Truth and Truth Again

by Gary Inbinder and Don Webb

“In the Name of Truth” is well-written and imaginative. I can see elements of Planet of the Apes, Animal Farm, various fables and even Wind in the Willows in the Katts and Dawgs stories, but Roberto does seem to have his own perspective and distinctive twist with these animal stories.
Gary

So very true, Gary...

Katts and Dawgs is attractive partly because Roberto always gently reminds us that his characters may act and even look somewhat like people — they are the Sentient Peoples, after all — but they are still katts, dawgs, and mysse. Roberto always maintains the balance of the true fable.

There’s something even more important. A good author likes his characters; a truly powerful author loves them. Roberto Sanhueza, Rachel Parsons, and Slawomir Rapala may not think of it in those terms, but it’s true, and you can feel it at every turn.

In “The Name of Truth,” Thomm is Gawain, a knight errant and a paragon of chivalry in the best sense of the word. And it’s a role he will keep throughout the novel. Phydo’s role is more subdued and ambiguous: he appears to be a young Merlin, but there’s more to him than that. In the end he will become King Arthur, and draw the sword from the stone.