List Format

Books C (p. 1)

Books: B (p. 2 of 2)

Blumlein, Michael

XY {/11,86/} [BBT]

[Dell/Abyss; 1993; 0440213746; $4.99] [BB]

About a man who walks into a bar and through some sort of sonic device transfers minds with a beautiful barroom dancer. He/she then has to come to grips with the fact of his entrapment when his old body dies (for some unremembered reason). Not bad although some of this author's ideas of a relationship need some psychiatric help. -86
Horror; Rating: 1 Cause: X Result: MT/GC Significance: 0 Description: - Saturation: -. The transformation is left completely unexplained; the only thing interesting about the transformation is the psychological effects, and those are not pleasant reading. Maybe not bad, but certainly not good IMHO. -11

Boyd, John [SS] [AL] [DZ]

The Organ Bank Farm {/42/} [BBT]

[Bantam; 1972; 553-07049-075; $.75]

[Cause: GM/AM Result: MT.] Genetic manipulation and brain transplants. Good, slightly macabre tongue-in-cheek. -42

Boyer, Elizabeth [BR]

The Elves and the Otterskin series {/45/}

[The Elves and the Otterskin: Del Rey; 1985; 0345320549; $2.95] [BB] [BBT]
[The Sword and the Satchel: Del Rey; 1983; 0345309863; $2.95] [BB] [BBT]
[The Sword and the Satchel: Ballantine; 1989; 0345336011; $?] [BB]
[The Thrall and the Dragon's Heart: Del Rey; 1983; 034531445X; $2.95] [BB] [BBT]
[The Thrall and the Dragon's Heart: Ballantine; 1983; 0345337492; $?] [BB]
[The Wizard and the Warlord: Del Rey; 1983; 0345307119; $2.95] [BB] [BBT]

[Result: BX/AN.] ...Are light-hearted fantasy and follow a plot that differs only in details. Always some green youth finds a powerful magic item and journeys forth to destroy an evil wizard who threatens to enslave or destroy the world, etc. -45

The Troll's Grindstone series {/45/}

[The Troll's Grindstone: Del Rey; 1986; 0345321820; $3.50] [BB] [BBT]
[The Curse of Slagfid: Del Rey; 1989; 0345332652; $3.95] [BB] [BBT]
[The Dragon's Carbuncle: Del Rey; 1990; 0345354591; $4.95] [BB] [BBT]

[Result: BX/AN.] ...Begin in the same setting, but are a series, and, IMHO, rather more rewarding. -45

On The Elves and the Otterskin series and The Troll's Grindstone series:

[Result: BX/AN.] Most elves and all wizards have power to transform themselves into one other creature, their fylgja. -45

Bradbury, Ray [AL] [BR]

Something Wicked This Way Comes {69//} [BBT]

[Bantam; 1970; 553-03408-075; $.75]
[Bantam Spectra; 1983; 0553280325; $5.50] [BB]
[Avon; 1998; 0380729407; $5.99] [BB]

[Result: AR.] The carousel at the evil carnival makes people older or younger, depending on whether it is turning forwards or backwards. Used heavily in the plot. -69

Bradley, Marion Zimmer [AL] [BR] [DZ]

Endless Universe {/42/} [BBT]

[aka Endless Voyage] [BBT]
[Ace; 1979; 0441206611; $1.95] [BB]
[Ace; 1982; 0441206689; $?] [BB]

[Cause: AM Result: BM.] Space travel requires surgical adaptation. -42

The World Wreckers {/42,TG/} [BBT]

[Ace; 1971; 0441911722; $1.75] [BB]
[DAW; 1994; 0886776295; $4.99] [BB$]

[Result: HG.] Hermaphrodites who go through a gender-shifting metamorphosis. -42

Bradley, Marion Zimmer (ed.) [BL]

Darkwater (anthology) {/3/} [BBT]

[?]!

[Result: BX/AN.] There are also a few stories in [this] anthology, but I don't remember others. In fact, I only remember the name of one story-- 'Lady into Fox' is about a woman who, for no particularly good reason ('There was no family history of this sort of thing,' to quote the story), changes into a fox. The story mostly focuses on her husband's attempts to deal with the change. -3
Brian Eirik Coe was nice enough to provide the editor's name, which was previously unknown. -Ph
I still haven't been able to locate this book. I have found references to a Lady Into Fox authored by David Garnett and published by Knopf in 1923; does anyone know whether this is the same thing? -Ph

Sword and Sorceress (anthology series) {/38/} [BBT]

[I: DAW; 1984; 0879979283, $2.95] [BB] [BBT]
[II: DAW; 1985; 0886770416, $2.95] [BB] [BBT]
[II: DAW; 1989; 0886773601; $?] [BB]
[III: DAW; 1986; 0886773024, $3.95] [BB] [BBT]
[IV: DAW; 1987; 0886772109, $3.50] [BB] [BBT]
[IV: DAW; 1989; 0886774128; $?] [BB]
[V: DAW; 1988; 0886772885, $3.95] [BB] [BBT]
[VI: DAW; 1990; 0879974233, $4.50] [RR] [BB] [BBT]
[VII: DAW; 1990; 0886774578, $4.50] [BB] [BBT]
[VIII: DAW; 1991; 0886774861, $4.50] [RR] [BB] [BBT]
[IX: DAW; 1992; 0886775094; $4.50] [BB] [BBT]
[X: DAW; 1993; 0886775523; $4.99] [BB] [BBT] {/132/}
[XI: DAW; 1994; 0886776147; $?] [BB] [BBT]
[XII: DAW; 1995; 0886776570; ?] [BB] [BBT]
[XIII: DAW; 1996; 0886777038; $5.99] [BB] [BBT] {/132/}
[XIV: DAW; 1997; 0886777410; $5.99] [BB] [BBT]
[XV: DAW; 1998; 0886777682; $5.99] [BB] [BBT]

[Cause: MA/MC Result: BX.] Every volume in the series has at least one or two transformation stories. Some good, some mediocre. Fantasy. -38
(On Sword & Sorceress X:) Also, I had a story[...]called "In Sheep's Clothing" which is again a werewolf story. [Result: LY.] -132 (98/02/06)
(On Sword & Sorceress XIII): My story "Crow Feathers"[...]is about a human-avian tranformation. [Result: BX/AN.] -132 (98/02/06)

Brandner, Gary

Cat People {/83/} [BBT]

[Fawcett; 1982; 0449144704, $2.95] [BB$]

[Cause: NA Result: SC/AN.] Shapechanging (Based on the 1982 version of the film Cat People). -83

The Howling {11/Ph,65,87,154/} [BBT]

[Fawcett; 1977; 0449138240, $1.75] [BB]
[Fawcett; 1986; 0449131556; $?] [BB]

Rating: 2 Result: LY Significance: + Description: + Saturation: -. Horror; lycanthropy. Traditional werewolf story. Somewhat the basis for the original movie of the same name; definitely the basis for the fourth movie in the series. A reasonably good transformation description saves it from the trash heap. -11
As a story it's fair at best, but as a transformation tale it's worth a look, though I wouldn't quite give it a +. -Ph
Lycanthropy. -154

The Howling II {/87/11,65,Ph,154} [BBT]

[Fawcett; 1978; 0449140911; $1.95] [BB]
[Fawcett; 1984; 0449124002; $?] [BB]

Rating: 1 Result: LY Significance: X Description: X Saturation: X. Strongly not recommended. I couldn't get through it. -11
Nor I... I just thought it should be listed since its previous volume was. The transformation stuff isn't even as good as Howling I. -Ph
Lycanthropy. -154

The Howling III {/83,87,154/} [BBT]

[Fawcett; 1985; 0449128342, $3.50] [BB]

[Result: LY.] Lycanthropy...The Howling II was rather bad, but III is actually pretty decent! -83
Lycanthropy. Teenage male werewolf wants to leave his pack. -154 (98/02/12)

On The Howling, The Howling II, The Howling III:

Fairly good stuff; the movie follows the first one reasonably well, the second one follows on the heels of the first (read 'em back to back), but the third is the best read, set years after the burning of Drago. Don't let the mass of movie sequels (6 and counting) turn you off - only the first movie has anything to do with the books. -87

Bridges, William [??]

The Silver Crown {/154,Ph/} [??] [BBT]

[White Wolf; 1995; 1565048822; $5.99] [BB]

[Result: LY.] Lycanthropy. -154 (98/02/13)
Another book set in the World of Darkness background from the White Wolf roleplaying games. Not read. -Ph

Briery, Traci [??]

The Werewolf Chronicles {/154/} [??] [BBT]

[Zebra; 1995; 0821748424; $4.50] [BB]

[Result: LY.] Lycanthropy. -154 (98/02/12)

Wolfsong {/154/} [??] [BBT]

[Zebra; 1996; 082175288X; $?] [BB]

[Result: LY.] Lycanthropy. -154 (98/02/12)

Brin, David [AL] [BL] [BR]

The Postman {/22/} [BBT]

[Bantam; 1986; 0553257048; $3.95] [BB]
[Bantam; 1985; 0553051075; $?] [BB]

Military enhancements. -22

Uplift series {/42/}

[Startide Rising: Bantam Spectra; 1993; 055327418X; $6.99] [BB] [BBT]
[Sundiver: Bantam Spectra; 1996; 0553269828; $6.50]! [BB] [BBT]
[The Uplift War: Spectra; 1987; 055325121X; $4.50] [BB] [BBT]
[The Uplift War: Spectra; 1996; 0553279718; $6.50] [BB]

[Cause: GM Result: RM.] The transformation, by genetic manipulation, is evolutionary rather than personal. (If you haven't read Startide Rising go read it now, before finishing to read this list.) -42

Brooks, Terry [AL] [BR]

The Elfstones of Shannara {/4/} [BBT]

[Ballantine; 1990; 0345285549; $6.99]! [BB]

[Result: BX.] Young elf girl becomes a tree. -4

Magic Kingdom series {/18/Ph}

[Magic Kingdom For Sale-Sold!: Ballantine; 1990; 0345317580; $6.99] [BB] [BBT]
[The Black Unicorn: Ballantine; 1990; 0345335287; $6.99] [BB] [BBT]
[Wizard At Large: Ballantine; 1989; 0345362276; $6.99] [BB] [BBT]

[Cause: MA Result: BX/AN.] Has a person magically turned into a dog. Poor Abernathy. -18
I wouldn't bother to find this for the sake of the transformations. Abernathy's there, but a pretty minor plot element, and he seemed pretty "cardboard" to me. -Ph

Brown, Crosland

Tombley's Walk {/87,154/} [BBT]

[Avon; 1991; 0380760975; $4.50] [BB$]

[Result: BX/AN.] Infectous werewolves infest small-town Texas; the change is one-way only. Fairly graphic violence, surprisingly good read... -87
[Result: LY.]Lycanthropy. -154

Bulgakov, Mikhail

Heart of a Dog {125//} [BBT]

[trans. Mirra Ginsburg: Grove Weidenfeld; 1987; 0802150594; $10.00] [BB]
[trans. Michael Glenny: Harvill; 1997; 1860460828; $13.00] [BB]

[Cause: AM Result: BX.] ...A medical experiment is performed on a lovable stray dog named Sharik, when the testes and pituitary gland of an executed criminal are implanted in him. Sharik morphs into a human, but a petty and mean-spirited human, who manages to find his niche in the Moscow city bureaucracy as the official responsible for the extermination of the city's cats. (See Spoiler Section for more information.) -125

Bull, Emma

War for the Oaks {/42/} [BBT]

[Ace; 1996; 0441870732; $5.99] [BB]

[Cause: NA Result: LY.] A Pookha is a kind of were-dog. In case you were wondering. -42

Burroughs, Edgar [AL] [DZ]

The Land that Time Forgot {/42/} [BBT]

[Tandem; 1975; 0426180321; $1.25] [BB]
[Ballantine; 1992; 034537407X; $?] [BB]
[Video: GTE; 1997; $9.99] [BB]

[Cause: EC Result: RM.] Trilogy set in a land where evolution is personal. Neanderthals wake up one day and find/decide that it's time to become Cro-Magnons. -42

Synthetic Men of Mars {/42/} [BBT]

[Del Rey; 1988; 0345339304; $3.95] [BB]

[Cause: AM Result: MT.] Pulp-era brain transplants. -42

Burton, Sir Richard (trans.)

The Arabian Nights {/3/} [FT] [BBT]

[Selections: Modern Library; 1997; 0679602356; $20.50 hardcover]! [BB]
[Selections: Crescent; 1993; 0517265753; $12.99] [BB]

...At least half the stories have transformations of one sort or another. -3

Busby, F. M. [SS] [AL] [BL] [BR]

The Breeds of Man {11/TG/} [BBT]

[Bantam Spectra; 1988; 0553270087; $3.95] [BB]

Rating: 4 Cause: GM Significance: 0 Description: + Saturation: +. After conquering an AIDS-like plague, the inhabitants of Earth find themselves unable to bear more than one child per partner's blood type. The solution to that, however, produces some unexpected side effects... (See the Spoilers Section for more information.) -11

Demu Trilogy {/42/} [BBT]

[Pocket; 1980; 0671432885; $3.50] [BB]

[Cause: AM Result: BM.] Aliens who believe themselves to have the only acceptable form try to alter their captives to suit. -42

Butler, Octavia [AL] [BL] [DZ]

Most everything recommended -8

Patternist series {11//}

[Wild Seed: Warner; 1995; 0445205377; $5.99] {Ph/8,12,87/} [BB] [BBT]

Result: MT/BX Significance: +. One main character "transforms" by possessing others' bodies when he dies; the other really shapeshifts. Again, a great psychological story. -Ph

[Clay's Ark: Ace; 1985; 0441110894; $2.75] {64/42/} [BB] [BBT]
[Clay's Ark: Warner; 1996; 0446603708; $5.99] [BB]

A space-born plague transforms much of the human race. -42
Rating: 4 Result: BM Significance: + Description: + Saturation: +. -64

[Patternmaster: Warner; 1995; 0446362816; $5.50] [BB] [BBT]
[Mind of My Mind: Questar; 1994; 0446361887; $5.99] [BB] [BBT]
[Survivor: Doubleday; 1978; 0385133855; $?] [BB] [BBT]
[The Parable of the Sower (maybe): Warner; 1995; 0446601977; $5.99] [BB] [BBT]

On the whole series:

I've only read Patternmaster, Wild Seed, and 1/2 of Mind of My Mind, but would (based on these and her other works, plus the opinion of my sister-in-law) recommend all of these books. Patternmaster is the first written, weakest, and contains no transformations. Wild Seed is, IMHO, perhaps the perfect example of a "transformation story"--the transformations are well described, reasonably explained for their environment, reasonably frequent and varied, and still do not dominate the story--which is wonderfully told. SF; Rating: 4 Cause: X Result: MT/SC Significance: + Description: + Saturation: + -11

Xenogenesis series {11,Ph/8,12,15,TG/}

[Dawn: Warner; 1997; 0446603775; $5.99] [BB] [BBT]
[Adulthood Rites: Warner; 1995; 0445209038; $5.99] [BB] [BBT]
[Adulthood Rites: Warner; 1997; 0446603783; $5.99] [BB]
[Imago: Warner; 1997; 0446603635; $5.99] [BB] [BBT]

Rating: 4 Cause: AX Result: BM Significance: + Description: + Saturation: +. SF; Alien technology... An alien race comes upon an Earth devastated by nuclear war, and rescues the survivors. Their intention: to interbreed, incorporating the best of both races. -11
A fascinating look at the psychological aspects of such a situation; is it better for humanity to die or to change to something not really human? Different people make different decisions, and the reader can empathize with all of them. -Ph

On Xenogenesis series and Wild Seed:

Butler is an amazingly good writer who is not terribly well-known. These books are unsettling. -12

Where to from here?

Books B (p. 1)

Transformation Stories List

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Books C (p. 1)

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