On the Prowl by Patricia Briggs, Eileen Wilks, Karen Chance and Sunny

Berkley, 2007
ISBN: 0425216594
Available: paperback and multiformat digital

Anthologies like On the Prowl are becoming more common these days, particularly in urban fantasy and paranormal romance. On the Prowl is a shape shifter-themed collection of four novellas by authors writing in pre-established worlds. It features a prequel to Brigg’s Alpha and Omega series, set in the same world as her Mercy Thompson books; a side story from Wilks’ Lupi series, set between the third and fourth books but starring a secondary character; a story set in Karen Chance’s Dorina Basarab world but led by side characters; and a short story from Sunny that’s little more than a summary of the first four of her Monere books wedged between sex scenes.

The stories vary between very good (Briggs and Chance) to “you probably need to be a fan of the series” (Wilks) to terrible (Sunny). While these types of books are more for series completists than public collections they can help fans of the genre or a particular theme learn about new authors whose works they might love. On the Prowl is recommended for collections that have a lot of paranormal readers, and of course to librarians (and booksellers) themselves who like to have an understanding of the variety of books on the shelves. It’s a decent “sampler” of paranormal works that requires little investment and can certainly spark the urge to go out and try new books.

Contains: sex, mentions of abuse, some violence