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trudilibrarian's review
2.0
Available here: http://www.tor.com/stories/2015/03/dog-bruce-mcallister
Ah shizzle. I'm going to be the party pooper on this one. It was okay. Love the premise but it just didn't bite me, at least not in any place where I like to be bitten.
Creepy undertones, exotic setting, with a familiar Twilight Zone / Night Gallery vibe. Should be all good things but it ultimately just doesn't deliver on the goods in a memorable way.
Since this one fizzled for me, I want to take the time to put a plug in for Tor shorts. They're offering some amazing, inventive prose for FREE, and the accompanying artwork for each story is sublime. I keep meaning to read more of these. Bookmark this page!
As for a Tor short that I did love -- try this one!
Oh! And karen pimps these shorts regularly and has a whole shelf of them that she's reviewed. I wish I were that voracious and organized. I am feeling inadequate.
thistlechaser's review
1.0
I hated this book so much, I don't even want to write about it now. Usually there's some positive thing in a story that I can focus on, but for Dog there's nothing I liked other than the cover, and I didn't even like that much.
I believed none of the characters -- not a single one, from main to most minor, seemed like a real person.
The plot was unbelievable, from biggest point to smallest.
I disliked the writing ("I got up on the broken safety glass, stood, and began, like a frantic foghorn, to call Jennifer's name.").
The editing/typesetting was awful (endless spacing issues after dialogue tags).
The plot was about some ~~evil~~ supernatural dogs that "helped" people die who were supposed to die. An American couple who seemed straight out of Tumblr ("We were young and loved each other very much. Like two puppies playing in a big back yard someone else took care of (which any First World country is) we were enjoying life as the young should...") went to Mexico to teach English. They decided to take a bus tour to someplace, the bus was on a road that cut straight through the jungle, and lightning hit the road in front of the bus. That's right, lighting ignored all the taller things than the flat ground, and struck the road exactly in front of the bus. This blinded the driver, and the bus rolled through the jungle. The American woman got badly hurt, a compound fracture in her leg. Wild dogs (and/or these supernatural evil dogs) came out of the jungle and tried to drag her off. How'd they do that? Did these dogs try to pull her off by her clothing? Did they bite into her flesh? No. They grabbed her by the bone sticking out of her leg. How in the world does that even make sense?
Mumble mumble grrr.
I believed none of the characters -- not a single one, from main to most minor, seemed like a real person.
The plot was unbelievable, from biggest point to smallest.
I disliked the writing ("I got up on the broken safety glass, stood, and began, like a frantic foghorn, to call Jennifer's name.").
The editing/typesetting was awful (endless spacing issues after dialogue tags).
The plot was about some ~~evil~~ supernatural dogs that "helped" people die who were supposed to die. An American couple who seemed straight out of Tumblr ("We were young and loved each other very much. Like two puppies playing in a big back yard someone else took care of (which any First World country is) we were enjoying life as the young should...") went to Mexico to teach English. They decided to take a bus tour to someplace, the bus was on a road that cut straight through the jungle, and lightning hit the road in front of the bus. That's right, lighting ignored all the taller things than the flat ground, and struck the road exactly in front of the bus. This blinded the driver, and the bus rolled through the jungle. The American woman got badly hurt, a compound fracture in her leg. Wild dogs (and/or these supernatural evil dogs) came out of the jungle and tried to drag her off. How'd they do that? Did these dogs try to pull her off by her clothing? Did they bite into her flesh? No. They grabbed her by the bone sticking out of her leg. How in the world does that even make sense?
Mumble mumble grrr.
goldbirdcages's review
3.0
First part was a bit of a drag but oof! - Part 2 was a kick to the gut. Very Stephen King-esque.
mayzwatson's review
3.0
First part was a bit of a drag but oof! - Part 2 was a kick to the gut. Very Stephen King-esque.
booksandbosox's review
4.0
Very creepy and compelling with lots of great detail. Very much enjoyed this.
lnatal's review
2.0
You may read online Tor.com.
Opening lines:
The god of death, Xolotl, made the Sacred Dog, Itzcuintli, from a sliver of the Bone of Life, from which The People were also made. Upon their death, human beings are led to the afterlife across a great lake by Itzcuintli. Should they hesitate in accepting Death, the Sacred Dog helps them on their way.
—Encyclopedia Archaea
I am not a big fan of horror stories, specially when animals are concerned.
Opening lines:
The god of death, Xolotl, made the Sacred Dog, Itzcuintli, from a sliver of the Bone of Life, from which The People were also made. Upon their death, human beings are led to the afterlife across a great lake by Itzcuintli. Should they hesitate in accepting Death, the Sacred Dog helps them on their way.
—Encyclopedia Archaea
I am not a big fan of horror stories, specially when animals are concerned.
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