The Builders

[LordTBT]

Discovered this book today as its cover artwork was just released. Thought some might be interested.

"The Builders" by Daniel Polansky is being described as "The Redwall Wedding" and "No Country for Old Mice."



A missing eye.
A broken wing.
A stolen country.

The last job didn't end well.

Years go by, and scars fade, but memories only fester. For the animals of the Captain's company, survival has meant keeping a low profile, building a new life, and trying to forget the war they lost. But now the Captain's whiskers are twitching at the idea of evening the score.

[Gonff the Mousethief]

Looks and seems very interesting. Do you know much more about it?

[Wylder Treejumper]

My awesome detector has just gone off.

[Banya]

I'd read that.

The cover art is fantastic.

[Skyblade]

I would read it too! Sounds interesting. Thanks for showing us!

[Luftwaffles]

I would read it as well, it seems like an interesting story.

[LordTBT]

Looks and seems very interesting. Do you know much more about it?

The author is known for his genre fiction, where (his words) "at some point ... (generally speaking, early and often) people die violently."

I've also seen it described as "The Wind in the Willows" meets "The Wild Bunch" ... based on all of this, I'm interpreting this work to be very, very bloody.

Scheduled for publication 11/3/2015.

[Skyblade]

Thanks for the warning. I think I can take it.

[LordTBT]

More interesting words from the author:

"I love killing my characters. I am absolutely ruthless about it. They aren't my friends, they're aspects of my psyche I like to poke at in an unfriendly fashion. And I don't care what Martin says, when he wrote the Red Wedding he was laughing at the thought of all us poor suckers weeping."

I haven't been this intrigued by a work of fiction in years.

[SoranMBane]

So this is like... Gritty low fantasy animal fiction? That's literally my two favourite brands of fantasy, mashed into one.

I'll read that.

Also, I do believe I've seen the font used for that book's title before, on the covers of some of my very favourite grimdark low fantasy novels. This pleases me.

[Jetthebinturong]

I want that book.

For any who don't know, the Red Wedding is a scene from A Song of Ice and Fire (not sure which book as I haven't read them or watched Game of Thrones yet) in which several characters die horribly.

[The Skarzs]

Ooooh, I want to read it. *Goes to see if library has it.*

More interesting words from the author:

"I love killing my characters. I am absolutely ruthless about it. They aren't my friends, they're aspects of my psyche I like to poke at in an unfriendly fashion. And I don't care what Martin says, when he wrote the Red Wedding he was laughing at the thought of all us poor suckers weeping."

And this is why we writers are the real monsters and enemies: We make the protagonists go through hell and back, sometimes without any reward or rest, and we still can do anything we want with them.

[Jetthebinturong]

A general rule that I stick to when writing is that if something good happens to my characters, some point down the line they have to pay for it.

[The Skarzs]

Definitely a unique and intriguing rule. (I won't steal it, but it is a very interesting idea, Jet.)

[LordTBT]

There is now an Amazon link. It will be on Kindle and paperback (less than $10)

http://www.amazon.com/The-Builders-Daniel-Polansky/dp/0765385309/ref=cm_wl_huc_item