Mongrels audiobook

Even a man who is pure in heart and says his prayers by night may become a wolf when the wolfbane blooms and the Autumn moon is bright. - from The Wolf Man 1941It’s hard out there for a wolf.We’ve come a long way from the classic - from Vixens and Monster.tumblr.com What did you want be? As children, we all have dreams of ourselves as adults. I started out, a West Bronx local in a very concrete world, wanting to be a forest ranger, later an astronaut, later still, an aeronautical engineer, with the usual adolescent rock star fantasy tossed in. I imagine most of us had dreams well within the range of reasonable human experience and fantasy, whether or not we ever saw them through to fruition. The narrator of Mongrels, being raised by his aunt Libby, uncle Darren and his grandfather, dreams of growing up to be like them. I guess many of us want to be like the adults who raise us. Libby, Darren and Grandpa, however, are werewolves. werewolves, they’ve always been where it’s at for me. I remember being twelve, living way out in the country, and creeping up from my bed after lights out and pressing my forehead to the cold glass, so I could watch the darkness for werewolves. I had no doubt at all that they were running in these fast clockwise circles around our house. And that if I quit watching even for a blink, then they were coming in for us. So I’ve been thinking on the werewolf for a long time, now. I’ve been watching for them. What always interested me most about them, though, after the teeth and claws and transformations, it was the day to day difficulties of being a different, maligned species. How to explain why your pants keep being ripped up? Why does your friend’s dog run yelping away when you walk up? I spent a lot of my twelfth year trying to become a werewolf—maybe because I knew I could never beat them, so I might as well get out there and run with them. But nothing ever took. So, Mongrels, it’s as close as I can get, I suppose - from Muzzlepress interviewMongrels is a magnificent imagining of what it might look like if werewolves were really padding around in the 21st century American South. No effete vampires here. This is very much a working class wolf world, bloody, desperate, fearful, primitive. Stephen Graham JonesJones tells his story in eighteen chapters that wander in time and location. The narrator is a never-named boy (well, a teacher addresses him by a name, but we assume it to be a temporary, not a true one) we watch through his growth from age eight to sixteen, (although not in chronological order) the age by which those whose DNA is of the tooth and claw variety usually manifest their nature. He yearns for the change, even though there is no guarantee that it will happen for him. Jones indulges in a bit of cuteness by referring to his narrator as the vampire in one chapter, the reporter in another, the biologist in a third, and so on. It’s pretty adorable, and works in a way to counterpoint delight and bloodiness. I was reminded of Joe Hill’s The Fireman, which employs a similar technique.An American Werewolf in London raised the bar for cinematic ch-ch-changes This is a peripatetic pack, more itinerant than territorial, always trying to keep one step ahead of suspicious neighbors and inquisitive law enforcement. They are very tough on the vehicles they somehow keep acquiring. And if you had the misfortune of renting a residence to them you will be making full use of the security deposit for cleanup after they leave. Much of the fun in the book lies in the many specifics of werewolf existence. For example, Werewolves are paranoid about having dog breath, are always brushing their teeth and chewing mints. Some of the details are fascinating. Proper change attire is of great and surprising importance. Mating with a human does not bode well for a non-lycan woman who does not hew to the safety first mantra. Silver is considered. Education is primarily through TV game shows and family tales that may or may not have germs of truth. One thing it is not is at all glamorous. They encounter various sorts in their travels, WW wannabees, a stalker, an exploitive businessman who sees economic opportunity in milking a captive lycan to enhance his profit margins. While there may be no pentagrams, an angry mob with actual torches and pitchforks puts in an appearance that is part alarming, and part comedic. Famous characters from American history are brought into the moonlight for a new look, and are guaranteed to make you bare your teeth, in a good way. The family banter gets hilarious on occasion (well, I thought it was pretty funny, anyway) Just when I thought I’d figured out what made a girlfriend happy, what would make one stay, I would do something wrong again and that would be that.“Something wrong, like, I don’t know, like eating their pet goat?” Libby said, without looking over from the game show glowing all our faces light blue. The initiative for writing this book came from an unusual source. Back in 2008 or so, I last-minute got asked to teach an open-topic Genre course. Like, the week before the semester. So I said sure—if I could teach zombies. Which I did for two or three or four years. Loved it. But then I wanted something different, so I proposed my heart’s true love, the werewolf. And it got approved, and I got some funds to buy up werewolf books and movies. So, cue the avalanche of texts here. It hit early in December of 2013, and I read about a werewolf book every two days, I imagine, and was watching movies deep into every night. My deadline was December 31st, too, so I shut down the course prep then. But my mind, it wouldn’t stop spinning with all this. So, on January 1st, my fingers twitching like they were going to pop claws, I sat down at the keyboard, started Mongrels, and had a solid draft of it down by the time the semester started. - from the Muzzlepress interviewIf you have issues with violence, or with creatures small and not so small coming to bloody ends, Mongrels is definitely not the right kibble for you. There is a considerable body count, people and critters. If you are expecting a straight-up fright-fest, I suppose there are things in here that might make the fur hair on the back of your hands neck stand up. I lost no sleep after reading this, but I tend not to keep my head under the covers after reading a horror book most of the time anyway, so that doesn’t really say much. I have felt a lot more fear about the well-armed masses of the paranoid and twitchy who are locked and loaded across our great nation, and of blustering authoritarian wannabes than I ever will be of shape-shifting migrant workers driving crappy cars and watching too much tube. But therein lies the great value of Mongrels. If you look past the tooth and claw you will pick up the scent of underlying content. As with the folks under the scope here, there are two levels. The wolfy thing, and then the irresistible portrayal of people, any people, on the fringes of society. I was reminded of Willy Vlautin, who also writes of working class people struggling to survive in a challenging world. There is even a Steinbeckian fragrance your enhanced olfactory sense will probably pick up. I am sure you have your own favorite authors who hunt in those woods.How can you ever get ahead if you are always on the move? How can you get an education if you have to leave every school because the cops are starting to close in? How can you stay in one place, even without doing the changing thing, if it is only a matter of time before your true nature is revealed, and you are shunned or worse by polite society? Whether that shunning is because you are devouring the local livestock or because you are just, however proper your behavior, not considered the right sort of people. You can bet someone would love to build a wall to keep those people out. Heeeeeeeere’s WolfieThe turf Jones writes of here is familiar, as he has personally traveled it a fair bit. ”We farmed, but we didn’t make our living off of farming,” he explains. “My mom ran daycare, or she would work at a tanning salon. Just all kinds of jobs. My different stepdads would work construction or in the oil fields. We always would come back to the same farming community in Greenwood, but that was just the place we’d bounce off of before going somewhere else. We always had a horse trailer that we’d pack bags and boxes in and go.” - from the Westword interviewSo, bottom line is that we likee the lycans. Yeah, Mongrels may not be all that scary, but it is very smart, particularly in the imagining of WW-life details. It has something to say about class and society, and it is a lot of fun. It may not force you to shift your shape, even if you read it during a full moon, but Mongrels is delightful enough to warrant more than a few joyful howls, and if you get the urge to dine on a neighbor’s livestock after reading it, or even your neighbor, for that matter, at least you will know that you are probably not alone. Mongrels is a real treat.Review Posted – 6/24/16Publication Date – 5/10/16=============================EXTRA STUFFLinks to the author’s personal, Twitter and FB pagesInterviews-----Muzzleland Press -CUT MY FINGERTIPS, THEY BLEED TEXAS: AN INTERVIEW WITH STEPHEN GRAHAM JONES ON HIS NEW NOVEL MONGRELS - by Jonathan R-----from Westword - With Mongrels, This Is Stephen Graham Jones's Time to Howl - by Jason HellerA video on writing by SGJI only want a trim, not a cut, ok?I absolutely had to include this link, so kitschy, so 80s, so un-lupine-----Stephen Graham Jones - Crimereads - July 15, 2020 - Why Exposing Kids to Horror Might Actually Be Good for ThemParticularly in the world today, we need to learn the lesson that, while there is certainly evil in the world, it is possible to overcome it. I have always had a fondness for horror. When I was seven years old, my mother took me to see The Crawling Eye, a cheesy sci-fi/horror flick that I loved. The Tingler came out when I was still seven, and I saw and loved that one too, maybe with my older brother. A few years later Mr Sardonicus. I can recall no trauma, although clearly I had mom’s DNA and enjoyment of horror films to support my interest. Jones makes a strong point about why it is important to stay the course while exposing your kids to these things. Well worth reading. -----NY Times - 8/14/20 - ‘We’ve Already Survived an Apocalypse’: Indigenous Writers Are Changing Sci-Fi by Alexandra Alter

“Always feed a wolf his fill," the old woman quotes out loud, "lest you wake with your throat in his jaws.” Until very recently, I always thought that lycanthropy was a made up condition. Human beings don't really turn into human-wolf hybrids under a full moon--ripping through their clothes and feasting on hapless prey. But I just finished Mongrels by Stephen Graham Jones a few days ago, a buddy read with my pal Mindi and now I'm pretty sure Dr. Jones is an actual werewolf and he wrote this "fictional" handbook of sorts so that horror fans could be believers.*raising my hand* I'm a believer!This book has hundreds of reviews so I'm not feeling like I'm going to add anything new to the fray but I want to impress upon anyone who maybe hasn't read this book (I'm the last one to finish, aren't I?) that this is hands down the best novel about werewolves on the market.Jones has built so much realism into lycanthropy lore that Mongrels could be the gold standard on which all others could be compared.And just to make the package even more delicious, there's a sweet coming-of-age tale in these pages told in a fashion that I have already come to love about SGJ. If you've read his novella, MAPPING THE INTERIOR, you'll know what I mean. If you haven't, I'll say that the 10 year old protagonist in MONGRELS reads like the true-to-life narrative of a real child finding his identity in this world and in the context of his family--a "den of werewolves". My favorite aspect of this story was the thread of change/transformation woven through all the lessons and vignettes.Will he or won't he? Is he or isn't he? These are the questions between the lines and it was a fantastic way for SGJ to keep his reader invested until the final pages. The ending was exactly what I wanted. As the story wound down to its conclusion, it was infused with emotion and a lingering sense of longing for the story to continue. I could have read about this family for a long time. This stems from everything that SGJ is busy doing in the subtext--because even though this book has its lighter moments and some laugh-out-loud surprises, the weight of the underlying themes were ever present and tugging at my heart strings.Boys want to belong. They want to have a tribe. They want to feel important, loved for who they are and they want to have a place in this world. To be noticed--and not for being different in a negative way--they want to be different in a way that people celebrate.This book made my heart explode, honestly.I'll never see werewolves the same again.Or French Fries and Pantyhose.

OH NO SPOOKTOBER IN YOUR FACE!!fulfilling my 2021 goal to read one ARC each month i'd been so excited to get my hands on and then...never readokay, i need more stars for this one.******************************************This is what it means to be a werewolfthis book is definitely going to be in my top three for the year.

This book was great. I mean, there’s not a more succinct way to put it. G-R-E-A-T.It’s a coming-of-age story about a young man who lives in a family of outlaw werewolves, and a chronicle of their travels across the impoverished and dangerous American South. I don’t know if that last sentence sells the book or not, but if it doesn't, FEAR NOT! The execution far surpasses the general conceit. This book is ENGAGING. I mean, I was rapt from the first few pages. There’s something poetic, yet effortless, in the voice in which Jones uses to tell this tale. Hints of colloquialism keeps the prose bouncing along as BIG concepts get boiled down into simple (and sometimes gory/gruesome) metaphors. Behind the horror and all the werewolf talk, this truly is a story about growing up and the TRUE terror that brings. Although the books is told in chapters that work like vignettes, spanning the course of narrator’s “formative years,” and as such, it eschews a plot-driven story arc, it makes up for it with laser-focused CHARACTER arcs that I, as a reader, couldn’t help but be emotionally invested in.There’s a thousand small revelations and a thousand small victories to be found in these pages, and that’s in ADDITION to what is perhaps the best werewolf story I’ve ever read. Do yourself a favor. Read this.

It is always a treat to discover a novel that places new twists on old ideas. The werewolf novel has been around a long time and there really didn't seem to be much more one can say about the man-turns-wolf scenario. Yet Stephen Graham Jones doesn't just add a new twist but turns the entire concept on its head. In Mongrels we have a family of werewolves living as nomads in the south. The life of the modern day werewolf is grim, dreary and dangerous. Aunt Libby, Uncle Darren and their young nephew live like nomads in the American South, moving from place to place, working dreary low paying jobs and always vigilant of the many dangers werewolves face . The nephew, who is our young narrator throughout the book, has yet to turn. He gets his education on the perils of being lycanthrope from his grandfather, his aunt and his uncle and he is not always sure how much of it is real or exaggerated. Mongrels is primarily a coming-of-age story about a boy growing up in the most displaced and precarious life-style imaginable.The author just doesn't change a few bits of werewolf lore. He rips them up and creates his own legends and culture. He has an original take on the sub-genre . He gives us an unique and fully realized culture of creatures with perils and rituals of their own. He manages to keep the horror of the monster yet endows them with more than a little pathos and empathy. While Mongrels may be classified as a horror tale, it is primarily a poignant story about the struggle to survive and growing up outside the norm.Telling the story through the eyes of the young boy who have yet to turn wolf, and may not, is brilliant. Much of the behaviors and perils of lycanthropy are told to us by the aunt and uncle rather than experienced. We feel the awe and fear from the still innocent boy. I don't think we ever actually learn his name but that adds to the realization that he is part of an unique group yet feels not totally accepted either. The author seems to have a real ability to write about outsiders. Stephen Graham Jones has an amazing skill with words. He can take a scene that is fraught with tension and, with a swift turn of phrase, find the dark humor in it. He may be writing about werewolves but there is a strong sense of Southern Realism that often speaks of humans whose lives are just as nomadic and bordering on disaster as the trio in this book. The horror in Jones' brilliant book is not just supernatural but tinted with a shrewd sense of social and cultural observation. These may be monsters but they are not far off from real life for some.Mongrels is in turn horrific, brutal, funny and endearing all at once. it is a bluntly realistic portrayal of a supernatural family. And that is why it is so moving. We do not think of werewolves as three dimensional. In most books they are people who turn into monsters. It a Jekyll and Hyde quality that separate human from monster. We do not get that luxury here. In Mongrels, our protagonists cannot separate from the reality of what they are. We feel both privileged and horrified to see through the eyes of a child how they live and who they are. This may be a horror novel but it has a literary power that should be experienced by any reader of quality fiction.

This book is a wonderful depiction of what it might look like if werewolves were really walking around in the 21st century. Bloody, desperate, fearful, primitive.This book wanders in time and location, alternating between the present storyline and other vignette-like chapters capturing a single moment, experience. In a non-linear timeline, we watch our main character, our narrator who is never named, as he grows up between the ages of 8 to 16 as he yearns to shift and change like his aunt and uncle but is unsure if he has the genes to do so.This book is ENGAGING. I was immediately invested in this little family of werewolves and was surprised how attached I was to them by the end. This book has all the blood and gore and horror and werewolf talk, but it also a story about growing up and the REAL fear that brings.Since the timeline is all over the place, this book became much less of a plot-driven story and much more of a character-driven story. And the way the characters are explored, especially our main character, is the real star of the show here and I loved every moment of it.This book evoked every emotion for me. I came for the gore and werewolves and left with heartbreak.

I've been putting off this review because I want to make sure I can articulate just how much I loved this book and how well it's written. I'm still not sure I can do it justice. However, I now know that I love Stephen Graham Jones's writing on the same level as Cormac McCarthy and David Foster Wallace. All three have a very distinct voice, and I adore them all. I'll read anything and everything Jones publishes, and I know he has quite an extensive back catalog, so I need to get to work.This novel. Before this year, I think I had read maybe one werewolf novel? I'm still not entirely sure, but let me say right now, that this book is pretty much the only one you need to read. Jones makes you believe that werewolves are real. All of the detail he puts into this novel makes werewolves seem completely plausible. And the structure is brilliant. Once again the writing is unmistakably Jones, and it's so perfect for this story. I feel like Jones deeply understands people who live on the fringes of society. In his world, werewolves are one step beyond those human fringes. Forced to move constantly due to their basic existence, the small family of werewolves in this book are never able to set down roots and become comfortable or have anything meaningful in their lives other than each other. And it's that fierce love and protection of each other that makes these characters and this story so incredible. I buddy read this one with my friend Sadie, and I'm so glad we got to experience it together. This is a coming of age novel about mythical creatures that reads like a true story. It's fantastic. Read this one.

Review copyMongrels is a completely different kind of werewolf story, told from the point of view of a teenage werewolf who has yet to shift for the first time. In addition to facing the same issues teens everywhere must deal with, this one faces the uncertainty of when, or even if, he will ever change.I love a good opening line and this one's a gem. "My grandfather used to tell me he was a werewolf." Tell me more.Good literary horror is something to be appreciated, and when you combine that with werewolves, it's time to relax in your favorite reading chair and dig in. Mongrels is not perfect book, but it is awfully good. Told in a series of vignettes, I found the work to be a bit disjointed, but that certainly did not keep me from enjoying this interesting take on werewolves.There are some terribly original concepts floated in this saga, not the least of which is the idea of werewolf pee as a pesticide. When you read the book, this will make perfect sense.Recommended.Mongrels, published by William Morrow Books, is available in hardcover, paperback, e-book, and various audio formats.Stephen Graham Jones is the author of fifteen novels and six story collections, so far. He has received an number of awards. Raised in West Texas. Stephen now lives in Boulder, Colorado with his wife and children.

Just your normal coming of age boy waiting to become a werewolf story. My new favorite werewolf book. This book has more heart and humanity than most.

“It feels like whispers. It sounds like smiling. It smells like teeth” – Stephen Graham Jones, Mongrels At once a book about a family of werewolves and a discussion of growing as “other” in our society, Mongrels is a compelling read. I have had this book on my shelf for a little while and I decided to pick it up after it was selected for the Summer Scares library program developed by the Horror Writers Association (HWA), United for Libraries, Book Riot, and Library Journal/School Library Journal. A prolific author, college professor, bicycle enthusiast, and more, Jones has an extensive back list that delves into a variety of genres and sub-genres. If the two books I’ve read from him are any indication, his approach and literary style in regards to familiar topics are quite refreshing. I previously read All the Beautiful Sinners, a book which follows a brutal serial killer. It hit all the usual notes but in such a way that felt more real, more present. This brings me to Mongrels. Jones’ unique take on a werewolf story is everything I wanted. Now, full disclosure, I’ve only read one other “werewolf” novel (you can see my thoughts on Carnivorous Lunar Activities here) so I make no claims as an expert on wolf-y fiction. The horror is present both in the lives of this family and in the more traditional genre sense. I really dig the way Jones is able to seamlessly blend real life with fiction in a way that has me genuinely believing in werewolves at this point. This dichotomy of “normal” life experiences and werewolf lore does more than just entertain, it is an examination.“Werewolves can feel that kind of constant attention. It’s a special radar we’re born with, that gets more and more sensitive every year.” I believe this duality of werewolf and human experiences provides Jones with an excellent vehicle to discuss otherness. Those who fall outside or who stay outside of the normative social and/or cultural influence. Is this family of wolves meant to be a metaphor for the way in which those who are “other”, either by their race, gender, or economic circumstance, hold on to who they truly are? I think so. Again, this is masterfully done as the reader is drawn into the lives of the humans/wolves. It is organically woven into the story, just as it is in life.“There was no panic, no fear. This was like falling deeper into himself.” Jones’ writing and storytelling ability are masterful. I’m looking forward to reading the backlist of his titles just to experience his voice as well as to see what other journeys await me. Mongrels is one I will definitely revisit – I loved it.

"Werewolves, we're tough, yeah, we're made for fighting, made for hunting, can kill all night long and then some. But cars, cars are four thousand pounds of jagged metal, and, pushing a hundred miles per hour now, the world a blur of regret--there's only one result, really.And, if a bad-luck cop sees you slide past the billboard he's hiding behind, well, then it's on, right? If he stops you, you're going to chew through him in two bites, which, instead of making the problem go away, will just multiply it, on the radio.So you run.It's the main thing werewolves are made for. It's what we do best of all."Last year I read my first Stephen Graham Jones book, Mapping the Interior. After just that initial experience, I knew his writing style was one that I was absolutely smitten with. That I most certainly needed to get my hands on more of his work, because goddamn. What a brilliant storyteller! After having read Mongrels, I can say with 100% certainty - SGJ is a new favorite of mine!The story follows an unnamed narrator and his dysfunctional family. His grandpa, aunt Libby and uncle Darren are left to raise him after his mother dies during childbirth. Terribly tragic, yes, but unfortunately not unheard of. Especially when you are born into a family of werewolves.After his grandfather dies, the three are left to fend for themselves. They move every few months, travelling from town to town in the American South, roaming in secluded areas, working whatever jobs they can, never allowing themselves to get too comfortable in any one place. After all, werewolves tend to attract trouble.Always on the run, the young narrator anticipates his transformation. Unlike many others in his position, he is excited to "wolf out". He longs to join the clan, to feel like he fits in. With his upcoming 16th birthday, the timeline for whether or not he has the genes to transform is quickly approaching."I turned back to the fire and held my palms out, waiting for the heat, and I remembered what I saw on a nature show once: that dogs' eyes can water, sure, but they can't cry. They're not built for it.Neither are werewolves."There are certain gems that find you at exactly the right time. This book? Oof. It touched me more than I could ever expect. It was similar to The Girl With All the Gifts for me, in that regard. The kind of books that reinvent the mythology surrounding creatures that aren't quite human, blending modern ideas with older lore. They are also two books that just came out of nowhere and blindsided me, becoming instant favorites! Mongrels is, without a doubt, the best werewolf book that I've ever read!It's brimming with darkness - visceral, graphic violence; immense beauty - the genuine, raw love within this family; and a healthy dose of humor - scat collectors, french fries, deadly pantyhose, masking canine breath with mints.. among other things! At it's core, this is a beautiful coming-of-age story not unlike Boy's Life. But with werewolves!When I wasn't reading, I couldn't stop thinking about Mongrels. It's gloriously addictive, clever, poignant and compassionate. It stuck its claws in, knocked me fucking sideways and completely destroyed me. Over and over again.

I liked this novel, but I think it would've worked without the werewolf theme. It's weird. I've read a review on this book by Bob Pastorella stating it was one of the best werewolf novels ever written and I believe him, it's just that there might be an entire level of meaning I just didn't get from the book.That said, I thought MONGRELS was a solid and original coming-of-age novel, because the werewolf angle is about growing up different and shaped by a strong culture. The family dynamic of the young narrator with his aunt and uncle were I thought as moving and pertinent as anything that was written as a coming-of-age in itself. I would've probably went completely crazy over this novel if I was 17 years old and I think many 17 year olds will. I ended up liking it, but I might be past my vampires/zombies/werewolves phase. Not ghosts though. Ghosts are timeless.

As I read this story I couldn’t help but be reminded of Ray Bradbury’s Dandelion Wine, in that both works could be considers novel’s or collections of short stories. Mongrels is at its heart a coming of age story about an untraditional family who are constantly moving across the USA, the fact that they are a family of werewolves is merely colouring on the story. Don’t get me wrong the werewolf lore is handle well and readers are provided with multiple enjoyable stories, which I won’t spoil here, but the story at its heart is about family struggling to survive in America while raising a child. The author handles this with a light touch providing a insightful, sometimes funny and sometimes touching read. I highly recommend this!

I'll begin by saying werewolves are not really my thing. By now you'll know I'm firmly Team Vampire. But this one has so many great reviews and I kept seeing it do the rounds on Bookstagram, and I already knew by reading The Only Good Indians that Stephen Graham Jones can spin a wonderful story.And I'm not going to launch into a description of what happens, there are plenty of reviews already circulating, but I will say, without question, that this one captured my heart. At its core a coming of age story, with complex family dynamics, you can't help but be catapulted along by each chapter. The lore is so well crafted, so believable, that you begin to wonder how much truth is between the pages.It's fresh and bloody and drenched in the kind of detail that makes these characters leap off the page. And one more thing I loved, the main protagonist is never named, something I only realised midway through the book.If you love fierce and protective family love, along with the story of a boy born on the fringes of society and trying desperately to find his way in it, then you could do no better than pick this one up.

Stephen Graham Jones has romped through a dizzying variety of genres in his novels and short fiction. Drama, crime, horror, science fiction, bizarro, and sometimes a strange mash-up of any or all of the above—the list of his chameleonic literary contributions goes on and on, with the common denominator being that he does it all really, really well.In his latest novel, Mongrels, Mr. Jones takes a well-worn supernatural trope—the werewolf—and subsequently weaves a coming-of-age tale that is powerfully unique and highly entertaining.Read the rest of my view on New York Journal of Books:http://www.nyjournalofbooks.com/book-...