[quote=@PrincePierce]
[@Clever Hans] I wasn't even aware that there was a book. I've failed.
At any rate, yes!
[/quote]

*blinkblink*  Wow! It was written in 1971 (I think I'm showing my age here  :D  )  The title is [i]Mrs. Frisby And The Rats Of NIMH.[/i]  The rats do all tech stuff, with no magic.  It's a great book - won the Newberry Medal, I think.

But enough of that.  About [b]your [/b]idea: What kind of conflicts exist in the world, other than the owl threat?  Are there factions among the rodents?  Is there species-ism? (rats looking down on mice, for example...)  Is there a caste system? Is it a utopia of collective action and abundance, or is there crime and poverty and social unrest?