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Dogs of God
A tale of malevolence and violence, this "stunning novel" (New York Times Book Review) is the story of Tannhauser, a crazed backswoodsman turned drug lord, and the idiosyncratic characters who are enticed into his destructive orbit.
368 pages, Paperback
First published December 1, 1993
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593 people want to read
About the author
Pinckney Benedict
25 books58 followersPinckney Benedict (b. 1964) is an American short-story writer and novelist whose work often reflects his Appalachian background.
Benedict grew up on his family’s dairy farm in Greenbrier County, West Virginia. He graduated from Princeton University, where he studied primarily with Joyce Carol Oates, in 1986, and from the Writers’ Workshop at the University of Iowa in 1988.
He has published three collections of short fiction, Miracle Boy and Other Stories, Town Smokes, and The Wrecking Yard and a novel Dogs of God, the last three of which were named Notable Books by The New York Times, and all of which have been published in England, Germany, and France. He has another book, Wild Bleeding Heart (a novel, due out in 2010).
His stories have appeared in, among other magazines and anthologies, Esquire, Zoetrope: All-Story, StoryQuarterly, Ontario Review, Appalachian Heritage, the O. Henry Award series (twice), the New Stories from the South series (twice), the Pushcart Prize series (three times), and The Oxford Book of American Short Stories. Along with his wife, the novelist Laura Benedict, he has edited the poetry and fiction anthology Surreal South (Press 53 2007), which includes work from, among others, Robert Olen Butler, Joyce Carol Oates, William Gay, Ron Rash, and Rodney Jones.
He wrote the screenplay for the feature film Four Days (Cite Amerique 2000), which starred Colm Meaney (The Commitments, television’s Star Trek: The Next Generation), Lolita Davidovich (Blaze), and William Forsythe (The Rock).
Benedict grew up on his family’s dairy farm in Greenbrier County, West Virginia. He graduated from Princeton University, where he studied primarily with Joyce Carol Oates, in 1986, and from the Writers’ Workshop at the University of Iowa in 1988.
He has published three collections of short fiction, Miracle Boy and Other Stories, Town Smokes, and The Wrecking Yard and a novel Dogs of God, the last three of which were named Notable Books by The New York Times, and all of which have been published in England, Germany, and France. He has another book, Wild Bleeding Heart (a novel, due out in 2010).
His stories have appeared in, among other magazines and anthologies, Esquire, Zoetrope: All-Story, StoryQuarterly, Ontario Review, Appalachian Heritage, the O. Henry Award series (twice), the New Stories from the South series (twice), the Pushcart Prize series (three times), and The Oxford Book of American Short Stories. Along with his wife, the novelist Laura Benedict, he has edited the poetry and fiction anthology Surreal South (Press 53 2007), which includes work from, among others, Robert Olen Butler, Joyce Carol Oates, William Gay, Ron Rash, and Rodney Jones.
He wrote the screenplay for the feature film Four Days (Cite Amerique 2000), which starred Colm Meaney (The Commitments, television’s Star Trek: The Next Generation), Lolita Davidovich (Blaze), and William Forsythe (The Rock).
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May 8, 2025
RESERVOIR DOGS - LE IENE
Pubblicato nel 1994, questo è il primo romanzo di un autore già noto per i suoi racconti.
All’epoca fu considerato un’altra ‘next big thing’, ma così non è stato: mi pare che la sua carriera non abbia seguito quella che sembrava un’inarrestabile parabola ascendente.
Se non sbaglio, in Italia non è mai stato tradotto.
Fondamentale l’ambientazione, la zona dei monti Appalachi, la West Virginia, dove Benedict è nato e cresciuto.
E fondamentale mi pare l’influenza di Joyce Carol Oates, che di Benedict è stata docente di scrittura.
Villaggio minerario (carbone) sui monti Appalachi.
Thriller anomalo, è popolato di personaggi che non è facile incontrare per strada nella vita di tutti i giorni: il protagonista che vive facendo incontri di pugilato a mani nude; trafficanti d’armi, agenti della DEA (Drug Enforcement Agency), ex piloti di elicottero reduci dalla guerra del Vietnam, un eremita che vive nella foresta, un autostoppista che deruba i suoi soccorritori, indiani Mingo che crescono piantagioni di marijuana… Una fauna umana inquieta, e inquietante.
Il locale boss dello spaccio si chiama Tannhauser, ricorda molto Kurtz, e ha sei dita per ciascuna mano.
West Virginia Scenic Drive.
Seppure ambientato ai giorni nostri, è forte la sensazione di un mondo di frontiera, la stessa mitica frontiera così importante nella cultura yankee.
E poi wilderness, violenza, testosterone, uomini che non si sono allontanati molto dal mondo selvaggio, il cui senso morale non è granché diverso da quello di un bestia.
”Four Days” il film del 1999 scritto da Pinckney Benedict, diretto da Curtis Wehrfritz, con Colm Meaney, Lolita Davidovich e William ‘Cockeye’ Forsythe.
Pubblicato nel 1994, questo è il primo romanzo di un autore già noto per i suoi racconti.
All’epoca fu considerato un’altra ‘next big thing’, ma così non è stato: mi pare che la sua carriera non abbia seguito quella che sembrava un’inarrestabile parabola ascendente.
Se non sbaglio, in Italia non è mai stato tradotto.
Fondamentale l’ambientazione, la zona dei monti Appalachi, la West Virginia, dove Benedict è nato e cresciuto.
E fondamentale mi pare l’influenza di Joyce Carol Oates, che di Benedict è stata docente di scrittura.
Villaggio minerario (carbone) sui monti Appalachi.
Thriller anomalo, è popolato di personaggi che non è facile incontrare per strada nella vita di tutti i giorni: il protagonista che vive facendo incontri di pugilato a mani nude; trafficanti d’armi, agenti della DEA (Drug Enforcement Agency), ex piloti di elicottero reduci dalla guerra del Vietnam, un eremita che vive nella foresta, un autostoppista che deruba i suoi soccorritori, indiani Mingo che crescono piantagioni di marijuana… Una fauna umana inquieta, e inquietante.
Il locale boss dello spaccio si chiama Tannhauser, ricorda molto Kurtz, e ha sei dita per ciascuna mano.
West Virginia Scenic Drive.
Seppure ambientato ai giorni nostri, è forte la sensazione di un mondo di frontiera, la stessa mitica frontiera così importante nella cultura yankee.
E poi wilderness, violenza, testosterone, uomini che non si sono allontanati molto dal mondo selvaggio, il cui senso morale non è granché diverso da quello di un bestia.
”Four Days” il film del 1999 scritto da Pinckney Benedict, diretto da Curtis Wehrfritz, con Colm Meaney, Lolita Davidovich e William ‘Cockeye’ Forsythe.
April 30, 2020
let's see if i still remember how to write a decent book review...
of the five of my goodreads.com friends and "friends" who have read this, all of them have given it five stars, but not one of them has bothered to write a review. so i guess this makes it my responsibility, but i apologize for the timing of this, because i have been in a real rut lately when it comes to writing reviews. i have been boring even myself over here. but i will try to do this one justice, because it was a fantastic read.
this was recommended in the RA group as a good literary horror novel. so as i was reading it, i had certain expectations, and every time something eventful would happen, i would be on the edge of my seat, waiting for the horror.
it is not a horror novel.
it is a novel in which horrible things happen, but don't expect any supernatural ghoulies or anything. it is just a really well-written west virginia crime story in which creepy, potentially supernatural things circle the text, but never actually enter it. this is just kill or be killed backwoods violence; what lee k.abbott calls "writing from the sharp and serious end of the stick" (and i wonder if he is sad his name is misspelled on the back cover)
it is a third-person, multi-character novel - we are perched above the action, watching it all unfold underneath us, helplessly swept away as cause leads to effect leads to massive and spectacular ending.
not too shabby for a first novel.
this falls under the eloquent-yet-terse category of these kinds of stories. benedict is not afraid to use his words, and there are some lovely poetic descriptions in here, but just as many things that are only hinted at and left to the imagination. it is a perfect balance of lovely and revolting. definitely my kind of book.
if i could say more without giving too much away, i would. if i ever get my review-mojo back, maybe i will return and do a better job on this one. or maybe mike reynolds could take care of this - we count on you, you know...
and because i love lists:
scary dogs
anchorite
crazy cult
sexy lady
marijuana
broken bones
dead bodies
secret caves
gravestone snuggle
kabooms
come to my blog!
of the five of my goodreads.com friends and "friends" who have read this, all of them have given it five stars, but not one of them has bothered to write a review. so i guess this makes it my responsibility, but i apologize for the timing of this, because i have been in a real rut lately when it comes to writing reviews. i have been boring even myself over here. but i will try to do this one justice, because it was a fantastic read.
this was recommended in the RA group as a good literary horror novel. so as i was reading it, i had certain expectations, and every time something eventful would happen, i would be on the edge of my seat, waiting for the horror.
it is not a horror novel.
it is a novel in which horrible things happen, but don't expect any supernatural ghoulies or anything. it is just a really well-written west virginia crime story in which creepy, potentially supernatural things circle the text, but never actually enter it. this is just kill or be killed backwoods violence; what lee k.abbott calls "writing from the sharp and serious end of the stick" (and i wonder if he is sad his name is misspelled on the back cover)
it is a third-person, multi-character novel - we are perched above the action, watching it all unfold underneath us, helplessly swept away as cause leads to effect leads to massive and spectacular ending.
not too shabby for a first novel.
this falls under the eloquent-yet-terse category of these kinds of stories. benedict is not afraid to use his words, and there are some lovely poetic descriptions in here, but just as many things that are only hinted at and left to the imagination. it is a perfect balance of lovely and revolting. definitely my kind of book.
if i could say more without giving too much away, i would. if i ever get my review-mojo back, maybe i will return and do a better job on this one. or maybe mike reynolds could take care of this - we count on you, you know...
and because i love lists:
scary dogs
anchorite
crazy cult
sexy lady
marijuana
broken bones
dead bodies
secret caves
gravestone snuggle
kabooms
come to my blog!
February 11, 2008
Imagine a suicidal goth-obsessed Eastern European director wants to remake Any Which Way You Can. But the studio, in sending him the script, manages somehow to interleave the pages with parts of Deliverance, High Risk, and Cheech and Chong's Up in Smoke. The director receives the script, reads it, thinks it's a work of avant-garde genius, and films it.
Pinckney Benedict has written the novelization of that nonexistent film and called it Dogs of God. Vulgar, brutal, unassuming, twisted, and intensely fascinating in all the right places, Benedict has taken the modern-primitive concept, applied it in novel form, and succeeded all too well. A profoundly disturbing book, on my top 15 reads of '99 list.
Pinckney Benedict has written the novelization of that nonexistent film and called it Dogs of God. Vulgar, brutal, unassuming, twisted, and intensely fascinating in all the right places, Benedict has taken the modern-primitive concept, applied it in novel form, and succeeded all too well. A profoundly disturbing book, on my top 15 reads of '99 list.
April 13, 2012
saw this on offer at one penny on amazon and Karen (& others) say it's great, so have ordered. It's got dogs though...
...good,good, good, but fucking dogs everywhere. Malamutes now. I never want to live in rural USA. If I visit I want to take an armed guard.
A superbly written novel that hooks you from the start. It bursts with memorable characters like the charismatic (mad?) Tannhauser, the leader of a marijuana growing gang, and Peanut the hitchhiker who evades several awful fates by luck (including being eaten by rampant wild hogs). Maybe the women are not quite as well drawn. It certainly has a masculine checklist, if I may be so sexist - all guns and trucks and dogs and fights (boxing, kind of) and aeroplanes and helicopters. Not usually my thing, but the writing is a dream, with wonderful set pieces. For example the truck crash chapter (which could stand alone as a story) is superb, like watching a film where you’re at the wheel and can do nothing to stop the mayhem about to happen. The sound of the crash is like a giant man digging his thumbs deep into your ears, way back in where it is waxy and dark and it is so sensitive that you can’t bear anyone to touch. Or that same place, if a bug were in there, a big black beetle, and its wings were beating against your eardrum a hundred times a second, and there was no way to get it out but to go in after it with something long and thin and pointed, something sharp made out of steel. Brilliant too on the aftermath for one of the survivors, who goes around grinning and describing the scene with its bodies and crushed metal to anyone around, ignoring his busted leg and those shocked by his excitement. ‘I’m not smiling,’ he says smiling.
I raced through this and enjoyed. There are some unexpected elements too, like the strange but fitting end which maybe
Like Simon A. Smith it was a bit too adventure/macho style for my tastes (I'm a wimp) but I was pleased to have read it and been so hooked for several days. Is there a film? There should be, it’s so cinematic.
...good,good, good, but fucking dogs everywhere. Malamutes now. I never want to live in rural USA. If I visit I want to take an armed guard.
A superbly written novel that hooks you from the start. It bursts with memorable characters like the charismatic (mad?) Tannhauser, the leader of a marijuana growing gang, and Peanut the hitchhiker who evades several awful fates by luck (including being eaten by rampant wild hogs). Maybe the women are not quite as well drawn. It certainly has a masculine checklist, if I may be so sexist - all guns and trucks and dogs and fights (boxing, kind of) and aeroplanes and helicopters. Not usually my thing, but the writing is a dream, with wonderful set pieces. For example the truck crash chapter (which could stand alone as a story) is superb, like watching a film where you’re at the wheel and can do nothing to stop the mayhem about to happen. The sound of the crash is like a giant man digging his thumbs deep into your ears, way back in where it is waxy and dark and it is so sensitive that you can’t bear anyone to touch. Or that same place, if a bug were in there, a big black beetle, and its wings were beating against your eardrum a hundred times a second, and there was no way to get it out but to go in after it with something long and thin and pointed, something sharp made out of steel. Brilliant too on the aftermath for one of the survivors, who goes around grinning and describing the scene with its bodies and crushed metal to anyone around, ignoring his busted leg and those shocked by his excitement. ‘I’m not smiling,’ he says smiling.
I raced through this and enjoyed. There are some unexpected elements too, like the strange but fitting end which maybe
Like Simon A. Smith it was a bit too adventure/macho style for my tastes (I'm a wimp) but I was pleased to have read it and been so hooked for several days. Is there a film? There should be, it’s so cinematic.
October 9, 2025
I found Benedict's earlier short story collection, The Wrecking Yard, to contain very captivating and compelling tales, so I was curious to see if this Appalachian Gothic style would translate well to a full-length novel.
Luckily, YES it does. So many developed characters, with cleverly intersecting plot lines in a complex setting. The story is thrilling, driven by a mysterious landscape and the secret alliances of its characters. It resolves through utter destruction, chaos, highlighting the hubris of the characters involved in the facilitation and/or investigation/destruction of an unsuccessful drug business, built on a patch of land with a tenuous and storied history.
Dogs, hounds, malamutes to be specific, are a recurring motif throughout the story, as well as the power and influence of religion. These add depth to the overall gothic vibe created, increasing the mystery, as well as emphasizing the deep connection the story has with the natural landscape it occurs within: caves, fields, mountains, forests, surrounded by many animals - the titular "dogs of god" obviously included, plus a special guest appearance from 30-50 feral hogs.
Disappointed to see this is his only novel (?) Found it to be vividly written, engrossing not despite of but because of the many unanswered questions it poses, a commentary and a cautionary tale.
Luckily, YES it does. So many developed characters, with cleverly intersecting plot lines in a complex setting. The story is thrilling, driven by a mysterious landscape and the secret alliances of its characters. It resolves through utter destruction, chaos, highlighting the hubris of the characters involved in the facilitation and/or investigation/destruction of an unsuccessful drug business, built on a patch of land with a tenuous and storied history.
Dogs, hounds, malamutes to be specific, are a recurring motif throughout the story, as well as the power and influence of religion. These add depth to the overall gothic vibe created, increasing the mystery, as well as emphasizing the deep connection the story has with the natural landscape it occurs within: caves, fields, mountains, forests, surrounded by many animals - the titular "dogs of god" obviously included, plus a special guest appearance from 30-50 feral hogs.
Disappointed to see this is his only novel (?) Found it to be vividly written, engrossing not despite of but because of the many unanswered questions it poses, a commentary and a cautionary tale.
December 26, 2011
It's like Sam Pekinpah was writing a novel, died with one chapter left and then a semi-coherent William Burroughs wandered in, shoved the corpse aside and took the reigns. That last chapter definitely generates some mixed reactions, as you can see from other reviews. The hallucinations of a dying man? A metaphor for the process of dying? Pointless gobbledygook? I don't know, but to me it's a pivotal piece that elevates this book beyond some Elmore Leonard-influenced tough guy story.
August 30, 2007
This was a pretty good read, but a little too action/adventure for my tastes. There were too many characters to really care a lot about any of them. Usually, when everyone starts dying in fits of explosion and body parts dot the sky like falling rain... I'm tuning out.
But if you like a good action packed, violent mystery thriller, this may be for you. The writing itself was pretty strong.
But if you like a good action packed, violent mystery thriller, this may be for you. The writing itself was pretty strong.
April 23, 2009
The ending of this novel is so grand, so right, it may make you turn around and read the whole book again.
January 26, 2012
Years ago, I read this tale of bad men and dumb men wrenching each others lives out of shape. I found it repellant but beautiful and intense, strangely deep and hallucinatory. Then I loaned it out and couldn't remember the title or author's name. But the book kept after me, haunted me; I couldn't stop wanting to read it again. I looked all over for it, high and low and even called a few people to see if I had loaned it to them.
Recently I finally found it, hiding in plain sight, and now I read in it from time to time. Benedict is one of those cadenced Southern writers skilled at spell casting and concocting games of existential horror and unfathomable cruelty. He takes on William Blake's tiger questions without flinching. I hesitate to re-embark on This book's mad ride into full dark or its full dark ride into madness, but I want to keep it nearby, in case.
Recently I finally found it, hiding in plain sight, and now I read in it from time to time. Benedict is one of those cadenced Southern writers skilled at spell casting and concocting games of existential horror and unfathomable cruelty. He takes on William Blake's tiger questions without flinching. I hesitate to re-embark on This book's mad ride into full dark or its full dark ride into madness, but I want to keep it nearby, in case.
May 9, 2019
Oh how I disliked this book. I am too stubborn to not finish one, but this was a chore. I love description, but this writer was far too descriptive, to the point that I lost concentration on what was being described to me. None of the characters were well written and they all lacked an arc. They were written in one way, and that was it from start to finish. Hard pass!
October 8, 2017
The topic is harsh, the people gritty and, as in a Shakespearean tragedy, death abounds.
As always, Pinckney has an ear for Appalachia and a knack for describing local color as well as what's left unsaid.
Can't wait for more from -full disclosure- my college classmate!
As always, Pinckney has an ear for Appalachia and a knack for describing local color as well as what's left unsaid.
Can't wait for more from -full disclosure- my college classmate!
January 20, 2018
A dark, dark book about very violent men. I would recommend this to few people as it is tortuous in length, comlexity and violence. Yet it sucked me in and kept me reading to find out how all the madness would end.
September 12, 2018
"'The Earth is hollow,' he said. 'It's full of terrible things.'"
I had never heard of Pinckney Benedict when I ran across this at a Goodwill clearing house, but the cover, title and blurb on the back sounded interesting enough to give it a try. Somehow (probably from the cover photo of the edition I bought) I picked up the idea that this would be similar to collections such as Knockemstiff or Crimes in Southern Indiana, or the writing of Daniel Woodrell. Although the blurbs make much of the setting of the story, Dogs of God seems to have little in common with the 'Rough South' style of those others, other than superficialities.
In the end, it's probably better for it, though works by Frank Bill and Donald Ray Pollock do have their charms. No--Mr. Benedict probably owes more to Cormac McCarthy than to the fairly recent upsurge of literature about poor whites on the outer fringes of society--Cormac McCarthy and a completely humorless Carl Hiaasen. I say that, but I don't know if it does any good to compare one author to another--my point really is that it wasn't what I expected, and to alert other potential readers of what they might be getting into.
Exactly what THAT is, is a little complicated--Dogs of God has a very intricate plot, and it would be a shame to spoil it in a review. Suffice to say that Goody, a young bare-knuckle boxer, somewhat aimless and adrift, is carried forward by events that will see him penetrate a kind of Appalachian heart of darkness. Exactly what the takeaway from all that is, I'm still not sure...Goody's final pronouncement on the nature of the Earth comes after a frankly baffling interlude that just seems bizarre, given the exaggerated yet essentially realistic setting of the story prior. That the ending is likely a hallucination still leaves the problem of how it all fits together.
And yet, to this reader at least, it does somehow seem to mesh, even if there is a resistance to concrete interpretation. Dogs of God seems like an uneasy balance between traditional storytelling and something that attempts to reach a deeper level. That it is only partially successful (or successful, but too difficult to penetrate for this reader) at delivering on the latter half of that goal does not make it a failure; I like Mr. Benedict's style--his is a lyrical, muscular type of writing that, even if it strikes a false note occasionally, can still act like a punch in the nose. The difference between this and other 'punchy' writers is that I feel the goal of the others is only to throw the punch--Mr. Benedict is looking to exploit the opportunities that open up after the punch has landed.
Definitely worth looking into if you enjoy a rougher, rawer brand of storytelling, yet appreciate it when that style is used while attempting to reach below the surface.
I had never heard of Pinckney Benedict when I ran across this at a Goodwill clearing house, but the cover, title and blurb on the back sounded interesting enough to give it a try. Somehow (probably from the cover photo of the edition I bought) I picked up the idea that this would be similar to collections such as Knockemstiff or Crimes in Southern Indiana, or the writing of Daniel Woodrell. Although the blurbs make much of the setting of the story, Dogs of God seems to have little in common with the 'Rough South' style of those others, other than superficialities.
In the end, it's probably better for it, though works by Frank Bill and Donald Ray Pollock do have their charms. No--Mr. Benedict probably owes more to Cormac McCarthy than to the fairly recent upsurge of literature about poor whites on the outer fringes of society--Cormac McCarthy and a completely humorless Carl Hiaasen. I say that, but I don't know if it does any good to compare one author to another--my point really is that it wasn't what I expected, and to alert other potential readers of what they might be getting into.
Exactly what THAT is, is a little complicated--Dogs of God has a very intricate plot, and it would be a shame to spoil it in a review. Suffice to say that Goody, a young bare-knuckle boxer, somewhat aimless and adrift, is carried forward by events that will see him penetrate a kind of Appalachian heart of darkness. Exactly what the takeaway from all that is, I'm still not sure...Goody's final pronouncement on the nature of the Earth comes after a frankly baffling interlude that just seems bizarre, given the exaggerated yet essentially realistic setting of the story prior. That the ending is likely a hallucination still leaves the problem of how it all fits together.
And yet, to this reader at least, it does somehow seem to mesh, even if there is a resistance to concrete interpretation. Dogs of God seems like an uneasy balance between traditional storytelling and something that attempts to reach a deeper level. That it is only partially successful (or successful, but too difficult to penetrate for this reader) at delivering on the latter half of that goal does not make it a failure; I like Mr. Benedict's style--his is a lyrical, muscular type of writing that, even if it strikes a false note occasionally, can still act like a punch in the nose. The difference between this and other 'punchy' writers is that I feel the goal of the others is only to throw the punch--Mr. Benedict is looking to exploit the opportunities that open up after the punch has landed.
Definitely worth looking into if you enjoy a rougher, rawer brand of storytelling, yet appreciate it when that style is used while attempting to reach below the surface.
February 24, 2017
The book has (or had?) so much potential. Separate storylines come and weave together beautifully into an impressive stem. At the end, though, the book finishes with a faint leaf on the top. At least the ending is not as disappointing as most (American) novels of these days.
I changed my rating to 5 because I realized that the core and heart of this is the face in the cave!
I changed my rating to 5 because I realized that the core and heart of this is the face in the cave!
August 24, 2016
Pinkney Benedict must be a voracious researcher. There's nothing in his bio, or impressive credentials as a writer that would account for his depth of knowledge of all things military. If you've never read any of his work, you are missing out on one of the most talented literary artists of our time. I was first introduced to his work through his short story, “The World, The Flesh and The Devil”, published by the literary magazine, Image: Faith and Mystery, (Issue #57). The story is not published anywhere else that I know of. From it I first learned the word, “chthonic”, (look that up in your Funk & Wagnels). Though I was intrigued by that word and many others in Mr. Benedict's broad pallet, it was the story that hooked me. Yes, I must confess, I'm a Pinkney Benedict fan.
“Dogs of God” is Mr. Benedict's first shot at a full length novel. It is 354 pages of literary artistry. Mr. Benedict's artful use of prose, his ability to develop character so masterfully woven together with scene and setting places him in a league with the literary greats. The story revolves around the lives of some twenty disparate characters who are inexorably drawn together in a vortex of evil that swirls around the illicit drug trade in an old, abandoned, mountain resort known as El Dorado.
The book was published by Nan A. Talese, an imprint of Doubleday, a division of Randomhouse, Inc.. It very much has the flavor of the later published Pulitzer Prize winner, “No Country for Old Men”, by Cormac McCarthy. I found the book to be a page turner that kept me up late at night. My only criticism is that the central plot and theme seem to have been so deep that it was over my head. I'm not sure if the fault is mine or Mr. Benedict's. None the less I thoroughly enjoyed the read and highly recommend it to any who enjoy good literature.
“Dogs of God” is Mr. Benedict's first shot at a full length novel. It is 354 pages of literary artistry. Mr. Benedict's artful use of prose, his ability to develop character so masterfully woven together with scene and setting places him in a league with the literary greats. The story revolves around the lives of some twenty disparate characters who are inexorably drawn together in a vortex of evil that swirls around the illicit drug trade in an old, abandoned, mountain resort known as El Dorado.
The book was published by Nan A. Talese, an imprint of Doubleday, a division of Randomhouse, Inc.. It very much has the flavor of the later published Pulitzer Prize winner, “No Country for Old Men”, by Cormac McCarthy. I found the book to be a page turner that kept me up late at night. My only criticism is that the central plot and theme seem to have been so deep that it was over my head. I'm not sure if the fault is mine or Mr. Benedict's. None the less I thoroughly enjoyed the read and highly recommend it to any who enjoy good literature.
November 20, 2013
I enjoyed this book from the start, especially the chapters about the transient boxer, Goody. Most of the book is beautifully written (in a Cormac McCarthy meets Willy Vlautin kind of way) but there are some stretches that feel a little forced and some chapters spend a lot of time with characters and backstories that don’t end up having much consequence in the latter half of the book. But the writing usually makes the “back-road Sunday drive” chapters somewhat worth it. The great thing about the book is one could read it as a straight backwoods showdown of crooks, cops, and transients where no one is good or bad but a shade of gray, but there are definitely deeper, metaphorical, symbolic areas where once could explore broader concepts, questions, ideals, and pull out some sparkling philosophical diamonds from the brutal and raw storyline. It’s a male dominated cast with a boatload of interesting personalities, myths, legends, harsh truths, and bizarre psychoses. The ending is odd, as some have pointed out, and some characters It wasn’t a “bad” ending, but underwhelming and odd enough for me to drop it from 5 to 4 stars. But the boxing/fight scenes were excellent, as were many of the character developing backstories. A strong book by an excellent writer.
August 22, 2007
An interesting first novel, particularly for its subject matter and characters. Benedict is at his finest when a) describing the lust West Virigina hill country that he seems familiar with. and b)creating violent imagery. On these merits alone, I recommend this book and would compare it to, oh, Elmore Leonard and Brett Easton Ellis. The plot of the book seems rather tangential to what Benedict is trying to achieve. The story, such as it is, seems to serve as an exscuse for Benedict to show off his talent and his choice of venue. Benedict, to me, seems similar to Bret Easton Ellis in that he enjoys portraying grotestque situations with a peculiar kind of flatness. Character's speak with strange inflections (by this I don't mean sterotyped hillbilly drawl) and motivation is not always evident. This book is a fascinating read, particularly for those of us who don't interact, on a regular basis, with crazed Hill Country drug lords. I'll be interested in his next book.
November 3, 2025
"I set out to write a potboiler, a simple page-turner about bare-knuckle fighters and dope growers" Pinckney Benedict, 2012 interview
Leftover bits from several short stories seemed to have been slung into this potboiler in the hope that, if left to stew, they might somehow blend together. They don’t.
The overall concept seems to be that the forests of West Virginia teem with insane and bad people. Assorted ill-sketched characters enter the forests and, after some wandering around, mayhem ensues, usually involving dogs, holes in the ground, or guns. The style tries hard to be southern noir and keeps looking like it might get closer to the real thing, but never quite does – which is disappointing.
Stuff just happens. Nothing connects. None of it makes much sense – even for a simple page-turner.
Leftover bits from several short stories seemed to have been slung into this potboiler in the hope that, if left to stew, they might somehow blend together. They don’t.
The overall concept seems to be that the forests of West Virginia teem with insane and bad people. Assorted ill-sketched characters enter the forests and, after some wandering around, mayhem ensues, usually involving dogs, holes in the ground, or guns. The style tries hard to be southern noir and keeps looking like it might get closer to the real thing, but never quite does – which is disappointing.
Stuff just happens. Nothing connects. None of it makes much sense – even for a simple page-turner.
February 22, 2013
I have no idea what to make of this book. It is incredibly disturbing, and the images of death are haunting. The writing itself is excellent and Benedict crafts a Southern landscape and an atmosphere which is captivating. Still, I don't know what this extended meditation on death and horror actually means, and i am left with a sneaking suspicion that it means nothing and is really just a better-written "American Psycho" (which I found utterly repulsive in its glib attempt to equate shocking violence w/ sophistication). That said, i couldn't put ti down and it evokes a visceral reaction which lingers long after the final sentence.
June 28, 2016
Dogs of God by Pinckney Benedict (Doubleday 1994) (Fiction). This novel started with a bang and then fizzled in a hurry. I'll tell you what it's not about: it's not about the South or Appalachia. It's as though author Pinckney Benedict tried to channel Andrew Vachss right out of New York City but failed miserably. If you wish to read Southern violence-porn, put this down and go pick up some Donald Ray Pollock. He's already figured out how to write this dreck. My rating: 4/10, finished 6/27/16.
November 17, 2016
Different should not be confused with interesting. The story is about a bare hand fighter, a crazy drug load, hillbilly pot, arms shipments migrant work crews, a religious hermit..... I could go on but won't. There is way to much detail, about things that this reader just didn't care about, while the characters themselves were boring, and flat. The author can clearly write, but he should try short stories and a long form with an interesting plot, and well developed characters, two things this book doesn't have.
December 22, 2016
I read this back in the nineties when it first came out and thought that it was incandescently brilliant. Rereading it now only reinforces how poor my judgement was then. It's got a lot to recommend it, but there's something a bit forced and melodramatic about some parts, and the big action climax is a dismal misfire.
His short stories from the same period, collected in Town Smokes, are still just as good as I remembered them, though.
His short stories from the same period, collected in Town Smokes, are still just as good as I remembered them, though.
August 30, 2007
This was a pretty good read, but a little too action/adventure for my tastes. There were too many characters to really care a lot about any of them. Usually, when everyone starts dying in fits of explosion and body parts dot the sky like falling rain... I'm tuning out.
But if you like a good action packed, violent mystery thriller, this may be for you. The writing itself was pretty strong.
But if you like a good action packed, violent mystery thriller, this may be for you. The writing itself was pretty strong.
November 12, 2007
I think this was Benedicts first published Novel and it shows a little. He has real talent but the book seemed cobbled together from character studies. A little shoot em up combined with sensitive observations and garnished with a pinch of PTSD. I am curious to read more by Benedict, just to see how he develops.
September 5, 2010
Just started this, a bit of a come down after AWAIT YOUR REPLY, but almost anything would be, and I'm def. enjoying this tale of a murderous drug lord and the ol' good v/ evil struggle in the hills of West. Va. Labor DAy Weekend update: I finished this last month; not bad, kind of predictable, but he's a good-to-great writer, and his evocation of the setting is admirable...
July 23, 2016
Strange, strange, strange. Where did the characters come from? Why did they live? Why did they die? Why did only two characters survive? My impression was this was an attempt to chronicle strangeness, with no commentary on the why of things. Not a reflection of truth. No heroes, or people who know heroes. Unbelievable and uninteresting.
February 22, 2016
Benedict is a master of description, which at times was too much for me in this gritty work. I love grit, but I found this book to be overwhelming with little relief. The large cast of characters made it difficult to get attached to any of them or to easily understand their motives. The only one I liked was Goody, but after such a wild ride with him, I wanted him to a more hopeful outcome.
September 6, 2007
Pinckney was a professor of mine at Oberlin and is a really fine writer. Wrecking Yard is funny, this one's dark--take your pick, they're both good. He also used to write for the wonderful short-lived magazine Wigwag.
January 23, 2011
Took a while for me to get into this - the many characters were a little too seemingly disconnected. But by the book's end I'd really quite enjoyed it. The writing is excellent, Benedict certainly knows how to set it all up, and the dialogue is all too real. A very violent story.
September 16, 2007
Because Rob said to read it. And I did.
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