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Otters in Space
Humans have left the Earth, and dogs rule. Kipper is an oppressed tabby-cat who dreams of a better place, where cats run their own lives. When she discovers a secret that sends her out of this world, Kipper must navigate through the mysterious otter space station and befriend a spaceship full of eccentric otters to find is there really a cat paradise?
- GenresScience Fiction
Paperback
First published July 12, 2010
26 people are currently reading
82 people want to read
About the author
Mary E. Lowd
167 books53 followersMary E. Lowd is a prolific science-fiction and furry writer in Oregon. She's had more than 180 short stories and a half dozen novels published, always with more on the way. Her work has won numerous awards, and she's been nominated for the Ursa Major Awards more than any other individual. She is also the founder and editor of Zooscape. She lives in a crashed spaceship, disguised as a house and hidden behind a rose garden, with a large collection of animals, both real and imaginary, who collectively serve as her muse.
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
February 12, 2017
This is set sometime in the future. Humans have long since abandoned Earth. The dogs and cats they left behind eventually attained sentience and built their own societies in and around humanity’s ruins. They have jobs, government, cars, phones - basically, their lives look a lot like ours today.
Unfortunately for cats, this is largely a dog’s world. Cats are considered second-class citizens and have to struggle to get decent-paying jobs. Kipper, the book’s main character, doesn’t really expect that things will ever get better, but she tries to support her sister Petra’s political aspirations anyway. Then Kipper and Petra learn about a possible secret cat utopia in Ecuador, which they dub “Cat Havana” (never mind that Havana isn’t in Ecuador). After Petra suddenly disappears, apparently to go see Cat Havana for herself, Kipper decides to join her.
I bought this in an effort to scratch my post-Zootopia itch. The sci-fi aspects mentioned on the product page intrigued me, and it had several positive reviews, but the one negative review I came across made me wary. Still, it was cheap, so I bought it anyway.
The world-building was intriguing, but also sloppy and filled with holes. I found it difficult to believe that every last human had chosen to leave Earth behind, or that this would even be possible (imagine how much time and money it would have taken, and how many spaceships). How did the various animal species become sentient? Which species were sentient? Early on, I assumed that only cats, dogs, and otters were sentient. Dogs and cats lived on Earth, and otters had managed to establish themselves in space. However, once Kipper finally made it to the space station, there were mentions of “immigrant squirrels” and even a chef who happened to be an octopus. Also, since sentience hadn’t changed species’ sizes (most dogs towered over cats), I found myself wondering if their lifespans were the same too.
Despite my issues with it, I enjoyed the world of this book. There were indications that cat and dog interactions could be fairly complex, I was very intrigued by the brief description of octopus society, and I wanted to know more about otter life on the space station. The otter space ship that Kipper ended up on was also pretty cool.
That said, this book could have used a better editor. Although I didn’t notice any misspellings, I did spot several misused apostrophes and commas, as well as a few incorrect phrases. A few examples:
“Chihuahua’s” shouldn’t have an apostrophe.
There shouldn't be a comma between "open" and "landing."
I’m pretty sure that should be “they held her gaze.”
There were also lots of instances of stuff that should have been streamlined prior to publication. Here’s a good example:
Why not just say “but none of them had noticed she was awake yet” and do away with the rest?
The story’s pacing wasn't very good, and Kipper’s shifting and easy-to-forget goals probably didn’t help. Petra was supposedly the impetuous one, and yet Kipper was the one who decided to go all the way to Ecuador with only a single note as evidence that Petra had gone there. She soon realized that Petra probably hadn’t made it to Ecuador yet but went into space anyway, even though her primary goal had been finding her sister. Once she was on the space station, her goal shifted to finding Cat Havana, even though that potentially meant she’d never see her brother and sister again.
There was too much that didn’t make sense. Although Trudith was one of my favorite characters (second only to Emily the octopus), it boggled my mind that anyone thought it was a good idea to hire a protective dog like her to kill somebody, especially considering her tendency to follow anyone’s firmly stated orders. Then there was the enormous plot hole involving the note that inspired Kipper to go to Ecuador in the first place. I suppose it might have been part of the setup for the sequel, except, if that had been the case, I’d have expected Kipper to wonder about that detail more.
All in all, this turned out to be kind of disappointing. I have a couple of the author’s other works on my Nook and am still hopeful that one of them might be better, but it’ll probably be a while before I give them a shot.
Rating Note:
If it hadn't been for the plot hole introduced at the very end of the book, I might have given this 2 stars. There was something endearing about the world and characters, despite the story's many, many issues. [Rating rounded up for GR.]
(Original review posted on A Library Girl's Familiar Diversions.)
Unfortunately for cats, this is largely a dog’s world. Cats are considered second-class citizens and have to struggle to get decent-paying jobs. Kipper, the book’s main character, doesn’t really expect that things will ever get better, but she tries to support her sister Petra’s political aspirations anyway. Then Kipper and Petra learn about a possible secret cat utopia in Ecuador, which they dub “Cat Havana” (never mind that Havana isn’t in Ecuador). After Petra suddenly disappears, apparently to go see Cat Havana for herself, Kipper decides to join her.
I bought this in an effort to scratch my post-Zootopia itch. The sci-fi aspects mentioned on the product page intrigued me, and it had several positive reviews, but the one negative review I came across made me wary. Still, it was cheap, so I bought it anyway.
The world-building was intriguing, but also sloppy and filled with holes. I found it difficult to believe that every last human had chosen to leave Earth behind, or that this would even be possible (imagine how much time and money it would have taken, and how many spaceships). How did the various animal species become sentient? Which species were sentient? Early on, I assumed that only cats, dogs, and otters were sentient. Dogs and cats lived on Earth, and otters had managed to establish themselves in space. However, once Kipper finally made it to the space station, there were mentions of “immigrant squirrels” and even a chef who happened to be an octopus. Also, since sentience hadn’t changed species’ sizes (most dogs towered over cats), I found myself wondering if their lifespans were the same too.
Despite my issues with it, I enjoyed the world of this book. There were indications that cat and dog interactions could be fairly complex, I was very intrigued by the brief description of octopus society, and I wanted to know more about otter life on the space station. The otter space ship that Kipper ended up on was also pretty cool.
That said, this book could have used a better editor. Although I didn’t notice any misspellings, I did spot several misused apostrophes and commas, as well as a few incorrect phrases. A few examples:
“One of the Chihuahua's from Kipper's team came up to her and shook her paws, speaking a few indecipherable words.” (53)
“Chihuahua’s” shouldn’t have an apostrophe.
“However, the heart of the platform was the open, landing area in the center for the climbers -- the elevator cars.” (60)
There shouldn't be a comma between "open" and "landing."
“They looked at her, and they held their gaze longer than she expected.” (93)
I’m pretty sure that should be “they held her gaze.”
There were also lots of instances of stuff that should have been streamlined prior to publication. Here’s a good example:
“There were otters occupying some of the other beds, but none of them had noticed her yet. Well, she was sure they knew she was there. But none of them had noticed she was awake.” (111)
Why not just say “but none of them had noticed she was awake yet” and do away with the rest?
The story’s pacing wasn't very good, and Kipper’s shifting and easy-to-forget goals probably didn’t help. Petra was supposedly the impetuous one, and yet Kipper was the one who decided to go all the way to Ecuador with only a single note as evidence that Petra had gone there. She soon realized that Petra probably hadn’t made it to Ecuador yet but went into space anyway, even though her primary goal had been finding her sister. Once she was on the space station, her goal shifted to finding Cat Havana, even though that potentially meant she’d never see her brother and sister again.
There was too much that didn’t make sense. Although Trudith was one of my favorite characters (second only to Emily the octopus), it boggled my mind that anyone thought it was a good idea to hire a protective dog like her to kill somebody, especially considering her tendency to follow anyone’s firmly stated orders. Then there was the enormous plot hole involving the note that inspired Kipper to go to Ecuador in the first place. I suppose it might have been part of the setup for the sequel, except, if that had been the case, I’d have expected Kipper to wonder about that detail more.
All in all, this turned out to be kind of disappointing. I have a couple of the author’s other works on my Nook and am still hopeful that one of them might be better, but it’ll probably be a while before I give them a shot.
Rating Note:
If it hadn't been for the plot hole introduced at the very end of the book, I might have given this 2 stars. There was something endearing about the world and characters, despite the story's many, many issues. [Rating rounded up for GR.]
(Original review posted on A Library Girl's Familiar Diversions.)
June 3, 2015
Delightfully Furry! Clearly written by someone with a deep knowledge of feline psychology.
May 31, 2017
So much fun to read. ^_^
December 20, 2020
It took me a bit to get invested in Otters in Space, but once I was on-board I enjoyed the rest of the ride thoroughly. The characters all have their own stand-out moments and Kipper especially grew on me as the book went on. I know I'm quite a bit late to this one as it was originally published in 2010, but I didn't find it to be outdated in its subject matter. The topic of how people in power treat those not in power is quite evergreen, as these last few months have proven. I also really enjoyed the descriptions of "otter space" and the space stations and ships that the otters use to move around the galaxy and conduct business. It was a good mixture of real science dynamics and some more star-trek type science where I'm not sure if its a scientific principle but it was convincing enough for me to not suspend my disbelief. It's a lighthearted adventure that sets up a universe that I'm sure the author is eager to get back to.
September 25, 2024
Otters In Space is a novel by Mary E. Lowd. It tells the story of a cat, Kipper, who has found out that her sister, Petra, has gone missing. Believing that Petra has gone to Mexico, Kipper travels in that direction, and soon finds herself leaving the planet, in search of her sister.
I’ll be honest… I’ve owned the book for a long time, having purchased it for free during a Summer/ Winter Smashwords sale, back in 2015 (as per the email receipt I have). It’s the type of book I always wanted to read, but I just never got around to it until I was on the bus home one night. The copy that I have downloaded is kind of old, so I don’t know whether there have been edits since I last downloaded a copy. So just be aware that there might have been changes.
This is one of those types of books where I feel like it’s just not for me. I didn’t really like it, if I’m blunt. I think my main issue with the book is that, despite having a bunch of plot lines, none of them seem “complete”. Or, if they are complete, the endings to the storylines will feel really weak; as if they haven’t been thought through properly. For example, at the beginning of the book, there’s stuff going on with an election. It’s built up as a super important thing, with the cats being a downtrodden subsection of the planet. The cats want to succeed, to improve their community. By the end of the book, it just feels like it didn’t have a proper ending, and there’s a kind of “oh well, doesn’t matter” type of feeling to that plot line. Even the characters don’t seem to be taking it seriously, despite the wellbeing of their entire cat community being at stake. And the entire going to space plot line feels… I don’t know… It’s first introduced as a massively important “I need to go help my sister” type of plot line, driving all night to try to get there, etc. It feels like it’s built up to be important, because Kipper is trying to find her missing sister, but the ending leaves it feeling like the entire journey was a waste of time, if I’m blunt. And there were issues with pacing, as well; so many points of the book felt like they dragged on an unnecessarily long time. Especially considering that a lot of the plot lines throughout the book weren’t really finished properly, so time focused on such plot lines left me feeling like they could have been skipped altogether.
I didn’t particularly enjoy any of the characters. Most of them felt really bland to me. In my opinion, there were a lot of unlikeable aspects to them; such as the way they would treat others. And some of the choices of the characters were weird. I found myself kind of reading it, wondering, “well, why would they choose to do that? That doesn’t make sense…” For example, the choice for the main character to follow her sister on the journey. Mainly because she receives so little information about it, does little research, and makes the decision on a complete whim; it felt like such a bad choice and didn’t make sense. And then, once the story gets going on the adventure, I felt like the book was kind of cluttered with unnecessary characters. Like, the main character would go from place to place, meeting all sorts of new characters; but the characters often didn’t have much important input to the book, in my opinion. Even the main character herself. To me, despite the character having this long journey, it felt like there was no real character growth or development.
As for the world building… I think the author had a decent premise. I like the idea of this world where humans are no longer there, and animals have evolved more and overtaken the planet. But I think sometimes the author focused on the wrong things, and there were some missing explanations about aspects of the plot. I would have liked for the author to go into more details about the space exploration aspects, and the history of how these creatures came to explore space. I would have liked more about the space adventures, and what they’re doing. Because, the title of the book is “Otters In Space”, but I just felt like the entirety of the space journey didn’t amount to much, if I’m blunt.
Overall… I wasn’t much of a fan of the book. Mainly because I think plot elements could have been thought through better, and I didn’t like any of the characters. However, having said that, you might like the book more than I did.
I’ll be honest… I’ve owned the book for a long time, having purchased it for free during a Summer/ Winter Smashwords sale, back in 2015 (as per the email receipt I have). It’s the type of book I always wanted to read, but I just never got around to it until I was on the bus home one night. The copy that I have downloaded is kind of old, so I don’t know whether there have been edits since I last downloaded a copy. So just be aware that there might have been changes.
This is one of those types of books where I feel like it’s just not for me. I didn’t really like it, if I’m blunt. I think my main issue with the book is that, despite having a bunch of plot lines, none of them seem “complete”. Or, if they are complete, the endings to the storylines will feel really weak; as if they haven’t been thought through properly. For example, at the beginning of the book, there’s stuff going on with an election. It’s built up as a super important thing, with the cats being a downtrodden subsection of the planet. The cats want to succeed, to improve their community. By the end of the book, it just feels like it didn’t have a proper ending, and there’s a kind of “oh well, doesn’t matter” type of feeling to that plot line. Even the characters don’t seem to be taking it seriously, despite the wellbeing of their entire cat community being at stake. And the entire going to space plot line feels… I don’t know… It’s first introduced as a massively important “I need to go help my sister” type of plot line, driving all night to try to get there, etc. It feels like it’s built up to be important, because Kipper is trying to find her missing sister, but the ending leaves it feeling like the entire journey was a waste of time, if I’m blunt. And there were issues with pacing, as well; so many points of the book felt like they dragged on an unnecessarily long time. Especially considering that a lot of the plot lines throughout the book weren’t really finished properly, so time focused on such plot lines left me feeling like they could have been skipped altogether.
I didn’t particularly enjoy any of the characters. Most of them felt really bland to me. In my opinion, there were a lot of unlikeable aspects to them; such as the way they would treat others. And some of the choices of the characters were weird. I found myself kind of reading it, wondering, “well, why would they choose to do that? That doesn’t make sense…” For example, the choice for the main character to follow her sister on the journey. Mainly because she receives so little information about it, does little research, and makes the decision on a complete whim; it felt like such a bad choice and didn’t make sense. And then, once the story gets going on the adventure, I felt like the book was kind of cluttered with unnecessary characters. Like, the main character would go from place to place, meeting all sorts of new characters; but the characters often didn’t have much important input to the book, in my opinion. Even the main character herself. To me, despite the character having this long journey, it felt like there was no real character growth or development.
As for the world building… I think the author had a decent premise. I like the idea of this world where humans are no longer there, and animals have evolved more and overtaken the planet. But I think sometimes the author focused on the wrong things, and there were some missing explanations about aspects of the plot. I would have liked for the author to go into more details about the space exploration aspects, and the history of how these creatures came to explore space. I would have liked more about the space adventures, and what they’re doing. Because, the title of the book is “Otters In Space”, but I just felt like the entirety of the space journey didn’t amount to much, if I’m blunt.
Overall… I wasn’t much of a fan of the book. Mainly because I think plot elements could have been thought through better, and I didn’t like any of the characters. However, having said that, you might like the book more than I did.
September 30, 2024
otters in space was my first exploration into furry fiction. i had boughten it at a furry convention and even got it signed! i thought the name was a little cheesy and didn't expect much out of it. boy was i wrong. the world building is amazing, with interesting scifi tech that seems to be based in real world science. developed cultures that account for the differences in the body and brain of an otter, a cat, a dog, and a number of other animals. the way the dogs live and the way the cats live is both distinct and interesting. the story is also really good and will throw twists at you that you wont expect. Mary Lowd is one of my favorite authors and i highly recommend this and all of her other books.
February 28, 2024
An ad for this book popped up in my Facebook feed. When I saw the author's name, I had to buy it. I love Mary Lowd's cat stories, and this one definitely did not disappoint. I especially liked the concept of filling a spaceship with a breathable oxygenated gel, which also acts as a shock absorber. Although the characters are all animals, one can definitely draw parallels with human society--not necessarily in a way that's flattering to humans.
June 15, 2024
Very cool universe
This was not only a fun book with great characters, it was set in what looks to be an awesome and interesting and very detailed universe. I am not sure if this is part of a series or not, but I really hope there are more books set in this universe. There is so much that look to be fun to explore. I really enjoyed this book and recommend it.
This was not only a fun book with great characters, it was set in what looks to be an awesome and interesting and very detailed universe. I am not sure if this is part of a series or not, but I really hope there are more books set in this universe. There is so much that look to be fun to explore. I really enjoyed this book and recommend it.
January 11, 2018
The story of a girl, feeling that she's in danger, searching for her sister. On the way she meets a new friend and the (seeming) start of a new family. And that what you desire may, sometimes, be close to home, but you have to travel far to know it.
October 6, 2024
Funny and thought provoking.
Even other than the well written story, I really enjoyed the quips and well thought out language differences between the different species in this story. Eagerly starting the next book in a few minutes!
Even other than the well written story, I really enjoyed the quips and well thought out language differences between the different species in this story. Eagerly starting the next book in a few minutes!
March 10, 2025
An adventure book for a younger audience.
It’s not the book, it’s me
It’s not the book, it’s me
January 11, 2016
I registered a book at BookCrossing.com!
http://www.BookCrossing.com/journal/13667224
In an upifted universe, where the humans sneaked away when no one was looking, Earth is largely Cats and Dogs. The Dogs rule, at least in North America, and two sisters are trying to get more feline representation in what is supposedly a democracy. Events conspire to separate the sisters, and the level headed sister, Kipper, is forced into a wild adventure to find her sister, or at least solve the mystery that seems to threaten them both.
This is a wonderfully subversive book, doing what I think Furry does best, talking about racism. The story-telling is clean and straight forward, suitable for all audiences, and buried in all that are these tales of cultural differences.
The ruling class, despite Dogs being made of all different breeds, seemed to have banded into trying to bar Cats in space. We can see very real world examples on this theme everyday. Trump screams to block Muslims entry to the US is in the news these days. Locally, my wife was part of a grand jury vetting process last week. 20 white men, 7 white women, 1 black lady. The panel asked everyone what they did for a living, except the black woman. They asked her "IF SHE WORKED." She did. By letting Petra be a Cat, Mary E. Lowd can show you all these things dressed up in different ways and slip it by our little filters, our own prejudices.
And when Petra meets the Otters in person, she wonders, understandably, if Otters used to hanging exclusively with Otters, understand her Cat expressions. Their ears don't move the same way. Their tails don't express the same way. From her point of view, too, the Otters seem to be SMILING. All The Time. She finds this very off-putting.
These biological differences seem to me an allusion to real world cultural differences.
For example, over a decade ago there were riots in Los Angeles when African American residents burned down many of the stores owned by Korean shopkeepers. After the fires were out, we learned that the African Americans felt disrespected because the Korean Americans wouldn't look them in the eye while the Koreans felt they were showing respect by averting their eyes.
Yes, cultural differences aren't the same as being biological diverse, but its easy to see the allegorical leap here.
And it goes further when Kipper learns prejudice infects her own Species. Not just by hating their oppressors, the Dogs, but by turning against others Breeds of Cats.
This is the kind of book you could tuck a child of 8 into bed with a chapter at a time. Young girls not ready for The Hunger Games, can run with Petra to Mexico. Adults who don't like sexual or romantic subplots, will enjoy this book. Hard Science Fiction fans may find this tale a little light, but there's science and rules about space travel tucked in there.
http://www.BookCrossing.com/journal/13667224
In an upifted universe, where the humans sneaked away when no one was looking, Earth is largely Cats and Dogs. The Dogs rule, at least in North America, and two sisters are trying to get more feline representation in what is supposedly a democracy. Events conspire to separate the sisters, and the level headed sister, Kipper, is forced into a wild adventure to find her sister, or at least solve the mystery that seems to threaten them both.
This is a wonderfully subversive book, doing what I think Furry does best, talking about racism. The story-telling is clean and straight forward, suitable for all audiences, and buried in all that are these tales of cultural differences.
The ruling class, despite Dogs being made of all different breeds, seemed to have banded into trying to bar Cats in space. We can see very real world examples on this theme everyday. Trump screams to block Muslims entry to the US is in the news these days. Locally, my wife was part of a grand jury vetting process last week. 20 white men, 7 white women, 1 black lady. The panel asked everyone what they did for a living, except the black woman. They asked her "IF SHE WORKED." She did. By letting Petra be a Cat, Mary E. Lowd can show you all these things dressed up in different ways and slip it by our little filters, our own prejudices.
And when Petra meets the Otters in person, she wonders, understandably, if Otters used to hanging exclusively with Otters, understand her Cat expressions. Their ears don't move the same way. Their tails don't express the same way. From her point of view, too, the Otters seem to be SMILING. All The Time. She finds this very off-putting.
These biological differences seem to me an allusion to real world cultural differences.
For example, over a decade ago there were riots in Los Angeles when African American residents burned down many of the stores owned by Korean shopkeepers. After the fires were out, we learned that the African Americans felt disrespected because the Korean Americans wouldn't look them in the eye while the Koreans felt they were showing respect by averting their eyes.
Yes, cultural differences aren't the same as being biological diverse, but its easy to see the allegorical leap here.
And it goes further when Kipper learns prejudice infects her own Species. Not just by hating their oppressors, the Dogs, but by turning against others Breeds of Cats.
This is the kind of book you could tuck a child of 8 into bed with a chapter at a time. Young girls not ready for The Hunger Games, can run with Petra to Mexico. Adults who don't like sexual or romantic subplots, will enjoy this book. Hard Science Fiction fans may find this tale a little light, but there's science and rules about space travel tucked in there.
May 8, 2015
"Otters In Space: The Search For Cat Havana" by Mary E. Lowd is a delightful literary romp that is perfect for readers of any age, and it is definitely a book well-suited to easing people outside the furry fandom in furry literature.
I admit that I went into this novel unsure of what to expect, but I was soon enthralled by this tale of adorable political intrigue between Cats and Dogs mixed in with a mysterious conspiracy of a so-called Cat Havana in SPACE seemingly connected the disappearance of the feline protagonist's sister.
The main tabby-cat protagonist Kipper is an excellent character in her own right in terms of her personality and her admirable level of determination to get to the bottom of the mystery at the core of the story and finally be free from the oppression of Cat Kind on Earth.
I was certainly rooting for Kipper every step of the way as she quest took her to all sorts of interesting locales and as she gradually uncovered secret after secret.
The truth behind everything in this book goes, as they say, "deep" and the nature of exactly what forces are at work is certainly surprisingly, dear readers. ...At least it was to me.
Overall, I'd have to say that you can't go wrong "Otters in Space: The Search For Cat Havana". I'd say that this novel is a MUST-READ for members of the furry fandom AND fandom outsiders.
I cannot recommend this book enough!
I admit that I went into this novel unsure of what to expect, but I was soon enthralled by this tale of adorable political intrigue between Cats and Dogs mixed in with a mysterious conspiracy of a so-called Cat Havana in SPACE seemingly connected the disappearance of the feline protagonist's sister.
The main tabby-cat protagonist Kipper is an excellent character in her own right in terms of her personality and her admirable level of determination to get to the bottom of the mystery at the core of the story and finally be free from the oppression of Cat Kind on Earth.
I was certainly rooting for Kipper every step of the way as she quest took her to all sorts of interesting locales and as she gradually uncovered secret after secret.
The truth behind everything in this book goes, as they say, "deep" and the nature of exactly what forces are at work is certainly surprisingly, dear readers. ...At least it was to me.
Overall, I'd have to say that you can't go wrong "Otters in Space: The Search For Cat Havana". I'd say that this novel is a MUST-READ for members of the furry fandom AND fandom outsiders.
I cannot recommend this book enough!
November 20, 2015
I actually really enjoyed this book. I loved the overall concept, the story was fun and quirky, and the imagery was great. I especially enjoyed the later half when Kipper eventually does reach Otter Space, and the fun interpretation of otter life and technology.
However, this book has some serious pacing issues. There are also some character decisions that are confusing and really stupid. I got drawn out of the story quite a few times because of this.
Also, I have to complain about the ending. It was so abrubt and sudden and felt very rushed, almost unfinished. and the hero's entire reason for her journey turned out to be a huge "and then they woke up" style cop-out.
Overall I did enjoy this book and the imagination and creativity involved, but it didn't feel like a final draft. I think this story has bags of potential and could be really special with some work.
However, this book has some serious pacing issues. There are also some character decisions that are confusing and really stupid. I got drawn out of the story quite a few times because of this.
Also, I have to complain about the ending. It was so abrubt and sudden and felt very rushed, almost unfinished. and the hero's entire reason for her journey turned out to be a huge "and then they woke up" style cop-out.
Overall I did enjoy this book and the imagination and creativity involved, but it didn't feel like a final draft. I think this story has bags of potential and could be really special with some work.
April 17, 2012
I just finished Otters in Space, a science fiction novel taking place on Earth after humans have left and genetically engineered animals have taken over the world.
This was a fun young adult book that readers of any age would enjoy! The characters are memorable and the humor witty. I was pulled along until the very end, staying up past my bedtime because I had to see what would happen next. I am amazed by the quality of the writing, the well-crafted storytelling, and the complexities of world-building. I really enjoyed how issues of race and oppression are explored in a safe and accessible way for young adults. I can’t wait for the sequel to come out!
This was a fun young adult book that readers of any age would enjoy! The characters are memorable and the humor witty. I was pulled along until the very end, staying up past my bedtime because I had to see what would happen next. I am amazed by the quality of the writing, the well-crafted storytelling, and the complexities of world-building. I really enjoyed how issues of race and oppression are explored in a safe and accessible way for young adults. I can’t wait for the sequel to come out!
November 1, 2014
This books promises otters in space - and that's precisely what you get! Plus a few cats and dogs on a post-human Earth.
It was a short read, but an enjoyable one, and there was very little I could find fault with. There were a couple of pacing issues brought about by some unusual character decisions from time to time, but overall that didn't really detract from a lovely, quirky little tale.
It was a short read, but an enjoyable one, and there was very little I could find fault with. There were a couple of pacing issues brought about by some unusual character decisions from time to time, but overall that didn't really detract from a lovely, quirky little tale.
January 3, 2015
Good writing style, and an imaginative narrative. On the whole, it seemed to me to be less about "furry" characters than about human social politics. My one complaint is that the climax, when Kipper and her otter friends arrive on Mars, seemed rushed. The conclusions drawn there, while undoubtedly valid, needed more narrative support. Fun to read though, and needs the sequel of course.
August 31, 2011
Smart, funny. A must read, especially for those living in this world with our furry friends. Dearly hoping this will become a long series of otters (and cats and dogs) in space.
August 31, 2011
Smart, funny. A must read, especially for those living in this world with our furry friends. Dearly hoping this will become a long series of otters (and cats and dogs) in space.
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