The Howling is a 1977 horror novel by Gary Brandner. It was the inspiration for the film The Howling (1981), although the plot of the film was only vaguely similar to that of the book. Brandner published two sequels to the novel, The Howling II in 1979 (later republished as Return of the Howling) and The Howling III: Echoes in 1985. Neither sequel was used as the basis for any of the subsequent Howling films. However, minor elements from The Howling III: Echoes novel appear in the film Howling VI: The Freaks. The fourth film of the series, Howling IV: The Original Nightmare (1988), is the closest adaptation of Brandner's original 1977 novel, though even it differs in parts. Source: Wikipedia (en)