[MIRG1234]

In 1999 or 2000 I saw a book at Barnes and Noble. The book is based way in the future and talked about animals like cats, dogs, you name it the book had it. So the animals in this book had evolved like in planet of the apes, but these animals were slaves to humans, and they could talk to humans as well. Any help finding this book will be greatly apreciated.

P.S. I went to Barnes and Noble and talk to a Scifi and Fiction person and they had no clue what I was talking about.

[vingogly]

Could you be thinking of the Underpeople stories of Cordwainer Smith, especially The Dead Lady of Clown Town:

The Dead Lady of Clown Town - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Less likely possibility, there's John Crowley's early novel "Beasts":

Beasts by John Crowley - an infinity plus review

"Beasts" is Crowley's weakest work, In my opinion. But I highly recommend everything Crowley's written. If you truly care about SF, you should definitely read Cordwainer Smith - there was no one else like him.

Vasily

[necoutis]

You might have fun reading War With The Newts by Karel Capek. It's a very funny satirical sci-fi fantasy book about a race of salamanders that humans enslave and use as a mass labor force to build all kinds of things, but they are sentient and rise up against the oppressor humans.

It's not way in the future and doesn't sound anything like what you're describing but it's an interesting piece of literature, written by a Czech author in 1936 and presciently gives one a feel for the impending apocalypse ethos of pre-WWII Europe. Read it and think.