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.