Status
Available
Call number
Collection
Publication
Publisher Unknown (1969)
Description
Fiction. Literature. Romance. Science Fiction. HTML: The twentieth anniversary of a postmodern classic, blending the gothic novel with bleeding-edge science fiction After a century of cruel experimentation, a haunted race of genetically and biomechanically uplifted canines are created by the followers of a mad nineteenth-century Prussian surgeon. Possessing human intelligence, speaking human language, fitted with prosthetic hands, and walking upright on their hind legs, the monster dogs are intended to be super soldiers. Rebelling against their masters, however, and plundering the isolated village where they were created, the now wealthy dogs make their way to New York, where they befriend the young NYU student Cleo Pira and�acting like Victorian aristocrats�become reluctant celebrities. Unable to reproduce, doomed to watch their race become extinct, the highly cultured dogs want no more than to live in peace and be accepted by contemporary society. Little do they suspect, however, that the real tragedy of their brief existence is only now beginning. Told through a variety of documents�diaries, newspaper clippings, articles for Vanity Fair, and even a portion of an opera libretto�Kirsten Bakis's Lives of the Monster Dogs uses its science-fictional premise to launch a surprisingly emotional exploration of the great themes: love, death, and the limits of compassion. A contemporary classic, this edition features a new introduction by Jeff VanderMeer..… (more)
User reviews
LibraryThing member cequillo
This book was all the more amazing for the fact that it was a debut novel for Bakis. It works with a theme that could have been a major disappointment in the hands of a lesser writer, but Bakis writes with such skill and insight that the book has you believing in the impossible. A story of
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bio-engineered dogs who live and interact with the world at levels sometimes above that of humans. At times this novel is as poignant as it is audacious and it was one I couldn't put down and then hated to see end. Show Less
LibraryThing member RandyStafford
My reaction to reading this novel in 1997. Spoilers follow.
This book, applauded by the literary set, is a good example of how a science fiction premise – here the surgical modification of dogs to become intelligent soldiers – is built upon and evaluated by the literary and sf sets. I don’t
I’m in the sf set, and I liked parts of this book: the central premise, the accounts of Augustus Rank, creator of the monster dogs and his grotesque experiments (including reversing the front and back hooves on a cow), the colony of scientists in the Canadian wilderness, and the revolt of the monster dogs (told via opera lyrics composed by a monster dog) which destroys the colony’s human inhabitants.
However, there were major flaws which violated sf aesthetics.
First, Bakis rapidly glosses over the establishment of the Canadian settlement and the development of the monster dogs in about 4 pages. The typical sf reader would like some account of the logistics of establishing the colony, and the techniques of creating monster dogs. Sf tradition doesn’t insist the details be plausible but that they be given, even if only in glib technobabble.
The second flaw is the monster dogs. Monster dog historian Ludwig von Sacher says they are monster dogs because they have no culture of their own and live pathetic imitation of humans. They not only don’t have a culture of their own; they don’t have a personality of their own; they don’t seem like alien creatures or dogs. The only real difference between the monster dogs and humans is the former’s reliance on smells. Their sexual habits and thought patterns seem very human like. Thus I suspect the monster dogs are here just for obscure metaphorical purposes and not as a seriously explored premise to be treated both realistically and metaphorically as true sf aliens often are. Bakis seems to be either totally uninterested in lending verisimilitude to her conceit – thus the quick gloss on the birth of the monster dogs and the Canadian settlement – or trying to avoid hard intellectual work.) One mention is made of the monster dogs repressed violence (unleashed in Mops Rank’s revolt), but this is never explored and is only realized in the opera. We do not get the sense of repressed bestiality of Wells’ The Island of Dr. Moreau nor even of a modern version of the same idea like S. Andrew Swann’s Moreau series.
Finally, the dogs are lapsing into senility because of a disease very unsatisfactorily explained as being the mystical result of Augustus Rank’s memory fading from the world. The metaphysical conceit is that Rank’s creations decay when their creator’s spirit fades. The whole book seems an incoherent metaphor for the influence of memory on the world and our lives.
This book, applauded by the literary set, is a good example of how a science fiction premise – here the surgical modification of dogs to become intelligent soldiers – is built upon and evaluated by the literary and sf sets. I don’t
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recall the New York Times Book Review mentioning the obvious conceptual predecessor, H. G. Wells The Island of Dr. Moreau.I’m in the sf set, and I liked parts of this book: the central premise, the accounts of Augustus Rank, creator of the monster dogs and his grotesque experiments (including reversing the front and back hooves on a cow), the colony of scientists in the Canadian wilderness, and the revolt of the monster dogs (told via opera lyrics composed by a monster dog) which destroys the colony’s human inhabitants.
However, there were major flaws which violated sf aesthetics.
First, Bakis rapidly glosses over the establishment of the Canadian settlement and the development of the monster dogs in about 4 pages. The typical sf reader would like some account of the logistics of establishing the colony, and the techniques of creating monster dogs. Sf tradition doesn’t insist the details be plausible but that they be given, even if only in glib technobabble.
The second flaw is the monster dogs. Monster dog historian Ludwig von Sacher says they are monster dogs because they have no culture of their own and live pathetic imitation of humans. They not only don’t have a culture of their own; they don’t have a personality of their own; they don’t seem like alien creatures or dogs. The only real difference between the monster dogs and humans is the former’s reliance on smells. Their sexual habits and thought patterns seem very human like. Thus I suspect the monster dogs are here just for obscure metaphorical purposes and not as a seriously explored premise to be treated both realistically and metaphorically as true sf aliens often are. Bakis seems to be either totally uninterested in lending verisimilitude to her conceit – thus the quick gloss on the birth of the monster dogs and the Canadian settlement – or trying to avoid hard intellectual work.) One mention is made of the monster dogs repressed violence (unleashed in Mops Rank’s revolt), but this is never explored and is only realized in the opera. We do not get the sense of repressed bestiality of Wells’ The Island of Dr. Moreau nor even of a modern version of the same idea like S. Andrew Swann’s Moreau series.
Finally, the dogs are lapsing into senility because of a disease very unsatisfactorily explained as being the mystical result of Augustus Rank’s memory fading from the world. The metaphysical conceit is that Rank’s creations decay when their creator’s spirit fades. The whole book seems an incoherent metaphor for the influence of memory on the world and our lives.
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LibraryThing member davidabrams
I couldn't wait to get my paws on this book. When "Lives of the Monster Dogs" by Kirsten Bakis first appeared, the literary world buzzed about this story of scientifically-altered canines living like humans in the first half of the 21st century.
"A bizarre, haunting, fiercely original first novel!"
Created by a German mad scientist in the 19th century, the monster dogs are as intelligent as humans, speak our language (though the long muzzles give them trouble), have prosthetic hands and walk upright on hind legs. Because they're from another era, they wear the latest in Victorian fashions, complete with walking sticks and top hats.
They've been a well-kept secret up in the woods of Canada for more than a century. But, through a series of human failures, they're unleashed on the rest of the world. The dogs' descendants arrive in New York City in the year 2008, still acting like Victorian-era aristocrats and hoping to find their place in the world. It's no surprise they quickly become celebrities. After all, every dog has his day.
The narrator, Cleo Pira (the novel's most uninteresting character), is a struggling NYU student chosen as the dogs' human scribe by Klaue ("Claw"), their paranoid, power-drunk leader (the novel's most interesting character). She also befriends Ludwig, the dogs' historian, and Lydia, a gentle Samoyed. All is not perfect in the kennel, however. Soon, it's discovered there's a flaw in the design of the dogs, causing them to revert back to their original state--things like flea-scratching and chewing the legs of tables signal the eventual decline of their western civilization.
I really wanted to like this novel. I was intrigued by the idea of a race of dogs who finally had the chance to bite the hand that fed them all these years. How often have you looked at your pooch and thought, "I wonder what Fido thinks about eating Kibbles 'n Bits every day?" If he was Ludwig, he'd probably bite your ankle. There's a quirky originality in the turned-tables concept of this novel. All it needs is Charlton Heston and it would make great entertainment: "Planet of the Poodles."
Then there's the jacket cover--a formal portrait of a Malamute in a smoking jacket. The darned mutt looked so intelligent, like he had a lot to say to me.
Unfortunately, once I got into the story, I found that Bakis really didn't have much of a message. Or, if she did, the point was lost in all the growling and gnashing of teeth.
I did like the pseudo fairy tale nature of "Monster Dogs," but Bakis dulls the book with pages of unimaginative language and clumsy handling of the plot. I also had a hard time connecting with the characters. Sure, they're dogs, but I wanted to feel their pain.
Perhaps it's unfair to compare "Monster Dogs" with "Planet of the Apes," but somehow I was able to make a quick and deep connection with the chimpanzee Cornelius in those movies. There was a heart behind the ape; there's not much under the fur of Bakis' hounds.
"A bizarre, haunting, fiercely original first novel!"
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they barked. "A postmodern Mary Shelley, taking the parable of Frankenstein's monster several giant steps farther!" they howled.Created by a German mad scientist in the 19th century, the monster dogs are as intelligent as humans, speak our language (though the long muzzles give them trouble), have prosthetic hands and walk upright on hind legs. Because they're from another era, they wear the latest in Victorian fashions, complete with walking sticks and top hats.
They've been a well-kept secret up in the woods of Canada for more than a century. But, through a series of human failures, they're unleashed on the rest of the world. The dogs' descendants arrive in New York City in the year 2008, still acting like Victorian-era aristocrats and hoping to find their place in the world. It's no surprise they quickly become celebrities. After all, every dog has his day.
The narrator, Cleo Pira (the novel's most uninteresting character), is a struggling NYU student chosen as the dogs' human scribe by Klaue ("Claw"), their paranoid, power-drunk leader (the novel's most interesting character). She also befriends Ludwig, the dogs' historian, and Lydia, a gentle Samoyed. All is not perfect in the kennel, however. Soon, it's discovered there's a flaw in the design of the dogs, causing them to revert back to their original state--things like flea-scratching and chewing the legs of tables signal the eventual decline of their western civilization.
I really wanted to like this novel. I was intrigued by the idea of a race of dogs who finally had the chance to bite the hand that fed them all these years. How often have you looked at your pooch and thought, "I wonder what Fido thinks about eating Kibbles 'n Bits every day?" If he was Ludwig, he'd probably bite your ankle. There's a quirky originality in the turned-tables concept of this novel. All it needs is Charlton Heston and it would make great entertainment: "Planet of the Poodles."
Then there's the jacket cover--a formal portrait of a Malamute in a smoking jacket. The darned mutt looked so intelligent, like he had a lot to say to me.
Unfortunately, once I got into the story, I found that Bakis really didn't have much of a message. Or, if she did, the point was lost in all the growling and gnashing of teeth.
I did like the pseudo fairy tale nature of "Monster Dogs," but Bakis dulls the book with pages of unimaginative language and clumsy handling of the plot. I also had a hard time connecting with the characters. Sure, they're dogs, but I wanted to feel their pain.
Perhaps it's unfair to compare "Monster Dogs" with "Planet of the Apes," but somehow I was able to make a quick and deep connection with the chimpanzee Cornelius in those movies. There was a heart behind the ape; there's not much under the fur of Bakis' hounds.
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LibraryThing member Crowyhead
This is an eerie, haunting novel. Bakis is able to create creatures who are neither fully human nor fully animal, and really do feel like intelligent dogs. I really loved this, although I'm not entirely certain I understood the more mystical elements very well.
LibraryThing member bhalpin
Inventive, big-hearted book that completely falls apart at the end. Still an entertaining read, though
LibraryThing member bkwyrmy43
I read this book in galley form, dogs that can talk and walk on their hind legs. A little out there but beautifully written.
LibraryThing member sheherazahde
Almost Victorian in feel, a strange tale of dogs that speak and live like humans, but can not bare to do so.
LibraryThing member extrajoker
first line: "I remember the night the helicopter landed, because I was walking on the West Side, by the river, not far south of the heliport, and my heart was breaking."
I really loved this, but...the book does fall flat at the end, so much so that I wondered whether Bakis intended a sequel. (If she
I really loved this, but...the book does fall flat at the end, so much so that I wondered whether Bakis intended a sequel. (If she
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did, however, it has yet to appear; it seems that this is her only novel.) Overall, I found the story (about a genetically-/surgically-created race of intelligent dogs with artificial hands and voice boxes) innovative and surprisingly touching, the characters sympathetic, and the writing smooth and engaging. And kudos to Bakis for including a dog-opera libretto and the wonderfully punny construction of "Neuhundstein." Show Less
LibraryThing member jjmcgaffey
Weird, depressing, and rather pointless. The dogs are described, but they react too oddly for me to feel I knew them - and the girl started to behave the same way. So why _was_ she so obsessed with her possessions, and yet abandoned them to stay in the fortress? And there was no resolution, no
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_point_ to the story. This would be a good SF story for people who enjoy mainstream novels (since my opinion of them is that most of them are depressing and pointless!) Hmmm...and it's due to start in 10 months... Show Less
LibraryThing member PhaedraB
An elegant and beautiful novel, a dream-like memoir of the (future) time when the Monster Dogs lived in New York, told by an intimate human friend.
The narrator Cleo's relationship with the genetically altered, intelligent, speaking dogs explores what we mean by friendship, by love, by
The narrator Cleo's relationship with the genetically altered, intelligent, speaking dogs explores what we mean by friendship, by love, by
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identification with the Other, by sanity itself. How far can we change who we are and still be who we are? Can we ever change enough to leave who we are behind? Show Less
LibraryThing member bibliojim
I found this book to have beautiful prose that evoked a magical victorian sort of mood. It is a philosophical work that makes me think about what it means to be thought to be "different", yet be entirely human. The plot, however, is slow. I highly recommend it for people who revel in "literary"
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science fiction and fantasy, but not for people who are looking for a rousing action tale. I would love to read more by this author. To date, however, she has not published any additional work, though she was rumored to be at work on something. Show Less
LibraryThing member raizel
Poignant story about self-desribed monster dogs who arrive suddenly in New York City and are welcomed as celebrities.
The story is told by Cleo, a young woman who loves the dogs, and Ludwig, who wants to write a history of their creation and lives and who is also different from the other dogs, who
Thanks to the work of a madman, Augustus Rank, and his followers, the dogs walk upright, speak with the help of a mechanical voice box, have prosthetic hands, and are intelligent. They were created to be the supremely loyal soldiers. Unfortunately they are treated as slaves and, like good soldiers once they have a leader, they rebel, slaughtering all of Rank's followers, who live in a remote village. Eventually the dogs end up very rich and dressed in the height of Prussian elegance in New York.
The story is apparently a parable---one of the blurbs says so---but I guess I'm not literary enough to understand what that means. Rank is portrayed as creepy; but the dogs must see him as a god---certainly a Creator. Even though Rank is evil and insane, the results of his horrible experiments and plans want to be decent. The sadness in the story comes from the way the dogs were created, their unfair treatment, the terrible reaction to it, the fact that even though New Yorkers takes them to their hearts, we know that it's only because they are the newest craze, the fact that, as much as they try to behave like humans, they never can be, and, as much as they doggedly try to deny their "dogness", they cannot help reverting to it. Surprisingly, the ending is not as totally bleak as I had expected it to be.
The story is told by Cleo, a young woman who loves the dogs, and Ludwig, who wants to write a history of their creation and lives and who is also different from the other dogs, who
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are unlike anything else. In fact, there are many ways that the dogs are unique: they are not like other dogs, and they are not human; they grew up in the past---a Prussian culture from about a hundred years ago---and they have no future since they cannot reproduce themselves (what with prosthetics and mechanical voice boxes and who knows what else that is not natural or normal).Thanks to the work of a madman, Augustus Rank, and his followers, the dogs walk upright, speak with the help of a mechanical voice box, have prosthetic hands, and are intelligent. They were created to be the supremely loyal soldiers. Unfortunately they are treated as slaves and, like good soldiers once they have a leader, they rebel, slaughtering all of Rank's followers, who live in a remote village. Eventually the dogs end up very rich and dressed in the height of Prussian elegance in New York.
The story is apparently a parable---one of the blurbs says so---but I guess I'm not literary enough to understand what that means. Rank is portrayed as creepy; but the dogs must see him as a god---certainly a Creator. Even though Rank is evil and insane, the results of his horrible experiments and plans want to be decent. The sadness in the story comes from the way the dogs were created, their unfair treatment, the terrible reaction to it, the fact that even though New Yorkers takes them to their hearts, we know that it's only because they are the newest craze, the fact that, as much as they try to behave like humans, they never can be, and, as much as they doggedly try to deny their "dogness", they cannot help reverting to it. Surprisingly, the ending is not as totally bleak as I had expected it to be.
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LibraryThing member Meredy
I happened across this book in some forgotten way and read it probably ten years ago, so this is my best recollection at a distance.
It was an arresting premise (and an eye-catching cover), and the backstory was promising. I especially liked the way the dogs were taken up as fashionable and how they
But the last part of the novel simply fell apart. It was as though the author had wound the spring of a windup toy too tightly, and so, instead of running forward like a good little fictional device, it spun wildly in all directions and then fizzled out. Once she lost control of it, she never got it back.
It was an arresting premise (and an eye-catching cover), and the backstory was promising. I especially liked the way the dogs were taken up as fashionable and how they
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were treated in society despite their strangeness. I didn't find that development predictable, but it made logical sense in the way that fantasy fiction should.But the last part of the novel simply fell apart. It was as though the author had wound the spring of a windup toy too tightly, and so, instead of running forward like a good little fictional device, it spun wildly in all directions and then fizzled out. Once she lost control of it, she never got it back.
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LibraryThing member JenneB
Another one of those books that I mainly like because it's so weird.
LibraryThing member JohnGrant1
A few months ago I read Carmen Dog by Carol Emshwiller, and obviously I was reminded of this -- since both are New York novels featuring intelligent talking canines -- when I picked up Bakis's book. In reality, the two are quite different creations: Emshwiller's is a feminist surrealist satire
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while Bakis, a significantly more disciplined writer, has produced a very moving book that, while not without its own satirical and surrealist moments, approaches its subject matter almost reverentially.Back at the end of the 19th century and first part of the 20th, mitteleuropean sociopath Augustus Rank had a dream of creating, by use of prosthetics, dogs that could walk and talk. Fleeing eventually to Canada where he founded a remote settlement to further his project, he was still never to see the success he craved. Those who survived him, however, did manage to bring into being the monster dogs of the book's title -- dogs who, in our present (the book's near future), massacre their human creators and come to New York in hope of finding their place in human society . . . and also of rediscovering their own past. By happenstance, a young woman called Cleo becomes their chronicler. You might expect that those chronicles of hers would comprise the novel's text, but no: here we have Cleo's own informal reminiscences of her encounters and interactions with some of the canine leaders and intellectuals, plus various documents -- even including an opera libretto! -- depicting the dogs' past. Far too soon, though, the dogs realize they can have no future -- that their construction includes irreparable flaws -- and they prepare the way for their species to have a dignified exit.
To say this book is odd would be trite -- and also misleading, because one of the wonderful things about it is that it's almost not odd: before very long I found myself accepting its narrative, which avoids all temptations to lurch into Dr Moreau territory, as something quite naturalistic, as if there were nothing outrageous at all about a community of talking dogs having implausible adventures in NYC. This is a haunting, marginally disquieting book that I suspect I'll be remembering for a very long time to come.
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LibraryThing member flamingrosedrakon
I did it, I absolutely did it, I read this book! It is amazing how some books you can read without a problem and then you come across a book that just wants to make you throw it, which is this book. When I was in high school I came across this book I was captivated by the picture and the story
The book is one that definitely holds potential but it also holds a lot of missing ends. She looks like Maria but there is never any explanation and the character of Maria seems to be hazy itself for one minute she is an invalid but then you find that she has been having an affair this whole time. For her character it just doesn't fit. Furthermore there were at least two spots that held a possible attempt at helping to explain Cleo's ties to the dogs but they were never explored but just left hanging.
The author does have a wonderful way of voice for you can tell the characters apart by how the writing is. Ludwig is more scientific and more dry while when Cleo is talking you want to rattle her around a bit. Cleo seems to have been lacking on the build-up of her character for she is more flat than the dogs while it makes me wonder if this is where "Lives of the Monster Dogs" was suppose to be a Beauty & Beast variation with a larger cast than just two.
And what flattened the book for me after seeming so promising was the end. it was working truly well but then it just broke up as things went confusing. The story went off on a goose-chase that didn't make sense while seemingly garbled before finishing up with a flattened end.
It is one of those books that is not a recommended type for me. Basically an individual will need to pick this up of their own choosing and after reading it make their own choice whether it is a keeper or to be reshelved.
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sounded awesome but after a paragraph I just couldn't finish it. I tried one more time and got as far as a page before I gave up on it yet again. And now I am done....The book is one that definitely holds potential but it also holds a lot of missing ends. She looks like Maria but there is never any explanation and the character of Maria seems to be hazy itself for one minute she is an invalid but then you find that she has been having an affair this whole time. For her character it just doesn't fit. Furthermore there were at least two spots that held a possible attempt at helping to explain Cleo's ties to the dogs but they were never explored but just left hanging.
The author does have a wonderful way of voice for you can tell the characters apart by how the writing is. Ludwig is more scientific and more dry while when Cleo is talking you want to rattle her around a bit. Cleo seems to have been lacking on the build-up of her character for she is more flat than the dogs while it makes me wonder if this is where "Lives of the Monster Dogs" was suppose to be a Beauty & Beast variation with a larger cast than just two.
And what flattened the book for me after seeming so promising was the end. it was working truly well but then it just broke up as things went confusing. The story went off on a goose-chase that didn't make sense while seemingly garbled before finishing up with a flattened end.
It is one of those books that is not a recommended type for me. Basically an individual will need to pick this up of their own choosing and after reading it make their own choice whether it is a keeper or to be reshelved.
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LibraryThing member lamotamant
I mainly picked this book up because the title sounds like the name of a pop punk band, or at least the potential lyrics in a song sang by said band. (WE ARE, yeah yeah, we arrrreee the lives of the monster dogs...MONSTER MONSTER!!!)
Something with such an interesting title should not be allowed to
Something with such an interesting title should not be allowed to
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be this boring... apparently I'm in the minority on this point however as this book seems to have gotten quite a lot of favorable reviews. I will say that the author had a decent idea and commanded it well throughout the book. The movement of the story was well laid out and the characters were well rounded and thought out. I just kept waiting for something to start rolling and I finished the book feeling unsatisfied. I can't say I hated it completely but I can say that this book will probably be looking for a new home shortly. Show Less
LibraryThing member ParadisePorch
(Fiction, Science-fiction)
Amazon: “Created by a German mad scientist in the 19th century, the monster dogs possess human intelligence, speak human language, have prosthetic humanlike hands and walk upright on hind legs. The dogs’ descendants arrive in New York City in the year 2008, still
Although this was well-written and interesting, I wasn’t as caught up in the tragic lives of these dogs as I should have been. 3½ stars
Amazon: “Created by a German mad scientist in the 19th century, the monster dogs possess human intelligence, speak human language, have prosthetic humanlike hands and walk upright on hind legs. The dogs’ descendants arrive in New York City in the year 2008, still
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acting like Victorian-era aristocrats.”Although this was well-written and interesting, I wasn’t as caught up in the tragic lives of these dogs as I should have been. 3½ stars
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LibraryThing member kalinichta
While this book has its flaws (it is a first novel, after all), the fantasy of the monster dogs and the emotion with which Bakis imbued her characters were transporting and affecting.
LibraryThing member Vulco1
Another one bites the dust. Part Island of Dr. Marrau, part literature, all good. Reminded me of something Johnathan Letham would write.
Kirsten Bakis is great!
Kirsten Bakis is great!
LibraryThing member Charon07
This book had been on my wish list for so long that it's probably a bigger disappointment to me than it would have been if I'd just picked it up without knowing anything about it other than its intriguing title.
The plot, a synopsis of which was what interested me originally in this book, involves a
Rarely has such a good premise, full of so many ideas ripe for exploration, been utilized so poorly. Even Cleo, the dogs' human spokesperson, is underdrawn. We learn far more about her taste in clothes than about the reason for her fascination with the dogs. Ultimately, while this book isn't monstrous, it is a dog. I wonder why it was short-listed for the Orange Prize.
The plot, a synopsis of which was what interested me originally in this book, involves a
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group of artificially enhanced, intelligent dogs of mysterious origins who have moved to the New York City of the near future. A graduate student, Cleo, is one of the few humans admitted into their social circle. There are so many interesting ideas that are raised and could have been explored, but instead we are told way too much about Cleo's none-too-interesting personal angst and are ultimately treated to metaphysical babble that sheds no light on—in fact, seems to have nothing to do with—the very interesting moral, philosophical, and even medical issues that these monstrous dogs (and they are monstrous in some ways) would have, or with the enigma of their grisly creator, Augustus Rank. The story of the dogs' origin is presented early on, and its titillatingly gruesome details are rather a red herring, since the dogs' own feelings about their creator is never really revealed.Rarely has such a good premise, full of so many ideas ripe for exploration, been utilized so poorly. Even Cleo, the dogs' human spokesperson, is underdrawn. We learn far more about her taste in clothes than about the reason for her fascination with the dogs. Ultimately, while this book isn't monstrous, it is a dog. I wonder why it was short-listed for the Orange Prize.
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LibraryThing member bongo_x
It’s a pretty interesting idea, the whole setup is imaginative and full of possibilities. I’m tempted to give it a higher rating just for that (and it seems many reviewers did), but it just wasn’t that good.
I can describe the whole plot in about 3 sentences, but this isn’t a character
The writing is haphazard and rambling. It starts with the first half alternating styles and then abandons it halfway through. The lead character isn’t very interesting (or fleshed out), but we’re supposed to believe that she has been picked out of everyone else in New York for some special quality, yet we’re never given a hint what that might be or why the dogs thing she’s so special. There are many such unexplained phenomenon, missing narrative, and even giant plot holes. This isn’t a long book, but it still has too much pointless conversations and random thoughts of the lead character that I just wasn’t interested in.
It’s exactly as if someone said "I have a great idea for a book" (and did) but then couldn’t fulfill that promise. Many of the details of the ideas and settings are really good. I want to like this book so much that I want to tell the author to go back and take another shot at it.
I can describe the whole plot in about 3 sentences, but this isn’t a character
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driven book either. The characters are pretty one dimensional throughout. The first half is mostly uninteresting, broken up by tales of vivisection told in way too much detail. I was ready to put it down at any time but stuck with it because it’s short. Then I started to get interested. Then the end came. I wonder if Steven King helped with the ending. If you’ve read any of his books you’ll know that he tells a hell of a story that he has no ending for. The writing is haphazard and rambling. It starts with the first half alternating styles and then abandons it halfway through. The lead character isn’t very interesting (or fleshed out), but we’re supposed to believe that she has been picked out of everyone else in New York for some special quality, yet we’re never given a hint what that might be or why the dogs thing she’s so special. There are many such unexplained phenomenon, missing narrative, and even giant plot holes. This isn’t a long book, but it still has too much pointless conversations and random thoughts of the lead character that I just wasn’t interested in.
It’s exactly as if someone said "I have a great idea for a book" (and did) but then couldn’t fulfill that promise. Many of the details of the ideas and settings are really good. I want to like this book so much that I want to tell the author to go back and take another shot at it.
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LibraryThing member 73pctGeek
The premise captivated me and I really thought I'd like this but I was very, very wrong. I didn't even like the prose :(
Subjects
Awards
Women's Prize for Fiction (Longlist — 1998)
Bram Stoker Award (Nominee — First Novel — 1997)
Original publication date
1998
Other editions
Lives of the Monster Dogs by Kirsten Bakis (Paperback)
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