The Council of Animals

by Nick McDonell, Steven Tabbutt (Illustrator)

A captivating fable for humans of all ages—dreamers and cynics alike—who believe (if nothing else) in the power of timeless storytelling.

“‘Now,’ continued the cat, ‘there is nothing more difficult than changing an animal’s mind. But I will say, in case I can change yours: humans are more useful to us outside our bellies than in.’”

Perhaps.

After The Calamity, the animals thought the humans had managed to do themselves in. But, it turns out, a few are cowering in makeshift villages. So the animals—among them a cat, a dog, a crow, a baboon, a horse, and a bear—have convened to debate whether to help the last human stragglers . . . or to eat them.

Genres: Fiction, Fantasy, Animals, Dystopia, Science Fiction, Audiobook, Adult Fiction

195 pages, Hardcover

First published July 20, 2021

About the author

Nick McDonell is the author of the novels Twelve, The Third Brother, and An Expensive Education, as well as a book of political theory, The Civilization of Perpetual Movement, and four works of reportage, The End Of Major Combat Operations, Green On Blue, The Widow's Network, and The Bodies In Person.

Reviews

[karen · Rating 3 out of 5]

NOW AVAILABLE!!!

"It is better," said the cat, "to accept what cannot be changed, and pee on it."

brief personal backstory: i slap every book i'm even casually interested in on my 'to-read' shelf here, so whenever there's a giveaway for one of them, i get that notification email, and i enter all of them, even if i can barely remember the book in question. despite the sheer number of giveaways i enter, unlike in the olden days when goodreads was a small family operation, i rarely win—this year, i have only won TWO, this one and The Memory Theater.

so i was SUPER excited to get the email telling me i had won a giveaway, but when i clicked through to see which book i'd won, i was more apprehensive than triumphant.

obviously, i was drawn to this book because animals! but the synopsis gave me paws pause. i could see this going one of two ways; either some treacly The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse pap, or an Animal Farm reboot. neither of those two options appealed to me—the first because goopy sentimentality is not my jam, the latter because you don't mess with Animal Farm.

this ended up being closer in scope to Animal Farm, but on a simpler and more superficial level. which is not a criticism—it's not trying to be a scathing political satire, it calls itself a fable and it delivers exactly what it promises.

so, a dog, a horse, a grizzly bear, a cat, a crow, and a baboon walk into a clearing. these representatives have assembled to discuss what to do about the human problem. if you don't know what this problem is, read a paper. we broke the world. here, the world is even more broken: humans have caused an unspecified event known as The Calamity, and while only a few stragglers remain, humans nonetheless pose a threat—their potential to go forth and multiply and ruin everything all over again is a real concern, so the animals are taking it upon themselves to vote on a course of action: let the humans be or eat 'em all up.

you may notice that the species-representation is on the slim side, which highlights one of the problematic features of decision-making by committees, and this one has already experienced some challenges in establishing its quorum:

Each of the animals at the council was a species ambassador, chosen (some more democratically than others) by their fellows. It had been agreed that each would have an opportunity to speak before voting.

The order of speakers had been agreed at the previous meeting, after a venerable rabbit had been devoured over questions of procedure.

the baboon is the de facto leader of the council, and his attitude towards the proceedings seems pretty consistent with those in leadership positions:

"All of us are here. Anyone who is not here is not us. That's we. So we can begin."

"But if the others aren't here," said the bear, slowly, focusing on one bit of the problem, "how will they decide how to vote?"

"They vote as we tell them," said the baboon. "Animals like that."

this is only one of the reasons why committees, while noble in theory, are frequently doomed endeavors. this one in particular is plagued by the usual petty disagreements; infighting and vote-switching as each creature puts forth their arguments, and the process is further tainted by bribes, secret alliances, and some munching-on of furry bystanders wanting their own vote in the matter.

it's not exactly a meeting of the best and brightest. the crow's contributions are particularly unhelpful:

"Hear the bird laws! On the full moon, no worms! On the seventh day, attend thy nest! Thou shalt not fly above the mountain, nor below the sea! Caw Caw Caw!

and though you may have disagreed with me in the past about the Evil of birds, remember i tried to warn you.

"Humans are a danger to The Egg," said the crow. "Kill them all!"

i was unsurprised that the crow was such a wing'ed monster, but i was pleasantly surprised to discover this wasn't just an "animals good/humans bad" story because i tend to bristle at being spoonfed simplified morality.

it's brief and quick (and illustrated!), probably a single-sitting gulp for most, and while i wouldn't call it an essential read, it was occasionally clever and funny, and there are certainly some insights to be gleaned, and i am, naturally, team cat.

Though the crows and the baboons had, per the agreement at the council, spread the word about the decision to eat all the humans, no other species had massed with them. The original baboon emissary, whom we came to know earlier, was frustrated by this, but finally he decided it did not matter. He was certain the baboons would finish off the remaining humans. They didn't need any other species' help! And he, personally, would be certain to approach the battle from the rear. Plenty of idiot baboons to go ahead of him. He started a chant, to rile them up:

"Eat the children! Eat the children!"

Other baboons joined in.

"Eat the children! Eat the children!"

Shocking?

But why should it be?

Why, indeed, the historian would ask, are we continually surprised by the rapacity, violence, and arrogance of those creatures who ascend to leadership? Do we not recall, throughout animal history, the despots and fools who have so handily outnumbered the saints? History is a dark tail that doesn't wag.

when the monkeys and the birds team up, we are all doomed.



******************************************

hooray, i won a book with animals on the cover!!!



review to come!

come to my blog!

[Lori · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book didn't work for me at all. It's been described as being like The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse, a book I love, though not everyone does and I get that. It doesn't matter; this is nothing like it other than having a boy, a horse, some moles and some drawings. It's also been compared to Animal Farm and all those two have in common is talking, fight-y animals.

It takes place after "The Calamity," some unexplained event or process which has altered the local landscape and wiped out some part of the human population. Was it caused by climate change? disease? aliens? -- we're never told. Representatives of various (arbitrary?) species of animals meet to vote on whether to kill the remaining humans to save themselves (from?). This is a small, local group representing many species all of which are unscathed. Whether This Calamity was global is not addressed.

So these animals meet on a large yacht complete with helicopter which is embedded in a cliff -- suggesting rising oceans? some pollution-mutated Ocean Monster with a great throwing arm? -- to vote on whether to kill the small group of human survivors camped nearby. Not an interesting premise and not well executed.

The animals are anthropomorphized and unoriginal, unscientific and uninteresting. The leader of the baboons is shady, the horse weak and easily manipulated. The cat is smartest and gets the best lines (okay, I liked that), the dog is dull, all instinct and an incessant desire to please. The bear is a bear, generic. There's also a squirrel or is it a bat (it's confused about that and so was I), an animal I'm still not sure exists and crows not clever like real ones who seem mainly there for their overdone murder of caws.

Cliche piles upon cliche as uninteresting events unfold. Even if it did cohere I still wouldn't know the reader for whom this is intended. I think children would be confused, bored, at times frightened, nightmares being the probable takeaway. I hope any children to whom this is read don't get ideas about animal nature from this book. Sharp young adult readers I know, which is not a large sample, would roll their eyes at the banality that's there and probably regret the missed oppportunity that's the story that isn't told. As for adult readers, this one was left asking why? what's happening here and what's the point? On the other hand a number of GoodReaders liked it a lot and have posted positive reviews.

The artwork is disappointing, pedestrian. The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse has beautiful artwork -- black and white, color, drawings, paintings -- whereas this is expected and monotonous. The world-building Orwell did in Animal Farm is excellent no matter how well or poorly you think it's aged; the world-building here is a calamity. The "adventure" that unfolds here is unexciting. Other creatures have cameos. As for the two humans we meet, why they're there, why these two characters and this particular, local camp of humans some of the animals want to kill is there isolated but healthy, is never explained and sinks an already very leaky plot.

So why two stars? Because there are some clever lines of dialogue, isolated but enjoyable, and something I liked which happens to the bear, to raise it above one star. But there was a missed opportunity by someone who apparently writes nonfiction well. This could have been sharper sharp, clearer clear, written with a defined disaster, a particular audience or age group in mind and a resolution that hasn't been done before in books, films and on The Twilight Zone.



Thanks to Henry Holt for sending me a hardcover copy of the book.

[Diane S ☔ · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 I came to read this book in a sort of amusing way. I have been reading, the last few years, many nature and animal books, so when I saw this title and the animal on the cover, I grabbed it. I also should add that I also seldom read book summaries as I feel they often give too much away. So, I started reading and quickly determined that this was fiction and not what I thought it was going to be. Yes, there are animals but in a fable type, allegorical type of tale. It's been many, many years since I had read Animal Farm, but the comparisons, although not the same scenario, are there.

There has been what is called the Great Calamity. The pandemic has killed so many humans that there are very few left. The animals are now in charge and representatives from several species have a council to take a vote on whether the rest of our kind should be killed, or allowed to live.

Reminded me of our Senate, each representative gives a speech, and then votes. There is arguing, each trying to persuade the others to their way of thinking. The animals speak a common language called grak, but this is one of the few things they have in common. There is more to this of course, interesting to see the pacts formed, opinions changed but yes in the end our fate rests with the animals in the natural world we tried so hard to destroy. Divine justice, perhaps?

ARC from Netgalley.

[Caroline · Rating 1 out of 5]

***NO SPOILERS***

In this strange tale by Nick McDonell, six animals come together to decide whether or not to kill and eat humans left behind after "The Calamity." The Council of Animals appears to be a deviation from McDonell's norm of writing contemporary fiction and political nonfiction, although it has political undertones. It's centered almost exclusively on an animal cast of characters à la Animal Farm, and the first third of the book shows this handful gathered to debate the fate of humanity. The debate consumes the first third of the book; then this becomes a little adventure story as some of the animals embark on a journey.

The Council of Animals is obviously a metaphor--actually metaphors upon metaphors--and seemingly pro–animal rights but not really. "The Calamity" gets mentioned continually, but although there are hints that this could be climate change, McDonell withheld specifics. What's obvious is that some major upheaval changed the balance of power in the recent past, giving animals the upperhand.

I appreciate the author’s imagination and effort to step out of his writing comfort zone. His intention with the story is unclear, however, and although he wrote scenes that should, by their very nature, be tense and dangerous--a weighty debate and then a crucial journey--there is no tension, and the dangers the characters encounter are never believable as legitimate threats. The debate reads matter-of-factly. The journey is tedious. Humanity’s fate hangs in the balance, but it never really feels like it.

Writing metaphorically can be tricky, and I got the sense that McDonell was preoccupied with being neither too obvious nor too subtle. If he wanted to avoid hitting his reader over the head, he more than succeeded: He swung so far in the other direction that The Council of Animals is drained of whatever power it could have. The end result is something that’s too nebulous as an extended metaphor and is instead closer to a straightforward children’s story--which actually could be ok except that this book is terribly boring from the start. I finished it only because it's a fast read and I hoped for improvement as the story went on. The highlights are a few well-drawn illustrations sprinkled throughout and simple, easy prose.

NOTE: I received this as an Advance Reader Copy from LibraryThing in July 2021.

[Lisa Vegan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I won this book at LibraryThing in exchange for an honest review. I received an advance readers paperback copy a few days before the book’s publication date. I read it over 2 days in less than 24 hours, but I didn’t find it to be a page-turner.

As a vegan and animal rights activist and environmentalist, the premise of this book intrigued me and appealed to me. From the description it seemed as if a great human caused catastrophe had occurred and some animals were getting together to decide whether to kill & eat the few remaining humans or to spare them. Poetic justice? Or more mercy shown than humans showed to them and to themselves?

It's interesting here that the animals have a lot of the same flaws as humans do. Also, yes I already obviously had it shelved as speculative fiction but it was even more of a fantasy than I’d expected.

The narrative was exceedingly tedious to read. For me the most disappointing part was that the animals were fantastical too. The dog and cat and I think horse were not like their real world counterparts except in some very specific small ways. I started enjoying it slightly more when humans entered the story.

I was curious about the identity of the narrator and I did appreciate the end of the book. It did end up being more profound than what I was expecting.

The premise is promising and it did sort of come to fruition. Hence, my 3 star rating, even though much of the time I was reading it felt like a 2 star or 1 star book.

I haven’t been in the mood for fantasy and maybe that’s part of the problem I had with this book. I see this book compared to Animal Farm but I don’t think it’s a good comparison. If you are looking for fantasy I recommend The Phantom Tollbooth perhaps. If you’re looking to read about human caused climate change and other human caused catastrophes or violence and war there are many great non-fiction books and articles on the internet that are available.

I did really enjoy the illustrations and liked the way the animals and (others) were depicted.

Most of the ratings for this book are high so I don’t want to discourage anyone from reading it. I say to go check out other reviews. I plan to do that and see why others rated it higher than I have. Until toward the end I was thinking that I would not like the book and would give it 2 stars for the premise and because I liked the illustrations, but once I got to the end I was glad that I read it so 3 stars it is. I ended up liking it despite not enjoying reading most of it.

[Shawna Finnigan · Rating 1 out of 5]

CW// violence, brief mention of child abuse

Thank you so much to the author for allowing me to read and review a copy of your book. I received this book through a giveaway from a Goodreads group that I’m in and I accessed it via NetGalley.

The Council of Animals follows a group of seven animals who are selected to vote on the matter of whether or not to eat the remaining humans on Earth. If you liked Animal Farm, I’m sure you will like this one, but I didn’t enjoy Animal Farm and so this one was not as enjoyable as I hoped it’d be.

I found this book to be rather dull and uninteresting. It didn’t hold my attention while I was reading it and I had a hard time getting invested in the story. The characters were either way too philosophical in their arguments or they were supposed to be funny but I found the “funny” parts to be a little over the top.

It definitely got slightly more interesting after the action started midway through this book, but I found that I was more interested in the setting than in the actual events occurring. I also found the narrator’s commentary and side tangents to be way too distracting and boring.

The only thing I really liked about this book was the artwork. I wasn’t expecting there to be artwork in this book, but it complimented the story really well and it looked very nice.

[David Gibson · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Short Version: Get ready for a modern day Jungle Book that examines the folly of human Politics with a good dash of humor and all of the absurdity that matches the current political landscape

The Long Version: I got to listen to the audiobook ARC of this book thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio.

This long version won’t be very long as the book itself was quite short, the audiobook clocking in under 4 hours. I was worried for a second I had only received a snippet, but it was the full narrative and there was a surprising amount packed into the small space.

The story follows a group of animals, each chosen to represent their animal kind (dogs, cats, horses, bears, baboons, etc…) as they meet to vote on a very important issue involving humans. The proceedings devolve into utter chaos (much like the current political discourse) and an offshoot of this council set off on their own path to make things right.

The story on the whole was very well constructed. The brevity serves the overall impact as I feel that the humor (which can be a bit on the dry side) may have worn thin if the story carried on for several more hours. The dialogue is cheeky and the author does a nice job creating unique voices for the animals that very simplistically embody what you would imagine each creature may speak like.

The story is very political and satirical, and while I was unable to decipher any specific references to historical events, the overall commentary on the foolishness of modern political systems was incisive and effective.

I will say that the book was a bit tough to get into right away. The council has a wide cast, so the first few chapters were a bit cacophonous and scattershot, but if you hang on to about the 15% mark, things settle in nicely and the story is easier to follow.

The sizable cast did make it difficult to pack in a lot of character development into the short space, but the characters do grow and change. On this aspect, there a bit of a push-pull dynamic, as I think the story was only as long as it had to be, but by the end, I was invested in the characters and would have enjoyed more time with them.

The book is read by the author, and while he doesn’t possess the same level of voice acting as the best professional narrators, he diversified his cast sufficiently and heightened the story through his clear understanding of the material.


Overall a very solid 4 out of 5. After the first few chapters it’s a relatively easy read and it’s equal parts humorous and thought provoking. A very solid read for children of all ages

Component Ratings
Idea/concept: 4 out of 5
Protagonists: 3.5 out of 5
Antagonists: 4 out of 5
Supporting characters: 4.5 out of 5
Character Development: 3 out of 5
Plot: 4 out of 5
Pacing: 4 out of 5
Prose: 5 out of 5
Dialogue: 5 out of 5
Narrator performance: 4 out of 5
Ending: 4 out of 5

[Laur · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Council of Animals is a fable in which a group of animals - among them a cat, a dog, a crow, a baboon, a horse, and a bear—have convened to debate whether to help the last human stragglers on earth being attacked and eaten, or should the humans be helped. Comparisons to George Orwell’s Animal Farm come to mind.

Interestingly, the fable subtly hints to comparisons the animal world has that the human world has too. There are some clever one-liners that gave me a good chuckle just imagining the characters. I seriously laughed at a particular conversation directed to the dog that used a word he was called that was offensive to HIM (the dog), and the dog proceeded to set the record straight emphatically! Yeah, that was kinda funny.

The premise of the book won’t be for everyone, but sometimes the “odd” becomes a future classic, and becomes a subject for book group discussion. It was overall fast paced, well written, with smart dialogue, but indeed I was left with a mixed bag feeling about it.

I listened to the Audio Version, and wished that the character voices could have been distinct. I didn't notice much variation, if any, change in character or voice. It was simply narration.

3.5 Stars
My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced Digital Audio copy in exchange for my honest review.

[Moonkiszt · Rating 4 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this book! Better than - waaay better than Animal Farm.

Recommended it to all my grands, BUT the unasked question for readers is whether this is a book for young folk, or all folk, and my answer is unequivocally B.

What happens when we've mostly offed the world, and the question remains - what to do with the few remaining bits of our species? and that decision rests in the paws & claws of a few?

Mmm. I loved this book. Will read again. And again. It may be time to live with a cat again.

[Phyllis · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a wholly enchanting (and hilarious) fable about the place of humans among all the other creatures of the world, and the day that all the others creatures decided humanity's fate. It is a lovely and fast read.

Addendum: I forgot to mention a thing I really enjoyed. The narrator (unidentified until the very end) intersperses thoughts about the importance of writing, and of writing history in particular, and the many important perspectives it is vital to consider when writing a history of anything or anywhere or anyone. It is charming and thought-provoking.

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

One could put it in the same genre as Animal Farm and Watership Down, but these animals didn't seem true to their natures... McDonell doesn't know his subjects, and/or is more interested in the metaphors.

But still, in its own way it is a charmer, and definitely thought-provoking, and original.... And sometimes funny - I love the "dangerous moles" for example. I read it in one afternoon, and think anyone interested, age 10 up, might enjoy it.

[Ayun Halliday · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of those books I wanted to start reading again the second I finished.

It's genius. I keep thinking about the mutant lizard who thinks he's a bat.

This book gave me ideas!

xxx

[Lata · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a bit of an odd one, and I needed time to think about how I felt about this story.
While reading, it was a little difficult not to think of Animal Farm (i.e., dystopia, talking animals), but in this case, the animals are deciding whether or not to eradicate humans after humans have been unsurprisingly stupid enough to cause some sort of huge, calamitous event on the planet.
There is much debate and argument, with double-dealings and betrayals by the monkey representative (monkeys are, after all, our cousins) on the animal council. Surprisingly, a cat, among a few of the other reps, has a dissenting opinion. I love cats, but I also know cats can be jerks, so this was a bit surprising. The ending was not entirely a surprise, and was a good place for humanity to end up. The narrator’s identity was a pleasant not-quite surprise.

[Candida · Rating 3 out of 5]

This little book was an interesting twist on humans destroying the planet type. Just how we did it is not clear but it's a big enough mistake that all the animals hold council to decide the fate of mankind. The story is a sober subject but not without humor. The ending is pretty fitting I thought.

[catherine ♡ · Rating 5 out of 5]

*Huge thanks to Henry Holt and the author for sending me a free copy in exchange for an official review!*

Actual Rating: 5

Wow, I just had such a blast reading this (all in one sitting, waiting at the optometrist's office).

The first thing that stood out to me was the writing style. It's just witty, fun, and utterly captivating. It gives me Neverending Story or Edward Scissorhands vibes — the magic of someone reading a bedtime story to you and the childlike wonder you'd feel, debating whether it was real or not. The fairytale/fable feeling of this book really comes across well, especially with the little puns that are scattered throughout, the little tangents about the mysterious identity of the storyteller, and the sketches. They really brought the story to life and helped me immerse myself into the world. The prose was just gorgeous.

The way world-building is done in this book is the perfect definition of "less is more." Historical events are spoken about in very subtle terms — references to what humans did, to something called "The Calamity." The narrator drops just enough bread crumbs for us to be intrigued and get a sense of what happened, but not too much that it loses the mystery and narrative voice.

The characters are all so interesting and it feels like each animal representative genuinely expresses the feelings of their species; there's surrealism to the way the animals talk about the situation they're in and the reasoning behind their decision-making, and it just adds so much to the immersion.

All this is just to say that the book is extremely satirical, but the political and social commentary is really strong, from the human role in pollution and global warming, to the failure of the political process and its smoke-filled rooms, to the inequalities and beliefs passed down through generations.

Overall, this was a really quick read, but I loved everything about it, from the general world-building and addition of some fantasy elements, to the character growth of different animals, to the final genius resolution. I'd highly recommend this to people of all ages — it really feels like a classic in the making.

[Felicia Harris · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a really hard book for me to review. I really enjoyed this book. I felt like I was reading a literary classic in the making. That being said I am bot sure this book is for everyone for that reason.
This book had absolutely gorgeous prose. I literally felt like I was reading a classic the prose were that poetic and gorgeous. It felt beautiful and lyrical in a way all old stories do and it took my breath away.
I also adored the characters particularly how distinct their voices were. I do feel like the author leaned a little heavily on what is normally used in book for animal behavior and character but I can't exactly fault him for it when literally ever other author does the same thing while being praised up and down for their brilliance. I found the cat to be a great character and probably my favorite overall.
The illustrations also really added to the story. Again the art had a very old world classics feel to them which just enhance my feeling as if I was reading a classic.
This is a book in am not only hoping to see on multiple book of the year list but I am betting on it. This is definitely the exact type of book to become book of the year. I also see this book being hailed as a modern classic, one of the first ones I have seen in a long time. This book was just so fantastic and I can not wait to see the rest of the worlds thought and reactions when it comes out.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the early review copy.

[Tiff (fictionaltiff) · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Council of Animals is a book to read if you’re in the mood for something completely outrageous. I loved it.
Us humans, with our pollution and global warming ignorance, caused the “almost” end of the world. There is one measly camp of humans left on the entire planet. And it’s up to the remaining animals on earth to decide if we are worthy creatures to save or if the animals would be better served if they ate us.
And what ensues after the council of animals makes their decision is a fun adventure into madness. It’s hilarious, it’s weird, it’s good old fun. It was a bit like a dark, but slightly uplifting story you wouldn’t ever tell to your kids at night. Keep it to yourself and enjoy it.
I’ve never read a book like this. I’m not sure if I will in the future. But my desire for a constant change of pace in my reading has been strengthened.
Now, which one of my friends can I get to read this so we can talk about what the hell just happened here?
Thanks so much @henryholtbooks for sending this one to me!

[Rex · Rating 5 out of 5]

I won this advanced reader copy on Goodreads recently. I had a day off from work and decided to give it a try. I read it in ONE DAY! Almost in one sitting!

I had no idea what to expect. It almost looked like a children's book based on the cover and a few illustrations I saw inside. I had never heard of the author, so I truly was going in with no expectations whatsoever. And was I thoroughly and pleasantly surprised!

This book reads almost like a modern fable. It's cute, but not childish and the writer is very clever with his wordplay. In many ways it reminded me of something by Neil Gaiman, who I enjoy almost more than anyone since Arthur Conan Doyle.

There's not much more I can say without revealing the unique aspects of this novel that make it so endearing and entertaining. Instead I just want to highly recommend it, but set aside enough time to keep going once you start. You're not going to want to stop.

[Paul Preston · Rating 3 out of 5]

The majority of the humans were wiped out in The Calamity. A few are struggling to survive as we enter this tale. The animals have sent a few representatives to be a council and to discuss and vote about the fate of the human race. Do the animals kill and eat the surviving humans or do the let them live?
Not all is as it seems as at least one of the animals has been trying to bribe and persuade the others before the council met. And will everyone agree to and follow through with the vote? Whether it is for or against the humans.
This is not the peaceful heartfelt book I was expecting, leaving me with words of wisdom and warmth in my soul.
This is a fantastical tale of plotting and vengeful animals written for all ages that I felt got a bit weird.

[Marjorie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a thought-provoking fable that may well become a classic in years to come. With some similarities to "Animal Farm", the animals in this story send representatives to meet in a council to determine the fate of the few remaining humans after "The Calamity". Should the humans be allowed to live or should the animals eat them? After all, "The Calamity" was the humans' fault and to allow them to continue would be to sustain the possibility that they would do it again. Hopefully, this tale will open some eyes as to the necessity of living in harmony with all creation, down to the smallest insect.

Completely unique, beautifully illustrated and one that I highly recommend.

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you to the publisher for an ARC.

This is billed as a fable…but I’m not quite sure what the moral was. There were a few teaching moments but nothing that seemed could be summed up by the actual point of the plot.

This one felt a little like a C.S. Lewis-esque children’s book. It’s a book that kinda defies age groups, although maybe only older children will begin to appreciate the storytelling style.

I read this one in a few hours, so it was a nice change of pace but I’m struggling with whether or not I actually LIKED it.

[Tina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good!! Full review soon!

[Bob Lingle · Rating 4 out of 5]

For fans of Animal Farm and Kotwinkle's Doctor Rat, animals have assembled to decide the fate of the what's left of humanity. It's a quick, fun read, that has a very satisfying ending.

[Tony Vacation · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you don't find this book an affecting success, then we'd be better off, most likely, if you were eaten.

[Brittany Schultz · Rating 3 out of 5]

How can I give this a 3 but The Alchemist a 5? I don’t know. They are similar in a lot of ways. They both are fables for young readers (not YA…I mean preteens lol), proverbial, and light-hearted with small stains of depth.

I think for me it comes down to how the deep aspects were avoided. There were a lot of potential points to subtly dig deeper (or plant deeper seeds) without altering the tone and I feel like The Alchemist did that better than CoA. In this one, longer debates in the first council could have explored deeper aspects of human cruelty and set this up to be more impactful, more character time for the insects to further that point, less quickness on the resolution for humans to let us grapple with that lesson longer?? So many areas could have been deepened to still be a young read while also giving adults something to work with.

In its favor, there were some cutesy and fun elements like a universal language all animals but human speak, animal libraries and histories (I loved that), and typical adventure mishaps.

Overall, great add for my nephews bookshelf, but mine… not so much.

[Sarah B · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fast, easy read and parts of the story actually reminded me of "Animal Farm". In fact in one scene near the beginning there is even a song (or poem) that reminds me of the one from that very popular book - surely is must have inspired this author in some way. And there is a similar situation too: different animals gathered together to hold a meeting but instead of planning their freedom they are deciding the fate of mankind.

For this tale takes place in a future where man has destroyed the environment and most of humanity is gone. How will the animals vote?

I must admit I did enjoy this story. It was very entertaining. It examines our relationship with various types of animals and how we treat them. And there is a particular animal that represents common species including a cat, dog, a bear, a horse, a baboon, a crow...plus many others. Some animals are written better than others. I do think the author did a rather poor job of writing the horse and he has it doing some things horses just simply don't do (the horse's behavior was more doglike than like an equine) - but that is easy enough to ignore. And of course the main animal characters have their own personalities and a few even have crooked schemes! They can be so humanlike.

The end was indeed a surprise.

I must say one thing that did confuse me in here was if there was some ecological disaster than why the large numbers of these animals? That bit just doesn't add up for me. Lots of animals mean lots of food is required. So...? Hmmm....

Not to mention that horse and that sugar! In reality that would be horrid! Can you say colic? But I think the majority of people are ignorant of that sort of thing. But I did enjoy that a horse was included in the discussion.

[Jenni DaVinCat · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's not often that I wish a book was longer, but in this instance, I feel that it was needed and is ultimately why I didn't give the book 5 stars. Both plot and characters are extremely interesting, the comparisons to Animal Farm are definitely warranted but where Animal Farm excelled in being sparse, this book needed more depth to both plot and characters. I enjoyed them and wanted more. It's almost as if the book feels like a first draft. The main idea and characters are there, but just waiting to be completed.

Beyond that, I love the relevance to today times. I love the feeling of fantasy grounded in reality, though I don't think the brief paragraphs where the narrator alludes to his or her self are necessary. Most people are willing to accept an unnamed, faceless narrator. They don't necessarily need to have a connection to the story, and in this case it was a flimsy connection at best.

This is a small nit-pick and will hopefully not exist in the final draft. There is one page where the bear is all of a sudden being called "him" when it was well-established that the bear is female. Obviously just an error, but still took me out of the story long enough to go "wait a minute...I thought the bear was a girl?"

Very well written and well-worth the time to read, but I do think that this book would have benefited from being longer and having more detail.

[Dawn McGill Dalrymple · Rating 4 out of 5]

What an interesting read. Maybe a modern day Animal Farm? After the "calamity" (which we don't know how or why it happened) humans are out numbered by the animals. The animals speak their own language and their own plan. This was a fast entertaining read. Thank you to Henry Holt for the book to read and review!

[Deb (Readerbuzz) Nance · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Council of Animals is a little fable about a group of animals who gather together after an apocalypse triggered by people to decide the fate of the human race.

[Ash · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was weird and I liked it.