The Fox Of Richmond Park

If you love foxes like I do, this will be an entertaining read. Some parts of it feel like they come from Animal Farm, and others Zootopia, making this a blend of cute animals having adventures, falling in love, brutally murdering each other and debating correct government power structure. At its heart is the story of Vince, a fox searching London for where he belongs, and finding love, friends and overcoming fears. He jumps on trains, consults a cat network out of 101 Dalmatians, and meets a smart vixen he comes to love. At the same time, the utopia he supposedly lives in reveals itself to be a power mad dictatorship with spies, deals and corruption, and other places of refuge conceal kangaroo courts (surprisingly not literally), oppression, rebellion, snobbery, and prejudice. Rats can be food snobs that you converse with one moment, and currency and lunch the next. Characters are killed by other animals, because of course they are, it's nature. The foxes act like foxes that dig, curl up in their tails and sneak through fences, but also come to face the real problems and challenges of life. I liked this book a lot, especially because it stars a fox, but also because it reads like a grown up Disney tale. The animals act like animals, but face a cruel world that we humans can recognize.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the chance to read this book!


At first I had my misgivings, especially because of the naming system this book uses. All of the creatures with the exception of the pets have Human names, but no real explanation on how they landed them or why. I think I prefer a system like in Warriors where they are named something natural; I never really did come to terms with this. I also felt like at times they were 'too human'. Crying, sobbing etc, it just didn't fit. All of that and I still went with five stars? Because I LOVED IT.

My first adult book as a child was Watership Down' if you follow my reviews then you know I mention it frequently and adore it. I also grew up reading the Animals of Farthing Wood and Colin Dann's other books were a delight. This feels like the story and adult me could only dream of, like all that mashed into a perfect parody. This is the fox book I didn't know I wanted or needed.

At the beginning it says that this book is sponsored by people, and I can see why. I'm definitely going to buy a physical copy, if only to add to my animal stories collection. I'm also going to recommend it to one of the ladies in my local bookstore; she and I had a conversation just last week on her favorite animal stories and about books her nephew could read in this genre and here is one neither of us mentioned. I loved this book, and if you love animal stories you probably will too. You might just look outside after and wonder if the sparrow flying by is called Keith...and then you'll start to wonder why!