Since Everyone’s Talking About Dogs Lately…
...I figured I'd butt in with my un-asked-for opinion on my favorite dog-themed novels.
First rule: Werewolf books don't count. But if they did...
The Wolf's Hour by Robert McCammon
Wolf Land by Jonathan Janz
St. Peter's Wolf by Michael Cadnum
Second rule: The dog has to be a main character. It can't just be a book with a random dog in it.
Third rule: No Cujo talk. We've already read that.
In my mind, there are two that are head and shoulders above the rest: Dogsbody by Diana Wynne Jones, and The Secret Life of Souls by Jack Ketchum & Lucky McKee.
Dogsbody by Diana Wynne Jones
If the author's name sounds familiar, it's either because she was crazy prolific (wrote over 40 books), was a perennial award winner (nominated for the Locus award 11 times), or because she wrote Howl's Moving Castle. My introduction to her work was via Neil Gaiman's non-fiction, where he frequently lauds Jones's work. Dogsbody tells the story of Sirius, a celestial being, who is punished and sent to earth to live out its life as a dog. What follows is a unique story, with an emotional complexity not usually seen in children's literature. Oh, did I mention it's a children's book? Don't let that deter you. This book will challenge you both emotionally and intellectually.
The Secret Life of Souls by Jack Ketchum & Lucky McKee
I know what you're thinking, "But Jason, Red is Ketchum's best dog book." No. It isn't. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE Red. It's an extremely powerful story, and definitely one of Ketchum's best books, but The Secret Life of Souls IS Ketchum's best book. Ok...debatable (The Girl Next Door). Alright, so the guy wrote a lot of good books (sigh). Being deliberately vague, here is a family drama that pulls you in immediately and does NOT let go. You will hate the villain as much as you've ever hated a villain, and you will love the dog as much as you've ever loved a dog. Add to that, an extremely satisfying ending. Anyway, The Secret Life of Souls was Ketchum's final work, and was released with little fanfare. This is where you come in. Trust me. Read it. Pass it on.
By Jason Cavallaro
Twitter: @pinheadspawn
