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Bones #1-9
Bones Omnibus
In one volume for the first time is the complete Bones saga, presenting the occasionally heroic, easily distracted, yet ferociously loyal Pittsburgh police dog in nine tales of spellbinding mystery and Apocalyptic horror. In the five-part Early Years , the titular German shepherd's survival skills are honed as he faces down increasingly diabolical villains in the shadow of the coming Armageddon. Then in the four-part Apocalypse Saga , Bones confronts his destiny as devastating events conspire to decimate humanity and open the door to a new age.
Stories Hellhound, Inja, Bitch, Mongrel, Cur, Bones, Shepherd, Alpha , and Bigfoot .
"Trying to explain the Bones saga in a sound bite is all but impossible. Break it down into its constituent parts, and you'll end up with a soup of seemingly incompatible ingredients. Urban crime drama. Backwoods horror. Epic disaster thriller. Post-apocalyptic tragedy. Zombies. Mutants. Ghosts. Witches. Bigfoot. Put these elements in the hands of most writers and ask them to come up with something and you'll get a pungent mess, a lumpy broth that defies digestion. Like the sushi chef who knows how to serve the blowfish without poisoning his customer, you need a chef like Wheaton to make these flavors work.
And work they do. The Bones saga thrills in a way very few horror series by surprising the reader. It's a sad truth that most genre fiction ends up being, by its nature, generic. Bones is anything but. I've read all nine Bones stories - from the twisted early horror yarns, through the chilling apocalypse trilogy, and on to the head-spinning Bigfoot coda - and couldn't even begin to predict where the tale would go from one story to the next.
Even within the boundaries of each story, Bones chews up the rule book and leaves it shredded and slobbery. Freed from the predictable rhythms of narrative by his mute and reactionary lead character, Wheaton can introduce us to someone, immerse us in their life in a few deft paragraphs, let us follow them enough to share in their hopes and dreams, then destroy them utterly without pause or remorse. Through the impassive eyes of Bones, friend or foe alike, we're all just animals waiting to be hunted.
It's a ruthless world, and Wheaton doesn't soften its edges with cutesy-poo anthropomorphism. Bones has no interior monologue, only instinct. He's heroic only in that he does what he's been trained for. He'll bond with you, help you, but, hey, if your eye gets torn out of its socket by a rabid seagull, you'd better believe he's going to gobble it up. There's an emotional distance in these stories that would be nihilistic if it weren't grounded in the animal kingdom. Forget Simba - this is the real circle of life." - From Dan Whitehead's introduction
Stories Hellhound, Inja, Bitch, Mongrel, Cur, Bones, Shepherd, Alpha , and Bigfoot .
"Trying to explain the Bones saga in a sound bite is all but impossible. Break it down into its constituent parts, and you'll end up with a soup of seemingly incompatible ingredients. Urban crime drama. Backwoods horror. Epic disaster thriller. Post-apocalyptic tragedy. Zombies. Mutants. Ghosts. Witches. Bigfoot. Put these elements in the hands of most writers and ask them to come up with something and you'll get a pungent mess, a lumpy broth that defies digestion. Like the sushi chef who knows how to serve the blowfish without poisoning his customer, you need a chef like Wheaton to make these flavors work.
And work they do. The Bones saga thrills in a way very few horror series by surprising the reader. It's a sad truth that most genre fiction ends up being, by its nature, generic. Bones is anything but. I've read all nine Bones stories - from the twisted early horror yarns, through the chilling apocalypse trilogy, and on to the head-spinning Bigfoot coda - and couldn't even begin to predict where the tale would go from one story to the next.
Even within the boundaries of each story, Bones chews up the rule book and leaves it shredded and slobbery. Freed from the predictable rhythms of narrative by his mute and reactionary lead character, Wheaton can introduce us to someone, immerse us in their life in a few deft paragraphs, let us follow them enough to share in their hopes and dreams, then destroy them utterly without pause or remorse. Through the impassive eyes of Bones, friend or foe alike, we're all just animals waiting to be hunted.
It's a ruthless world, and Wheaton doesn't soften its edges with cutesy-poo anthropomorphism. Bones has no interior monologue, only instinct. He's heroic only in that he does what he's been trained for. He'll bond with you, help you, but, hey, if your eye gets torn out of its socket by a rabid seagull, you'd better believe he's going to gobble it up. There's an emotional distance in these stories that would be nihilistic if it weren't grounded in the animal kingdom. Forget Simba - this is the real circle of life." - From Dan Whitehead's introduction
738 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 10, 2013
1 person is currently reading
526 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
January 7, 2015
First of all, I've got to thank Mark Wheaton for sending me a copy of this magnificent book. It took more than a year to arrive, but I'm finally reviewing it!
Bones Omnibus is a collection of nine stories featuring Bones, a German Shepherd that was trained by the police. He is one of the most amazing characters I've read. I've never thought that a book whose main point is the intervention of a dog on various stories would be so thrilling and compelling.
The prose is wonderful and the way the story builds up is incredible. The descriptions are perfectly placed to make the world reliable. Fantasy and paranormal elements are introduced during the book gradually, to reach its climax on the second part, The Apocalypse Saga.
Because of those paranormal elements, I thought I'd like the first part, The Early Years, more than the second one, The Apocalypse Saga. The thing is, I enjoyed both of them.
Now I'm going to rate and talk about the stories separately. The four stars are probably because of the extension of the story. I found out I liked the longer stories more because the world building was extremely richer.
Bitch ★★★★★
A great start. A tiny Yorkshire terrier named Bitch is involved on a crime scene and she joins Bones on a trip to solve the mystery and get revenge.
Hellhound ★★★★★
I loved this one. Weird things are happening on a complex of aparment buildings. A little girl called Becca is sure there is a strange presence messing around. I read this one at night, while all the hounds in my neighborhood woofed and howled. I've never been so terrified while reading a book. And the ending was so creepy and amazing... I'm sure I'm going to re-read Hellhound for Halloween.
Cur ★★★★☆
Cur takes Bones to illegal dog fights. It was good, but a little too short for my taste.
Inja ★★★★★
Ah... in Inja, Bones travels to South Africa. The descriptions were so vivid, I almost felt that I was in that place. This story incorporates a major paranormal element into the volume, but it was greatly developed.
Mongrel ★★★★☆
Another story that was too short. It was a shame, because in this one, we encounter the adventures of Bones and his former handler Lionel Oudin. The relationship between the two of them is very important for the book in general, specially to understand and be moved with Alpha.
Bones ★★★★☆
This one started great. The prologue describes how a man that discovered new animals in the Artic triggered the apocalypse. I loved the prologue, but the matter of how the apocalypse was triggered by this is treated very lightly during the story. I would have liked more of that for the story to be perfect.
Shepherd ★★★★☆
In Shepherd, the behaviour of rats and birds change a little. As it happened with the previous story, I would have liked a little more of explanation of how it all came to this point.
Alpha ★★★★★
Without a doubt, this one is the most amazing story of The Apocalypse Saga. It's a story about survival, the links between species and an epic conclusion to the Bones saga. The ending made me shed a tear, it was beautiful.
Bigfoot (An Apocalyptic Interlude) ★★★★☆
This story, as it says in the title, is an interlude. The events told here happened between Bones and Shepherd. Let me warn you all: it involves a pack of sasquatches, so it obviously takes you out of your comfort zone. It is very weird, but good nonetheless.
And with this, I end up my review. Bones Omnibus is one of my favourite books read on 2014 and I'm sure I'm going to re-read it for the next Halloween.
Bones Omnibus is a collection of nine stories featuring Bones, a German Shepherd that was trained by the police. He is one of the most amazing characters I've read. I've never thought that a book whose main point is the intervention of a dog on various stories would be so thrilling and compelling.
The prose is wonderful and the way the story builds up is incredible. The descriptions are perfectly placed to make the world reliable. Fantasy and paranormal elements are introduced during the book gradually, to reach its climax on the second part, The Apocalypse Saga.
Because of those paranormal elements, I thought I'd like the first part, The Early Years, more than the second one, The Apocalypse Saga. The thing is, I enjoyed both of them.
Now I'm going to rate and talk about the stories separately. The four stars are probably because of the extension of the story. I found out I liked the longer stories more because the world building was extremely richer.
The Early Years
Bitch ★★★★★
A great start. A tiny Yorkshire terrier named Bitch is involved on a crime scene and she joins Bones on a trip to solve the mystery and get revenge.
Hellhound ★★★★★
I loved this one. Weird things are happening on a complex of aparment buildings. A little girl called Becca is sure there is a strange presence messing around. I read this one at night, while all the hounds in my neighborhood woofed and howled. I've never been so terrified while reading a book. And the ending was so creepy and amazing... I'm sure I'm going to re-read Hellhound for Halloween.
Cur ★★★★☆
Cur takes Bones to illegal dog fights. It was good, but a little too short for my taste.
Inja ★★★★★
Ah... in Inja, Bones travels to South Africa. The descriptions were so vivid, I almost felt that I was in that place. This story incorporates a major paranormal element into the volume, but it was greatly developed.
Mongrel ★★★★☆
Another story that was too short. It was a shame, because in this one, we encounter the adventures of Bones and his former handler Lionel Oudin. The relationship between the two of them is very important for the book in general, specially to understand and be moved with Alpha.
The Apocalypse Saga
Bones ★★★★☆
This one started great. The prologue describes how a man that discovered new animals in the Artic triggered the apocalypse. I loved the prologue, but the matter of how the apocalypse was triggered by this is treated very lightly during the story. I would have liked more of that for the story to be perfect.
Shepherd ★★★★☆
In Shepherd, the behaviour of rats and birds change a little. As it happened with the previous story, I would have liked a little more of explanation of how it all came to this point.
Alpha ★★★★★
Without a doubt, this one is the most amazing story of The Apocalypse Saga. It's a story about survival, the links between species and an epic conclusion to the Bones saga. The ending made me shed a tear, it was beautiful.
Bigfoot (An Apocalyptic Interlude) ★★★★☆
This story, as it says in the title, is an interlude. The events told here happened between Bones and Shepherd. Let me warn you all: it involves a pack of sasquatches, so it obviously takes you out of your comfort zone. It is very weird, but good nonetheless.
And with this, I end up my review. Bones Omnibus is one of my favourite books read on 2014 and I'm sure I'm going to re-read it for the next Halloween.
May 20, 2025
Bones is like Komissar Rex. The darker, grittier, more American version of Rex. Which is to say, Bones is very much out for himself, and all the humans who enter his sphere are transitional at best, disposable at worst. Bones is no man's (or woman's) best friend. He's just there to get the job done, and if you can't keep up or wind up falling victim to the villain of the week, he will leave you behind.
Bones may be a police canine, but he's no hero. At least, not the Captain America kind. He is a dog unto himself, unrepentant in everything he does. And, like every gritty anit-hero (and Rudyard Kipling's famous cat), he walks alone. Yet despite all that, he is a hero, for without his skills and willingness to work with whoever's by his side, millions would be dead, slaughtered by a combination of supernatural and apocalyptic forces that Bones takes in his stride. However, above all that, he is, first and foremost, a dog.
Bones may be a police canine, but he's no hero. At least, not the Captain America kind. He is a dog unto himself, unrepentant in everything he does. And, like every gritty anit-hero (and Rudyard Kipling's famous cat), he walks alone. Yet despite all that, he is a hero, for without his skills and willingness to work with whoever's by his side, millions would be dead, slaughtered by a combination of supernatural and apocalyptic forces that Bones takes in his stride. However, above all that, he is, first and foremost, a dog.
December 3, 2015
The Bones Omnibus by Mark Wheaton is a collection of the complete Bones saga, consisting of nine “tails” of a Pittsburgh Police Department K-9 German Shepherd caught in a zombie apocalypse.
He goes through Hell as he battles to save the world.
Some of the stories are normal K-9 cop stories until..
We have the paranormal and the supernatural, along with some gruesome horror and dark fantasy, making up this dsytopian collection.
The “tails” range from your run of the mill crooks to zombies, earthquakes and hordes of rats. Would you rather be killed quickly or eaten alive?
The characters, well, don’t get too attached. The star is Bones and the stories are his. I love this twist of the oft told zombie, end of the world apocalypse.
Bones is an amazing saga that I only put down when my eyes crossed making it impossible to keep reading. I read this 716 paperback in two days and my only complaint is…I did not want it to end!
To see more visit http://www.fundinmental.com
He goes through Hell as he battles to save the world.
Some of the stories are normal K-9 cop stories until..
We have the paranormal and the supernatural, along with some gruesome horror and dark fantasy, making up this dsytopian collection.
The “tails” range from your run of the mill crooks to zombies, earthquakes and hordes of rats. Would you rather be killed quickly or eaten alive?
The characters, well, don’t get too attached. The star is Bones and the stories are his. I love this twist of the oft told zombie, end of the world apocalypse.
Bones is an amazing saga that I only put down when my eyes crossed making it impossible to keep reading. I read this 716 paperback in two days and my only complaint is…I did not want it to end!
To see more visit http://www.fundinmental.com
August 11, 2013
The Bones Omnibus is a collection of stories focusing on the adventures of the police dog Bones. Although the stories don't seem to follow an exact timeline, their themes stay about the same with a lot of death, a lot of monsters, and a lot of gore. and by a lot of gore I mean rampant and often very sudden gore, like sudden decapitations, rotting corpses, and giant mutated zombies made up of tens of thousands of humans living in the core of the Earth?!
You'd think Bones would be the hero of the story and the ultimate conqueror of the undead and other baddies, but he seems just as likely to help someone out as he is to wonder off to go pee on something. I was rather expecting his story to be told with an emotional underline, but he is straight up dog. I don't think I've ever read a book that made no qualms about telling dogs how they are. The book is also filled with seedy characters and their inner workings. While we all try and put our best impressions forward, Mark Wheaton writes in a very direct, no sugar coating fashion and you can almost taste the humanity of each character.
One thing I really noticed about the book was the research that the author had done seemed pretty sound. The place descriptions, ethnic names and characters, and specifics in guns and mundane items added a lot of depth to the stories.
Although I found the profanity to be too much at times, and the in-depth descriptions of eyeballs and intestines being eaten made me go BLECK, I'm pretty sure that was the point... if these stories were turned into a tv series or apocalyptic movie I bet they'd get a lot of attention.
You'd think Bones would be the hero of the story and the ultimate conqueror of the undead and other baddies, but he seems just as likely to help someone out as he is to wonder off to go pee on something. I was rather expecting his story to be told with an emotional underline, but he is straight up dog. I don't think I've ever read a book that made no qualms about telling dogs how they are. The book is also filled with seedy characters and their inner workings. While we all try and put our best impressions forward, Mark Wheaton writes in a very direct, no sugar coating fashion and you can almost taste the humanity of each character.
One thing I really noticed about the book was the research that the author had done seemed pretty sound. The place descriptions, ethnic names and characters, and specifics in guns and mundane items added a lot of depth to the stories.
Although I found the profanity to be too much at times, and the in-depth descriptions of eyeballs and intestines being eaten made me go BLECK, I'm pretty sure that was the point... if these stories were turned into a tv series or apocalyptic movie I bet they'd get a lot of attention.
November 24, 2014
AMAZING!
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews