Access a growing selection of included Audible Originals, audiobooks, and podcasts.
You will get an email reminder before your trial ends.
Your Plus plan is $7.95 a month after 30 day trial. Upgrade or cancel anytime.
The Other Animals  By  cover art

The Other Animals

By: Daniel Mallory Ortberg,Ken Liu,R. Eric Thomas,Lulu Miller,Shruti Swamy,Max McClure,Kaeli Swift,Kelly Weinersmith
Narrated by: Ken Liu,Lulu Miller,Max McClure,Shruti Swamy,Daniel Mallory Ortberg,R. Eric Thomas,Kaeli Swift,Kelly Weinersmith
Try for $0.00

$7.95 a month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy for $27.90

Buy for $27.90

Pay using card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Taxes where applicable.

Publisher's summary

[Explicit Content]
In The Other Animals, a worm breaks up with a snail, a vulture contemplates the act of killing, a whale falls in love with a song, and more. 

This funny, moving collection of eight stories - written by a crew of scientists, literary writers, and comics, and informed by animal behavioral science - explores what animal perspectives can show humans about the world we all share. It includes stories by Daniel Mallory Ortberg (Something That May Shock and Discredit You), R. Eric Thomas (Here for It), Ken Liu (The Paper Menagerie), Lulu Miller (Why Fish Don’t Exist), Kelly Weinersmith (Soonish), Shruti Swamy (O’Henry Award winner), Max McClure (Grist), and Kaeli Swift (Biosphere). 

Cover art by Noah Grigni.

©2019 Audible Originals, LLC (P)2019 Audible Originals, LLC.

Editor's Pick

Entirely different perspectives
"Short stories as a form are, in my opinion, vastly underappreciated. It takes a lot of skill to tell a good story with few words. But more importantly, short stories offer a quick window into infinitely different lives, and their brevity oftentimes makes them more emotionally jarring and insightful than long form. The format serves this collection perfectly. Jumping through different perspectives of anthropomorphized animals, The Other Animals pulls you back to your base, your animalian emotions. Akin to Italo Calvino’s Cosmicomics, the perspective shifts are so radical they evolve into something more human than human with the nuance and humor of universal experience. Dynamically crafted and narrated, this is a quick listen that will have a lasting impact."—Michael D., Audible Editor

What listeners say about The Other Animals

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    124
  • 4 Stars
    60
  • 3 Stars
    37
  • 2 Stars
    13
  • 1 Stars
    6
Performance
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    137
  • 4 Stars
    46
  • 3 Stars
    22
  • 2 Stars
    3
  • 1 Stars
    5
Story
  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    107
  • 4 Stars
    52
  • 3 Stars
    34
  • 2 Stars
    14
  • 1 Stars
    6

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

So Unbelievably Gorgeous

The Editor's Note had me -- truly, really -- in tears.

I couldn't stop listening once the stories started -- the prose, the voices, the sound design -- all so lush and gripping.

This is a very very, very special thing.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

16 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Explore the Umwelt

The weirdest thing about listening to this was how natural it seemed. It felt perfectly reasonable to contemplate the concerns of invertebrates or carrion eaters. The performers were great, and their reading, the unusual circumstances, and the quality of the writing come together to make very memorable characters.

Previously, I have never really enjoyed short stories or audiobooks, but this collection seems to have all the benefits of those media without any of the pitfalls. I'm recommending this book to my friends and family, and I guess, by writing this review, to a whole world of strangers on the internet. Give it a listen.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

7 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Warm and thought provoking

This is a wonderful collection of short stories that laugh, cry, and think differently about the experience of animals. Having the authors read their own work makes the experience very intimate and the soundscapes are fun and colorful. Highly recommended!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

7 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Sweet collection & delightfully read

It was so lovely to hear stories from the perspective of animals that I have often wondered about. The fact that the pieces were read by the authors was really special and loved it all the way through. I am *extremely* picky about audio narrators and this really delivered on that front with a nice rotation of voices. A few of the stories are going to really stick in my head and I am left with a rekindled desire to imagine the universe from the perspective of different creatures.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

5 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

New Perspectives

Some of the most weirdly affecting and thought-provoking fiction I have encountered in a while. I felt like the anthropomorphizing was kept to a minimum and instead we are invited to share an experience with an animal on their terms, and the fact that the result is so beautiful and moving is a testament to the transportive powers of the authors involved. A real treat to step outside of our normal human-centered way of looking at things, to see the world afresh.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

5 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Both Humane and Wild Nerdy Fun

This is a special anthology. Very original theme of animals personified. The nerd in me enjoyed the science of the animals. It was obvious the writers had done some research to play and make it informative and literary. It reminded me of The Disappearing Soon in its ability to bring science to literary life.

I was intrigued by the humanity of the animals. Not only were there nuggets of truth about people in the animals, but the animal's observations of humanity were also enlightening. The anthology spans a gambit of human emotions with drama, hope, love, religious fervor, compulsion, loyalty, betrayal and humor.

Most of the audio, sound effects and narration is immersive and engaging, at other times it was distracting and goofy. I like how more authors are taking risks to make their stories more technologically produced.

I recommend this collection. It has more to give and enjoy and is worth three hours of your life. The short stories are perfect for short trips in the car, a workout or work commute.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Imaginative, visceral at times, and entertaining

Very glad to have picked this one up! A beautiful exploration of animality and humanity through a fictional lens.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Delightful Anthropomorphism!

Most story collections are a mixed bag of mediocre and bad, with only a couple of good ones. Most of these stories are unusually creative and quietly pleasing. With few exceptions, the narration is excellent, and each story is embellished with varying degrees of sound.

I almost never ever give 5 stars. This one deserves it!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Lovely collection - funny and touching

This was a lovely read - a little set of quirky stories that invite the reader to consider new perspectives. They range widely in tone and focus, but that's part of the fun. Something here is guaranteed to touch you.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Time to hear the animals' tales

In many books, we get to see the protagonist with an animal of some kind. Yet, rarely do we get to see the animal's story told from the animal's point of view. This book decides to do just that, providing a collection of short stories, all involving animals, and all told from the animal's point of view. Not only are the stories interesting - particularly as they expose us to stories we would not normally experience, but the narration of each story is wonderful. If you like animals, I encourage you to listen to this audiobook. If you like stories that are out of the ordinary, I encourage you to listen to this audiobook. If you like stories, I encourage you to listen to this audiobook.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful