# Deeper meaning



## Jankin (Jul 14, 2009)

I was wondering if anyone found any really good furry books, or possibly a furry allegory. Because, well, we already basically are. (we as in the fandom) I want a good read, and yeah, I could write it, but afterwords, it would not be as enjoyable, I would already memorize the twists and turns and such and it would lose interest.


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## GraemeLion (Jul 14, 2009)

I'm on a Kyell Gold kick right now.   So there's Waterways and Volle.  Also, New Fables looks interesting.  X looks interesting.

If you want something more mainstream, the Redwall books are "okay" if not predictable.   What I like to do sometimes is just read non-furry books as if they had furry characters.  (No, I'm not an idiot, I don't run around screaming about how Scarlett O'Hara is really a vixen and Rhett Butler is a lion and such..)  It can put a fresh perspective on things that might encourage you or inspire you to write that novel you were discussing.

I've found in most fandoms, good writing begats good writing.  If you want something awesome, you have to write something awesome.   Then others will as well.


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## Jankin (Jul 14, 2009)

Never heard of those books..or writers.. or who ever that is. But, I despise redwall. All it does is mimick another culture. Sort of like lord of the rings. Did anyone else read it and go "WTF!?! Did you have an original thought at all, you bastard?!?" I say this because I large part of the books was straight from Norse culture. But, if anyone could recommend some good reads? Even not-furry. I like fantasy/sci-fi. I'd also be willing to check out some authors or something like that.


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## foozzzball (Jul 15, 2009)

This thread is hilarious.


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## ScottyDM (Jul 15, 2009)

I recently read Neil Gaiman's _Anansi Boys_ and felt it had elements of anthrofiction. It's also well written for folks like me who read for the story and not to be tickled by overly fanciful sentence structure--that is, it ain't that there Literary hoity-toi.

Going back to before _Redwall_, check out Kenneth Grahame's _The Wind in the Willows_. Each chapter is like a self contained short story. There are two main characters: Ratty and Mole. Additionally there's Mr. Toad, Otter, Badger, the demigod Pan, some evil stoats (try to ignore the typecasting), and a few humans. At least in this book, squirrels and rabbits are seen for what they are--dim witted.

Looking up _The Wind in the Willows_ on Wiki has led to the author William Horwood, who seems to have done quite a few anthropomorphic novels and novellas. I have no idea of their quality, but perhaps check out a few of his novels and see. Also I discovered that Jan Needle has a novel _Wild Wood_ which is told from the viewpoint of the poor working class creatures of the Wild Wood in Grahame's novel. It was also controversial because it was seen as a parody of Margaret Thatcher's government.

_The Chronicles of Narnia_ is huge! I mean huge, as in awesome. A total of seven short novels by C. S. Lewis (a contemporary and friend of J. R. R. Tolkien). Controversial because Lewis borrowed heavily from both pagan and Christian influences. So humorless Christians hate him just as much as avowed atheists do. It helps a great deal to view his work as a "what if". What if pagan mythology came to life in an alternate universe peopled by animals--and then the whole Judeo-Christian story was played out within that universe? After all, there are some powerful stories and story ideas within the Bible.

Can't mention anthrofiction without mentioning _Jonathan Livingston Seagull_ by Richard Bach. On the whole it is a very strange book. It's anthro (or furry if you prefer), but it was published by a main-stream publisher and marketed to adults. It helps if you realize it was marketed as "inspirational fiction". And 1970 was the hippie era so experimentation was rampant. Also "inspirational" in this case is closer to New Age than to Christian. It probably helped that the purpose of the novel was perfectly realized by the use of a seagull as the main character. Jonathan could _not_ have been a human. Recently Bach has written a few new novellas called the _Ferret Chronicles_ which feature domestic ferrets in classic furry type stories.

Have fun reading!

S-


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## Bladespark (Jul 15, 2009)

Jonathan Livingston Seagull has always been one of my favorites.  Some of Bach's other stuff is interesting too.  I think he had an obsession with flight, and with finding alternative ways to look at Jesus, because he writes about those things an awful lot.

And while we're talking classics, there's always The Last Unicorn.  (They sit near each other on my shelf, Bach is close to Beagle.)


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## Jankin (Jul 16, 2009)

I read Narnia. For some reason, I couldn't stop fantasizing about the damn lion. He sounded hot. All noble and what not. But I'll do some looking and see what I can turn up ^^ Thanks for the suggestions, keep em coming ^^


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## Bladespark (Jul 16, 2009)

If you don't mind graphic novels as well, try Ursula Vernon's Digger.  Four published volumes in print, but the whole thing thus far is also available free on line. 

http://www.diggercomic.com/

That's got some very deep stuff in it. Also weird stuff, and occasionally silly stuff.


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## Asswings (Jul 16, 2009)

Jankin said:


> I read Narnia. For some reason, I couldn't stop fantasizing about the damn lion.



Off topic, but that is so going in my signature. :3


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## Kyell (Jul 16, 2009)

Well, I'm Kyell.  Got some stories on my FA account here, but I can also second the recommendation for Digger. Sofawolf has the printed version on its website at www.sofawolf.com/catalog/, which is also, by the way, a great place to go for quality furry writings of all sorts. Ahem.


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## VÃ¶lf (Jul 16, 2009)

Yuck. Redwall, rats; swords and horses fantasy type isn't it?... they just don't mix for me.

Narnia wasn't too shabby. And really off topic, but could someone PM me telling me how to put quotes in signatures? I still haven't figured it out :\


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## Jankin (Aug 21, 2009)

Started reading Digger...had to stop. I had rolled my eyes so much it had started to hurt.


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## Murphy Z (Aug 21, 2009)

If you're into comics, read stuff by Jason, the Norwegian artist. Technically, he's probably anthro and not furry, but that's close enough and he's really good.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jason_(comics)


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## Whipblade (Aug 21, 2009)

Re-reading Villians by Necessity By: Eve Forward.
 Her and Bob have done some wonderful screen writing in the 90's I had to look it up. It's a little older but still great. Mind you it is fantasy and adventure, heros/villians.  

The Pack by Essex is good too. It flips between humans and a pack of wild dogs killing and eating people.
Myster, Horror, thrilling.

Warriors if you want a simplistic, cutesy easy read type. 

Yeah.... laught if you want. The kids like my kitty voices


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## Jankin (Sep 28, 2009)

If you are into the fantasy/future/quest for eden thing, Wolf's Rain is an anime worth a chuckle or two. Now, I wouldnt seriously recommend it for substance, but c'mon. Talking wolves with bad attitudes? Pretty epic.


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## Atrak (Sep 30, 2009)

Heh heh. My internet screwed up and I'm having to rewrite this -.- . Okay, I'll shorten it  . Redwall is for kids around middle-school age. Wolf's Rain is good, but not as a furry show. They're either human, or wolves. They lack an in-between form. I have started writing a series. It starts out as a short story, and gets longer as it goes. The first adventure is only 32 pages long, and the second is 57 pages. The third, however, is 100 pages, and the fourth is even longer. I don't mean to advertise or anything, but while my series might not be "really good," it is inimically mimical (if you don't know what that means, read my sig  ).
If you prefer reading it on furaffinity, here's the first one:
http://www.furaffinity.net/view/2810064
However, the apostrophes aren't showing up, except as question mark icons, and I'm not sure how to fix this. If you would like to read it with the apostrophes, as well as the second adventure (and third and fourth, when I get to uploading them), then you can go to atrakaj.blogspot.com. Go to the drop-down menu on the left. They're sorted by month of submission. They are labeled IDA. Hope you like them, if you read them  .


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## Duality Jack (Sep 30, 2009)

I suggest writing your own works, nothing helps you appreciate a fine work then trying to make your own.


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