The concept of this story is a unique play on the Garden of Eden tale described within the book of Genesis - in which the defense of Paradise necessitates a fair amount of bloodshed. The author therefore provides an action-adventure and even sci-fi twist on an age-old Biblical account. This choice turns the first four inhabitants of this pure and peaceful dwelling into something of a superhero team, with each member possessing his or her specific weapon and forte. This idea is interesting and potentially very visually exciting . There are good ideas within The Red Fox, The Golden Lion, The White Rabbit, and The Great Bear.
The story adopts a quality in later chapters that is quite different from its initial tone. This tale originally seems to be a retelling of the second part of the creation story, with animal-human hybrids standing in for Adam and Eve. The animals live under a compassionate sovereign who offers guidance and plenteousness, but also makes clear that there are rules to be followed within this paradise. So far, so good - this is a story that most will recognize and that will appeal to a specific demographic. But then come the Stars, who can shape-shift into lecherousand foul-mouthed women or bloodthirsty and pig-like behemoths. With their emergence into the story, the book becomes a bit of a bloodbath, with these "hero" first-born characters giving almost as good as they get, violence-wise. Characters perish slowly and painfully, some from weapons bestowed by the seemingly merciful Maker himself. What sort of heavenly ruler is this? And in what Biblical-esque world are there foes that can squeeze out the blood and guts of their enemies through the flexing of their tentacles? The narrative quickly shifts from the Biblical to the science-fictional, and from the moralistic to the horrific and bloody-for-the-sake-of-bloody.
A godly creature in the form of a majestic tree creates "first-borns" - a bear, a fox, a rabbit, and a lion - in order that they may govern various parts of the forest paradise they inhabit. But when vindictive beings called Stars threaten the purity of this woodland planet, the first-borns must engage in violence toward their nemeses. Though some of these adversaries renounce their malevolent ways and commit to righteousness, others must be punished for their enduring wickedness. The first-borns therefore end up boarding a ship and facing off against the armada of their main opponent, Bane. When they ultimately defeat this foe, the forest wonderland returns to its unsullied state.