Timewastersguide Review

Buttersby: Cavern of Babel

by Albert Packard, review by MsFish

Overall score: Four out of Six Clocks

Cavern of Babel, written by Albert Packard, is a middle-grade novel that was written and published for an alpaca ranch in Pennsylvania. The book was written for the purpose of educating children about alpacas, but in no way does the book read like traditional educational material. Instead, Cavern of Babel is a fantasy novel in which the characters happen to be anthropomorphic alpacas. Packard creates not only personalities for his alpacas, but an entire society, religion, and mythology that make the novel a rich and interesting read.

Cavern of Babel is the story of Buttersby, an alpaca with attitude. Buttersby is proud of her champion coat and numerous show awards, but when she’s stolen from her home and bounced from farm to farm, she quickly begins to learn that not everyone will give her the respect she feels she deserves. When she meets Meander, a fellow alpaca of another species, she treats him terribly because she feels that she is better than him. When she is transported to Peru and introduced to the caste system, however, Buttersby realizes she must change in order to be a part of alpacan society. Just as she is starting to settle in, Buttersby is chosen as next ark, heir to the mythological tradition of the alpacas, and is thrown into an adventure that will change her for the better.

The best thing about this novel is the characters. Buttersby is at once impossible and endearing. She also has the largest character arc, going from completely self-absorbed to learning to think about the needs of others over the course of the novel. Meander is the foil to Buttersby, an alpaca who is not only nicer and more accepting but also much more easy going. The most hilarious character is Ozymandius, the tiny mouse, who also happens to be a prophet and pops up to warn Buttersby of her coming doom. (“Fools mock but they shall mourn!”) The cast of characters is just ridiculous enough to be entertaining, but not so ridiculous that the novel becomes unbelievable. Packard spins the characters convincingly together into a cohesive society, adding a depth to the characters that makes them interesting to read about.

Packard also makes political statements about being accepting of others, without sounding preachy or didactic. The alpacas Buttersby encounters in Peru have a different system of government than Buttersby is used to, which can easily translate to differences between governments in the world in which we live. As Buttersby goes through hardships toward the end of the novel, she is eventually able to find a place in her new world, and gradually grows to accept that just because people are different than her, doesn’t mean that they are lesser. As Buttersby grows as a character, so does the readers understanding of the nature of acceptance.

The plot of the novel feels a bit random. Buttersby is thrown from farm to farm, and without the perspective of the humans who keep moving her, it can be a bit hard to follow the motivations behind the upsets. Buttersby is thrown from challenge to challenge, and at times the challenges feel spontaneous and unconnected. On the other hand, in a world where animals talk and mice are prophets, anything can happen. There are enough enjoyable aspects to the novel that the weaknesses in the plot don’t detract much from the overall reading experience.

Cavern of Babel was not published through a major publisher, and you won’t find it in bookstores. Even so, the book design is beautiful. The artist, Shawn Boyles, did a beautiful job with the cover art, as well as illustrations at the beginning of each chapter. The book design is also well-done; overall, the book looks like something you would pick up at Barnes and Noble or Borders.

Overall, the book is well worth checking out for anyone who likes fanciful stories filled with talking animals and magical mythology. Readers will learn about alpacas, but the process of learning will be so enjoyable that by the time they’re done, they won’t have realized that they were being educated. Packard’s voice is at once sarcastic and entertaining, making his book worth reading, despite small defects in the overall plot structure.

Visit www.buttersby.com to learn more about alpacas and order copies of Cavern of Babel.

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Written by MsFish on December 18th, 2006