Dogland

Rating:
Summary: A rich, complex, thought-provoking look at race relations.
Review: An avid reader, I can nonetheless say this is the most rewarding book I've read in quite some time. From the book jacket description, I expected a simple tale about a family establishing a tourist attraction. What I got, however, was an enormously rich and complex look at race relations in the American South at the beginning of the 1960s. The narrator, an adult retelling events perceived as a child, presents the story in a magical way that is innocent and yet wise. The rest of the ensemble are as skillfully drawn; no character is entirely black or white (in terms of character or race), rendering them believable and thought-provoking. It's not every day one finds an author with the ability to develop such characters.

Issues are introduced by events that are conveyed in just enough detail to make you put the book down for a while and consider them. Add to that a hint of fantasy and supernatural, and you're left with a book that leads your mind beyond the boundaries of its covers. As I read the last page, my first instinct was to turn the book over and begin reading it again.

Rating:
Summary: A Southern Slice of Magical Realism
Review: I read about half of this 400+ page book in one day. (It was September 11, 2001, which should give you a hint about why.) This is that kind of absorbing work. It's about passages and transformations. A naturally-selfish and self-absorbed four-year-old becomes a slightly-less-so seven year old. A possible or actual affair tears a family apart, before it is tenously drawn back together. The time-bomb Eisenhower era ticks into the explosive sixties. And those who hate change lash out. Meanwhile, dieties and devils drift through the text, sometimes identifiable, sometimes not. (This is a good book to read with Gaiman's "American Gods" -- some of the same "characters" show up in both books.) And it's all told with the kind of simple-yet-beautiful prose that's the hardest kind of writing to pull off. The story is worth reading just to meet the best character, Luke Nix -- a dreamer yet a gritty realist, an unfair tyrant of a father yet a man of breathtaking courage and conviction. Read it if you want to get away for a while.

Rating:
Summary: A Southern Slice of Magical Realism
Review: I read about half of this 400+ page book in one day. (It was September 11, 2001, which should give you a hint about why.) This is that kind of absorbing work. It's about passages and transformations. A naturally-selfish and self-absorbed four-year-old becomes a slightly-less-so seven year old. A possible or actual affair tears a family apart, before it is tenously drawn back together. The time-bomb Eisenhower era ticks into the explosive sixties. And those who hate change lash out. Meanwhile, dieties and devils drift through the text, sometimes identifiable, sometimes not. (This is a good book to read with Gaiman's "American Gods" -- some of the same "characters" show up in both books.) And it's all told with the kind of simple-yet-beautiful prose that's the hardest kind of writing to pull off. The story is worth reading just to meet the best character, Luke Nix -- a dreamer yet a gritty realist, an unfair tyrant of a father yet a man of breathtaking courage and conviction. Read it if you want to get away for a while.

Rating:
Summary: An introductory comment
Review: Sooner or later, I suspect, all writers write a work that they think may be the best thing they'll ever do. _Dogland_ is mine. I'm delighted that readers and reviewers seem to appreciate this book. Ellen Kushner, host of public radio's _Sound & Spirit_, called _Dogland_ "A masterwork. A particularly American magic realism that touches the heart of race and childhood in our country; it's _100 Years of Solitude_ for an entire generation of American Baby Boomers, and deserves the widest possible audience." The _Publishers Weekly_ review concluded, "A deceptively simple story, rich with complex characters and timeless themes, this novel will charm enthusiasts of contemporary fantasy." _Kirkus_ concluded, "Compelling, absorbing, hard-edged work, lit by glimpses of another, more fantastic reality: reminiscent of top-notch Orson Scott Card, child-centered but tackling adult themes fearlessly and with great charm." No writer could hope for a better reception than that

Rating:
Summary: Pleasant but not very substantial
Review: The strong point of this book is the believability of the main characters, as well as its lyrical language. I found the protagonist and his parents to be especially well drawn, and the conflict between the protagonist, a young boy, and his father to be credible. However, this book just didn't seem to go anywhere. I needed some significant plot, and it wasn't in evidence at all. I was hoping the boy would learn something growing up, but he didn't that I could tell.

Rating:
Summary: An excellent weaving of magic into ordinary lives
Review: This book can be read on so many levels. You have the coming-of-age story, which alone would make the book worthwhile, but delicately introduced (and so subtly that many will probably miss it on the first read) is the element of magic. Will Shetterly is an excellent writer, and this is his masterwork.

Rating:
Summary: A rich, complex, thought-provoking look at race relations.
Review: This is another boonie dog book review by Wolfie and Kansas. The title of Will Shetterly's novel "Dogland" refers to a tourist attraction in early 1960's Florida, a sort of dog zoo where tourists can view several dozen breeds of dogs. Given this title, we expected a canicentric plot. Unfortunately, for about ninety percent of the book, Dogland may as well have been Pet Rock Land. Even minor human characters were developed far more fully than any of the dogs.

Instead of being a dog story, "Dogland" is yet another coming-of-age tale about a human puppy. While we boonie dogs are not thrilled about this genre, this once we are kind of glad that the author used a doggish title to get this book into our paws. Shetterly made the time, place, and human characters interesting enough to hold our attention until the dogs at long last took center stage.

Rating:
Summary: Pet Rock Land?
Review: This is another boonie dog book review by Wolfie and Kansas. The title of Will Shetterly's novel "Dogland" refers to a tourist attraction in early 1960's Florida, a sort of dog zoo where tourists can view several dozen breeds of dogs. Given this title, we expected a canicentric plot. Unfortunately, for about ninety percent of the book, Dogland may as well have been Pet Rock Land. Even minor human characters were developed far more fully than any of the dogs.

Instead of being a dog story, "Dogland" is yet another coming-of-age tale about a human puppy. While we boonie dogs are not thrilled about this genre, this once we are kind of glad that the author used a doggish title to get this book into our paws. Shetterly made the time, place, and human characters interesting enough to hold our attention until the dogs at long last took center stage.