Su Kane and the Revolting Animals

When we think of bikers (the ones riding big, roaring motorcycles), we usually envision large, coarse, hairy, tattooed, barely literate brutes who care only about booze, bikes, and broads. Usually. There are exceptions, but Hollywood has done a remarkable job of embedding the Hells Angels image into our psyches.

The trouble is that, like most things Hollywood puts out, it’s not universally true. Case in point: the Revolting Animals Motorcycle Club in the UK (yes, even the civilized Brits have their biker gangs, and some of those are outlaws). Imagine a large, bearish, hirsute man who is leader of one of these packs of bikers. Easy to do, yes? Now, imagine this man crying as he tenderly holds a newborn kitten who has just been brutalized and left for dead by one of the “civilized” members of society. There’s a bit of a cognitive dissonance there, isn’t there? I mean, in Hollywood, it would be the biker doing the brutalizing and the upright citizen saving the kitten.

Only this isn’t Hollywood. This is real life, the kind most of us live. And the story is true. The biker is named Cerbarus and he is the leader of the Revolting Animals Motorcycle Club. He and his fellow Revolting Animals travel the west midlands of England rescuing animals, domestic or wild, that have been victimized by humanity’s inhumanities.

Independent author Gary Weston grew up in the Black Country in the west midlands of England, home territory of the Revolting Animals. He knows the members and their activities on behalf of animals and has written two books about the club that are entertaining, real life, and compelling reading. Weston has a narrative flow such as one would find sitting around a campfire listening to a tribal elder weave hiser tales of Spirits and men and gods. Both are easy reads told in the words of the characters. These are real people and Weston portrays them as they are, language and all.

Starlight Army, the first in the series, tells how Su Kane, then a 15-year-old girl who had a life-long love of animals, met and became part of the Revolting Animals and befriends the remarkable Abbey Jones and the irrepressible Uncle Garf.

Although Kane is one of the central characters and the book begins with her risking her own life at age 11 to rescue a drowning kitten, the book isn’t about her. It’s about the Revolting Animals and why they do the things they do. It’s really about a group of humans banding together to help the helpless and speak for those who cannot. It’s about more than power or money or prestige—much more.

"There is a dark and hidden war going on all around the world. It is a war of cruelty against animals and it is happening right here and right now. Su Kane and the Starlight Army ride out with the Revolting Animals Motorcycle Club to fight for those who share our planet but have no voice. Join Su Kane on her journey from a girl into womanhood as she realizes people who care CAN make a difference. Royalties go to the PDSA (Peoples Dispensary for Sick Animals) towards their new animal hospital," Weston said.

Then we meet The Amazing Abbey Jones. I'll let you decide for yourselves what makes this young Englishwoman truly amazing, besides also being one of the Revolting Animals and perhaps Su Kane's best friend. All I'll reveal here is what Weston said about her: "Fifteen-year-old Abbey Jones is a pencil thickness shy of six feet tall with a body a pro wrestler would be proud of. Never knowing a single day of love or kindness, Abbey escapes her tragic life and embarks on a journey of action-packed adventure and self-discovery. This is NOT a kids' book. Okay FOR ADULTS and YOUNG ADULTS."

If you care about animals, or just like a good real-life story, check these two out. You can find Starlight Army on Smashwords or Amazon for the Kindle. The Amazing Abbey Jones is also available on either Smashwords or Amazon.

Saorsa.