From Newsgroup: rec.arts.sf.written

Five Books About Conversing With Animals

How great would it be to talk with animals, through magic or technology or whatever?

https://reactormag.com/five-books-about-conversing-with-animals/
--
My reviews can be found at http://jamesdavisnicoll.com/
My tor pieces at https://www.tor.com/author/james-davis-nicoll/
My Dreamwidth at https://james-davis-nicoll.dreamwidth.org/
My patreon is at https://www.patreon.com/jamesdnicoll
--- Synchronet 3.21a-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: rec.arts.sf.written

jdnicoll@panix.com (James Nicoll) wrote or quoted:

How great would it be to talk with animals, through magic or technology or >whatever?

The kzin already are able to speak to animals.

In the real world, researchers created a "thought dictionary"
to decode a rat's brain signals. "Volitional activation of remote
place representations with a hippocampal brainrComachine interface"
- Chongxi Lai, Shinsuke Tanaka, Timothy D. Harris, Albert K.
Lee, Lai et al., Science 382, 566rCo573 (2023), 3 November 2023.

--- Synchronet 3.21a-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: rec.arts.sf.written

On 12/16/2025 1:16 PM, James Nicoll wrote:

Five Books About Conversing With Animals

How great would it be to talk with animals, through magic or technology or whatever?

https://reactormag.com/five-books-about-conversing-with-animals/

I have read 2 of the 5, "The Jungle Book" by Rudyard Kipling and "DaybreakrCo2250 A.D." by Andre Norton. Both awesome books.

The are many, many books to add to this list, especially if one includes
the shape changing humans books.
1. "Ariel" by Steven R. Boyett
https://www.amazon.com/dp/0441017940
2. "The Zero Stone" by Andre Norton
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0451451627
3. "Dragonflight: Volume 1 in the Dragonriders of Pern" by Anne McCaffrey
https://www.amazon.com/dp/0345484266
4. "Heirs of Empire" by David Weber
https://www.amazon.com/Heirs-Empire-Dahak-David-1996-03-01/dp/B01FIXYQ2G
5. "Vic And Blood: The Continuing Adventures Of A Boy And His Dog" by
Harlan Ellison
https://www.amazon.com/Vic-Blood-Continuing-Adventures-Boy/dp/0743459032

Lynn

--- Synchronet 3.21a-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: rec.arts.sf.written

James Nicoll wrote:

Five Books About Conversing With Animals

How great would it be to talk with animals, through magic or technology or whatever?

https://reactormag.com/five-books-about-conversing-with-animals/

In Ryk Spoor's _Spheres of Influence_ (and the rest of the series) the
Monkey King's ability to converse with Arena animals is a pretty
important clue concerning the abilities of Hyperions in the Arena.

It also saves Our Heroes' bacon in a space battle.

Chris

--- Synchronet 3.21a-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: rec.arts.sf.written

In article <10hstek$359ms$1@dont-email.me>,
Lynn McGuire <lynnmcguire5@gmail.com> wrote:

On 12/16/2025 1:16 PM, James Nicoll wrote:

Five Books About Conversing With Animals

How great would it be to talk with animals, through magic or technology or >> whatever?

https://reactormag.com/five-books-about-conversing-with-animals/

I have read 2 of the 5, "The Jungle Book" by Rudyard Kipling and >"DaybreakrCo2250 A.D." by Andre Norton. Both awesome books.

The are many, many books to add to this list, especially if one includes
the shape changing humans books.
1. "Ariel" by Steven R. Boyett
https://www.amazon.com/dp/0441017940
2. "The Zero Stone" by Andre Norton
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0451451627
3. "Dragonflight: Volume 1 in the Dragonriders of Pern" by Anne McCaffrey
https://www.amazon.com/dp/0345484266
4. "Heirs of Empire" by David Weber
https://www.amazon.com/Heirs-Empire-Dahak-David-1996-03-01/dp/B01FIXYQ2G
5. "Vic And Blood: The Continuing Adventures Of A Boy And His Dog" by
Harlan Ellison
https://www.amazon.com/Vic-Blood-Continuing-Adventures-Boy/dp/0743459032

Lynn

Let's not forget the obvious:

https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/501

and maybe take an Animal Degree...
--
columbiaclosings.com
What's not in Columbia anymore..
--- Synchronet 3.21a-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: rec.arts.sf.written

James Nicoll wrote:

Five Books About Conversing With Animals

How great would it be to talk with animals, through magic or technology or whatever?

https://reactormag.com/five-books-about-conversing-with-animals/

ReCaptcha hates me today. (Technically - the web page can't connect.) so here:

I've read some Dr. Doolittle.

More examples:

* Urmel aus dem Eis and Followups by Max Kruse (don't know if
available translated to English). Dr. forgotshisname is living
on a small island and taught some animals human language (German)
but each of them has a characteristic mistake they make.

* Harry Potter (at least him and a few others are Parseltongues
(speak with snakes).

* Pooh not only talks to Piglet, Kanga, Tigger and Eeyore, but
also to Christopher Robin

* Maybe Calvin and Hobbes.

* If we allow telepathy, the Dragon stuff by Anne McCaffrey,
(and of course Eragon by Paolini who copied the concept from her
and a few motives from two or three other books/films that I
immediately recognized back then, but this is a long-written
rant.)

-is
--
A medium apple... weighs 182 grams, yields 95 kcal, and contains no
caffeine, thus making it unsuitable for sysadmins. - Brian Kantor
--- Synchronet 3.21a-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: rec.arts.sf.written

On Dec 16, 2025, James Nicoll wrote
(in article <10hsb5t$m9b$1@panix2.panix.com>):

Five Books About Conversing With Animals

How great would it be to talk with animals, through magic or technology or whatever?

https://reactormag.com/five-books-about-conversing-with-animals/

I have some ideas about possibly decoding cetacean acoustics
using geophysical signal processing techniques.

Also, in my current (I will try again tomorrow night at the
exact time of new/dark moon) global new age onset
magickal workings, there will be sudden magickal
physical evolution, including of current adults.

Who and what will evolve? Currently pathogenic viruses,
currently pathogenic bacteria, homo sapiens+720 aliens,
cetaceans, non-human simians, dogs, cats, non-simian
primates, elephants, the rest of mammals, corvids,
psittacines, octopi, and
Chinese dragons/sea serpents/lake serpents (if they exist).

Of relevance to this thread, all of the multi-cellular
DNA-based species that will evolve will get two
language genes---one currently held by
homo sapiens+720 aliens and one currently held
by cetaceans.

Of course if this fails again as usual, you can look
at this as speculative fiction. :-)
--
https://www.nfld.com/~dalton/dtales.html Salmon on the Thorns (mystic page) rCLEarly morning, jubilators, up to no good, instigators... Sons of long forgotten races, that the darkest night embracesrCY (Ron Hynes & D.OrCOD)

--- Synchronet 3.21a-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: rec.arts.sf.written

On Dec 19, 2025, David Dalton wrote
(in article<0001HW.2EF5262B01524BEA70000F04838F@news.eternal-september.org>):

On Dec 16, 2025, James Nicoll wrote
(in article <10hsb5t$m9b$1@panix2.panix.com>):

Five Books About Conversing With Animals

How great would it be to talk with animals, through magic or technology or whatever?

https://reactormag.com/five-books-about-conversing-with-animals/

I have some ideas about possibly decoding cetacean acoustics
using geophysical signal processing techniques.

Also, in my current (I will try again tomorrow night at the
exact time of new/dark moon) global new age onset
magickal workings, there will be sudden magickal
physical evolution, including of current adults.

Who and what will evolve? Currently pathogenic viruses,
currently pathogenic bacteria, homo sapiens+720 aliens,
cetaceans, non-human simians, dogs, cats, non-simian
primates, elephants, the rest of mammals, corvids,
psittacines, octopi, and
Chinese dragons/sea serpents/lake serpents (if they exist).

oops, I forgot giant squid and colossal squid

Of relevance to this thread, all of the multi-cellular
DNA-based species that will evolve will get two
language genes---one currently held by
homo sapiens+720 aliens and one currently held
by cetaceans.

Of course if this fails again as usual, you can look
at this as speculative fiction. :-)

--
https://www.nfld.com/~dalton/dtales.html Salmon on the Thorns (mystic page) rCLEarly morning, jubilators, up to no good, instigators... Sons of long forgotten races, that the darkest night embracesrCY (Ron Hynes & D.OrCOD)

--- Synchronet 3.21a-Linux NewsLink 1.2