How do you feel about talking animals?

[O-1-D]

So here's the thing.

I'm about to start writing a novel about horses escaping into the wild from a rodeo. It's going to be a pretty mature story that openly discusses the cruelty that is inflicted on horses at rodeos and the horses are going to be written fairly realistically in how they behave. But I have one problem that I need some advice on.

Should the horses speak? I'm split down the middle with it and need outsiders' perspectives. I know mature animal stories have been written in the likes of Watership Down and The Plague Dogs where they are very mature and yet have the animals talk. But I also like the idea of having the story told through just the horse's body language and her thoughts, like Call of the Wild or White Fang where it is a third-person narrative but from the animal's point of view.

What do you think? And what's your general opinion on talking animals in movies/books?

[N1ghtm4r3]

might be easier to convey the emotions if they talk, especially if your gonna focus on the horses more

[TheYaoiEmpire]

Talking animals are the best, it’s easier to understand them and value them as individuals if they can talk to each other.

[joannekwan]

If there is going to be a lot of complex interaction between the main mare and other horses, then I say include dialogue.

[BrambleberrySquirrel]

Yeah I think you are going to want dialog for sure. Otherwise it’s going to be hard to keep readers engaged and connected to the characters. at least that’s my perspective. White Fang is great but kind of tedious in my opinion.

For an example, This novel is a mature story with lots of talking animals. It uses a mix of dialog and natural animal body language that balances really well.

The Graced Ones | Tapas

But talking animals are what I’m all about lol. Give me a story with talking animals or anthropomorphic characters and I’m set.

[rajillustration]

I think it's a completely different type of story if they do or don't speak, so I'd test it out and see how it works both ways. I think it's one of those things you just won't know unless you give it a shot in the dark.

[gmaximin]

My view is that if you want to keep it realistic, having horses talking might be challenging... because it clearly becomes your interpretation of what horses would feel and say (so it’d look biased and therefore unrealistic).
Unlike animal behaviors that people and researchers can observe and that are somewhat objective, as soon as you make horse talk, you might loose that...

[Neverseen]

I would say third person narrative as it seems more appropriate for the content you are planning.

[Stargazer31]

I'm fine with talking animals, as long as they aren't saccharine and sickly (lookin' at you, disney!)

[Phantomlight]

@BrambleberrySquirrel thank you so much for the shout out! >w< I love talking animals, personally, but if they don't talk, that's completely fine too. It's whatever vibe you're going for. I chose to make my story in the animal's perspective, so they talk because it's a bit more personal and intimate. I wanted the audience to have a connection to the characters, their thoughts and feelings, etc. Having them have their own voices was important to me because I wanted them to share their views of their world and experiences themselves ^^

Whatever you decide to do, I'm sure it'll be great! Sending you good vibes and best wishes for your novel!