Review of "Animals Divided" by David Bush

Score: 91+/100 (9.1+ out of 10)

Welcome to 14th century Europe, a time and a place of famines, war, and plagues; a time and a place of power struggles between kingdoms and theocrats.

It's in this chaotic, drama-filled cesspool in which we lay our scene for Animals Divided by David Bush!

Animals Divided exists in the same series and continuity as General Jack and the Battle of the Five Kingdoms--frankly, one of the best novels to ever come our way—and Animal Quest, another OCA award-winning book!

This is a series that uses anthropomorphic animals to brilliantly capture the complexities of human history, diving into the depths of political intrigue, moral conflict, and societal breakdown.

This is a series that—despite its cute, adorable animal characters—isn't afraid to explore the deeper, darker, more disturbing aspects of humanity and human history including sadism, war, manipulation, murder, violence, and death. In other words, this is more so a series in the vein of Watership Down or Animal Farm than Peppa Pig or Winnie the Poo.

This is a series that has established that characters—human and animal alike—can and will die, just like they would in the harsh realities of real life. They don't pop back up like Bugs Bunny or Wile E. Coyote after they've been mauled or experienced combat.

Animals Divided follows the lore established in General Jack and the Battle of the Five Kingdoms, mainly that Miaow, the great and legendary cat hero, and Jack, the first human in Our Land, together established a natural law designed to create peace and harmony between animals and humans. After the animals freed themselves from oppressive tyrannical rulers, Miaow and Jack introduced a guiding principle to ensure harmony between species and maintain balance across their diverse society.

Unfortunately, as you may know from history and general human nature, people (and animals) don't always get along. Conflict is commonplace. That's why our history is littered with wars.

While the previous book, Animal Quest, focused on the horrors of the Black Death and the mass hysteria it brought out of humanity in the mid-1300s, Animals Divided explores the events surrounding the Great Western Schism of the late 14th century.

This was a time in which there were two competing popes supported by separate competing parties with different competing interests. There was Pope Urban VI (in Rome), supported primarily by England, Germany, Italy, and other northern European nations. Then, there was Pope Clement VII (in Avignon, France), supported by France, Scotland, Spain, and some Italian territories.

Just as in actual history—when Europe was bitterly split between these two competing popes, leading kingdoms into rivalry and animosity—this story highlights the stark consequences of power struggles, corruption, and fractured allegiances among its animal protagonists. The animals, much like their human counterparts, find themselves trapped in a cycle of distrust, betrayal, and conflict, painting a compelling picture of the turbulent times and timeless lessons about division and unity.

In Animals Divided, characters like Arnaud, Armand, and Thierry illustrate different reactions to conflict and tragedy. Arnaud, driven by grief and anger, embodies the danger of letting emotions control actions. His brother Armand, calm and rational, balances Arnaud's recklessness, highlighting the value of careful thought during troubled times. Their father, Thierry, represents wisdom and authority, but his wrongful death demonstrates how easily justice can be lost during chaotic periods.

Adele, Arnaud's kidnapped wife, symbolizes the personal losses suffered in larger conflicts, highlighting how deeply individuals can be affected by broader political struggles. Meanwhile, Lady Emma serves as a compassionate figure caught between loyalty to her tyrannical father, King Hal, and her innate kindness. King Hal himself personifies unchecked power, whose destructive obsessions and vanity plunge his realm into further instability and suffering.

Gavin, the loyal bodyguard to Lady Emma, embodies innocence entangled in dangerous politics beyond his control, emphasizing the peril faced by ordinary individuals when powerful figures pursue selfish agendas. Together, these characters capture the complex realities of historical conflict, demonstrating the many faces of courage, corruption, loss, and resilience.

This book may be the weakest of the three David Bush books we've read so far, but that's more so a compliment to those previous books than a knock on this one.

Animals Divided seems to be the least sophisticated and least dense of the three. Also, it might actually have the least conflict, action, and violence, believe it or not. It's the most efficient and safe of the three books, for better or for worse.

The characters aren't nearly as memorable as the likes of Miaow, Jack, Big Bertha, and Jonas in previous books.

Also, this book kinda seems undeveloped and rushed. No, the writing is still good, but it really seems like the plot just happens, and we were lost wondering if that was really it. Is that all?

Perhaps there will be more sequels to continue things?

To be fair, it is listed as a novella, so you can't really expect it to be as long, intricate, and dense like General Jack was.

But Animal Quest accomplished a lot and was still relatively the same length. How come this one comes across as so barren and sparse in terms of content?

A lot of this book isn't actually the story (involving the animals), but a rather long history lesson. Admittedly, like with Animal Quest, this is the most interesting part of the whole book. However, if you're coming into this to read a complete epic story, you may be disappointed. This story is brief and abrupt, and it ends abruptly.

We were kinda hoping that the conflict would build and develop more and that there'd be a bit more of a payoff.

With that said, David Bush always impresses in one way or another. This is, first and foremost, a highly educational book that introduces readers to a rather obscure and lesser known part of Europe's history, the Great Western Schism, something that often gets overshadowed by the Hundred Years War and Black Death.

Check it out on Amazon!