Full Moon City

Weird Tales co-editor (and occasional PW reviewer) Schweitzer and anthology powerhouse Greenberg offer up an uneven collection of urban werewolf tales written by some of fantasy's biggest names. Given the theme, Schweitzer's own contribution, the humorous vampire-centric piece “Kvetchula's Daughter,” is out of place. Far stronger is Holly Black's “The Aarne-Thompson Classification Revue,” in which a werewolf actress explores the power of transformation. Tanith Lee's “Sea Warg” focuses on a more amphibious shape-shifter, while Esther Friesner's “No Children, No Pets” is cleverly executed and entertaining. Very few other stories rise above satisfactory or mildly memorable. For every tale that pushes the boundaries, two more are content to go through the motions, making this a fairly average affair. (Mar.)