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The Dogs
They are an experimental breed of canines. Keenly intelligent. Of sensory superiority. Alertness and stress tolerance exceptional. Capable of massive, vicious aggression.
At the age of fifteen weeks, one - a male - is missing.
And a hundred miles away Alex Bauer has found a puppy.
At the age of fifteen weeks, one - a male - is missing.
And a hundred miles away Alex Bauer has found a puppy.
228 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1976
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews
September 28, 2024
Despite the awesome cover and cover blurbs comparing it to Jaws, The Dogs reads more as a thriller and do not expect a huge, bloody body count. Our protagonist, Alex Bauer, now teaches at a 3rd rate college in New England. He and his wife separated a while back, and he moved there and got a job to be able to see his two sons on weekends and such. After Calder introduces a range of characters, Bauer finds a little puppy abandoned at a gas station and takes him home.
Not that far away, some corporation conducts research on dogs, trying to breed certain characteristics, like more acute noses, or stability. No hocus pocus involved, nor DNA stuff (this was first published in the 70s), but yeah, the dog Bauer finds is one of theirs. Calder takes us on a rather meandering path here, with many side stories loosely related to the plot itself. We have, for example, a guy who raises fighting dogs and Calder 'treats' us to a vicious dog fight for sure. We also have a bunch of hippies giving the commune thing a try on a local mountain, and of course, the drama between Bauer and his wife.
What Calder gets best here concerns the treatment of dogs themselves. What makes dogs tick? We get detailed analysis from the corporation breeding dogs, the training of the asshat who raises and fights dogs, comments from veterinarians and Calder even drops in some statistics about dogs and feral dogs. The story really picks up when Bauer's dog, now aged 2 or so, bites his son rather badly on the face (the kid poked him with a stick in the eye first...). Well, the dog split the scene and found some canine buddies in the mountains. Calder then takes up the dogs POV in all kinds of detail-- establishing the Alpha, mating, the works.
This may have worked better as simply a discourse on canine nature rather than shoehorn it into a thriller/horror format, but so it goes. I did really like the speculations on dog behavior and it made me miss my dog who passed away a few years ago terribly. Even though this came out around the time 'animal attack' novels were huge, it is a bit of a stretch to hang that label on this. Overall, I found it more sad than thrilling, but so it goes. 3 puppies!
Not that far away, some corporation conducts research on dogs, trying to breed certain characteristics, like more acute noses, or stability. No hocus pocus involved, nor DNA stuff (this was first published in the 70s), but yeah, the dog Bauer finds is one of theirs. Calder takes us on a rather meandering path here, with many side stories loosely related to the plot itself. We have, for example, a guy who raises fighting dogs and Calder 'treats' us to a vicious dog fight for sure. We also have a bunch of hippies giving the commune thing a try on a local mountain, and of course, the drama between Bauer and his wife.
What Calder gets best here concerns the treatment of dogs themselves. What makes dogs tick? We get detailed analysis from the corporation breeding dogs, the training of the asshat who raises and fights dogs, comments from veterinarians and Calder even drops in some statistics about dogs and feral dogs. The story really picks up when Bauer's dog, now aged 2 or so, bites his son rather badly on the face (the kid poked him with a stick in the eye first...). Well, the dog split the scene and found some canine buddies in the mountains. Calder then takes up the dogs POV in all kinds of detail-- establishing the Alpha, mating, the works.
This may have worked better as simply a discourse on canine nature rather than shoehorn it into a thriller/horror format, but so it goes. I did really like the speculations on dog behavior and it made me miss my dog who passed away a few years ago terribly. Even though this came out around the time 'animal attack' novels were huge, it is a bit of a stretch to hang that label on this. Overall, I found it more sad than thrilling, but so it goes. 3 puppies!
June 14, 2017
Books about killer dogs all wind up being Old Yeller with more gnawed children.
April 4, 2025
En "Los Perros", Robert Calder presenta una exploración fascinante de la relación entre los humanos y sus compañeros caninos, poniendo a prueba la premisa de que estos animales son nuestros mejores amigos. A medida que la narrativa avanza, el autor nos sumerge en un inquietante entorno experimental donde un cachorro se extravía y pronto se convierte en un hilo conductor entre dos mundos: el de los humanos y el de los animales, lo que plantea la pregunta crucial: ¿qué sucede cuando un perro deja de ser un amigo leal?
La transformación del pastor alemán, encontrado por un profesor sensible, es uno de los puntos culminantes de la obra. En su viaje hacia la autonomía, el perro huye al bosque y se erige como líder de una jauría que enfrenta las adversidades de la vida salvaje. Calder se adentra en la psique animal con una profundidad notable, ofreciendo una narrativa que, aunque antropomorfiza a los caninos, también respeta su naturaleza intrínseca y los comportamientos instintivos que los definen.
Sin embargo, la obra no está exenta de críticas. La inclusión de personajes secundarios, muchos de los cuales resultan superfluos, distrae de la poderosa relación entre los perros. Además, la detallada representación de la violencia y la muerte, aunque efectiva para ilustrar la brutalidad de la supervivencia, puede sentirse excesiva y desbordante en ocasiones, opacando la esencia de la narración. En definitiva, "Los Perros" es un relato cautivador que resuena en el lector, especialmente en sus descripciones de los protagonistas caninos, que eclipsan al resto de la trama.
...
In "The Dogs," Robert Calder presents a fascinating exploration of the relationship between humans and their canine companions, testing the premise that these animals are our best friends. As the narrative progresses, the author immerses us in a disturbing experimental environment where a puppy goes astray and soon becomes a common thread between two worlds: that of humans and that of animals, which raises the crucial question: What happens when a dog stops being a loyal friend?
The transformation of the German shepherd, found by a sensitive teacher, is one of the highlights of the work. On his journey towards autonomy, the dog flees to the forest and emerges as the leader of a pack that faces the adversities of wildlife. Calder delves into the animal psyche with remarkable depth, offering a narrative that, while anthropomorphizing canines, also respects their intrinsic nature and the instinctive behaviors that define them.
However, the work is not without criticism. The inclusion of secondary characters, many of whom are superfluous, distracts from the powerful relationship between the dogs. Additionally, the detailed depiction of violence and death, while effective in illustrating the brutality of survival, can feel excessive and overwhelming at times, overshadowing the essence of the narrative. Ultimately, "The Dogs" is a captivating story that resonates with the reader, especially in its descriptions of the canine protagonists, who overshadow the rest of the plot.
La transformación del pastor alemán, encontrado por un profesor sensible, es uno de los puntos culminantes de la obra. En su viaje hacia la autonomía, el perro huye al bosque y se erige como líder de una jauría que enfrenta las adversidades de la vida salvaje. Calder se adentra en la psique animal con una profundidad notable, ofreciendo una narrativa que, aunque antropomorfiza a los caninos, también respeta su naturaleza intrínseca y los comportamientos instintivos que los definen.
Sin embargo, la obra no está exenta de críticas. La inclusión de personajes secundarios, muchos de los cuales resultan superfluos, distrae de la poderosa relación entre los perros. Además, la detallada representación de la violencia y la muerte, aunque efectiva para ilustrar la brutalidad de la supervivencia, puede sentirse excesiva y desbordante en ocasiones, opacando la esencia de la narración. En definitiva, "Los Perros" es un relato cautivador que resuena en el lector, especialmente en sus descripciones de los protagonistas caninos, que eclipsan al resto de la trama.
...
In "The Dogs," Robert Calder presents a fascinating exploration of the relationship between humans and their canine companions, testing the premise that these animals are our best friends. As the narrative progresses, the author immerses us in a disturbing experimental environment where a puppy goes astray and soon becomes a common thread between two worlds: that of humans and that of animals, which raises the crucial question: What happens when a dog stops being a loyal friend?
The transformation of the German shepherd, found by a sensitive teacher, is one of the highlights of the work. On his journey towards autonomy, the dog flees to the forest and emerges as the leader of a pack that faces the adversities of wildlife. Calder delves into the animal psyche with remarkable depth, offering a narrative that, while anthropomorphizing canines, also respects their intrinsic nature and the instinctive behaviors that define them.
However, the work is not without criticism. The inclusion of secondary characters, many of whom are superfluous, distracts from the powerful relationship between the dogs. Additionally, the detailed depiction of violence and death, while effective in illustrating the brutality of survival, can feel excessive and overwhelming at times, overshadowing the essence of the narrative. Ultimately, "The Dogs" is a captivating story that resonates with the reader, especially in its descriptions of the canine protagonists, who overshadow the rest of the plot.
May 22, 2017
Inspired by the fact that Centipede Press recently reprinted this book in its "Vintage Horror" series, I sought out a cheap paperback copy. (It was so cheap that it fell apart before I could finish it.)
This is a brutal, gory book that is especially difficult for a dog-lover to read. The premise: a private corporation with government contracts is attempting to breed a group of dogs back to their primal state. In other words, the goal is to make the dogs more aggressive and independent of humans. One of the experimental dogs escapes and eventually forms a pack with some stray dogs and mates with one.
The pack finds itself in several situations where it justifiably attacks humans. So of course, the humans go on a retaliatory rampage.
Perhaps you can guess how it ends.
The author seemed to want to avoid forcing any suspension of disbelief on the part of readers, at least as far as the facts of the story-line are concerned. Some of the dialogue, however, is rather hokey and unbelievable. But the human characters are complex and interesting, and the book did a good job of eliciting an emotional response from me.
This is something of a low-brow book that scratches the surfaces of interesting ideas and conflicts. Front and center is the question of whether dogs have any useful function in human civilization; and whether they could or should go back to their wild roots. I'm not sure what the "message" is, if the author intended one. But one could easily see a Frankenstein theme lurking here, in the sense that our tinkering with biology can produce unintended consequences and terrible conflicts.
This is a brutal, gory book that is especially difficult for a dog-lover to read. The premise: a private corporation with government contracts is attempting to breed a group of dogs back to their primal state. In other words, the goal is to make the dogs more aggressive and independent of humans. One of the experimental dogs escapes and eventually forms a pack with some stray dogs and mates with one.
The pack finds itself in several situations where it justifiably attacks humans. So of course, the humans go on a retaliatory rampage.
Perhaps you can guess how it ends.
The author seemed to want to avoid forcing any suspension of disbelief on the part of readers, at least as far as the facts of the story-line are concerned. Some of the dialogue, however, is rather hokey and unbelievable. But the human characters are complex and interesting, and the book did a good job of eliciting an emotional response from me.
This is something of a low-brow book that scratches the surfaces of interesting ideas and conflicts. Front and center is the question of whether dogs have any useful function in human civilization; and whether they could or should go back to their wild roots. I'm not sure what the "message" is, if the author intended one. But one could easily see a Frankenstein theme lurking here, in the sense that our tinkering with biology can produce unintended consequences and terrible conflicts.
June 9, 2016
Wow! What a major disappointment this book was. Talk about the author's writing style as being pompous and pretentious. I love good prose but when an author uses arcane language that has you racing to the dictionary every few pages, I think my point is made. Also, this book was sloooooow!
A word of warning to people who are dog lovers, there is an extended and graphic passage regarding dog fighting. Now, I am not squeamish by any means but this section was enough to repel me as a dog owner and almost dissuade me from finishing the book. Actually I wish it had as I found this book almost a complete waste of time. And for one of the blurbs on the book to say it was "far better written and more tightly programmed than JAWS" is just laughable. Anyway, just one man's opinion.
A word of warning to people who are dog lovers, there is an extended and graphic passage regarding dog fighting. Now, I am not squeamish by any means but this section was enough to repel me as a dog owner and almost dissuade me from finishing the book. Actually I wish it had as I found this book almost a complete waste of time. And for one of the blurbs on the book to say it was "far better written and more tightly programmed than JAWS" is just laughable. Anyway, just one man's opinion.
March 12, 2021
Placeholder. Animal lovers, beware! Shocking dog fight chapter within that makes Amores perros (2000) seem a bit mundane by comparison.
April 21, 2023
Part killer dog story, part boring man story.
February 12, 2025
Ever read a canine sex scene before? I have now.
For this and other reasons, The Dogs is unlike anything else I’ve read and will likely live on in my memory.
Pit fighting, sex (of the human variety) and dogs attacking a small child are all passages that came back to me in the night, (for different reasons, obviously.)
The characterizations (both species here) are endearing. In fact, when it comes to the predatory animals, the reader is sometimes rooting against them, sometimes pulling for them, depending on the victim.
There are only two reasons I didn’t give it 5 stars and add it to my personal list of favorites:
1 - It’s sometimes overwritten. I have a rule. If I read a word with which I am unfamiliar, I note it and look it up later. If the definition of said word has fewer syllables than the word itself, there’s a good reason I’ve never heard or used it before.
2 - As is the case in many horror stories, we have an Amity Mayor here. You know… A guy who knows there is a problem, and will do nothing about it. However, the Amity Mayor in The Dogs, like a couple other prominent characters, just disappears from the story early on.
…
I ordered an old copy of The Dogs, in “good condition.”
It literally fell apart as I read it, as if the dogs were tearing its ass up too. I never even considered stopping. That thing compelled me to hold it together until the bitter end.
For this and other reasons, The Dogs is unlike anything else I’ve read and will likely live on in my memory.
Pit fighting, sex (of the human variety) and dogs attacking a small child are all passages that came back to me in the night, (for different reasons, obviously.)
The characterizations (both species here) are endearing. In fact, when it comes to the predatory animals, the reader is sometimes rooting against them, sometimes pulling for them, depending on the victim.
There are only two reasons I didn’t give it 5 stars and add it to my personal list of favorites:
1 - It’s sometimes overwritten. I have a rule. If I read a word with which I am unfamiliar, I note it and look it up later. If the definition of said word has fewer syllables than the word itself, there’s a good reason I’ve never heard or used it before.
2 - As is the case in many horror stories, we have an Amity Mayor here. You know… A guy who knows there is a problem, and will do nothing about it. However, the Amity Mayor in The Dogs, like a couple other prominent characters, just disappears from the story early on.
…
I ordered an old copy of The Dogs, in “good condition.”
It literally fell apart as I read it, as if the dogs were tearing its ass up too. I never even considered stopping. That thing compelled me to hold it together until the bitter end.
September 30, 2023
Los Perros.- Robert Calder
"Bañado por la tenue y fría luz de la luna llena, el perro estaba sentado sobre sus cuartos traseros ante la ventana, con la cabeza levantada, formando arco con el lomo; sus ojos eran dos rendijas y mantenía las orejas pegadas al cráneo, abiertas las fauces, mientras su gar- ganta se agitaba al tiempo que profería aquel aullido desgarrador."
El recientemente divorciado profesor Bauer, habitante del pueblito de Covington, encuentra un perro cachorro perdido y decide adoptarlo. Lo que Alex Bauer ignora es que el pequeño perro se escapó de un centro de investigación en el que modifican genéticamente perros y este en particular pertenece a la camada más inteligente y violenta que hayan creado. Muy pronto el infierno se desatará en la vida del profesor y en la de su tranquilo pueblo.
Los Perros (The Dogs) se publicó originalmente en el año 1976 y fue escrito por el autor norteamericano Jerrold Mundis (1941-2020) quién lo editó bajo el seudónimo Robert Calder.
Enmarcado dentro de dos subgéneros complementarios entre sí, Monstruos y La Ciencia Es Tu Enemiga, Los Perros es un clásico ejemplo del horror setentoso que puede gustar o no, de acuerdo a lo paciente que uno sea en la espera del derramamiento de hemoglobina, que en este caso sucede recién a la mitad del libro (¡y cómo!), esto no quiere decir que el libro sea aburrido hasta ahí. Tampoco es Cujo convengamos.
Dos advertencias para terminar. El libro tiene un par de escenas, tanto perrunas como humanas, muy subidas de tono, incluso algo descolocadas (no precisamos tanto detalle sr. Jerrold), peques abstenerse. Y la segunda cae de maduro, si la pasan mal leyendo ficción en la que los animales la pasan mal, sigan de largo con este.
🤘🤘🤘
"Bañado por la tenue y fría luz de la luna llena, el perro estaba sentado sobre sus cuartos traseros ante la ventana, con la cabeza levantada, formando arco con el lomo; sus ojos eran dos rendijas y mantenía las orejas pegadas al cráneo, abiertas las fauces, mientras su gar- ganta se agitaba al tiempo que profería aquel aullido desgarrador."
El recientemente divorciado profesor Bauer, habitante del pueblito de Covington, encuentra un perro cachorro perdido y decide adoptarlo. Lo que Alex Bauer ignora es que el pequeño perro se escapó de un centro de investigación en el que modifican genéticamente perros y este en particular pertenece a la camada más inteligente y violenta que hayan creado. Muy pronto el infierno se desatará en la vida del profesor y en la de su tranquilo pueblo.
Los Perros (The Dogs) se publicó originalmente en el año 1976 y fue escrito por el autor norteamericano Jerrold Mundis (1941-2020) quién lo editó bajo el seudónimo Robert Calder.
Enmarcado dentro de dos subgéneros complementarios entre sí, Monstruos y La Ciencia Es Tu Enemiga, Los Perros es un clásico ejemplo del horror setentoso que puede gustar o no, de acuerdo a lo paciente que uno sea en la espera del derramamiento de hemoglobina, que en este caso sucede recién a la mitad del libro (¡y cómo!), esto no quiere decir que el libro sea aburrido hasta ahí. Tampoco es Cujo convengamos.
Dos advertencias para terminar. El libro tiene un par de escenas, tanto perrunas como humanas, muy subidas de tono, incluso algo descolocadas (no precisamos tanto detalle sr. Jerrold), peques abstenerse. Y la segunda cae de maduro, si la pasan mal leyendo ficción en la que los animales la pasan mal, sigan de largo con este.
🤘🤘🤘
January 28, 2022
The Dogs - Robert Calder
I didn’t outright hate it but I didn’t love it either. Cujo was definitely much scarier.
It was disappointing and I thought Bauer was pathetic.
The quite detailed sex scene between two dogs felt unnecessary but, I guess, it caters to an audience somewhere?
I understand the influence towards the storyline, but also, I don’t need to know exactly what “positions” these two dogs were in and I certainly don’t want or need to know about a dog’s ejaculation.
I thought that the breeding program place at the start would have more of a feature in the story, like maybe they had been breeding these dogs with a little more “oomph”. You could’ve given them a disease or something which made them more than just “dogs”.
I don’t know if Robert Calder had just been given a thesaurus before writing this book but the guy needs to simmer down.
We get it, you’re obviously a smart guy, but honestly, you don’t need to hit a certain character limit to tell a story.
Would I recommend this book? No.
Read Cujo instead.
I didn’t outright hate it but I didn’t love it either. Cujo was definitely much scarier.
It was disappointing and I thought Bauer was pathetic.
The quite detailed sex scene between two dogs felt unnecessary but, I guess, it caters to an audience somewhere?
I understand the influence towards the storyline, but also, I don’t need to know exactly what “positions” these two dogs were in and I certainly don’t want or need to know about a dog’s ejaculation.
I thought that the breeding program place at the start would have more of a feature in the story, like maybe they had been breeding these dogs with a little more “oomph”. You could’ve given them a disease or something which made them more than just “dogs”.
I don’t know if Robert Calder had just been given a thesaurus before writing this book but the guy needs to simmer down.
We get it, you’re obviously a smart guy, but honestly, you don’t need to hit a certain character limit to tell a story.
Would I recommend this book? No.
Read Cujo instead.
June 20, 2020
There’s nothing special or great about The Dogs.
Unlike Jaws, there’s no suspense. Unlike Old Yeller there’s no emotional connection. Unlike Cujo the dogs aren’t scary. Unlike other creature feature horror novels, there no substance. Really, there is just nothing here.
In a sense, that’s almost worse than an actual bad novel. Bad novels at least give you a reason to hate them, give you something to talk about or try to understand. The Dogs doesn’t even have that going for it. Instead it’s incredibly forgettable.
Unlike Jaws, there’s no suspense. Unlike Old Yeller there’s no emotional connection. Unlike Cujo the dogs aren’t scary. Unlike other creature feature horror novels, there no substance. Really, there is just nothing here.
In a sense, that’s almost worse than an actual bad novel. Bad novels at least give you a reason to hate them, give you something to talk about or try to understand. The Dogs doesn’t even have that going for it. Instead it’s incredibly forgettable.
January 4, 2023
This is what Jaws should have been but with dogs. That said, I still heavily disliked it for numerous reasons. The dialogue and writing was very stilted and, for the dialogue, really unrealistic to the point of absurdity. I was rolling my eyes when a female character described herself, in conversation as: "I'm hard, I'm intolerant, I'm selfish and I'm grim. My husband called me a bloodless cunt. He tended to confuse beer-sweat with blood. Luckily, we weren't married long enough for things to become hellish between us, only ugly. On the other hand, he was just the first to call me names. I seem to provoke that. But I respect my 'self' too much to live meanly or blindly, or to evade pain simply because it is pain." Good grief and yes, the entire book is like that with people announcing their deep thoughts and personality traits through dialogue.
I heavily disliked the way a lot of the female characters in this book were framed especially in regards to the protagonist. Not a one of them, except "intolerant" veterinarian here were depicted in any way favorably. The major female characters were her who supports the protagonist, his shrill and evil ex-wife who steals their children from him when she divorces him, and his student who "cheats" on him when he needs her most and yes, is his student.
One thing I did like was later in the story when his dog escapes and we get the perspective of this highly aggressive and specifically bred to be aggressive dog by an evil corporation. I didn't like how there was a whole page dedicated to the dogs fucking, but maybe that's just me. My biggest gripe with Jaws was that there wasn't enough of the thing we're there for which is a horror comprised of an animal eating people and the terror from the protagonists. This one definitely has that which I'm grateful for. The final confrontation was alright and if I didn't actively hate the protagonist so much, it would have been a great ending and maybe even a tearjerker. The sequel bait/cliff hanger was unappreciated.
I'll also say that the whole dog fighting bit and the rape scene were completely unnecessary and disgusting. Why in the world would you put that in there??
Overall, just a very low quality read for me.
I heavily disliked the way a lot of the female characters in this book were framed especially in regards to the protagonist. Not a one of them, except "intolerant" veterinarian here were depicted in any way favorably. The major female characters were her who supports the protagonist, his shrill and evil ex-wife who steals their children from him when she divorces him, and his student who "cheats" on him when he needs her most and yes, is his student.
One thing I did like was later in the story when his dog escapes and we get the perspective of this highly aggressive and specifically bred to be aggressive dog by an evil corporation. I didn't like how there was a whole page dedicated to the dogs fucking, but maybe that's just me. My biggest gripe with Jaws was that there wasn't enough of the thing we're there for which is a horror comprised of an animal eating people and the terror from the protagonists. This one definitely has that which I'm grateful for. The final confrontation was alright and if I didn't actively hate the protagonist so much, it would have been a great ending and maybe even a tearjerker. The sequel bait/cliff hanger was unappreciated.
I'll also say that the whole dog fighting bit and the rape scene were completely unnecessary and disgusting. Why in the world would you put that in there??
Overall, just a very low quality read for me.
January 10, 2018
This one was better than I'd expected, largely following the pattern set by James Herbert with an overarching narrative and a series of connected character vignettes. Those who are set up, given some background, whether likeable or unlikable, then in this case literally thrown to the dogs. It spends longer than you'd expect at the beginning introducing the characters before the action really kicks off, which sets a false sense of security as to how brutal things are really going to get. It's kind of a mix of The Rats and Rambo: First Blood, but the killing machine developed by man and unleashed into the woods is not a human. Rather than engendering a fear of this escaped dog and his eventual pack, in instead explores sometimes monstrous humans around them.
In some scenes the book is almost unreadable, not because of the quality of the prose which is quite good, but because of the sheer explicit detail he goes into at times. A particularly overly gruesome and overlong dog fight scene, outside the main plot but to set up one of the characters for punishment later, a rather too graphically described dog mating scene which is almost immediately followed by a harlequin-style human one.
The book has an energy though, you can feel a lot of sympathy for the so called monsters, and revulsion at the real ones. It could have gone in a very different direction but was kept grounded and had quite a touching conclusion given the genre.
In some scenes the book is almost unreadable, not because of the quality of the prose which is quite good, but because of the sheer explicit detail he goes into at times. A particularly overly gruesome and overlong dog fight scene, outside the main plot but to set up one of the characters for punishment later, a rather too graphically described dog mating scene which is almost immediately followed by a harlequin-style human one.
The book has an energy though, you can feel a lot of sympathy for the so called monsters, and revulsion at the real ones. It could have gone in a very different direction but was kept grounded and had quite a touching conclusion given the genre.
May 11, 2024
Los perros es una novela que tenia bastantes ganas de leer, me costó conseguir un poco en físico porque claramente es de esos libritos descatalogados.
La historia tiene muchos puntos altos y a su favor, me costó un poco conectar al principio pero no desistí porque pasando las primeras 120 páginas comienza a tomar un ritmo más ágil.
Los personajes están bastante bien, el autor nos presenta a mucha gente del Couvington que es donde se desarrolla la historia.
Debo destacar las descripciones bastante gráficas a la hora de los ataques, me parecieron brutales y en algún punto tuve que apartar la vista de la lectura.
La atmósfera que crea Calder en el momento en que los perros merodean por los bosques es aterradora. El final no está mal, sentí que me quedaron algunas dudas que el autor no termino de aclarar, pero referidas más a que paso con ciertas situaciones después de todo el caos.
Aun así me pareció un libro muy bueno, personalmente me encanra el topico animales asesinos, lo recomiendo mucho.
La historia tiene muchos puntos altos y a su favor, me costó un poco conectar al principio pero no desistí porque pasando las primeras 120 páginas comienza a tomar un ritmo más ágil.
Los personajes están bastante bien, el autor nos presenta a mucha gente del Couvington que es donde se desarrolla la historia.
Debo destacar las descripciones bastante gráficas a la hora de los ataques, me parecieron brutales y en algún punto tuve que apartar la vista de la lectura.
La atmósfera que crea Calder en el momento en que los perros merodean por los bosques es aterradora. El final no está mal, sentí que me quedaron algunas dudas que el autor no termino de aclarar, pero referidas más a que paso con ciertas situaciones después de todo el caos.
Aun así me pareció un libro muy bueno, personalmente me encanra el topico animales asesinos, lo recomiendo mucho.
August 23, 2025
I feel like I have been torturing myself by reading first 'The Pack' by David Fisher, and now this. I can stomach A LOT, but animal abandonment and extremely detailed descriptions of a dog fight definitely pushed my limits. I am giving this book three stars because Orph's story of survival with his pack was really endearing. I enjoyed reading those parts of the novel. The rest was utter shit. There are so many sub plots that really served no purpose, and the writing is a bit pretentious for a horror novel written in the 70s.
Alex Bauer moved to New England after he separated from his wife. He finds an abandoned puppy at a local gas station and decides to take it home (The puppy actually escaped from an animal testing facility). The puppy (Orph, short for orphan) grows up and bites Bauer's young son in the face (because the kid hit it with a stick) and in the aftermath, Orph runs into the forest. There he meets up with other stray dogs and becomes the leader of his pack. The dogs eventually attack and kill some people, and they become the hunted.
Alex Bauer moved to New England after he separated from his wife. He finds an abandoned puppy at a local gas station and decides to take it home (The puppy actually escaped from an animal testing facility). The puppy (Orph, short for orphan) grows up and bites Bauer's young son in the face (because the kid hit it with a stick) and in the aftermath, Orph runs into the forest. There he meets up with other stray dogs and becomes the leader of his pack. The dogs eventually attack and kill some people, and they become the hunted.
December 4, 2023
Unfortunately I went into this a bit skeptical because I read a lot of reviews that didn't have good things to say. Fortunately I went ahead and read it and I'm very glad I did. I don't think I've had a book actually pull emotion from me as this one did especially towards the end. A bit of the wording was over my head and a few literary phrases that were not familiar to me, many I definitely had to look up to understand the meaning of. Despite those instances I fully enjoyed the book! I feel that Calder wrote very well and pulled you into both worlds of dog and human alike. For a true lover of books and stories I think this is a definite must read and let me know if it's not just me that looks at my dog's a little bit differently now LOL.
February 5, 2024
I hope you like descriptions of dogs roving about, dogs sniffing things, and very detailed descriptions of dog sex because that is what you’re getting here.
This book started off well with a 70’s animal-horror movie feel—it definitely has a Cujo/Jaws vibe—complete with animal experts and their foes, naive hippies who want to get closer to nature by interacting spiritually with a feral pup, a hunt for the dangerous beasts, and a diabolical animal research institute bent on creating the most intelligent breed of dog in history…
Then, it all falls apart in the middle of the book and the plot sinks into a huge hunt for the violent pack that, of course, ends in anti-climactic disaster.
Skip this one unless you’re a junkie for campy novels vying for Cujo status.
This book started off well with a 70’s animal-horror movie feel—it definitely has a Cujo/Jaws vibe—complete with animal experts and their foes, naive hippies who want to get closer to nature by interacting spiritually with a feral pup, a hunt for the dangerous beasts, and a diabolical animal research institute bent on creating the most intelligent breed of dog in history…
Then, it all falls apart in the middle of the book and the plot sinks into a huge hunt for the violent pack that, of course, ends in anti-climactic disaster.
Skip this one unless you’re a junkie for campy novels vying for Cujo status.
November 5, 2025
Very scary book as someone who’s afraid of dogs, I can say that much. My main issue with this one was an awkward sexual dynamic between a teacher and a student which just seemed unnecessary- my other issues were all relevant to the plot and unfortunately get a pass, said issues being a strangely in-depth sex scene between dogs and a genuinely sickening description of a dogfight to the death. I hadn’t really read anything gory before this and was surprised by how stomach-turning words on a page can be. Quite a few disgusting killings of both canines and humans. Overall a very fun read if you think you can stomach a horror book about dogs, the characters are solid enough to keep it all going and I really appreciated the New England setting. Tentatively recommended.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
dnf
January 26, 2025Lo dejé de leer en la página 80 y pico porque:
1) Comenzaron a meter muchos personajes.
2) El protagonista me empezaba a caer mal y
3) Leí por ahí que había una escena de sexo entre perros, y era verdad.
1) Comenzaron a meter muchos personajes.
2) El protagonista me empezaba a caer mal y
3) Leí por ahí que había una escena de sexo entre perros, y era verdad.
May 13, 2023
I did not expect to be so attached to the dogs by the end. It gave it depth that other killer animal books of the time don't have.
September 9, 2025
Rats. Cats. Bats. Crabs. Slugs. Worms. Locusts. Spiders. Dogs. Robert Calder tries to be more serious than the others. But all he really achieves is a novel so dull it will send you to sleep.
January 19, 2026
It’s funny how it’s compared to the book Jaws in the blurbs, many claiming it’s in fact superior, but it’s random side plots and awkward relationships mean it carries the same weaknesses as Jaws. The main difference: you feel for the monster.
Want to read
February 19, 2017Recommended by Mom
December 18, 2020
Love this cover. However the book is not so good. Started out really well with a detailed description of the breeding and the training of these dogs. The ending was satisfying but overall the book lacked the raw gore of the attacks.
June 23, 2024
Es un relato que trata de ser la biografía de un perro maltratado y las situaciones que viven sus amos pero lamentablemente creo que se escapo de las manos la trama, no me gusto a mi parecer fue muy lento la puesta en escena y cansino poder terminar cada capitulo.
Want to read
December 1, 2011From one of the book boxes that Moem sent to me.
April 14, 2024
Read a long time ago but remember I thought it very suspenseful and enjoyed it
October 20, 2023
My review is at my blog:
https://hitmewithyourbookreview.blogs...
https://hitmewithyourbookreview.blogs...
June 19, 2024
Gave this a nostalgic reread recently. A fun read and a good example of the nature- / eco-horror craze of the 1970s.
February 29, 2012
Very Suspenseful. Much better book than I anticipated. I read it many years ago.
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