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 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 satisfyimg conclusion.
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.
My rating: ★★★☆☆ (3 out of 5 stars) - I liked it.
