One day, the animals at a research lab wake up with the abilities of rational thought and communication. And the humans are gone. They realize they must organize into a society with rules, rights, and responsibilities. They heard about a farm in England where the animals created a socialist society that eventually failed. They are determined to succeed, so they create a democratic republic. But can they keep it?
Animal Lab is an allegorical novel by Bob Zeidman. It is a warning about the possible coming collapse of American society and along with it, American principles, values, and freedoms—torches that have lit the path for the advancement of the human condition for over two centuries and that must not be allowed to be extinguished.
One day, the animals at a research lab wake up with the abilities of rational thought and communication. And the humans are gone. They realize they must organize into a society with rules, rights, and responsibilities. They heard about a farm in England where the animals created a socialist society that eventually failed. They are determined to succeed, so they create a democratic republic. But can they keep it?
Animal Lab is an allegorical novel by Bob Zeidman. It is a warning about the possible coming collapse of American society and along with it, American principles, values, and freedoms—torches that have lit the path for the advancement of the human condition for over two centuries and that must not be allowed to be extinguished.
Rizzo was the first to wake up. He looked around at the clean white walls and sparkling glass windows. Yesterday was cleaning day, and small teams of people in white coats had scrubbed and brushed and polished until everything was spotless. At least he thought it was yesterday. His mind was a little foggy, probably because he’d slept so late. Usually people began arriving at 8:00 AM, sometimes earlier. Sometimes people never left all night. But the movements and noises by 9:00 AM were always enough to wake him up.
He looked at the clock and squinted to read 11:17. Morning, he assumed, though the overhead fluorescent lights cast an even glow over everything all day, so it was hard to know. He supposed he could have woken up at night for some reason. Maybe his new treatments caused insomnia. That could be it. It’s actually evening, which would explain why the place was empty.
Rizzo nudged Cagney beside him who stirred and rubbed his eyes. “What’s up?” asked Cagney.
“Is it morning or night?” asked Rizzo.
“Huh?” replied Cagney. “Must be morning. The lights come on automatically in the morning. They’re off at night unless some person comes into the room and there’s no person in here.”
“Why is that?”
“Hmmm... Good question. A holiday?”
“I thought we had some tests scheduled for today.”
Beside them, Billie stirred. “What are you guys talking about?” she asked.
“There’s no one here,” said Cagney. He avoided looking at Billie. They’d once been a couple, but that was some time ago and then some things had happened that he didn’t like to think about. They were both a bit uncomfortable around each other though they lived together still.
Billie began washing her face, still a little too groggy to take it all in. Rizzo looked over at Hickory, Dickory, and Doc and went over to rattle their cage.
“Wake up!” he said more than loudly enough to wake them. All three sat up at once, bewildered. “What?” they responded in unison.
“Look around,” said Rizzo.
They did, then back at him. They didn’t get it. Rizzo always thought of them as slow cousins. “No one’s here,” he explained. They stared at him blankly. “No one’s here,” he repeated.
“Hey!” Rizzo shouted into the open space. “Come get us out of here!”
“Out of here?”
Rizzo looked around and saw the mockingbird, Evan, doing what he does. Mocking.
At first, there was silence, and then a slow, plodding could be heard getting closer and louder. A large, dark, black body approached, casting a shadow over all of them. Julius opened the door. “Thank goodness for opposable thumbs,” he said, as he often did. He was proud of this part of his anatomy, and it certainly came in useful at times like these, but Rizzo found these pronouncements tiresome. And boastful.
“Where are all the people?” asked Rizzo.
“Don’t know” said Julius, rubbing the palms of his hands upward over his face and continuing over his head, smoothing the thick, dark black hair. “I’m just going around getting everyone out of their cages. The people are gone.”
“We should have a meeting,” said Rizzo. “Get everyone into the conference room in an hour.”
“Will do,” said Julius as he unlatched the cages and then lumbered on to the next room in the lab.
One day all the humans are gone, and all the animals in the lab are sentient and able to think for themselves. That is the opening salvo in Animal Lab by Bob Zeidman, an homage to Animal Farm. Animal Lab is an updated tale based on the tenet of equality for all animals. But, can all animals really be equal? Should they all be equal? Are certain animals more equal than others? Does equality mean freedom and the ability to choose?
On Day 1, the animals are suddenly endowed with higher intelligence, and are able to create an environment where they’re completely self-reliant. We don’t know what happened to the humans, we just know that they’re gone — except for Charlie who was in the lab at the time of the change. The lab evolves into an ecosystem where all of the former lab animals live and thrive.
The animals create a government, rules, laws, rights and responsibilities. As time moves forward, they educate themselves, learn how to use the high-tech equipment, and begin to display human-like characteristics. Everyone has a job. There is enough food for all. Natural enemies cohabitate, living together in harmony. This utopia should be enough for all involved, right? But of course it’s not. Instead, dissent creeps in. Fingers are pointed, accusations are made, biases and prejudice are laid bare.
Because Animal Lab is an homage to Animal Farm, it is impossible to not compare the two books. But there are marked differences as well. Instead of a satire on government corruption and ineptitude, Animal Lab tackles the very basis of equality, with a heaping side-order of political correctness and the quagmire it can create, as well as exploring the role populism plays in politics. The overarching belief is do no harm, and equality for all. But who defines what harm is? And who determines how equal equality is? That’s the crux.
Bob Zeidman does a fine job in presenting this story. One of the most enjoyable aspects of Animal Lab is the strong narrative voice. He does an amazing job crafting this story and the personalities who populate it. His characterizations are strong, his portrayal of the characters themselves believable, his storytelling compelling. Bob Zeidman writes a good story!
I enjoyed Animal Lab. It is a strong satire that shines a light on how the best of intentions can turn and sour, eventually destroying the original objectives upon which the society was predicated.
If you enjoyed Animal Farm, you will enjoy Animal Lab. If you always mean to read Animal Farm, you will enjoy Animal Lab. If you’ve never thought about reading Animal Farm, you’ll still enjoy Animal Lab. The rise and fall of Animerica — it is so worth the read!