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DoG
Culann Riordan was a high school English teacher with poor impulse control and a taste for liquor. He fled to Alaska before the state could yank his teaching certificate and possibly toss him in jail. He hires on as a commercial fisherman aboard the Orthrus, a dingy vessel crewed by a colorful assortment of outcasts seeking their fortune beyond the reaches of civilization. As he struggles to learn how to survive the rigors of life at sea and the abuses of the crew, he fishes a mysterious orbout of the depths of the ocean and comes into conflict with the diabolical captain of the Orthrus.
If he is to live long enough to see the sunset, Culann must escape from the Captain, survive on an island in the Bering Sea populated only by a pack of feral dogs, find out how to control the orb’s destructive power, and come to grips with his sizable character flaws.
If he is to live long enough to see the sunset, Culann must escape from the Captain, survive on an island in the Bering Sea populated only by a pack of feral dogs, find out how to control the orb’s destructive power, and come to grips with his sizable character flaws.
145 pages, Paperback
First published September 17, 2012
1 person is currently reading
219 people want to read
About the author
Matt Hlinak
6 books19 followersMatt Hlinak is an administrator at Dominican University, just outside of Chicago. He teaches courses in English and legal studies. 'DoG' (Bizarro Press 2012) is his debut novel. His short stories have appeared in '100 Doors to Madness' (Forgotten Tomb Press), 'Sudden Flash Youth' (Persea Books 2011) and several literary magazines. He is also a book reviewer for 'Pop Mythology' (www.popmythology.com). He holds an MFA from Northwestern University and a JD from the University of Illinois. He lives with his wife, Liz, and daughters, Madeleine and Audra, in River Forest, Illinois. Google
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Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews
August 10, 2016
Dogs and gods, gods and men, and the oft-ignored parallels between them. Alaska, drunkenness, and other things more or less incidental. At its heart, DoG is a classic hero's journey, despite its trappings. An impressive debut novel if I ever read one. Fans of Neil Gaiman's American Gods and Anansi Boys, and also Deadliest Catch, should find themselves in familiar territory here.
The ending didn't quite do it for me, but this probably says more about my own finicky tastes as a reader than the story itself, which is really quite good. Curious cats should take a look inside and find out for themselves.
The ending didn't quite do it for me, but this probably says more about my own finicky tastes as a reader than the story itself, which is really quite good. Curious cats should take a look inside and find out for themselves.
December 10, 2012
Book Info: Genre: Bizarro
Reading Level: Adult
Recommended for: Those interested in seeing traditional myths used in modern settings
Trigger Warnings: A lot of death, people and animals
Disclosure: I received an e-book copy in PDF format from Etienne DeForest in exchange for an honest review. Etienne DeForest was one of the editors of this book. All opinions are my own.
Synopsis: Culann Riordan was a high school English teacher with poor impulse control and a taste for liquor. He fled to Alaska before the state could yank his teaching certificate and possibly toss him in jail. He hires on as a commercial fisherman aboard the Orthrus, a dingy vessel crewed by a colorful assortment of outcasts seeking their fortune beyond the reaches of civilization. As he struggles to learn how to survive the rigors of life at sea and the abuses of the crew, he fishes a mysterious orbout of the depths of the ocean and comes into conflict with the diabolical captain of the Orthrus.
If he is to live long enough to see the sunset, Culann must escape from the Captain, survive on an island in the Bering Sea populated only by a pack of feral dogs, find out how to control the orb’s destructive power, and come to grips with his sizable character flaws.
My Thoughts: Etienne DeForest contacted me to review this book after he saw one of my rare one-star reviews. I’m not certain if he was hoping I would love this book or hate it, but it sounded interesting to me, so I agreed to give it a shot.
Overall, I really liked this book. The only reason I didn’t read it straight through and have a review on the same day as I started it was because I developed a number of migraines and therefore lost almost a day while I kept my head hidden under blankets and did my best to sleep through the whole thing. Even then, I read until the pain became completely unbearable, because I just didn’t want to stop.
Lest this review be overly gushing, there were a couple little nitpicky things, because that’s what I do: I see nitpicky things. The captain stops the fishing after 2 and a half weeks – this is said over and over by people complaining that it had been only two and a half weeks, which is approximately 17 days. Then they take at least two days on their return trip, as far as I’m able to ascertain, plus there is the day and a half they spend “bobbing” just off the shore when there are problems with the boat. Yet, when they finally are on the ferry hearing back to the island, someone says it’s been 17 days since they left. That isn’t right – by my count it’s been at least 20 or 21 days. I also find it very hard to believe that Culann would have toughed up so much in just over two weeks, especially when he spent a couple of those days with a fever, which should have significantly set him back. Finally, I am curious as to why the orb did not kill any fish. I can’t mention anything more than that so as to avoid further spoilers, but … why no fish? Weird.
But these were not enough to lessen my enjoyment of this story, which I have been told is based at least in part upon the legends of the Irish hero and demi-god Cuchulain. I have a book of Celtic myths and legends here, and Cuchulain is a huge part of the Irish cycle of myths, included in every since Irish story in this book, as well as one of the Scots’ legends, so Hlinak had a lot of material from which to choose. Interestingly enough, however, the mythology mentioned in the book, and that only near the end, was not Celtic at all. The Egyptians were mentioned, as were the Aztecs. At any rate, I think folks who are interested in seeing the traditional mythology and legends being used in a modern context – which I heartily count myself among – will find this a fascinating story just on that account. As a story where a person overcomes adversity, especially that of his own baser nature, this story succeeds on many levels. Culann is not a particularly likeable man on many levels, but his growth through this story is nothing less than astounding. I can honestly say I highly recommend this book to anyone who might be interested in reading it. Check it out – this is really good stuff!
Reading Level: Adult
Recommended for: Those interested in seeing traditional myths used in modern settings
Trigger Warnings: A lot of death, people and animals
Disclosure: I received an e-book copy in PDF format from Etienne DeForest in exchange for an honest review. Etienne DeForest was one of the editors of this book. All opinions are my own.
Synopsis: Culann Riordan was a high school English teacher with poor impulse control and a taste for liquor. He fled to Alaska before the state could yank his teaching certificate and possibly toss him in jail. He hires on as a commercial fisherman aboard the Orthrus, a dingy vessel crewed by a colorful assortment of outcasts seeking their fortune beyond the reaches of civilization. As he struggles to learn how to survive the rigors of life at sea and the abuses of the crew, he fishes a mysterious orbout of the depths of the ocean and comes into conflict with the diabolical captain of the Orthrus.
If he is to live long enough to see the sunset, Culann must escape from the Captain, survive on an island in the Bering Sea populated only by a pack of feral dogs, find out how to control the orb’s destructive power, and come to grips with his sizable character flaws.
My Thoughts: Etienne DeForest contacted me to review this book after he saw one of my rare one-star reviews. I’m not certain if he was hoping I would love this book or hate it, but it sounded interesting to me, so I agreed to give it a shot.
Overall, I really liked this book. The only reason I didn’t read it straight through and have a review on the same day as I started it was because I developed a number of migraines and therefore lost almost a day while I kept my head hidden under blankets and did my best to sleep through the whole thing. Even then, I read until the pain became completely unbearable, because I just didn’t want to stop.
Lest this review be overly gushing, there were a couple little nitpicky things, because that’s what I do: I see nitpicky things. The captain stops the fishing after 2 and a half weeks – this is said over and over by people complaining that it had been only two and a half weeks, which is approximately 17 days. Then they take at least two days on their return trip, as far as I’m able to ascertain, plus there is the day and a half they spend “bobbing” just off the shore when there are problems with the boat. Yet, when they finally are on the ferry hearing back to the island, someone says it’s been 17 days since they left. That isn’t right – by my count it’s been at least 20 or 21 days. I also find it very hard to believe that Culann would have toughed up so much in just over two weeks, especially when he spent a couple of those days with a fever, which should have significantly set him back. Finally, I am curious as to why the orb did not kill any fish. I can’t mention anything more than that so as to avoid further spoilers, but … why no fish? Weird.
But these were not enough to lessen my enjoyment of this story, which I have been told is based at least in part upon the legends of the Irish hero and demi-god Cuchulain. I have a book of Celtic myths and legends here, and Cuchulain is a huge part of the Irish cycle of myths, included in every since Irish story in this book, as well as one of the Scots’ legends, so Hlinak had a lot of material from which to choose. Interestingly enough, however, the mythology mentioned in the book, and that only near the end, was not Celtic at all. The Egyptians were mentioned, as were the Aztecs. At any rate, I think folks who are interested in seeing the traditional mythology and legends being used in a modern context – which I heartily count myself among – will find this a fascinating story just on that account. As a story where a person overcomes adversity, especially that of his own baser nature, this story succeeds on many levels. Culann is not a particularly likeable man on many levels, but his growth through this story is nothing less than astounding. I can honestly say I highly recommend this book to anyone who might be interested in reading it. Check it out – this is really good stuff!
September 27, 2012
It only takes one look at the name of the book and its cover to realize there’s a play on words going on here. Then you add in the main character’s name Culann, and its roots in Celtic Mythology. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Culann
Well, you don’t have to be a genius to figure out there’s something going on here about dogs. And that’s all I’m gonna say about that. No spoilers in this review, no Sir!
Anyways, Culann is the kind of guy who gets “excited” when he sees a picture of Hannah Montana. He’s also a high school teacher…. And a drunk…. Bad combination…
It’s really hard to say why I love this book without dropping spoilers, so I will just stick with this. It’s very well written, the character’s inner struggle is captivating, and even though he’s seriously flawed, you find yourself rooting for the guy. Then you mix in lots and lots of death. Not violence, death. People are dying like crazy and although you have a good idea of what’s going on, it’s still creepy and addicting to read. I found myself craving the answer to what was going on, flipping pages past my bed time to get the answer.
Recommended for all dog lovers.
*** I work for the publisher of this book. That’s not why I gave it such a glowing review though. I honestly fell in love with it. ***
*** I reread this just because I wanted to see what all I missed, which was a lot btw. Anyways, I just wanted to put out there that I wouldn’t classify this book as Bizarro as much as I’d say it’s like reading an episode of “The Twilight Zone”. And how do you classify “The Twilight Zone”?***
Well, you don’t have to be a genius to figure out there’s something going on here about dogs. And that’s all I’m gonna say about that. No spoilers in this review, no Sir!
Anyways, Culann is the kind of guy who gets “excited” when he sees a picture of Hannah Montana. He’s also a high school teacher…. And a drunk…. Bad combination…
It’s really hard to say why I love this book without dropping spoilers, so I will just stick with this. It’s very well written, the character’s inner struggle is captivating, and even though he’s seriously flawed, you find yourself rooting for the guy. Then you mix in lots and lots of death. Not violence, death. People are dying like crazy and although you have a good idea of what’s going on, it’s still creepy and addicting to read. I found myself craving the answer to what was going on, flipping pages past my bed time to get the answer.
Recommended for all dog lovers.
*** I work for the publisher of this book. That’s not why I gave it such a glowing review though. I honestly fell in love with it. ***
*** I reread this just because I wanted to see what all I missed, which was a lot btw. Anyways, I just wanted to put out there that I wouldn’t classify this book as Bizarro as much as I’d say it’s like reading an episode of “The Twilight Zone”. And how do you classify “The Twilight Zone”?***
March 3, 2013
I enjoyed this book a lot. Though it's not presented as a thriller, 'DoG' is a compelling page turner from the get-go.
Culann Riordan is lead in what begins as a fish-out-of-water tale, then becomes a supernatural battle for survival. Though a borderline sex offender (whose attitudes towards teenage girls become more troubling as the book progresses), I found it easy to relate to Culann, a smart guy who'd misspent most of his youth and, as our story starts, is trying to make a fresh start and prove himself a man aboard the Alaskan fishing vessel the Orthrus.
The crisp prose, vivid world and well-realised characters kept me keenly interested through these first chapters, to the point where I wouldn't have minded if the story had played out entirely as an early mid-life-crisis fishing tale. However, things do take a turn, and when they do, the situation becomes so bleak so quickly it's almost painful.
After the strong character-based drama of the first act and outright horror of the second, I'd be lying if I said the ending didn't wrap things up a little too quickly and neatly for my liking, but that wouldn't hold me back from recommending 'DoG' to others and I'm very keen to read whatever Matt Hlinak does next.
Culann Riordan is lead in what begins as a fish-out-of-water tale, then becomes a supernatural battle for survival. Though a borderline sex offender (whose attitudes towards teenage girls become more troubling as the book progresses), I found it easy to relate to Culann, a smart guy who'd misspent most of his youth and, as our story starts, is trying to make a fresh start and prove himself a man aboard the Alaskan fishing vessel the Orthrus.
The crisp prose, vivid world and well-realised characters kept me keenly interested through these first chapters, to the point where I wouldn't have minded if the story had played out entirely as an early mid-life-crisis fishing tale. However, things do take a turn, and when they do, the situation becomes so bleak so quickly it's almost painful.
After the strong character-based drama of the first act and outright horror of the second, I'd be lying if I said the ending didn't wrap things up a little too quickly and neatly for my liking, but that wouldn't hold me back from recommending 'DoG' to others and I'm very keen to read whatever Matt Hlinak does next.
May 30, 2013
On one level, DoG is an offbeat tale of one man’s struggle to redeem himself from his baser instincts. Engaging, well-paced, suspenseful, and written in a clean, descriptive prose style, this short novel also mixes elements of seafaring adventure, the archetypal island survival tale, contemporary mythopoeic fantasy, and magical realism. It’s like a mash-up of American Gods, Moby Dick, The Pearl, Robinson Crusoe, and the TV Show Deadliest Catch. If I had to voice a complaint, it would be that the novel's denouement--though satisfying enough--was a little pat for my liking. Check this one out, slice.
January 3, 2015
Wow. What a great book! I'm going to smack you now for wasting time reading this review instead of sticking your nose hard into this book like it was the shaved cooter of the hottest chick in high school. What? You like your cooters with a little hair on them? Cool, have your hairy cooter, see if I care. Who am I to judge a with a thing for wookie bush? What were you brought up in the 70s? Freak. Read this book freak.
Also, now that I've guilted you into some personal landscaping you're going to need something to read. Let's face facts, your love for crotch jungles is really going to take you quite awhile to clean up. My advice would be to grab a copy of Matt Hlinak's DOG because it's fucking boss. Now I'm not saying only people in desperate need of a thorough lap shave will enjoy this book (though they will), what I'm saying is the book is bad ass, five speed, four-to-the-floor, chrome plated awesome. And it's got a 326 under the hood! (Is that good? I don't know cars so if you do make all those specs sound like really fucking good, because that's what Matt Hlinak's book is, fucking good!)
There, now you're shaved and feeling spry You've read Matt Hlinak's DOG and you are better for it. You're part of a club. You are a bigger piece of the whole. You are DOG GOD!
Read More Rooster Republic Press now because those guys sport this caliber all damned day long!
Also, now that I've guilted you into some personal landscaping you're going to need something to read. Let's face facts, your love for crotch jungles is really going to take you quite awhile to clean up. My advice would be to grab a copy of Matt Hlinak's DOG because it's fucking boss. Now I'm not saying only people in desperate need of a thorough lap shave will enjoy this book (though they will), what I'm saying is the book is bad ass, five speed, four-to-the-floor, chrome plated awesome. And it's got a 326 under the hood! (Is that good? I don't know cars so if you do make all those specs sound like really fucking good, because that's what Matt Hlinak's book is, fucking good!)
There, now you're shaved and feeling spry You've read Matt Hlinak's DOG and you are better for it. You're part of a club. You are a bigger piece of the whole. You are DOG GOD!
Read More Rooster Republic Press now because those guys sport this caliber all damned day long!
March 30, 2013
DoG is one of those books that you really enjoy but desperately hope no-one asks you ‘What’s it about?’ because you can’t answer.
I didn’t have the blindest idea what was going on for a good half of the book, I knew the characters names, where they came from and what they wanted but where the story was going and why? Not a clue.
Despite that it was compulsive reading, I raced through it and really enjoyed it. I wanted to know what was going to happen and I wanted to know what was going on.
The main character, I hesitate to call him a hero, Culann is on the run from the police. A former English teacher who had sucumbed to his thirst for alcohol and given in to impulses pertaining a sixteen year old girl in his class, he was far from lovable but he was very human and normal. He felt guilt, self-disgust, fear and hope. His flight to a tiny island off the Alaskan coast is filled with the hope that he will find some sort of redemption and a cure for his ‘urges’.
Indeed, his work on a brutal fishing boat seems a fitting punishment, but when he accidentlly fishes a mysterious orb out of the sea everything goes a little bit freaky.
The Captain of the boat turns out to be completely mad and everyone on the island succumbs to a mysterious virus, leaving Culann to endure an even greater retribution than the fishing boat, accompanied only by the pack of dogs inhabiting the island.
A clever tale of punishment and reform with a satisfying ending, DoG has a touch of fantasy and a heavy dose of humanity. Very different from everything I have read before it was a curious look at the way people view the world and the journeys we take ourselves on in the name of morals.
I didn’t have the blindest idea what was going on for a good half of the book, I knew the characters names, where they came from and what they wanted but where the story was going and why? Not a clue.
Despite that it was compulsive reading, I raced through it and really enjoyed it. I wanted to know what was going to happen and I wanted to know what was going on.
The main character, I hesitate to call him a hero, Culann is on the run from the police. A former English teacher who had sucumbed to his thirst for alcohol and given in to impulses pertaining a sixteen year old girl in his class, he was far from lovable but he was very human and normal. He felt guilt, self-disgust, fear and hope. His flight to a tiny island off the Alaskan coast is filled with the hope that he will find some sort of redemption and a cure for his ‘urges’.
Indeed, his work on a brutal fishing boat seems a fitting punishment, but when he accidentlly fishes a mysterious orb out of the sea everything goes a little bit freaky.
The Captain of the boat turns out to be completely mad and everyone on the island succumbs to a mysterious virus, leaving Culann to endure an even greater retribution than the fishing boat, accompanied only by the pack of dogs inhabiting the island.
A clever tale of punishment and reform with a satisfying ending, DoG has a touch of fantasy and a heavy dose of humanity. Very different from everything I have read before it was a curious look at the way people view the world and the journeys we take ourselves on in the name of morals.
May 30, 2014
Matt Hilnak took a Palindrome word and wrote an interesting story. DoG is a tale of a man who tries to run from his inappropriate behavior towards young girls. His cousin takes him on a ship where they end up finding a strange orb that holds power that only Cullan can grasp. Did i mention Dogs and the 40 something that follow the main character around.
This is a story of Gods meets Dogs and what an adventure one can take to escape the past but still go back and face the truth of what his actions should be. A little different for a bizarropress release but a recommended read.
This is a story of Gods meets Dogs and what an adventure one can take to escape the past but still go back and face the truth of what his actions should be. A little different for a bizarropress release but a recommended read.
November 1, 2012
4 out of 5 stars
PROS: Very unique fictional story centering on temptation and sacrifice.
CONS: The environment is seedy and the main problem is delicate.
DoG. Turn it upside down and the reader gets a mere hint at this unique mystery. DoG is published by Bizarro Press, ISBN: 978-0615700212. The author promises a story about Culann Riordan, a high school teacher who skips town to avoid trouble and accusations of molesting one of his female students. He flees to an Alaskan fishing town where he meets up with his cousin and his new coworkers, the crew of the Orthrus. What happens next is good story telling.
The main character is believably fallible and real. There is no doubt he is seriously faulted, partly reflected in his choice to move a fishing village where the pastime is getting drunk. It does not seem like a wise choice for Culann's redemptive path to a new life. Culann is plagued by his bad decisions and realizes this a little too late for his own good.
The supporting narrative is unique. The person identified as the antagonist is only subtly revealed throughout the story. The author makes an interesting choice in presenting the climax between the main character and the protagonist at least two chapters before the conclusion. And the great thing here is that the remaining chapters develop with even more significance. It doesn't feel like unnecessary filler at the end. Often I am struck that once the final thrust of the story is done, the rest is just blather, cleaning up loose story ends. Not so in DoG. These last chapters are essential in resolving every bit of conflict built up from page one and the author does it smoothly in a way that avoids reading like the flayed ends of the narrative rope. I say, "Well done."
This is not a cut and paste horror/mystery/thriller. It's not easy for me to classify according to genre. It seemed to cover a wide swath of fiction without getting bogged down in gotcha moments or machetes behind every tree. This is a good story without being forced. It's smooth. It unfolds in a way that makes sense.
There is no way I could have predicted the story's development. Major themes include temptation, selfishness, merit and self-sacrifice. There is resolution to the main character's story, but it won't resolve in any predictable way. What you may expect for the character is not what you'll receive.
The author definitely took his time in creating a disturbing, but highly addictive story. I recommend this to any reader who might enjoy something like "Mutiny on the Bounty" but with a supernatural sort of twist.
PROS: Very unique fictional story centering on temptation and sacrifice.
CONS: The environment is seedy and the main problem is delicate.
DoG. Turn it upside down and the reader gets a mere hint at this unique mystery. DoG is published by Bizarro Press, ISBN: 978-0615700212. The author promises a story about Culann Riordan, a high school teacher who skips town to avoid trouble and accusations of molesting one of his female students. He flees to an Alaskan fishing town where he meets up with his cousin and his new coworkers, the crew of the Orthrus. What happens next is good story telling.
The main character is believably fallible and real. There is no doubt he is seriously faulted, partly reflected in his choice to move a fishing village where the pastime is getting drunk. It does not seem like a wise choice for Culann's redemptive path to a new life. Culann is plagued by his bad decisions and realizes this a little too late for his own good.
The supporting narrative is unique. The person identified as the antagonist is only subtly revealed throughout the story. The author makes an interesting choice in presenting the climax between the main character and the protagonist at least two chapters before the conclusion. And the great thing here is that the remaining chapters develop with even more significance. It doesn't feel like unnecessary filler at the end. Often I am struck that once the final thrust of the story is done, the rest is just blather, cleaning up loose story ends. Not so in DoG. These last chapters are essential in resolving every bit of conflict built up from page one and the author does it smoothly in a way that avoids reading like the flayed ends of the narrative rope. I say, "Well done."
This is not a cut and paste horror/mystery/thriller. It's not easy for me to classify according to genre. It seemed to cover a wide swath of fiction without getting bogged down in gotcha moments or machetes behind every tree. This is a good story without being forced. It's smooth. It unfolds in a way that makes sense.
There is no way I could have predicted the story's development. Major themes include temptation, selfishness, merit and self-sacrifice. There is resolution to the main character's story, but it won't resolve in any predictable way. What you may expect for the character is not what you'll receive.
The author definitely took his time in creating a disturbing, but highly addictive story. I recommend this to any reader who might enjoy something like "Mutiny on the Bounty" but with a supernatural sort of twist.
November 21, 2012
excellent story! the worst part of the book is that it all ends so soon. i was left wanting more, but not in the lacking something important sort of way. i was left wanting more in a this book is really good and i wish there was more to it so i dont have to stop reading it sort of way. but alas, all good things must come to an end.
April 13, 2013
I was very impressed with this book. It is deep, thought provoking and well thought out. The ending did throw me off a little but it all came together. I have high hopes for this author and I plan to look out for other books by him! I would highly recommend this book.
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in return for a fair and honest review.
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in return for a fair and honest review.
June 26, 2018
DoG
A voyage to where?
This is certainly an unusual novel. It begins as a rip-roaring, sea story of life in harsh Alaska, but midway it becomes a mystical tale of the supernatural. There are some references to Moby Dick, so perhaps the author was trying to capture some of Melville's other worldliness. The first half of the novel certainly presents a somewhat brutal world: alpha male dominated, hard drinking, physically aggressive. I cannot say that I 'enjoyed' this section as that would be quite the wrong word, but it was certainly well written and I am glad I read it. The second half of the plot, as I say, takes things in a different direction and the society of the first half fades away. Culann Riordan, the main character, who went to Alaska seeking redemption, must quest again in a different, more spiritual, way. What makes a man, and how can he make amends for his failings? Why do things happen? Are we completely at the whim of fate, or do we play a role in the ultimate direction of our lives?
You will enjoy this book if you have a bent for the unusual. This is certainly not the kind of book I usually read, but I none the less am glad I read it. This one gets 5 stars from me.
September 20, 2013
Matt Hlinak, DoG (Bizarro Press, 2013)
Full disclosure: this book was provided to me free of charge by Netgalley.
Matt Hlinak's DoG is published by Bizarro Press, which, if you're familiar with the wild and wonderful word of bizarro fiction, may impart to you some preconceived notions about what you're getting here. I will rush to tell you that all of those notions are wrong, pretty much. DoG feels like a straight drama to me for most of its length, despite some magical-realist elements, and doesn't really dive into the realm of the weird until its final few pages. While I love bizarro, I don't think this is a bad thing—Hlinak took some very difficult themes, played them straight, and for the most part came up with a winner.
The protagonist of DoG is one Culann Riordan, a former schoolteacher who has dropped out of sight after a misunderstanding with a student in his native Illinois. He has a hard-drinking cousin who works on a fishing trawler in Alaska, and as we open, Culann is disembarking (dear cruise ship industry: “debarking” is something you do to a dog, if you're cruel) at the ass end of the world, ready to join his cousin in a new career of hauling fish and tossing shots. He soon finds that this particular ass end of the world is full of folks who are running from things, just like he is, from draft dodging to murder. Not that that makes him feel any more at home, but it's something. When it comes time to board the ship, it's all about fish, nets, and alcohol for a while, but Culann eventually finds out that the boat's mysterious captain, rarely seen and never heard, has an ulterior motive in his meanderings that has little to do with fish...and the Culann and his cousin may be inadvertently influencing.
None of which has a blessed thing to do with dogs. You get to that part later; the first almost three-quarters of the book is setup, and it puts one far more in mind of historical fiction than bizarro (the obvious parallel here is to Moby-Dick, but if you listen hard enough while Culann is describing the town and its inhabitants, there are echoes of D. J. Taylor's Derby Day, the bits of it that take place in the French harbor town). This is not a bad thing. Hlinak has a good feel for the pace of the story, and his sundry characters, even the minor ones, are competently-drawn and generally amusing, at least when they're not causing our protagonist to come within inches of losing some fingers. But just when you start thinking this is yet another book about an outcast who has to adjust to a new society, Hlinak pulls out a couple of subplots that seemed at the beginning as if they were going to be set decoration more than anything else and slaps you upside the head with them. Here is where the book's brevity (146pp.) does not do it service; each of those subplots could have easily taken up a novel of its own, as well as that whole “adjusting to a new society” gig (which never goes away, but necessarily changes direction about two-thirds of the way through the book), which could as well, and in many cases has. They synergize very well, and given that, this book could have easily been five or six times its present length and would probably still have not gotten to the depths of some of the ideas Hlinak flirted with here. In other words, I wanted more. And yes, that is a much better problem to have than “for the love of alsatians this thing went on way too long”, but if Hlinak ever decides to release a revised and expanded five-hundred-page edition of this book, I'll be first in line to grab it. What is here, however, is very enjoyable and makes me look forward to whatever Hlinak offers up next. *** ½
Full disclosure: this book was provided to me free of charge by Netgalley.
Matt Hlinak's DoG is published by Bizarro Press, which, if you're familiar with the wild and wonderful word of bizarro fiction, may impart to you some preconceived notions about what you're getting here. I will rush to tell you that all of those notions are wrong, pretty much. DoG feels like a straight drama to me for most of its length, despite some magical-realist elements, and doesn't really dive into the realm of the weird until its final few pages. While I love bizarro, I don't think this is a bad thing—Hlinak took some very difficult themes, played them straight, and for the most part came up with a winner.
The protagonist of DoG is one Culann Riordan, a former schoolteacher who has dropped out of sight after a misunderstanding with a student in his native Illinois. He has a hard-drinking cousin who works on a fishing trawler in Alaska, and as we open, Culann is disembarking (dear cruise ship industry: “debarking” is something you do to a dog, if you're cruel) at the ass end of the world, ready to join his cousin in a new career of hauling fish and tossing shots. He soon finds that this particular ass end of the world is full of folks who are running from things, just like he is, from draft dodging to murder. Not that that makes him feel any more at home, but it's something. When it comes time to board the ship, it's all about fish, nets, and alcohol for a while, but Culann eventually finds out that the boat's mysterious captain, rarely seen and never heard, has an ulterior motive in his meanderings that has little to do with fish...and the Culann and his cousin may be inadvertently influencing.
None of which has a blessed thing to do with dogs. You get to that part later; the first almost three-quarters of the book is setup, and it puts one far more in mind of historical fiction than bizarro (the obvious parallel here is to Moby-Dick, but if you listen hard enough while Culann is describing the town and its inhabitants, there are echoes of D. J. Taylor's Derby Day, the bits of it that take place in the French harbor town). This is not a bad thing. Hlinak has a good feel for the pace of the story, and his sundry characters, even the minor ones, are competently-drawn and generally amusing, at least when they're not causing our protagonist to come within inches of losing some fingers. But just when you start thinking this is yet another book about an outcast who has to adjust to a new society, Hlinak pulls out a couple of subplots that seemed at the beginning as if they were going to be set decoration more than anything else and slaps you upside the head with them. Here is where the book's brevity (146pp.) does not do it service; each of those subplots could have easily taken up a novel of its own, as well as that whole “adjusting to a new society” gig (which never goes away, but necessarily changes direction about two-thirds of the way through the book), which could as well, and in many cases has. They synergize very well, and given that, this book could have easily been five or six times its present length and would probably still have not gotten to the depths of some of the ideas Hlinak flirted with here. In other words, I wanted more. And yes, that is a much better problem to have than “for the love of alsatians this thing went on way too long”, but if Hlinak ever decides to release a revised and expanded five-hundred-page edition of this book, I'll be first in line to grab it. What is here, however, is very enjoyable and makes me look forward to whatever Hlinak offers up next. *** ½
August 10, 2016
A Slow, Careful, Well-crafted Build-up
There is an odd trick that horticulturalists can use by which they graft buds from different types of fruit trees onto a single trunk, thereby creating a single tree that bears distinctly different fruit depending on which branch you look at. I thought of that while considering this review, because "DoG" seems like just one book, when it's actually at least three different books.
Culann, a teacher accused of statutory rape, flees his cozy suburban nest and joins his cousin Frank on a tiny island off the West Coast of Alaska. Frank has gotten Culann a berth with him on a commercial fishing vessel, and Culann is going to hide out and "grow up". This tale occupies the first third of the book. It has a sort of rugged spareness and ruefulness that suits the topic, and the author's description of Culann's meeting the other crewmen, heading off to fish, and being broken in as the greenhorn sailor is funny, realistic, and self-consciously manly in a Hemingway vein. A lot of the dialogue is bawdy and clever, and there is much sly humor and subtle wit on display. Just as a boy-goes-to-Alaska-and-becomes-a-man novel this part works very well.
MAJOR SPOILERS HERE. One day the nets haul up a weird metal orb covered with a strange shifting hieroglyphic style script. The captain, who seems to have been waiting for this find, seizes the orb and directs the ship to return immediately to port. Culann steals the orb and upon landfall he and the other crewmen return to their island home, along with the orb. Within 24 hours everyone on the island is dead, as is everything else except for Culann and all of the dogs that had been kept as pets. Culann becomes like the head of the pack. This part of the book is not written as a standard thriller, but has an odd, dead, flat affect, and a sort of X-Files/Twilight Zone feeling.
At this point the insane captain shows up to demand the orb, and after a confrontation with the still strangely passive Culann, Culann ends up alone once again on the island. This frees him up, along with his dog companions, to reflect on his life, the universe and everything. This final third justifies the promise of the bizarro genre and is magical and eerie. (It should not be lost that the greatest hero of Irish Mythology is Cuchulain, also known as the "Hound of Culann". He was a great and noble warrior, and is similar to the Welsh Arthur or the Greek Achilles. Google some of this and the final part of the book is a lot more coherent and interesting.)
It's important to note that this is well written. It is tight and economical, and the author's command is sure. This is one of the few bizarro books I've read that could have benefited from being longer, since the early scenes, the fishing scenes, the death-by-orb scenes and the finale could all have been filled out without seeming padded. Authors in this genre often run on too long and overwork their themes and overstay their welcome, and a work of brevity and restraint is, at the least, refreshing.
So, if you're on the fence this book is definitely worth a look. Please note that I received a free advance ecopy of this book in exchange for a candid review. Apart from that I have no connection at all to either the author or the publisher of this book.
There is an odd trick that horticulturalists can use by which they graft buds from different types of fruit trees onto a single trunk, thereby creating a single tree that bears distinctly different fruit depending on which branch you look at. I thought of that while considering this review, because "DoG" seems like just one book, when it's actually at least three different books.
Culann, a teacher accused of statutory rape, flees his cozy suburban nest and joins his cousin Frank on a tiny island off the West Coast of Alaska. Frank has gotten Culann a berth with him on a commercial fishing vessel, and Culann is going to hide out and "grow up". This tale occupies the first third of the book. It has a sort of rugged spareness and ruefulness that suits the topic, and the author's description of Culann's meeting the other crewmen, heading off to fish, and being broken in as the greenhorn sailor is funny, realistic, and self-consciously manly in a Hemingway vein. A lot of the dialogue is bawdy and clever, and there is much sly humor and subtle wit on display. Just as a boy-goes-to-Alaska-and-becomes-a-man novel this part works very well.
MAJOR SPOILERS HERE. One day the nets haul up a weird metal orb covered with a strange shifting hieroglyphic style script. The captain, who seems to have been waiting for this find, seizes the orb and directs the ship to return immediately to port. Culann steals the orb and upon landfall he and the other crewmen return to their island home, along with the orb. Within 24 hours everyone on the island is dead, as is everything else except for Culann and all of the dogs that had been kept as pets. Culann becomes like the head of the pack. This part of the book is not written as a standard thriller, but has an odd, dead, flat affect, and a sort of X-Files/Twilight Zone feeling.
At this point the insane captain shows up to demand the orb, and after a confrontation with the still strangely passive Culann, Culann ends up alone once again on the island. This frees him up, along with his dog companions, to reflect on his life, the universe and everything. This final third justifies the promise of the bizarro genre and is magical and eerie. (It should not be lost that the greatest hero of Irish Mythology is Cuchulain, also known as the "Hound of Culann". He was a great and noble warrior, and is similar to the Welsh Arthur or the Greek Achilles. Google some of this and the final part of the book is a lot more coherent and interesting.)
It's important to note that this is well written. It is tight and economical, and the author's command is sure. This is one of the few bizarro books I've read that could have benefited from being longer, since the early scenes, the fishing scenes, the death-by-orb scenes and the finale could all have been filled out without seeming padded. Authors in this genre often run on too long and overwork their themes and overstay their welcome, and a work of brevity and restraint is, at the least, refreshing.
So, if you're on the fence this book is definitely worth a look. Please note that I received a free advance ecopy of this book in exchange for a candid review. Apart from that I have no connection at all to either the author or the publisher of this book.
November 10, 2012
Culann has gotten himself into a little bit of trouble, and as many have done before him, he absconds to the rugged life found in Alaska to avoid prosecution. His cousin Frank has fixed him up with a job on a fishing trawler, and a couch to sleep on. On his first trip out, he learns the captain has a habit of fishing the same area year after year, never branching out to seek out larger yields of fish. Then the crew hauls in a strange object, and everything just gets weirder from there.
Having spent his last few years as a school teacher, Culann is worked harder than ever before as a deckhand, and takes some abuse as a greenhorn who needs to prove himself.
I really enjoyed the first half of this relatively short story (I think the e-book that I received was only about 118 pages). However once Culann came back to port and everything started getting really weird, I started to find it less enjoyable. I mean, fantastical plotline aside, it just got too unrealistic for me. People were too quick to just accept the what Culann said at face value and resign themselves to their doom. ("Oh well. I'm going to mysteriously drop dead in the upcoming hours, because this criminal on the run says so. Guess I'll just resign myself to it and get drunk.")
And then when Culann in the end begins to reflect on his crime and almost seems to justify his actions. In the beginning I liked him, but by the end I was pretty much over him and finding him a little repulsive.
One thing of note is that the font in my ARC made reading very difficult. I hope that this may be improved in the printed copy, but the font was eratic, varying from small to large to bold. It was supposed to have been done to indicate the state the writer was in, as it is a diary of what's happened to him in the previous days and weeks.
Also, sometimes the "i" looked like an "l" (causing "Alistair" to look like "Allstar"), and "f" looked like "r". Very confusing.
My final word: While I wound up not being enamored by Culann or the story in general in the end (as I was in the beginning), it was still a "good" story, and exhibited some solid writing. I would recommend it if you are looking for a fast escape.
Having spent his last few years as a school teacher, Culann is worked harder than ever before as a deckhand, and takes some abuse as a greenhorn who needs to prove himself.
I really enjoyed the first half of this relatively short story (I think the e-book that I received was only about 118 pages). However once Culann came back to port and everything started getting really weird, I started to find it less enjoyable. I mean, fantastical plotline aside, it just got too unrealistic for me. People were too quick to just accept the what Culann said at face value and resign themselves to their doom. ("Oh well. I'm going to mysteriously drop dead in the upcoming hours, because this criminal on the run says so. Guess I'll just resign myself to it and get drunk.")
And then when Culann in the end begins to reflect on his crime and almost seems to justify his actions. In the beginning I liked him, but by the end I was pretty much over him and finding him a little repulsive.
One thing of note is that the font in my ARC made reading very difficult. I hope that this may be improved in the printed copy, but the font was eratic, varying from small to large to bold. It was supposed to have been done to indicate the state the writer was in, as it is a diary of what's happened to him in the previous days and weeks.
Also, sometimes the "i" looked like an "l" (causing "Alistair" to look like "Allstar"), and "f" looked like "r". Very confusing.
My final word: While I wound up not being enamored by Culann or the story in general in the end (as I was in the beginning), it was still a "good" story, and exhibited some solid writing. I would recommend it if you are looking for a fast escape.
January 21, 2013
A NetGalley first reads
The author of this review received an advance copy for an honest review
"DoG" is just not the kind of story I'd enjoy. An English teacher flees because he drinks a lot and kissed a 16 yr old on the top of the head. I guess I found this unrealistic because having lived in Illinois I've noticed alcoholism is treated as a disease not a character flaw, and having lived in Alaska I can say those who live in the fishing villages are actually the lucky ones (the rest of the state is horribly cold).
Moving on the story follows a sort of magical realism, not bad but not entirely engaging either, I find myself blocked caring about cowards and even more so in settings I find unrealistic. However, I am clearly in the minority on this one, so I recommend it if you liked "The Life of Pi,"
The author of this review received an advance copy for an honest review
"DoG" is just not the kind of story I'd enjoy. An English teacher flees because he drinks a lot and kissed a 16 yr old on the top of the head. I guess I found this unrealistic because having lived in Illinois I've noticed alcoholism is treated as a disease not a character flaw, and having lived in Alaska I can say those who live in the fishing villages are actually the lucky ones (the rest of the state is horribly cold).
Moving on the story follows a sort of magical realism, not bad but not entirely engaging either, I find myself blocked caring about cowards and even more so in settings I find unrealistic. However, I am clearly in the minority on this one, so I recommend it if you liked "The Life of Pi,"
April 25, 2013
doG is a fast paced book with a very tight plot. The unusual structure of the book, which reminds me a bit of Hemingway's, "In Our Time," is effective in showing us Culann's transformation. The language is clear, and some descriptions are very memorable. The genre seems to lie in between magical realism and fantasy, blending various mythologies and eastern Christian medieval iconography with modern times.
I think the book should have been longer, there are places where the author summarized when he could have expanded.
A good first book. I look forward to reading the next one.
I think the book should have been longer, there are places where the author summarized when he could have expanded.
A good first book. I look forward to reading the next one.
February 18, 2021
I really enjoyed this book. It had a relatable tale of indiscretion, followed by a chance and eventually successful redemption. The struggle the main character is faced with isn't solely one of society or a physical challenge, although those both come into play, but one of morality and integrity. Interesting twist at the end.
March 8, 2013
This book really tells a moral story. All dog lovers will like the fact that the ancient god comes back in Alphonse, the lead dog of the island. I like the fact that the hero, negotiates with him to save mankind. Good read.
October 8, 2020
My second bit of bizarro lit this week. Surprisingly not that bizarro. The story line could fall in line with a Dean Koontz novel. There is nothing truly strange, but a little willing suspension of disbelief is in order. An unlikely hero. A mysterious object. Key symbolism of dogs and gods. A small island off the Alaska coast. All meet together in a fun read. The book reads very well and quick. A fun and worthwhile Sunday read that hits that odd spot on your brain just right.
June 22, 2013
There’s the makings of a nice short story here, but it’s been padded with filler and not truly fleshed out properly to make a novel.
The basic idea intrigued me and had me hooked (and really is what had me stay with the book). A man (Culann Riordan) runs away to Alaska to avoid prosecution for his sexual encounter with a 16-year-old girl. The sexual encounter may or may not have actually happened. You have to stick with the story, though we are inclined to believe that he’s telling the truth when he tells people initially, that it was nothing more than a kiss on the forehead.
Culann joins a fishing boat, where he does a poor job of holding on to his stomach contents and making friends. He is battered, beaten and abused. The captain of the boat seems a strange man, never-changing his course and clearly searching for something other than fish. When Culann hauls in a strange orb, the fishing is cut short and the boat returns home. But before getting there, all mechanical devices on the ship cut out. When the men finally make their way to their Alaskan village, people start to die off. Everyone dies, but Culann and the village dogs, who follow him around and obey his every command.
Most readers will already understand the significance of what’s going on. The title of the book, the names of the characters … it’s a little painfully obvious what is going to happen. But this is okay … it’s not always the tale itself… it’s the telling of the tale that often counts. We know Romeo and Juliet will both die, but still people go to the play and the movies and read the script. We know Han and Luke will save the day in Star Wars, and be awarded medals by Princess Leia, but still we see the movie.
So why do we want to continue with reading this book…? Really. Why?
Culann is not made to be a likeable character. While he potentially redeems himself, he is a twisted man. Constantly referred to as “pervert” by the town’s-people, the moniker infuses itself on the reader. We have no reason to think he’s NOT a pervert. His three dalliances with members of the opposite sex in this novelette are clumsy and fruitless and he comes across as a ‘whack-job.’ But what’s more… none of his encounters propel the story forward. And if they don’t move the story, then they must be there to describe character. And if that’s the case… this character is pathetic and certainly does not attract our sympathies.
And whereas the character has flaws that prevent him from being a hero that we root for, the writing itself fails to draw the reader in to the story. I heard it over and over and over again in my undergraduate writing classes: “Show, don’t tell.” Sometimes it’s hard to explain just what that means, but Hlinak is an easy example of someone telling a story, rather than showing us the story. He tells us when the character is mad or sad or angry, instead of showing us that the character is such.
In many ways, this ‘style’ makes it immensely easy to read, but again, telling a story doesn’t draw anyone in. Here is where the story should have been more aptly built upon to make it novel-length. Here’s a random sample of description from the book:
The table got quiet after the game. The four concentrated on eating their cod and drinking their water. Culann couldn’t stop thinking about how good a frothy draft beer would taste right now. His next drink was a month away. He hoped a little chatter would take his mind off his thirst.
Everything in this simple paragraph is telling the reader something, rather than showing the reader what it’s like to be there. It’s frustrating to read this kind of writing in a novel.
And one last picky point… we spend so much time on the boat with Culann, watching him, a “greenhorn,” make every mistake possible, get so sick he can barely stand, and bear the brunt of fish-slap after fish-slap. And what does this have to do with any of the rest of the novel? I understand why he’s on the boat and what he has to do from there, but to spend as much time as we did, seems like wasted time (unless it was character-building, which again makes him out to be a pretty pathetic character).
I enjoy off-beat, even dangerous fiction. (See my review of Blope!) But even ‘bizarro’ fiction needs to hold together with some basic tenets, such as character and story-telling.
The basic idea intrigued me and had me hooked (and really is what had me stay with the book). A man (Culann Riordan) runs away to Alaska to avoid prosecution for his sexual encounter with a 16-year-old girl. The sexual encounter may or may not have actually happened. You have to stick with the story, though we are inclined to believe that he’s telling the truth when he tells people initially, that it was nothing more than a kiss on the forehead.
Culann joins a fishing boat, where he does a poor job of holding on to his stomach contents and making friends. He is battered, beaten and abused. The captain of the boat seems a strange man, never-changing his course and clearly searching for something other than fish. When Culann hauls in a strange orb, the fishing is cut short and the boat returns home. But before getting there, all mechanical devices on the ship cut out. When the men finally make their way to their Alaskan village, people start to die off. Everyone dies, but Culann and the village dogs, who follow him around and obey his every command.
Most readers will already understand the significance of what’s going on. The title of the book, the names of the characters … it’s a little painfully obvious what is going to happen. But this is okay … it’s not always the tale itself… it’s the telling of the tale that often counts. We know Romeo and Juliet will both die, but still people go to the play and the movies and read the script. We know Han and Luke will save the day in Star Wars, and be awarded medals by Princess Leia, but still we see the movie.
So why do we want to continue with reading this book…? Really. Why?
Culann is not made to be a likeable character. While he potentially redeems himself, he is a twisted man. Constantly referred to as “pervert” by the town’s-people, the moniker infuses itself on the reader. We have no reason to think he’s NOT a pervert. His three dalliances with members of the opposite sex in this novelette are clumsy and fruitless and he comes across as a ‘whack-job.’ But what’s more… none of his encounters propel the story forward. And if they don’t move the story, then they must be there to describe character. And if that’s the case… this character is pathetic and certainly does not attract our sympathies.
And whereas the character has flaws that prevent him from being a hero that we root for, the writing itself fails to draw the reader in to the story. I heard it over and over and over again in my undergraduate writing classes: “Show, don’t tell.” Sometimes it’s hard to explain just what that means, but Hlinak is an easy example of someone telling a story, rather than showing us the story. He tells us when the character is mad or sad or angry, instead of showing us that the character is such.
In many ways, this ‘style’ makes it immensely easy to read, but again, telling a story doesn’t draw anyone in. Here is where the story should have been more aptly built upon to make it novel-length. Here’s a random sample of description from the book:
The table got quiet after the game. The four concentrated on eating their cod and drinking their water. Culann couldn’t stop thinking about how good a frothy draft beer would taste right now. His next drink was a month away. He hoped a little chatter would take his mind off his thirst.
Everything in this simple paragraph is telling the reader something, rather than showing the reader what it’s like to be there. It’s frustrating to read this kind of writing in a novel.
And one last picky point… we spend so much time on the boat with Culann, watching him, a “greenhorn,” make every mistake possible, get so sick he can barely stand, and bear the brunt of fish-slap after fish-slap. And what does this have to do with any of the rest of the novel? I understand why he’s on the boat and what he has to do from there, but to spend as much time as we did, seems like wasted time (unless it was character-building, which again makes him out to be a pretty pathetic character).
I enjoy off-beat, even dangerous fiction. (See my review of Blope!) But even ‘bizarro’ fiction needs to hold together with some basic tenets, such as character and story-telling.
January 2, 2016
I loathe the fact I have so little to say about this book. Though my rating may not be exactly astronomical, I still do feel like the book's concept would deserve more than what I am capable of saying. What am I capable of saying, then? Only a few succinct scraps for thoughts that I'll collect here rather than attempt to forcefully fatten them into entire paragraphs:
- I found DoG to be both fast (for its short length) and slow paced (in terms of the story unraveling itself).
- An entertaining read.
- I would not regard this as bizarro per se, but rather just fiction with supernatural elements.
- Culann is one of the very few lead characters that I've found hard to sympathize with - he is utterly self-absorbed, for one - but whose story I still remained captivated by.
- Interweaving ancient mythology with the modern society is an intriguing concept, however, I wish it had been explored more.
- The author made an interesting choice in leaving the main antagonist so distant a figure. Anyway. I liked it, it was rather unusual.
- Ending was, for me, a giant letdown. After so little actual time passing in the story, I found this u-turn Culann had in his persona a little too much to swallow. It was so complete and sudden and utterly unbelievable. And kind of corny.
- Wicked cover art!
- I found DoG to be both fast (for its short length) and slow paced (in terms of the story unraveling itself).
- An entertaining read.
- I would not regard this as bizarro per se, but rather just fiction with supernatural elements.
- Culann is one of the very few lead characters that I've found hard to sympathize with - he is utterly self-absorbed, for one - but whose story I still remained captivated by.
- Interweaving ancient mythology with the modern society is an intriguing concept, however, I wish it had been explored more.
- The author made an interesting choice in leaving the main antagonist so distant a figure. Anyway. I liked it, it was rather unusual.
- Ending was, for me, a giant letdown. After so little actual time passing in the story, I found this u-turn Culann had in his persona a little too much to swallow. It was so complete and sudden and utterly unbelievable. And kind of corny.
- Wicked cover art!
November 20, 2015
This sharply written book easily draws you in and is just strange enough to keep you wondering and turning the pages. The choice to make the protagonist sympathetic but not quite likable was a risky but, I think, good move by author Matt Hlinak. If anything the narrative moved a little too fast for me, which on the one hand made the book fast and easy to get through, but on the other hand made me blink a couple times (wait, did a guy just get shot a few times? The characters and I almost seemed to miss the fact). Anyway, good first outing by the author, looking forward to reading more of his work.
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