Horror Story Review: "Monsters of the Night" by Clark Ashton Smith

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This brief story is told through the eyes of a man becoming a werewolf, though the word “werewolf” is not used until the very end. The reader sees the hunger arising in the creature, who sheds his clothing incompletely and in haste then lies in wait for his prey— Author Clark Ashton Smith paints the picture starkly. We learn the werewolf first inkling of his malady was an aversion to cooked meat. A starving hound, he whimpers while he waits for a pedestrian to come into view. His tried and true strategy has never failed. Then again, if all went according to plan, there wouldn’t be much to tell, would there? I liked this cute little story. The ending was funny and unexpected. I was unable to find an electronic copy of this story. _____ Title: “Monsters in the Night” Author: Clark Ashton Smith (1893-1961) First published: The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction Oct. 1954