An anthology of eight short stories by the critically acclaimed young Russian novelist. The writing is colloquial and often whimsical, and many of the stories take supernatural phenomena very much for granted, as with the werewolves of the title story, or another in which the protagonist discovers that everyone around him is, in fact, asleep at all times. This sense of precarious unreality, though humorous, offers telling insight into the state of contemporary Russian society. Vera Pavlovna's ninth dream—The ontology of childhood—Sleep—Tai Shou Chuan USSR (A Chinese folk tale) — The Tarzan swing—A werewolf problem in Central Russia—Bulldozer driver's day—Prince of Gosplan