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The Rewilding: A story of Mammalæ origins
Anna is a young arctic vixen with a microprocessor for a brain. Taken from her home in the wild, she is to be studied, reverse engineered and disposed of when done. She plans her escape, but things take an unexpected turn.
Trapped between two very different realities - a high-tech world where her hunting skills mean nothing - and a strange empty forest that somehow only exists in her mind. Danger lurks around every corner and she has to run without rest.
Luckily, she is not alone.
Body horror, Medical non-consent
Trapped between two very different realities - a high-tech world where her hunting skills mean nothing - and a strange empty forest that somehow only exists in her mind. Danger lurks around every corner and she has to run without rest.
Luckily, she is not alone.
Body horror, Medical non-consent
204 pages, Kindle Edition
Published January 27, 2025
2 people are currently reading
13 people want to read
About the author
Erdbok
2 books9 followersJako Malan (aka. Erdbok) is an author based in Cape Town, South Africa. His style could be described as visceral and he enjoys blending different genres. He is a furry and as such most of his work is geared towards the Furry Fandom.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
August 24, 2025
This review is also featured on Behind the Pages: The Rewilding
Thank you to Erdbok for providing me with a copy of this book! I voluntarily leave this review!
Anna has only known life in the forest. Roaming the wilds with her anthropomorphic fox clan and the day to day of survival in the wild. That is, until the day humans invade their territory and steal Anna away. Forced into a city, where everything is new and frightening, Anna is subjected to the whims of a human named Isidore. He has one goal in mind, and he will stop at nothing to achieve it. Even if it means violating Anna’s mind and being.
Erdbok is great at achieving the vileness certain humans treat Anna and her kind. Though she was caught in the wild, Anna is not a simple mammal; she is a Mammalæ. The difference lies in her mind, where she has a computer processor. Because of this she is objectified by Isidore. It is heartbreaking to see the minimal care she is given, only enough to keep her functioning physically, yet not emotionally. And while there are advocates for Anna’s well-being, she must endure much to reach even a small semblance of comfort.
There were some actions taken by the forces opposing Isidore that didn’t quite line up with their goals. While wanting to retrieve Anna, they severely damaged other assets that seemed to be valuable. However, their misguided actions were the catalyst for further plot development and Anna’s push to make changes for herself.
The Rewilding is an easy to read novel, but carries heavy undertones of lost innocence and objectivity. While the details are not embellished, there is no doubt the torture Anna endures mentally is extensive. This novel would be recommended for those who enjoy cyberpunk elements and anthropomorphic creatures.
Thank you to Erdbok for providing me with a copy of this book! I voluntarily leave this review!
Anna has only known life in the forest. Roaming the wilds with her anthropomorphic fox clan and the day to day of survival in the wild. That is, until the day humans invade their territory and steal Anna away. Forced into a city, where everything is new and frightening, Anna is subjected to the whims of a human named Isidore. He has one goal in mind, and he will stop at nothing to achieve it. Even if it means violating Anna’s mind and being.
Erdbok is great at achieving the vileness certain humans treat Anna and her kind. Though she was caught in the wild, Anna is not a simple mammal; she is a Mammalæ. The difference lies in her mind, where she has a computer processor. Because of this she is objectified by Isidore. It is heartbreaking to see the minimal care she is given, only enough to keep her functioning physically, yet not emotionally. And while there are advocates for Anna’s well-being, she must endure much to reach even a small semblance of comfort.
There were some actions taken by the forces opposing Isidore that didn’t quite line up with their goals. While wanting to retrieve Anna, they severely damaged other assets that seemed to be valuable. However, their misguided actions were the catalyst for further plot development and Anna’s push to make changes for herself.
The Rewilding is an easy to read novel, but carries heavy undertones of lost innocence and objectivity. While the details are not embellished, there is no doubt the torture Anna endures mentally is extensive. This novel would be recommended for those who enjoy cyberpunk elements and anthropomorphic creatures.
October 23, 2025
good, thought it would go very differently than what I read.
Not the biggest fan of the last third, and man its weird to read about furry cons in a furry book xD
Not the biggest fan of the last third, and man its weird to read about furry cons in a furry book xD
December 31, 2025
I really enjoyed the other books in this series, so I picked this one up as well. As with the others, the writing quality is excellent. One thing to note is how simple the language and sentences are when we're in the point of view of Anna, who grew up in the wild and is experiencing the hectic, blisteringly hot, and confusing modern world she's thrown into, which both works thematically and makes this breezy to read.
I do wonder a little if this is a story that should have been told. and like all such explorations it removes a bit of the mystique for me. Of course, it is an interesting thing to explore, so I can understand the desire to do so.
One criticism, and this is purely because I personally am starting to tire of seeing this: like so many other stories featuring humans and anthropomorphized animals, the latter are a beaten-down second- or slave-class, and so a lot of this book explores the depths of the kinds of depravity that comes with the existence of such a class, with humans acting in our usual lackadaisical cruelty when placed in the role of the superior. It's a fine trope to play with, but by now I'd really like to see some more novel explorations of it. The novelty I found in this story is the artificial intelligence angle, not the moral angle. But the rest of it (particularly an amusing inclusion of a scene in a big furry convention) makes up for that.
I do wonder a little if this is a story that should have been told. and like all such explorations it removes a bit of the mystique for me. Of course, it is an interesting thing to explore, so I can understand the desire to do so.
One criticism, and this is purely because I personally am starting to tire of seeing this: like so many other stories featuring humans and anthropomorphized animals, the latter are a beaten-down second- or slave-class, and so a lot of this book explores the depths of the kinds of depravity that comes with the existence of such a class, with humans acting in our usual lackadaisical cruelty when placed in the role of the superior. It's a fine trope to play with, but by now I'd really like to see some more novel explorations of it. The novelty I found in this story is the artificial intelligence angle, not the moral angle. But the rest of it (particularly an amusing inclusion of a scene in a big furry convention) makes up for that.
July 9, 2025
This was a really cool and unique cyberpunk-esque story. it dealt with a lot of heavy themes, like loss of innocence and climate change, but with a glimmer of hope that things can get better. I really liked the stark contrast between Anna's home and the city she ends up in. It was really well done and showed how her tribe was community led, but in the city humans exist in isolation.
The computer programme part was especially cool. I really liked the concept and it was a really interesting added dimension to the story.
I'm glad Anna found a happy ending, even though she went through so much. I like that little bits of hope shone through in the narrative and that it wasn't all doom and gloom.
I would have liked a list of TW at the start, although it's possible they are elsewhere and I just missed them.
Overall, a really cool read.
The computer programme part was especially cool. I really liked the concept and it was a really interesting added dimension to the story.
I'm glad Anna found a happy ending, even though she went through so much. I like that little bits of hope shone through in the narrative and that it wasn't all doom and gloom.
I would have liked a list of TW at the start, although it's possible they are elsewhere and I just missed them.
Overall, a really cool read.
February 23, 2025
Fans of anthropomorphic books and cyberpunk stories ought to enjoy this quick, fast-paced read, an enjoyable mashup between furcon and cyberpunk tropes. Readers will grapple together with the author's engaging characters with uncomfortable questions like "what is life?" and "what is consent?" and "what is freedom?" and "who decides who lives and who dies?" Despite pulse-racing climax and a heartwarming denouement, this reader would have liked to have read a bit more exposition throughout the text to render the story's conclusion more inevitable and less contrivable.
May 7, 2025
I liked this book. It's harsh, cold in some parts, showing how innocence can't last much in a world where what counts the most it's profit.
It's not hopeless though, and this make the story even more interesting.
The only reason i give 4 stars and not five it's because in some places it sorts of lose pace, but it's overall a book i really enjoyed.
It's not hopeless though, and this make the story even more interesting.
The only reason i give 4 stars and not five it's because in some places it sorts of lose pace, but it's overall a book i really enjoyed.
June 25, 2025
Disclaimer: I helped proof-read an earlier version of the manuscript
If you were a teenager back in the early 2000s (or even on the periphery of the computer world in the years before Android) you would remember how almost every computer ran Microsoft Windows in some form. It was all well and good until licensing codes were introduced in response to piracy. Suddenly, no programs were 'free' anymore. There was no alternative on the market. No freedom of choice. Lawsuit after lawsuit followed on disputes over patents. Moreover, the internet was slow and there were hardly any programs available that worked on every computer. This lead to the enthusiastic open-source software movement, first with Linux, which then led to others like Android in the mobile market. Also Wikinomics. Unfortunately, social media, YouTube, and the love for advertising money have caused many of these noble ideals and sacrifices to be forgotten. Today, open-source enthusiasts are seen in the same light as die-hard communists.
This trend is as old as the hills: in 'Der Kaffeedieb' we find a similar monopoly; it is broken with the Dutch East India Company sending someone to dramatically steal a coffee plant...
In 2082, about 100 years after the author's birth, Anna is the product of a similar movement.
The freeing of her kind is embodied in Isidore, who wants something from this feralized Furry-sentient. She's a means to an end.
The original manufacturer wants Anna eradicated before MORE guys like Isidore can use her as a prototype to create more of her "free" kind. They decide to use one of their beta-mode leopard models for this. (And obviously I have deep sympathy towards FEL-9. My furry OC is a Cape leopard after all...)
Initially, we get to know Isidore as someone who sees Anna as little more than a piece of tin foil. Later, we encounter themes such as: 'what is fatherhood?' 'what is parental responsibility?' This serves as a follow-up to similar existential themes we find in 'reWritten' ('why am I here?; if I no longer have a purpose, where do I go?') and in 'reKindled' ('What is love?'). Although it is not a chronologically evolution of the series, we do find a maturation in the writer.
I won't reveal more. The FurCon depicted in Cape Town was quite an experience because:
1) it has always been held only in the Gauteng province, where most South African Furries live;
2) it feels surprisingly contemporary - and as I imagined it.
Lastly, I would like to give a nod to Erkyhan Rafosa for the excellent cover and I would love to have the book in printed form.
If you were a teenager back in the early 2000s (or even on the periphery of the computer world in the years before Android) you would remember how almost every computer ran Microsoft Windows in some form. It was all well and good until licensing codes were introduced in response to piracy. Suddenly, no programs were 'free' anymore. There was no alternative on the market. No freedom of choice. Lawsuit after lawsuit followed on disputes over patents. Moreover, the internet was slow and there were hardly any programs available that worked on every computer. This lead to the enthusiastic open-source software movement, first with Linux, which then led to others like Android in the mobile market. Also Wikinomics. Unfortunately, social media, YouTube, and the love for advertising money have caused many of these noble ideals and sacrifices to be forgotten. Today, open-source enthusiasts are seen in the same light as die-hard communists.
This trend is as old as the hills: in 'Der Kaffeedieb' we find a similar monopoly; it is broken with the Dutch East India Company sending someone to dramatically steal a coffee plant...
In 2082, about 100 years after the author's birth, Anna is the product of a similar movement.
The freeing of her kind is embodied in Isidore, who wants something from this feralized Furry-sentient. She's a means to an end.
The original manufacturer wants Anna eradicated before MORE guys like Isidore can use her as a prototype to create more of her "free" kind. They decide to use one of their beta-mode leopard models for this. (And obviously I have deep sympathy towards FEL-9. My furry OC is a Cape leopard after all...)
Initially, we get to know Isidore as someone who sees Anna as little more than a piece of tin foil. Later, we encounter themes such as: 'what is fatherhood?' 'what is parental responsibility?' This serves as a follow-up to similar existential themes we find in 'reWritten' ('why am I here?; if I no longer have a purpose, where do I go?') and in 'reKindled' ('What is love?'). Although it is not a chronologically evolution of the series, we do find a maturation in the writer.
I won't reveal more. The FurCon depicted in Cape Town was quite an experience because:
1) it has always been held only in the Gauteng province, where most South African Furries live;
2) it feels surprisingly contemporary - and as I imagined it.
Lastly, I would like to give a nod to Erkyhan Rafosa for the excellent cover and I would love to have the book in printed form.
June 17, 2025
You might like this book if your:
-enjoy cyberpunk stuff
-are interested in bizarre AI concepts
-are up for a darker tone
-enjoy a fast paced, shorter tale
The Rewilding is a fast-paced and mysterious cyberpunk thriller that follows Anna, a young anthropomorphic fox who is taken from the wild and held prisoner for unknown reasons. As Anna attempts to understand the new world around her, the reader attempts to understand why she is being held and experimented upon, and what her captor's plans are for her. It makes for a very intriguing tale--one where the nature of this world, the characters, and their motivations are revealed slowly and deliberately. Combined with short, staccato sentence structure for most of the book, it makes for some really engaging and fast paced material.
What really struck me about this book, and what will likely keep it in my mind, is how well done the themes of restricted bodily autonomy, mourning, and manipulation are. There are so many gut wrenching moments here, and Anna's character development as an innocent and ignorant victim of those moments was extremely effective, and often sickening. It made me contemplate the cruelty that's so prevalent in the world and its people, and I think the book earns plenty of points for provoking such thought.
The writing can be a bit of a mixed bag. The biggest example of this comes from an inconstent tone. Much of the story is beautifully dismal, subtly emotional, and anxiety-inducing, but halfway through, for about 50 pages, it suddenly becomes a meta action comedy. Then it returns to that original tone to finish out the book. It was one of the most jaring things I've read in quite a while, and sadly not in a good way (although I certainly can't say it wasn't memorable). Some sections also seem like they could have been cut without taking away from the story, but again I can't say I didn't enjoy reading them. I hope the writer looks into correcting this in their next book, because if they do I think they'll be able to write something pretty legendary.
Altogether a mixed bag with regards to writing and story, but one that leaves a big effect nonetheless, and is unlike anything else I've read this year.
-enjoy cyberpunk stuff
-are interested in bizarre AI concepts
-are up for a darker tone
-enjoy a fast paced, shorter tale
The Rewilding is a fast-paced and mysterious cyberpunk thriller that follows Anna, a young anthropomorphic fox who is taken from the wild and held prisoner for unknown reasons. As Anna attempts to understand the new world around her, the reader attempts to understand why she is being held and experimented upon, and what her captor's plans are for her. It makes for a very intriguing tale--one where the nature of this world, the characters, and their motivations are revealed slowly and deliberately. Combined with short, staccato sentence structure for most of the book, it makes for some really engaging and fast paced material.
What really struck me about this book, and what will likely keep it in my mind, is how well done the themes of restricted bodily autonomy, mourning, and manipulation are. There are so many gut wrenching moments here, and Anna's character development as an innocent and ignorant victim of those moments was extremely effective, and often sickening. It made me contemplate the cruelty that's so prevalent in the world and its people, and I think the book earns plenty of points for provoking such thought.
The writing can be a bit of a mixed bag. The biggest example of this comes from an inconstent tone. Much of the story is beautifully dismal, subtly emotional, and anxiety-inducing, but halfway through, for about 50 pages, it suddenly becomes a meta action comedy. Then it returns to that original tone to finish out the book. It was one of the most jaring things I've read in quite a while, and sadly not in a good way (although I certainly can't say it wasn't memorable). Some sections also seem like they could have been cut without taking away from the story, but again I can't say I didn't enjoy reading them. I hope the writer looks into correcting this in their next book, because if they do I think they'll be able to write something pretty legendary.
Altogether a mixed bag with regards to writing and story, but one that leaves a big effect nonetheless, and is unlike anything else I've read this year.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews