Sentient - by Jay Vanlandingham (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

USA 2040: Animal agriculture has drastically changed the climate and the way people live. Drinkable water is scarce, the population is suspicious and isolated, and animal rights activists are all but extinct due to threats by the agribusiness industry.

Bray Hoffman isn't an activist, but she has a secret. Her best friend Alice is a pig confined to a tortuous life on a factory farm and Bray can feel everything Alice feels. All the pain. All the fear. All the torture. As an animal empath, Bray learns first-hand the truth of the hidden horrors of animal agriculture and with Alice's days coming to an end, Bray fears what might happen to the pig, and to herself.

Bertan Duarte is an undocumented immigrant working for this agribusiness industry. The secret world in which he works is mired in the dried blood of countless lives lost, where workers must fight both themselves and each other to survive an unfair system that has them trapped in enslavement.

Kage Zair has spent years in hiding with other animal activists. The landscape is far too dangerous for people like them. But Kage cannot just stand by and allow a manipulative agribusiness to destroy animal and human lives and the planet.

Sentient is the first book in a new eco-dystopian series that follows Bray, Bertan and Kage as they fight for answers and freedoms in a society that wishes them none. Told from all three perspectives, this page-turning debut novel is full of action, adventure, suspense and horror.

This isn't the future we fought for but it's the future that's coming.

Review Quotes

"Sentient is a heart-touching, evocative, and ominous novel that explores the boundaries of human consciousness and the potentials we have to communicate with animals. Set in 2040, VanLandingham's artful prose weaves several plot threads with striking parallels that shine light on issues we are facing today with startling and powerful impact. The book helps us hear the voices of countless animals, and contemplate what they would say to us if we could hear them. If you are fascinated with animals, philosophy, and adventure, you will most likely enjoy this timely and stimulating book."

--Dr. Will Tuttle, Ph.D., author of the international best-seller, The World Peace Diet.

"VanLandingham forges a powerful story of three characters who seek to create safe lives for themselves and their loved ones, whether human or animal... Sentient's ability to call into question the survival tactics of a disparate society makes it a hard-hitting, action-packed story that combines well with a teen coming-of-age backdrop to appeal to both teen and adult readers of dystopian sci-fi."

- Midwest Book Review

"Author Jay VanLandingham...pours their heart onto the page. They write with authority and give the reader every reason to believe we are in for even more troubled times if things don't change soon. Utilizing several sci-fi tropes, 'Sentient' serves as a captivating-yet-stern cautionary tale against unchecked power and its effect on animals, the climate and humanity as a whole." -Cincinnati CitiBeat Magazine

"A meditation on the relationship between humans and animals in a dystopian future where a girl connects with a sow destined for slaughter." -Reedsy Discovery

"Sentient will take you on a roller coaster of adventure through the eyes of both humans and animals. Feel what the animals feel, strive to take down those who keep you captive, fight to stop the revolt, and desire to be listened to. Learn from this story, though we are all different, every life is important..." -Felisha Antonette, author of the Separation Trilogy and The Sephlem Trials.