Dog Warrior

Rating:
Summary: exciting science fiction thriller
Review: Aliens live among us with the Ortongard and the Pack being two ET species at war with one another because the latter believes that if they don't stop the former, the planet will be transformed into an Ortongard orb as humans merge into a single cell group mind. Ukiah Oregon is the only known soul on earth who is half human and half Pack. The Ortongard want him to breed more of their kind, but he is captured by a cult.

Atticus Steele smells blood and opens a truck to find a dead person, his unknown brother Ukiah Oregon. He knows that with rest and feeding the man will regenerate because he is just like him only he doesn't know his origins and thinks he is a freak". They are tracking the cult for different reasons, but are on the same side as the Ortongard from the cult has stolen weapons that could destroy humanity. Atticus and his new ally and Ukiah and the Pack search for these WMDs before the pandemic occurs.

Wen Spencer writes an exciting science fiction thriller that is especially innovative in a series (this is book four) that has a reputation for originality. The author keeps his tales fresh by introducing an intriguing new character with new developments in the theme that insures the story line is not simply reiterated. The differences between Atticus and Ukiah adds depth as the newcomer is a product of the foster system so he is wary of love while the half breed showers his brother with love. The action is fast-paced and filled with adventure and likable aliens trying to save the earth.

Harriet Klausner


Rating:
Summary: Nature vs Nurture
Review: All parts of Magic Boy may be created equal, but if you think you know how Atticus Steele thinks because you know Ukiah Oregon, you need to read Dog Warrior. Actually, you need to read it anyway.

Dog Warrior is action, mystery and science fiction blended together with well written characters and a nice dash or six of humor. Like with all Wen Spencer books, once you pick it up, you will keep reading until it's gone!

Rating:
Summary: A wild ride
Review: Atticus Steele and his friends always knew he was strange with the abillity to heal from things that kill other people but finding a man who apart from looking younger could be his twin was a shock. The story he is told when the man who is his brother heals is more of one and what he can find out about him makes him wonder weather to trust him at all.
The story only gets faster and more complex after that a good read. I read it in one day.

Rating:
Summary: An Excellent Continuation of the Ukiah Oregon Saga
Review: First, if you haven't read the other 3 books about Ukiah Oregon run out and buy them. While they're not NEEDED to thoroughly enjoy Dog Warrior, you won't want to have to run to a bookstore or wait on them to be shipped to you once you get hooked on Wen Spencer's amazing story.

Secondly, don't start reading before bed the night before you have somewhere to be in the morning. You might not get there. Or you might get there clutching your copy of Dog Warrior and growling at the insensitive people taking you away from your book.

On to the good stuff. Dog Warrior is a wonderfully written book with a concise plot, characters who make you feel for them deeply, and an interesting premise. Though alien invasions have been done to death in science fiction, Wen Spencer has found a new twist to an alien species bent on world domination/destruction.

In all, Dog Warrior is an exciting and enjoyable read, my only complaint about it is that I wish it were longer!


Rating:
Summary: Be prepared to miss sleep!
Review: From the moment the book starts you know something is different. Instead of Ukiah, the book opens from the viewpoint of Atticus Steel. Atticus we soon learn has the same amazing abilities that Ukiah has. Like Ukiah at the start of Alien Taste Atticus knows only that he is different, but not how or why he has abilities no one else seems to have.

In Dog Warrior, Wen Spencer shows that she can keep a series fresh even after three previous books. More of the background is revealed and some questions are answered only to open up new questions. Atticus and Ukiah also reveal in different ways that even those with amazing abilities can still be human, often much to their own dismay (When you have utterly perfect memory, every painful moment of your past is a mere reminder away).

Unlike Alien Taste, Tainted Trail, or Bitter Waters, Dog Warrior is told primarily from Atticus's point of view, not Ukiah's. Even if Ukiah and Atticus share the same genes and powers, we quickly learn that they have grown into different personalities. Ukiah's Mothers allowed him to grow up without losing his innocence. In Alien Taste Ukiah is still passing from childhood into adulthood, and in Dog Warrior we are reminded how little time has passed in the series as Atticus sees the child that is still in Ukiah's personality. Atticus however did not have nearly as easy a childhood. When he is found as a young child he is slips into the care of the state, passing from one foster home to another, never having the chance to form lasting family ties. Unlike Ukiah, Atticus is forced by life to give up his childhood and seize control of his life.

With a new and subtly deadly drug on the street, a cult that is engaged in a hidden war, and a collision of government agencies, Atticus and Ukiah must decide whether they are family or foes. Neither quite trusting the other they each set out doing as they feel they must as the story unfolds with hardly a moment of rest.

I can easily give Dog Warrior five stars. One I started reading it was difficult to stop for any reason. Even better Wen Spencer writes books that are a pleasure to reread; each time subtle details emerge showing not just clues to events to occur in the current book, but also ties between each of the books. By the time I finished Dog Warrior it was no longer late at night, it was early morning. Wen Spencer owes me several hours of missed sleep, but I will be more than happy to take payment in future books.


Rating:
Summary: Just gets better
Review: I must admit that when I dicovered that Dog Warrior was to be from another POV, I was somewhat disappointed. After reading Alien Taste, Tainted Trail, and Bitter Waters I wanted to know more of Ukiah's story, not someone else.

However, everything that I have read from Wen Spencer has exceeded my expectations, and she did not disappoint me this time. Even though much of the story is seen from Atticus Steel's POV, I felt like I learned even more about Ukiah. The action is non-stop excitement, but the characters resonated deeply with me.

Bottom line: This book expands the series and grows the characters in ways that make me want more. Highly recommended.

Rating:
Summary: Wen Spencer just keeps getting better....
Review: Three "Ukiah Oregon" books ago, Wen Spencer was a new novelist with an engaging character and some new novelist faux pas under her belt. I still read "Alien Taste" in one sitting and went out and got the next two books.

The first thing I will say about Book Four is you don't need the first three books to read and understand it. But, I believe you will be so engaged by Ukiah Oregon's story that you will WANT them.

In this novel, Ukiah Oregon discovers he has a big brother. While the feeling of not being the only one is good, neither brother can trust the other.

Strongly recommend you read this book when you have several hours to devote to it. You will not want to put it down.



Rating:
Summary: Ukiah from a different POV
Review: Wen Spencer is one of my favorite authors. Her books are all well written and tightly plotted tales which, happily, following finite story arcs unlike some authors who will remain nameless, but y'all know who I'm talking about. One of the most appealing aspects is watching the main character grow and change through the initial books in the series and people who start with this one would only later come to realize the sheer pleasure of seeing Ukiah from a new POV. While this book is complete enough to stand alone and will certainly draw in people new to the Ukiah Oregon series, I would advise new readers to start with book one and work their way to book 4. Enjoy them all.

Rating:
Summary: A Full and Satisfying Meal
Review: Wen Spencer is one of those rare authors who can write a series, with each book being a full and satifying meal. In Dog Warrior, the fourth in the Ukiah Oregon series, we again get to hang out with the innocent/wise boy/man Ukiah, as he struggles to save himself and the human race. This time things are complicated by his discovery of his "brother" Atticus, who, at one time, literally, was the same person. (What a provocative plot point--something Wen is becoming known for.) When you're done relishing the Ukiah books, you'd be foolish if you didn't read the first book in Wen's other series, Tinker (my personal favorite), about a girl genius living in a Pittsburg which is transferred to an alternate Earth for 29 days out of each month. There is something about Wen's writing that reminds me of Lois McMaster Bujold's. Both create characters that feel real, that you wish were real. Their writing styles don't simply draw you in--they leap from the page and create their worlds around you. Engaging, different, satisfying. Start reading her books now--this is what a Master looks like at the beginning of her career.

Rating:
Summary: More Breakneck Adventure
Review: Wen Spencer's trademark is her blistering pacing, and her incredible creative twists, both in plotting and characters' self-discovery.

And Dog Warrior, the fourth installment in Spencer's Ukiah Oregon series, doesn't disappoint in any way. Like all the others in the series, I strongly suggest giving yourself sufficient free time to be able to read it in one sitting -- because you won't want to put it down.

While I highly recommend reading the rest of the series first, it's primarily because I highly recommend the series *grin*. If you haven't read Alien Taste, Tainted Trail and Bitter Waters, you will be missing lots of subtle adventures, and may find the immensely creative universe where Ukiah lives a bit disorienting at first, but Spencer slips in enough back story to get the reader through it without too much trouble, and impressively enough, without slowing down the pace of the book at all.

Wen introduces a new viewpoint character in this book -- Atticus Steele, who is another, and more mature (joined human society more than a decade before Ukiah's moms "found" Ukiah), piece of Magic Boy.

The multiple-viewpoints are a stylistic departure for Spencer, but one which she handles with ease and seemingly effortless comfort.

Overall, a great addition to a truly outstanding series -- and one gaining in recognition and popularity.