Jerking To The Finish” - Jaden DrackusOkay I have to be blunt, I don’t think this story really counts as masturbation. Despite it not quite tracking with the theme, the story itself is a classic forbidden love styled story where two gay racecar drivers have a good and sexy time together after a race. It shows off some serious love, has a solid comedic moment, and tells a good story along the way. Plus there’s enough fun little racing puns to make anyone crack a grin. An enjoyable read for sure!“Too Much Play” - TJ Minde First, I would be remiss if I didn’t mention that this seems to be a sequel to “All Work No Play” from Knotted II which I reviewed quite favorably. I know the average reader wouldn’t catch this, but I have to say I absolutely adored the story continuing like this, especially the small callbacks to the previous tale. It made it extra fun! The story discusses a fantastic fun device that makes so many interesting sexual situations possible: a small portal. Essentially, you could put whatever you want into it and have it appear on the other side for someone to play with. In this case, you might have an idea what part of the anatomy is sticking out.After a perfectly explained discussion of setting scenes within BDSM (as they are using a scene to help demo the product) things go awry as the portal is stolen! Our salesman must quite literally track his partner’s cock down all while hearing descriptions of what is happening to it in his ear. It explores several different kinds of play so you get a small taste of various kinks making this story not only informative, but fun!However, once again, this story didn’t feel like it hit the theme of the anthology. Masturbation normally means pleasuring yourself. This entire story basically focused on someone else doing things to another person. This isn’t knocking the story in any way: it was absolutely brilliant and I loved its conclusion getting to be a bit more about exploring kink and BDSM safely. “Power & Pleasure” - KC AlpinusThis story throws a lot at you at once: gods, demigods, mystical powers and hierarchies, and even still a bit more than that. The world built is quite curious, though truthfully the difficulty in deciphering all that is presented at each moment detracts from the sexual side of the tale a bit. That and there’s honestly more sex scenes not focusing on masturbation vs. other kinds of sexual acts (but once more, this is an issue with the anthology theme, not the quality of the author’s story). However, the ideas presented elevate this story a bit more over one purely about sex. The idea of a spiritual journey where our main character has to learn to submit, relinquish their control, give in to pleasure. This story might not be the one in this anthology that, pardon my being crass, you get your rocks off to. That doesn’t make it any less an enriching experience to read. Sex doesn’t always have to be about some primal urge to orgasm. Sometimes it can be the centerpiece to a well told story.“Oak Branch” - W.R. FrixmargenThe actual visceral experience of masturbation is expertly described here. How people call upon memories, sounds, smells, and experiences to their minds to get excited for the act. There was such a focus on sensations that really draw the reader into the moment so you can always experience from the squirrel’s point of view. One of the biggest things surrounding masturbation is that potential risk of getting caught. To some, that can cause quite a bit of excitement. If that’s the case for you? This story is probably one you should read.“Simplicity” - TelevassiSpace, a place where you can truly be isolated, be the farthest distance away from others or civilization in general. It’s a perfect backdrop for this kind of story. A story where some fun toys make taking things into your own paws quite fun sets a curious backdrop for a sci-fi adventure. Who knew that when you’re forced to fly alone, a “smart” sex toy could be worth so much right? “An Unconventional Marriage Bed” - RukisFirst, a little warning: this story does have mentions of sexual assault. I do wish these things got content warnings a bit more often in books, but alas this isn’t the case here.Still, the story presented is quite brilliant. This takes an unconventional pairing, a straight woman and a gay man, forced by propriety and society to be wed. This doesn’t seem like a great pairing for sexual times together, but that’s just what makes this perfect. The two do truly love one another and found ways to both enjoy sex, just not in the traditional sense. I honestly love how this presents a nontraditional relationship and what can arise from it. This is such a creative way to present masturbation and for those a bit voyeuristic really highlights how much fun it can be to enjoy a good show. My main criticism for the anthology comes from its theme. The anthology is quite literally called Give Yourself a Hand: A Furry Masturbation Anthology. Several of these stories had a strong focus on things that were not masturbatory activity. Even if you try to ignore that the theme is supposed to be about masturbation and focus purely on “giving yourself a hand” a good chunk of the stories didn’t focus on handjobs or partners purely using their paws to pleasure each other. Unfortunately, the anthology does fail to bring its theme cohesively to light. Does this make the anthology bad? Absolutely not! The stories in this anthology covered a wide variety of themes that were titillating, arousing, or just downright thought provoking. If you’re looking for an anthology only focused on masturbation, this one won’t be quite the right fit. If you like the idea of an anthology with masturbation as more an overarching flavor that goes with the rest of a sexy meal, this one will do wonders. I certainly enjoyed reading it, and I’m certain others will as well!

Foxers or Beariefs is an erotic anthology themed around underwear. Every story puts a generally hidden undergarment at the forefront in various forms with all the inherent fixings. Smells, textures, and most importantly personality are featured heavily in this collection. Each story uses underwear as a venue to build a story around its characters; some become quiet and embarrassed while others are emboldened, even thrilled with the possibilities that lay bare before them. The collection is organized by type of underwear and near flawlessly executed.TJ Minde starts off the lineup with "Missed Feelings." An otter and rabbit couple begin at the mall, eyeing passers-by and discussing their behaviors in the bedroom. A few hints are made, and later that night the female otter roleplays as a male horse using a strap-on to give her rabbit lover a ride. It’s a tale of loyalty and the drive to do what it takes to satisfy a partner. The writing isn’t particularly complex, but it is well done and easy to follow. This tale’s strengths are its vivid characters and satisfying descriptions."Bare-Assed Broadway" is Ashe Valisca’s sequential story of a chipmunk named Ryan that dreams of making it big. As the tale usually goes, his dreams take a while to become reality. He gets on the grind, realizing that it’s harder than he thought to make it. Along the way he gets involved with a tiger aptly named Richard who has as much of an affinity for jockstraps as Ryan does. Their relationship as well as Ryan’s success grow through the years. This story features strong musk and desire alongside a relationship that is enjoyable to read about. The interactions full of innuendos between the characters are relatable and interesting to read through.A sparsely populated 24-hour gym is an excellent venue for Sisco Polaris’s "Jocks in the Gym." Richard is a husky who is forced to work late on Wednesdays causing him to go to the gym late, which happens to be the time that a muscular Doberman named Carlton is there as well. Richard is gay and becomes infatuated with Carlton’s Adonis-like form. And his used jockstraps. Which lay abandoned when Carlton goes to shower. A tale of thrilling guilty pleasures follows these fortunate circumstances. The exhibition of admiration, greed, embarrassment, and liquid catharsis are all used to build a satisfying read. The entire thing is a riveting rollercoaster of action."Getchoo" by Cedric G! Bacon is about a fox named Jay who happens upon his skunk friend’s g-string and can’t get enough of it. What starts as a mishap turns into a slight obsession for the fox. One that the skunk takes advantage of. Luckily, she has a bit of a soft spot for the fox as well. But that doesn’t mean that she lets him off easy. Not at all. This story shows domination/submission in a way that is enjoyable for both parties as well as the reader. Just like the characters, I really, really loved it."Perfection of the Visionary Courier" by Al Song gets right to the heart of what I feel is the central theme of this anthology. Milton is a coyote who lacks confidence but is smart and much more capable than he realizes. And damn he looks good in a speedo. He meets Cliff, an adopted river otter who built himself from the ground up to be a swimwear and underwear designer. Cliff helps Milton build his confidence and get more comfortable with himself and the world around him. The relationship between the two and how Cliff was able to grow as a result is a great read. Sometimes, all it takes is a little confidence and exposure to get yourself to a better place.Jaden Drackus writes about a male underwear model in "A Hint o’ Lace." Jake is specifically a model for underwear designed with athletes in mind. He’s also gay and is asked to model panties designed for guys. He takes it as a perfect opportunity to explore his more feminine side and receive rather than take. A rat named Steve gives him his chance. Even though Jake has grown comfortable with putting his masculine side on very public display, all he wants is for someone to listen and tend to his more feminine needs. I found the juxtaposition interesting. A professional model who looks “uncomfortable with his appearance.” The story serves as a good example of the several forms that discovering oneself may take. The dialogue was refreshing without being overbearing. There was a familiarity to Jack and Steve that makes them relatable to many kinds of readers. The erotic payoff is also well worth it."Silken Threads" is a futuristic story by Gre7g Luterman. An exotic tale of Tish and Kanti who enjoy a night of silky lingerie and teasing. The pair know each other very well and use it to their advantage, always riding the edge between desire and satisfaction. This story doesn’t describe too much about the biology of the characters or the setting. Instead it gave bits and pieces that, while they made the setting exotic, didn’t contribute much to the story and felt irrelevant. I found it difficult to visualize the scene due to the lack of information and as a result, the action fell short for me. One thing that was conveyed well throughout was the building desire between the two and how they reacted to each other. While I would have preferred more context about the characters and their environment, the story is interesting and has good flow."Switching Sides" by Televassi tells a story about a zebra who hasn’t been satisfied in the bedroom for a while. It is filled with analogies related to sports and football. And wearing his snow leopard girlfriend’s panties. The story does great with challenging societally generated gender roles. It also stresses the importance of communication as it takes the zebra’s hyena friend to manufacture the catalyst to get the couple to talk to each other. The action in this story was easy to follow and even slightly humorous. I also found it funny how the main character is a zebra that plays football; people also call football referees zebras. Just a small detail that, if intentional, makes the story even more endearing.A fox in a queer punk band. He hasn’t quite found his identity in the music world, but that’s what "Bottoms Up" by Miles Reaver is all about. Kevin ends up joining a band with two well-established queer punk musicians that already have their things: Jessie paints his paws, arms, and tail different colors while Dav removes his shirt and tosses it into the crowd. Eventually, Kevin frees himself physically as well as mentally by getting his underwear cut out and thrown into the crowd. He gets less concerned with just the music and starts having much more fun, allowing himself to truly enjoy his life. Enough to take his lack of underwear a little bit further. The relationships between the band members are escalated in a realistic way and how they grow closer together makes for a good read.If you’re looking for a graphically erotic choose-your-own-adventure, "Fire of my Loins" by Thurston Howl definitely fits the bill. You take the role of the Chosen, a leader that will enact one of two rituals. Several outcomes are possible and the choices you make affect which ending you get. It is a challenging type of story to write. This one has a narrative that makes sense, and there are hints along the way that make it feel like the outcomes don’t come from out of nowhere. The small interjections at the end of each story path are humorously blunt. I think that the story structure is a bit simple, but for a choose-your-own-adventure of this length, it would be a mess to make it more complex. If you want to feel like the main character in a creepy erotic tale, give this one a try.A raccoon named Cole gets a bit more than he bargained for in "The Weekend" by Whiteclaw. It was supposed to be a chill time at his friend Tyler’s house but when a drink gets spilled all over Cole, he gets prescribed a shower and a thong courtesy of Ryan, Tyler’s brother. Cole discovers that he likes thongs and that Ryan might be more helpful than originally thought. This story mostly boils down to friends having a good time and the discovery of new preferences. A simple story, but still entertaining.Fundoshi is a simple Japanese undergarment much like a loincloth. "A Cultural Exchange" by Miriam “Camio” Curzon features it prominently as an American college student named Jason debates performing in front of his peers while wearing it. His Japanese friend Tatsuya does his best to convince Jason. Not just about wearing fundoshi but also about being comfortable with his body and throwing away constrictive societal norms. Jason’s growth in confidence is evident throughout, and by the end he is able to perform without any worries. The way Tatsuya was written as a character was very satisfying and realistic, allowing the reader to relate to Jason better. I also enjoyed how music and drumming played into the story, as if the rhythm of the drums moved the story along. This tale was one of my favorites in the whole collection."A Brief Distraction" is a deliciously devious story about technologically advanced briefs by Royce Day. Melanie gives her fox husband Rolas a pair of SmartTex: underwear is controlled by a smartphone app. Melanie uses it to tease Rolas during his business meeting and then in the bedroom where he is forced to submit to her for his release. The pair have a lot of love and trust for each other which is easily apparent to the reader. Their relationship is the driving factor for the action and the buildup is written well. A worthy finisher to a great collection.Overall, Foxers or Beariefs explores several different themes alongside all of the different kinds of underwear. The stories are edited well, and the reader is told about any potentially offensive content prior to the pertinent stories. The organization of the stories by type of underwear is humorous and practical, much like the way some of the undergarments are utilized in the stories themselves. This isn’t just an anthology themed around underwear; it’s about how beneficial it can be to bare oneself before the world. The characters’ journeys illustrate this and collectively serve as examples of how communication and exploration are important to self-realization. So don’t get put off by the question of Foxers or Beariefs. Do yourself a favor and give it a read. For me, it’s 9 proudly waving undergarments out of 10.