Werewolf lore has always fascinated me. I can remember checking books on werewolves out of my elementary school library, writing reports on them and even penning letters to a favored author on the subject. Werewolves, to me, were just a little bit cooler than vampires.

Del Howison must love them, too. His new book, When Werewolves Attack: A Field Guide to Dispatching Ravenous Flesh-Ripping Beasts, provides a wealth of information on their background and various legends. Then, as the title makes obvious, he goes a step further, assumes they are real and provides tips for hunting them down and killing them.

As survival handbooks, I'd say Max Brooks has produced the definitive work with The Zombie Survival Guide. Howison doesn't have quite the same flair for writing, and some of his tips seem a little shaky. (Hair gel as a weapon, Del? Really?) But When Werewolves Attack is still a fast and entertaining read, and who knows? Maybe it'll come in handy someday if a werewolf really does break into my house and attack me in the shower.

Recommended for anyone who thinks there's more to werewolves than Laurell K. Hamilton and Stephenie Meyer are telling us.