War Bunny
by Christopher St. John

"Great for fans of Richard Adams's Watership Down and David Petersen's Mouse Guard." --- BookLife by Publishers Weekly

A rebel rabbit turns the world of predators and prey on its head in this debut fantasy.

Some centuries in the future, humans---now called the Dead Gods---and many animals are extinct. ... Rabbits believe Yah has decreed they must be Glorified by a Blessed One, or, in other words, become a predator's meal, accepting their fate in a surrender called the Giving. It's a dictum unquestioned by all but Anastasia, a brown yearling rabbit living in Bloody Thorn Warren. When she's injured escaping from a Blessed One, she returns to the warren, endangering it; maybe worse, she publicly questions the mercy of Yah. Since the barren Anastasia is already something of a problem doe, this is the last straw for Olympia, the Warren Mother, who orders exile.

Now, without a warren, Anastasia is enormously vulnerable, but she accidentally stabs an attacking fox with a sharpened stick, driving it off. What if next time, she could do it on purpose? As she works out strategies, stragglers from other warrens join Anastasia, who trains them and makes alliances with other prey. In exchange for nut storage, squirrels serve as sentries, and mice lend their tiny hands to making weaponry from supplies bought from Bricabrac, a water rat tinker. Meanwhile, disbelieving predators encounter fierce resistance when they target the Warren Sans Gloire, as Anastasia's settlement is dubbed. Wolves are the landlords of the Million Acre Wood and coyotes have always collected the rent for them successfully, but now the predators are getting very hungry. This means war---and the rabbits are ready.

"An entertaining, imaginative post-apocalyptic scenario with special appeal for animal lovers. ... Readers are likely to want to stay tuned." --- Kirkus Reviews

Christopher St. John's Bio

Christopher St. John is a writer based in the San Francisco Bay Area. His plays have appeared at the Blue Bear Theatre in San Francisco, the York Theatre in New York, and Marigny Opera House in New Orleans. Christopher volunteers for several Bay Area animal rescue organizations. And he's proud to be part of the group that helped get the California Fur Ban signed into law in 2019. He and his partner live with rescue bunnies running freely in their well-nibbled home. Christopher started working on the War Bunny Chronicles in 2012. War Bunny is the first book to be published. The second book in the series, Summerday, will be published in 2022. Sign up for the War Bunny email list to get the latest news, deals and freebies.