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The Builders
The Builders
A missing eye.
A broken wing.
A stolen country.
The last job didn't end well.
Years go by, and scars fade, but memories only fester. For the animals of the Captain's company, survival has meant keeping a low profile, building a new life, and trying to forget the war they lost. But now the Captain's whiskers are twitching at the idea of evening the score.
A broken wing.
A stolen country.
The last job didn't end well.
Years go by, and scars fade, but memories only fester. For the animals of the Captain's company, survival has meant keeping a low profile, building a new life, and trying to forget the war they lost. But now the Captain's whiskers are twitching at the idea of evening the score.
221 pages, Paperback
First published November 3, 2015
181 people are currently reading
7923 people want to read
About the author
Daniel Polansky
35 books1,249 followersDaniel Polansky is the author of the Low Town trilogy, Empty Throne duology, the Hugo-nominated novella The Builders, and A City Dreaming. He can be found in Los Angeles, mostly.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 750 reviews
December 23, 2018
All the characters in this story are animals. ALL THE CHARACTERS IN THIS STORY ARE ANIMALS. Why me? I mean, I happen to be one of those lovely people who hate don't give a damn about silly animals. So of course my Minion in Training had to pick this particular book for me *eyeroll* A good thing he didn't know about my utter disdain slight dislike for all things fauna when he decided to gift me this somewhat awesome book. Had he known about my condition, he probably would have sent me a Silly Sanderson Book (SSB™) instead *shudders dramatically* Or worse! He could have gifted me Traitor's Blade {insert cries of horror and petrification here} Bloody hell, what a total and complete nightmare this would have been! But I digress. Yeah, I know, I do that a lot lately. Oh well. You're tough and stuff, so I'm pretty sure you'll survive. And if you don't, well, please convey my deepest condolences to your family.
Okay, so where was I? Oh yes, I slightly dislike animals. To be honest, it's not that I slightly dislike them, it's just that I don't really care whether they live or die and stuff. Expect when it comes to my murderous crustaceans, obviously. They are my babies! I love them to death! And they make for delicious meals, too! See, I'm not completely heartless. So there's hope for me yet and all that crap.
But anyway. When I realized all the characters in this book were animals, I had a mini seizure. I mean, I can deal with 2 or 3 cool pets à la Ilona Andrews, but this here is a freaking zoo! We've got armadillos, squirrels, foxes, rats, weasels, hedgehogs, stoats, salamanders, badgers, opossums, moles, porcupines, guinea pigs…ARGH! Please stop! I feel a stroke coming again!
Want to know what saved this story? It's delightfully dark. And most of theanimals characters are evil, ruthless, twisted bastards. Why some of them even are deliciously amoral sociopaths!! And of course that is something I just cannot resist. Just like I cannot resist a world where rats wield sawed-off shotguns and drink themselves to oblivion. It's all pretty glorious, if you ask me.
Exactly! And that's the beauty of it! Because, quite frankly, merciless, devious, cunning, wicked animals with homicidal tendencies are much more fun than your average, silly, boring, fluffy bunny. So it's no wonder I loved this story so much.
» And the very surprising moral of this Super Extra Crappy Non Review (SECNR™) is: I do love animals. As long as they are brutal, ferocious, Machiavellian, slightly barbarous, fierce and cold-blooded. And malevolent. Yeah, that too.
» And the other moral of this SECNR™ is: some people can send me book recs and actually survive. Will wonders never cease?!
PS: I forgot to mention something! There's a Case of Bad French (CoBF™) in this story!! It's nothing as gloriously pathetic as that of Phoenix Rising, but it's still a pretty good CoBF™. Check this out:
“Et où êtes-vous, vous idiot peu hermine? Vous stupide, putois merde cerveau? Votre purulente, imbécile, faux chose?”
Ooooh, the Google Translator is strong in that one! Now if someone would please translate the translation for me, I would be most grateful. I might have an Astonishing Mensa Head (AMH™), but this one just does not compute.
✉ A very private message to Eon: you are the best Minion in Training a murderous shrimp leader could ever wish for. So keep polishing that scythe, and keep sending me great book recs. But please please please stay away from the silly PNR stuff! It's hazardous to your health! And, believe me, it really isn't good for your evil Minion image.
Because the amazing Eon first recommended, then gifted me this book. You could say he's pretty awesome. Yeah, you could say that. Thank you SO much, Awesome Eon!:D
Okay, so where was I? Oh yes, I slightly dislike animals. To be honest, it's not that I slightly dislike them, it's just that I don't really care whether they live or die and stuff. Expect when it comes to my murderous crustaceans, obviously. They are my babies! I love them to death! And they make for delicious meals, too! See, I'm not completely heartless. So there's hope for me yet and all that crap.
But anyway. When I realized all the characters in this book were animals, I had a mini seizure. I mean, I can deal with 2 or 3 cool pets à la Ilona Andrews, but this here is a freaking zoo! We've got armadillos, squirrels, foxes, rats, weasels, hedgehogs, stoats, salamanders, badgers, opossums, moles, porcupines, guinea pigs…ARGH! Please stop! I feel a stroke coming again!
Want to know what saved this story? It's delightfully dark. And most of the
Exactly! And that's the beauty of it! Because, quite frankly, merciless, devious, cunning, wicked animals with homicidal tendencies are much more fun than your average, silly, boring, fluffy bunny. So it's no wonder I loved this story so much.
» And the very surprising moral of this Super Extra Crappy Non Review (SECNR™) is: I do love animals. As long as they are brutal, ferocious, Machiavellian, slightly barbarous, fierce and cold-blooded. And malevolent. Yeah, that too.
» And the other moral of this SECNR™ is: some people can send me book recs and actually survive. Will wonders never cease?!
PS: I forgot to mention something! There's a Case of Bad French (CoBF™) in this story!! It's nothing as gloriously pathetic as that of Phoenix Rising, but it's still a pretty good CoBF™. Check this out:
“Et où êtes-vous, vous idiot peu hermine? Vous stupide, putois merde cerveau? Votre purulente, imbécile, faux chose?”
Ooooh, the Google Translator is strong in that one! Now if someone would please translate the translation for me, I would be most grateful. I might have an Astonishing Mensa Head (AMH™), but this one just does not compute.
✉ A very private message to Eon: you are the best Minion in Training a murderous shrimp leader could ever wish for. So keep polishing that scythe, and keep sending me great book recs. But please please please stay away from the silly PNR stuff! It's hazardous to your health! And, believe me, it really isn't good for your evil Minion image.
Because the amazing Eon first recommended, then gifted me this book. You could say he's pretty awesome. Yeah, you could say that. Thank you SO much, Awesome Eon!:D
June 9, 2024
My complete review of The Builders is published at Before We Go Blog.
“But that is nature’s fault, and not the stoat’s; the stoat is what it has been made to be, as are we all.”
The Builders is Daniel Polansky’s riotous grimdark fantasy western featuring a band of gunslinging anthropomorphized animals bent on revenge.
I have such fond memories of animal adventure stories from my childhood, starting with the classic Old Mother West Wind children’s book series by Thornton W. Burgess. As I got older, I became captivated by the brilliant Redwall middle grade fantasy series by Brian Jacques. The characters all seemed surprisingly human in their challenges and aspirations, making them highly relatable, especially for young wildlife-loving readers.
As an adult, I didn’t realize how much I missed such stories. With The Builders, Daniel Polansky has written the grimdark animal adventure that I didn’t know I needed. Polansky packs loads of fun in this short novel, which clocks in at just over two hundred pages.
I’m not sure how mice became the de facto lead protagonists in anthropomorphized animal adventure stories. Is it because mice are especially vulnerable creatures with no special abilities to defend themselves other than their own quick wits?
Daniel Polansky embraces the mouse-as-lead protagonist trope in The Builders with the Captain, a grizzled mouse soldier, who assembles a ragtag team of adventurers in his pursuit of revenge. Besides the mousey Captain, The Magnificent Seven-style team consists of a stoat, an opossum, a badger, a salamander, a mole, and an owl.
My favorite character, by far, is Bonsoir, who is both a stoat and a Frenchman:
“A Frenchman, as any Frenchman will tell you, is a difficult condition to abide, as much a privilege as a responsibility. To maintain the appropriate standards of excellence, this superlative of grace, was a burden not so light even in the homeland, and immeasurably more difficult in the colonies. Being both French and a stoat had resulted in a more or less constant crisis of self-identity—one which Bonsoir often worked to resolve, in classic Gallic fashion, via monologue.”
The Builders is a fast-paced thrill ride of action as the motley crew face their odious, odorous skunk enemy. The story is instantly absorbing, a testament to Daniel Polansky’s outstanding writing, which is full of dark wit, with plenty of laugh-out-loud moments. Personally, I found The Builders to be unputdownable, devouring the entire book in one afternoon. Daniel Polansky left me hungry for more in this world. I hope he will follow up with more adventures featuring this delightful cast of characters.
“But that is nature’s fault, and not the stoat’s; the stoat is what it has been made to be, as are we all.”
The Builders is Daniel Polansky’s riotous grimdark fantasy western featuring a band of gunslinging anthropomorphized animals bent on revenge.
I have such fond memories of animal adventure stories from my childhood, starting with the classic Old Mother West Wind children’s book series by Thornton W. Burgess. As I got older, I became captivated by the brilliant Redwall middle grade fantasy series by Brian Jacques. The characters all seemed surprisingly human in their challenges and aspirations, making them highly relatable, especially for young wildlife-loving readers.
As an adult, I didn’t realize how much I missed such stories. With The Builders, Daniel Polansky has written the grimdark animal adventure that I didn’t know I needed. Polansky packs loads of fun in this short novel, which clocks in at just over two hundred pages.
I’m not sure how mice became the de facto lead protagonists in anthropomorphized animal adventure stories. Is it because mice are especially vulnerable creatures with no special abilities to defend themselves other than their own quick wits?
Daniel Polansky embraces the mouse-as-lead protagonist trope in The Builders with the Captain, a grizzled mouse soldier, who assembles a ragtag team of adventurers in his pursuit of revenge. Besides the mousey Captain, The Magnificent Seven-style team consists of a stoat, an opossum, a badger, a salamander, a mole, and an owl.
My favorite character, by far, is Bonsoir, who is both a stoat and a Frenchman:
“A Frenchman, as any Frenchman will tell you, is a difficult condition to abide, as much a privilege as a responsibility. To maintain the appropriate standards of excellence, this superlative of grace, was a burden not so light even in the homeland, and immeasurably more difficult in the colonies. Being both French and a stoat had resulted in a more or less constant crisis of self-identity—one which Bonsoir often worked to resolve, in classic Gallic fashion, via monologue.”
The Builders is a fast-paced thrill ride of action as the motley crew face their odious, odorous skunk enemy. The story is instantly absorbing, a testament to Daniel Polansky’s outstanding writing, which is full of dark wit, with plenty of laugh-out-loud moments. Personally, I found The Builders to be unputdownable, devouring the entire book in one afternoon. Daniel Polansky left me hungry for more in this world. I hope he will follow up with more adventures featuring this delightful cast of characters.
September 14, 2015
After a foray into high fantasy with The Empty Throne series, Polansky returns to his roots.
Nobody does dark like Polansky. The Builders is Redwall meets Unforgiven, combining the endearing wit of Disney's Robin Hood with all the grit and violence of a spaghetti western.
Polansky joins Delilah Dawson (Wake of Vultures), John Hornor Jacobs (The Incorruptibles) and Joe Abercrombie (Red Country) as a pioneer in fantasy westerns that marry brutality with redemption and the siren's call of honor slighted and unfinished business.
Polansky's strength has always been twofold: First, in his prose styling, a world-weary fireside voice that graduated from Eaton only to wind up slumming it in East London. Second, in his outstanding characters, people (or in this case, animals) who aspire to peace and productivity, only to be dragged back into the mire of their past by their unresolved demons.
In this, they look much like folks we know, or even ourselves, which is the secret sauce in Polansky's recipe. I have long said that he is an under-appreciated voice in fantasy, and with the Builders, I am proved right.
What can I say? I love it when that happens.
Nobody does dark like Polansky. The Builders is Redwall meets Unforgiven, combining the endearing wit of Disney's Robin Hood with all the grit and violence of a spaghetti western.
Polansky joins Delilah Dawson (Wake of Vultures), John Hornor Jacobs (The Incorruptibles) and Joe Abercrombie (Red Country) as a pioneer in fantasy westerns that marry brutality with redemption and the siren's call of honor slighted and unfinished business.
Polansky's strength has always been twofold: First, in his prose styling, a world-weary fireside voice that graduated from Eaton only to wind up slumming it in East London. Second, in his outstanding characters, people (or in this case, animals) who aspire to peace and productivity, only to be dragged back into the mire of their past by their unresolved demons.
In this, they look much like folks we know, or even ourselves, which is the secret sauce in Polansky's recipe. I have long said that he is an under-appreciated voice in fantasy, and with the Builders, I am proved right.
What can I say? I love it when that happens.
March 20, 2017
Originally reviewed at Bookwraiths.
My rating is 4.5 stars.
Never having experienced any story penned by Daniel Polansky, I was concerned about reading this novella. Why? The anthromorphic animals. I wouldn’t go so far as to say I hate talking animals, but they aren’t among my favorite fantasy denizens. A few of them go a long way in my opinion. So the idea of a dark fantasy populated by fluffy, talking animals scared the hell out of me.
I shouldn’t have been so worried though: The Builders turning out to be an amazing novella, which mesmerized me in a way few fantasy tales have. Daniel Polansky to be saluted for turning what could have been a more mature Redwall into a fantasy version of epic western tales of the past, filled with memorable characters (who were far from cute and cuddly) swept up in a fascinating tale of bloody revenge.
Telling the story of a band of ex-mercenary soldiers bent on vengeance, this novella begins by following along behind the Captain; this rugged, quiet creature traveling around getting everyone back together for one last mission. Each new character receiving their own short introduction; all of them immediately oozing charisma, sculpted with unique traits, and exhibiting their animal nature in many subtle ways. This groups’ interactions with one another so realistic, so snarky, that the camaraderie radiated from the pages, making me almost instantly feel a bond with all of them.
Interspersed into these intros and reunions, brief interludes explained the history of our band: who they once were, how they were betrayed, and why they intend to put their enemies in the ground now. Their case for being “good guys” in this grand drama gradually slipping away as their true pasts and present motives are revealed. Their enemies shown to be not so different from them, more mirror copies of the Captain and his band than true opposites. All of it combining to build anticipation for the final confrontation of the Captain’s band and their former friends. Who was right or wrong in the betrayal long ago no longer really mattering, but, rather, who will survive their collision now!
Then finally the Captain’s scheme is unleashed. Revenge to be served cold. Betrayals and bullets fly off the pages. Double-crosses occur. More and more twists cloud a readers’ eyes. And the vile skunk and his henchmen finally appear in their brutal glory, seeming to have the upper-hand. Yet the Captain is so confident, so self-assured of vengeance. The running fight between these groups leading to an epic conclusion filled with violence and sadness in equal doses.
Honestly, I have to say I loved every aspect of The Builders. The western flavor. The camaraderie. The mystery. The scheming. The violence. Hell, even the damn anthromorphic animals turned out to be great. But, at its heart, this story is about friendship and loyalty, no matter the personal cost. The Captain, Bonsoir the Badger, Cinnabar the Salamander, and all the rest exhibiting these qualities perfectly; each choosing to participate in a scheme sure to leave many (or all) of them dead. Their reasons for doing so the fear of letting down each other as well as a deep desire to punish those who broke this sacred bond so long ago. The success of their venture not as important as the fact it was undertaken together.
As for criticisms, I have none. Yeah, that is right: I can’t fault a thing about this story. It was damn near perfect.
Fun, brutal, humorous, and sad in perfect measure, The Builders is a brilliant story from Daniel Polansky. Its anthromorphic animal cast worming their way into your hearts, making their quest for vengeance yours as well, and rapidly taking you on a simple yet intricately choreographed trip to an incredibly violent and startling ending. So, yes, I do recommend you read this novella.
My rating is 4.5 stars.
Never having experienced any story penned by Daniel Polansky, I was concerned about reading this novella. Why? The anthromorphic animals. I wouldn’t go so far as to say I hate talking animals, but they aren’t among my favorite fantasy denizens. A few of them go a long way in my opinion. So the idea of a dark fantasy populated by fluffy, talking animals scared the hell out of me.
I shouldn’t have been so worried though: The Builders turning out to be an amazing novella, which mesmerized me in a way few fantasy tales have. Daniel Polansky to be saluted for turning what could have been a more mature Redwall into a fantasy version of epic western tales of the past, filled with memorable characters (who were far from cute and cuddly) swept up in a fascinating tale of bloody revenge.
Telling the story of a band of ex-mercenary soldiers bent on vengeance, this novella begins by following along behind the Captain; this rugged, quiet creature traveling around getting everyone back together for one last mission. Each new character receiving their own short introduction; all of them immediately oozing charisma, sculpted with unique traits, and exhibiting their animal nature in many subtle ways. This groups’ interactions with one another so realistic, so snarky, that the camaraderie radiated from the pages, making me almost instantly feel a bond with all of them.
Interspersed into these intros and reunions, brief interludes explained the history of our band: who they once were, how they were betrayed, and why they intend to put their enemies in the ground now. Their case for being “good guys” in this grand drama gradually slipping away as their true pasts and present motives are revealed. Their enemies shown to be not so different from them, more mirror copies of the Captain and his band than true opposites. All of it combining to build anticipation for the final confrontation of the Captain’s band and their former friends. Who was right or wrong in the betrayal long ago no longer really mattering, but, rather, who will survive their collision now!
Then finally the Captain’s scheme is unleashed. Revenge to be served cold. Betrayals and bullets fly off the pages. Double-crosses occur. More and more twists cloud a readers’ eyes. And the vile skunk and his henchmen finally appear in their brutal glory, seeming to have the upper-hand. Yet the Captain is so confident, so self-assured of vengeance. The running fight between these groups leading to an epic conclusion filled with violence and sadness in equal doses.
Honestly, I have to say I loved every aspect of The Builders. The western flavor. The camaraderie. The mystery. The scheming. The violence. Hell, even the damn anthromorphic animals turned out to be great. But, at its heart, this story is about friendship and loyalty, no matter the personal cost. The Captain, Bonsoir the Badger, Cinnabar the Salamander, and all the rest exhibiting these qualities perfectly; each choosing to participate in a scheme sure to leave many (or all) of them dead. Their reasons for doing so the fear of letting down each other as well as a deep desire to punish those who broke this sacred bond so long ago. The success of their venture not as important as the fact it was undertaken together.
As for criticisms, I have none. Yeah, that is right: I can’t fault a thing about this story. It was damn near perfect.
Fun, brutal, humorous, and sad in perfect measure, The Builders is a brilliant story from Daniel Polansky. Its anthromorphic animal cast worming their way into your hearts, making their quest for vengeance yours as well, and rapidly taking you on a simple yet intricately choreographed trip to an incredibly violent and startling ending. So, yes, I do recommend you read this novella.
February 8, 2017
This might be considered grimdark fantasy, for all the author seems to think that it is actually a "one-note joke". Hell, I have to disagree. I had as much fun reading this as I'd have when watching any of the old war movies with a small cadre of broken warriors gathering around for one last violent blow out, with all the natural elements of a heist novel, the underdogs (or rats) of a long and vast conflict.
It was pulled-off perfectly.
So what's the joke?
You know all those old YA novels that featured cute and furry mice going along on grand adventures in the wide world we know and love but unknowing to us? Yeah. That's this in a nutshell, only it's DARK and VIOLENT and would make a freaking fantastic and pretty darn EVIL trick to play on all those kids that would be screaming to watch this cute 3D film with cute kitties and owls and mice in a garden.
The story is fantastic and holds its own as easily as if it were in a dark fantasy or a modern and gritty Nazi-Occupied war film. It's only the reflection of exactly WHAT kind of setting it's in that makes this so damn funny. :)
Nominated for Hugo Novella '16 and I think I like this the best. :)
It was pulled-off perfectly.
So what's the joke?
You know all those old YA novels that featured cute and furry mice going along on grand adventures in the wide world we know and love but unknowing to us? Yeah. That's this in a nutshell, only it's DARK and VIOLENT and would make a freaking fantastic and pretty darn EVIL trick to play on all those kids that would be screaming to watch this cute 3D film with cute kitties and owls and mice in a garden.
The story is fantastic and holds its own as easily as if it were in a dark fantasy or a modern and gritty Nazi-Occupied war film. It's only the reflection of exactly WHAT kind of setting it's in that makes this so damn funny. :)
Nominated for Hugo Novella '16 and I think I like this the best. :)
August 15, 2018
Mini Review: I saw this title pop up on my Goodreads feed and thought “you know, I’ve never tried a grimdark Redwall story – cool!” and then proceeded to devour it that afternoon. It had a clever infusion of woodland creatures into a dark tale of revenge, and I think had it been humans instead of animals I still would’ve enjoyed it. It made me ponder though – were the animals even necessary? In any case, I appreciated the creativity. This is probably the only time I will have the opportunity to refer to a tale of betrayal and vengeance as “cute,” but that’s exactly what it was. At the very least, it put this author in my radar. It’s a great snack-sized story that I’d recommend if you need something light between books.
Via The Obsessive Bookseller at www.NikiHawkes.com
Via The Obsessive Bookseller at www.NikiHawkes.com
November 4, 2015
A missing eye. A broken wing. A stolen country.
The last job didn’t end well.
Years go by, and scars fade, but memories only fester. For the animals of the Captain’s company, survival has meant keeping a low profile, building a new life, and trying to forget the war they lost. But now the Captain’s whiskers are twitching at the idea of evening the score.
Polansky, you magnificent bastard.
I have just finished The Builders, and I am stunned.
I really don't even know where to begin.
Do I rave about how you took a genre (dark fantasy) and made it your own with this story? Or do I wax lyrical about your off the hook action sequences amidst a story that is essentially about anthropomorphic animals and their revenge? Or perhaps I can comment about your incorporation of weird western elements into the overall plot?
Ah fuck it... I will just cut to the chase.
The Builders is THE story of the year so far.
Brutal, gut wrenching, and darkly humorous with a dash of fucked up, The Builders sets the bar extremely high in telling the tale of the Captain and his merry (as in they can, and will, bust you in the nuts if you cross them) band as they seek revenge on those who betrayed them many years ago. And the plot... damn it is good! Starting out at a rocket pace that never slows, the reader is brought up to speed via chapters that aren't linear in nature. This structure works extremely well, giving an insight into past events that eventually lead to the night where the Captain and his friends finally seek their revenge. And the characters... wow. Depicted in a way that only Polansky could pull off, the Captain (mouse) and his group (including a stout, salamander, and badger) ooze snark and dark charisma in spades. Each has their own issues, quirks and demons, and each brings something different to the story. I fell head over heels in love with them all, and their interaction and discourse with each other had me in fits of laughter at times. Another magical thing about them was the fact that whilst they all have human-like qualities and emotions they still retained some of their animalistic instinct and nature. I never thought I could be moved so much by a ragtag group of animals, but this bunch burrowed their way into my heart and made themselves at home. And as the story unfolded and things became clearer I was blown away by the simple yet intricate way Polansky had guided me there. Be prepared for feels amidst the incredible violence... lots and lots of feels.
This novella utterly brilliant. It is Redwall. It is Watership Down. It is the Dirty Dozen. It is Unforgiven and True Grit. It is all of them, and more.
It is The Builders.
A different and masterful tale that epitomises everything I love about this genre, The Builders is highly recommended for anyone (human and animal) with a beating heart!
5 out of 5 stars.
A review copy was provided.
The last job didn’t end well.
Years go by, and scars fade, but memories only fester. For the animals of the Captain’s company, survival has meant keeping a low profile, building a new life, and trying to forget the war they lost. But now the Captain’s whiskers are twitching at the idea of evening the score.
Polansky, you magnificent bastard.
I have just finished The Builders, and I am stunned.
I really don't even know where to begin.
Do I rave about how you took a genre (dark fantasy) and made it your own with this story? Or do I wax lyrical about your off the hook action sequences amidst a story that is essentially about anthropomorphic animals and their revenge? Or perhaps I can comment about your incorporation of weird western elements into the overall plot?
Ah fuck it... I will just cut to the chase.
The Builders is THE story of the year so far.
Brutal, gut wrenching, and darkly humorous with a dash of fucked up, The Builders sets the bar extremely high in telling the tale of the Captain and his merry (as in they can, and will, bust you in the nuts if you cross them) band as they seek revenge on those who betrayed them many years ago. And the plot... damn it is good! Starting out at a rocket pace that never slows, the reader is brought up to speed via chapters that aren't linear in nature. This structure works extremely well, giving an insight into past events that eventually lead to the night where the Captain and his friends finally seek their revenge. And the characters... wow. Depicted in a way that only Polansky could pull off, the Captain (mouse) and his group (including a stout, salamander, and badger) ooze snark and dark charisma in spades. Each has their own issues, quirks and demons, and each brings something different to the story. I fell head over heels in love with them all, and their interaction and discourse with each other had me in fits of laughter at times. Another magical thing about them was the fact that whilst they all have human-like qualities and emotions they still retained some of their animalistic instinct and nature. I never thought I could be moved so much by a ragtag group of animals, but this bunch burrowed their way into my heart and made themselves at home. And as the story unfolded and things became clearer I was blown away by the simple yet intricate way Polansky had guided me there. Be prepared for feels amidst the incredible violence... lots and lots of feels.
This novella utterly brilliant. It is Redwall. It is Watership Down. It is the Dirty Dozen. It is Unforgiven and True Grit. It is all of them, and more.
It is The Builders.
A different and masterful tale that epitomises everything I love about this genre, The Builders is highly recommended for anyone (human and animal) with a beating heart!
5 out of 5 stars.
A review copy was provided.
November 5, 2015
“Where is everyone?”
“They’re coming.”
Bonsoir took his beret off his head and scowled, then replaced it. “It is not right for Bonsoir to be the first—he is too special. His arrival deserves an audience.”
And these characters definitely deserve an audience.
Superb!
Almost all the ★ (4.5).
This is as good as a novella can get, apart from WARNING - BIG SPOILER , thus the missing ½ ★.
As this was my first book by Daniel Polansky, it has made sure that I will definitely read everything else he has put out.
PS: I did write a much longer review initially, but as this is a novella I don’t want to take away any of the enjoyment of reading it by discussing the characters or story.
Image by this guy.
“They’re coming.”
Bonsoir took his beret off his head and scowled, then replaced it. “It is not right for Bonsoir to be the first—he is too special. His arrival deserves an audience.”
And these characters definitely deserve an audience.
Superb!
Almost all the ★ (4.5).
This is as good as a novella can get, apart from WARNING - BIG SPOILER , thus the missing ½ ★.
As this was my first book by Daniel Polansky, it has made sure that I will definitely read everything else he has put out.
PS: I did write a much longer review initially, but as this is a novella I don’t want to take away any of the enjoyment of reading it by discussing the characters or story.
Image by this guy.
February 8, 2016
I'm smiling.
The story is extremely straightforward. There are plenty of characters. All of them together needed half of this book just to get introduced. Most of them are rather generic and boring (aside from Puss and Bonsoir, to some extent). The prose is nothing spectacular, bordering on annoyingly simple and repetitive. There is no intellectual depth nor any emotional connection. This book scores big only when it comes to the amount of action packed into the second half of this fast-paced novella, which can easily be read in an afternoon. All things considered, this wouldn't have gotten a speckle of stardust more than the two stars I was planning to give it.
And yet, I'm smiling.
And yes, it's that kind of annoying smile, where the bearer is not planning to divulge the reason for his increasingly insufferable grin. Guess you'll just have to read this book, won't you?
Unless the stuff I did mention would annoy you so greatly it would preclude any smile on your lips, in which case I'd advise against spending an afternoon with this.
But if not...
:-)
The story is extremely straightforward. There are plenty of characters. All of them together needed half of this book just to get introduced. Most of them are rather generic and boring (aside from Puss and Bonsoir, to some extent). The prose is nothing spectacular, bordering on annoyingly simple and repetitive. There is no intellectual depth nor any emotional connection. This book scores big only when it comes to the amount of action packed into the second half of this fast-paced novella, which can easily be read in an afternoon. All things considered, this wouldn't have gotten a speckle of stardust more than the two stars I was planning to give it.
And yet, I'm smiling.
And yes, it's that kind of annoying smile, where the bearer is not planning to divulge the reason for his increasingly insufferable grin. Guess you'll just have to read this book, won't you?
Unless the stuff I did mention would annoy you so greatly it would preclude any smile on your lips, in which case I'd advise against spending an afternoon with this.
But if not...
:-)
October 28, 2015
3.5 of 5 stars, originally reviewed at The Speculative Herald http://www.speculativeherald.com/2015...
Funny how I’m generally not big on anthropomorphism but at the same time I do seem to love a lot of books featuring fluffy, furry adorable sentient animals (Redwall, Watership Down, Mouse Guard, etc.) Thus the draw of Daniel Polansky’s The Builders won out, and it was also perfect because I’ve been meaning to check out his work for a long time.
The animals in this book are far from soft and cuddly, though. A mouse, a stoat, an opossum, a badger, a salamander, a mole, and an owl all walk into a bar. This however is not the beginning of a joke but a start of a Kill Bill-style tale of vengeance and bloody destruction. One upon a time, all of them stood united against a common enemy, until treachery destroyed the group from within. The last job they were all on together didn’t end so well, so now the battle-hardened mouse known as the Captain is rounding up his old pals again for one last hurrah.
But alas, you know what they say about the best laid schemes of mice and men. Before long, both bullets and fur will fly in abundance, as the Captain and his ragtag crew fight their way deep into the heart of enemy territory, facing up against a dastardly skunk, his trio of wicked henchmen, and the legions of his rat army.
Clearly, there’s lots to love here, and not just for the novelty of a gritty and darkly comedic shoot-‘em-up starring two groups of warring woodland critters. Polansky approaches the violence masterfully, portraying the anger of the Captain as something born out of more than simple desire for revenge. In fact, most of the characters were pretty well written, each given their own quirks and vices. I’m sure too that loads of great discourse could be had on the topic of animal instinct and its inevitable effects on the choices of these characters; it’s just a pity that the story does not explore this theme further.
While I had a good time on the whole, I did have a couple of minor concerns. Longtime readers of my reviews know I’ve never made secret the mixed feelings I have for the shorter, more restrictive length of the novella. Sometimes it works for me and sometimes it doesn’t, but when it comes to The Builders, once again my malaise with the format reared its ugly head.
First, I had myself a love-hate relationship with the short chapters and non-linear structure of the storyline. As a stylistic choice, it was very unique and made this book a fast read. Still, my admiration gradually waned towards the end when it proved more disruptive than beneficial to the overall flow of the plot. Polansky certainly has a strong sense for timing, but even then it’s easy to miss a few beats when working with a lower page count.
Second, there were so many characters introduced in such a short amount of time, I was given really no opportunity to connect with them, save only a few. The Captain, Bonsoir the stoat, Barley the badger and Cinnabar the salamander were among the well written ones, but a couple of the other members of the crew were lost in the chaos of gunfire and piles of corpses. It hasn’t been long since I finished reading, and already I’m having a hard time dredging my memory for their names and even their species. Admittedly, most of my enjoyment came from the story, the surface-level entertainment from following its many twists and turns, and not really out of any deep concern for the main players. The book was fun, so I was genuinely interested in learning how it ends, but I remained overall ambivalent about most of the characters’ fates.
Me, not care about whether fuzzy little animal characters lived or died? That…that just doesn’t feel right. At the same time, I’m not surprised at this distancing since it’s such a common reaction for me to have towards novellas with large casts. That said, the compelling story overwhelmingly makes up for a lot of areas which I felt were weaker. If this was a full-length novel, I’m sure I would eat it up. Polansky’s writing intrigued me, so picking up one of his other books like Low Town or Those Above is most definitely in my future. As for The Builders? All in all, I enjoyed myself. And as long as you’re not looking too deeply into the whys or the hows, I think you’ll have a good time too.
Funny how I’m generally not big on anthropomorphism but at the same time I do seem to love a lot of books featuring fluffy, furry adorable sentient animals (Redwall, Watership Down, Mouse Guard, etc.) Thus the draw of Daniel Polansky’s The Builders won out, and it was also perfect because I’ve been meaning to check out his work for a long time.
The animals in this book are far from soft and cuddly, though. A mouse, a stoat, an opossum, a badger, a salamander, a mole, and an owl all walk into a bar. This however is not the beginning of a joke but a start of a Kill Bill-style tale of vengeance and bloody destruction. One upon a time, all of them stood united against a common enemy, until treachery destroyed the group from within. The last job they were all on together didn’t end so well, so now the battle-hardened mouse known as the Captain is rounding up his old pals again for one last hurrah.
But alas, you know what they say about the best laid schemes of mice and men. Before long, both bullets and fur will fly in abundance, as the Captain and his ragtag crew fight their way deep into the heart of enemy territory, facing up against a dastardly skunk, his trio of wicked henchmen, and the legions of his rat army.
Clearly, there’s lots to love here, and not just for the novelty of a gritty and darkly comedic shoot-‘em-up starring two groups of warring woodland critters. Polansky approaches the violence masterfully, portraying the anger of the Captain as something born out of more than simple desire for revenge. In fact, most of the characters were pretty well written, each given their own quirks and vices. I’m sure too that loads of great discourse could be had on the topic of animal instinct and its inevitable effects on the choices of these characters; it’s just a pity that the story does not explore this theme further.
While I had a good time on the whole, I did have a couple of minor concerns. Longtime readers of my reviews know I’ve never made secret the mixed feelings I have for the shorter, more restrictive length of the novella. Sometimes it works for me and sometimes it doesn’t, but when it comes to The Builders, once again my malaise with the format reared its ugly head.
First, I had myself a love-hate relationship with the short chapters and non-linear structure of the storyline. As a stylistic choice, it was very unique and made this book a fast read. Still, my admiration gradually waned towards the end when it proved more disruptive than beneficial to the overall flow of the plot. Polansky certainly has a strong sense for timing, but even then it’s easy to miss a few beats when working with a lower page count.
Second, there were so many characters introduced in such a short amount of time, I was given really no opportunity to connect with them, save only a few. The Captain, Bonsoir the stoat, Barley the badger and Cinnabar the salamander were among the well written ones, but a couple of the other members of the crew were lost in the chaos of gunfire and piles of corpses. It hasn’t been long since I finished reading, and already I’m having a hard time dredging my memory for their names and even their species. Admittedly, most of my enjoyment came from the story, the surface-level entertainment from following its many twists and turns, and not really out of any deep concern for the main players. The book was fun, so I was genuinely interested in learning how it ends, but I remained overall ambivalent about most of the characters’ fates.
Me, not care about whether fuzzy little animal characters lived or died? That…that just doesn’t feel right. At the same time, I’m not surprised at this distancing since it’s such a common reaction for me to have towards novellas with large casts. That said, the compelling story overwhelmingly makes up for a lot of areas which I felt were weaker. If this was a full-length novel, I’m sure I would eat it up. Polansky’s writing intrigued me, so picking up one of his other books like Low Town or Those Above is most definitely in my future. As for The Builders? All in all, I enjoyed myself. And as long as you’re not looking too deeply into the whys or the hows, I think you’ll have a good time too.
November 21, 2017
Endlessly entertaining book which starts as a stale joke: “A mouse enters a bar…”, only to provide you with an hour of exciting read of good old western story about revenge.
Mouse in this case is simply called The Captain. Vicious and cruel creature obsessed with revenge. And in that obsession he travels the world, tracking down his old band of mercenaries.
After five years of building their lives, each one of them has a reason not to join The Captain in his suicide mission, but also, each one of them, need only to hear name of one notorious skunk to get completely rabid.
Band, beside The Captain, consists of creatures like Bonsoir the Badger, Cinnabar the Salamander, Grete the Mole… well, just look at them:
Mind you, I don’t like western stories and I’m no indifferent to cuteness of fluffy animals, but I am sucker when main theme of the book is plain revenge. And adding to that, somehow Daniel managed to create interesting enough world of Wild-Wild-West I would enjoy visiting and characters of badgers, salamanders, porcupines and rest of fury animals I would recoil from their viciousness.
Daniel Polansky’s prose is magnificent:
“The mouse is a curious animal. He is small and weak.
If he is not slow, he is slower than the cat, the fox, and the owl, his natural predators—which is to say he is not nearly fast enough.
His claws and teeth are fragile things, unsuited to violence. Generally speaking he cannot even blend in to his surroundings.
In short, the mouse is perhaps the single most helpless animal on earth, blessed with nary a resource to defend himself against the cruel privations of a savage world.
Save one—the mouse knows it.
The mouse is too feeble to cling to any illusions of safety.
From the instant he leaves the flesh of the womb, he knows his life is there for the taking, and he grows cagey, and sharp.”
I hope these amazing characters, prose and world setting are enough to convince you to give this book a read, because I'm convinced you’ll enjoy it.
P.S. I totally read entire book while imagining voice of Antonio Banderas as a narrator. It worked magically. :D
Mouse in this case is simply called The Captain. Vicious and cruel creature obsessed with revenge. And in that obsession he travels the world, tracking down his old band of mercenaries.
After five years of building their lives, each one of them has a reason not to join The Captain in his suicide mission, but also, each one of them, need only to hear name of one notorious skunk to get completely rabid.
Band, beside The Captain, consists of creatures like Bonsoir the Badger, Cinnabar the Salamander, Grete the Mole… well, just look at them:
Mind you, I don’t like western stories and I’m no indifferent to cuteness of fluffy animals, but I am sucker when main theme of the book is plain revenge. And adding to that, somehow Daniel managed to create interesting enough world of Wild-Wild-West I would enjoy visiting and characters of badgers, salamanders, porcupines and rest of fury animals I would recoil from their viciousness.
Daniel Polansky’s prose is magnificent:
“The mouse is a curious animal. He is small and weak.
If he is not slow, he is slower than the cat, the fox, and the owl, his natural predators—which is to say he is not nearly fast enough.
His claws and teeth are fragile things, unsuited to violence. Generally speaking he cannot even blend in to his surroundings.
In short, the mouse is perhaps the single most helpless animal on earth, blessed with nary a resource to defend himself against the cruel privations of a savage world.
Save one—the mouse knows it.
The mouse is too feeble to cling to any illusions of safety.
From the instant he leaves the flesh of the womb, he knows his life is there for the taking, and he grows cagey, and sharp.”
I hope these amazing characters, prose and world setting are enough to convince you to give this book a read, because I'm convinced you’ll enjoy it.
P.S. I totally read entire book while imagining voice of Antonio Banderas as a narrator. It worked magically. :D
July 8, 2016
'The Builders' is, I guess, intended as a satire of grimdark-style fantasy. In the afterword, the author himself refers to the story as a 'one-note joke.' The joke is that all the characters - a nasty, brutal bunch - are small, furry animals. The trouble is that - yeah, that's all there really is to it. It's just not that funny.
The style aspired to, as well as the plot and content, reminded me most of Scott Lynch - and the thing is, Scott Lynch IS really funny and clever. It's hard to poke fun at something by being less amusing than the original.
The plot involves one of those old gangs of thieves, being re-gathered for one more dastardly plan. Far too much page real estate is devoted to painstakingly introducing each of the gang, one by one, and detailing how each is recruited, induced or blackmailed into signing up for the venture. It got tedious. By the time we get around to the predictably bloody and disastrous mess that bringing this untrustworthy crew together was bound to result in, I was ready for it to be over.
Full disclosure: I've never liked stories with anthropomorphic, talking animals. I'm not sure why. I guess there have been a few exceptions, but in general, though I love reading stories about aliens of every physical description; start calling those characters animals and I just get turned off. I'd heard enough good things about this story that I'd hoped it would be turn out to be one of my rare exceptions, but - it wasn't. If you find the idea of a talking mouse in trousers inherently amusing, your mileage may vary significantly.
Read as part of the Hugo Voters' Packet.
The style aspired to, as well as the plot and content, reminded me most of Scott Lynch - and the thing is, Scott Lynch IS really funny and clever. It's hard to poke fun at something by being less amusing than the original.
The plot involves one of those old gangs of thieves, being re-gathered for one more dastardly plan. Far too much page real estate is devoted to painstakingly introducing each of the gang, one by one, and detailing how each is recruited, induced or blackmailed into signing up for the venture. It got tedious. By the time we get around to the predictably bloody and disastrous mess that bringing this untrustworthy crew together was bound to result in, I was ready for it to be over.
Full disclosure: I've never liked stories with anthropomorphic, talking animals. I'm not sure why. I guess there have been a few exceptions, but in general, though I love reading stories about aliens of every physical description; start calling those characters animals and I just get turned off. I'd heard enough good things about this story that I'd hoped it would be turn out to be one of my rare exceptions, but - it wasn't. If you find the idea of a talking mouse in trousers inherently amusing, your mileage may vary significantly.
Read as part of the Hugo Voters' Packet.
November 9, 2015
The Magnificent Seven meets Kill Bill by way of The Wind in the Willows.
Don't look here for a plot summary, there's not much more to this than the elevator pitch above. I'm not much of a fan of any of those movies though, which does kind of shape my response to this book. That being said, this is the single best old-west revenge quest featuring anthropomorphic animals that I've ever read ...
Don't look here for a plot summary, there's not much more to this than the elevator pitch above. I'm not much of a fan of any of those movies though, which does kind of shape my response to this book. That being said, this is the single best old-west revenge quest featuring anthropomorphic animals that I've ever read ...
August 16, 2019
This reads like a fifteen-year-old's idea of what's "badass." "Hey I read Redwall as a kid, but what if it was
grimdark
" with no sense of irony. I guess the idea of anthropomorphized animals is... something, and the short chapters is a cute little joke about how everything is smaller when it's about rodents, but the entirety of the book was just shallow. Every character is a one dimensional personification of the type of animal it is. The weasels are weasels, shrews are shrewd, rats are rats, snakes are snakes, moles are moles. If the name of the species also exists as an adjective for a type of person, you better believe that character is that type of person.
Which I guess would be acceptable if there was any depth to the plots or motivations of any characters. As it stands, this is a bog-standard revenge plot. Revenge plot with no backstory or justification. So, you know, the storytelling bits. Almost every single character boldly sacrifices themselves as if it is some noble act (it's not). The main villain ends up being almost literally Jabba the Hutt (you can probably guess the type of animal he is) and is given absolutely no characterization.
The first half at least feels like a serviceable heist story, but that's blown away in the second half when it turns into a giant brawl for 75 pages or so. Too much "badass" (emphasis on the air quotes) gun-slinging and whiskey-swigging and not enough thought-out writing.
Which I guess would be acceptable if there was any depth to the plots or motivations of any characters. As it stands, this is a bog-standard revenge plot. Revenge plot with no backstory or justification. So, you know, the storytelling bits. Almost every single character boldly sacrifices themselves as if it is some noble act (it's not). The main villain ends up being almost literally Jabba the Hutt (you can probably guess the type of animal he is) and is given absolutely no characterization.
The first half at least feels like a serviceable heist story, but that's blown away in the second half when it turns into a giant brawl for 75 pages or so. Too much "badass" (emphasis on the air quotes) gun-slinging and whiskey-swigging and not enough thought-out writing.
May 18, 2023
"Wait!" the Squirrel screamed. "Wait!"
The Captain turned back to him.
"How does it end?"
The Captain widened his lips around his teeth. Some would call that a smile. They would be wrong. "In blood."
Wow, Brian Jacques got dark in his old age. Or as a zombie, since he died in 2011. But seriously, this book is absolutely Redwall but if written by Joe Abercrombie. Or like Mouse Guard and Ocean's Eleven had a baby and it was raised by Quentin Tarantino.
It's great. A brief, bleak, getting-the-gang-back-together wild west revenge story starring the cast of The Wind in the Willows. The story could have been told with humans but it wouldn't have been a quarter as fun. Polansky's economic prose keeps the story right-sized, and the narrator's tone is perfect for this comically tragic dark tale.
February 2, 2024
3.5 Stars for The Builders (audiobook) by Daniel Polansky read by Corey Gagne.
It’s a great revenge story set in the world of little furry creatures.
It’s a great revenge story set in the world of little furry creatures.
July 25, 2023
Tāds jauks gabals par diviem "Brāļiem". Vienu mēs pazīstam kā Kapteini otrs ir Mefetiks. Kapteinim reiz ir nodarīts gauži un viņš vāc kopā veco komandu, lai spriestu taisnīgu tiesu.
Un tagad iedomājamies, ka tas ir vesterns "Vējš vītolos" pasaulē. Modernāk gan būtu teikt, kaut kas līdzīgs Rango. Kur visi galvenie varoņi ir mazgabarīta dzīvnieki, es pat teiktu grauzēji. Kapteinis ir pele ar autoritāti, leģendāra personība, kuram ne katrs var stāties pretī.
Grāmata lasās ātri un ir jautra savos salīdzinājumos. Visi personāži ir sūrie varoņi, kuri vienmēr ir gatavi mest pie malas vāveru spaidīšanu bordeļos un ķerties pie īstenām atriebes lietām. Kas gan būtu par atriebību, ja tur netiktu iejaukta nodevība, ne tikai jauna, bet arī veca. Episks stāsts, ja vien to necenšas ņemt pārāk nopietni. Te ir gan slaveni "Last stand", gan kurmju gudrības.
Un tagad iedomājamies, ka tas ir vesterns "Vējš vītolos" pasaulē. Modernāk gan būtu teikt, kaut kas līdzīgs Rango. Kur visi galvenie varoņi ir mazgabarīta dzīvnieki, es pat teiktu grauzēji. Kapteinis ir pele ar autoritāti, leģendāra personība, kuram ne katrs var stāties pretī.
Grāmata lasās ātri un ir jautra savos salīdzinājumos. Visi personāži ir sūrie varoņi, kuri vienmēr ir gatavi mest pie malas vāveru spaidīšanu bordeļos un ķerties pie īstenām atriebes lietām. Kas gan būtu par atriebību, ja tur netiktu iejaukta nodevība, ne tikai jauna, bet arī veca. Episks stāsts, ja vien to necenšas ņemt pārāk nopietni. Te ir gan slaveni "Last stand", gan kurmju gudrības.
November 20, 2015
Full review at Total Inability To Connect: https://totalinabilitytoconnect.wordp...
Those who follow me know that I’ve been, traditionally, a fairly big fan of Daniel Polansky’s work. His Low Town series was a blast – dark, gritty as hell, harsh, and very vividly written. I enjoy his prose, the way he forms his characters – specifically the gruff type – and the unforgiving nature of his works.
The Builders is one of the flagship novellas for the new Tor.com imprint, and getting a heavy hitter like Polansky is a great step for them. The book itself is gorgeous and high quality, and I really like the look and feel of the end product. It definitely excites me for future works.
The book is billed as, and essentially is, Redwall meets…well, Polansky. A wide array of small-species animals function as if they were humanoids; they drink, they fight, they shoot guns, they talk amongst themselves. The animals themselves act with characteristics of their races, which are pointed out quite plainly at times, as well as their own unique personalities.
The story itself is a fairly straightforward, movie-western-style revenge plot, surrounding The Captain, and his group of uniquely-skilled critters. The Captain himself fits the archetype present in all of Polansky’s novels – the gruff, straight-talking, often brutal male lead that he writes so well. There are a lot fun little bits to the characters themselves, quirks, personality traits, but there is little time in the novella to explore these.
Overall, the story is quick, dirty, and fun. However, I had a few qualms with it – the mere premise of Redwall for Adults seemed to be what I took away from the previews of the book, but was not totally true in practice. It’s hard to really feel like a book with talking, acting wildlife critters is really as dark or gritty as Polansky’s writing usually is. Even beyond that, the book seems to be a bit unsure as to it’s target audience – it’s written in a more YA style overall, with talking animals, no profanity to speak of, and a generally simple storyline. However, there is rampant drinking of booze, some graphic violent scenes, and some overall themes that you would only find in the most aggressive of the YA category. I really was left feeling confused as to who this book was targeted at – is it a YA? Is it for adults? Somewhere in between?
The writing structure itself was a bit odd too – I have been very open about being a fan of shorter chapters, meaning I prefer a book with a ton of chapters, with hard breaks instead of just mid-chapter breaks (think the 150+ chapters of Name Of The Wind). However, Polansky took that to a new level in this book – it’s 215ish pages (very short, double-spaced, small book pages mind you), but has 53 chapters, some of which are little more than 2-3 sentences. While I kind of like this segmented, succinct style, it also just felt a bit strange to be hitting chapter 40+ when you’re 1.5 hours into a reading session. Additionally, there was an odd choice in viewpoint – the book was presented in a normal, third person style, however there were odd spots where it suggested a narrator. Example would be a line like (this is made up, not an actual quote); “The mouse hit the owl hard – hard for a mouse, I mean.” I could dig up actual quotes, but this is the gist – this happens multiple times during the book, and made me go “Wait, huh?”. Maybe I’m missing some literary device here, but it just felt a bit off.
Overall, I didn’t dislike the book, but it was not my favorite Polansky piece. I think if he intends to write more in this setting, it would be a nice setup piece, but a lot more needs to happen to round out the story. I recommend it to people who enjoyed Redwall, but are looking for a more edgy version, however I think it lacks the overall polish of some of it’s similar counterparts.
Rating: 3.5 / 5
Those who follow me know that I’ve been, traditionally, a fairly big fan of Daniel Polansky’s work. His Low Town series was a blast – dark, gritty as hell, harsh, and very vividly written. I enjoy his prose, the way he forms his characters – specifically the gruff type – and the unforgiving nature of his works.
The Builders is one of the flagship novellas for the new Tor.com imprint, and getting a heavy hitter like Polansky is a great step for them. The book itself is gorgeous and high quality, and I really like the look and feel of the end product. It definitely excites me for future works.
The book is billed as, and essentially is, Redwall meets…well, Polansky. A wide array of small-species animals function as if they were humanoids; they drink, they fight, they shoot guns, they talk amongst themselves. The animals themselves act with characteristics of their races, which are pointed out quite plainly at times, as well as their own unique personalities.
The story itself is a fairly straightforward, movie-western-style revenge plot, surrounding The Captain, and his group of uniquely-skilled critters. The Captain himself fits the archetype present in all of Polansky’s novels – the gruff, straight-talking, often brutal male lead that he writes so well. There are a lot fun little bits to the characters themselves, quirks, personality traits, but there is little time in the novella to explore these.
Overall, the story is quick, dirty, and fun. However, I had a few qualms with it – the mere premise of Redwall for Adults seemed to be what I took away from the previews of the book, but was not totally true in practice. It’s hard to really feel like a book with talking, acting wildlife critters is really as dark or gritty as Polansky’s writing usually is. Even beyond that, the book seems to be a bit unsure as to it’s target audience – it’s written in a more YA style overall, with talking animals, no profanity to speak of, and a generally simple storyline. However, there is rampant drinking of booze, some graphic violent scenes, and some overall themes that you would only find in the most aggressive of the YA category. I really was left feeling confused as to who this book was targeted at – is it a YA? Is it for adults? Somewhere in between?
The writing structure itself was a bit odd too – I have been very open about being a fan of shorter chapters, meaning I prefer a book with a ton of chapters, with hard breaks instead of just mid-chapter breaks (think the 150+ chapters of Name Of The Wind). However, Polansky took that to a new level in this book – it’s 215ish pages (very short, double-spaced, small book pages mind you), but has 53 chapters, some of which are little more than 2-3 sentences. While I kind of like this segmented, succinct style, it also just felt a bit strange to be hitting chapter 40+ when you’re 1.5 hours into a reading session. Additionally, there was an odd choice in viewpoint – the book was presented in a normal, third person style, however there were odd spots where it suggested a narrator. Example would be a line like (this is made up, not an actual quote); “The mouse hit the owl hard – hard for a mouse, I mean.” I could dig up actual quotes, but this is the gist – this happens multiple times during the book, and made me go “Wait, huh?”. Maybe I’m missing some literary device here, but it just felt a bit off.
Overall, I didn’t dislike the book, but it was not my favorite Polansky piece. I think if he intends to write more in this setting, it would be a nice setup piece, but a lot more needs to happen to round out the story. I recommend it to people who enjoyed Redwall, but are looking for a more edgy version, however I think it lacks the overall polish of some of it’s similar counterparts.
Rating: 3.5 / 5
September 15, 2016
I had no idea going into this book that it was an anthropomorphism story.
I know, I know, I probably should have, (it's right there on the cover (I read the ebook without a cover)) it's just that I was reading it because of the author's name alone. I didn't even know what the plot was let alone the fact that it featured a bunch of little animals running around instead of humans.
So you can imagine my surprise when I started reading it.
And let me tell ya, I read the hell outta this with a big shit eating grin on my face the entire freaking time.
This short little novella made me care more about its characters than a lot of full-length novels manage to do. It sucked me into its story and the world within the first page. The writing was excellent (that was the only thing I actually expected going into it) and Polansky is in fine form, as always, with his word wizardry.
Who woulda thunk that a bunch of rodents playing cowboys and revenge would be a fun read? I love it when you finish a story and after its all said and done you realized it was exactly what you needed that you didn't even know you needed.
Five easy stars. I just wish there was more!
I know, I know, I probably should have, (it's right there on the cover (I read the ebook without a cover)) it's just that I was reading it because of the author's name alone. I didn't even know what the plot was let alone the fact that it featured a bunch of little animals running around instead of humans.
So you can imagine my surprise when I started reading it.
And let me tell ya, I read the hell outta this with a big shit eating grin on my face the entire freaking time.
This short little novella made me care more about its characters than a lot of full-length novels manage to do. It sucked me into its story and the world within the first page. The writing was excellent (that was the only thing I actually expected going into it) and Polansky is in fine form, as always, with his word wizardry.
Who woulda thunk that a bunch of rodents playing cowboys and revenge would be a fun read? I love it when you finish a story and after its all said and done you realized it was exactly what you needed that you didn't even know you needed.
Five easy stars. I just wish there was more!
November 25, 2015
Short and not so-sweet-take of revenge. I'll admit, despite the often fabulous imagery Polansky creates with his animal anti-heroes, I probably would have preferred this story with human characters instead of animals. But that's my quirk, not a knock on the quality of the novella - if it sounds like your sort of thing, read this!
January 21, 2022
A Redwall heist western. Ha.
March 9, 2021
U ovih dvestotinak stranica, Polanski je uspeo da strpa svu bol, krv, smrt, tragediju i mržnju koje je Aberkrombi raširio na prvih pet romana "Prvog zakona". Vrhunsko pripovedanje, vrhunska stilizacija i karakterizacija, uz taman pravu meru građenja sveta. Majstorski održan čas iz grimdarka.
5* & Nightflier's Seal of Approval.
5* & Nightflier's Seal of Approval.
November 28, 2018
A Spaghetti Western populated by gun-totin' talking animals; what's not to love?
The Builders is an engaging fantasy novella that could almost be described as The Magnificent Seven meets Watership Down. Over the course of this short book's two hundred-odd pages we're introduced at length to a cigar-chompin' mouse known as The Captain and his hard-nosed crew made up of a stoat, an opossum, a badger, a mole, and . . . well, you get the idea. Despite the short length of the novella, each character gets their own moment, their own voice, and you find yourself thinking this could've been an entire series of books if author Daniel Polansky had wanted it to be. As it is, it's an entertaining and quick read that doesn't confuse talking animals with cuteness in any way, shape, or form. There's violence aplenty in The Builders; it's genre is best described as Talking Animal Grimdark.
Given how short the book is, it feels like Polansky made all the right choices of where to put his time. At first I was surprised so much of the story was being used up for introductions, but he does this in an engaging way that never gets tiresome and never feels trivial. If I had a criticism of the book, it's only that the cost of keeping the length short was that there wasn't room for character development, or the unfolding of themes beyond the standard 'what goes around comes around.' Also, simply because the book pays such close homage to the spaghetti westerns of Sergio Leone and others, the end chapters feel somewhat telegraphed. By the time you get to the opening of one of those final scenes, you have a pretty clear sense of who's going to live and who's going to die. That said, they still felt like the right dramatic choices for the story.
If the idea of hard drinking, fast-drawing animals on the quest for revenge sounds remotely appealing to you, The Builders by Daniel Polansky won't disappoint.
The Builders is an engaging fantasy novella that could almost be described as The Magnificent Seven meets Watership Down. Over the course of this short book's two hundred-odd pages we're introduced at length to a cigar-chompin' mouse known as The Captain and his hard-nosed crew made up of a stoat, an opossum, a badger, a mole, and . . . well, you get the idea. Despite the short length of the novella, each character gets their own moment, their own voice, and you find yourself thinking this could've been an entire series of books if author Daniel Polansky had wanted it to be. As it is, it's an entertaining and quick read that doesn't confuse talking animals with cuteness in any way, shape, or form. There's violence aplenty in The Builders; it's genre is best described as Talking Animal Grimdark.
Given how short the book is, it feels like Polansky made all the right choices of where to put his time. At first I was surprised so much of the story was being used up for introductions, but he does this in an engaging way that never gets tiresome and never feels trivial. If I had a criticism of the book, it's only that the cost of keeping the length short was that there wasn't room for character development, or the unfolding of themes beyond the standard 'what goes around comes around.' Also, simply because the book pays such close homage to the spaghetti westerns of Sergio Leone and others, the end chapters feel somewhat telegraphed. By the time you get to the opening of one of those final scenes, you have a pretty clear sense of who's going to live and who's going to die. That said, they still felt like the right dramatic choices for the story.
If the idea of hard drinking, fast-drawing animals on the quest for revenge sounds remotely appealing to you, The Builders by Daniel Polansky won't disappoint.
July 8, 2016
Full review at: http://thequeenofblades.blogspot.co.u...
4.25 stars
By now everyone must know how much I love Polansky's work. I'm almost guaranteed to love whatever he puts out there. Something about his storytelling just gets me. The Builders is dark, it's funny (not funny like stupid funny, I mean intelligent humour), and of course it's very violent.
The use of animal stereotypes was great, and in typical Polansky style, all the characters are the kind you wouldn't want to meet in a dark alley, even if they are only 6 inches tall.
There's something about traditionally cute, furry animals plotting vengeance that gripped me from the start. It takes everything I learned from Disney and throws it on its head, and then stomps on it's cold corpse!
Many readers will get a nostalgic connection to their childhood through this funny dark tale. Be it Redwall or Watership Down, or in my case The Wind in the Willows, there's a certain feeling of comfort and safety. It doesn't last. Well, what did you expect from Polansky?
4.25 stars
By now everyone must know how much I love Polansky's work. I'm almost guaranteed to love whatever he puts out there. Something about his storytelling just gets me. The Builders is dark, it's funny (not funny like stupid funny, I mean intelligent humour), and of course it's very violent.
The use of animal stereotypes was great, and in typical Polansky style, all the characters are the kind you wouldn't want to meet in a dark alley, even if they are only 6 inches tall.
There's something about traditionally cute, furry animals plotting vengeance that gripped me from the start. It takes everything I learned from Disney and throws it on its head, and then stomps on it's cold corpse!
Many readers will get a nostalgic connection to their childhood through this funny dark tale. Be it Redwall or Watership Down, or in my case The Wind in the Willows, there's a certain feeling of comfort and safety. It doesn't last. Well, what did you expect from Polansky?
November 25, 2025
Definitely one of the most unique concepts I've read this year in fantasy. The Builders is an Ocean's Eleven meets flintlock/weird west fantasy meets ... grimdark Redwall for adults. And yes, that's as mind-bendy as it sounds.
I loved the characters being pulled together by The Captain, a stoic mouse with his mind bent on one task: revenge. Great motley crew of critters, each with unique distinction and history, all tied together by their military past. Boudica and Gertrude were my favorites. Iykyk.
The pacing and structure of this short novel are episodic, with some of the chapters even being a simple short paragraph before moving on to the next. I actually didn't mind that, and it lent itself very well to a sort of cinematic experience while reading.
So why not a higher rating? Well, despite enjoying most of the grimmer aspects of this story, I felt pretty strongly that the author pushed these animal characters too far into humanization. There were some innuendos and suggested relationships that crossed a line for me personally, and that disappointed me, because I don't think they added anything to the story. I know that fantasy is famous for it's "why not" attitude, but a snake and an owl being lovers does not work. I'm sorry. Lol.
Overall, this is a unique concept and has some really powerful, punchy lines and character moments. I just think some choices were made that took away from what was great about this story.
I loved the characters being pulled together by The Captain, a stoic mouse with his mind bent on one task: revenge. Great motley crew of critters, each with unique distinction and history, all tied together by their military past. Boudica and Gertrude were my favorites. Iykyk.
The pacing and structure of this short novel are episodic, with some of the chapters even being a simple short paragraph before moving on to the next. I actually didn't mind that, and it lent itself very well to a sort of cinematic experience while reading.
So why not a higher rating? Well, despite enjoying most of the grimmer aspects of this story, I felt pretty strongly that the author pushed these animal characters too far into humanization. There were some innuendos and suggested relationships that crossed a line for me personally, and that disappointed me, because I don't think they added anything to the story. I know that fantasy is famous for it's "why not" attitude, but a snake and an owl being lovers does not work. I'm sorry. Lol.
Overall, this is a unique concept and has some really powerful, punchy lines and character moments. I just think some choices were made that took away from what was great about this story.
January 11, 2023
Skarbs stāsts par skarbiem zvēriem, kuri dzīvo un mēģina izdzīvot skarbā zvēru pasaulē. Cīņa, viskijs un cigāri. Tāda "Zvērīgā Detektīva" sērijas brutālā versija.
November 12, 2015
The Builders es una historia de venganza ambientada en un mundo donde la pólvora, el revólver y el tren son los pináculos de la tecnología. Polansky escribe un western con una característica muy especial: todos los personajes son animales antropomórficos.
Te atrapa desde el principio y yo, particularmente, la leí de una sentada. Polansky esconde en una historia aparentemente sencilla un prosa muy trabajada. Buena parte del primer tercio de la historia es una presentación de personajes muy del estilo de Ocean's Eleven y esas películas de "golpes". Esto implica un plantel amplio, pero también muy bien definido. Con tan sólo algunas páginas Polanski dibuja imágenes muy claras sobre la naturaleza de cada personaje (el hecho de ser animales también ayuda).
El autor también posee un sentido del humor muy fino, que está siempre presente. La novela parodia hasta cierto punto las historias en las que se basa, pero de una forma sutil que se lee casi como un homenaje.
El argumento es bastante sencillo y predecible. Sin embargo el viaje es lo suficientemente entretenido y satisfactorio como para que te dé igual hacia donde te diriges y te limites a disfrutar del recorrido.
Totalmente recomendable.
Te atrapa desde el principio y yo, particularmente, la leí de una sentada. Polansky esconde en una historia aparentemente sencilla un prosa muy trabajada. Buena parte del primer tercio de la historia es una presentación de personajes muy del estilo de Ocean's Eleven y esas películas de "golpes". Esto implica un plantel amplio, pero también muy bien definido. Con tan sólo algunas páginas Polanski dibuja imágenes muy claras sobre la naturaleza de cada personaje (el hecho de ser animales también ayuda).
El autor también posee un sentido del humor muy fino, que está siempre presente. La novela parodia hasta cierto punto las historias en las que se basa, pero de una forma sutil que se lee casi como un homenaje.
El argumento es bastante sencillo y predecible. Sin embargo el viaje es lo suficientemente entretenido y satisfactorio como para que te dé igual hacia donde te diriges y te limites a disfrutar del recorrido.
Totalmente recomendable.
June 10, 2024
With a unique blend of darkness, violence, and animal protagonists, this book offers a ride into the realms of vengeance.
The world building in this short book is rich and immersive, drawing you into a gritty and brutal landscape where danger lurks around every corner. As the animal mercenaries embark on their quest for vengeance, the narrative takes dark and unexpected turns.
While the vengeance storyline is satisfying, I felt that the conclusion could have packed a more significant emotional punch. The overall journey remains thoroughly enjoyable and memorable. If you are in the mood for something different, this is sure to leave a lasting impression.
The world building in this short book is rich and immersive, drawing you into a gritty and brutal landscape where danger lurks around every corner. As the animal mercenaries embark on their quest for vengeance, the narrative takes dark and unexpected turns.
While the vengeance storyline is satisfying, I felt that the conclusion could have packed a more significant emotional punch. The overall journey remains thoroughly enjoyable and memorable. If you are in the mood for something different, this is sure to leave a lasting impression.
December 13, 2015
Wow, this was great. Dark and disturbing. Even using animals instead of humans didn't soften the blow. Fast paced and brutal with a simple story but told in an interesting way with characters that are clearly defined, if one note. Easy to understand since they are the animal they represent. Except the mouse :)
My full recommendation.
My full recommendation.
August 12, 2016
Well, that was fun! The Builders is basically a western-style revenge tale, where all the characters are animals. It is full of violence, action and wonderfully dark humour.
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