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War with No Name #1.5
Culdesac
The war with no name rages on, setting the world on fire. Humanity faces extinction at the hands of the Colony, a race of intelligent ants seeking to overthrow the humans and establish a new order. To achieve this, the ants use their strange technology to transform the surface animals into highly evolved killing machines who rise up and murder their oppressors.
The bobcat Culdesac is among the fiercest warriors that the Colony's experiment has produced. Driven by revenge, and notorious for his ability to hunt humans in the wild, Culdesac is the perfect leader of the Red Sphinx, an elite unit of feline assassins. With the humans in retreat, the Red Sphinx seizes control of the remote village of Milton. But holding the town soon becomes a bitter struggle of wills. While the humans threaten a massive counterattack, the townsfolk protect a dark secret that could tip the balance of the war. For the sadistic Culdesac, violence is the answer to everything. But this time, he'll need more than his claws and his guns, for what he discovers in Milton will upend everything he believes, everything he fought for, and everything he left behind.
Relentless, bloody, and unforgiving, "Culdesac" is the story of an anti-hero with no soul to lose, carving a path of destruction that consumes the innocent and the guilty alike.
The bobcat Culdesac is among the fiercest warriors that the Colony's experiment has produced. Driven by revenge, and notorious for his ability to hunt humans in the wild, Culdesac is the perfect leader of the Red Sphinx, an elite unit of feline assassins. With the humans in retreat, the Red Sphinx seizes control of the remote village of Milton. But holding the town soon becomes a bitter struggle of wills. While the humans threaten a massive counterattack, the townsfolk protect a dark secret that could tip the balance of the war. For the sadistic Culdesac, violence is the answer to everything. But this time, he'll need more than his claws and his guns, for what he discovers in Milton will upend everything he believes, everything he fought for, and everything he left behind.
Relentless, bloody, and unforgiving, "Culdesac" is the story of an anti-hero with no soul to lose, carving a path of destruction that consumes the innocent and the guilty alike.
144 pages, Paperback
First published November 15, 2016
30 people are currently reading
753 people want to read
About the author
Robert Repino
16books184followersRobert Repino grew up in Drexel Hill, Pennsylvania. After serving in the Peace Corps (Grenada 2000�2002), he earned an M.F.A. in Creative Writing at Emerson College. His fiction has been nominated for a Pushcart Prize among other awards, and has appeared in The Literary Review, Night Train, Hobart, Juked, Word Riot, The Furnace Review, The Coachella Review, JMWW, and the anthology Brevity and Echo (Rose Metal Press). Repino is the pitcher for the Oxford University Press softball team and quarterback for the flag football team, but his business card says that he’s an Editor. His debut novel Mort(e), a science fiction story about a war between animals and humans, was published by Soho Press in 2015. His novella Leap High Yahoo was published as an Amazon Kindle Single later that year.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 100 reviews
February 10, 2017
Full disclosure: the author is my boyfriend.
April 14, 2022
This novella focuses on a single incident of The War With No Name taking place within the time frame of Mort(e) (the first novel of the trilogy). It’s point of view is the bobcat Culdesac, the captain of The Red Sphinx, feared assassins fighting for the Ant Queen against the humans. The story concentrates on the various ways in which the transformed animals relate to the humans who were once their masters, as well as revealing more of Culdesac’s pre-transformation back story. It is a dark, violent tale, reflecting both the existence of the bobcat in the wild and the dangerous assassin he became when transformed.
This book shouldn’t be read as a stand alone, as most of the detail and context of the War With No Name and the animal transformations will be lost if you have not first read Mort(e).
This book shouldn’t be read as a stand alone, as most of the detail and context of the War With No Name and the animal transformations will be lost if you have not first read Mort(e).
May 3, 2017
Culdesac was a particularly frightening character in the previous War with No Name story, . The Queen Ant had chosen to communicate with Culdesac, as described in book 1, sending him and his squad to take on and vanquish groups of humans. Robert Repino gives us some insight into Culdesac's pre-Change origin, which was, of course, pretty awful. Culdesac is grim and dark and frightening in this novella, unsurprisingly, and this tale occurs partway through that of Morte's tale. There are no great reversals or sudden changes in behaviour for Culdesac. He's a very effective hunter and killer in book 1, and here we see him using his skills against those the Queen has designated, and we also get to see his take on Morte. I'm glad this was just a novella, as it was pretty black.
June 2, 2022
This was a good novella but not great. The story takes place in a time period that happens in the book, Morte. It goes more in depth on the character, Culdesac. Showing us part of his past and part of the time with Morte. We see what made him what he was. It is brutal and though I understood him better, I ended up disliking him a bit more. This is not a standalone novella. Best to read after book one.
April 14, 2017
I really enjoy Repino's writing style. This was a perfect quick read that keeps up with the first book but also has a story of its own. Looking forward to reading D'Arc when it come out.
August 2, 2021
this was a summer reading gift from a great friend that fit perfectly into this year's reading theme of catching up on series i've started but haven't finished. Culdesac is a neat little interlude between books 1 & 2, and a quick read.
What makes it stand out from the others is that this story is told by an elevated wild animal (bobcat) instead of a domestic pet, and it changes the perspective. I think the entire novella was written to create the opportunity to for Morte to ask a question at the end - about how the Queen's "Change" works, and their capacity for love - as that's really the main thread of the two (so far) main novels in the series.
What makes it stand out from the others is that this story is told by an elevated wild animal (bobcat) instead of a domestic pet, and it changes the perspective. I think the entire novella was written to create the opportunity to for Morte to ask a question at the end - about how the Queen's "Change" works, and their capacity for love - as that's really the main thread of the two (so far) main novels in the series.
March 13, 2019
I don’t know about everyone else but I’m pretty obsessed with anthropomorphic animals so this series is my jam! Culdesac is an intriguing character to get to know because he was never a house pet. He lived a totally different life from Mort(e) and many of the other now sentient animals. I liked getting in his head to learn about his early life and how he looks at the world. It was interesting to see what he thought of Mort(e) and the others he commands. It was also insightful to see the thought processes behind his actions. 3.5 stars rounded up.
April 14, 2017
great addition to the story.
May 28, 2017
This thoroughly satisfying novella allows us more time with Culdesac, one of the most compelling characters from Mort(e). It made me even more excited to read D'Arc!
September 19, 2021
In this book we get a closer look into Culdasac’s world and find out what shaped him. I’m glad they used this book to build more of his character and even a bit of Tiberius too. An excellent addition to the series.
November 16, 2021
Not as good or captivating as Mort(e) but still worth a read.
August 30, 2024
Nice little interlude, but there were definitely pages missing from the print of the book 🤷🏻♀�
June 13, 2024
“She give you.. empathy? There were some animals who had it before the Change. Looks like she took it away�.
“The Queen only gave. She never took�.
“That’s how it starts with dictators. But you’ll see. You’ll see�.
“You won’t�.
Quick side-story that flays open the psyche of the first novel’s eventual antagonist. The writing here feels a bit more effective, if not merely due to its brevity. Really enjoyed its depiction of hunting as a philosophy against religious fervor. Looking forward to the rest of the series.
“Some awful cruelty that Culdesac was only now discovering, both in the world around him, and within himself. � But for now, he was starving. And so he did what he needed to do to live another day. � They left the carcasses to be buried in the storm. It would hide what they did until the spring�.
“The Queen only gave. She never took�.
“That’s how it starts with dictators. But you’ll see. You’ll see�.
“You won’t�.
Quick side-story that flays open the psyche of the first novel’s eventual antagonist. The writing here feels a bit more effective, if not merely due to its brevity. Really enjoyed its depiction of hunting as a philosophy against religious fervor. Looking forward to the rest of the series.
“Some awful cruelty that Culdesac was only now discovering, both in the world around him, and within himself. � But for now, he was starving. And so he did what he needed to do to live another day. � They left the carcasses to be buried in the storm. It would hide what they did until the spring�.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 1, 2021
Morte
This is a review of all three books in the War with No Name series: Mort(e), Culdesac and ’A.
This series is an interesting new spin on Planet of the Apes. It surrounds a war between evolved animals and humans. The greatest foe of the humans, responsible for the mutation of the animals, is a giant ant queen. The ant queen grew larger and larger over thousands of years, existing deep underground in Africa served and fed by its growing colony and absorbing human knowledge from the surface. The queen sent out ant troops across the world to infiltrate and learn about human technology and pass knowledge back to the queen. The queen invented an advanced scent-based language that allowed it to communicate across the world using headsets. It went further to invent a chemical that would warp the DNA of the majority of animal species to become as intelligent and as capable as humans. At the same time, the queen grew its own ant legions to increase the size of its soldiers—to be as large as SUVs or vans.
And then when it had everything ready, the ant queen strategically released the chemical to evolve the animals and simultaneously launched its giant armored ant troops across the world to wipe out humanity. Animals, as they evolved, wreaked chaos across the country. Dogs and cats that had been pets suddenly felt like they had been “enslaved� by humans and many, but not all, turned around and slew their former owners. It was a very clever plan, and many of the freed animals that had grudges against humans joined the queen as elite troops.
The main characters are relatively well-crafted, flawed beings. And the plot is pretty exciting—it’s a war story thriller. I felt that one of the most interesting aspects of the premise, the various motivations for the war as expressed by different animal characters, is a bit ambiguous and never wholly satisfying. Which in some way perhaps made it more authentic. The queen saw her anthills stomped on and burned by humans across an entire country. She also despised human religions as the enemies of logic and nature. One bobcat saw his brother slain by hunters. A dog’s pups were killed by a human. Farm animals ended up in slaughter houses.
Here’s the thing. I’m a vegetarian and prefer reducing the suffering and death of other animal species. But many of the animals who turned against humans—in fact most—are not vegetarian. For example, the bobcat loved the hunt and slaughter and got a thrill from it. It also perpetrated what could be considered “rape� towards a female of its species (before the evolution occurred). One can consider the story of a female praying mantis that eats her mate after fertilization. In other words, these animals killed and enjoyed killing to survive. Cats kill rodents or birds. Dogs hunt in packs except when domesticated. Their personal motivation to hate humans is a bit hypocritical or at best, oblivious. The animals that would have the greatest motivation to hate humans—barnyard, farmed creatures are only lightly involved in the story. The biggest reason to hate humans is briefly touched on, the fact that our species treats the natural world as a toilet for all our garbage, pollution and poisons. But one interesting thread throughout the story is that the great warrior of the title, Mort(e), believes that if the animals win…they will eventually become just like the humans. An interesting perspective. Humans are a destructive species but would another species that became dominant be any better? While self-destruction isn’t necessarily inevitable, it’s perhaps very likely. I wonder on other planets in the universe whether there are intelligent species that could live in balance and restraint without eating up all their resources and self-destructing. Perhaps certain restraints are required—whales might very well be as intelligent as humans, but they lack the kinds of limbs required to build technology. Is it our fingers that doom us?
Of the three books, if the premise interests you, Mort(e), is the only one that I recommend as worth reading. Culdesac is nothing more than a short story that provides a backstory and more detail on the life of one of the characters from Mort(e). ’A picks up where Mort(e) left off. A continuation of the story that unfortunately loses its way. It felt aimless and seeking a reason to exist. Mort(e) is contained and tells a story in full. The other two books unnecessarily stretch out the world beyond what is necessary. Mort(e) is worth reading for the unusual perspectives it presents. I think the aspect that I enjoyed the most, and that kept me coming back, was the story being told from an inhuman POV.
This is a review of all three books in the War with No Name series: Mort(e), Culdesac and ’A.
This series is an interesting new spin on Planet of the Apes. It surrounds a war between evolved animals and humans. The greatest foe of the humans, responsible for the mutation of the animals, is a giant ant queen. The ant queen grew larger and larger over thousands of years, existing deep underground in Africa served and fed by its growing colony and absorbing human knowledge from the surface. The queen sent out ant troops across the world to infiltrate and learn about human technology and pass knowledge back to the queen. The queen invented an advanced scent-based language that allowed it to communicate across the world using headsets. It went further to invent a chemical that would warp the DNA of the majority of animal species to become as intelligent and as capable as humans. At the same time, the queen grew its own ant legions to increase the size of its soldiers—to be as large as SUVs or vans.
And then when it had everything ready, the ant queen strategically released the chemical to evolve the animals and simultaneously launched its giant armored ant troops across the world to wipe out humanity. Animals, as they evolved, wreaked chaos across the country. Dogs and cats that had been pets suddenly felt like they had been “enslaved� by humans and many, but not all, turned around and slew their former owners. It was a very clever plan, and many of the freed animals that had grudges against humans joined the queen as elite troops.
The main characters are relatively well-crafted, flawed beings. And the plot is pretty exciting—it’s a war story thriller. I felt that one of the most interesting aspects of the premise, the various motivations for the war as expressed by different animal characters, is a bit ambiguous and never wholly satisfying. Which in some way perhaps made it more authentic. The queen saw her anthills stomped on and burned by humans across an entire country. She also despised human religions as the enemies of logic and nature. One bobcat saw his brother slain by hunters. A dog’s pups were killed by a human. Farm animals ended up in slaughter houses.
Here’s the thing. I’m a vegetarian and prefer reducing the suffering and death of other animal species. But many of the animals who turned against humans—in fact most—are not vegetarian. For example, the bobcat loved the hunt and slaughter and got a thrill from it. It also perpetrated what could be considered “rape� towards a female of its species (before the evolution occurred). One can consider the story of a female praying mantis that eats her mate after fertilization. In other words, these animals killed and enjoyed killing to survive. Cats kill rodents or birds. Dogs hunt in packs except when domesticated. Their personal motivation to hate humans is a bit hypocritical or at best, oblivious. The animals that would have the greatest motivation to hate humans—barnyard, farmed creatures are only lightly involved in the story. The biggest reason to hate humans is briefly touched on, the fact that our species treats the natural world as a toilet for all our garbage, pollution and poisons. But one interesting thread throughout the story is that the great warrior of the title, Mort(e), believes that if the animals win…they will eventually become just like the humans. An interesting perspective. Humans are a destructive species but would another species that became dominant be any better? While self-destruction isn’t necessarily inevitable, it’s perhaps very likely. I wonder on other planets in the universe whether there are intelligent species that could live in balance and restraint without eating up all their resources and self-destructing. Perhaps certain restraints are required—whales might very well be as intelligent as humans, but they lack the kinds of limbs required to build technology. Is it our fingers that doom us?
Of the three books, if the premise interests you, Mort(e), is the only one that I recommend as worth reading. Culdesac is nothing more than a short story that provides a backstory and more detail on the life of one of the characters from Mort(e). ’A picks up where Mort(e) left off. A continuation of the story that unfortunately loses its way. It felt aimless and seeking a reason to exist. Mort(e) is contained and tells a story in full. The other two books unnecessarily stretch out the world beyond what is necessary. Mort(e) is worth reading for the unusual perspectives it presents. I think the aspect that I enjoyed the most, and that kept me coming back, was the story being told from an inhuman POV.
March 7, 2017
ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review
Both a prequel of sorts and a companion novel to Mort(e), Culdesac tells the story of the fierce bobcat commander's quest to advance the Queen of the Dirt's war against humanity. I loved the first book and I really enjoyed this one despite some slight repetition. Culdesac is a less conflicted and therefore less complex character than Mort(e) and didn't win my heart in the same way, but Repino is no holds barred take no prisoners in his story telling and I was swept along through glorious action sequences to a very satifyimg conclusion. Looking forward to D'arc, the third installment in the series.
Both a prequel of sorts and a companion novel to Mort(e), Culdesac tells the story of the fierce bobcat commander's quest to advance the Queen of the Dirt's war against humanity. I loved the first book and I really enjoyed this one despite some slight repetition. Culdesac is a less conflicted and therefore less complex character than Mort(e) and didn't win my heart in the same way, but Repino is no holds barred take no prisoners in his story telling and I was swept along through glorious action sequences to a very satifyimg conclusion. Looking forward to D'arc, the third installment in the series.
June 4, 2017
I'm inclined to agree with other commenters/reviewers: quick read, digestible style, and interesting take. I personally dig the animalistic notes and hints mixed with the reasoning; it was pretty interesting. I actually bought this book because I had never heard of the author before, but I'll try the others in the series now.
July 30, 2017
Culdesac, by Robert Repino, is a novella in the War With No Name series, and is a prequel of sorts to the first book, Mort(e). The book follows the feared leader of the Red Sphinx militant group, Culdesac, as he holds a small town against a force of humans during the war. Culdesac was a more feared character in Mort(e), a tough as nails bobcat who enjoys killing humans and is a loyal servant of the Queen.
For those have not read Mort(e), this series is about a war between giant ants and humanity, where the ants have used pheromones to "awaken" the animals of Earth into sentient beings who can communicate and think at the same level as humans. The ants use these animals in their war against humanity as proxy-soldiers. Repino's series is bizarre and strange, but always an enjoyable read.
Culdesac is no different. The novellas is enjoyable in a campy sort of way, much like the first in the series, and possesses a bleakness to it, as the book is about the destruction of humanity from the point of view of the destroyers. The book is well written and fun in some respects, from a science fiction standpoint, but suffers from many of the weaknesses of the first book. The characters are cliched in some sense. The originality of the books premise wears off quickly, and the story becomes a tad mundane as science fiction goes, with nothing innovative beyond the interesting premise and the fun and campy world Repino has built. This is not to say I did not enjoy reading this novella (or indeed the first book, which shares the same rating in my opinion). It is highly readable as science fiction goes. I can easily recommend this to fans of the first book, and to those unfamiliar with the series, it is worth a look if you are looking for a very original idea.
For those have not read Mort(e), this series is about a war between giant ants and humanity, where the ants have used pheromones to "awaken" the animals of Earth into sentient beings who can communicate and think at the same level as humans. The ants use these animals in their war against humanity as proxy-soldiers. Repino's series is bizarre and strange, but always an enjoyable read.
Culdesac is no different. The novellas is enjoyable in a campy sort of way, much like the first in the series, and possesses a bleakness to it, as the book is about the destruction of humanity from the point of view of the destroyers. The book is well written and fun in some respects, from a science fiction standpoint, but suffers from many of the weaknesses of the first book. The characters are cliched in some sense. The originality of the books premise wears off quickly, and the story becomes a tad mundane as science fiction goes, with nothing innovative beyond the interesting premise and the fun and campy world Repino has built. This is not to say I did not enjoy reading this novella (or indeed the first book, which shares the same rating in my opinion). It is highly readable as science fiction goes. I can easily recommend this to fans of the first book, and to those unfamiliar with the series, it is worth a look if you are looking for a very original idea.
November 18, 2016
In this second installment of Repino's War With No Name series, we follow the brutal bobcat Culdesac as he prosecutes his case against humanity with revolutionary zeal. This is an adventure story told with a kind of relish of violent detail that needs the odd and dreamlike conceptual framework Repino provides to make it work. This book is doing something that's as surprising as Repino's willingness to tackle this upside down concept in the first place. What most surprised me about this and Mort(e), the first story in the series, is how Repino can sustain an appealing affection and tenderness in his stories while characters are participating in... well, let's just say, very difficult events. The net result is exciting -- gripping and almost eerily affecting.
The premise of these stories inverts a key trope of our contemporary interpretation of our world, the relationship between humans and "others." In defiance of our cult-like papering over of deeper correlations, Culdesac reminds us that we're all predators, every human being as much as the bobcat at the center of this tale; and the grim business of a predator is to kill. He also reminds us that the other animals, and people, whom we view with a transactional inhumanity have many of the same virtues we value in ourselves; and that truly recognizing ourselves requires recognizing them.
The premise of these stories inverts a key trope of our contemporary interpretation of our world, the relationship between humans and "others." In defiance of our cult-like papering over of deeper correlations, Culdesac reminds us that we're all predators, every human being as much as the bobcat at the center of this tale; and the grim business of a predator is to kill. He also reminds us that the other animals, and people, whom we view with a transactional inhumanity have many of the same virtues we value in ourselves; and that truly recognizing ourselves requires recognizing them.
February 28, 2017
A novella about an anthropomorphic bobcat, a hard-bitten soldier whose squad hunt down humans for their giant ant Queen. The premise is silly, but the writing itself is orders of magnitude sillier: "grimdark" doesn't even scratch the surface. Swearing (complete with made-up fantasy slurs), gratuitous gory violence, and the kind of dialogue that would make a Breaking Bad fanfic writer wince. The recurring thought I had was that this book is like reading the prose adaption of an early-00s furry webcomic. It has all the hallmarks: vague tech-uplift reasoning for "there are animal people now", an adolescent "fuck everything" tone, trite messages about the inherent evil of humanity, a femme fatale to warm the heart of, and eventually betray, our stone-faced hero. I can't hate this - if I read it when I was twelve I would have thought it was kickarse. It's kind of adorable. Not good though, not good at all.
December 7, 2016
This is a clear improvement for Repino as a writer and story teller. His imagery is more vivid and I felt the narrators voice was more compelling. The action scenes are also very well done. That said, there are a few moments when the sometimes poetic imagery was applied with a heavy hand, and a few times where we are blatantly told when the showing had already done the work, which was distracting.
This is still, however, a great read and definitely recommended for anyone who has read, or plans to read, Mort(e). Robert Repino is growing and I can not wait, at all, for his third release and continuation of this series.
This is still, however, a great read and definitely recommended for anyone who has read, or plans to read, Mort(e). Robert Repino is growing and I can not wait, at all, for his third release and continuation of this series.
March 31, 2020
When I finished writing my review on Mort(e), Robert Repino's book about the ant and animal revolution, I lamented lightly that it seemed to lack a certain amount of focus. The book moves swiftly from animal stories before the change through the war against humanity and to the after-war period in which Mort(e) overthrows the Queen. It was good, and even felt well paced, I just missed some of that war period which only had a portion of the book. Culdesac, a novella which someone aptly described as Repino's Book 1.5 in the series (followed by D'Arc, book 2 and the final book so far, which I'll be reading next) addresses that hole in my heart. And coming in at about 110 pages, it took me less than a day to read.
Culdesac follows the titular character, a liberated Bobcat who Captains a group of special forces cats who call themselves the Red Sphinx. The Red Sphinx are an irregular group of assassins and soldiers who perform the most dangerous missions in advance of the ant and animal armies. In Repino's novella, however, the Red Sphinx are tasked with occupying the town of Milton, which sounds like a pretty standard small US town. In Milton the Red Sphinx contend with an unruly populace led by a cat named Nox, who runs her own brothel, and a paralyzed Chihuahua named Maynard.
Again, the book offers amusing and interesting takes on some things humanity takes for granted - like coffee - from the perspective of the animal races. And again it spends some time roundly criticizing the way humanity has treated animals in the past. Mort(e)'s declawed hands and spayed genitals are described with a sense of repulsion and horror by the wild Culdesac that wasn't conveyed as effectively in the first book. Moreover, Culdesac's own upbringing as a wild Bobcat brings plenty of opportunity to criticize the encroachment of humanity into untamed nature, and the pressures that places on wild populations.
The novella offers more solid action and gore, and the way the reader is placed in Culdesac's head had me rooting for him as he tore through a group of human special forces and shot down a plane. You can almost smell the blood in the air as the bobcat rips into his prey (admittedly I do a job in EMS that lets me imagine that better than most). It's exhilarating stuff, in a sort of dark, primal way. And I enjoyed the simpler story of holding the line against a dying human race.
Also fascinating was the twist near the end of the book. As always, spoilers ahead. As it turns out, Nox and Maynard are protecting a group of humans that they rescued from the town - particularly those humans that lived in the nursing home in which the cat and Chihuahua grew up. There are some heavy-handed references to the underground railroad here, but overall the twist was interesting. It was cool to see something that had really only been mentioned in passing in the first book - some pets still felt loyalty to their former masters. The torn loyalties some of these animals hold provide a meaningful layer of complexity to a series which otherwise felt like a bit of an animal revenge story. It's good to see some layer of, erm, humanity, injected into Culdesac's character. And fitting with the bleak tone of Culdesac's life, Nox and Maynard fail, dying at the end. In the context of the first novel, this expanded characterization of Captain Culdesac helps explain a lot. Overall, a fun and easy read. I highly recommend.
Culdesac follows the titular character, a liberated Bobcat who Captains a group of special forces cats who call themselves the Red Sphinx. The Red Sphinx are an irregular group of assassins and soldiers who perform the most dangerous missions in advance of the ant and animal armies. In Repino's novella, however, the Red Sphinx are tasked with occupying the town of Milton, which sounds like a pretty standard small US town. In Milton the Red Sphinx contend with an unruly populace led by a cat named Nox, who runs her own brothel, and a paralyzed Chihuahua named Maynard.
Again, the book offers amusing and interesting takes on some things humanity takes for granted - like coffee - from the perspective of the animal races. And again it spends some time roundly criticizing the way humanity has treated animals in the past. Mort(e)'s declawed hands and spayed genitals are described with a sense of repulsion and horror by the wild Culdesac that wasn't conveyed as effectively in the first book. Moreover, Culdesac's own upbringing as a wild Bobcat brings plenty of opportunity to criticize the encroachment of humanity into untamed nature, and the pressures that places on wild populations.
The novella offers more solid action and gore, and the way the reader is placed in Culdesac's head had me rooting for him as he tore through a group of human special forces and shot down a plane. You can almost smell the blood in the air as the bobcat rips into his prey (admittedly I do a job in EMS that lets me imagine that better than most). It's exhilarating stuff, in a sort of dark, primal way. And I enjoyed the simpler story of holding the line against a dying human race.
Also fascinating was the twist near the end of the book. As always, spoilers ahead. As it turns out, Nox and Maynard are protecting a group of humans that they rescued from the town - particularly those humans that lived in the nursing home in which the cat and Chihuahua grew up. There are some heavy-handed references to the underground railroad here, but overall the twist was interesting. It was cool to see something that had really only been mentioned in passing in the first book - some pets still felt loyalty to their former masters. The torn loyalties some of these animals hold provide a meaningful layer of complexity to a series which otherwise felt like a bit of an animal revenge story. It's good to see some layer of, erm, humanity, injected into Culdesac's character. And fitting with the bleak tone of Culdesac's life, Nox and Maynard fail, dying at the end. In the context of the first novel, this expanded characterization of Captain Culdesac helps explain a lot. Overall, a fun and easy read. I highly recommend.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 2, 2017
Culdesac is a sequel to the thrilling and powerful Mort(e) that I read earlier this year. I loved Mort(e) and was so excited to read this second story in the revolution of the animals against humanity. Culdesac is the bobcat who leads Red Sphinx, the elite special forces that includes Mort(e) as his second-in-command. We don’t see too much of Mort(e) in this book other than his usual competence and loyalty to the revolution.
Instead it focuses on Culdesac, a cat whose never been a pet, or as he describes it, a slave. He’s always been free and independent. He holds some contempt for domesticated animals, but it does not keep him from being an effective commander. He is holding a small town that for some reason, the humans are trying to retake.
He is haunted by memories of his brother and their past. His brother was murdered by humans, something that intensifies his revolutionary passion. He is also challenged by Nox, a Maine Coon cat who had been a pet at a local nursing home that also provided child care and a shelter for animals. He is attracted, entranced by her, but is also distrustful, particularly when she resists the command to evacuate the village.
I enjoyed Culdesac. Of course, as a second book in a series, it cannot have the freshness of Mort(e). After all, the first book created an entire new worldview and the second continues that story. Culdesac is a far less conflicted character than Mort(e). He is alone in the world. Mort(e)’s quest was to find his friend Sheba. Culdesac’s is to advance the war, to follow the Queen. This makes him a less complex character, not quite as interesting. However, the book is written with immediacy and action that makes it one of those books you read in one or two gulps because you just can’t put it down.
Culdesac will be published on November 15th. I was provided an advance e-galley by Soho Press through Edelweiss.
★★★★
Instead it focuses on Culdesac, a cat whose never been a pet, or as he describes it, a slave. He’s always been free and independent. He holds some contempt for domesticated animals, but it does not keep him from being an effective commander. He is holding a small town that for some reason, the humans are trying to retake.
He is haunted by memories of his brother and their past. His brother was murdered by humans, something that intensifies his revolutionary passion. He is also challenged by Nox, a Maine Coon cat who had been a pet at a local nursing home that also provided child care and a shelter for animals. He is attracted, entranced by her, but is also distrustful, particularly when she resists the command to evacuate the village.
I enjoyed Culdesac. Of course, as a second book in a series, it cannot have the freshness of Mort(e). After all, the first book created an entire new worldview and the second continues that story. Culdesac is a far less conflicted character than Mort(e). He is alone in the world. Mort(e)’s quest was to find his friend Sheba. Culdesac’s is to advance the war, to follow the Queen. This makes him a less complex character, not quite as interesting. However, the book is written with immediacy and action that makes it one of those books you read in one or two gulps because you just can’t put it down.
Culdesac will be published on November 15th. I was provided an advance e-galley by Soho Press through Edelweiss.
★★★★
March 11, 2017
Culdesac is a great followup to Mort(e). The brevity of novella and the focus on a single point of view help to simplify the storytelling, amplify the action, and hasten the pace.
Repino builds suspense and unleashes twists in a way that feels both natural and unpredictable. When we first meet Nox, a domestic cat turned brothel owner, her affection for hot coffee distracts Culdesac (and us) from her true ambitions. She is a natural foil to Culdesac—two felines abused by humanity for different reasons—and as a civilian with a stake in the town, she understands the possibility of peace in way that the consummate soldier does not. The differences between them generate tension, and the question of whether one of them will betray the other lingers until the very end.
Absent from the novella is the duplicitous Ant Queen. In Mort(e), she is far more threatening and her goals are less clear. Culdesac communicates with her, but we never see her ulterior motivations, and that limits her overall as a villain. The result is a lack of opportunity for Culdesac to question his role in the war.
Repino builds suspense and unleashes twists in a way that feels both natural and unpredictable. When we first meet Nox, a domestic cat turned brothel owner, her affection for hot coffee distracts Culdesac (and us) from her true ambitions. She is a natural foil to Culdesac—two felines abused by humanity for different reasons—and as a civilian with a stake in the town, she understands the possibility of peace in way that the consummate soldier does not. The differences between them generate tension, and the question of whether one of them will betray the other lingers until the very end.
Absent from the novella is the duplicitous Ant Queen. In Mort(e), she is far more threatening and her goals are less clear. Culdesac communicates with her, but we never see her ulterior motivations, and that limits her overall as a villain. The result is a lack of opportunity for Culdesac to question his role in the war.
November 18, 2016
This slim volume is a prequel of sorts to Repino's MORT(E)., the second volume in the War With No Name series. The War, you will recall, is between humans and ants. The ants have wisely, and telepathically, recruited animals in their battle to do away with the scourge that is humankind, hunters, exterminators, and enslavers. Mort(e) is still a young recruit in the Red Sphinx, commanded by the former bobcat Culdesac. This is really Culdesac's story (as the title implies), as he reflects on his duty to his beloved Queen of the Ants and as he compares his prior existence to his newly evolved state. His battle here is more with a seductive housecat and brothel keeper Nox. He is drawn to her but sees her as a diversion from his path. It becomes apparent that Nox and Culdesac see the war from different points of view. Repino is not out to anthropomorphize his characters or to have them represent human foibles. His cats, and assorted wildlife, are torn between the life they knew and what waits before them. A remarkable series. The third volume D'ARC is coming soon.
February 10, 2022
For some reason, this one didn't do it for me. The things that bothered me about Mort(e) were multiplied in this volume, and though we get a good look into Culdesac as a character, it can't help but feel like an explanation of a character rather than a story.
The major issue I had was the narrator, who is excellent at voices and narration, but a terrible actor. In slipping into different voices, he tends to inflect lines and meanings that just don't seem to be there in the text. It ends up being this strangely uneven performance with some characters content to sit at a growl and others at a strange shrieking redneck yell, even when the conversation isn't particularly heated. The same goes for the female characters - they tend to sound seductive no matter what the line - it reminds me a bit of Curb Your Enthusiasm's most recent season, actually. It really took me out of the story more than once.
Anyway, Looking forward to continuing the series.
The major issue I had was the narrator, who is excellent at voices and narration, but a terrible actor. In slipping into different voices, he tends to inflect lines and meanings that just don't seem to be there in the text. It ends up being this strangely uneven performance with some characters content to sit at a growl and others at a strange shrieking redneck yell, even when the conversation isn't particularly heated. The same goes for the female characters - they tend to sound seductive no matter what the line - it reminds me a bit of Curb Your Enthusiasm's most recent season, actually. It really took me out of the story more than once.
Anyway, Looking forward to continuing the series.
December 2, 2016
Culdesac is a novella that is set to fit within the story-line of Repino's novel 'Mort(e)', featuring the fierce bobcat Culdesac as the protagonist. It's set during the war against the humans, with the ant queen and Mort(e) both making appearances. It's a terrific read that keeps the raw and unflinching tone of the novel, while giving some backstory and insight into both Culdesac as a character, and the war effort. I especially loved reading the parts about Culdesac's past in the wild with his brother, and also appreciated the layers and complexities of his relationship with the former pet cat Nox. This is a fast-paced and well-written read that made me look forward even more to the new novel by Repino that is set for release in 2017.
June 29, 2022
I picked this up at the BookLoft because of it's small size, cool cover, wild back blurb, and discounted price. Didn't know anything else about this author or this larger series its a part of, and I finally just read it.
And it was an absolute blast. Gritty and violent, takes itself entirely seriously, while also being just utterly bizarre and ridiculous as a premise. Exactly the kind of shit I love. Fantastic prose too, this Repino guy is quite a writer.
Perhaps someday I'll read the larger trilogy this is a part of. The quality of the writing and the setting make it tempting. But probably not for a long time, this is the kind of thing that it's delightful to just dip into and out of.
Wonderful novella.
And it was an absolute blast. Gritty and violent, takes itself entirely seriously, while also being just utterly bizarre and ridiculous as a premise. Exactly the kind of shit I love. Fantastic prose too, this Repino guy is quite a writer.
Perhaps someday I'll read the larger trilogy this is a part of. The quality of the writing and the setting make it tempting. But probably not for a long time, this is the kind of thing that it's delightful to just dip into and out of.
Wonderful novella.
December 28, 2021
Rating: 3.5 stars
The war with no name rages on, setting the world on fire. Humanity faces extinction at the hands of the Colony, a race of intelligent ants seeking to overthrow the humans and establish a new order.
The bobcat Culdesac is among the fiercest warriors fighting for the Colony. Driven by revenge and notorious for his ability to hunt humans in the wild, Culdesac is the perfect leader of the Red Sphinx, an elite unit of feline assassins.
This is a novella set during the middle of the first book in this series, Mort(e). I suggest reading the first book prior to this novella.
The war with no name rages on, setting the world on fire. Humanity faces extinction at the hands of the Colony, a race of intelligent ants seeking to overthrow the humans and establish a new order.
The bobcat Culdesac is among the fiercest warriors fighting for the Colony. Driven by revenge and notorious for his ability to hunt humans in the wild, Culdesac is the perfect leader of the Red Sphinx, an elite unit of feline assassins.
This is a novella set during the middle of the first book in this series, Mort(e). I suggest reading the first book prior to this novella.
February 9, 2017
I loved MORT(E), and this companion story did not disappoint. It takes place during the timeline of the previous book, but focuses instead on Culdesac the bobcat, leader of the Red Sphinx unit, with Mort(e) as a minor character.
Within this novella, we learn a lot more background about Culdesac's past, his interactions with the Queen, and his thought processes. It has the same mix of charm and intensity as MORT(E), which I find really endearing and riveting. Can't wait for the next in the series.
Within this novella, we learn a lot more background about Culdesac's past, his interactions with the Queen, and his thought processes. It has the same mix of charm and intensity as MORT(E), which I find really endearing and riveting. Can't wait for the next in the series.
July 29, 2017
This is one book in a series of books about a "war with no name" where the animals are transformed into intelligent beings with the Queen of the Ants controlling everything.
This novella is about ,Culdesac, a bobcat who controls a military group serving the Queen.
I have to say, although this novella is about war, it was well written and a better than expected read.
I guess I need to read Book 1, "Mort(e)". I didn't think reading Book 2 made a huge difference in my understanding and enjoyment of Book 2, "Culdesac".
This novella is about ,Culdesac, a bobcat who controls a military group serving the Queen.
I have to say, although this novella is about war, it was well written and a better than expected read.
I guess I need to read Book 1, "Mort(e)". I didn't think reading Book 2 made a huge difference in my understanding and enjoyment of Book 2, "Culdesac".
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