Rating: 
Summary: fun, but shallow
Review: "Top Dog" is the story of William Bogart "Bogey" Ingersol, a morally-challenged businessman, who wakes up as a large dog running through a forest. He soon learns he's stumbled into a cliche fantasy world, during the final battle between Good and Evil. It's fun to have a person who doesn't automatically reject Evil, and Bogey's adjustment to his new body puts an interesting spin on the story. There is also a moral message: Good is good, Evil is evil, big business and lawyers are often on the side of Evil, and riches aren't really worth much if you're not Good. This is not earthshaking news.Fun though "Top Dog" is, it's nothing very special. The basic story has been done hundreds of times, often much better. Caroll's fantasy world, though realistic enough to be grubby (thank goodness!), never becomes fully real; whole towns can burn, and we don't care, because the inhabitants seem like plot devices, not people. The Fair Lands remain a sketchy backdrop for the characters -- Bogey, a bumbling inventor, an angel, an evil wizard, and the devil -- who are themselves thinly disguised cliches. (Note: the only significant female character in "Top Dog" is Bogey's rich, spoiled wife, seen in flashbacks to Bogey's life in our world.) The moral issues are drawn in a very simplistic, black-or-white manner. While the question of why god allows evil is raised, it is never satisfactorily addressed; Caroll sidesteps it with a climactic battle and Bogey's personal moral reformation. And that reformation...despite his constant talk of costs and benefits over morals, I never quite believed Bogey would join Evil. Since he makes such an issue of choosing sides, I hoped that either he would be more of a stinker, or that Caroll would show Evil as the seductive, adaptive, terrifying force it really is. No such luck, unfortunately; it becomes a bad cartoon. Basically, "Top Dog" is a minor, though amusing, variation on a very standard plot. It's not bad, not by a long shot, but it could have been a lot better.
Rating: 
Summary: A very amusing and intelligent satire.
Review: "Top Dog" is an excellent example of what great
fiction should be: creative, amusing,
completely immersive, yet containing the
seeds of some very serious ideas. It makes
for some wonderful reading, and in the end,
is actually quite thought provoking as well.
Our hero, a wall-street raider with a razor
mind and a weak set of ethics, wakes up to find himself incarnated as a huge shaggy dog. That's bad enough, but he's apparently been relocated to a new planet as well, complete with talking animals and storybook characters. Good news: he's a valued asset in this new home. Bad news: Satan is the one doing the valuing. In short
order, our dog friend must learn his way around
this magical world, which is enmeshed in a titanic battle between Good and Evil. Now, if
only he could determine which would give him
the best return on investment.
A very intelligent, playful and ultimately
serious read. I recommend it to anyone who
is looking for something out of the ordinary
this summer.
Rating:
Summary: fun, but shallow
Review: "Top Dog" is the story of William Bogart "Bogey" Ingersol, a morally-challenged businessman, who wakes up as a large dog running through a forest. He soon learns he's stumbled into a cliche fantasy world, during the final battle between Good and Evil. It's fun to have a person who doesn't automatically reject Evil, and Bogey's adjustment to his new body puts an interesting spin on the story. There is also a moral message: Good is good, Evil is evil, big business and lawyers are often on the side of Evil, and riches aren't really worth much if you're not Good. This is not earthshaking news. Fun though "Top Dog" is, it's nothing very special. The basic story has been done hundreds of times, often much better. Caroll's fantasy world, though realistic enough to be grubby (thank goodness!), never becomes fully real; whole towns can burn, and we don't care, because the inhabitants seem like plot devices, not people. The Fair Lands remain a sketchy backdrop for the characters -- Bogey, a bumbling inventor, an angel, an evil wizard, and the devil -- who are themselves thinly disguised cliches. (Note: the only significant female character in "Top Dog" is Bogey's rich, spoiled wife, seen in flashbacks to Bogey's life in our world.) The moral issues are drawn in a very simplistic, black-or-white manner. While the question of why god allows evil is raised, it is never satisfactorily addressed; Caroll sidesteps it with a climactic battle and Bogey's personal moral reformation. And that reformation...despite his constant talk of costs and benefits over morals, I never quite believed Bogey would join Evil. Since he makes such an issue of choosing sides, I hoped that either he would be more of a stinker, or that Caroll would show Evil as the seductive, adaptive, terrifying force it really is. No such luck, unfortunately; it becomes a bad cartoon. Basically, "Top Dog" is a minor, though amusing, variation on a very standard plot. It's not bad, not by a long shot, but it could have been a lot better.
Rating:
Summary: fun, but shallow
Review: "Top Dog" is the story of William Bogart "Bogey" Ingersol, a morally-challenged businessman, who wakes up as a large dog running through a forest. He soon learns he's stumbled into a cliche fantasy world, during the final battle between Good and Evil. It's fun to have a person who doesn't automatically reject Evil, and Bogey's adjustment to his new body puts an interesting spin on the story. There is also a moral message: Good is good, Evil is evil, big business and lawyers are often on the side of Evil, and riches aren't really worth much if you're not Good. This is not earthshaking news. Fun though "Top Dog" is, it's nothing very special. The basic story has been done hundreds of times, often much better. Caroll's fantasy world, though realistic enough to be grubby (thank goodness!), never becomes fully real; whole towns can burn, and we don't care, because the inhabitants seem like plot devices, not people. The Fair Lands remain a sketchy backdrop for the characters -- Bogey, a bumbling inventor, an angel, an evil wizard, and the devil -- who are themselves thinly disguised cliches. (Note: the only significant female character in "Top Dog" is Bogey's rich, spoiled wife, seen in flashbacks to Bogey's life in our world.) The moral issues are drawn in a very simplistic, black-or-white manner. While the question of why god allows evil is raised, it is never satisfactorily addressed; Caroll sidesteps it with a climactic battle and Bogey's personal moral reformation. And that reformation...despite his constant talk of costs and benefits over morals, I never quite believed Bogey would join Evil. Since he makes such an issue of choosing sides, I hoped that either he would be more of a stinker, or that Caroll would show Evil as the seductive, adaptive, terrifying force it really is. No such luck, unfortunately; it becomes a bad cartoon. Basically, "Top Dog" is a minor, though amusing, variation on a very standard plot. It's not bad, not by a long shot, but it could have been a lot better.
Rating:
Summary: I loved this book!!!
Review: A Person from our universe transported to fantasy world. Sounds a bit familiar, right? Well, this is one of these books - with a twist. The twist? Our hero, Bill Ingersol isn't an average person - he's a wall street shark - who's still not sure whether to go with the good guys or the bad guys. And he's also been turned to a dog - no human can understand what he's trying to say. This sounds intriguing, I'm certain - and indeed, the book delivers what's promised! The writing is witty and original, the hero is certainly not the classic hero type, and the book ends before you realize it, it's that good! Now I'm sorry I haven't bought the second book already.. have to wait till I get it! So - go get "Top Dog", you're going to love it!
Rating:
Summary: A top notch read!
Review: A roller-coaster ride through an astonishing world. Jerry Jay Carroll effortlessly plants you in the middle of a breathtaking adventure -- completely implausible and yet thoroughly believable and engaging, thanks to his gifted writing. It reminded me of the opening moments of the film "The Fugitive" - you begin on the edge of your seat and never get off it through the rest of the book. Michael Crighton's (later) book TIMELINE borrows much of Carroll's theme: an unexpected trip to another era, where brutal reality is confronted and life and death decisions are commonplace. Couldn't put this one down. His sequel DOG EAT DOG is even better. INHUMAN BEINGS, while written in an entirely different genre, is also outstanding. I say, order everything Carroll's written and take them all on vacation with you. You won't be sorrow.
Rating:
Summary: A top notch read!
Review: A roller-coaster ride through an astonishing world. Jerry Jay Carroll effortlessly plants you in the middle of a breathtaking adventure -- completely implausible and yet thoroughly believable and engaging, thanks to his gifted writing. It reminded me of the opening moments of the film "The Fugitive" - you begin on the edge of your seat and never get off it through the rest of the book. Michael Crighton's (later) book TIMELINE borrows much of Carroll's theme: an unexpected trip to another era, where brutal reality is confronted and life and death decisions are commonplace. Couldn't put this one down. His sequel DOG EAT DOG is even better. INHUMAN BEINGS, while written in an entirely different genre, is also outstanding. I say, order everything Carroll's written and take them all on vacation with you. You won't be sorrow.
Rating:
Summary: Sly, quirky tale--masterfully told.
Review: After reading (and very much enjoying) this author's book "Inhuman Beings", I had to go out and find more of his writings. This story, the prequel to his current "Dog Eat Dog", had me smiling and reading with a sense of glee. The story may be one we've heard before, but never quite told with the hero (anti-hero?) having such a unique perspective. And Jerry Jay Carroll is one of the most entertaining storytellers to come along in the past few years.
Rating:
Summary: Sly, quirky tale--masterfully told.
Review: After reading (and very much enjoying) this author's book "Inhuman Beings", I had to go out and find more of his writings. This story, the prequel to his current "Dog Eat Dog", had me smiling and reading with a sense of glee. The story may be one we've heard before, but never quite told with the hero (anti-hero?) having such a unique perspective. And Jerry Jay Carroll is one of the most entertaining storytellers to come along in the past few years.
Rating: 
Summary: Just not quite there
Review: Although I found the premise of this book promising -- a human wakes up as a dog in a fantasy world -- I couldn't even finish it. The writing style was one of my least favorite, being terse with virtually no descriptions, and little emotion. The main character was unlikeable, shallow and predictable. From the beginning I was rather irritated as the behaviour of the animals, take the wolves for example, was not not realistic. It was frustrating as the book had such great potential, but didn't quite get there.
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