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FC-271 Flesh Pillow - Boozy joins us for a quick Anthrocon 2017 recap. Then we delve into news including a story that leaves Fayroe squirming.

FurCast - Sat 8 Jul 2017 - 22:59
Categories: Podcasts

FC-271 Flesh Pillow - Boozy joins us for a quick Anthrocon 2017 recap. Then we delve into news including a story that leaves Fayroe squirming.

FurCast - Sat 8 Jul 2017 - 22:59
Categories: Podcasts

FA 077 Poly/Mono Mixed Relationships - What is emotional intelligence? Can you be monogamous and date a polyamorous person? Is erectile dysfunction the end of sex? Can you be too much of a meddling kid in someone else's relationship? JINKIES! All this and

Feral Attraction - Fri 7 Jul 2017 - 18:00

Hello Everyone!

This week we open with a discussion on the nine habits of emotionally intelligent people. On this show we like to talk about stoicism and pragmatism, but healthy relationships also take a good deal of emotional intelligence to ensure that you fight the right fights and cultivate your own integrity and moral compass. While clickbait-y in nature, we go over an article concerning these habits.

Our main topic is on Polyamorous and Monogamous Mixed Relationships. What happens when a monogamous individual dates a polyamorous individual who seeks other partners? What happens when one partner wants to keep the relationship closed but the other wants it to be open? We discuss our own experiences in relationships of this style, the pitfalls and warning signs to look out for, and ways to make this relationship style as healthy and ethical as possible.

We close out the show with two questions: one on erectile dysfunction, the other on a friend's fiance being potentially abusive. At what point do you abandon your friends when they make potentially destructive choices for their own life?

For more information, including a list of topics, see our Show Notes for this episode.

Thanks and, as always, be well!

FA 077 Poly/Mono Mixed Relationships - What is emotional intelligence? Can you be monogamous and date a polyamorous person? Is erectile dysfunction the end of sex? Can you be too much of a meddling kid in someone else's relationship? JINKIES! All this and more on this week's Feral Attraction!
Categories: Podcasts

Am I Paris?

Furry.Today - Fri 7 Jul 2017 - 17:23

Who knew Cousin Itt was such a good dancer?    
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Categories: Videos

MoonDust: Falling From Grace, by Ton Inktail – Book Review by Fred Patten

Dogpatch Press - Fri 7 Jul 2017 - 10:00

Submitted by Fred Patten, Furry’s favorite historian and reviewer.

MoonDust: Falling From Grace, by Ton Inktail
Seattle, WA, CreateSpace, December 2015, trade paperback $14.99 (380 [+1] pages), Kindle $4.99

This is one of the best science-fiction novels I’ve ever read.

It’s also one of the best furry novels I’ve ever read. Humanity is extinct; transgenic animal people, created for the war effort, are all that are left. The protagonist, Imogene Haartz, is a young caribou (reindeer)-human hybrid; she shaves her fur when sent by the military to a hot climate, and takes prescribed drugs to suppress her antlers’ growth. Who needs antlers in the Army? Everyone is a boar or a rabbit or a ferret or an otter or a tiger or some other animal, whether the species is specified or not.

It’s also one of the bleakest novels I’ve ever read. Everyone is miserable until they die. (Metaphorically.) Imogene has grown up in the mid-22nd century in the rubble of Helsinki. The world has evolved until there are only two super-powers left, the UNA (United Nations of America) and the Pan-Asian Federation. If they aren’t in a shooting war, they’re in a cold war so frigid that everyone expects it to boil over at every moment. Imogene’s father was killed in the last active fighting.

“Imogene stared up at her mother’s apartment building. Old and gray, it rose to ten stories of utilitarian serviceability. Of the four buildings that had surrounded a small park, only it survived. Two others were rubble, while the fourth clawed at the sky with broken, concrete fingers.

Most of Helsinki was like that. Twelve years after the United Nations of America ‘liberated’ the city, the cleanup effort was far from complete. Especially away from the wealthy neighborhoods. Imogene couldn’t remember what it was like before the UNA. Derelict buildings and mounds of broken concrete seemed the natural state of things.” (p. 11)

Imogene has gotten out of the UNA Army at 18 after her mandatory military service, prepared to rejoin her fiancé, get a civilian job, and rejoin life. She finds that her boyfriend hasn’t waited for her, and there are no civilian jobs for a teenager with only military training.

“She wished for the thousandth time since returning that she’d picked something other than demolitions for her military specialization. At least if she’d gone in for motor pool she’d have a chance. More people would pay you to fix a car than to blow one up.” (p. 14)

After searching fruitlessly for months, she goes to a UNA recruiting office to re-enlist. Only this time, instead of the Army where she’ll be sent to another hot-climate city that’s mostly broken concrete, she picks the Luna Corps – the UNA’s space program. It’s the one area of service that’s neat and shiny instead of depressing – and there are so few volunteers that she feels secure of getting in. (Even if it means taking more antler-suppression drugs. Who needs antlers in a spacesuit?)

The s-f nature of the novel is evident:

“There, tunneled into the jagged peaks of the Atlas Mountains, lay Toubkal Spaceport. One of four major launch sites under UNA control, Toubkal’s 500 kilometre-long linear induction catapult kept up a steady stream of traffic into low Earth orbit.

Imogene’s middle tightened. The catapult was basically a large-bore electric cannon. Was the distance she was about to put between herself and all her earthly problems really worth becoming a caribou-shaped artillery shell?” (p. 23)

So is the furry nature:

“A dramatization of the Unification Wars, the vid focused on the valor and heroism of the transgenic soldiers, glossing over the fact they were counted as chattel and had no choice but to fight. That wasn’t the only creative liberty taken, but it rankled Imogene the most. True, she hadn’t known her grandparents, let alone the great-grands who’d been forced to war, but it still served the humans right their own bio-weapons got loose and their animal slaves were the only ones immune.” (p. 33)

The novel introduces Imogene’s squadmates on the Moon: Sergeant Robert Hendricks (Dalmatian), Fiona Whiting (polar bear), Ryan Sanders (ground squirrel), Victor Vidal (puma), Bruce Andersen (stag), Lauren Porter (lynx), and Alexei (white rabbit). There are several chapters showing the military in peacetime. Imogene gets to know her squadmates; she makes friends and enemies. The the war boils over – this is not a spoiler since the cover by Katrin “LeSoldatMort” Buttig shows the spacesuited Imogene looking at nuclear detonations on Earth. The last half of the book describes Imogene’s and her team’s desperate fight to survive, as they hope to return to a UNA base – if there is anything to return to – and learn what has happened to Earth.

MoonDust: Falling From Grace is a harrowing, exhausting thriller:

“They rested as long as their dwindling power supplies let them dare, then struck out across the flats.

Smooth, dusty terrain fled past under Imogene’s loping bounds. The valley floor was easy, and even the rolling foothills hardly slowed their march. Scattered pea-size bits of rock and metal continued to drizzle, but she ignored them as much as she could. The best course of action was to hurry on to Borda.

As they climbed, the drizzle turned to a ballistic hail, pelting in from the north. She kept her visor pointed down and her legs pushing her forward. Then a wave of larger impacts broke over the landscape, and Imogene’s blood turned cold.

Her gaze darted over the bleak surroundings. No cover. All they could do was sprint for the still distant mountains.

Towers of dust shot up from the larger strikes, leaving craters the size of manholes. She dodged around the holes, praying she and her friends wouldn’t be hit.” (p. 218)

It becomes a bit melodramatic at the end, but the reader is kept guessing until the last page whether Imogene or any of her team will survive. The novel’s furry nature is both deep – Imogene considers a trans-species romance, and whether the inability to have children would be a serious problem – and superficial. All of the characters are clearly funny animals, who could be turned into humans with only minor rewriting.

It may be pertinent that the author’s only other credits (as Ton Inktail or a.k.a. Tonin; the © is Andy Rohde) are two equally harrowing thrillers, in the FurPlanet anthologies Abandoned Places and Bleak Horizons. MoonDust: Falling From Grace will leave you eager for Ton Inktail’s next novel.

Fred Patten

Like the article? It takes a lot of effort to share these. Please consider supporting Dogpatch Press on Patreon, where you can access exclusive stuff for just $1.

Categories: News

HappyWulf’s Furry KickStarters – Ep.1

Dogpatch Press - Fri 7 Jul 2017 - 05:51

Hey everyone! I’m Furry trash! But more than that, I’m KickStarter Trash too! I thought it’d be a good idea to occasionally show some Furry stuff I’ve found on KickStarter for the folks who might not be regulars to the site, and share what they might be missing. These posts may often feature one time offer only listings.  (This first edition is a little quick and dirty, due to the time constraint of the first entry.)

MADCAP – This is a TOON based RPG with lots of renowned artists lending their talents to the book and the game is coming from the creators of IronClaw. Ends TODAY.

  • Back again for the first time, despite popular demand… it’s the singular, particular, jugular and avuncular MADCAP, the role-playing game of cartoon screwball action! It’s the game that stars the best person we could find on short notice: YOU. And you’ll have a supporting cast of your friends, your compatriots, your hangers-on, your contemporaries — heck, anyone who could hold a pencil by the right end, they could play this game with you!

Rabbit Island – A 4X Territory Control tile board game with buh-nees.

  • Lead your tribe to explore a new island every game! Build up your civilization with the value of the Carrot, and the help of special Action Cards. Can you conquer your opponents in 20 rounds?

Trash Pandas card game – A small push-your-luck style card game… And I’m Furry Trash, as previously stated. This one is a limited run of only 500 copies being made, and it’s cheap. Why Not? said I.

  • Trash Pandas is easy to learn, portable, and fun for all ages. In Trash Pandas, players are raucous raccoons, tipping over trash cans for food (and shiny objects). Players push their luck to acquire more trash cards, but must stash them in order for them to count as points at the end of the game.

Bar Pig – Looking at the rules, it’s a zany party game that often calls in your place of play as part of the chaos, with losers of each round getting a penalty more than winners getting ahead. So don’t build your house with Straw! (and keep your play area clear of tripping hazards.) Hurr.

  • BaRPiG’s rules are simple, and the game uses creative player input as well as the surroundings in which it’s being played. BaRPiG can be played anywhere and everywhere, with any group of friends, and every game will be different from the last.

Paws and Padlocks – A tile-placing race for treasure using locked and rotating rooms to trip up the other players.

  • Paws and Padlocks is a family-friendly dungeon crawler where you play as adventurers breaking into Slime Castle to steal the evil Slime Queen’s treasure. Build your path to the treasure by laying out room cards on the board and try to mess up another player’s path along the way. While exploring the castle, you can fight Slime monsters, open treasure chests, find interesting items, and trigger events that change up the game!

Can I Pet Your Werewolf? – No personal comment needed! They explain it just fine. ;3

  • Can I Pet Your Werewolf? is a light-hearted anthology featuring tales of friendship, family, and romance shared between those who get hairy under a full moon. Just because they have sharp teeth and claws doesn’t mean they have to be a monster out for blood. It is organized by Kel McDonald (Sorcery 101 and Misfits of Avalon) and co-edited by Kel McDonald and Molly Muldoon.

The Tim’rous Beastie Anthology – Again they did a fine job explaining exactly what this is; A comic anthology featuring mostly non-anthro animals.

  • Tim’rous Beastie is a 260-page, black-and-white comic anthology about small lives in a big, big world. This is a collection by and for those of us who grew up inspired by RedwallWatership DownThe Plague DogsMrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH, and other tales of brave and imperiled critters defying their size and place in the natural order. 

Catapulted – Issue One – Literal Cats in Space! Only funding for the first issue though.

  • Catapulted is a black and white comic book about cats sent into space during the space race in the 1950’s. Prior to manned missions to space, America experimented by sending chimps into space, Russia sent dogs and France… they sent cats (true story). Follow one cats epic journey as it is Catapulted into space and experience the connections our feline protagonist makes with every person it interacts with, as it survives harsh and changing conditions. Lost cosmonauts, a conspiracy theory and something altogether surprising await readers in Catapulted. If you like sci-fi, alternate history or you have soft spot for cats, this is the book for you.

Katze vol.2 – More cats, because why not?

  • What is Katze? Katze is a comic book showcasting the cats Chloé, Azaelle and Mustache. The story revolves around these hairballs, their interactions, their discoveries and their fears, but also the love and hatred they feel towards each other. Volume 1 presented chapters 1, 2 and 3, where Chloe arrived in her new home, then the awakening of the mistress and finally the discovery of playing with cardboard boxes.Volume 2 presents chapters 4, 5 and 6. The comic begins with the arrival of Azaelle in her new home when she was young, then we see Chloé and Azaelle meeting a hamster, and we finish the book with the cats that get a bath.

– Happywulf

Categories: News

Maybe. Or Maybe Not.

In-Fur-Nation - Fri 7 Jul 2017 - 01:48

The artist and author known as Rukis has a new short story collection coming out soon, set in her award-winning Red Lantern universe. It’s called Dubiously Canon — for a reason. “A collection of stories chronicling the lives of characters in the Red Lantern universe, and their sexy misadventures. Every story in this collection is ‘Dubiously Canon’, meaning whether or not it actually happened is up to you. Choose your ship, or just read ’em all because they’re naughty. Reader’s choice!” Needless to say, this is for Mature Readers only. FurPlanet has more information over on their pre-order page.

image c. 2017 by Rukis

Categories: News

Beastie Boys – Sabotage

Furry.Today - Thu 6 Jul 2017 - 18:59

Follow that bird! .... yo?    
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Categories: Videos

The Ursa Major Awards (2016)

FurryFandom.es - Thu 6 Jul 2017 - 13:30
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The Ursa Major Awards (UMAs) are the furry fandom’s awards for outstanding achievement in animal-anthropomorphic literature and arts, similar in spirit to the Hugo Awards from the science fiction fandom. Their first iteration was in 2001 at ConFurence 12, California. Since then, they have been presented yearly at several different furry conventions. The awards are run by the ALAA (Anthropomorphic Literature and Arts Association), a group of experienced furries; however, the winners are decided not by a committee, but by fans all around the globe.

Each year the ALAA invites people to nominate and vote for what they may consider the best furry works that have been published or released the previous year, fitting a number of categories. Any furry who wishes to vote can easily register at their website, UrsaMajorAwards.org , and follow their simple steps. Alternatively, you can also vote by e-mail or snail mail. Votes can be made for any, or all, categories; so make sure to vote yearly for the candidates you consider the best!

Up until the 2014 awards, the UMAs consisted of a framed certificate with an illustration of the award logo by Heather Bruton. Last year, they changed to an acrylic glass trophy that stands upright.

 

2014-winners-01   uma-trophy-01 Rod O’Riley (editor of InFurNation.com), and Sam Kirkpatrick (co-creator of ‘Furry Force’, College Humor), with their UMA 2014 plaques, at CaliFur 11 (California).   The UMA 2015 for Best Anthropomorphic Comic Strip awarded to Housepets!. The illustration by Heather Bruton has a timeless and elegant artistry.


This year, the Ursa Major Awards for 2016 were granted. The ceremony took place at the Anthrocon in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (North-East USA), the 30th of June. There were 1,446 votes (by comparison, the Hugo Awards have had, the last years, between 3,000 and 6,000 votes.) There are five nominees for each category, one of which gets the rank of winner. There are a total of 12 categories. Congratulations to the winners!

Beginning next year, a thirteenth category will be added for Best Anthropomorphic Fursuit, to be awarded to the fursuit maker (not the wearer), with a number of additional rules that can be checked at the ALAA’s website.

Ursa Major Awards 2016


zootopia-poster-02   Best Anthropomorphic Motion Picture

Zootopia
Directed by Byron Howard, Rich Moore, and Jared Bush; February 11


Runners-Up (in descending number of votes)

  • Finding Dory (Directed by Andrew Stanton and Angus MacLane; June 17)
  • Sing (Directed by Garth Jennings and Christophe Lourdelet; December 21)
  • Kung Fu Panda 3 (Directed by Jennifer Yuh Nelson and Alessandro Carloni; January 29)
  • The Secret Life of Pets (Directed by Chris Renaud and Yarrow Cheney; July 8)


mlp-01   Best Anthropomorphic Dramatic Short Work or Series

My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic
Directed by James Thiessen, Jim Miller, Tim Stuby, and Denny Lu; Season 6 episodes 1 to 143 [TV]


Runners-Up (in descending number of votes)

  • The Lion Guard (Directed by Howy Parkins; Season 1 episodes 1 to 22 [TV])
  • Bunnicula (Directed by Jessica Borutski, Maxwell Atoms, Robert F. Hughes, Matthew Whitlock, and Ian Wasseluk; Season 1 episodes 1 to 8 [TV])
  • Littlest Pet Shop (Directed by Joel Dickie, Steven Garcia, and Mike Myhre; Season 4 episode 10 to Season 4 episode 26 [TV])
  • Petals (Directed by Andrea Gallo and Alvaro Dominguez; November 29 [student film])


lieutenant-02   Best Anthropomorphic Novel

My Diary, by Fredrick Usiku Kruger, Lieutenant of the Rackenroon Hyena Brigade
By Kathy Garrison Kellog (The Cross Time Cafe; April 2)


Runners-Up (in descending number of votes)

  • Sixes Wild: Echoes, by Tempe O’Kun (FurPlanet Productions; June 30)
  • Dog Country, by Malcolm F. Cross (Amazon Digital Services; March 28)
  • Fracture, by Hugo Jackson (Inspired Quill; September 1)
  • The Origin Chronicles: Mineau, by Justin Swatsworth (Dolphyn Visions; June 14)


huskyteer-02   Best Anthropomorphic Short Fiction

400 Rabbits
By Alice “Huskyteer” Dryden, in Gods With Fur (FurPlanet Productions; June 30)


Runners-Up (in descending number of votes)

  • A Gentleman of Strength, by Dwale, in Claw the Way to Victory (Jaffa Books; January 24)
  • Questor’s Gambit, by Mary E. Lowd, in Gods With Fur (FurPlanet Productions; June 30)
  • Marge the Barge, by Mary E. Lowd, in Claw the Way to Victory (Jaffa Books; January 24)
  • Sheeperfly’s Lullaby, by Mary E. Lowd, in GoAL #2 (Goal Publications; March 27)


gods-with-fur-02   Best Anthropomorphic Other Literary Work

Gods With Fur
Edited by Fred Patten (FurPlanet Productions; June 30 [anthology])


Runners-Up (in descending number of votes)

  • Claw the Way to Victory, ed. by AnthroAquatic (Jaffa Books; January 24 [anthology])
  • ROAR volume 7, ed. by Mary E. Lowd (Bad Dog Books; June 30 [anthology])
  • The Muse, by Alex Cockburn (Rabbit Valley Publishing; March [background booklet for Lucid’s Dream])
  • Hot Dish #2, ed. by Dark End (Sofawolf Press; December 1 [anthology])


zootopia-art-01   Best Anthropomorphic Non-Fiction Work

The Art of Zootopia
By Jessica Julius (Chronicle Books; March 8 [book; making of feature film])


Runners-Up (in descending number of votes)

  • Fursonas (Directed by Dominic Rodriguez; May 10 [documentary film])
  • 17 Misconceptions About Furries and the Furry Fandom (Culturally F’d #23; February 11 [podcast])
  • CSI: Fur Fest; The Unsolved Case of the Gas Attack at a Furry Convention, by Jennifer Swann (VICE Media; February 10 [Internet])
  • Burned Furs and How You Perceive Porn (Culturally F’d: After Dark; October 6 [podcast])


two-kinds-01   Best Anthropomorphic Graphic Story

TwoKinds
By Tom Fischbach (Internet; January 6 to December 25)


Runners-Up (in descending number of votes)

  • Swords and Sausages, by Jan (Internet; January 10 to December 25)
  • Lackadaisy, by Tracy J. Butler (Internet; Lackadaisy Sabbatical to Lackadaisy Headlong)
  • Lucid’s Dream, by Alex Cockburn (Rabbit Valley Publishing; March)
  • Endtown, by Aaron Neathery (Internet; January 1 to December 30)


housepets-02   Best Anthropomorphic Comic Strip

Housepets!
By Rick Griffin (Internet; January 1 to December 30)


Runners-Up (in descending number of votes)

  • Savestate, by Tim Weeks (Internet; January 6 to December 28)
  • Carry On, by Kathy Garrison (Internet; January 1 to December 30)
  • Kevin & Kell, by Bill Holbrook (Internet; January 1 to December 31)
  • Doc Rat, by Jenner (Internet; January 1 to December 29)


dogpatch-02   Best Anthropomorphic Magazine

Dogpatch Press
Edited by Patch Packrat (Internet, January 4 to December 20)


Runners-Up (in descending number of votes)

  • Fur What It’s Worth (Podcast; Season 5 episode #8 to Season 6 episode #8)
  • InFurNation, ed. by Rod O’Riley (Internet; January 1 to December 31)
  • Flayrah, ed. by crossaffliction and GreenReaper (Internet; January 1 to December 29)
  • Fangs and Fonts (Podcast; episodes #57 to #72)


conbook-01   Best Anthropomorphic Published Illustration

Cover of Anthrocon 2016 Souvenir Book
By Tracy J. Butler


Runners-Up (in descending number of votes)

  • Cover of Gods With Fur, by Teagan Gavet, ed. by Fred Patten (FurPlanet Productions, June 30)
  • Autumn, by Iskra, FurAffinity, October 22
  • Cover of Claw the Way to Victory, by Jenn ‘Pac’ Rodriguez, ed. by AnthroAquatic (Jaffa Books, January 24)
  • Hey Baby, You’re the Cat’s Meow!, by Dolphyn, in Anthrocon 2016 Souvenir Book


major-minor-01   Best Anthropomorphic Game

Major / Minor
Developer: Klace; Publisher: Steam; October 11


Runners-Up (in descending number of votes)

  • Pokémon Sun & Moon (Developer: Game Freak; Publishers: Nintendo and The Pokémon Company; November 18)
  • Overwatch (Developer and Publisher: Blizzard Entertainment; May 24)
  • Stories: The Path of Destinies (Developer and Publisher: Spearhead Games; April 12)
  • Bear Simulator (Developer and Publisher: Farjay Studios; February 26)


fa-uma-01   Best Anthropomorphic Website

Fur Affinity
(Internet, [furry art & discussion])


Runners-Up (in descending number of votes)

  • E621 (Internet [furry art & discussion])
  • WikiFur (Internet [furry wiki])
  • The Furry Writers’ Guild (Internet [FWG news & discussion])
  • Culturally F’d, ed. by Arrkay and Underbite (YouTube [furry history & sociology])



The entry The Ursa Major Awards (2016) appears first in FurryFandom.Es.

Categories: News

Murrin Road, by L. B. Kitty – Book Review by Fred Patten

Dogpatch Press - Thu 6 Jul 2017 - 10:00

Submitted by Fred Patten, Furry’s favorite historian and reviewer.

Murrin Road, by L. B. Kitty
Seattle, WA, CreateSpace, October 2016, trade paperback $9.00 (171 pages), Kindle $3.00.

This is an Irish novel with funny animals. It begins:

“Lexy stood hunched and huddled by a billboard as the rain came streaking down, sometimes blowing along Murrin Road in waves. His fur matting where the moisture had penetrated, droplets resting on his whiskers and breathing heavily, he looked at the gleam of shining rails before him, and as he took a step out from the end of the road he could hear the hum of the vibrating steel.” (p. 1)

Lexy is a black cat in the gritty industrial part of London. While he is standing out and getting soaked in the rain, a truck roars up, throws something out, and speeds away.

“He walked slowly towards whatever it was the moved in curled flicking motions like a leech sucking goodness from the gutter. The rain was now really running through his clothes, it felt like it was pouring through his soul, could it cleanse him? He stood two foot away and looked down; in the faint orange glow of a distant street-lamp he saw a familiar shape. Except for its lumpy looking end, he recognized a Feline figure, he leaned down and saw that whoever it was looked like they had been beaten, bloodied, tied up and even had a sack placed over their head. He reached his paw slowly down ‘Just a little further…’” (p. 2)

Excuse me for not putting [sic.] throughout that quotation. The something is a sack with a white cat in it, who says to just call him Kitty. Brian O’Connor, “The Celtic Tiger” (he’s a Tiger – Kitty the author capitalizes all animal nouns), a mob boss, has ordered that Kitty be disposed of. Lexy objects to having trash dumped on his doorstep, so he takes Kitty and marches into Brian’s working-class pub headquarters to complain. Brian tells all his lieutenants to shoot Lexy. Kitty saves him, and the black and white cats become an Odd Couple-type best friends and eventually very chaste gay lovers.

Murrin Road is a good example of how not to write a furry novel – or a novel at all. The characters are unusually superficially funny animals. A couple of major supporting characters are Terri, a barmaid, and Lee, a biker. Terri and Lee are identified as a Fox and a Tiger when they are introduced, and then their species is hardly mentioned for the rest of the novel. They might as well be humans. “By this time Lee was awake and making coffee, Junior was sitting up eating plain toast.” (p. 92) That’s a tiger drinking coffee and a wolf eating toast. Inconsistently, some characters are named by species almost every time they are mentioned, like Marriot, an Otter:

“Sat the other side of the table was a young Otter who was smartly dressed in a pale yellow suit jacket, a tight t-shirt which showed his abs well and his muscled legs were pressed against tight grey trousers. He held in his paws a black cane that was topped with a well polished silver ball, Lexy thought he looked rather strange. Behind him were casually dressed dock workers, a few Otters and some various Canines but it was difficult to make them out in the shadows the other side of the room.” (p. 12)

(Scatter more [sic’s] through there.) There is fantasy in Murrin Road. Lexy can burst into flame:

“‘Don’t!’ cried a young blue haired Arctic Fox.

The Vixen came through the door just in time to see the Husky’s paw make contact with Lexy, and then she heard him yelp in pain as his the material of his glove melted and his clothes caught fire.

‘Too late’ she said, turning to the rest of the unit, ‘Call for back up’.

Lexy felt like he was a raging fire, he felt like he was going to burn away, until suddenly the feeling that had been building exploded. A fireball spun from him in the middle of the room, his clothes turned to ash in an instant, his fur emblazoned with red circular patterns all over. Kitty watched in amazement as the fireball expanded in the centre of his lounge, this was his cue to leave and he started running down the levels of the fire escape. As he did so he found he was being shot at through the windows in the stairwell but cowering as he ran he made it to the bottom and finally he jumped and landed swiftly amongst the bushes.” (p. 25)

Who is Lexy? For that matter, who is Kitty? Why does the Mob want to get rid of him? Why does Kitty befriend Lexy before anyone notices anything unusual about him? Who are the mysterious government agents who want Lexy back?

It’s not really worth plowing through Murrin Road to find out. Some other errors throughout the novel are site for sight, thrown for throne, draws for drawers, “An few hours later”, “Meanwhile, stood in the Italian Gardens in Hyde Park, Brian O’Connor paced up and down” (should be “standing”, not “stood”), the cats have prehensile tails – how many bad examples do you want?

According to his Twitter account, L. B. Kitty stands for LexyBadKitty. His photo is on DeviantArt; he’s 24 and lives in Ireland. The cover artist, Larry Walker-Tonks, also has a website. Kitty needs a proofreader, or a Beta reader, or something.

Fred Patten

Categories: News

Ep 72 – Fur For All - How much does species have to matter to make a story furry? Does each story require an origin tale to explain why anthropomorphic animals are walking around? Or can we just have walking talking animals for no reason at all?

Fangs and Fonts - Wed 5 Jul 2017 - 16:30

How much does species have to matter to make a story furry? Does each story require an origin tale to explain why anthropomorphic animals are walking around? Or can we just have walking talking animals for no reason at all? We discuss our origins that pushed us into furry, what that means for furry for all, and if there’s a line drawn between zipperbacks and true anthros for stories.

Original Air Date: December 16, 2016

Ep 72 – Fur For All - How much does species have to matter to make a story furry? Does each story require an origin tale to explain why anthropomorphic animals are walking around? Or can we just have walking talking animals for no reason at all?
Categories: Podcasts

Ep 71 – Furry Writer’s Guild - Want to know what your fellow authors do when they’re not writing their next best-selling book? Then come by the Furry Writer’s Guild! Fangs and Fonts tackle the topic of the Furry Writer’s Guild, why you should join,

Fangs and Fonts - Wed 5 Jul 2017 - 16:28

Want to know what your fellow authors do when they’re not writing their next best-selling book? Then come by the Furry Writer’s Guild! Fangs and Fonts tackle the topic of the Furry Writer’s Guild, why you should join, and how you can use it to get in touch with your inner author/editor/whatever.

FWG main site link: Furry Writers’ Guild

Original Air Date: November 1, 2016

Ep 71 – Furry Writer’s Guild - Want to know what your fellow authors do when they’re not writing their next best-selling book? Then come by the Furry Writer’s Guild! Fangs and Fonts tackle the topic of the Furry Writer’s Guild, why you should join,
Categories: Podcasts

Ep 68 – ACSWS - Ocean runs off to AC 2016 and ends the con in a hotel room sitting around with other authors, editors and publishers. The gloves are off, the drinks are out and we’re ready to unwind and shoot the breeze. As usual,

Fangs and Fonts - Wed 5 Jul 2017 - 16:24

Ocean runs off to AC 2016 and ends the con in a hotel room sitting around with other authors, editors and publishers. The gloves are off, the drinks are out and we’re ready to unwind and shoot the breeze. As usual, there’s an explicit advisory warning with our SWS shows. Otherwise, enjoy!

Original Air Date: August 1, 2016

Ep 68 – ACSWS - Ocean runs off to AC 2016 and ends the con in a hotel room sitting around with other authors, editors and publishers. The gloves are off, the drinks are out and we’re ready to unwind and shoot the breeze. As usual,
Categories: Podcasts