Monkey Wars

Gr 7 Up—In this debut novel following in the tradition of George Orwell's Animal Farm and William Golding's Lord of the Flies, war and politics shape the lives of several monkey troops. Rhesus monkeys in Kolkata have reportedly turned violent against humans, who then use langur monkeys to keep the rhesus population under control. The langurs drive out a troop of peaceful rhesus monkeys who had been living in a cemetery, establishing it as their power base. Mico, a brilliant but physically unassuming langur, becomes entangled in the political machinations of Tyrell, the brainpower behind the langur takeover, and also falls in love with Papina, a rhesus whose father was killed in that early cemetery battle. As the langurs grow in power, Mico discovers the ruthlessness at the heart of their regime and decides to ingratiate himself toTyrell in order to take him down from the inside. The novel is told in third person, but from varying perspectives. Kurti attempts to create a parable for human tyranny, violence, and complicity. He depicts the primates as almost-human characters with tails and a fruit-based diet. Many of their actions are entirely implausible, and the characters' inner thoughts and monologues generally lean toward overexplained melodrama. An interesting premise that will provide readers with an introduction to fascism and political corruption, but does so without subtlety or complexity.—Kyle Lukoff, Corlears School, New York City