Sami Sundell reviewed The Builders by Daniel Polansky
Review of 'The Builders' on 'Goodreads'
3 stars
Five years ago, a civil war wrecked the Gardens. It ended with a betrayal, and now it's time for a payback.
The Builders is a story that would come out if Disney ever decided to create an animated version of Dirty Dozen: the twist of the story is that the characters - all shady, all with a bloody past - are animals.
And I liked it. It's kind of fun to read about the fastest draw in the Gardens, who just happens to be a salamander. Or a sniper opossum. The animalism adds the characters a depth that the author would otherwise have to spell out - now he can play with the animal stereotypes, of course occasionally breaking them.
The novel is short, made shorter by having incredibly short chapters - sometimes only a sentence, never beyond a few pages. The staccato style forces the story forward fast, but …
Five years ago, a civil war wrecked the Gardens. It ended with a betrayal, and now it's time for a payback.
The Builders is a story that would come out if Disney ever decided to create an animated version of Dirty Dozen: the twist of the story is that the characters - all shady, all with a bloody past - are animals.
And I liked it. It's kind of fun to read about the fastest draw in the Gardens, who just happens to be a salamander. Or a sniper opossum. The animalism adds the characters a depth that the author would otherwise have to spell out - now he can play with the animal stereotypes, of course occasionally breaking them.
The novel is short, made shorter by having incredibly short chapters - sometimes only a sentence, never beyond a few pages. The staccato style forces the story forward fast, but it also makes it a bit jumpy.
Writing style is a bit too pompous, but at least at this length it doesn't become annoying. All in all, a fun, quick read in the vein of best spagetti westerns. With furry animals.