Score: 93/100 (9.3 out of 10)
Are you up for a dark, gritty story with anthropomorphic talking animals trying to survive in one of the most chaotic periods in human history? Animal Quest by David Bush follows two cats, Jonas and Big Bertha, along with their fellowship of animal friends, as they navigate a world that is plunging into chaos, paranoia, and hysteria in the middle of the Black Death (1349 AD). Animal Quest is a direct (albeit loose) sequel to General Jack and the Battle of the Five Kingdoms, quite frankly one of the best books to ever come through our contest. General Jack was the first runner-up for 2022 Fiction Book of the Year. It was phenomenally written (sometimes even overwritten to the point of pretentiousness) with compelling characters and exceptional world-building. So, how does Animal Quest compare? Well, it's definitely a more dialed-down tale in terms of the number of characters, the action, the world-building, and the complexity of the events therein. It's shorter, simpler, and—arguably—sweeter. Unlike General Jack, it didn't test our patience and overstay its welcome. It most definitely wasn't written in the same flowery, fluffy style of prose. Yes, it did try to say a lot, but not nearly as much as the previous book (which seemed to be trying to explain the whole of human and animal existence). This book is more focused on a handful of themes like harmony and the nature of good & evil. Animal Quest is more like a historical fiction novella than a big, huge fantasy epic like General Jack was. Everything is tighter and more abbreviated, for better or for worse. Still, it maintains some similarities and themes. For example, we are reminded that this story and its characters exist in the wake of what General Jack (a human) and Meow (a cat king) had accomplished. Furthermore, one of the core theme remains the same: humans and animals living in harmony with each other and in nature. So, there is precedence for the events in this book and the arcs that the characters undergo. It's the middle of the 14th century in the land of Tailandia. A fellowship of animals lives under a kind, fair, and benevolent farmer named Sven. The group of animals is led by Big Bertha, a tiny white cat with black spots who pretty much dominates and rules over the other animals as she is Sven's favorite pet (and the only one allowed in the home). She is extremely bossy and often rude, demeaning, and condescending to the others. She calls the other animals things like “dunces” and “fools.” It's also possible that the name Lazy Bones (the old cow) possibly came from Big Bertha as a way of calling out his apparent deficiencies. The other animals have a cult-like/religious veneration of her, even convincing themselves that Big Bertha is always right and that she can do no wrong. This follows along with the themes of power and political/religious fanaticism in the book. As you might expect, Big Bertha and her followers undergo quite an arc together, eventually realizing that she isn't infallible, all-powerful, and all-knowing after all. The book is primarily narrated by Jonas, a male black cat who begins this book as somewhat timid, weak, subservient, and dependent on others like Farmer Sven and Big Bertha. Similar to Meow in the previous book, he gradually grows into a brave, courageous, and strong leader. Jonas is the lens through which we see the world of this book, and it's a pretty big, crazy, wild world! Black boats arrive bringing a mysterious and deadly illness (the Plague) to the land, which is often called the “evil spirit” and the “air monster” throughout the book. The Plague almost immediately kills Farmer Sven, leaving the animals without their owner. This compels the animals, led by Big Bertha, to embark on a perilous adventure to find a new farm and a new owner so that they can sustain themselves. They encounter numerous challenges, obstacles, and perils. They are separated, beaten, burned, prosecuted, and—at times—even killed. It's truly harrowing and dark at times. This book is full of descriptions of depressing events, savagery, and brutality involving humans and animals, demonstrating the craziness that is unleashed by a crisis like the Plague. Everyone who lived through 2020 and the pandemic can probably relate to this to some extent. The animals encounter other animals and people, each with their own motives, agendas, and philosophies/ideas/explanations about what's going on with the Plague and what should be done about it. Some advocate for killing or hurting people or animals. For example, Eloise and Elodie think they can cure the sickness through fire (i.e. burning people/animals). Some self-harm/flagellate (so be warned if this may be triggering to you). Others are actually trying to be the light in the darkness and being helpful, like Francisco and Dominico, who probably represent the Franciscan and Dominican orders at the time of the Black Death. These struggles, trials, and tribulations cause the number of animals (and people) to tragically dwindle. However, they bring Jonas and Big Bertha closer together. Jonas and Big Bertha may be nominees for “Best Couple.” While they do seem forced together at times (because who else are they realistically going to end up with?), they're still cute together nonetheless. There's kinda a funny part in which Jonas becomes sick and Big Bertha keeps making excuses for why she can't hang out with him (as if trying to quarantine). There are some other cute and/or interesting characters too like Lazy Bones (the cow), Stig (the goat), Woolly-Bo (the sheep), Magnus & Marcus (dogs), and Per (a piglet). Unfortunately, not all of them make it out of this. This is going to be a controversial statement, but we don't really think this is a book for young people. The short length and positive message(s) would suggest that it is, but there are aspects of this book that convinced us otherwise. It's actually quite violent and gory. There are descriptions of people being burned alive at the stake and self-harming. The word “bitch” is also used several times, sometimes for comedy or irony as some of the characters are dogs and one of them, Marcus, says he wants to “meet bitches” (girl dogs) and mentions a hunger for meat and “pretty bitches.” The other issue is that, unless you read the appendix beforehand, a young reader is probably going to get lost as to what is going on and be flabbergasted as to why all this wild, crazy, violent, tragic stuff is happening. Speaking of the appendix, READ IT! The appendix is arguably more interesting and a better read than the actual story in the book itself. Basically, it explains the historical events and major socio-political and religious movements surrounding the story. For example, it discusses the Black Death and fanatical religious orders and beliefs like Catharism that sprouted around and during it. It also explains why the plague doctors wore their iconic masks with the long beaks and the flowers inside of them. It's very interesting! We seriously learned a lot from the appendix. A lot of this book has to do with human nature and possibility for good & evil in all of us. Jonas concludes that all humans and animals have the possibility to do good or to do evil. You're never fully one or the other. Cleverly, he likens this to Big Bertha's fur, saying: “It’s more nuanced than that, Big Bertha. There is both good and bad in everyone. Some have more good than bad inside, others have more bad than good. It changes with the circumstances. It’s like your fur coat. It’s not all white, neither is it all black. It’s got white areas and black spots.” Check it out on Amazon!
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