And written in 1896, it may be the first book ever written about uplifted/uplifting animals?? I’d be curious if there was one before that, but if not, it’s certainly noteworthy for that at the very least.
I second this. Very good book. Very memorable. Can be enjoyed on the surface as a grotesque horror story, or peeled away layer by layer to reveal many different meanings.
Agreed. I found this in the Wikipedia entry as well: “The novel is the earliest depiction of the science fiction motif “uplift” in which a more advanced race intervenes in the evolution of an animal species in order to bring the latter to a higher level of intelligence.”
It also seems like it was a protest/statement against vivisection of animals at the time, so kind of an animal rights book as well as inventing uplifted animals.
Vivisection was apparently a common practice on animals at the time. When I first read it I had never heard the word before, so I had to look it up. I was never the same after I became aware of what it was.
Yes. This definitely deserves to be recognized as one of the one hundred most important furry books.
Thanks for the link, Fred!
I knew it was on your 100 list, but I hadn’t seen the review yet.
Fred, w.r.t. furry “children’s books” of note…two of the reason I’m in the furrydom today are:
MRS. FRISBY AND THE RATS OF NIMH by Robert C. O’Brien
THE ADVENTURES OF A TWO-MINUTE WEREWOLF by Gene DeWeese
MJE
Mrs Frisby is on my list. I’ll consider a Two-Minute Werewolf.
I’ll give this a shot!
Title:
The Listonian
Type:
Novel
Genre:
Grounded Fantasy / Fantasy Adventure / War
Formats available:
Kindle: https://www.amazon.com/Listonian-D-L-Nighly-ebook/dp/B07J4Y454C
Book: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1642983047
Itunes: https://books.apple.com/us/book/the-listonian/id1438445661
Nook: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-listonian-dl-nighly/1129302578
Rating/advisories:
PG-13 for strong language / violence
Blurb:
What makes an identity? What does it mean to earn a name? For one individual trapped deep in the bowels of rootless squalor, suppressed by two mighty nations, it is the equivalent of finding one’s own being, perhaps one’s own soul. Stapen Evesuni was never one to step out of line. He knew his place in life and understood the path ahead of him. He knew he was at the bottom rung of the ladder of society, slightly above the dirt he was commanded to till. But life is not a direct path. There was something in him that told him otherwise, something that compelled him further. Maybe it was the dim light of a family he longed for, yearned for in the brightest of days and the darkest of nights. Perhaps it was the musings of a mad dictator. It could have been his religion or his rusty moral compass. Regardless of the reason, he tried to press forward despite his limitations and handicaps. One who could not read was not a threat. One who pontificated with an unpolished canter lacked the charisma to truly change the world around him. One who was raised on the streets couldn’t possibly gain the trust of any sensible dreamer. Yet despite the toils and struggles, despite the lingering conflicts and ever-present perils, Stapen Evesuni journeys on a struggle for his soul and the souls of those who dare to listen. Across the blood and battles, the soliloquies and speeches, he seeks to find his true self, chasing the identity of that which eludes him: the Listonian, the identity of his people.
Terms/restrictions: Please review! Other than that, have fun, and I hope you like the adventure!
Preferred place(s) to post reviews: I suppose Amazon would work?
How to contact: Probably on here, amazon, or via email.
Title:
The Vekaiyun
Type:
Novel
Genre:
Grounded Fantasy / Fantasy Adventure / War
Formats available:
Kindle: https://www.amazon.com/Vekaiyun-D-L-Nighly-ebook/dp/B07XC6JMS1
Book: https://www.amazon.com/Vekaiyun-D-L-Nighly/dp/1645447340
Itunes: https://books.apple.com/us/book/the-vekaiyun/id1478937628
Nook: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-vekaiyun-d-l-nighly/1132899523
Rating/advisories:
PG-13 for strong language / violence
Blurb:
It exists. At least, it has to exist, right? Somewhere between the wild expanse of the unknown and teetering on the scale of unrestrained innovation and morality must exist a specimen capable of complete and utter submission to the Vekaiyun Ideal. Maybe there exists more than one specimen. Perhaps these specimens, if they exist, merely need to be conditioned, controlled, and taught from an early age to bend to the wills and wants of the state. Azsur Venavle and his array of like-minded generals longed for such devoted subjects; therefore, it was made so.
.
One such individual, Ikrisia Levinile, known as Number Eight, is among such rootless specimens and is a peculiar study. Though a child, she is quick to grasp advanced concepts, and like her groupmates, she is a capable tactician. She was made that way, after all. Any vestige of compassion or emotional weaknesses appears to have been corrected, leaving a clean slate ready to accept the dogma of the all-important Vekaiyun state under Venavle’s rule, thereby ensuring his regime and those like his will remain intact for years to come.
.
Or so it appears. Specimens can have souls. They are more than a simple line of data tested against an algorithm of conditioned responses. Perhaps there’s something more to this Ikrisia Levinile that the analysts missed. Perhaps there’s another side that the cold hands of Azsur Venavle’s subordinates haven’t grasped. Perhaps a change is slowly forming against the horizon. Somewhere between the lines and existing only as harmless anomalies, an independent soul, an entity apart from the supplements and indoctrinations, exists. It exists. At least, it has to exist, right?
Terms/restrictions: Please review! Other than that, have fun, and I hope you like the adventure!
Preferred place(s) to post reviews: I suppose Amazon would work?
How to contact: Probably on here, amazon, or via email.