kutterek's review against another edition
3.0
This had a Redwall feel to it but darker because the story is all about revenge. The diverse cast of characters were fun, especially the dialogue between these very different personalities. Don’t expect much depth to such a short story, but I enjoyed it for what it was. I’d read a full novel in this world.
anotherhel's review against another edition
3.0
It's short dark fantasy book and really interesting. Each little character has its own little backstory and introducion almost and a personality, a voice. It's incredible how much the author made me care about this group in such a short time.
I might read more from this author after this one.
I might read more from this author after this one.
Cinnabar had calm eyes, friendly eyes, eyes that smilled and called you "sir" or "madam", depending ont he case, eyes like cool water on a hot day. cinnabar had hands that made corpses, lots of copses, walls and stacks of them. Cinnabar's eyes never seemed to feel anything about what his hands did.
surdiablo's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
It's a wild-west revenge story possessing a darker tone than you would normally expect, since it features anthropomorphic animals. I liked it well enough, as it's fast-paced and the characters are diverse and interesting enough, for a novella. However, the introduction of all of them took roughly 1/3 of the book and the single-page chapters often felt somewhat jarring. Overall it's a fun, quick read that prioritizes style over substance, which might be a pro/con depending on your preference.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence and Animal death
tomwright's review against another edition
3.0
This is the adult equivalent to [b:Dinosaur Kisses|17262289|Dinosaur Kisses|David Ezra Stein|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1367256816s/17262289.jpg|23859089] by [a:David Ezra Stein|400898|David Ezra Stein|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1272901213p2/400898.jpg].
It's a fun book, a good book, but in the end, the author is laughing at his own joke while I'm wondering what just happened.
It's a fun book, a good book, but in the end, the author is laughing at his own joke while I'm wondering what just happened.
rebel_rocketman's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
steelfern's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
sought this out under the impression it captured the energy of watership down/redwall/secrets of nimh and i have to disagree. though i would put it in the same category of animals-have-society, it has a way different energy. not unenjoyable- just different. i wish it had been longer, and we had been allowed to linger in the flow of things longer, but i always feel that way about short fantasy.
pocketcall's review against another edition
1.0
At many points the book feels like it was written by an AI. The author says himself he treats the book as a joke which is a problem when you don’t find any of it funny.
jelliclepop's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Finished this in a day, it was just like watching an action packed movie. The only reason I rate this 4 stars is because I'm a worldbuilding girly and this was straight to the point but otherwise, it was right up my alley - vengeful mice, venomous moles, the salamander equivalent of the fastest gunman in the wild wild west and more darkly twisted small animals feature in this novella.
Polansky managed to build a grimy, cut-throat atmosphere in this little world of the Gardens, where everyone is looking out just for themselves and any misstep ends in having a knife twisted in your back. Also the use of fast paced changes between chapters and narratives helps the reader feel sucked into the action and motives of all those little criters, you can't put the book down without wanting to know what comes next.
Polansky managed to build a grimy, cut-throat atmosphere in this little world of the Gardens, where everyone is looking out just for themselves and any misstep ends in having a knife twisted in your back. Also the use of fast paced changes between chapters and narratives helps the reader feel sucked into the action and motives of all those little criters, you can't put the book down without wanting to know what comes next.
clursternhop's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
2.5
I'm so mixed on this book. I loved the way it was written and the word choices/analogies. I liked the characters on the surface, but that was all we got? The first half of this book is just introducing the characters.
Overall I was sadly disappointed. I was so excited for where it would go... Maybe I'll try more of this author's work, maybe they'll put more into their other books.
Overall I was sadly disappointed. I was so excited for where it would go... Maybe I'll try more of this author's work, maybe they'll put more into their other books.
perch15's review against another edition
4.0
My review, originally posted at Fantasy-Faction.Com
http://fantasy-faction.com/2015/the-builders-by-daniel-polansky
Daniel Polansky is an interesting guy. I say this having never met the man and reading exactly 50% of his published output. He reminds me of Warren Ellis (the writer, not the Bad Seed) and that is a good thing. He knows the value of what has come before, and can create something new out of tropes that have been around for a century. And, like Ellis, he knows what he’s good at writing, and writes to his strengths. He’s old school that way. For my money, he’s criminally underexposed in the United States. Hard to make a name for yourself when your books are tough to find, though. So it makes perfect sense that Polansky’s latest is an anthropomorphic revenge-fantasy novella set in a Disney-on-mushrooms version of the United States. It’s called The Builders.
The Builders is a straightforward revenge novel. Years ago, The Captain, our antihero—and a mouse—was on the verge of a major military and political victory. The he was double-crossed. Now, he’s getting the band back together and seeking revenge on those that wronged him. Simple. Straightforward. Effective.
The Builders has the cinematic feel of a Spaghetti Western. It is widescreen and shot on grainy film. The dialogue is sparse, cutting to the bone in as few words as necessary. What isn’t said is as important as what is. Polansky is a deft writer and knows the value of shutting up. He conveys more in the space between words than most authors convey through a paragraph.
The Builders will draw comparisons to Brian Jacques’ Redwall series, and to Richard Adams’ Watership Down. These comparisons are fair, in the sense that all of the above involve anthropomorphic animals placed in very human situations. Of course, An American Tail and Maus are both about anthropomorphic mice, so that shallow comparison will only get you so far. If I had to do the elevator pitch, I’d say “The Builders is The Fantastic Mr. Fox filmed by Robert Rodriguez as told by Quentin Taratino. But, you know, a book.”
The characters of The Builders leave instant and lasting impressions. Whether it is The Captain’s first appearance, the armadillo bearing a striking resemblance to Pancho Villa, or the Stetson-wearing salamander, Polansky has breathed life into his own wild bunch of misfits, malcontents and sociopaths. And that doesn’t even touch on Elf, The Quaker or a French-accented stoat named Bonsoir. I wouldn’t want to spoil too much. That’s just the tip of the anthropomorphic iceberg.
The logistics of it all are staggering. Polansky has managed to create not just a riveting story but an intricate and fascinating universe, in the span of just over 200 pages. Certainly, the world of The Builders is meant to be a version of our own. There’s the Old World, the Colonies, the verdant north and the arid Southwest. There are rough and tumble cities and remote desert towns. There’s France. And there is a history to all of it, conveyed to the reader as much through what doesn’t appear on the page as through what does. The world of The Builders is very much alive and kicking. Not bad for something the author himself refers to as a “one-note joke” in the acknowledgements.
The Builders is a complete tale, with a proper beginning and a proper end. There’s sort of a middle, but it is interspersed throughout the beginning (see previous comments re: Tarantino/Rodriguez). The prose is Spartan, but the characterization is anything but. Bonsoir, Barley, The Captain—they’re all fully-formed. Even the minor characters like the shrew conductor, the Weasel Sisters and the countless rat soldiers have personalities and bits and pieces of a backstory. It’s all thrown together in an effortless, tossed-off kind of way that really adds a warmth and sense of familiarity to it all. It is a living story in a lived-in world.
The Builders is quite the achievement. I’m sure that I could go on forever about the use of the anthropomorphic literary device and the dehumanizing nature of obsession and revenge but that’s just the kind of cock and bull that Polansky would deride. It’s a “one-note joke,” remember? The Builders, like all the best jokes, walks the fine line between absurdity and the darker truths. In the end, The Builders cuts with a punchline so sharp that you’re two steps out the door before you realize you’re bleeding.
http://fantasy-faction.com/2015/the-builders-by-daniel-polansky
Daniel Polansky is an interesting guy. I say this having never met the man and reading exactly 50% of his published output. He reminds me of Warren Ellis (the writer, not the Bad Seed) and that is a good thing. He knows the value of what has come before, and can create something new out of tropes that have been around for a century. And, like Ellis, he knows what he’s good at writing, and writes to his strengths. He’s old school that way. For my money, he’s criminally underexposed in the United States. Hard to make a name for yourself when your books are tough to find, though. So it makes perfect sense that Polansky’s latest is an anthropomorphic revenge-fantasy novella set in a Disney-on-mushrooms version of the United States. It’s called The Builders.
The Builders is a straightforward revenge novel. Years ago, The Captain, our antihero—and a mouse—was on the verge of a major military and political victory. The he was double-crossed. Now, he’s getting the band back together and seeking revenge on those that wronged him. Simple. Straightforward. Effective.
The Builders has the cinematic feel of a Spaghetti Western. It is widescreen and shot on grainy film. The dialogue is sparse, cutting to the bone in as few words as necessary. What isn’t said is as important as what is. Polansky is a deft writer and knows the value of shutting up. He conveys more in the space between words than most authors convey through a paragraph.
The Builders will draw comparisons to Brian Jacques’ Redwall series, and to Richard Adams’ Watership Down. These comparisons are fair, in the sense that all of the above involve anthropomorphic animals placed in very human situations. Of course, An American Tail and Maus are both about anthropomorphic mice, so that shallow comparison will only get you so far. If I had to do the elevator pitch, I’d say “The Builders is The Fantastic Mr. Fox filmed by Robert Rodriguez as told by Quentin Taratino. But, you know, a book.”
The characters of The Builders leave instant and lasting impressions. Whether it is The Captain’s first appearance, the armadillo bearing a striking resemblance to Pancho Villa, or the Stetson-wearing salamander, Polansky has breathed life into his own wild bunch of misfits, malcontents and sociopaths. And that doesn’t even touch on Elf, The Quaker or a French-accented stoat named Bonsoir. I wouldn’t want to spoil too much. That’s just the tip of the anthropomorphic iceberg.
The logistics of it all are staggering. Polansky has managed to create not just a riveting story but an intricate and fascinating universe, in the span of just over 200 pages. Certainly, the world of The Builders is meant to be a version of our own. There’s the Old World, the Colonies, the verdant north and the arid Southwest. There are rough and tumble cities and remote desert towns. There’s France. And there is a history to all of it, conveyed to the reader as much through what doesn’t appear on the page as through what does. The world of The Builders is very much alive and kicking. Not bad for something the author himself refers to as a “one-note joke” in the acknowledgements.
The Builders is a complete tale, with a proper beginning and a proper end. There’s sort of a middle, but it is interspersed throughout the beginning (see previous comments re: Tarantino/Rodriguez). The prose is Spartan, but the characterization is anything but. Bonsoir, Barley, The Captain—they’re all fully-formed. Even the minor characters like the shrew conductor, the Weasel Sisters and the countless rat soldiers have personalities and bits and pieces of a backstory. It’s all thrown together in an effortless, tossed-off kind of way that really adds a warmth and sense of familiarity to it all. It is a living story in a lived-in world.
The Builders is quite the achievement. I’m sure that I could go on forever about the use of the anthropomorphic literary device and the dehumanizing nature of obsession and revenge but that’s just the kind of cock and bull that Polansky would deride. It’s a “one-note joke,” remember? The Builders, like all the best jokes, walks the fine line between absurdity and the darker truths. In the end, The Builders cuts with a punchline so sharp that you’re two steps out the door before you realize you’re bleeding.