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.

Although this novel is relatively short, I had a difficult time finishing it.

While the world building is detailed, it felt like there just wasn’t enough information given to me. Maybe it could have been accomplished if the book were longer? I did like the knowledgeable fox who questioned why he was the only one and what his origins were.

I feel like this had the potential to be great, sadly though, this book was not for me.

The book cover is gorgeous. The premise of this novella was intriguing, the writing was good and flowed easily, and the world created had a touch of whimsy (really enjoyed the talking animals), however I did not connect with any of the characters. The ending was quite abrupt and I felt as though there wasn't enough time to delve into the characters enough to care much about the quest taking place.

There is a lot of punch packed into this little novel. The story itself is interesting and entertaining. The characters are engaging and relatable. What makes this book so great is the multitude of options for interpretation, symbolism and representation. This is something you can think about, peel back a layer and think about all over again, almost endlessly.

Quintus, our narrator, is a fox - and he's the only knowledgeable fox in the world. He is a navigator, and helps expeditions travel and explore using hidden paths. We join Quintus after he returns from a first, tragic journey. But he is soon pressed into duty for a second expedition, with a terrifying goal. The story alternates chapters between past (first expedition) and present (second expedition), while Quintus aims to discover important secrets about his past.
This novella is pure joy and loads of fun!

*Special thanks to NetGalley and Tor Publishing Group for this e-arc.*

From the bright colored cover to the story about a Fox who leads not one, but two perilous expeditions, I was hooked from the summary. Though it's a quick read, I did find the story a bit slow on the off-set and a bit complex for a novella. However, honestly, it was deep and engaging once I really got into. I wanted to know more about our main character and some of the others along the way and I wanted to delve into this world and it's knowledgeable animals. If this is just a taste of what may come in the future, then I am excited to know more. However, if this is the only morsel we get of Quintus, I will be a bit sad not to explore it further. There is good world-building and fairly well developed characters, but I also think it was a bit much for less than 200 pages. I would have loved to see a bit more of a focused story for these pages but I do hope we get more tales from this world from Mr. Rowe.

I'm either at a point in life where I have an unmet need for fantastical stories with talking animals written for adults, and Christopher Rowe has seen this void and wrote a perfect novella to fill it, or it's the kind of book that just by dropping into your hands at the right moments creates that need and ignites the craving for more. Either way, just to give you a picture of how much I enjoyed reading this: every now and then I kept pausing to scream with delight CARTOGRAPHER RACOONS and AMBASSADOR BISONS at my partner, and taking a pause just to grin about how happy that makes me.

I think the best thing about this novella is that the tone chosen is not lofty or preachy, even if the questions it asks are serious. None of that Coelho or Jonathan Livingston stuff for me, please and thank you. <i>The Navigating Fox</i> is an adventure, a caper -- I mean, the story opens with the hero infiltrating a hearing about his own misdeeds and catapulting himself into the proceedings on a grand chandelier -- and one that manages to do an excellent job at sketching out the world that tantalizes you with the visions of more. Half a kingdom for more stories set in the universe where humans co-exist with 'knowledgeable animals' - animals made sentient by an alchemical process - and there is so much nuance to the inter-cultural and inter-species interaction, it could easily fuel a fantasy trilogy or two. Which is what I'm hoping we will get one day from Christopher Rowe, because I, for one, would definitely love to spend more time in this world.

My thanks to Tor Dot Com and #Netgalley for an advance copy of this delightful novella.

3.5

Thanks to the author/publisher for providing me with an ARC for an honest review.

A good and really quick read about Quintus Shu'al, who's a sentient fox. In a world where certain animals are "knowledgeable" (in this case, it means being as sentient as humans), Quintus is the only knowledgeable fox, and so, he wonders about his origins and why that is the case. His willingness to find out about that leads to an expedition unlike any others, where he must lead a ragtag group to the gates of hell...

As previously said, it's a good and really quick read. A lot of readers can probably read and finish this in one sitting, thanks to the novella-length size, the fast-paced plot and the easy-to-go-through prose. However, it's also one of those books where I feel like it would've been better if it was a full length novel, or at least a few dozen pages longer.

With characters and worldbuilding that is so unique, it feels like a missed opportunity to not delve deeper into them (unless there's a sequel on the way, of course). Both the characters and the worldbuilding are done in a way so you only really know the absolutely necessary stuff. I think this sort of storytelling works really well when the characters and/or the worldbuilding is more generic (and usually the focus would be on the plot), and not when both of them are so unique and interesting like in the case of this book.

However, despite all that, I think this is still a good read and one that I definetely didn't regret picking up.

A very different and very whimsical book albeit the serious events and existentialist questions.

Quintus is the only knowing fox in a world of knowing and talking animals amongst humans. He is also the only fox able to navigate the silver road, and in his quest to find out exactly how he came to be, must lead another expedition along to life's end.

This book is very difficult to describe in entirety without spoiling too much since its novella sized. The world and story is incredibly intriguing and I found myself wanting to know more.
Despite this there are some sections that seem just a bit stilted and you're left wondering what you missed.
A small thing that can make this book a bit hard to read are the names, they are roman inspired and therefore not your everyday, flow of the tongue names, which honestly halts the reading flow when bombarded with many different characters.

That said, its fun and inspiring reading the hows and whats of the sly and cunning fox and the naivety of some religious followers. It’s a colourful tale of finding your place and purpose in life, even if it’s not what you originally set out for.

This was a really interesting book, I've never come across anything like this. It's short, more of a novella, and tracks several journeys of humans and 'knowledgeable animals', led by our titular navigating fox. I found the magic system and world very intriguing and I think the author could easily come back to this world for another story. Perfect for fans of SFF. The prose I found interesting as well, it made the book feel like a relic from another time.

This book was really creative... the world building and writing were a bit stilted... I spent half of the book confused and then it clicked and I predicted some of the ending, but not all. I would have preferred a more clear writing style and more background on why/how animals became knowledgeable, and a history of the silver roads and what they were/why they were special. The author set this book up nicely if he wants to have prequels or sequels, so I do hope to see more of these, but I would prefer the fox to sound less pompous in future books. I did enjoy the story and would recommend reading it if you like fantasy and can get on board with talking animals as part of society. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!

This was great! If you like talking animals, this novella is full of them. The story is told by a navigating fox. He’s leading an expedition of humans and talking animals over the Silver Roads. He tells of this expedition and the previous one, in which he was the only one to return.

The author created a fascinating world, drawn clearly despite it being a novella. The navigating fox himself is delightful. I loved this book. I highly recommend it. I definitely want to read more by this author. It comes out September 26. Thank you to Tordotcom and NetGalley for the eARC.

I received an advance copy via NetGalley.

Quintus is the only known navigating fox. In his world, where humans live alongside animals who are "knowledgeable" and "voiceless," an Empire with a distinct Roman flare rules a portion of the world. Quintus can navigate paths that are unseen to others--and his last mission, a year before, resulted in no survivors. When he is called to task on that, he is enlisted to lead yet another expedition, this one to the very gates of Hell. The story takes on a back and forth format between the two expeditions, as what happened in the first trip is gradually revealed.

The world here is so fascinating. I'd love to read more works in this setting. It feels like we're given the bare minimum of worldbuilding, enough to tantalize. The format of the book initially baffled me but I soon found the groove. This is a quick read, engrossing all the way through, with an ending that has a definite sense of rightness to it.

Christopher Rowe has written a novella that opens a fascinating world. The Navigating Fox is a mix of quest fantasy and talking animals and somehow it all works together.

You're told as much as you need to know about the world and the quest to start with, without bogging you down in exposition. I found it a little hard to get into, but once I really dug into it, I couldn't put it down. It's very hard to describe this without going off on tangents (the buffalo! The Gates of Hell!), you really need to read this for yourself.

Take an afternoon, a cup of tea (or beverage of choice) and maybe a cookie or two and immerse yourself. You won't regret it.

I received an ARC from NetGalley for my honest opinion.

I tried picking up this book a few times but unfortunately I couldn't maintain my interest. I feel like I don't know enough about Roman society to be able to easily become engaged in the story being told. I'd frequently stumble across a term I didn't know and have to Google it before proceeding and eventually just gave up. The writing style was fine, I just didn't have the patience to keep going back and forth between the book and Wikipedia. The cover is stunning though!

The Navigating Fox takes a large world, combines it with a unique magic system, and then provides only snippets of both amidst its quick plot line and small page count. While this may be unsatisfactory for some readers, for others it can be enjoyable to extrapolate in a genre that tends to rely heavily on specificity. The prose throughout accented the mysterious nature of the story well, creating an almost dreamy quality to the chapters as you try to figure out more about the world alongside the titular navigating fox.

In this novella you jump in time between two expeditions, both of which have underlying context that builds up to a big reveal. The world contains humans and what are called knowledgeable creatures, animals that have the powers of speech and reason due to magic that was created and quickly outlawed. The navigating fox is in search of who made him knowledgeable and gave him his unique powers.

While I loved the setup of this story and appreciate how much thought seemed to be put into the formulation of the world's magic system and different cultures, the execution felt a bit lacking. Where I was hoping for everything to tie together, I was instead left with more mystery. It will be interesting to see whether this book is followed by a sequel, and if so, I hope to return to this world and learn a lot more about it.

Overall, if you're looking for a quick read and something a little different, consider picking up The Navigating Fox. It will at the very least be something new, and could possibly spark a love for fantasy that strays from the norm.

The Navigating Fox is a whimsical novella featuring humans, animals able to speak, and “unknowledgeable” animals who are silent. After leading an expedition to its doom, Quintus agrees to guide another group to the Gate of Hell to redeem himself and uncover his origins. Quintus is the only speaking and navigating fox and is the only one able to access roads that shorten trips that would take months to days or even weeks. This story takes us along two expeditions, the one that led to the disappearance of all members sans Quintus, and the motley crew traveling to Hell. The prose is lyrical and the world was original, however little to no world building is involved and the plot was so short I felt that not much happened. This is a twist close to the end, but the consequences aren’t explored or even theorized. I think people who enjoy eccentric fantasies and appreciate shorter stories would enjoy this. Unfortunately, it wasn’t a book I enjoyed as much as I hoped, but I think that’s mostly due to my personal tastes. Objectively, this is a good fantasy with an original plot and creative elements.