Underwhelming and maybe it’s just personal preference but fable types stories that reflect on societal constructs of humans feel like they’re attempting to replicate the success of animal farm. I realize that isn’t true but due to its success the style just feels difficult to succeed in now.

Really enjoyed this short read. A great concept. Gave me “Animal Farm” vibes. Honestly wish it could have been a longer. Finished in two sittings. Would be interested in reading this as a series, maybe getting different points of view from specific animals.

(I received this ARC via NetGalley in return for an honest review.)

Totally gave me Anima Farm vibes but in a hard to explain way. I loved the parallels between he animals and people. This new world that we humans have destroyed is still fighting back because the animals have learned our behaviour.

Really unique and well done.

Bizarre, introspective, strange, intriguing.

I wasn't too sure what to expect from this going but I found that I really enjoyed this very strange tale told from the perspective of animals. The story is set in a post-apocalypse world based on a group of animals who come together to discuss the future of humans (who caused the “Calamity” that almost ended life on earth). The book is rife with interesting allegories to our current world but doesn’t feel overly pushy. I like the pacing of everything and how the story unravels, but I thought the ending was a bit rushed. I also found it to be a lot lighter and a much easier read than some of the other similar books like “Animal Farm” or “Watership Down.”

I listened to the audiobook narrated by the author who I think did a great job.
Special thank you to NetGalley and Henry Holt and Co. for sharing this digital copy in exchange for my honest thoughts.

#NetGalley #The Council of Animals

Human kind has been mostly decimated by The Calamity (climate change, poor decisions, plague/pandemic). Only a few struggling humans are left. Six animals gather at a meeting place. A well-rounded sampling of animal kind -- dog, cat, baboon, bear, crow, and horse -- gather to decide the fate of surviving humans. Will animal kind help them? Or eat them?

Each animal makes its case in this short satire. And (of course) the council meeting devolves into chaos, factions splitting off, self-interests served, etc. This story is packed with allegory, humor, and truths about how today's world and society work (any society).

I received a review copy of this audio book before it was released. With everything going on in the world right now and my job being increasingly set to chaos mode, I missed the deadline. My review copy popped over to the dreaded "Archived, not downloaded'' section. Yikes! I'm picky about requesting review copies. I only request what I can actually review....so I went on a quest and purchased the audio book. I'm glad I did -- this little story (audio book is under 4 hours long) packs a punch. Hiding below the surface in this tale about animals (like a classic book we all have read), is a lot of very thoughtful, truthful, hard to hear things about human behavior (or intelligent/sentient/self-aware behavior as I'm hopeful human beings are not the only such society in the universe).

Loved this book! It will definitely be one I listen to again and again. What did the animals decide? Or....was there a decision made (you know how councils/committees work most of the time)?? Not going to tell -- read/listen to the book!

The audiobook is narrated by the author and runs a bit over 3 hours. While I applaud the author for narrating his own work, the sound quality could have been a bit better. A bit of echo and hiss. But, still a very entertaining listening experience, and one I highly recommend. It definitely inspires thought and contemplation!

*I voluntarily requested a review copy of this audio book from Macmillan Audio -- and missed my deadline due to working way too much overtime in a pandemic situation -- so ultimately listened to a purchased copy after the fact. The entire situation just made this satire in this story much more thought provoking and interesting. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own. No animals were asked to give opinions, although my chihuahua states she liked the story very much and would vote to eat the humans and all cats (she's a chihuahua after all) *

Interesting concept to this story. I listened to the audio read by the author. I do not know how to explain my
feelings but I do know I wanted more when it was over.

From the publisher: “

“‘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.

Rest assured, there is a happy ending. Sort of.”

I’ve been lucky that the books I’ve been reading lately are just pleasant. This one was no exception. After a catastrophic event, humans have been wiped out, or at least that’s what the animals think. When they discover little pocket villages of surviving humans, they gather to decide whether to let the humans live or eat them.

I thoroughly enjoyed this audiobook and listened to the majority of it while working, which provided a welcome distraction from cleaning, running food, and grabbing refills for people. I loved the animals, and while I caught Animal Farm vibes at first, it’s really nothing like that. It’s interesting to shift the view of humanity to animals after we’ve mostly wiped ourselves out, and we are at their mercy to let us live, or eat us, and honestly, fair. We’ve decimated this planet, and the animals are the ones we’ll leave behind, that is if they can still survive in the toxic wasteland we’ve created.

I loved the conversations between the animals, their politics and dynamics between species, and the narration was excellent. It was a welcome distraction from work.

This fable starts with the all important meeting of The Council during which we are introduced to our main cast of characters; Bear, Dog, Cat, Crow, Horse, and Baboon. There are a few clever details in this sequence such as the religious crows and Dog’s description of war. However, the debate itself is surprisingly short and disjointed. Going into this book, I expected the meeting and vote to be the majority of the story with the reader getting an in-depth look at each animal’s complex relationship with humans before they cast their vote. Instead, the meeting focuses more on the blatant corruption of the vote. Where there is a lot that I feel cleverly reflects our own political systems, it lacks the sophistication and context for the lesson to hit home in a meaningful way.

After the vote, the story becomes an adventure tale. Even though this was not what I was expecting, I feel this is the stronger section of the book. The idea that there are voices ignored, silenced and/or unwelcomed in The Council is introduced during the vote, but is expanded on here. Though this is probably one of the most successful elements of the story, it lacks resolution. Perhaps this is also intended as a statement, but once again there isn’t enough build up for it to resonate. Even in this stronger section, this book is clever, but disjointed.

Overall, this book is very middle-of-the-road for me. I want it to be more than it is and it has the potential to get there. If you are looking for the next Animal Farm, this isn’t the book for you. However, it is a short, easy, and enjoyable read if you are looking for something casual and different.

This book is exactly what it claims to be. For fans of Animal Farm it's definitely the less violent version, but still some interesting ideas explored through the lens of what the animals think of us and our greatest faults.

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

I don’t spend a lot of my time focusing on short stories. As I listen to audiobooks while I’m at work, personally it’s a bit jarring to have something end after 3.5hrs and then trying to move on to another story. The Council of Animals by Nick McDonell was jarring, but in a completely different manner. A post apocalyptic story from the point of view of a group of animals who’d survived The Calamity, the titular council of animals convenes in order to vote. The subject of voting? Should what was left of humanity be left to their own devices, or should they be killed and eaten?

I was so impressed by the story. Such a simple concept, but presented in a way. These animals--a baboon, a horse, a crow, a bear, a dog and a cat--have all experienced time among humans and these creatures alone were meant to decide the fate of humanity as a whole. The rules of this council are murky at best with the baboon having been clearly called out on his less than savory tactics at getting the vote to bend in his favor. He votes for killing humans, as he was a test subject in a lab and had terrible experiences. The rest of the council however--the bear, cat and dog, at least--vote to save the humans even though their experiences weren’t always great.

The cat has a plan in the works--find the witch in the human village who can speak the language of the animals and bring them before the baboons in an attempt to sway their decision. The relationships and actions taken between the animals are so similar to that of the humans they are questioning to save and it was all I could do to imagine them in present day reality. The baboon especially has every reason to mistrust humans, to hate them even, for his treatment. But he uses bribes and claims deals for the votes to sway in his direction. It doesn’t matter that he’s doing shady stuff; he is manipulative and charismatic so he has an easy following. He claims that the cat and bear are lying to coerce the horse, meanwhile feeding him sugar to keep him happy and compliant.

It takes finding a small boy, not a witch, for any of cat’s plans to work. This little boy seems to be the best of what humanity can offer. He is caring and offers aid freely, while extending kindness to creatures who’d never been allowed to even attend the council meetings. The council members are all “larger” mammals while smaller creatures and insects have never been allowed to come. They have never come because they were never invited. A small majority making the rules for everyone as a whole, even when the opinions of the majority could potentially differ?? Say it ain’t so, where could this wild idea have come from? That little boy represented the whole of humanity in that moment and all he wanted was for the animals to listen, to hear all sides. The whole thing was so well done

I love audiobooks where authors narrate their own books! Nick McDonell has a delightful voice for narration, and lends to the reflective, often humorous tone of the story.

I really enjoyed the plot, too. It was like a modern take on Animal Farm... with the concern being climate change/ environmental devestation instead of communism. I felt like each animal was given a unique personality and was used wonderfully to represent all sides of the conflict of the story.

Interesting book that seems almost like a fable about humans and climate change. It has a bit of an Animal Farm feel to it. I wanted the author to take more of a stand on the views he presented in the book, but instead it felt like he wanted more of a broad explanation so the reader could draw their own conclusions.

Fun, thoughtful, fast read though that I did enjoy.

I thought this was an incredible book - very 'Animal Farm'-esque. I love the idea behind it - a council of animals getting together to decide whether they should kill the last humans on the planet or let them live. The timing of this book also added to my appreciation of it. It's hard not to relate to a book about humans destroying the other with some kind of virus-like plague (the Calamity) in the midst of COVID-19.

I also loved the characterization of the animals. Yes, of course, the dog is going to vote to spare humans. It's just what a dog would do. Yes, of course, the cat is going to be tricky and deceitful but ultimately come down on the side of humans. Yes, of course, the baboons are going to be evil, angry, and have plans of their owns that don't involve the human race.

It was just a really phenomenal story.

As for listening to it on audiobook, I think that made it even better. Something about hearing it spoken aloud added to the tension and suspense, and the narrator (who I believe was also the author) did a phenomenal job of capturing the spirit and "voice" of each animal.

The pacing was just right, and the story flowed smoothly. My only complaint was that there were one or two instances where you could tell the editing team messed up and spliced the audio together wrong. A line would be repeated, word for word, one time right after the other, and it was obviously a mistake, not an intentional repeat to show another character's point of view. It only happened like twice, but I hate those little errors. They kind of take me out of the moment.

Overall, though, I was very fond of this book.

I enjoyed the book. I thought the story was so unique and I loved the animals, the interaction. There was humor, but there was depth. My struggle was the audiobook and I thought the author shouldn’t narrated his own book. I’m sure he knew the material better than anyone, but the narration fell flat and didn’t enhance the writing like it could have.

The Council of Animals was not quite what I was expecting but in the best possible way, This story takes place after a “calamity” that’s wiped out a large portion of the humans and it’s now time for the council of animals to decide the fate of what’s left of civilization. Lucky for us humans a Dog, Cat and Bear from Hollywood are on our side. This story is a fairly short read that is packed with humor, adventure and many personality rich animal characters you wouldn’t expect to see.

There’s so much I’d like to say but don’t want to spoil the fun of discovering the many whimsical parts of this story. That said I do have a gripe with this book. The major culmination in outcome all comes together in the last 10-15 minutes of the story slam packing what should have been another hours worth of story in the last few minutes giving it a very frantic rushed feeling that left me feeling like there should have been more. I’m not the type to reread but I will definitely be giving this one another listen.
4 stars.
Many Thanks to NetGalley for providing an Audio copy for review.

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.

Thank you to @netgalley @macmillan.audio @henryholtbooks for the ALC in return for my honest review.
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DNF. I tried to listen to this. But, after about 30% my interest waned. Unfortunately, even though the author narrated, his voice was not a fit. It sounded quite robotic. I could see how this book would be interesting, with an Animal Farm-esque plot. A physical copy might be better.

First and foremost … Whomever thought that having an author narrate his own book was a good idea should be fired. This was like listening to the AI computer generated voice used for many ALCs I’ve “read” - torturous, dull, and lifeless.
Because of this terrible narration, the story really held little appeal and I almost stopped listening. However, as a teacher, I’m always looking for new offerings for my students and good, modern pairings for classic and required curriculum novels. Clearly, this appealed because of the connection with Animal Farm, so I persevered. But, I digress (you’ll get it if you read the book).
Now that I’ve finally finished the story, I’m torn. There is definitely some good wit and humor, and I admittedly chuckled aloud more than once. That said, the “moral” of the story is soooo “in your face” and “preachy” that it takes away some of the fun of discovering and analyzing for oneself. If the “obviousness” is meant to be ironic, it misses the mark. If it’s unintentional, it’s pathetic. Some of the characters are such caricatures that it’s almost insulting to the reader. Others are more subtle, more well-rounded, and ultimately more interesting.
I HATE authors who take an easy out and add a “post script” to tie up loose ends and explain something in the story. If your book needs this, it should be a signal that you need to change something within. In my creative writing lessons, rule #1 is: Show Don’t Tell. This PS just told us what the story failed to.
I can’t say that I’d use this in class, although perhaps I’d pull parts for lessons on tropes, stock characterization, and even sarcasm.

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 should be attacked and eaten, or should 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 dog proceeded to set the record straight emphatically!

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, if any, change in character.

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