Monkey Wars
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5.0 • 1 Rating
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- £6.49
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- £6.49
Publisher Description
When the Langur monkey troop rises to power on the dusty streets of Calcutta, it is at a price. A brutal massacre drives the Rhesus troop out of the place they called home and forces them to embark on a dangerous journey. But one Langur monkey, Mico, is prepared to stand up to the tyrannical Langur regime and fight for truth, friendship and love. As Mico uncovers the secrets and lies at the heart of the corrupt Langur leadership, he quickly realizes he is playing a dangerous game. And when monkeys turn on each other, there can be no survivors...
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Screenwriter Kurti draws from history to deliver a powerful allegory in the style of Watership Down or Animal Farm. Set in Kolkata, this dark fable sees warring tribes of monkeys struggle for dominance: aggressive langurs, led by the fearsome Lord Gospodar, launch a campaign to destroy the peaceful rhesus monkeys, seizing their territory and driving the survivors into cramped ghettoes. Soon, Gospodar is murdered and replaced by the charismatic and cunning Tyrell, who dreams of conquering the entire city, exterminating his foes, and driving out the humans themselves. Caught up in all of this are rhesus Papina and langur Mico, whose friendship defies boundaries, offering a hope for peace or an opportunity for betrayal. The parallels to WWII and Hitler's rise to power become increasingly blatant as the story progresses, with Tyrell holding his own Night of the Long Knives, for instance, but the novel is no less effective and unnerving for it. Kurti takes creative license with his monkeys' capabilities and anthropomorphic qualities, but otherwise keeps this effective, memorable tale rooted in reality. Ages 12 up.
