90. Werewolves, Music, and the Beast Within, with Rick London

What if becoming a monster didn’t mean losing your humanity—but discovering what really keeps you human?In this episode of Alternate Futures, I sit down with debut author Rick London to explore The Dancing Wolfman, his unusual take on one of our oldest and most enduring monsters. Rick explains how he transformed the traditional werewolf story by giving his protagonist, Titus Wolf, an unexpected anchor: music, allowing Rick to turn a familiar tale of monstrous transformation into one of self-discovery, choice, romance and adventure. We chat about the enduring appeal of monster stories, Jaws, Alien, Predator and classic Star Wars, the advantages and limitations of modern CGI, and why great characters and storytelling still matter more than spectacular effects. And we consider what monsters can tell us about ourselves: the beast within, morality and self-control, the Beauty and the Beast archetype, strong female characters, and how Rick hopes to expand his story through werewolf mythology, biotech, mystery and thriller elements. We also discuss the future and what might happen as humanity itself begins to transform. As technology advances and humans potentially adapt to new environments beyond Earth, how much should we change—and how important will it be to remember where we came from?As usual, there are the Big Questions.Books of his we discuss: The Dancing Wolfemanhttps://dancingwolfeman.com/alternatefutures.substack.comalternatefutures.co.uk