History OurWerebeastsAreDifferent / Literature

* In Creator/TaisTeng's book ''De Wortels van het Woud'' (''The Roots of the Forest''), the brother gains the ability to transform into various animals during battles, usually as a werewolf. He attempts to transform into a TyrannosaurusRex at one point, but the spell is such that it doesn't work with extinct creatures.

* ''Dancing Bears'', by Fred Saberhagen, features, guess what, ursanthropes.

* James A Hetley's novels ''Dragon's Eye'' and ''Dragon's Teeth'' have a family with the hereditary ability to turn into seals.

* Creator/ChristopherPaolini's ''Literature/InheritanceCycle'' series includes several characters who are referred to as werecats, but the novels describe werecats [[NonIndicativeName not as shapeshifting humans]], but as a separate magical species. This seems to come from the fact that there are also normal cats in the series. The werecats are stated to be specifically a special form of cats. Their king, although unable to speak to normal cats because they are as dumb as any animal, nevertheless has the power to command them. It is said that the normal cats respect and admire the werecats.

* The Fayth Hunter series ''Literature/JaneYellowrock'' features a SkinWalker named Jane who is technically a classic shifter who can assume any form but prefers (or is forced to) take cat form mostly.
* ''The Jargoon Pard'' by Andre Norton features Kethan who can become a pard with the aid of a magic belt. He initially thinks the belt is somehow cused. [[spoiler: It's not: he's the child of a wererider featured in 'Year of the Unicorn' but was switched at birth and placed under spells so his innate shapeshifting would be repressed; the belt acts as a key to unlock his powers.]]
* Mary Janice Davidson's ''Literature/JenniferScales'' series has were''[[OurDragonsAreDifferent dragons]]'' as well as werearachnids (some into giant spiders, others into giant scorpions).
* Ilona Andrews' ''Literature/KateDaniels'': Shapeshifters are humans or animals infected with the Lycos virus, engaged in a constant struggle to stay sane. If they lose this battle, they become loups, and the only thing anyone can do is euthanize them. A fraction of children are born loup and another fraction go loup at puberty. They can be fully human or fully animal, and those with a high degree of control can take on a monstrous in-between state known as the warrior form, combining the two for maximum lethality. The leader of the Pack is a werecat. He can change into a lion, but not just any lion; he turns into a North American cave lion, an extinct species which is half again as big as a modern lion. Additional werebeasts include werebears, werebuffalos, wererats, werehyenas, werebadgers, weredolphins, pretty much all kinds of mammals. On top of that, the virus goes both ways, giving animals the ability to turn human, though they usually have to be killed. Very rarely, a werebeast and a beastwere can produce offspring, resulting in a beastkin, which can't turn all the way into an animal but has an in-between form that is a seamless blend of human and animal, in contrast to a werebeast's warrior form.

* ''Literature/TheLostYearsOfMerlin'' features deer-people, who, as their names suggest, can transform between humanoid and deer form. The most notable example is Hallia, Merlin's friend [[spoiler:and LoveInterest]].
** The SequelSeries has eaglemen, including one of the main characters, Scree. Like the deer people, they can change form at will, and in this case tend to live in nests, lay eggs, etc.
* The short story "Lusus Naturae" by Creator/MargaretAtwood centers on a young woman whose parents fake her death to hide the fact that she is a werecat.
* Patricia Brigg's ''Literature/MercyThompson'' series features Mercy, who is a 'Walker' (were-coyote).
* In the first novel of the ''Literature/MerryGentry'' series, ''A Kiss of Shadows'', Merry's lover is a selkie named Roan Finn who has temporarily lost his ability to change shape.
* People who can turn into animals are one breed of Other in ''Literature/NightWatch''. Werewolves are always Dark, but the rest can apparently be of any alignment. Specifically, Dark shapeshifters can only take on a single animal form, chosen when they initiate. Meanwhile, Light shapeshifters are actually Magicians who are gifted with shapeshifting magic and can take on numerous forms along the same theme. As Light Others, Tiger Cub can shift into various big cats, while Bear can take on bear forms.
* In the book ''On the Edge'', by Ilona Andrews, the heroine's brother is a werecat. He can turn into a lynx at will.
* Creator/PoulAnderson's ''Literature/OperationChaos'' has a weretiger. Because Anderson's [[MagicAIsMagicA laws of magic]] insist that [[ShapeshifterBaggage mass remains constant]], he is a very large, fat man in human form.
* In Literature/TheOtherworldSeries by Yasmine Galenorn, one of the main characters is a werecat named Delilah D'Artigo.
* The children's novel, ''Prince of Pirates'', features an enchantress named Leonora, who can turn herself into a panther at will.
* In Creator/RobertEHoward's "Literature/QueenOfTheBlackCoast" [[Literature/ConanTheBarbarian Conan]] fights werehyenas who are the minions of the story's BigBad.

* ''Literature/TheTurning'' by Helen Ellis has werecats. It's genetic, starts sometime during puberty, then lasts for two weeks every year for five years before stopping permanently. The 'turning' is brought on by contact with a cat (real or 'turned'). [[spoiler:There is a cure, but it only works before the second time you 'turn'.]]

* A.E. van Vogt's SF novel ''Literature/TheSilkie'' features genetically modified people who can transform into aquatic, seal-like creatures or into living spaceships.

* The book series ''Literature/SwordOfTruth'' by Creator/TerryGoodkind includes a werecat.

* Railrunner in Miranda Leek's ''Literature/{{Twisted}}'' is a were-roller coaster.

* Curtis Jobling's series of fantasy novels ''Literature/{{Wereworld}}'' has all sorts of werecreatures, not limited to mammals.
* Wers in Tanya Huffs ''Literature/WizardOfTheGrove'' duology come in both [[OurWerewolvesAreDifferent wolf]] and mountain lion form. They were created by Wizards. They turn into very large versions of their respective species and their change isn't linked to the moon but to their emotional state. Which makes pregnancy and especially delivery very dangerous for both mother and child. [[spoiler: This is fixed by the Wizard Crystal who gives the women control over their change. She however is not able to do the same for the men.]]

* In Amalie Howard's ''Literature/TheAquarathi'' series, the title aliens natural form is [[SeaMonster a giant spined seaserpent with clawed fins]] who can change into both human and humanoid (basically human but with multi-colored skin, AnimeEyes and sometimes fangs and claws depending on the individual) forms. [[spoiler: There are also genetically mutated hybrids that, again dpending on the individual can sometimes shift into full Aquarathi form bot others can only make a partial shift.]]
* The ''Literature/UncommonAnimals'' series features humans that turn into full wolves by the commands of a human with special magic called "the Voice".
* The short story "Literature/TheLionInHisAttic" features a werewhale, [[spoiler:a weresealion]], and a discussion of what happens to weres when the magic goes away -- "true" werebeasts are animals who take human form, and simply revert. Their HalfHumanHybrid children retain human form but go feral.
* Literature/FiftyFeetOfTrouble includes the jaguar people, an obvious Film/CatPeople riff. They're extremely attractive, but whenever they get horny, they turn into jaguars and try to kill whatever set them off. Problem is, almost everything gets them horny.
* Werecreatures in the ''Literature/{{Mithgar}}'' novels are collectively called Cursed Ones; the condition is hereditary, and the Cursed One's animal form is based on what creature they "imprint" on - ie, the first animal they make a strong connection with. The actual transformation is voluntary, but [[TheMindIsAPlaythingOfTheBody the humanoid and animal forms are controlled by separate personalities]]; the human remembers what the animal form does and can give it a task by focusing strongly on something before changing, but the animal is only vaguely aware of the human identity and there is always the risk that it will forget to ever make the change back (though a Cursed One's friends may arrange to use some signal to trigger the change if necessary, usually by whispering their human name into the animal form's ear). Cursed Ones are [[TheAgeless immortal]] and have a strong HealingFactor, but they ''can'' be killed with one of three {{Achilles Heel}}s - silver, fire, or the fangs and claws of another Cursed One in animal shape. Notable Cursed Ones include [[NatureHero Dalavar the Wolfmage]] (werewolf), [[TheBigGuy Urus]] (werebear), Urus's son Bair (werewolf) and recurring villain [[EvilSorcerer Ydral]] and his son [[TortureTechnician Baron Stoke]] (who are the only Cursed Ones to have multiple animal forms, possibly a BlackMagic technique both used; both can shift to [[HellHound vulg]] or [[GiantFlyer fell beast]]).
* ''Literature/{{Xanth}}'': Werebeasts of various kinds exist in Xanth, usually born from a human mother and a non-human father (the other way around results in a straight hybrid), who can go from human to animal or vice-versa at will. Known examples include a were-horse in ''Night Mare'' and a were-dragon in ''The Dastard''.
* In addition to werewolves, ''Literature/{{Newshound}}'' also features numerous other kinds of werecreature, including werepanthers, weredingos, and wereseals, with even more kinds implied to exist.
* In Dutch author Creator/TaisTeng's book ''De Wortels van het Woud'' (The Roots of the Forest), the brother gains the ability to transform into various animals during battles, usually as a werewolf. He attempts to transform into a TyrannosaurusRex at one point, but the spell is such that it doesn't work with extinct creatures.
* ''Literature/TrashOfTheCountsFamily'' has [[{{Shapeshifting}} Beastmen]], people who can shift between human and animal forms, of all types. Their transformations aren't determined by moon phases, but they are capable of "berserk transformations" that make them incredibly powerful. [[OurWerewolvesAreDifferent Wolves]], [[UnscaledMerfolk Whales]], and Cats are just three of the many Beastmen seen or mentioned in the series.
* In the Creator/WilliamSchoell sci-fi/horror novel ''Saurian'', the titular character and main antagonist is one of a race of hybrids, descended from alien shapeshifters that arrived on Earth during the age of the dinosaurs, most of which took the form of dinosaur-like creatures to blend with the local strongest lifeforms; others eventually took on mammalian forms. While the extinction event that killed off the dinosaurs left most of the aliens (both in saurian or mammalian form) unable to transform anymore, some of their offspring born afterward retained their shifting abilities. A handful of the descendants of both groups survive into the modern age, and some of them (mostly on the mammalian side, who were born as humans) can still change from human to saurian (or a hybrid form) as needed.
* In Creator/SeananMcGuire's ''Literature/InCryptid'' series, there are many species of therianthropes, including waheela, tanuki, and chupacabra. [[OurWerewolvesAreDifferent Werewolves]], on the other hand, are caused by a virus, and can infect any mammals, including humans, mammalian cryptids, and even ''sheep''. The lycanthropy-w virus always turns the victim into a lupine form, though there are other viruses that result in different forms.

* ''Literature/DancingBears'', by Fred Saberhagen, features, guess what, ursanthropes.

* Laurell K. Hamilton's ''[[Literature/AnitaBlake Anita Blake: Vampire Hunter]]'', in addition to werewolves, has wereleopards, werelions, weretigers ([[spoiler:including blue, red and black tigers in the recent books]]), at least three weredogs (their abilities are inherited instead of being due to infection), weresnakes (cobras and anacondas), wereswans (some are cursed, while others inherit their abilities like the weredogs do), wererats, werebears and werehyenas.
* Creator/TadWilliams ''Literature/BobbyDollar'' series has Fatback, who is a pig with a human mind by night and the reverse by day.
* Creator/SpiderRobinson's "[[Literature/CallahansCrosstimeSaloon Lady Sally]]" stories have a were-beagle.
* Fred Saberhagen's novel ''Dancing Bears'' features, guess what, ursanthropes.
* Mordred in ''Franchise/TheDarkTower'' is a werespider.

* In the Creator/WilliamSchoell sci-fi/horror novel ''Saurian'', the titular character and main antagonist is one of a race of hybrids, descended from alien shapeshifters that arrived on Earth during the age of the dinosaurs, most of which took the form of dinosaur-like creatures to blend with the local strongest lifeforms; others eventually took on mammalian forms. While the extinction event that killed off the dinosaurs left most of the aliens (both in saurian or mammalian form) unable to transform anymore, some of their offspring born afterward retained their shifting abilities. A handful of the descendants of both groups survive into the modern age, and some of them (mostly on the mammalian side, who were born as humans) can still change from human to saurian as needed.

* In ''Literature/TheSookieStackhouseMysteries'', there are a wide variety of "were's" able to turn into an assortment of animals. At least once a buffalo and an owl are seen. There are also "shifters", who are true therianthropes and can change into any animal form, but have a preferred default form they must change into on the full moon. Sookie's brother Jason is abducted and bitten by a were-panther, so he turns into a sort of panther-man at the full moon.

* People who can turn into animals are one breed of Other in ''Literature/NightWatch''. Werewolves are always Dark, but the rest can apparently be of any alignment. Specifically, Dark shapeshifters can only take on a single animal form, chosen when they initiate. Meanwhile, Light shapeshifters are actually Magicians who are gifted with shapeshifting magic and can take on numerous forms along the same theme. As Light Others, Tiger Cub can shift into various big cats, while [[CaptainObvious Bear can take on bear forms]].

* Laurell K. Hamilton's ''[[Literature/AnitaBlake Anita Blake: Vampire Hunter]]'', in addition to werewolves, has wereleopards, werelions, weretigers ([[spoiler:including blue, red and black tigers in the recent books]]), at least 3 weredogs (their abilities are inherited not infection), weresnakes (at least 2 species cobra and anaconda), wereswans (some are cursed others inherit their abilities like the weredogs), wererats, werebears, and werehyenas.
* Creator/TadWilliams ''Literature/BobbyDollar'' Series has Fatback who by night is a pig with a human mind and the reverse by day.

* In ''Literature/TheDresdenFiles'', while Harry Dresden is researching werewolves, Bob also mentions that there have also been such things as werebuffaloes and weregoats.

* People who can turn into animals are one breed of Other in ''Literature/NightWatch''. Werewolves are always Dark, but the rest can apparently be of any alignment.
** Specifically, Dark shapeshifters can only take on a single animal form, chosen when they initiate. Meanwhile, Light shapeshifters are actually Magicians who are gifted with shapeshifting magic and can take on numerous forms along the same theme. As Light Others, Tiger Cub can shift into various big cats, while [[CaptainObvious Bear can take on bear forms.]]

* ''The Turning'' by Helen Ellis has werecats. It's genetic, starts sometime during puberty, then lasts for two weeks every year for five years before stopping permanently. The 'turning' is brought on by contact with a cat (real or 'turned'). [[spoiler:There is a cure, but it only works before the second time you 'turn'.]]

* A.E. van Vogt's SF novel ''The Silkie'' features genetically modified people who can transform into aquatic, seal-like creatures or into living spaceships.

* Railrunner in Miranda Leek's ''{{Literature/Twisted}}'' is a were-roller coaster.

* Wers in Tanya Huffs ''Wizard of the Grove'' duology come in both [[OurWerewolvesAreDifferent wolf]] and mountain lion form. They were created by Wizards. They turn into very large versions of their respective species and their change isn't linked to the moon but to their emotional state. Which makes pregnancy and especially delivery very dangerous for both mother and child. [[spoiler: This is fixed by the Wizard Crystal who gives the women control over their change. She however is not able to do the same for the men.]]
* ''Year of the Unicorn'' by Andre Norton features the wereriders: a group of all-male humans altered by an adept that can become a specific animal more or less at will (wereriders include a bear, boar, eagle, snow leopard, wolf and horse). They can take other, more monstrous forms as well, but these forms seem to be mostly illusion while the animal shape seems to be real.
* In Amalie Howard's ''The Aquarathi'' series, the title aliens natural form is [[SeaMonster a giant spined seaserpent with clawed fins]] who can change into both human and humanoid (basically human but with multi-colored skin, AnimeEyes and sometimes fangs and claws depending on the individual) forms. [[spoiler: There are also genetically mutated hybrids that, again dpending on the individual can sometimes shift into full Aquarathi form bot others can only make a partial shift.]]
* The ''Uncommon Animals'' series features humans that turn into full wolves by the commands of a human with special magic called 'The Voice.'

* In addition to werewolves, ''Literature/{{Newshound}}'' also features numerous other kinds of werecreature, including werepanthers, weredingos, and wereseals, with even more kinds implied to exist.

* In Ilona Andrews' ''Literature/KateDaniels books'', the leader of the Pack is a werecat. He can change into a lion. Additional werebeasts include werebears, werebuffalos, wererats, werehyenas, werebadgers, etc.

* The ''Literature/TheMagicGoesAway'' short story "The Lion in his Attic" features a werewhale, [[spoiler: a weresealion]], and a discussion of what happens to weres when the magic goes away - "true" werebeasts are animals who take human form, and simply revert. Their HalfHumanHybrid children retain human form but go feral.

* Creator/ChristopherPaolini's ''Literature/InheritanceCycle'' series includes several characters who are referred to as werecats, but the novels describe werecats [[NonIndicativeName not as shapeshifting humans]], but as a separate magical species.

* ''Literature/{{Xanth}}'': Werebeasts of various kinds exist in Xanth, usually born from a human mother and a non-human father (the other way around results in a straight hybrid), who can go from human to animal or vice-versa at will. Known examples include a were-horse in ''Night Mare'' and a were-dragon in ''The Dastard''.

* The book series ''Literature/SwordOfTruth'' by TerryGoodkind includes a werecat.

* Werecreatures in the ''Literature/{{Mithgar}}'' novels are collectively called Cursed Ones; the condition is hereditary, and the Cursed One's animal form is based on what creature they "imprint" on - ie, the first animal they make a strong connection with. The actual transformation is voluntary, but [[TheMindIsAPlaythingOfTheBody the humanoid and animal forms are controlled by separate personalities]]; the human remembers what the animal form does and can give it a task by focusing strongly on something before changing, but the animal is only vaguely aware of the human identity and there is always the risk that it will forget to ever make the change back (though a Cursed One's friends may arrange to use some signal to trigger the change if necessary, usually by whispering their human name into the animal form's ear). Cursed Ones are [[TheAgeless immortal]] and have a strong HealingFactor, but they ''can'' be killed with one of three {{Achilles Heel}}s - silver, fire, or the fangs and claws of another Cursed One in animal shape. Notable Cursed Ones include [[NatureHero Dalavar the Wolfmage]] (werewolf), [[TheBigGuy Urus]] (werebear), Urus's son Bair (werewolf) and recurring villain [[EvilSorcerer Ydral]] and his son [[TortureTechnician Baron Stoke]] (who are the only Cursed Ones to have multiple animal forms, possibly a BlackMagic technique both used; both can shift to [[HellHound vulg]] or [[GiantFlyer fell beast]]).

* In Creator/RobertEHoward's "Literature/QueenOfTheBlackCoast" [[ConanTheBarbarian Conan]] fights werehyenas who are the minions of the story's BigBad.

* Werecreatures in the ''Literature/{{Mithgar}}'' novels are collectively called Cursed Ones; the condition is hereditary, and the Cursed One's animal form is based on what creature they "imprint" on - ie, the first animal they make a strong connection with. The actual transformation is voluntary, but [[TheMindIsAPlaythingOfTheBody the humanoid and animal forms are controlled by separate personalities]]; the human remembers what the animal form does and can give it a task by focusing strongly on something before changing, but the animal is only vaguely aware of the human identity and there is always the risk that it will forget to ever make the change back (though a Cursed One's friends may arrange to use some signal to trigger the change if necessary, usually by whispering their human name into the animal form's ear). Cursed Ones are [[TheAgeless immortal]] and have a strong HealingFactor, but they ''can'' be killed with one of three {{Achilles Heel}}s - silver, fire, or the fangs and claws of another Cursed One in animal shape. Notable Cursed Ones include [[NatureHero Dalavar the Wolfmage]] (werewolf), [[TheBigGuy Urus]] (werebear), Urus's son Bair (werewolf) and recurring villain [[EvilSorcerer Ydral]] and his son [[TortureTechnician Baron Stoke]] (who are the only Cursed Ones to have multiple animal forms, possibly a BlackMagic technique both used; both can shift to [[HellHound vulg]] or [[GiantGlyer fell beast]]).

* Literature/FiftyFeetOfTrouble includes the jaguar people, an obvious Film/CatPeople riff. They're extremely attractive, but whenever they get horny, they turn into jaguars and try to kill whatever set them off. Problem is, almost everything gets them horny.

* Literature/FityFeetOfTrouble includes the jaguar people, an obvious Film/CatPeople riff. They're extremely attractive, but whenever they get horny, they turn into jaguars and try to kill whatever set them off. Problem is, almost everything gets them horny.

* The ''Literature/TheMagicGoesAway'' short story "The Lion in his Attic" features a werewhale, [[spoiler: a weresealion]], and a discussion of what happens to weres when the magic goes away - "true" werebeasts are animals who take human form, and simply revert. Their HalfHumanHybrid children retain human form but go feral.

* People who can turn into animals are one breed of Other in ''Literature/NightWatch''. {{Werewolves}} are always Dark, but the rest can apparently be of any alignment.

* The ''Uncommon Animals'' series features humans that turn into full wolves by the commands of a human with special magic called 'The Voice.'

* SpiderRobinson's "[[Literature/CallahansCrosstimeSaloon Lady Sally]]" stories have a were-beagle.