This young adult novel offers heart-stopping adventure and forbidden romance, but also offers a thought-provoking allegory about the casual acceptance of slaughtering animals for food.
The book alternates in perspectives between Hawk, an 18-year-old boy, who lives in a human village deep in the forest, hidden from the giant ones, and Mira, a 17-year-old girl, whose people came to this land several generations ago and were told by their gods that hunting the small human animals would save them from starvation.
Mira has grown up in a medieval town in this new land, and she is now at an age when she is being pressured to find a boy to marry. But when she learns that the human animals in the forest are rapidly being hunted to extinction, she sets aside any thoughts of settling down and becomes determined to save the wild humans from the huntersâand the butchers.
Her resolve is tested when she comes face to face with Hawk, who has secretly entered Miraâs town on a terrifying mission. Miraâs involvement with this wild human boy could have far-reaching consequencesâit could help save humanity . . . or end it.
This young adult novel offers heart-stopping adventure and forbidden romance, but also offers a thought-provoking allegory about the casual acceptance of slaughtering animals for food.
The book alternates in perspectives between Hawk, an 18-year-old boy, who lives in a human village deep in the forest, hidden from the giant ones, and Mira, a 17-year-old girl, whose people came to this land several generations ago and were told by their gods that hunting the small human animals would save them from starvation.
Mira has grown up in a medieval town in this new land, and she is now at an age when she is being pressured to find a boy to marry. But when she learns that the human animals in the forest are rapidly being hunted to extinction, she sets aside any thoughts of settling down and becomes determined to save the wild humans from the huntersâand the butchers.
Her resolve is tested when she comes face to face with Hawk, who has secretly entered Miraâs town on a terrifying mission. Miraâs involvement with this wild human boy could have far-reaching consequencesâit could help save humanity . . . or end it.
When my winds blew the many sails of your ships across the sea, you were starving and feared all the animals of the world were gone. I promised to bring you to a new land filled with animals. The wild animals of this new land walk upon two legs and look like small people, but do not be deceived. These are animals. You will hear them bray and make noise with their mouths, but they are dumb and cannot speak.
I have not provided these animals to you to be beasts of burden or to do the work of idle people. I have provided these wild animals to nourish your bodies and strengthen your spirit. Fill your bellies and give thanks to the gods.
âThe words of the great god Zorus, as heard and faithfully recorded by the Oracle of the People
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CHAPTER 1
Hawk waded silently down the center of the shallow stream,
occasionally looking back over his shoulder. His back ached
from a day of crawling in the dirt, but he had a bag bulging with
mushrooms, and he was alive.
The dense tangle of thorn trees on both sides of the stream
had branches stretching overhead with thick curtains of vines
that hung down to the water. He waded through the vines on
his left and stepped onto the firm ground of the bank. Shifting
his bag so it hung in front of him, he wound his way carefully
through narrow gaps in the undergrowth. How many times had
he made his way through this maze? So many times he could
probably navigate it with his eyes closed.
Sweat dripped into his eyes as he stepped out of the thicket of
thorn trees and stood in a clearing. The ground sloped up from
here into the small valley that held his village. Taking a deep
breath, he wiped an arm across his forehead, his mouth watering
in anticipation of the thick mushroom stew his mother would
make tonight.
He walked into the village, quietly passing clusters of round
huts. In front of the great hall, a few children played in the late afternoon
sun. He used to play like this, without any cares or regrets, but
that felt like lifetimes ago. Hawk stopped under a tree and watched,
scooping up his hair so a welcome breeze cooled the back of his neck.
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âSafe returns, Hawk.â
Hawk flinched and turned to face the village elder. Wasnât she sick? Why wasnât she still resting in her hut?
He bowed slightly. âSafe returns.â
The elder pointed at the sack under his arm. âLooks like a good day for mushrooms.â
âYes.â He shifted his weight from foot to foot.
Her gaze raked over him. âYouâre filthy.â
What was she, his mother? Of course he was filthy! Heâd spent all day grubbing on the ground for mushrooms. He made a small grunt in reply.
Her eyebrows drew together. âAny sign of the giant ones?â
âNone that I saw, but I stayed fairly close to the village.â Fairly close was stretching the truth, but it was almost impossible to find good mushrooms in the forests close to the village. His bag was filled with ones he found in a dark valley most villagers avoided, since it was closer to the giantsâ town. His mother and sister loved it when he brought back a huge sack of mushrooms, making it worth the small risk. Besides, he knew how to stay hidden and silent. Heâd never end up on some giantâs plate.
Her eyes narrowed, as she leaned closer. âIâm glad you chose to stay safe rather than take foolish risks for a few more mushrooms.â
Hawk began to squirm under her piercing gaze.
She pointed with her staff to great hall behind her. Built of finely polished pine logs, the hall stood higher than two people. âItâs been six months now. Isnât it time you started back to work?â
Under the eaves of the great hall, long panels were painted with images of ancient creatures roaming through the trees. A painting of a buck with thick, strong legs and green tree branches sprouting from its head was only half finished. Myths said thousands of animals once ran and flew around the forests. Theyâd died out long agoâif they had ever really lived at all.
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Hawk sighed and looked at the ground. It was right here that the village artist had found him drawing pictures in the dirt with a stick. He was only ten at the time, but the artist took him as her apprentice. Seven years later, he was doing his own paintings on panels for the great hall. Hawk had once been proud to train as the next village artist, helping to preserve the memory of lost creatures.
His mind filled with memories of the day the artist died. One moment she was smiling and mixing paints with him. The next she was writhing on the ground in pain. And he had frozen. He couldnât even open his mouth to call for help. So he didnât deserve to paint. He deserved to grub for mushrooms and get filthy every day.
Hawk looked up and forced his lips to smile. âMaybe next week.â Or maybe never.
He braced himself for more nagging, but the elder shifted to scan the forest behind him. âYou didnât see Ash out there, did you?â
âNo. Did he sneak out again?â Ash wasnât a child anymore, but he wasnât supposed to be outside the village by himself. As far as Hawk could tell, Ash had never shown any interest in learning how to walk silently and unseen.
âHis father and his uncle are out looking for him.â
Hawkâs eyebrows creased. âHow long has he been missing?â
âSince this morning. But Iâm sure theyâll have him back before dark.â Her knuckles stood out white on her staff.
Their shadows stretched out long. Ash wasnât only a danger to himself. There was a risk he could be followed back to this area of the forest. âPerhaps Iâll check a few places he could be.â
The elderâs sigh sounded like relief, and she touched his arm quickly, a gesture of approval. âAre you sure? You look ready to drop.â
âIt wonât take me long.â Ash usually didnât go very far, but one time Hawk found him all the way out in a shallow ravine close
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to the Wide Stream. Ash didnât seem to believe the dangers out there were very real.
Hawk turned to a boy playing in the dirt. âMoss, would you take this bag to my mother? You can keep a few mushrooms for yourself.â
The boy grinned. âIâll have it at your hut before you can turn around.â He grunted as he lifted the bag and trotted off though the clusters of huts.
Hawk nodded to the elder. âHide well and be safe.â He turned and headed back toward the entrance to their small valley.
The elder softly called after him. âHide well and be safe.â
Hawk carefully wound his way back through the maze of thorns and vines that hid his village. He waded far down the stream before stepping into a heavily wooded area. From there, he padded quickly through the forest, checking for landmarks, until he reached the lip of a ravine. He paused and listened for any sound of Ashâor the sound of any giants.
Nothing but the buzzing of some insects. Hawk carefully picked his way down the slope. At the bottom of the ravine, the ground flattened out, and a trickle of water flowed through the dark forest floor.
Should he call out for Ash? No, better not. Too risky, even this far from the giantsâ town. He moved down the ravine. No sign of the boy. Ash would have left tracks and broken branches.
Maybe he should check the low ridge that ran along the Wide Stream. Heâd found Ash there once, trying to hit the water with stones he was throwing.
Whoosh! Thwack! Hawk dropped to a crouch and froze. An arrow! But from where? Had some giant ones seen him? His heart raced as he scanned the area, every sense on alert.
Something flashed in the air. An arrow slammed into a tree trunk not five paces away. The arrow quivered in the soft wood. Hawk tried to slow his breathing and focus.
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It looked small for a giantâs arrow. He crept forward one pace, staying low. Red paint marked the arrowâs shaft. His younger brother painted arrows like that. But Flint didnât have a bow anymore.
Another arrow flashed through the air and hit the same tree. Whoever it was, they werenât shooting at him. Hawk soundlessly squirmed between bushes until he could peer through the foliage at a small clearing. His brother aimed with a bow more than half his height.
Hawk stormed into the clearing. âFlint!â He kept his voice low despite his anger.
His brother jumped. âHawk?â
âWhere did you get that bow?â
Flint took a step back. âFrom a trader.â
âA trader?â Hawkâs eyes narrowed as he approached his brother. âWhat did you give him?â
âSomething that belonged to me.â Flint looked at the ground.
âCome on. Out with it.â Their family had so little, and a bow wouldnât come cheap.
âI traded it for the carving of the mountain lion.â
The words hit Hawk like a punch in the stomach. âI guess you didnât like the carving after all.â
âI loved it!â
Hawk turned back. âThen whyââ
Flintâs expression turned hard. âWe need weapons, not carvings.â
Hawk sucked air through his nose. âWeapons? Weâve been through this before. You know weâd never win a fight with the giant ones!â
âNo, I donât know that, and you donât either. What I do know is that we canât let them continue to tramp through the forests, hunting and picking off anyone they find. A band of well-armed humans could easily ambush a small hunting party.â Flint thumped his bow on the ground. âWeâd bury them, and no giants would ever know what happened.â
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âI know what you think. And you know what I think. Letâs not argue about it.â Hawk glanced toward the dropping sun. âAnyway, Mom wonât let you keep it.â
Flint strode to the tree and pulled out the arrows. âWell, Mom doesnât need to know about it.â He looked back, his eyes begging. âPlease, Hawk. I donât want her breaking this one.â
Hawk sighed. If he told Mom, sheâd destroy this bow, but Flint would simply find a way to get another one. Who knew what heâd trade next time? Maybe Hawk should keep his mouth shut. âHave you seen Ash? Heâs missing.â
Flint jabbed his arrows back into the quiver. âNo. And he isnât exactly quiet.â
âIâd like to check on the ridge above the stream. Would you come with me?â
âOf course. Can I count on you to not say anything to Mom?â
âIâm not making any promises.â He probably would keep Flintâs secret, but making his brother wait for an answer might ensure Flintâs good behavior.
They waded across the Wide Stream and climbed to the low ridge on the other side as the sun began to dip behind the hills. Theyâd have to hurry to get back before dusk turned to dark. They snaked through the woods along the ridge, the only sound the wind rustling the leaves.
The ground trembled slightly. Hawk held up his hand and they both froze. Soon muffled grunts and stomping carried from somewhere upstream. Hawk signaled to his brother, and they dropped behind thick bushes. They waited and watched.
Three giants and a human appeared, all striding along a path beside the stream. Hawkâs stomach clenched.
Two of the giants had bows, similar to Flintâs but much larger. The two giants both wore light brown pants and jackets, but the third giant had a long black coat with white stripes and carried a strange-looking club. He was also holding a rope attached to a
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collar on the human. The human must be a captive, but he didnât look or act like one. He held a spear in his hand and was striding briskly alongside the giant.
âTheyâre coming back from a hunt,â Flint whispered.
The giants with the bows each had a rope slung over their backs. As they got closer, Hawk could see what was behind their backs. Hanging upside down from each rope was a dead human.
One of the bodies was a stranger, not from their village. The other was Ash, whose lifeless body swung from the rope, red blood dripping from a large gash in his neck.
Hawk couldnât breathe. Everything went gray and seemed to spin. Was he going to pass out? He needed to stay conscious to protect his brother. He glanced over as Flint took an arrow from his quiver. Flint notched the arrow and drew back the string.
Hawkâs mind snapped back. He lunged, bumping Flintâs arm as the arrow released. It whizzed through the air and struck a tree behind the giants.
Hawk and Flint ducked back into deepening shadows, peering through tiny gaps in the bushes. The giants looked all around. One shouted and pointed at the arrow in the tree.
All the giants bellowed. The human pulled on the rope, straining toward Hawk and Flint, his spear poised to throw.
Hawk held his breath as sweat beaded on his face. He canât possibly see us here, can he?
The giant in the black and white coat gave a sharp whistle and tugged on the rope, jerking the human off balance. Another giant pulled the arrow from the tree. The human pointed almost directly at Hawk and Flint, and the giants all looked up toward them. One of the giants took a long arrow from his quiver. He notched it and advanced.
Should they run? Or would that make them easier to spot, easier to hit? The words Hawk had so often heard and repeated went through his mind: Hide well and be safe.
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The giant holding the humanâs rope took out a huge knife and slashed two long marks in a branch that curved over the path. Then, he bent down, unhooked the rope from the humanâs collar and whistled.
The human streaked toward them holding the spear high. The giants all followed, pounding up the hill.
âLetâs go!â Hawk jumped into a sprint. Flint panted close behind as the giants howled and crashed through the brush. Hawk dove into the thickest part of the woods. That would slow down the giants, and the human wouldnât get a clear shot to hurl his spear.
A loud boom sounded behind them. Hawk glanced back to make sure Flint was with him. An arrow whizzed past his face.
They couldnât outrun giants. They needed to hide.
âThis way!â Hawk turned sharply and raced down the ridge. There it was! The stream narrowed here, picking up speed, before cascading in a waterfall down to a deep pool far below. They had both trained for this.
Hawk streaked out of the dark woods onto the cliff and dove over the edge.
He hit the water, plunging into the murky pool. He twisted underwater. Where was the hole? He could hardly see anything. He held his breath and swam with his arms out, feeling along the slimy rocks.
Found it! A hand brushed his calf. Flint was right behind him. Hawkâs lungs were screaming, but he pulled himself into the dark tunnel just large enough to squeeze through. It curved up and he popped out of the water into a small cave. A thin crack high overhead provided the only light. Hawk gasped for air and dragged himself out onto a ledge. He reached for Flintâs splashing arms and pulled his brother out.
The cascading water echoed in the small chamber. Muffled bellows and two large splashes punctured the sound.
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âWhat if they find the opening?â Flint asked.
âNo giant would fit through. And that human . . . even if he found it, he wonât know the tunnel leads to a cave.â But heâd know they disappeared in the murky pool. He might try the tunnel. Hawk felt around the floor with icy hands until he felt a rock he could use as a weapon.
âThat human,â Flint said. âI know the giant ones keep some humans as pets, but Iâve never seen one before.â
âIâve heard about some pets called hunters,â Hawk said slowly. âHumans trained by giants to help hunt other humans. That must be one of them.â
Hawk shivered. The giant ones were terrifying, but knowing another human wanted to help the giants kill them seemed even worse.
Hawk squeezed his eyes shut, trying to erase the image of Ashâs lifeless body. âI canât believe they got Ash.â
âI canât believe you jumped at me. I could have killed one of those beasts.â
Hawk glared at his brother in the darkness. âNo, you would have injured one and put our entire village in danger! In case you donât remember, someone shot a giant in the eye two years ago, and the giants searched for days until they found that village, burned it to the ground, and killed every human they could find.â
âThatâs why we need to fight!â Flintâs voice hissed. âYou may want to hide until everyone is killed, but Iâm willing to risk my life to stop this.â
âYou mean youâre willing to risk everyoneâs life.â Hawk took a deep breath. They had to keep their voices down. Hide well and be safe. âI know you hate hiding, but it keeps us safe. You almost got us killed. And they marked a tree, so they can come back looking for us.â
âLet them come. Iâm ready to fight, even if you arenât.â Flint turned his back to Hawk.
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Hawk dropped his forehead to his knees and groaned as the image of Ashâs lifeless body hung in his mind. Maybe Flint was right. Giants were slowly picking off humans one at a time. If the giants were going to kill them all eventually, maybe they should fight.
He shook his head. No, fighting couldnât save them. Others had tried that and failed. They had to stay hidden. It was the only way to stay safe.
The little light from the crack above them faded, leaving them in complete darkness. The only sound was the splashing of the waterfall. Were the giant ones and their hunter still out there, waiting for Hawk and Flint to reappear?
They couldnât stay in the cave all night. Already Hawkâs limbs felt heavy and stiff with cold. He cringed at the thought of diving back into that icy water, but theyâd have dry clothes and a fire at home. Hawk nudged his brother. âLetâs go.â
The two pulled themselves back through the underwater tunnel and into the pool below the falls. They paused in the water, looking all around in the faint light of the moon. Finally, Hawk dragged himself onto the bank, his arms and legs clumsy as blocks of wood.
Flint climbed out beside him. âIâm going back to get my bow and quiver,â he whispered. âI know where I dropped them.â
âNo. Itâs too dark and youâre shivering. If your bow is still there, you can get it tomorrow.â
Flint seemed about to argue, but only grumbled, âI could use some dry clothes.â
âWeâll change at Grizzlyâs hut,â Hawk said. âI donât want Mom to see us in these wet things. But first we need to let the elder know about Ash. And his parents.â
Hawk brushed water from his face. Ash was the first villager they had lost since last summer.
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He had warned Ash not to risk being seen or heard by the giant ones, but Ash had just laughed at him. If only he had been able to get Ash to understand that the giants were ruthless hunters who wanted nothing more than to butcher him for their next meal.
Hawk leaned back against a tree and looked up to the sky, He heard a faint swish and a loud thud. A long arrow quivered in the tree just above his shoulder.
He dove to the ground and glanced to where Flint had stood a moment before. But Flint was gone.
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Hawk is a human: a wild-dweller hunted for meat by giants. Mira is a giantâbut sheâs concerned that the wild humans are going extinct. When they cross pathsâand each realizes that that other is not an animal, but a personâneither can walk away. And in their society, it might cost them their lives at the butcherâs knife.
Animals Risingâs premise is spectacular, a unique and compelling approach to an animal rights allegory, utterly thought provoking. The stakes are visceral and do not give readers the option of simply turning away. Moreover, Hawk and Mira are sympathetic characters, and the backbone of the plot is investing.
Certain aspects, unfortunately, can be distracting. A primary instance is that, while the conceptual allegory is immensely intriguing, the execution can be seen as overt; direct, one-to-one correlations to animal rights activists are apparent.
A second instance is that the writing style can be cursory and/or telling rather than showing. E.g. certain powerful scenes (unnamed due to spoilers) are summarized or investigated rather brieflyâor, at least, more briefly than a deep immersion that would realize the full emotional impact. Smaller snippets of emotion and dialogue also experienced this, coming across as explanatory. A more immersive style could bolster such moments and also allow for the replacement of less pivotal, additional scenes.
An additional concern is that the religious undertones can be confusing. If this were an allegory to racism and colonialismâan approach that would have fallen well into the protagonistsâ theme that âdespite ugly prejudices, we are all peopleââthen the priestess antagonist would parallel the abuse of religion for such crimes. Because it is an animal rights analogy, though, the connection was unclear.
This also poses a second issue: the romance. Again, if this were an allegory to racism, Hawk and Miraâs relationship would have been excitingly comparable to an interracial relationship. With the heavy animal rights tones, however, it unfortunately would seem to translate closer to something like a romance between a domesticated pet and its keeper. The isolated idea of a romance between Mira and Hawk is lovely, but in the context is jarring and difficult to reconcile.
Finally, the text contains some errors, including one that inadvertently contradicts itself, and a couple of infelicities.
Fans of clear fantasy allegories and atypical romances may glean enjoyment from the story, and possibly staunch animal rights believers will find solidarity in it. I would, though, hesitate to generally recommend this book.