Don’t let the title fool you: veteran book editor Zuckerman’s debut novel isn’t a wild game cookbook but an allegorical exploration of the primitive elements of human nature and society, à la Richard Adams’s classic Watership Down
. Set in a realm devastated by an unusually harsh winter, an ensemble cast of anthropomorphic characters—Harry the Fox, Quentin the Rabbit, a weasel named Gerard, etc.—struggle for survival while dealing with individual hardships. Harry, virtually penniless and starving in his apartment in Foxboro, accepts his unscrupulous brother’s offer of a lucrative but dangerous job investigating the disappearance of four fox scouts in the Wildwood Forest. Quentin, a student living in the rabbit warren of Stonehaven, must escape the repression and brutalization of an increasingly dictatorial government. Brought together by fate—and desperation—the unlikely duo of predator and prey uncover an abhorrent conspiracy in the depths of the forest. But can an impoverished fox and a timid rabbit stop a gang of morally corrupt murderers? The blend of adventure, mystery and morality in this heroic tale of honor and friendship will appeal to middle-school fantasy fans, especially fans of Brian Jacques’s Redwall saga. Ages 12-up. (Oct.)
