Books From a Non-Human Perspective
I've seen discussions on books going around the alterhuman community, and it caused me to recall some of my own favorite books from a non-human perspective. The most memorable of these were from a non-human perspective, and focused more on nonhuman existence, than supernatural or fantastical elements.
I've noticed that I tend towards books that are more realistic- not to say that I only read realistic books, but many of the stories I like are focused on the animal's point of view, aren't really shapeshifting focused, and are more focused on being "practically nonhuman". Like, you'll see what I mean if you check out the books 😉
(I've added descriptions and images from the books to the post, all credit goes to Google/Amazon.)
Child of the Wolves - Elizabeth Hall
Granite, a Siberian husky puppy, is all alone in the Alaskan forest after escaping from his kennel. Each moment of his life is threatened until Snowdrift, a great white wolf, welcomes him into a wolf pack. But Granite must earn his place among the wolf tribe by facing vicious attacks from the other wolves, the human wolf hunters, and the constant challenges of the frozen forest.
Lexi's Tale - Johanna Hurwitz
Can Lexi, the street-smart squirrel and his friend PeeWee, a well-read guinea pig, make a difference in the life of a man living hungry and friendless in Central Park?
The Werewolf Club and the Magic Pretzel (series) - Daniel and Jill Pinkwater
Everyone knows people turn into werewolves if they are bitten by a werewolf, but did you know you can turn into a werewolf by:
1.Thinking about werewolves
2.Reading a book like this one
3.For no reason at all
Norman Gnormal didn’t know this until someone signed him up for the Werewolf Club at school. Raised as a puppy (he’s pretty sure his parents wanted a dog but got him instead), he never quite fit in with most kids at school, who don’t growl at people or dig holes in the lawn. But in the Werewolf Club he finds home with other kids who like running on all fours and howling at the moon.
When the club learns that their teacher has been cursed, the only way to cure him is with Alexander the Great’s magic pretzel. But will the club be able to find the pretzel? And can Norman, the only non-werewolf in the club, keep up?
Lionboy (series) - Zizou Corder
When his parents are kidnapped, what's ten-year-old Charlie Ashanti to do? Rescue them, that's what! He doesn't know who has taken his parents, or why. But he does know that one special talent will aid him on his journey--his amazing ability to speak Cat. Charlie calls on his clever feline friends--from stray city cats to magnificent caged lions--for help. With them by his side, Charlie uses wit and courage to try to find his parents before it's too late.
The Call of the Wild - Jack London
The Call of the Wild is a novel by Jack London published in 1903. The story is set in the Yukon during the 1890s Klondike Gold Rush—a period when strong sled dogs were in high demand. The novel's central character is a dog named Buck, a domesticated dog living at a ranch in the Santa Clara valley of California as the story opens.
Stolen from his home and sold into the brutal existence of an Alaskan sled dog, he reverts to atavistic traits. Buck is forced to adjust to, and survive, cruel treatments and fight to dominate other dogs in a harsh climate. Eventually he sheds the veneer of civilization, relying on primordial instincts and lessons he learns, to emerge as a leader in the wild. London lived for most of a year in the Yukon collecting material for the book.
The story was serialized in the Saturday Evening Post in the summer of 1903; a month later it was released in book form. The novel’s great popularity and success made a reputation for London. Much of its appeal derives from the simplicity with which London presents the themes in an almost mythical form. As early as 1908 the story was adapted to film and it has since seen several more cinematic adaptations.
White Fang- Jack London
White Fang is a novel by American author Jack London (1876–1916) — and the name of the book's eponymous character, a wild wolfdog. First serialized in Outing magazine, it was published in 1906. The story takes place in Yukon Territory, Canada, during the 1890s Klondike Gold Rush and details White Fang's journey to domestication. It is a companion novel (and a thematic mirror) to London's best-known work, The Call of the Wild, which is about a kidnapped, domesticated dog embracing his wild ancestry to survive and thrive in the wild. Much of White Fang is written from the viewpoint of the titular canine character, enabling London to explore how animals view their world and how they view humans. White Fang examines the violent world of wild animals and the equally violent world of humans. The book also explores complex themes including morality and redemption.
Return of the Wolf - Dorothy Hinshaw Patent
Clarion author Dorothy Hinshaw Patent is well known and highly respected for her natural history books. "Return of the Wolf," her first work of fiction, draws on her extensive knowledge of wolf behavior, based on first-hand observation. In the course of a year, Sedra, a young female wolf, establishes her own territory, finds a mate, and begins a new wolf pack. Quick-paced, dramatic, and told from the wolf's point of view, this story contains fascinating details of wolves' life in the wild: their communication, the birth and training of pups, and the pack's strategies for hunting and survival.
Frightful's Mountain - Jean Craighead George
Sam Gribley has been told that it is illegal to harbor an endangered bird, so when his beloved falcon, Frightful, comes home, he has to let her go. But Frightful doesn’t know how to live alone in the wild. She can’t feed herself, mate, brood chicks, or migrate. Frightful struggles to survive and learns to enjoy her new freedom. But she feels a bond with Sam that can never be broken, and more than anything else, she wants to return to him.
Runt - Marion Dane Bauer
DEEP IN THE Minnesota forest, where only the strong survive, four regular-sized pups—Leader, Sniffer, Runner, and Thinker—are pushed into the world. Then one last, very small pup is born into the wolf pack. He is called Runt.
From the very start, Runt struggles in the harsh wild world of the wolves. He tries learning along with his brothers and sisters, but makes serious mistakes. It’s hard pleasing his father, King, and the other wolves. If only Runt could prove himself to his powerful father and family. . . .
The Puppy Sister - S. E. Hilton
Nick and his parents get more than they bargained for when their newly adopted puppy, Aleasha, decides she'll have more fun with her new "family" if she becomes human, too. So begins a laugh-out-loud adventure told from Aleasha's point of view, about her transformation from puppy to girl.
Alien in a Bottle - Kathy Mackel
If Dinn Tauro hadn't shot Tagg Orion off the Inter-Dimensional Wheel, Tagg and his sidekick, Squeeto, would never have crashed on that nowhere planet called Earth. And Sean Winger would never have found the two extraterrestrials in a bottle on the beach.
Without the aliens Sean wouldn't have a hope of entering a glass sculpture in the Hollis Art Fair -- and winning a scholarship. That's all Sean really wants in this world. Sean just needs two things -- glass and fire. He knows his parents won't help. So when Tagg offers Sean three wishes in exchange for protecting him from Dinn Tauro, how can Sean refuse?
Could two extraterrestrials really hold the answers to Sean's yearnings? Or are they only taking him on an extraterrestrial ride?
We3 (comic) - Grant Morrison and Frank Quietly
Writer Grant Morrison and artist Frank Quitely deliver the emotional journey of WE3 - three house pets weaponized for lethal combat by the government - as they search for "home" and ward off the shadowy agency that created them.
With nervous systems amplified to match their terrifying mechanical exoskeletons, the members of Animal Weapon 3 (WE3) have the firepower of a battalion between them. But they are just the program's prototypes, and now that their testing is complete, they're slated to be permanently "decommissioned," causing them to seize their one chance to make a desperate run for freedom. Relentlessly pursued by their makers, the WE3 team must navigate a frightening and confusing world where their instincts and heightened abilities make them as much a threat as those hunting them - but a world, nonetheless, in which somewhere there is something called "home."
















