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The title of this book is certainly accurate. I was hoping for a bit more though. What would have been more interesting, to me at least, would have been more analysis of how the tales originated and evolved. The tales can be fun to read in and of themselves, and Hall does a good job in the storytelling. Although werewolves take up the most significant chunk of the book the related creatures include: enchanted dolphins, snake people, human hyenas, etc. The commentary outside the tales could have been beefed up a bit. I could have used a more observations like the following:
In decree 848, passed in 1973, President Peron gave full scholarships to these boys [who were suspected werewolves due to their being the seventh consecutive boy in a family]. They could go to any university for free, bringing prestige and income to their families, so that they would be much less likely to get killed. As far as I know, Argentina is the only country to have a "werewolf scholarship." (p. 29)
Overall, this is not a bad book. If you are interested in the topic of human folklore Hall's book is a good place to start and it includes loads of references for further purusal.
from the publisher:
Werewolves and other shapeshifters have haunted the world's folklore from time immemorial. Today they are the stuff of movies and novels, from old classic films like The Wolf Man to the popular Animorphs novels that are sold in the aisles of Walmart. Yet most people know little about the folklore that came before the fiction, particularly anything with origins outside Europe. Few people have heard legends about American werewolves, let alone the leopard-men of African mythology, the werefoxes of Japan, or the "enchanted dolphins" of Brazil.
Where is the multicultural shapeshifter? So far, there is nothing out there that covers different species of shapeshifter in all parts of the world. If you want anything other than a European-style werewolf, you must look up individual legends in dozens of separate books. Half Human, Half Animal: Tales of Werewolves and Related Creatures collects the best of these far-flung tales into one volume.
It is laid out in a format where only the first chapter is devoted to werewolves. Each of the other six chapters is devoted to a different animal, except for the last chapter where a bunch of herbivorous shapeshifters are grouped together. The majority of the book is occupied by the legends themselves, but it also includes information about the historical and cultural context behind these beliefs. The book also acts as a reference guide; each chapter includes a list of novels and movies (with a short synopsis of each) about the creature covered in that chapter. Such lists are practically nonexistent, except in the case of werewolves. It is next to impossible to find a list of fiction on the theme of people who turn into foxes, but a collection of 21 novels and 6 movies are included in the fox chapter.
There is also a section of appendices in the back of the book that includes an Internet guide, plus resource information about documentary films, TV shows, and even places to visit. With this book in hand, the interested reader can track down plenty of fiction or nonfiction about any of the mythical creatures found within its pages.
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