On Wolves and Wolverine
Nov
10
2005
( You’ve found my shapeshifter for the Writer Babes Contest!)
Recently, I finished my first werewolf book aimed at Ellora’s Cave, Cascadia Wolves: The Enforcer. I love to read werewolves and shapeshifters. The weres in many of my favorite authors’ books are big and sexy and very Alpha without the jerk factor.

But it struck me as I was helping to prepare our Writer Babes weekly blog theme, that weres in books are far sexier than weres in movies. Looking around online for pictures of movie werewolves gets smaller men (Michael J Fox, Michael Landon, the Dr. Pepper guy from American Werewolf in London) or evil dudes that are all gross and snarly.

There are a few notable exceptions – Scott Speedman in Underworld 1 and the soon to be released Underworld Evolutions; and Hugh Jackman as Wolverine are two. But Wolverine is more of a genetic monster and I suppose that’s what Scott Speedman’s character is as well.

Weres in books are sexy and big and yummy. I wonder why there’s that gulf between the two mediums?

Perhaps it’s all the trigger issues that books delve into – in weres you have a man who is still very close to being an animal. He’s exciting and dangerous and yet, utterly safe when it comes to dealing with his mate. He’s raw and feral and sexy to everyone but he belongs to her and her only.

I mean, take Graham in Christine Warren’s, Fur Factor – oh my, the sexy Alpha ladies’ man who is felled by the sweet school teacher? Hot damn, what a way to use all of those stereotypes, turn them around and make it really hot.

Weres can give us the excitement and yet safety all at once. The ultimate alpha male without the cheating and the abuse.

9 comments to “On Wolves and Wolverine”

  1. Mechele Armstrong
    November 10th, 2005 at 1:50 pm · Link

    This is an intersting topic. I hadn’t really thought about it but you’re absolutely right. Werewolves in books are much sexier than movies. I wonder if it’s because what we picture when we read can’t be duplicated on screen…yet.



  2. Jenny (Gryffindor)
    November 10th, 2005 at 5:39 pm · Link

    Even vamps are sexier in books too. Whenever I’m asked to name a favourite vampire movie, the same old names come up and none close to being my favourite.

    I don’t consider Wolverine a werewolf but Hugh Jackman was a werewolf for a short spell of time in Van Helsing.



  3. Anonymous
    November 10th, 2005 at 6:19 pm · Link

    Oh, sexiest movie vampire: Chris Sarandon in Fright Night, hands down!

    Now this is funny, I can’t think of an amazingly sexy movie were, except for Nastassia Kinski in Cat People. She sizzled. But the smokin’ alpha male, were (haha) is he? – Charlene



  4. Lauren Dane
    November 10th, 2005 at 7:01 pm · Link

    Casper Van Dien in Dracula 2000, Wesley Snipes as Blade, Ryan Reynolds as the reformed vampire in Blade Trinity – all quite sexy.

    But yeah, not a whole lot of sexy weres in movies. Loads in books though.



  5. Caffey
    November 12th, 2005 at 9:57 am · Link

    Oh great on the werwolf book from you! Was this one a novella or novel? Any ideas when it is out!? I’d love to read one of yours.
    Honestly, I never saw a werewolf movie. Maybe when I was younger but being deaf, the theatres don’t have captioned movies and I lost interest in them sometimes having to wait a year for them to go to DVD’s. Must be why I read so much. What would you recommend to start with (to rent?)



  6. Lauren Dane
    November 12th, 2005 at 10:12 am · Link

    Hmmm, well, Brotherhood of the Wolf is really excellent. It’s French and you can get the dubbed or subtitled version.

    American Werewolf in London is one of my favorites, it’s got a great sense of humor about it.

    Silver Bullet which is based on a short story by Stephen King is a good one.

    The first Howling (but I personally found the rest to be awful)

    Dog Soldiers was good (made for Sci Fi television but out on DVD).

    Underworld was, eh, just okay but the sets and costumes make up for the fact that the story isn’t fleshed out enough. There are vamps and werwolves in it (and Scott Speedman!).



  7. Jane
    November 13th, 2005 at 3:44 am · Link

    oooo Hugh! Love that guy lol. (He’s an Aussie too :D)

    I’d much rather read a Were or Vamp book than see it as a movie. I couldn’t tell you the last were movie I saw, it was that long ago, but I’ve definitely read a were book recently.

    Vamps… they’re another story. They’re not my favourite thing to read about, so it’s very rare that I read one.



  8. Debbie E
    November 13th, 2005 at 8:53 pm · Link

    You certainly give a lot of food for thought on the subject Lauren. I never have watched a vamp or werewolf movie and in fact 1 year ago I hadn’t even read any of those kinds of books. But I have read your excerpts you posted on Cascadian Wolves and it was excellent! So I guess you might say I have been converted to Darker, Sexier Books these days since meeting authors and buying ebooks over the internet.



  9. Jenny (Gryffindor)
    November 21st, 2005 at 12:28 am · Link

    Brotherhood of the Wolf has excellent cinematography and story, but I wouldn’t recommend it for minors because of the violence.