I thought this novella sounded really interesting, and I genuinely wanted to enjoy it. Unfortunately, despite its short length, this book was a chore to get through.

I love the concept of animals who talk and possess the same intelligence as humans, so I did enjoy that aspect of the story. I also enjoyed the unique writing style. I can’t pinpoint what exactly about the writing stood out to me, but it just felt distinctive.

I didn’t really care for the plot or any of the characters or really any other aspect of the story, however. I do seem to be in the minority as most people have seemed to enjoy this book so far, so I encourage you to still check it out if it sounds like your thing.

This was a beautiful little novella. It’s an impressive feat to tell a story this rich in only 160 pages.

This book is set in a world where there are both humans and intelligent (“knowledgeable”) animals. Physically, the knowledgeable animals are indistinguishable from their natural counterparts, but they are sentient and able to speak human languages. They are, as far as I can tell, treated as having the same rights and same dignity as humans.

The protagonist of this story, Quintus, is unique in two ways. One is that he is a fox; no one had ever heard of a knowledgeable fox before he showed up, and even he doesn’t know how he came to be.

The other unique thing about Quintus is that he alone can find and navigate the Silver Roads, mysterious paths criss-crossing the continent that allow one to cover vast distances very quickly. Quintus doesn’t know how he does this either.

This novella spins out two stories simultaneously. One is Quintus remembering a past expedition he had led along the Silver Roads, where everyone but he was lost. The other is an expedition he is currently leading, at the command of a priest who promises to tell Quintus about his origins in exchange.

As a novella, this is short. But in that space, Rowe crafts a remarkably deep world and remarkably compelling story. Strongly recommended for something one can finish in a couple of hours.

This is not a book for everyone, but that is not really important because it was definitely a book for me! I read this right after finishing the last short story in Paul Tremblay’s “The Beast You Are” and one dark novella length anamorphic tale featuring adventure that questions morality followed by another slightly-less-dark novella anamorphic tale featuring adventure that definitely questions morality was the precise remedy for my reading slump! Rowe does an excellent job infusing humor into this magical realistic fable that is a great pick if you are interested in a fast paced literary novella.

Thank you to NetGalley, Christopher Rowe, and Tor Publishing Group for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

This story was very interesting, however I wish it would have been a full novel. I really wanted to know more about all of the characters and I think it definitely could have been a lot longer especially keeping with the timeline of two journeys.



Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC!

This really short novel reads like Redwall for Adults. I liked it, but wondered why it's so short. The whole thing is world-building and then you get no payoff?

I had high hopes for The Navigating Fox, but this novella just didn’t work for me. I was drawn to pick up this book by the promise of intelligent, talking animals and a potentially dangerous journey. I love journey stories, I love animals, and I love the stunning cover. Maybe I set my expectations too high?

I’m not a reader who shies away from complicated world building. But I felt this story included too much detail for a novella. I could see The Navigating Fox as a great companion story to a larger novel. It would’ve been helpful to have prior familiarity with this world.

I liked the character of Quintus, who is desperate to know who made him and why he is the only navigating fox. I also loved the bison ambassador, Walks Along Woman. But neither character was able to hold my interest in the story and I was left feeling unsatisfied at the conclusion.

Thank you to TorDotCom and NetGalley for providing this ARC.

The Navigating Fox is a novella that is every bit as beautiful as its cover, and that is saying a lot!

In a world where humans live alongside a certain number of animals that have received the ability to reason and speak, there is only one talking fox. This fox, Quintus, is also able to travel and guide others along secret roads that seem to bend time and space. The story follows parallel tracks where we see what happened on a disastrous expedition lead by Quintus and his current journey to regain his reputation, close the gates of Hell, and therefore end death. Along the way he is also seeking to uncover the secret to why he alone is "knowledgeable" when it comes to foxes.

As can be seen from that brief summary, this is an incredibly dense tale with a lot of world building going on. It also includes many enchanting characters who I would love to get to know better (the bison Walks Along Women is particularly fascinating). While one of the appeals of short novellas is the fact that they can be read in one sitting, I actually found it more rewarding to read this story in short bits and reflect on the characters and what we had learned about the environment. This is a story filled with mysteries and I had a lot of fun chasing down some of the threads with my own imagination before finding out exactly where our guide Quintus was taking us.

A brief warning, not every question raised in the book is neatly answered. While I have hopes that there will be further tales told in this world, I was able to accept that some threads just don't tie off in a neat bow. And I will say that one mystery was solved in a beautiful and unexpected way that brought tears to my eyes. If you find the premise of talking animals interacting with humans appealing, I think that you will find this tale rewarding.

Many thanks to the NetGalley team at Tor/Forge for an advance e-copy in exchange for an honest review.

In this fantastical novella, animals are either voiceless or knowledgeable. Voiceless animals are akin to what we have in reality, knowledgeable ones capable of conversing. Quintus is the sole knowledgeable fox in the world. A year ago, he led an expedition that ended in disaster, with him as the only survivor. He’s been scorned ever since. A chance to redeem himself and discover his origins comes in the form of leading an expedition to the gates of Hell.

Christopher Rowe introduces readers to a vibrant world in a limited novella. The way the world is set up with both humans and talking animals is reminiscent of Narnia, though that’s where the similarities end. It’s an especially compelling concept when the story leans into potential conflicts that could arise in such a society. How do these animals live beside humans? What if a knowledgeable animal is mistaken for a voiceless one? With a setting inspired by Roman histories, I’d be very interested in reading more stories set in this world, especially because so many questions go unanswered.

The novella has surprisingly amusing moments. The scenes in chamber with all the attendants clamouring, human and animal alike, are rife with humour. Unfortunately, the novel features extensive contemplation, and builds questions regarding the world and history of knowledgeable animals that largely go answered. This makes for a story that’s hard to stay engaged with. It was only in the final 15% that I found myself deeply invested in the story and its resolution. If only the middle had the same sense of tension. Despite the characters journeying on a Very Important Mission, each with secret motives and goals behind doing so, there’s a missing sense of urgency to their travels. As if in actuality, the journey and destination are insignificant.

All in all, it’s a novella with an interesting concept and some funny scenes, but it also left me wanting something more gripping. Not terrible, but I do feel rather ambivalent towards the story.

2.5 stars
Thank you to the publisher for sending me an eARC in exchange for an honest review!

Quintus Shu'al, as per the title suggests is the only Navigating Fox to exist. He lives in a work with both animals and humans, and where select animals are knowledgeable, but he is the only one of his kind. He can help expeditions navigate the silver roads to any destination in any land. After his last journey ended with only his return and everyone else dead he is questioned. A year later he is given a chance to redeem himself and lead an expedition to the literal gates of Hell.

I am not usually one for Novellas, but Tor always hits it out of the park with the ones the publish. The characters were so dynamic, the premise was unique, the magic system was complex, the setting and world building were so rich, and the writing was beautiful. The story was so compelling that i could not stop reading. The ending felt a bit rushed and left me a little unsatisfied but overall this was spectacular.

I received an ARC of the Navigating Fox from the publisher and I was immediately intrigued by. A fox, the only one in the world, is leading a group of humans AND animals (both intelligent and non-intelligent) to the gates of hell? Sign me up please. Seriously though I found this book quite amusing. Quintus Shu'al was a unique character not only because he was a fox or even because he is the only intelligent (this is what they call animals that can talk and think as humans), but because he's main motive in life is to find out why and the way he goes about doing so repeatedly gets him in trouble. The other characters, for whatever their motives are to be traveling with Quintus Shu'al to hell, are also very well written and complex characters. I think the only thing I do not like about the book is there was no map (which honestly, would've made the book 10x more enjoyable as I would've been able to actually visualize where the group was heading) and a pronunciation guide. This book had very unique chapter titles and personally I would've liked it more if I knew how to pronounce them (although this is a very personal thing).

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The Navigating Fox was a big surprise for me. I’m not going to pretend like I didn’t judge it initially by the cover and get a hair concerned I wouldn’t enjoy it. Ironically enough, now that I’ve read the story the cover absolutely suits it. The Navigating Fox follows the titular character who is tells his story in two timelines. The one in the past where he is leading a party to their doom, and the one in the future where he is leading another group to the gates of hell to attempt to close them.

This is the type of story where you’re dropped in and you get to figure it out from there. Those definitely do not work for every reader but for me - I love these. This one especially with the cast of talking and intelligent animals, it was fantastic. There were also hints and nods at the arrogance of man even in a world such as this where animals could and did become fully aware and involved in the societies and government. Just - catnip for me. This is the type of thing I love.

There is also an alternating timeline happening, which ties together nicely in the end. My only complaint on this book is that I wanted more. Not that I think it necessarily needed more but I as a reader was thirsty for more of it. The world and the story. I want more answers for our Fox friend, and I sincerely hope this gets a sequel or even a full length story.

5 out of 5 Sassy Crows

Christopher Rowe imagines a world where some animals talk. Quintus Shu'al, The Navigating Fox (paper from Tordotcom) knows how to access the magical silver roads to traverse the continent quickly. Quintus was the only survivor of an expedition, looking for herbs to cure the Empress. Now has been hired to lead a group to the Gates of Hell, located near where the first expedition ended badly. Mr. Rowe lovingly intermixes both expeditions to provide a solid tale that I highly recommend. Hopefully Quintus will return for another adventure.

A big thanks to NetGalley and Tor for gifting me an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

.........I have no idea what I just read.

The Navigating Fox by Christopher Rowe is a fantasy novel that follows the life of Quintus Shu'al, the world's only navigating fox. He's also in disgrace after leading an expedition to its doom a year earlier, with dozens of lives lost. Now Quintus has a chance to redeem himself by leading a brand-new expedition to the gates of hell. In return, he is promised the eventual truth of his origins and his solitary existence. Those who will accompany Quintus are the Holy Priest Scipio Aemilanus; scholar Octavia Delphina, whose sister was lost in the first expedition; the twin raccoon cartographers Loci and Foci; and the powerful bison ambassador Walks Along Woman. As the journey grows more perilous and the agendas of its members more sinister, Quintus must make an impossible choice between obtaining the secret of his creation, or sacrificing that possibility forever in order to seize his destiny.

The world-building was great and the characters were interesting. I just feel like I didn't have enough brain cells to comprehend this book to it's fullest.

This book was both extremely charming and deeply intricate and political. The world is familiar and unfamiliar at the same time, the fantastical elements fascinating, and the story itself surprisingly heartwarming, given the premise. The navigating fox narrator who years to understand his origins is a very endearing unreliable narrator, and the accidental family he assembles around himself (and kind of in spite of himself) was absolutely lovely and warmed my heart. The raccoon twins Loci and Foci are standouts, and honestly were a big part of the emotional core of the book despite seeming at first like comic relief, the two of them causing most of the moments that really hit me hard.

Story: B
Prose: B
Characters: C
World: B+
Theme(s): C
Enjoyment: C

The Good:
- Confident prose. Rowe's prose is confident and typically readable. There are also a couple nice bits of dialogue.
- Knowledgeable animals. There are "knowledgeable" animals who have received an alchemical mixture to grant them both sapience and a voice. (In contrast with what we think of as normal, "voiceless" animals.) This sets the stage for Quintus not only as the only navigating fox, but also the only knowledgeable one.
- World building. There are two facets Rowe developed: the setting at large, including the empire and individual societies like the Sodality, and then the second, which is how the world has adapted to accommodate knowledgeable animals.
- Navigating. The particulars of how Quintus navigates were creative and interesting, and some of the details about where the special roads start–the North road not actually beginning to the north, for example–were charming.
- A couple decent reveals. Rowe also plays with our expectations and preconceived notions to success at times.

The Bad:
- Middling execution. Although not bad, it simply always falls short of what it promises to do.
- Prose is stilted and slightly pompous. Rowe is aiming for whimsy, but trying too hard. The result is an odd combination of sentences that sound mostly fine alone, but paragraphs that never sit comfortably.
- Overdeveloped world. The reality is that this is a novella and Rowe has not developed a setting in scale with a novella. There's a lot of information about the world, but a good chunk of it contributes nothing to the narrative.
- Shallow exploration of themes. There's a lot of philosophical posturing about death and purpose and belonging, but they're flashy questions only. Rowe's exploration of themes is very superficial.
- Shallow characters. Their initial characterization is solid, vivid even, but then those sharply acknowledged character traits count for almost nothing and the characters themselves do very little. Most of them could easily be swapped out for another character.

YMMV:
- I didn't care about Quintus. A character's relations (or highlighted lack of, if the author hopes to inspire empathy through loneliness) factors in more than we realize when we like or dislike a character. Another is how they treat people. Quintus is alone, and typically treats others with general politeness. Moreover, Rowe's attempts to underline Quintus' status as the only navigating fox fail because Quintus himself does not seem to struggle with loneliness. So I didn't dislike him or anything; rather, I felt nothing.

Final thoughts:
The Navigating Fox… didn't do it for me. I didn't actively need to force myself to read, but I only felt wholesale bland indifference during the story. Perfectly readable, but not enjoyable. One of those stories that's confident and novel in conception, but things simply don't work out when it comes to execution.

This short read feels like a long epic in the best of ways. Quintus is the only known navigating fox, adding a touch of mystery to the story being established. So much detail and worldbuilding, a compelling story, characters and humor. The writing is really well done, it drew me in immediately and I really hope there's more to come in this world.

Thank you to NetGalley and Tor/Tordotcom for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Navigating Fox is the most creative book I've read all year. The world building is interesting and immersive, and I'm pretty sure I spent most of the time I set aside to read this every night to keep notes about the fantastic alternative world Rowe has created here.

Representation:
- there are a lot of diverse secondary characters

Quintus Shu'al, the world's only navigating fox, has a chance to redeem himself after leading his last expedition to their deaths. All he has to do is lead a fresh group—a Holy Priest, the sister of one of the first journey's victims, twin raccoon cartographers, and a well-respected bison ambassador—to the very gates of Hell. If he does this, then Quintus can finally learn about his own origins and why he's the only fox to have been given human-like sentience and speech.

I don't think I've loved a world so much since Ursula Le Guin's Earthsea. Even though it's an alternative reimagining of the Roman Empire and not a completely new creation, it still feels just as refreshing, creative, and original. In Christopher Rowe's world, humans (although it's not quite remembered when it happened or by whom) have figured out a way to give animals human-like speech and thought. These animals are considered Knowledgeable, and those that have not been meddled with are "regular" Unknowledgeable animals.

The Roman Empire has expanded, not only to what seems like East Asia, but pre-colonial North America as well—or, at least, it has alliances with these places. I won't lie, it might have taken me three-fourths of the novella to really understand the scope of the world, but that was part of the fun. For me, at least, because it seems like this made the story less enjoyable for other reviewers.

So yes, yes, I loved the world to death, but when it came to characters and plot, things were less entertaining. Our main character, Quintus, was very strong and had a great sense of humor, but the others seemed a little flat by comparison (wait, except for the bison Walks Along Woman, who is perfect in every way and needs her own standalone; actually, a whole cycle of novellas in this universe would be everything I ever needed). There was also a slightly disrespectful tone used whenever Quintus or the others would talk or think about nomadic tribes or smaller indigenous peoples. Although I'm not sure if that was a result of him and them being a part of the "great Empire", and looking down on those who weren't.

The plot also was a bit messy, and the climax a kind of strange and muddled. Ill-used humor shattered the tension, and because Quintus didn't care about anything that was happening during the climax, it was hard for me to care, too. But I still came out of the story feeling fond of the world and its characters—and most importantly, wanting more. The writing style was also elegant and witty in a way was never not cheap or reduced to solely snappy dialogue, and I'll definitely keep an eye on this author to see what he does next. A huge thanks to NetGalley and Tordotcom for allowing me to read a copy of this book!

One can't write a story starring a fox and not expect me to pick it up: I'm that easy. So when I read the synopsis of The Navigating Fox—ahem, saw the cover, really—I knew I had to give this novella a chance. Now that I've read it, do I regret my impulsive choice? No, I don't. While it wasn't perfect, I had a great time reading this fast-paced novella.

✨Highlights✨
✔ the world-building: it was immersive and well-thought-out;
✔ the characters were fun to follow (a fox!! twin raccoons!! a bison!! some useless humans!!) and decently fleshed-out, for a novella especially;
✔ the plot : with the exception of the ending—I have to admit I expected a bit more from it—my interest never wavered;
✔ the atmosphere: very whimsical and yet brimming with existentialist and moral questions.

I would be delighted to read more from this world in the future. 3.5 stars rounded up.

After Quintus, the world's only navigating fox, guides an expedition to its doom, he is offered a chance at redemption: lead a team of humans and animals to the gates of Hell.

I loved this book! From the very beginning, the premise and the world-building were quickly established in a way that is easy to comprehend. I loved how Aquacolonia was depicted, as a city that has systems and structures in place that are inclusive to the knowledgable animals as travellers/residents. I wished the backstory/religion/society behind the Lady of Toosa was explored more; I feel like a lot of her influence and status was left unexplained.

I found the cast of characters enjoyable; the dynamic of the group was interesting to read, and I wished there were more opportunities for them to interact, but Quintus is a pretty solitary character and so, keeps himself apart from the group.

I also enjoyed Quintus' perspective. He makes for a reliable guide when introducing readers to this world, but I get the sense that he is somewhat of an unreliable narrator. Outside of the part when Quintus tells of his first memory, he remains a mysterious figure whose past is unknown to the reader, and even to himself (this is kind of the subplot).

The premise of the Silver Roads is not anything original, but serves its function in the story. I found the depiction of hell to be rather intriguing, and I wish that that could have been explored further.

I would like to read a sequel to this, to find out where Quintus goes after the events of this book, and to find out how the revelation that occurs in this book impacts the Empire.

PS the racoon twins reminded me of Timmy and Tommy from Animal Crossing

I was provided an ARC of this manuscript in exchange for my honest review.

THE NAVIGATING FOX is an interesting read. It's a novella that takes place in a world where there are "knowledgeable" creatures (i.e., animals that can talk). Among these knowledgeable animals is Quintus Shu'al, the only one of his kind. He is a fox who can navigate the mysterious Silver Roads, a series of paths and shortcuts that only he can successfully travel (or bring others on). This journey may prove stranger than any other though, as he and his companions travel the Silver Roads to Hell, in order to seal off death forever.

I would primarily describe this as being beautifully written. The prose is lyrical, the imagery transporting the reader right into the story. This is one of those novellas where it just feels good to read it because the words sound pretty, even if you're not actually absorbing any of the story.

That said, the story itself is also philosophically intriguing. In addition to the more obvious exploration of the inevitability of death, there is also an interesting discussion about identity threaded throughout the book. As the last of his kind, Quintus Shu'al knows nothing about how he came to be, what his purpose is, or anything about his origins. The reason why he leads the group to Hell in the first place is because he believes that one among them holds the secret to his being. This creates interesting questions about what makes up a person's identity; is it important to know where we come from? To what degree does-- or should-- who we were affect who were are, or who we will become? Then there are questions about death: even if we could put an end to death, should we? What would be the consequences of erasing such a fundamental pillar of existence?

I also enjoyed thinking about this novella from a worldbuilding perspective. There is a definite hierarchy in this world-- and much like our own, this hierarchy can vary depending on regional and cultural differences. However, generally, knowledgeable animals were considered at least equal to the humans in all the regions we observed. Based on historical precedent, it seems unlikely that this came about without a fight, which begs the question, how did this society form? It's not a question we ever get an answer to, but nonetheless, it proves to be a fun thought experiment.

Overall, I enjoyed reading this novella. It was thought-provoking, beautifully written, and an interesting read in all. I would highly recommend this to people who like fables and want to really think about the nature of our world for a minute.