Green City Wars

by Adrian Tchaikovsky

Philip Marlowe meets Redwall in this superior adult noir tale, where all the characters are animals, fighting for survival in the city underneath the humans.

In the solar cities of the future, the humans relax in the sun and the animals work in the shadows. Genetically engineered Little Helpers, serving humanity—unseen, unheard.

Meet Skotch. Racoon, P.I.—Yours for a few buttons as long as the job isn't too illegal, whatever that means.

A mouse has gone missing. Normally this wouldn't raise any hackles, nor any alarms, but this mouse has something that everyone seems to want, though nobody appears particularly eager to say what that something is.

The fee is good—perhaps too good. Certainly not something Skotch can easily turn down.

If only Skotch can work out where the mouse is hiding, what he's hiding, and why his secrets are upsetting a lot of animals caught up in the Green City wars.

Genres: Fantasy, Science Fiction, Mystery, Fiction, Audiobook, Noir, Adult

368 pages, Hardcover

Expected publication June 23, 2026

About the author

ADRIAN TCHAIKOVSKY was born in Lincolnshire and studied zoology and psychology at Reading, before practising law in Leeds. He is a keen live role-player and occasional amateur actor and is trained in stage-fighting. His literary influences include Gene Wolfe, Mervyn Peake, China Miéville, Mary Gently, Steven Erikson, Naomi Novak, Scott Lynch and Alan Campbell.

Reviews

[Tori Tecken · Rating 4 out of 5]

Once again, Tchaikovsky proves his inventiveness and unapologetic ability to genre blend within fantasy and science fiction with this gritty noir crime story narrated by a lab rat... or raccoon, rather.
The concept was intriguing and well-thought out, as I've come to expect from Tchaikovsky's writing kitchen. The characters took me a little while to immerse with, and it wasn't until about halfway through the book that I was well and truly hooked and invested in the outcome of the story. Skotch slowly endeared himself to me, and the surrounding factions of creatures are fascinating. A fresh twist on the "mutation" trope.
I did feel like the themes came through a little heavy-handed toward the end, but overall still stayed focused on the story and characters. I think the animalistic side of the characters was portrayed in an interesting way and didn't push too far over the boundary into humanoid. Also, Lulu the pigeon must be protected at all costs, and I'll be taking no questions about that statement at this time.
Overall, fascinating concept and grounded character immersion, and another unexpected genre blend from Adrian Tchaikovsky! I look forward to see what he cooks up next.

[keegan · Rating 5 out of 5]

** A copy of this book was provided by the publisher **

Really dug this but I recommend not reading it in a single six hour stretch like I did! The labeled sections work pretty well as episodes which fits the pulp detective stylings of the story, so I recommend maybe reading one section a day to give yourself some time to think on the ideas the book is presenting and the central mystery of the whole thing.

[MikaReadsFantasy · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 ⭐ Adrian Tchaikovsky’s Green City Wars is a noir tale that drops readers into a gritty underworld of bioengineered animals struggling to survive beneath human society. When a seemingly ordinary mouse goes missing, raccoon private investigator Skotch reluctantly takes the case and quickly discovers that the stakes are far higher than they first appear.

The worldbuilding is one of the novel’s strongest elements. Tchaikovsky crafts a detailed and unsettling dystopia where animals depend on a manufactured drug to maintain their intelligence, forming a shadow society that mirrors and exploits human systems. The social and moral tensions that arise from this setup are compelling and thoughtfully explored.

Skotch is an engaging protagonist on paper, with a classic detective edge, though I found it difficult to fully connect with him. The story moves at a measured pace, though the long journey through competing factions can feel a bit drawn out at times. The central mystery kept me intrigued, particularly the question of why the missing mouse mattered so much, and the resolution was satisfying.

I listened to the audiobook version, and John Pirhalla’s narration was excellent. His voice felt especially well suited to Skotch, and he brought distinct personality to the wider cast.

Some of the terminology is presented in German, which I found distracting at times. Still, the novel’s strong thematic core and immersive setting make it a memorable read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for providing me with an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

[Kent Fairbourn · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really well written book with a fun and creative premise. The animal underworld and all of its intricate workings were well developed and explained. I really came to like and root for Skotch and Lulu!

Wondering if you’d enjoy this book? My thoughts, if you liked Scalzi’s Starter Villain you’d like this one. Totally different books, but similar vibe.

* I received an early copy of this book from the publisher *

[Ryan Engle · Rating 3 out of 5]

More like 2.5 than 3 but I think rating it two is too harsh. I found Skotch the raccoon to be a disengaging character. Thrown into a massively complex world, the novel is more about the intricacies of the world rather than classic “gum-shoe”-style story the plot seems to suggest. This is the first time I’ve read an Adrian Tchaikovsky novel, but I unfortunately found him to be more interested in the world he created rather than the characters he’s populating. I think a lot of people will enjoy this, especially hardcore sci-fi nerds who just want to get lost in complexity and minutiae. But those looking to get read about complexities of a character might not be as interested. Would have loved this if it was more closer to Dresden.

[Isabella · Rating 4 out of 5]

detective noir meets sci fi!! full of weird lil guys, amazing.

[Paul Preston · Rating 4 out of 5]

What if you took Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? and mixed it in a blender with Watership Down or Redwall then tossed in a bit of noir crime thriller? Well, your result would be Green City Wars.
This was fun, humorous and really entertaining.

[Keneil B. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thanks to Tor for the ARC on this. I love Tchaikovsky’s toying with sentient animals since Children of Time. I like how this book does the same thing, the interesting ways animals act and are personified if given human level intelligence. This book was a fun read. Didn’t grab me the way Children of Time did, but it was a fun detective, but animals, kind of book. Would love to read more in this world. I like to think this is Earth before Children of Time. I feel that there could have been a bigger “wow” factor of plot twist in the end to really sell it to me.

[Cindy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Adrian Tchaikovsky is a consummate world builder. In this noir-tinged sci-fi/fantasy, we're on a planet that humans have designed to suit their purposes. They have created genetically advanced animals to be the city's workers, street cleaners, waiters, etc., oblivious to the side effects created by their actions. Enter Skotch, a raccoon who has a knack for finding things. In this case, he's been asked to find a mouse for a fee he can't refuse. What follows is a mystery novel that takes us through the animal underworld until Skotch discovers why the mouse is important. It's then that he must decide what type of future he wants.
It's a faster-paced, urban Watership Down with more grit and action (and no rabbits, if I recall correctly). Escape into this Green City and enjoy the journey!
My thanks to the author, publisher, @MacmillanAudio, and # NetGalley for early access to #GreenCityWars for review purposes. It won't be published until 23 June 2026, but mark your calendar for this exciting book. I quite enjoyed it.

[BookishKB]

🔎🦝 Green City Wars by Adrian Tchaikovsky 🦝🔎

📖 Bookish Thoughts
I’ll be sharing my full review closer to publication date.

🧩 What to Expect
• Animal detective lead
• Futuristic city
• Noir mystery
• Genetically engineered animals
• Class divide
• Political conflict
_ _ _
🎙️ Narration Style: Solo (John Pirhalla)
📅 Pub Date: June 23, 2026
📝 Thank you to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for the advanced listening copy. All thoughts are my own.

[CadmanReads · Rating 5 out of 5]

I went into Green City Wars expecting a quirky noir mystery featuring talking animals, but Adrian Tchaikovsky delivered something way deeper and more ambitious. The idea of a raccoon private investigator searching for a missing mouse already sounded fun. Still, the story quickly unfolds into a dark, layered sci-fi noir regarding exploitation, class systems, and survival beneath humanity’s so-called utopia.

The worldbuilding was easily my favorite part. Humans live comfortably in “green cities” while genetically engineered animals quietly do all the labor underground, forming their own factions, gangs, economies, and power struggles hidden from human eyes. Every species feels distinct, with instincts and behaviors woven naturally into the story. Skotch, the raccoon PI, is cynical, flawed, and endlessly entertaining to follow, while the supporting cast adds so much personality and chaos to the world. The balance between gritty detective fiction, action, humor, and social commentary worked incredibly well for me.

The audiobook production elevated the story even further. John Pirhalla absolutely nailed the narration, making this world feel completely alive. Every character had a unique voice, accent, cadence, and traits, making the large cast easy to follow. From Skotch’s weary noir-style narration to the eccentric side characters, Pirhalla brought so much texture and energy to the performance that it usually seemed like a full-cast production. The different accents and vocal mannerisms added a lot to the atmosphere, especially with the German-inspired terminology and noir tone. He balanced the humor, tension, and emotional moments perfectly, making both the ridiculousness and the darker themes land equally well. Even scenes that could have felt silly on paper became immersive and cinematic through the narration.

Overall, Green City Wars was one of the most creative audiobooks I’ve listened to in a while. It’s strange, funny, gritty, and surprisingly thoughtful all at once, and I’d absolutely read more stories set in this world.

[Julia · Rating 4 out of 5]

He’s just a little guy on a mission. Our main character is a sentient raccoon 🦝 so we are immediately off on the right foot. As a matter of fact there are a lot of furry feet in this book because it’s all about what happens when you give critters sentience. And I’m about that.

Skotch has many seedy underworld contacts and misadventures. I kept picturing these wacky conversations. Picture it, a raccoon having a chat with a rat mad scientist. If you are looking for a scifi mystery with a fox, pigeon, rats, squirrels, and a raccoon up to mischief, this book is for you.

I listened to it as an audiobook which made it harder to keep track of the German words. You may prefer it as a regular book. However, the narrator, John Pirhalla, is the same narrator who did the Mickey 17 books, and I think he was the perfect choice for narrating a raccoon detective. I’m glad I chose the audiobook even with the smattering of German words.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for this advance copy. All opinions are my own.

[Michael S · Rating 4 out of 5]

A secret world exists beyond the human world in Green City Wars, a humorous, uplifting story.

Note: My review is based on the audiobook ARC/ALC, so please excuse any character names that may be spelled incorrectly.

First, I have to admit a love of uplift stories. That is, where one species increases the intelligence of other species. In this unique spin on the topic, humanity has raised animals to be better workers, making human life easier. This simple premise seems plausible enough. But, to make the animals smart enough to perform work, they become intelligent enough to have their own hopes and dreams.

So naturally, those animals battle each other. Squirrels in turf wars, cats were overpowered by human designers who preferred them, and mice are doomed to be workers.

In Green City Wars, we follow Skotch, a former soldier turned detective. Oh, and Skotch is a raccoon who has to battle against his instincts and sometimes gives in to let the animal out.

This work features a range of characters, from former allies to warring factions to deadly adversaries. It is almost overwhelming how many characters there are. My advice is to embrace the madness and follow Skotch as he has had the most eventful day since the Warriors tried to get home.

4 1/2 stars. It is a great fun read. Or, in my case, listen: John Pirhalla is a fantastic narrator and had me picturing Skotch as Mickie Six in a few sentences. Flippant, funny, and yet far deeper than it first appears. Green City Wars was a lovely experience.

Many thanks to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for providing an audio ARC of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.

[Cathy · Rating 5 out of 5]

The main character in this novel is an animal who, as the author says, "has a reputation for dishonesty, roguishness, sharp dealing. He [Skotch] can only imagine how much easier that would make everything, if it were actually true. Who the hell has a use for a faithful raccoon?"

This novel is brain food of the best quality. I hadn't read any of Adrian Tchaikovsky's works before. That's about to change.

I received an advance from Tor.

[Michelle Parent · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book had a really intriguing premise with cities designed so humans don't have to work and with enhanced animals handling everything instead. The only rule: animals must not interact with humans. It's a unique setup that immediately pulled me in.

I especially enjoyed Skotch, the raccoon detective investigating a missing mouse. He was a fun and engaging super raccoon to follow. I listened to the audiobook, which was well done, with a strong cast that brought the world and characters to life.

The beginning hooked me, and the ending delivered, but the middle dragged a bit and felt like a slog at times, making it harder to stay fully engaged. That said, the world building and overall concept were strong enough to keep me invested.
l'd rate this around a 3.5, closer to a 4. Despite some pacing issues, it's still worth picking up for the creativity and memorable characters.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan audio for my ARC copy of the audiobook and my honest review.

Expected Publishing date: June 23, 2026.

[Marin · Rating 5 out of 5]

An R-rated, noir-style Zootopia while also having the feel of the Duck Detective game somehow. A weird but altogether perfect amalgamation of everything I didn’t know I needed in a futuristic sci-fi novel. The characters are at once wholesome and hilarious. The plot utterly ridiculous and action packed. *Chef’s Kiss*

[Amanda · Rating 3 out of 5]

This review is for the audiobook read by John Pirhalla.

Humans have created an eco-friendly utopia for themselves; all they need to sustain it is an underclass of genetically engineered animals to do all the work. Skotch, a raccoon and PI, has been hired to find a mouse who may be able to upend the entire system.

There is a lot of exposition in this book, all of which is necessary to establish the world and explore issues like treatment of vulnerable groups, class distinctions, exploitation of animals, and the ethics of scientific advancements; however, the exposition seemed to go on forever when I was listening to the book and I often found myself losing the story. Fortunately I was also approved for the ebook on NetGalley, and was able to read to myself at a much faster pace and not lose track of the story.

Narrator

John Pirhalla has a pleasant, clear voice and conveys emotion well. I think he did a good job voicing the different characters.

I'm giving the audiobook three stars due to the aforementioned exposition issue rather than the three and a half I rated the ebook.

Received via NetGalley.

[Max]

Cute and fun! The premise has some really interesting kernels to think on in it. Not anything amazing to rave about but thoroughly enjoyable.

[suveah · Rating 3 out of 5]

i would say maybe closer to a 3.5 but otherwise a pretty good read!

[Jubi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you MacMillian Audio and NetGallery for the ALC.
Overall a 3.5/5 star for me. 🌟
The characters being all animals was a pretty cool take, and them living underground trying to stay away with encountering humans was an interesting premise unless they were a “pet”. The narrator did a great job of embodying the characters, he had made it really enjoyable to listen too.
The reason why I say 3.5 stars is because the language used sometimes felt out of place, or to complex for what was happening, and the plot in some parts of the book was all over the place, then it came back to the plot.

[Saif Shaikh | Distorted Visions · Rating 5 out of 5]

Advanced Review Copy provided in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley.

Rating: 🦝🐦🐁🐢😼

Since this is an ARC, the review aims to be as Spoiler-free as possible.

Adrian Tchaikovsky’s creativity soars to new heights (or rather sinks to new depths) as he explores a world below our own — through the eyes of a genetically enhanced… raccoon private investigator? A story that fuses the noir aesthetics of thriller fiction with the genius of Tchaikovsky’s science-fiction and his expertise with the animal world proves yet again, why this author should be a must-read for one and all!

I make absolutely no apologies that Adrian Tchaikovsky has skyrocketed to the top of my author lists in the science fiction and fantasy spaces. I have dug my grubby lil’ paws into an entire slew of his novels, both series and standalones, in both science-fiction and fantasy spaces. Furthermore, I have reviewed several of his books here, with core praise always heaped upon the sheer force of creative spread that is possible from one man’s mind! His ability to create intriguing “what if?” scenarios with a seemingly simple premise, which blooms into a dense and well-thought-out world is a talent I am in constant awe of.

In the standalone novel, Green City Wars, Tchaikovsky asks, “What if the little animals we rarely notice, had their own underworld activities?”, and created a sci-fi noir-action thriller from that premise. The story is told through the eyes of Skotch, a freelance private-investigator raccoon, just trying to make ends meet, grabbing at every button, scrambling for every ampoule of plantgent (the chemical required for enhanced animals to maintain their heightened intelligence). Skotch is drawn into a city spanning conspiracy when he is tasked with finding a hyper intelligent mouse, Dr. Mees, who is close to a breakthrough that would shake the very foundations of the animal (and human world).

In Green City Wars, Tchaikovsky pulls out every card from the noir-thriller deck and adapts it to the animal world; the femme fatale (stoat weasel), a lovable sidekick (recorder pigeon), a darkened police chief (snapping turtle), an assassin for hire (cat), and a whole spectrum of underworld elements filled with rodents, reptiles, amphibians, and of course mad anarchist parrots (because why not!?). Every trope of competing underworld mob factions set against the tapestry of an ongoing turf war (between red and gray squirrels) sets the stage on which Skotch must stretch every inch of claw, whisker, if he hopes to save his own fur.

While each character is expertly crafted, it is the relationship between the down-on-his-luck Skotch, and the lovable (but very annoyingly chatty) pigeon Lulu. Their relationship has an emotional heft which is surprisingly deep in a world full of dark whimsy.

The author’s immense creativity stems from a firm foundation (as well as extensive research) into his animals of choice, with little mannerisms unique to each species making the entire world and characters more believable. His fusion of science-fiction elements with gene-editing, and other futuristic tech makes adds a new dimension to the standard noir fiction fare. Surprisingly, Green City Wars actually made me look up and learn new facts about the species featured. Tchaikovsky’s ability to weave in facts and slang (trash-panda, and waschbar/wash-bear, and Herr Bandit as slurs for the raccoon Skotch, led to me learn that raccoons are called “wash bears” because of their tendency to rinse their food in running water!)

Tchaikovsky also blends in real issues central to the future-punk spaces like corpotocracies, oligarchies, corrupted monopolies, organized crime syndicates, labor changes due to technical advancements, genetic enhancement and pharmaceutical control, but you know… with rodents!

I thoroughly enjoyed Green City Wars, but had minor quibbles with the story that held it from a five-starrer. My major grouse was that the entire plot felt like Skotch being dragged from one location to another, faced with yet another character kingpin of their domain, before he was lugged around to the next, with very little agency. I wish Skotch displayed a little more ingenuity and controlled the events unfolding in the narrative, rather than merely being dragged along by the skin of his tail from one capricious situation to the next! The story also has a Germanic background, with many words being taken from German to supply the lore of this world. While I have functional knowledge of the language, I can see this being a wee bit esoteric for those entirely stranger to the language and its references.

As a final note, I listened to the audiobook, expertly narrated by John Pirhalla. Pirhalla’s ability to create different voices with unique mannerisms for the racoons, frogs, stoat weasels, pigeon, parrots, mice, squirrels, rats, etc. giving them voices we can easily attribute both to their native species, but also their roles made me stop to grin and chuckle at several moments in Green City Wars.

I wish Green City Wars was not a standalone novel. Tchaikovsky has created such a unique world with interesting characters with this work. I would eagerly gnaw at many more juicy stories of Racoon Private Investigator Skotch!

Read this review and more on my Medium page: Distorted Visions

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[rachel x]

"Philip Marlowe meets Redwall in this superior adult noir tale, where all the characters are animals, fighting for survival in the city underneath the humans."

does this man sleep??

[Blake C]

Redwall in the blurb and it's about a noir detective Raccoon? I'll be there day one

[Mike · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m generally quite happy to pick up an Adrian Tchaikovsky book based on his name alone, but I’ll admit that “raccoon PI” was an extra selling point for this one.

This is set in the not-too-distant future in the city of Neuwien (that’s “new Vienna” for those who don’t speak German) (it’s me, I don’t speak German). Neuwien, and many other cities like it, were built to replace the old urban areas, with an overriding focus on sustainability. Part of any city, of course, is the unglamorous infrastructure. The sewers need to be kept flowing, the trash needs to be picked up, the electrical grid needs to be maintained. What could be a greener solution than training up the smaller creatures that always go along with dense human settlements? A little genetic engineering to make them smart enough to do the tasks and to listen to instructions from humans on the rare occasions they’re necessary, and presto! You’ve got a self-sustaining system, no need for humans to even think about those difficult, dangerous, dirty jobs.

Except for a few emergent quirks that humans, for the most part, are unaware of. Give a creature the intelligence to manage sustainable wastewater treatment and understand language, and they’ll use that intelligence in other ways as well. An entire complex society emerged, kept largely hidden from humans: Rule One is “don’t do anything the humans will notice.” Most of the uplifted animals are part of corporations or guilds, taking care of their own and doing the tasks needed to keep Neuwien functioning. But others have formed criminal gangs running protection rackets, or radical anarchist communes who want to bring the system down, or freelancers like our protagonist the raccoon Skotch, who scrapes a living as an investigator.

Tchaikovsky has clearly read a bunch of noir novels; Skotch is a classic gumshoe of the Sam Spade tradition. He’s “invited” to come to talk to his ex-corporate boss by a few thugs, and given a job: there’s a mouse that is somewhere in Neuwien, recently arrived from the countryside, and Skotch is supposed to bring him in alive. With little choice in the matter, and he needs to get paid anyway, so Skotch sets out. Soon a bunch of different factions have approached Skotch to talk to him about the mouse, with varying degrees of politeness, including the requisite femme fatale (a stoat/weasel hybrid in this case: a very deadly predator, but a very enticingly slinky one). There’s much more going on than Skotch knows, and everyone assumes that Skotch knows more than he does. And above all they all want to make sure if and when Skotch finds the mouse, he brings the mouse to *them* and not anyone else. All very familiar to anyone who’s read noir novels.

And here’s where Tchaikovsky’s skill as a sci-fi author comes into play. Usually in “animals as people stories” (Redwall, Wind in the Willows, etc) the intelligent animals are, quite simply, people with animal shapes. Tchaikovsky put a lot of thought into keeping them as animals. Part of the reason Skotch went freelance is that raccoons are inherently ornery, and don’t do well as corporate drones. The bottom-of-the-food-chain creatures like mice and rats are quick to flee anytime they are startled; predators like cats or stoat/weasel hybrids tend to attack; the engineered parakeets are completely mad and happy like that.

And not all lives are valued equally. A mouse might live for a year or so, and units of “mausgelt” is how animal lives are measured. A mouse is worth one mausgelt; a rat is worth two; a relatively big creature like Skotch might be worth 15 or 20. There’s a lot of implications in uplifting animals to sentience, and Tchaikovsky thought them through thoroughly.

Bingo categories: Non-human Protagonist [hard mode]; Published in 2026

My blog.

[Mer Mendoza (Merlyn’s Book Hoard) · Rating 5 out of 5]

I full on devoured this book in two days. I admit I am a sucker for a good talking animal story and this one hit the spot. Skotch is a freelance private investigator. He is also a bio-engineered raccoon developed to serve humanity as a Little Helper behind the scenes of urban life in a green city. Most of the animals live and work in what are essentially company towns, for company scrip used at the company stores (under other more Germanic terminology here, that I, as an audiobook listener will not attempt). Skotch went freelance, unsatisfied with his life and work as a servant of the company, but that comes with it’s own perils in the green cities, as only the formally and properly employed animals have a consistent access to plangent (sp? Forgive this audiobook listener), the drug that lets them stay intelligent. Without it, they slip back down to being just animals again.

I’ve looked through some of the other reviews and have seen multiple comparisons to Richard Adam’s Watership Down, and I see where they are coming from, but I’d raise you one better and compare it to his lesser-known novel The Plague Dogs(or it’s animated adaptation). If I go down that road, though, there is a long history of animal fiction that has me half tempted to set up a little self-study “curriculum” and do some companion reads after this. I somewhat recently re-read Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keys, which was a good intro to science fiction that focuses on the traumatic repercussions of artificially increasing intelligence that cannot be sustained permanently, an man named Charlie and a mouse named Algernon have their brains super-charged for a brief brilliant moment, before watching that light fade from them. Think of Green City Wars as a distant future where Charlie’s tragedy is told from the mouse Algernon’s perspective instead, over and over again where countless animals see lucidity and intelligence fading from them every day, beholden to the drug that grants them just a little bit longer before they “go dumb” and the desperate (and intricate) socio-economic structures these almost-human animals build around themselves to stave off the loss of sentience. If you start at Flowers for Algernon and The Plague Dogs, you might take a turn toward Felidae by Akif Piricci (or it’s animated adaptation) to have another dark, gritty animal noir (cat detective on the hunt for a serial killer), or Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH by Robert O’Brien(or it’s animated adaptation) for a little bit more of the lab-rats-made-smart vibes. You could then stop and rest with George Orwell’s Animal Farm (though please, this time, skip the animated version), even though I suspect you’d find your self on the other end of the communism/socialism debate than you’d land on in Green City. I would even suggest landing on Martha Wells’ series, Murderbot Diaries, to round things off because Murderbot isn’t a talking animal story (sadly), but it offers some really great philosophizing on what it means to be human when your intelligence and sentience theoretically comes from somewhere outside of yourself. If humans made you the way you are, and you are not human, how do you define your sense of self?

Some of the imagery in Green City Wars was so spectacular that I expect it will stick with me for some time, especially Mad Parrot Alley, where the feral parrot populations, some bio-engineered and some not, interbreed and fade in and out of sentience as opportunity permits loose and too-smart and never smart enough.

The audiobook has a good solid narrator too. One of my favorite reads of the year so far.

[Cassie · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.25 /5 - Many thanks to NetGalley for an Advanced Copy!

A big question looms after the world reaches its sustainability goals economically and ecologically. Who would ever do all the stinky dangerous jobs that those without other options used to? As it turns out, science has an answer! Animals.

Genetically enhanced critters now perform dredge work. Clearing away trash, fixing electrical wires, sewage maintenance, field work, no humans required! What better use for populations that are already swarming in the city's dark corners to begin with? Except, isn't there always a hitch?

Self awareness splits barriers held up between different species by nature. That hunter-prey calculation has to go way down to start. Mingling leads to otherwise strange friendships and collaborations. Another logical step? No, not unionizing. Racketeering. Career shifts.

One raccoon ditches his given gig to try out investigation. Need some information dug up? Lost something? Someone? He's your beast, with the rep and track record to back the claim. Which is how Skotch finds himself in his current predicament. Sure, it's a little bizarre someone would want to find a mouse. They're a dime a dozen with a short life span. The reward is ludicrous for an otherwise standard case. At least it seems until the job turns into a city wide chase with Skotch now as much of a target as his mark. Old and new alliances both of friends and foes are hot on his tail.

Tchaikovsky is an author who will always deliver an entertaining or thought provoking story. Usually both. “Green City Wars” leans more towards the first with it's furry film noir meets summer action blockbuster vibe. But it's not without its deeper commentary.

We're introduced to the city and all the ways it functions, above and underground, through character interactions and Skotch's musings bit by bit. No massive info dumps to build the world.
And what a cast it is! Snarky to sweet, captures the charm we associate with cozy stories and those aimed at younger audiences while tackling concepts that appeal to an older crowd.

The author plays with expectations from other common twists to dangle the reader as much as the protagonist. In a rather cheeky move, Tchaikovsky even effectively uses miscommunication. Skotch doesn't brood over solutions himself or ignore miss more obvious answers. He's begs absolutely everyone just to tell him what's going on. It's almost preemptively poking fun at plot twists that lead to grand antagonist monologues.

On the surface is some low hanging fruit topics. The exploitation and undervaluing of venerable people being the most obvious. Even the existence of a world that's solved many of the man made dangers and problems we currently face could be seen as contrite to some. Below that the book tackles a core argument against tackling necessary changes. In the short breathes between action lies a lot of philosophy concerning nature vs. nurture and the evolution of culture, society, and self.

This was a playful excursion revolving around a substantial nucleus. Both humorous and heartfelt, I challenge anyone not to find a character they at least find endearing. Setting aside the fact that you're dealing with animal forms, this couldn't possibly be a more human story.

[Joseph Pietris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Imagine cute little critters running around and handling chores. A dog sweeping up trash on the street. A cat cleaning the high shelves. Rodents scurrying along utility lines to perform repairs. What kind of a society would they build unseen by humans? Would they be any better than us? From Adrian Tchaikovsky, Green City Wars explores the unseen world of genetically modified animals and the underworld they’ve built.

In this science fiction detective noir novel, the reader follows Skotch, a raccoon private investigator, as he takes on a new job. On the hunt for a missing mouse, Skotch negotiates with a city’s worth of critters. Each character is brought to life not only by their job but by their unique animal characteristics. For instance, being a raccoon, Skotch has moments where he wars between what he was engineered to do and what his instinct tells him to do.

These are not your run of the mill talking creatures. Genetically engineered by various companies, they were initially made to support the city’s infrastructure. Created to be as smart as humans, they need drugs to maintain that level of intelligence. Without their supply, the augmented animals will regress to their primal nature. Meaning, animals like Skotch must tether themselves to the companies that made them or find other ways to get their drugs.

Not all the animals serve to keep the city operating. Szerky, a stoatweasel, serves as an enforcer for local farms, and makes sure the animals supplying food for humans stays in line. Some animals are further modified after injuries to be little cyborg animals. Others are independent and work to make ends meet by selling information or goods.

The infrastructure that serves the everyday life of humans and animals is well devised. The city itself is interwoven with plants that provide, among other things, electricity for the city. The weapons the animals use are crude but effective. Szerky’s gun fires bee stingers fresh from the bees themselves.

A large amount of background presents itself in the first half of the novel. At times the pacing can feel a little slow, but it never removes the reader from the story. Explanations and flashbacks come right when they are needed to ensure the reader is fully informed of what Skotch knows. The second half amps up the pace as everything comes to a head.

The novel includes a glossary at the front that explains characters, locations, and terms. Because there’s so much information to absorb, I ended up reading the story more slowly than usual. The complexities of the animal augmentations, the ins and outs of the city, even the vast list of characters deserve extra attention.

An amazing sci-fi twist on detective noir, Green City Wars packs a punch with little critter fists. For fans of noir, animal characters, and deep world building, I recommend this novel.

[Briann · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was simply WOW. The world-building and ideas were phenomenal. Every time I questioned whether the author had overlooked something or failed to fully explain a concept, it was thoughtfully resolved later on. The themes were philosophical, ethical, and complex, yet the fast-paced, spy-thriller tone kept the story engaging and prevented it from becoming weighed down by its deeper ideas. I highly recommend the book and have included some of my favorite quotes below.



🦝 “This is how armies function, because no matter how bloody the action nobody’s interested in breaking Rule One. The work always gets done, and the humans always get looked after and never have to know just how many diminutive throats are getting slit behind the scenes.”

🦝 “They stare at each other, into that awkward void that sits between human and beast, the heart of the Gehirner experience. Two animals who weren’t ever supposed to be having this kind of conversation, talking in a crunched, artificial language that shouldn’t have been able to support it, holding between them a complex, jagged piece of relationship such as neither of them was really designed for. But that’s how it goes, when you make something complex enough. These things arise, of their own notion. The human people who built these animal people – who make these animals just human enough – did not ever plan for them to become little shadows of their creators’ vices, but that’s how it’s turned out.”

🦝 “Human words that can’t even be constructed in Tiersprech. Something sad, Skotch reckons, about this pack of would-be system-smashers having to borrow the vocabulary of those they see as their oppressors to even express dissatisfaction with their lot.”

🦝 “And of all the things humans never intended, this is surely the greatest sacrilege. Humans never meant for their creations to follow in their footsteps and create in turn.”

🦝 “ ‘Efficient, affordable, a low-resource catalysed sequence of reactions. Universal access, security of mind, is it so bad? Perhaps, if it means they cannot keep us dumb and down.’ …The great limiter, the brain-fuel that activates all the complex neuro-engineering that the Gehirner are inheritors of. The stuff that makes the connections fire, without which they’re just dumb beasts. The cruellest economy.”

🦝 “He’d sat there, and he’d thought, and come to the conclusion that free access to Plangent might not actually be the end of civilization after all. It would just be the end of a certain flavour of misery. The end of fearing the encroaching fog of dumbness that came with running out. The chance for a great many animals to be that much more secure and comfortable with their existence.”

[Ryan Lawler · Rating 5 out of 5]

Say one thing about Adrian Tchaikovsky, he knows his way around an animal uplift story. But unlike the Children of Time series that presents big ideas and uplifted animals in a sweeping space opera, or Dogs of War that presents big ideas and uplifted animals as expendable elite special forces, Green City Wars takes us down low to the mean streets of civilisation where the uplifted animals play out a love letter to pulpy hard boiled detective stories (with even more big ideas).

Green City Wars is a story about seemingly insignificant creatures who can upset the balance of power and change the world. We get the story through the eyes of Skotch, Raccoon, Private Investigator, and straight away we can see the parallels with Philip Marlowe and Sam Spade. The former company man who needed to get away from all the corruption, cynical about the world, unable to escape his past, connections and contacts in every corner of the city, tenacious dumpster diver, and named after their favourite hard liquor. Skotch is the type of resourceful raccoon you hire for the trickiest jobs. This job should be easy - find the mouse and bring him in - but Skotch is racing against every faction in the city and he’s not sure he wants to finish this job.

The Green City is a city of the future, where humans lead prosperous lives dedicated to arts and sciences, while all the manual labour and dirty jobs are done by uplifted animals. This wouldn’t be a Tchaikovsky story without big ideas and twists on long established formulas, and this story the animal uplift procedure is not your typical generational evolution - it is a combination of genetic engineering for the physical aspects, and pharmaceutical engineering with drugs to give the animals temporary boosts to intelligence. This is an approach that is set up for exploitation, and unbeknownst to the humans, the animals have established a society of haves and have nots, gangs, cartels, black markets, and other criminal enterprises. It is a dark seedy setting that is perfect for an investigator like Skotch to ply his trade.

I’ve read a lot of Tchaikovsky novels and I think Green City Wars might be his best character driven work to date. The setting and big ideas are all there, but they take a back seat to Skotch and the colourful cast of characters who are all so memorable as they steal scenes off each other. We get quippy back and forth dialogue, simmering tension between predators and prey (how very Zootopia), an immigrant snapping turtle mob boss, a pigeon who wants to get the inside scoop, anarchist zealot rats, a possum out for revenge, a stoat weasel with gun that shoots bees, and it all just works.

I’ll take a Lulu spin-off or a Benson prequel any time please!

[Jenn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Adrian Tchaikovsky really can do no wrong for me at this point. I don’t think we talk enough about how consistently he puts out incredible books, or how many he writes. He’s easily one of my favorite sci-fi authors, and Green City Wars just solidifies that even more.

This is a dystopian sci-fi with a strong detective noir edge, set in Green City, a layered, dangerous world that exists beneath human society. The twist? The entire cast is made up of animals that were designed by humans to maintain the city. These animals rely on a drug to sustain their intelligence; without it, they lose the ability to think, speak, and function in society, reverting back to pure instinct. That dependency turns the drug into the ultimate currency and the foundation of power.

We follow Skotch, a raccoon P.I., who takes on what seems like a straightforward missing persons case: a mouse has disappeared. But of course, nothing about this is simple. The pay is suspiciously high, no one will say why the mouse matters, and suddenly every faction in the city is trying to find him. Skotch knows he’s in over his head almost immediately, but he takes the job anyway, driven not just by the money, but by a stubborn need to do the right thing.

The worldbuilding here is so immersive. The city feels alive in that gritty, seedy, underbelly kind of way, with layered hierarchies and factions constantly working against each other. The noir tone fits perfectly: moody, tense, and full of moral gray areas. I was completely hooked on the mystery of what made this mouse so important, and I was holding my breath watching everything unravel.

Character-wise, Skotch is the kind of protagonist you can't help but root for: flawed, a little worn down, but still trying to hold onto some sense of right and wrong. And Lulu the pigeon? Absolutely fantastic. The two of them together made for such a fun duo.

I listened to the audiobook, and the narrator did an amazing job bringing the story to life. The different accents and vocal choices really added depth to the characters and made the world feel even more immersive.

Overall, this was just such a standout. Sharp, atmospheric, and packed with tension, with a unique concept that fully delivers. If you like dystopian sci-fi with noir vibes, an interesting world, and a gripping mystery, this is 100% worth picking up.

5 stars
Publication Date: June 23, 2026

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the advanced listening copy. All thoughts are my own.