The Other Animals

by Rachel Hamburg (Editor), Lulu Miller (Author/Narrator), Shruti Swamy (Author/Narrator)

In The Other Animals, a worm goes through a breakup, a vulture contemplates the act of killing, a whale falls in love with a song, and more.

This funny, moving collection of eight stories - written by a diverse crew of scientists, literary writers, and comics, and informed by science - explores what animal perspectives can show humans about the world we all share. It includes stories by Daniel Mallory Ortberg ('Texts from Jane Eyre'), R. Eric Thomas ('Elle'), Ken Liu ('The Paper Menagerie'), Lulu Miller ('Invisibilia'), Kelly Weinersmith ('Soonish'), Shruti Swamy ('O’Henry Award Winner'), Max McClure ('Grist'), and Kaeli Swift ('Audubon').

Genres: Short Stories, Audiobook, Fiction, Fantasy, Short Story Collection, Science Fiction Fantasy, Animals

Audiobook

First published November 14, 2019

Reviews

[J.L. Sutton · Rating 4 out of 5]

"She flapped her wings in my face. I will take breeze even if it comes in the form of blatant disrespect. I'm not picky. "Look alive, will you," Helene snapped. "Something's dead."



Other Animals is a collection of eight short stories by various authors, all written from the perspective of various animals. I liked this unique approach as it avoided simply anthropomorphizing the animals and presented stories about relationships among their own kind, symbiosis as well as other interactions in the animal kingdom. There were stories from the perspective of water striders, turkey vultures, scorpions, worms and others. I liked some better than others, but found that I am partial to stories from the perspective of vultures! 3.5 stars

[Kinga · Rating 3 out of 5]

“The Other Animals” is a short story collection you can listen for free if you already have the Audible subscription (it won’t cost you any credits). It’s my third? fourth? Audible Original and I have to say they have been consistently enjoyable, and this one I would definitely like to see in print.

Reviews might tell you this book is full of stories of anthropomorphised animals, but that’s not exactly true. These animals are not anthropomorphised in a sense they are not given human characteristics. What they are given is a consciousness. They are now self-aware but retain all their animalness, their way of living, their specific instincts.

It is a difficult exercise of fully inhabiting The Other and not all authors pull it off successfully. In fact, the one story that is least successful in that aspect - “Rectangles” seems to be the most popular one. It was in fact very touching and enjoyable, but the crows in the story seem very human. But then again, crows can be eerily human. (The story was obviously inspired by the debate around crow death mourning-like behaviour).

In the same vein, the most incomprehensible ones might be the most successful, such as the scorpions one. There the consciousness seems too alien for us to relate.

Some of the themes I enjoyed here most were the mysteries of interspecies symbiosis, the limits of perception that in turn define your worldview and the adventures in cannibalism that really test your empathy.

Reading a whole novel written from those perspectives might’ve been tedious, but it was perfect in this bite-size form, so if you have the Audible subscription I recommend you put it on and listen to it when doing chores, or whatever else you do when listening to audiobooks.

[The Cats’ Mother · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Other Animals is a collection of nine short stories, each by a different American author, and narrated by an actor, which is free with an Audible subscription. Each features the point of view of a different animal or bird, and incorporates elements of their real behaviour. Some were gently sweet, some annoyingly abstract, but each taught me something. The introduction explains the origins of the idea - the collator’s involuntary admission to a psychiatric ward, but these are not stories about mental health - rather about seeing the world from a very different perspective.

Beginning with a water-glider whose best friend is enthralled by a cult leader who promises to reveal the secret of what is on the other side of the water, then there’s a whale sustaining a long distance relationship underwater, a worm exploring the world of the pond aboard a snail, and, the longest (at 30 mins) and most moving, Rectangles, about a curious crow trying to understand why humans bury boxes underground... I didn’t really “get” the vulture or scorpion stories, so enjoyed these the least, but I liked the originality of the concept overall and would happily listen to a second series.

[Achyuth Murlei · Rating 3 out of 5]

Umwelt is the study and understanding of life as perceived and experienced by another animal or organism and it is on this ethological concept this book is based on. While cats and dogs have ample representation in mainstream media and culture, Rachel Hamburg, the editor, ponders on the lives of those that pass-by unnoticed, scorned at or thought about so little it would make your ex seem larger than life. In light of her bout with psychosis, she makes parallels between loving a "crazy" person and an animal that is thought of as less-than since both require curiosity and acceptance of a personality not deemed as normal by society. Peering into the minds of animals could teach humans how to love things that are out of line and maybe provide clarity in the way humans look at life. The stories of the animals are kept true to their nature but anthropomorphized, so slurping up a worm right from the soil or jumping upon a female's back to impress her is perfectly acceptable and normal within the realm of beasts.

If looking for formulas to make the perfect audiobook - look no further. With great soundtracks that emulate the environment and quirks of the animal, beautiful descriptions of objects from their eyes and wonderful accents, the project is unique and must be experienced with no hesitation - but the basket does contain some mediocre apples that bring down the overall average. Being an audiobook, a story's worth must be considered with the narrator's input factored in and while it was above stellar and unputdownable at some instances, it lacked pace or immersion in some others.

Missing out on Lulu Miller's All There Is , Shruti Swamy's Transmissions and Kaeli Swift's Rectangles should be considered a crime unpardonable by the audiobook community, the central government and your mother. With distinct reading styles and narratives, they spin a story so immersive, one would crave for for a sequel. Their detailing of the animal's complex emotions as they sit under the buttery moon or gaze at the abyss below is a skill to behold.
While Miller's animal, the water-glider, took the form of an average existence masking frustration and failure with that of a chivalrous temperament, Swamy's whale takes up the role of a poet as she pens down a beautiful letter to who seems to be a long-lost friend as she writes about the coral reef discolouring and the men she's had escapades with to humankind's genocidal tendencies and musings about life and death. Some of the others like Ortberg's Crocodillians packs quite a punch with powerful literary references to various biblical tropes and a couple were a trudge to get through.

To conclude, definitely worth a listen at least once. Different stories may hit differently based on the listener's experience (and narrator's reading). A very unique idea that reminds me of India's very own Panchatantra (circa 200BC), which imparts education and morals using animals as stand-ins for the stories.

[Donna · Rating 5 out of 5]

An audible freebie - and what a gem! Nine short stories about those animals less known and less popular. Fiction - told from the animal's point of view, including some realistic animal traits, with some literary license. My favourites included the waterglider (remembering the great "waterglider masacre...), and the crow, the scorpion, the vulture... ah, heck - they were all so good!
These were just such a surprise and joy to listen to. So varied, creative and thought provoking. They left me thinking about them for a long time afterwards...
Highly recommend.

[Chinara Ahmadova · Rating 4 out of 5]

Heyvanların dünyasına əsaslanaraq ayrı-ayrı müəllliflər tərəfindən yazılmış 9 hekayə. Hər biri qəribə heyvanlardan - ilbizdən tutmuş dəniz balinasına və qəribə böcəklərə kimi uzanır, onların gözü ilə dostluq, ölüm, həyat eşqi, dostluq əks olunur. Çox zövq aldım dinləyərkən və Audible proqramının pulsuz hekayələrindən biri kimi olduqca uğurlu idi.

[Valerie Ratcliff · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was surprising and delightful in turns. As often with a collection of short stories, not all were of equal caliber, all were full of wonder and intrigue. I love the premise- anthropomorphic stories of animal woes. My particular favourite was the one of the water skater bug whose love interest joined a ‘cult’ that claimed there was more than just a reflective surface to the water. Such a great premise! I would definitely recommend diving in to this charming set of audiobook shorts.

[Judy Phin · Rating 3 out of 5]

What an interesting perspective! I loved that the authors really removed themselves from our bipedal mammal like thinking and really brought out their creativity to give us a perspective from another creature! The fun facts weaved throughout the stories were great! I especially liked the first few =)

[Ash Hedstrom · Rating 5 out of 5]

I LOVED this collection of short stories about life from the perspective of animals that we don’t typically consider on a daily basis.
It’s hard to pick a favorite because each was so unique, but I did listen to the Rectangles story twice because if you know anything about me you know my love for the cemetery.

I had to add to my collection of top favorites because it was honestly so good.

[Marcus · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good premise for a short story collection, charting the umwelt (consciousness) of other species and giving a semi-realistic insight into the lives of other animals. The authors get all ethological up in here as they incorporate the often brutal truths of the natural world into their tales.

The first and final stories are particularly strong, highlighting the lives of water striders and crows respectively. The former have their own heavenly myth as they ponder the underwater alien realm, complete with a slick water strider guru figure. The second concerns a graveyard crow and her miscommunications with the resident human digger. I also liked the story of symbiosis as a parasitic worm considers various snail hosts for residency.

[Pooja Kumar · Rating 4 out of 5]

Light, whacky and exactly what I was looking for!

[Emma Dargue · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good set of short stories about animals contemplating human ideas such as companionship, relationships, grief and death. My favourite story within this collection was transmissions by Shruti Swamy which highlighted the relationship between romantic relationships and motherhood. Really good.

[Tonti Riyad · Rating 4 out of 5]

More of these please! In awe of the stories and the creativity in imagining their inner lives and how they might view the world. Of course it’s heavily anthropomorphized but it’s part of the charm? These are imaginings of humans.

[Megan · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book has a beautiful foreword, but the stories that follow don't live up to it.

[Jessica Zu · Rating 5 out of 5]

every story is brilliant! I will definitely teach some of these goodies

[Catherine Puma · Rating 5 out of 5]

[This was such a delight to listen to! Definitely a fan for anyone who has liked Sy Montgomery's body of work, especially her popular collection of short stories, "How to Be a Good Creature". This collection of short stories, however, are written by different people, are fictional instead of memoir-based, and are told from the perspective of anthropomorphised animals. While most of the stories are from the point of view of creatures who we would not usually see as charismatic, such as snail-symbiotic worms or vultures, there are also stories about crows and whales, both of which have captured the fascination of humans for centuries. Some stories were better than others, but overall this has real quality in its humor, inventiveness, and discussion of possibilities. More complete review to come when I've found the time.]

[Ginger · Rating 4 out of 5]

These are some beautifully written stories written from the perspective of less common animal species. What amazed me was how human they were despite being built around the umwelt of the animals at the center of each story.

Umwelt is a word that refers to how and what an animal can sense in their environment. It considers the fact that animals have different umwelten. The environment could be identical yet experienced completely differently based on various physical or sensory factors.

I enjoyed the refreshing tone of the stories and I particularly appreciate that I feel like I learned about animal behavior science despite being fictional works, the short works are based in animal behavior science.

[Anu · Rating 3 out of 5]

5 stars for the concept of this book - scientists and writers writing about rare animals from a first person perspective of the animals. I’d love to have also had Lucy Cooke and Psy Montgomery on the list of authors!
2 stars for the actual content itself - promising start on the snail and worm story by Kelly Weinersmith but disappointing end. The water strider story turned dark and the vulture story was not bad. The scorpion and whale stories were well done - Ken Liu and Shruti Swamy FTW. The crow story was bittersweet and enjoyable. The rest of the stories were meh. The sound effects were obtrusive and jarring for the most part.

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

In many books, we get to see the protagonist with an animal of some kind. Yet, rarely do we get to see the animal's story told from the animal's point of view. This book decides to do just that, providing a collection of short stories, all involving animals, and all told from the animal's point of view. Not only are the stories interesting - particularly as they expose us to stories we would not normally experience, but the narration of each story is wonderful. If you like animals, I encourage you to listen to this audiobook. If you like stories that are out of the ordinary, I encourage you to listen to this audiobook. If you like stories, I encourage you to listen to this audiobook.

[Katie Royle-Evatt · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a very interesting anthology of short stories and I gotta say, I think I found some new favorites, including the story about crows, “Rectangles” by Kaeli Swift, the scorpions found in “Moon Carver” by Ken Lui, and the Water Striders in “All is There” by Lulu Miller. I loved hearing from animals perspectives that you don’t usually see in books or stories that follow animals, and I can say that I highly recommend this collection. Besides being written well, they were read well and a pleasure to listen to.

[Elaine · Rating 5 out of 5]

This a collection of eight stories that gives a much needed shout-out to the underdog. Not literally a dog though, because if there is any animal that demands attention from humans – it’s those of the canine persuasion. We’re talking vultures, worms, scorpions, crows, whales, water striders. You know, the animals that we either ignore, fear, or turn our noses up to.

The stories all have some sort of fictional story that leads the reader along as you learn real tidbits about how these amazing and often overlooked creatures survive, mate, find food, and tolerate the most destructive and cruel animal of all: human beings. As I write this, there is literally a fire destroying the marine life in the Gulf of Mexico because of a leaky gas pipeline. Way to go, homosapiens.

Favorite story: Rectangles.

[Saravanan Mani · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent collection of short stories. Some are really inventive, with no attempts to give an animal perspective about the human world. The micro lives of a symbiotic worm and the water striders were really impressive. It created a whole universe within the world we live in. There were a couple of stories which used animals to look at human lives. This was a bit uneven. However, the last story in the collection about the crows was excellent. Gently heartbreaking.

[Reading into the Void · Rating 5 out of 5]

“There’s a strange parallel between the experience of being loved as a crazy person and loving an animal that everyone else thinks is unworthy of affection. It requires curiosity and an openness to mental states that are interesting and foreign. It requires an attitude that acknowledges what is peripheral, strange, or painful, but does not diminish the dignity of the other… peering into animal minds might give us practice loving what is strange to us.”

[Veronica Liew · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this collection of essays about the life of Other Animals where the stories have been written like little puzzles (I wished there were footnotes after some of the stories!) for one to decipher the animals' viewpoints. Fresh and occasionally funny writing, even in really morbid settings. Highly recommend this!!

[Andrew · Rating 3 out of 5]

A few of these stories are absolute gold. In particular, the last one in the collection, which is from the perspective of a crow, is absolutely brilliant. I found the audio quality to be a bit hit and miss, which is a shame, but most of the narrations are excellent regardless. If you have an Audible subscription, I definitely recommend episode 1 and episode 9 - those two alone would be 5 stars.

[Amber · Rating 4 out of 5]

4/5
I love the whole idea of this collection of stories, the animals that aren't revered or thought much of as a basis for a short story. I thought the editor's note was great as well, and I rarely feel moved by or remember an editor's note , so there is that too.
My favorites of the collection were Death and Company, The Moon Carver, and Rectangles.

[Carmen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Some of the chapters I loved and some of the chapters I hated because I hated the "other" animals that they were portraying. All in all, excellent read. Amazing insight into worlds in which we rarely (if ever) immerse ourselves, helps put our own lives into perspective. Biased by the writers' own anthropocentric view, naturally, but nonetheless enlightening :D

[Claudiu · Rating 3 out of 5]

quirky, cute and imaginative.

a brilliant exercise in removing of the self. do you know the feeling of ears popping when changing altitude? I could feel my biped mammal cognitive ego pop a little when I was permitting myself to embody the water strider mystic, hearing the gospel preached by a crocodile, smelling death through the nostrils of a vulture and carving the moon with a scorpion.

[Mafalda Fernandes · Rating 4 out of 5]

1. Editor's Note
2 All There is de Lulu Miller [water strider]
3 Transmissions de Shruti Swamy [blue whale]
4 Death and Company de R. Eric Thomas [turkey vultures]
5 Starting Over de Kelly Weinersmith [flat worm]
6 The Moon Carver de Ken Liu [scorpion]
7 Crocodilians de Daniel Mallory Ortberg [crocodile]
8 Ptarmigan Tunnel de Max McClure [marmot]
9 Rectangles de Kaeli Swift [crow]

[Lucy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mostly disappointing. I was going to quit listening to this part way through the series as I was either bored or confused by every story, but I'm glad I didn't because I would have missed out on Rectangles, the last story. Worth listening to just this one, even if you skip the rest.