God of Clay

God of Clay is an anthropomorphic novel by Ryan Campbell, published by Sofawolf Press and first released at RainFurrest 2013. The cover and interior illustrations are by Zhivago. It is the first of three books in the Fire Bearers series.

God of Clay was named Best Novel in the 2013 Cóyotl Awards.

Plot
Doto, the son of the sullen and wrathful forest god Kwaee sets out to capture a member of the dangerous fire bearers tribe and bring him back to his father for interrogation, believing the humans to be in league with the insatiable fire god Ogya. In the process, he begins to doubt the stories he has always heard from his father about the original conflict, and the mysterious places in the heart of the forest that he was forbidden to ever visit.

Major characters

 * Kwaee - a huge anthropomorphic leopard and god of the forest. Kwaee is sullen and withdrawn and has a deep hatred for humans.
 * Doto - Kwaee's son, also an anthropomorphic leopard, one who shares his father's hatred of humanity.
 * Clay - The second son of the King of the People of the Savanna, humans who have been forced out of their homelands to the edge of the forest by a growing drought. He deeply loves the gods and seeks only to follow them
 * Laughing Dog - Clay's younger brother, who is constantly in trouble for his overconfident defiance of the gods.
 * Ogya - The mysterious and malevolent god of fire, who desires only to consume the entire world in flame.