War of the Animals (Book 1): The Shut Face Of Thunder
by Jonathan Decoteau
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Sci-fi Fantasy
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A failed effort to weaponize animals awakens their intellects. The military responds by creating death camps to exterminate infected animals. Moon Shadow, an Arctic white wolf, unites with White Claw, a polar bear king, to form Animus Nor, the first animal republic, to negotiate peace. The uneasy peace is broken with the rise of Azaz, lord of the grizzly bears. Azaz attacks human settlements, considering humans an invasive species that wreaks havoc on bears and the environment. A world war breaks out as animals face humans and each other to see who will rule the world.
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EXCERPT:
(The War of The Animals series asks: What if animals rose up against humanity’s pollution of the environment and destruction of their habitats? What if it was a fair fight? This excerpt is from the first chapter and introduces Moon Shadow, queen of the wolves, the protagonist of the early books.)
Moon Shadow shook the harshest of the white winds off with an afflicted whimper. Her paws—icicles lined with nails—winced in their impending numbness. Still, Moon Shadow ran forward. In the distant echo of dreams, she remembered what it was like to live in the world before the end of worlds. An illegally smuggled white Arctic wolf, Moon Shadow knew the love of her former masters before the new age. The tiniest of the humans reminded her of her own pups, tiny balls of white fur that she hoped to coddle until it was their time to hunt. Yet, the same masters took her pups from her, putting them up for the highest bidder to steal. Even after seeing more of the great North American continent than she had ever dreamed of in her life of relative leisure, Moon Shadow had seen no sign of her pups. She wondered if they were now grown with pups of their own. In her heart, she knew it was unlikely that they survived The Rapsys, or Opening of Eyes, as the street dogs of her former town rather poetically referred to this massive change that shook the very marrow of their bones.
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The War of the Animals books were inspired by the 2020 pandemic lockdown. I remember driving by animals that freely roamed the streets after we were in lockdown (I was getting groceries—not ignoring state mandates—I promise!). I felt for the first time how much the animals were in lockdown whenever we weren’t. That inspired the idea of a variety of animals having voices and speaking up for the earth. I started writing the books shortly thereafter.
My website (with character profiles and links to other work) can be found at waroftheanimals.com.
The eBook can be downloaded for free at most major online retailers, including at the following links:
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/War-Animals-Book-Shut-Thunder-ebook/dp/B0C9DWKSXS/
ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0
Barnes and Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/war-of-the-animals-jonathan-decoteau/1143712349?ean=2940167299306
Apple Book Store: https://books.apple.com/us/book/war-of-the-animals-book-1-the-shut-face-of-thunder/id6450721110
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GIVEAWAY
Jonathan Decoteau will be awarding a $20 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.
Thank you for hosting me today! It is appreciated.
ReplyDeleteI am off to work, but good luck to any entering the giveaway!
ReplyDeleteWe appreciate you hosting today...thank you!
ReplyDeleteHow do you select the names of your book characters?
ReplyDeleteHi. Thanks for the question! Some names, like Azaz, have meanings in other languages. I looked that up and saw that it meant "strong or strong one" in Hebrew, so I decided to keep it. Others, like Moon Shadow, reflect the character's appearance from an animal's point of view. I tried to use nature or animal-based names to give the sense of a new animal culture emerging. That's probably more than you wanted to know, but thanks so much for asking!
ReplyDeleteI appreciate your insightful answer and the ripe old age of 50, I am still an avid questioner and learner and this will definitely help and inspire the book/ books that are within to write.
DeleteWho influenced you to be a writer?
ReplyDeleteHi. Ray Bradbury, Jack Finney, and Richard Adams all served as inspirations. Thanks for asking!
ReplyDeleteThe cover art looks great.
ReplyDeleteI like the cover, looks great
ReplyDeleteThanks to everyone who commented today. Have a great night!
ReplyDeleteThis sounds like a good book and I really like the cover.
ReplyDeleteThe book sounds fantastic. Great cover.
ReplyDelete