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Animal Fiction

shadforth

Member
Watership Down was the first 'animal' fiction book I ever read aged 11,and it remains top of the charts all these years later-30!:eek: I've read dozens of animal fiction novels since,tho' I'm not locked into that genre! My faves are Frost Dancers (hares) by Garry Kilworth,The Sight (wolves) by David Clement-Davies, The Ancient Solitary Reign (owls) by Martin Hocke, The Duncton Series (moles) by William Horwood and The Woodstock Saga (squirrels) by Michael Tod. I'm currently reading Fell the sequel to The Sight. I wondered if anyone else enjoyed animal fiction and if they have any further suggestions. I've read a lot of 'em ,mind!:)
 
Hi :)

I just did a module at uni called "Reading Animals", we only read one book written from the perspective of an animal, that being The White Bone by Barbara Gowdy, which follows a herd of elephants on their quest to find the white bone which will lead them to a safe place where there is no risk of slaughter. It's quite different to anything I'd ever read before but I'd recommend it.

Other books we read were Pig Tales by Marie Darrieussecq, which is about a human woman who metamorphoses into a pig, quite dark and grim in places. We read Bear by Marian Engel which is a shocking story of a woman who gets intimate with a bear. Other books were more on the subject of hunting/genetic modification rather than animals themselves.
Hope this helps :) let me know if you try any of them!
 
Jack London's "White Fang" and "Call of the Wild" -- do they count? I still remember reading "White Fang" as a seventh grader and then later in my 20s. I loved it more and more with time. The first half of "White Fang" is, in my opinion, incredible and masterpiece-worthy. Every time I read it, I'm so so impressed with London's mastery of the language.
 
Black Beauty,the first animal book that comes to my mind now:D ( lookat my avatar):)
 
Thanks for the input and suggestions. I've read White Fang and agree it's amazing. Haven't actually read Black Beauty-hope I won't be struck off the animal fantasy lovers(A.F.L!) society!:) The White Bone does sound like my cuppa coffee,and I'll definitely look it up! Thanks again everyone for the input.
 
I thought Fell was a bit weak compared to The Sight which is one of my favorites. I assume you have read Fire Bringer about deer which is set in the same universe? Its pretty good too. The Wolves of Time by William Horwood is another good series about wolves duh.
 
Two different books came to mind as I read through this thread: Tailchaser's Song by Tad Williams, and The Abandoned by Paul Galico. Both are about cats..
 
Redwall Series by Brian Jacques
Poppy by Avi (Children's)
Cricket in Times Square (Children's)
Julie of the Wolves by Jean Craighead George, she wrote many outdoor type stories.
Who Moved My Cheese/non-fiction but it's a short fable type.
Maurice and His Educated Rodents by Terry Pratchett.
Recently I finished reading Life of Pi by Yann Martel - about a zookeeper's son who gets stranded in sea with a tiger. Superlative.
 
As a child aged about 11 or 12 yrs, I thoroughly enjoyed The Silver Brumby series by Elynne Mitchell. (I think that is her first name, without looking it up). They are Australian books about the wild brumby horses in the Snowy Mountain region.
 
If you like allegory, you may like -

Bambi, a Life in the Woods by Felix Salten. The novel is harsher than the Disney movie.

The Book of the Dun Cow and The Book of Sorrows by Walter Wangerin.
 
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