4*

Althought this is a debut novel, Good Dogs is a perfect werewolf monster story that marries folklore and family.

With elements of horror, nicely fleshed out characters and nods to the genre done with respect and good humour, this is a great read for monster fans.

It's not hyperbole to say that I think Good Dogs is one of the best werewolf novels out there. It's a superb mix of horror and character work, one I found myself finishing in only a few nights. You could say I... devoured it. it is a terrific novel and highly recommended this spooky season.

An enjoyable read about a “found” family of werewolves that relocate to a new home and only to l end up against something more sinister than themselves. This one had a strong start and the characters really pulled me in. The and felt a little flat and rushed though. All in all a solid read, I look forward to more from this author. Thank you to NetGalley for a chance to read and review this book.

Who knew there was something scarier in the woods at night than werewolves? This is a beautiful take on the power of chosen family over our given family, and how the love of your chosen family can lead you to become who you really are. The elements of the power of grief of are also present and how that grief can turn us into something totally unrecognizable. For fans of horror and werewolves, this novel is for you!

A huge thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC!

Werewolf stories come in all shapes and sizes, but Brian Asman’s debut novel, Good Dogs, highlights perhaps some rather emotionally compelling aspects of this well-loved subgenre. From ideas of found family to love and acceptance in the face of harsh change, this story packs an emotional punch to rival the gory grotesqueness that makes this a horror story. We meet Delia, a woman whose life has some sense of stability thanks to her pack. Instead of a chaos-fueled existence, their “Changes” are regulated with strict rules and protective technology. But what happens when those safeguards fail? This reality becomes all too real for Delia and her pack, leading to an uprooting of home, friction between pack members, and lots of turmoil. Settling in the allegedly abandoned town of Talbot, California, it’s time to start anew. Yet, something lurks in the woods, something even werewolves may not be able to contend with.

Any “monster” novel comes with its own unique set of fascinating details. For instance, we all know the typical lore of silver bullets and full moons surrounding werewolves, but it is always up to the author to determine what pieces of lore fit their story best. It’s in this way that these types of stories contain a unique sense of world-building, something that Brian Asman utilizes expertly. In this fashion, Good Dogs is a story completely of its own in terms of originality and uniqueness for the details by which these werewolves exist. And it would be wrong of me to say I’m not curious about what other happenings occur in this universe Asman has crafted given the creativity exhibited here.

Another shining facet of this debut is the character work Asman champions. There is an undeniable sense of a family forged with authenticity within these pages, showcasing a multitude of personalities, motivations, and meaningful dynamics. Of course, this is a horror novel, so these familial ties elevate feelings of suspense, especially in the last 30% of the book, to heart-pounding proportions. Asman takes his time setting the stage for the unstoppable reckoning headed for the pack, a gut-wrenching, stress-inducing, wild conclusion.

A snarling, suspenseful story, Brian Asman’s Good Dogs certainly scratches the itch for the werewolf stories we have all come to know and love while still implementing novelty and nuance. It’s a tale made possible through an immense care for characters only to be matched with tremendous violence and bloodshed by the story’s end. A werewolf story turned emotionally-fueled family saga turned somewhat slasher, Good Dogs has it all and then some.

This book hooked me from the first page and didn’t let go. It’s raw and tense and gives werewolves the gritty, non-glamorous treatment they deserve. We follow a werewolf family who, after one unfortunate mistake, has to pack up and move to what they think is a perfect new home. Spoiler: it’s not. Turns out, they’ve moved right into the territory of something much older and scarier, and things go downhill fast. The tension is off the charts, and just when you think you know what’s coming, the story twists in a way that keeps you guessing.

The writing is sharp and visceral, with just enough gore and dread to keep you on edge. The main character is super relatable, and I found myself rooting for them while thinking, “Oh no, this is not going to end well.” The pack dynamics add some great layers to the story, making the relationships feel real and messy. It’s not a perfect book, but honestly, that’s part of its charm. It’s dark, bloody, and unpredictable, and I’m already looking forward to whatever this author comes up with next.

Thank you NetGalley and Blackstone Publishing for this ARC Copy!

A story about werewolves that are not fantastical or romanticized is always going to intrigue me. I feel like the folklore and legend were honored in the portrayal of the wolf pack in this story. The found family who finally found a place to settle and are upended because of a mistake, and everything goes wrong. The wolves end up being stalked by a creature who was created from brutal and violent ends. The slasher eques writing style was addicting and kept me hooked to this story and constantly wanting more.

A found family group of werewolves, just trying to manage their inner beast move to the middle of nowhere to let their inner beasts run free. Little do they know they moved into the territory of something older, bigger, and badder than them.

I liked this so much. It was such a fun and horrific story. We get different archetypes of people that fit into the hierarchy of the half wolf pack half dysfunctional family, and I loved all of them. It didn't feel predictable despite Asman setting it up from page 1. This was some bloody action horror I had a great time with.

This very quickly made its way into my heart. And then into my gut, my brain, my soul. Right from the beginning we are thrown into an unsettling situation, one that really pulls at your heartstrings. And then it cranks on your anxiety and twists in your gut as you watch - because the imagery is spot on - as things get creepier and more horrifying. I loved the POV we enter after the initial hell broke loose, a relatable character in many ways. I felt myself get hopefully for this character, felt my heart break for this character and I thoroughly enjoyed it the whole way. When a book pulls you in the way this one does, it’s hard to not become invested in the story. Immersed in the story. I’ll be adding this one to my “favorite werewolf story” shelf post haste!

A new novel from a viral horror writer and this one is taking the werewolf horror approach. We follow a family of werewolves who must move from their current home after one of the members makes a deadly mistake. But at their new habitat, they encounter a mysterious beast and they must figure out a way to survive before everyone winds up dead. I’m trying to figure out if I’ve ever read a book totally centered on werewolves and I don’t think I have so this was an interesting story for me for sure. I liked it! Not perfect but I'd read more from this author.

Release: October 1

GOOD DOGS is not "just" a Horror Spooky, though the Horror is inventive and frighteningly implacable! Also this novel is a philosophical and existential examination of the nature of humanity, as viewed through a disparate collection of individuals who primarily have only one aspect in common: the Change. Not each month, but a few times each year, these folks lose their human nature to become wolf-creatures overnight, for about three consecutive nights, with humanness returning each morning. From an elder, through mid-age, to a late adolescent, each with divergent backgrounds, these intermittently shapeshifting humans must work through life both as humans, and as unthinking instinctual creatures of the night.

Good Dogs by Brian Asman is one engaging werewolf horror story!
His writing is just incredible. And I was honestly engaged from the very beginning.
A fascinating book that combines horror of the supernatural and the very real.
An excellent story!

Thank You NetGalley and Blackstone Publishing for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

Thank you to NetGalley for providing a review copy.

If you only know Brian Asman from reading Man, Fuck This House you are doing yourself a disservice. The man can WRITE. Good Dogs is my new favorite werewolf book. It's an interesting take on the werewolf mythos, emphasizing the importance of found family. Dangers both supernatural and human abound, with lots of tension and incredible action scenes. Easy 5 stars

Brian Asman is a time wizard, sprinkling magic this way and that as his words hit the page, and by time wizard I mean he transported me back in time with this here book and made me feel like I was a kid again, reading their first horror book, mind blown completely open, jaw not so much on the floor as off the face. The wonder and joy and the excitement, they hit me like that Mack truck Coach Conrad's mama supposedly drives.

There's The Howling and there's Mongrels. Now, now there's Good Dogs.

This started with such potential. A story from the werewolves point of view and some very fun, innovative ideas. However it felt like they went from beasts to pups when trouble hits.
As the story progressed I lost connection with the story as it felt like too much unnecessary back story and internal thinking. I found myself rolling my eyes and mumbling aloud to get the action going.
There were some great aspects of the book with characters and relationships that felt genuine, a gripping opening scene, and a unique take on the werewolf lore

WHOA, GOOD DOGS is a riveting creature feature that packs a powerful punch. Asman masterfully presents a unique perspective on the classic werewolf tale, infusing it with heartfelt horror and a compelling character-driven plot. At its core, this debut novel is a captivating exploration of found family, showcasing the author's talent for storytelling. While the story centers around werewolves, it delves deeply into the human experience, offering relatable and poignant moments as the characters grapple with their uncontrollable nature and the resulting feelings of guilt and shame.

Thank you to NetGalley and Blackstone Publishing for the opportunity to read and review Good Dogs by Brian Asman. All opinions are my own.

"No one ever said it was easy being a werewolf."

Our main character Delia and her "landlord" Hirsch have created a family of werewolves that follow rules to keep their secret and themselves safe. One night upon changing, even with all the safeguards in place, one of the family has brought back a severed limb from the hunt. This sets in motion a journey to save the family that will not end well. They head to a lone, empty town to escape possible discovery. This town has its own secrets and holds danger they cannot even fathom.

I enjoyed the found family aspect of this story, even though some of the characters don't seem to get along as well as others. I do enjoy a good werewolf story. The story jumps from one problem for the group to a much bigger problem in the wilderness where they go to what they think is a safe space. Creepy, atmospheric, last man standing vibes in the forest. Good backstory of the town. Gory action scenes. I gave it a solid 4 star. Good Dogs will be available at all major book retailers on October 1st. Happy Reading!!

Werewolf horror has never been my first choice so going in I was a bit hesitant. It’s mostly a slow burn in the beginning with lots of family dynamics and bickering. Interspersed within this background plot Asman pitches a few flashbacks that lay the groundwork for the antagonist.

The book revolves around a ragtag group of werewolves who are suddenly uprooted following a rough night out. They head out into no man’s land and uncover an even worse evil.

I don’t typically like blending horror tropes but I enjoyed this one. It’s not over the top with the typical werewolf-isms and I really liked the other supernatural aspect and its lore.

The characters are dimensional and didn’t feel overly cliche. The dialogue never felt corny or leaned too hard into the werewolf trope. It was a fun read.

The ending felt a bit convenient at times but Asman delivers on some gory scenes and action. I definitely recommend this to anyone who loves a good werewolf book or even just a slow burn creature feature.

Who's afraid of a big bad wolf? Brian Asman's debut novel Good Dogs from Blackstone Publishing turns that question on its head and suggests it’s the wolves who have something to fear.


I find it fitting that I first cracked this volume during September's supermoon/harvest moon/partial lunar eclipse. Or perhaps not, as the novel quickly educates the reader, the real world of werewolves ain't like the movies and the lunar cycle holds no sway over them. The wolf curse is nothing more than a genetic lottery, bites don’t turn you, but silver will do a number on a werewolf. Good Dogs is a story about outcasts, found family, and the struggle to survive in a world you have to hide yourself from. Equal parts Near Dark and The Howling, the book follows Delia, a werewolf, and the crew of similarly afflicted weirdos that are her pack. All were taken in and given shelter by father figure and pack leader Hirsch. The family live peacefully on a large property just outside of San Diego. The pack consists of Delia’s lover Naughton, the irritating internet bro Joey, the misanthropic heavy metal outcast Linnae, and the live-laugh-love hippy Baby Girl.


The novel bit into me, pun intended, from the first few pages. Asman sets the stage over a century prior with a gripping, tense prologue that follows a lone mother protecting her children besieged by howling snarling lupine attackers one snowy night in 1857. Having read Asman’s bizarro-lite WTF haunted house novella, Man, Fuck This House, I was more than a little excited to dive into his first full-length novel. I expected the unexpected. Good Dogs is a different animal, darker, and far more serious. Asman can juxtapose ordinary domesticity with the deadly, grim and often darkly humorous. The Hirsch wolfpack, for all their rough edges and interpersonal hostilities, are just like any other family. This family just happens to rely on radio shock collars to keep them from leaving their property line some nights, lest they eat the neighbors.


That’s really where the trouble starts in Good Dogs, after a “night out,” our lycanthropic cast awakens to discover that during the night one of them attacked a human being and brought home leftovers. With a murder to cover up, the pack goes on the run. It should all be okay though, because Hirsch has a plan. He’s purchased an abandoned ghost town named Talbot and intends for it to be their new home. It's so isolated that their wolf-selves could run free without stumbling upon anyone to snack on. Hirsch sends most of the family out to set up the new digs while he and Naughton stay behind to dispose of the remains from the prior night’s transgressions.


The werewolf protagonists are deeply lovable, and flawed, each burdened with trauma. Repression is a recurring theme here, most of the werewolves carry guilt and shame about the deeds of their night selves, the family lost, and the pain they’ve endured. They live their lives trying to restrict and deny the lupine part of themselves. It’s a delightfully flexible metaphor likely to strike a chord with anyone who has ever felt like they just don’t belong in the “normal” world. There’s something more than a little punk rock in the group ethos of this ragtag group of survivors and the strength they derive from one another, despite the dysfunction. There’s freedom in being known and understood. There’s freedom in family. But the ultimate freedom so many of them lack is self-acceptance.


When Delia, Linnae, Joey, and Baby Girl arrive in Talbot, we learn that they’re not the only nor the scariest thing in this ghost town, and their problems are much bigger than any of them expected. Lars, the closest thing to a neighbor Talbot has, catches the wolfpack on the side of the road in their day forms and warns them about something in the abandoned town that makes people disappear. What kind of horror novel would it be if our heroes heeded the warning? Besides, they don’t have much choice. As the wolves wait in Talbot for their leader to return, they change night after night and wake up every morning with rising suspicions there was some truth to the legends and stories surrounding Talbot. Speaking of Talbot, Good Dogs is full of genre callouts, and fun easter eggs. Locations like Kessler Circle, and the town of Talbot made my horror-loving inner wolf howl with delight. (If you don’t get those references, consider this homework!)


Sure to feed your appetite for the grim and gruesome, Asman pulls off a kill scene with skill that makes sure every slash is felt. He takes great care in giving each murder scene a sort of symmetry. He threads in a heavy dose of backstory where we learn each victim's hopes and frustrations in the moments leading up to their demise. Yes, Asman delivers the gore and monsters. He details it all with the richly and satisfactorily macabre language you’d expect from a horror novel but what gives each kill that added impact is the way he links the victim’s desires to their final moment. No death is cheap here and the effect is suffocating and horrific. The history of Talbot is fleshed in interludes that cut into the main narrative, each narrator allows Asman to flex a little as he adopts a different voice for each entry, my favorite of the lot being the 1930s wise guy.


Good Dogs is exactly the kind of book you want to read this Halloween season, and I suspect the folks at Blackstone felt the same as they’ve decided to unleash the beasts on the world on October 1st.

I read Good Dogs by Brian Asman with my reading buddy, Kizzy. She's a rescue Dobie. I fell in love with this ragtag group of good werewolves. This is a heartwarming tale with teeth. There is still tons of action and violence. These scenes are well-balanced with the character development. This book will also break your heart. All of the werewolves both struggle and embrace their nature. Which means moving to an abandoned town to avoid killing people or being found out. There is a reason that Talbot, California, is a ghost town.

Even though all of the characters are adults, it feels like a coming-of-age novel. Each character is missing something from their lives because of what they are. They find meaning in their pack and through their trials together. This novel shows you can choose your family if your birth ones aren't the greatest. Friends can be your family and will be there no matter what. I highly recommend preordering this!