I think I may be too cynical for fables. I can think of a few recent ones and they always feel like 80% the book I want them to be. If I want lessons in my fiction, I do not want them heavy-handed, and unfortunately this one comes across as a bit preachier than I hope for. I was drawn in by the illustrations and I do think they are quite appealing. The development of the animal cultures is done extremely well and I feel like an animal cultural bestiary in this manner would be unputdownable. But unfortunately the excellent council discussion part of the book turns into an adventurous romp (even if truly the journey seemed to span only a few hundred yards) and that is where the book starts to suffer. I enjoyed it, I think parts were very clever, but it never coalesced how I would hope.

Narration was top notch though, recommended this narrator to as many books as they want to read.

This was an interesting read. The story is told through the voice of all the animals gathering together to decide what to do about the humans. There aren't many left after the "calamity" that has happened. There is an adventure that happens throughout the story, giving it some exciting moments.

I really enjoyed the ending, and I would have liked to see a bit more about that part of the story. This was a good read, and I think that people that enjoy fantasy adventures will enjoy this.

I was provided a gifted copy of this book for free. I am leaving my review voluntarily.

At first glance, this wouldn't look like a book I would pick up and you might be thinking the same thing of yourself, but if you want to read a book that makes you think deeply then it is exactly the book you should pick up.

Amazon affiliate links are used on this site. A free audiobook was provided for an honest review.

After the "Calamity", the animals have flourished in a world where humans are thought to be extinct. However, a small band of survivors have been discovered and now the animals have to decide if they should help them or eat them.

The first bit of the book is long speeches made by varied members of the council which is made up of a bear, a cat, a crow, a horse, a dog, and a baboon. There is a seventh member who shows up later. It is kind of a United Nations. Each animal has their reason for either wanting to help or eat the humans. Humans are not thought of highly as each animal recounts their own personal experience with humans.

Last fall, my post-apocalyptic book club read Hollow Kingdom by Kira Jane Buxton and The Council of Animals reminded me of it somewhat. There are also some similarities to George Orwell's Animal Farm as the animals attempt to form a society in the absence of people.

As is typical with fables, the story seems simple and maybe more for children but there is a lot going on under the surface. There is so much to tease out from this rather short tale. It would make an excellent book for discussion.

My review will be published at Girl Who Reads on Thursday, July 15 at 11:00 am - https://www.girl-who-reads.com/2021/07/the-council-of-animals-by-nick-mcdonell.html

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.