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Dog Country
A crowdfunded civil war is Azerbaijan’s only hope against its murderous dictatorship. The war is Edane Estian’s only chance to find out if he’s more than what he was designed to be.
He’s a clone soldier, gengineered from a dog’s DNA and hardened by a brutal training regime. He’d be perfect for the job if an outraged society hadn’t intervened, freed him at age seven, and placed him in an adopted family.
Is he Edane? Cathy and Beth’s son, Janine’s boyfriend, valued member of his MilSim sports team? Or is he still White-Six, serial number CNR5-4853-W6, the untroubled killing machine?
By joining a war to protect the powerless, he hopes to become more than the sum of his parts.
Without White-Six, he’ll never survive this war. If that’s all he can be, he’ll never leave it.
He’s a clone soldier, gengineered from a dog’s DNA and hardened by a brutal training regime. He’d be perfect for the job if an outraged society hadn’t intervened, freed him at age seven, and placed him in an adopted family.
Is he Edane? Cathy and Beth’s son, Janine’s boyfriend, valued member of his MilSim sports team? Or is he still White-Six, serial number CNR5-4853-W6, the untroubled killing machine?
By joining a war to protect the powerless, he hopes to become more than the sum of his parts.
Without White-Six, he’ll never survive this war. If that’s all he can be, he’ll never leave it.
- GenresScience Fiction
288 pages, ebook
First published March 28, 2016
16 people are currently reading
130 people want to read
About the author
Malcolm F. Cross
12 books33 followersMalcolm F. Cross, otherwise known by his internet handle 'foozzzball', lives in London and enjoys the personal space and privacy that the city is known for. When not misdirecting tourists to nonexistent landmarks and standing on the wrong side of escalators, Malcolm is likely to be writing science fiction and fantasy. A member of the furry fandom, he won the 2012 Ursa Major Award for Best Anthropomorphic Short Fiction.
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Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews
September 21, 2021
Read for 2021 SPSFC
Overall Thoughts
This is a very thought-provoking book with some great worldbuilding and character moments. That said, it’s not a very happy book. It’s not going to make you cheer for the protagonist over the villain—there’s not always a clear definition of who those are—but it is a very well-written book. This is set about eighty-five years in the future, and it’s easy to tell that from who the characters are and what technology is available, but this is also one of those stories that could work equally well now, or in WWII, or in the renaissance, or in the crusades, talking anthropomorphic dogs notwithstanding.
What’s that? Oh yes. Most of the character in this are basically actualized furries (and even called that a couple times), created through genetic engineering. It’s one of the parts I actually like the best, because we get a great vehicle for seeing the human species, while also dealing with the concept of the outsider and how many people see themselves cut off from others. It’s something experienced by people in the furry community, from the little bit I know, and it comes across powerfully in the story.
Plot
I would say this is the weakest of the three categories, only because this is such a strongly character-driven book. The first half of the book deals with main character, Edane (though only one of several viewpoints), coming to terms with what he wants in life after a serious injury on a military operation in a Middle-Eastern/Central Asian country. The anthropomorphic dogs in the story are all clones, bred specifically as owned soldiers, which as you might think, messes with their psyche. Fortunately they have been emancipated, and many play in augmented reality military simulations as sports. The second half of the book, in my opinion, goes a little long, as it covers a new military operation, but in the end, the story sticks the landing and gives the bittersweet resolution I was looking for.
Setting
There’s a lot of interesting and subtle worldbuilding that goes along with the story. This is set on future Earth, so extrapolated from our geopolitical situation currently. I thought it a little ironic that the conflict is all set around the Middle East, and I was reading this during the aftermath of the US pullout from Afghanistan after twenty years. I want to hope we’re not fighting the same battles there next century, but I can’t say I’d be surprised if we were.
The other big component is the ability (and evident acceptability) of gene modding humans, and mixing them with animals. The clone dogs are the biggest characters, but there are mentions of a few other types of species mixes as well. The hybrids seem to have the same capacity as humans, though there are several excellent passages showing how the dogs think differently, and have trouble grasping some concepts such as humor, sexual pleasure, and why humans do so much political maneuvering.
Advanced technology also plays a big part in the story, from fully augmented reality, to decentralized decision making, advanced 3D printing technology, and smart(er) weapons. In all, the world here seems very real, and very possible.
Character
This is the big one for this book. Edane’s story is very moving, and though I have no experience with the military, seems like it is deeply rooted in the how soldiers feel coming home from a violent life of snap decisions to live in the comparatively cushy life of a citizen. There are a lot of adjustments to make, especially when one is a gene modded dog hybrid who was an owned asset for much of his life and not taught some basic concepts like laughing, the concept of gender, or how to use one’s initiative.
There was some great LGBTQIA representation as well, in Edane’s adoptive mothers, and in himself, as he is functionally ace/demi sexual. It factors into his relationships and how he approaches trying to live in a society where he has trouble grasping some of the basic concepts and accepted “normal” rituals of everyday life.
The other characters don’t have quite the extent of character arc Edane does, but still have satisfying ends to their stories. As said above, I felt the middle of this book went a little long, but in the end, the story stuck the landing and provided resolutions to all those questions proposed in the beginning of how to live in society when you are different physically and in personality. Even if that answer is, “I’m still searching.”
Score out of 10 (My personal score, not the final contest score)
Temporary score until more books in the contest are read: a great and thought provoking read, though not an upbeat story in many places. A lot of military focused action, but an excellent character story. 9/10
Overall Thoughts
This is a very thought-provoking book with some great worldbuilding and character moments. That said, it’s not a very happy book. It’s not going to make you cheer for the protagonist over the villain—there’s not always a clear definition of who those are—but it is a very well-written book. This is set about eighty-five years in the future, and it’s easy to tell that from who the characters are and what technology is available, but this is also one of those stories that could work equally well now, or in WWII, or in the renaissance, or in the crusades, talking anthropomorphic dogs notwithstanding.
What’s that? Oh yes. Most of the character in this are basically actualized furries (and even called that a couple times), created through genetic engineering. It’s one of the parts I actually like the best, because we get a great vehicle for seeing the human species, while also dealing with the concept of the outsider and how many people see themselves cut off from others. It’s something experienced by people in the furry community, from the little bit I know, and it comes across powerfully in the story.
Plot
I would say this is the weakest of the three categories, only because this is such a strongly character-driven book. The first half of the book deals with main character, Edane (though only one of several viewpoints), coming to terms with what he wants in life after a serious injury on a military operation in a Middle-Eastern/Central Asian country. The anthropomorphic dogs in the story are all clones, bred specifically as owned soldiers, which as you might think, messes with their psyche. Fortunately they have been emancipated, and many play in augmented reality military simulations as sports. The second half of the book, in my opinion, goes a little long, as it covers a new military operation, but in the end, the story sticks the landing and gives the bittersweet resolution I was looking for.
Setting
There’s a lot of interesting and subtle worldbuilding that goes along with the story. This is set on future Earth, so extrapolated from our geopolitical situation currently. I thought it a little ironic that the conflict is all set around the Middle East, and I was reading this during the aftermath of the US pullout from Afghanistan after twenty years. I want to hope we’re not fighting the same battles there next century, but I can’t say I’d be surprised if we were.
The other big component is the ability (and evident acceptability) of gene modding humans, and mixing them with animals. The clone dogs are the biggest characters, but there are mentions of a few other types of species mixes as well. The hybrids seem to have the same capacity as humans, though there are several excellent passages showing how the dogs think differently, and have trouble grasping some concepts such as humor, sexual pleasure, and why humans do so much political maneuvering.
Advanced technology also plays a big part in the story, from fully augmented reality, to decentralized decision making, advanced 3D printing technology, and smart(er) weapons. In all, the world here seems very real, and very possible.
Character
This is the big one for this book. Edane’s story is very moving, and though I have no experience with the military, seems like it is deeply rooted in the how soldiers feel coming home from a violent life of snap decisions to live in the comparatively cushy life of a citizen. There are a lot of adjustments to make, especially when one is a gene modded dog hybrid who was an owned asset for much of his life and not taught some basic concepts like laughing, the concept of gender, or how to use one’s initiative.
There was some great LGBTQIA representation as well, in Edane’s adoptive mothers, and in himself, as he is functionally ace/demi sexual. It factors into his relationships and how he approaches trying to live in a society where he has trouble grasping some of the basic concepts and accepted “normal” rituals of everyday life.
The other characters don’t have quite the extent of character arc Edane does, but still have satisfying ends to their stories. As said above, I felt the middle of this book went a little long, but in the end, the story stuck the landing and provided resolutions to all those questions proposed in the beginning of how to live in society when you are different physically and in personality. Even if that answer is, “I’m still searching.”
Score out of 10 (My personal score, not the final contest score)
Temporary score until more books in the contest are read: a great and thought provoking read, though not an upbeat story in many places. A lot of military focused action, but an excellent character story. 9/10
April 12, 2022
I read this as part of a judging team for the Self-Published Science Fiction Competition, where Dog Country is a semifinalist.
I am not usually a big fan of war stories, but Dog Country spent nearly half the novel establishing the main character, and it did so incredibly well. Edane is genetically engineered to be a soldier, but after nearly dying in Tajikistan, he’s trying to build a life outside the military. Only, he doesn’t quite understand how normal life works—from the basics of normal careers and life goals to maintaining a relationship without a sex drive (or even much in the way of romance). It’s a fascinating character-driven piece with a deep dive into neurodivergence and fitting into a society that just doesn’t have a place for you.
Later in the book (and I don’t think it’s a spoiler to say that a war begins), we gain a couple other perspective characters who just aren’t as well fleshed-out as the one we spent nearly half the novel getting to know. They’re all in the war together, but they rarely overlap, to the point where it sometimes feels like two separate stories in the same universe—one gritty war story from the perspective of a common soldier, and another with more of the big picture. I do think both end in satisfying, though perhaps a little bit quick, ways, but they don’t feel quite as cohesive as I’d like.
But again, the character work is good enough to recommend this one even in the absence of an overarching plot, and there is a plot and relatively satisfying resolution. It’s not a perfect book, but if you enjoy character-driven stories about people who don’t quite fit in, it’s an excellent read.
First impression: 16/20. Full review and official SPSFC score to come at www.tarvolon.com
I am not usually a big fan of war stories, but Dog Country spent nearly half the novel establishing the main character, and it did so incredibly well. Edane is genetically engineered to be a soldier, but after nearly dying in Tajikistan, he’s trying to build a life outside the military. Only, he doesn’t quite understand how normal life works—from the basics of normal careers and life goals to maintaining a relationship without a sex drive (or even much in the way of romance). It’s a fascinating character-driven piece with a deep dive into neurodivergence and fitting into a society that just doesn’t have a place for you.
Later in the book (and I don’t think it’s a spoiler to say that a war begins), we gain a couple other perspective characters who just aren’t as well fleshed-out as the one we spent nearly half the novel getting to know. They’re all in the war together, but they rarely overlap, to the point where it sometimes feels like two separate stories in the same universe—one gritty war story from the perspective of a common soldier, and another with more of the big picture. I do think both end in satisfying, though perhaps a little bit quick, ways, but they don’t feel quite as cohesive as I’d like.
But again, the character work is good enough to recommend this one even in the absence of an overarching plot, and there is a plot and relatively satisfying resolution. It’s not a perfect book, but if you enjoy character-driven stories about people who don’t quite fit in, it’s an excellent read.
First impression: 16/20. Full review and official SPSFC score to come at www.tarvolon.com
May 7, 2022
Dogs have been genetically engineered for war. So what happens when there is no war and they must integrate into normal society? Obviously nobody wants them around, and they are expected to get jobs, but who is hiring them?
On top of genetic conditioning, these dogs also have mental conditioning. The canines learn how to handle firearms before they learn to speak, yet humans expect them to want normal things like money and sex and a good job and a fast car, but they are, mentally and physically, not built for those things. How are cloned dog-people trained from birth to coordinate with one another as a unit in tactical operations supposed to learn social cues as civilians?
Edane was born just in time to be conditioned for war but too late to be deployed. The emancipation of the cloned dogs of war happened in time to push him to be sent to college instead of the battlefield. He dropped out to join a militia, and lost his arm in Tajikistan. Luckily, one of his clone brothers was killed, so he received a new arm and spends half the book recovering from this injury, trying to be a normal person living a normal life, even joining a MilSim League (military simulated combat as organized sport). It seems to help with his PTSD and his physical therapy, but his frustrations never end.
Though he has an adopted human family and even a girlfriend, nothing they value makes any sense to him. Especially Janine, his Thylacine lover, also a product of genetic engineering, but for an entirely different purpose. She resents that Edane doesn’t feel the things she wants him to feel. Love, lust, affection. Edane doesn’t know how, and he is tired of faking it. Tired of pretending he can be a normal person.
Lucky for him, some of his brothers decide to form their own mercenary group by way of crowdfunding. The war dogs set up a funding campaign to overthrow a dictator, and the people of Azerbaijan donate. It even has stretch goals. Finally, something the dogs can get excited about. Why play war games when they were raised for real combat?
This is a visceral and violent read. The narrative style helps the reader get into the mindset of these engineered dogs. Each of them is damaged physically as well as psychologically, and they often take it out on one another. They are expected to be normal, but for them that isn’t possible. The narration helps the reader feel it for themselves.
Only real complaint is that I spent half the book confused about the setting. I thought it took place in Azerbaijan, a nation bordering Iran and Georgia, as the text mentions it multiple times, only to find out it takes place in South America. I don’t remember it ever establishing this in the story itself. I thought “San Iadras, Middle American Corporate Preserve” was some district inside Azerbaijan, as the text mentions the war dogs were emancipated, so naturally they’d be sent to their own district, but that’s not what happens. If the story explains why Edane and his brothers are in South America, trying to live normal lives, I missed that part.
The exact timeline of the backstory is unclear. Edane was bred for war, but by whom and for whom? He was raised for combat, but when and why exactly did emancipation happen? I do think the worldbuilding could have been clearer, as it’s not an easy journey to understand the context of what’s happening, but most everything does fit together by the midpoint. The story’s focus is on war and what it does to these canines. What being raised for war does to the mind and the body. Dog Country shows it in vivid detail, even if it’s difficult to tell some of the characters apart. Since they are clones of one another, this works just fine for the story.
The second half is the crowdfunded rebellion itself, the wardogs in their element and loving it. Harsh and painful as it is, it’s a reason to live. As far as the brothers are concerned, the people of Azerbaijan hired them to depose their dictator. Whatever they need to do to accomplish this is part of the job. It’s what they were bred for. It’s all they understand. The canines don’t really question or think about why they’re fighting, or if they should. It’s who they are, so it isn’t really a choice.
The crowdfunded private mercenary company is amusing. Lawyers find them when the funding begins to take off and handle the business and legal end of things with no solicitation on the dogs’ part. All the dogs want to do is get guns and do what they were born to do, so it’s amusing to think that overnight this becomes legitimate, legally and operationally.
Overthrowing a dictator is the easy part. Rebuilding is something else entirely, and I’m pleased the dogs are aware of the possibility they are letting someone worse take over, so they are obligated to prevent that, too.
Edane is the emotional core of the story. He can’t be something he’s not. None of the dogs can, and the narration helps the reader empathize with them for being forced to be what they are. Is war really all they have? A purpose is what they seek. They do make a difference, and their personal journeys to find where they belong form a satisfying read. Well done.
On top of genetic conditioning, these dogs also have mental conditioning. The canines learn how to handle firearms before they learn to speak, yet humans expect them to want normal things like money and sex and a good job and a fast car, but they are, mentally and physically, not built for those things. How are cloned dog-people trained from birth to coordinate with one another as a unit in tactical operations supposed to learn social cues as civilians?
Edane was born just in time to be conditioned for war but too late to be deployed. The emancipation of the cloned dogs of war happened in time to push him to be sent to college instead of the battlefield. He dropped out to join a militia, and lost his arm in Tajikistan. Luckily, one of his clone brothers was killed, so he received a new arm and spends half the book recovering from this injury, trying to be a normal person living a normal life, even joining a MilSim League (military simulated combat as organized sport). It seems to help with his PTSD and his physical therapy, but his frustrations never end.
Though he has an adopted human family and even a girlfriend, nothing they value makes any sense to him. Especially Janine, his Thylacine lover, also a product of genetic engineering, but for an entirely different purpose. She resents that Edane doesn’t feel the things she wants him to feel. Love, lust, affection. Edane doesn’t know how, and he is tired of faking it. Tired of pretending he can be a normal person.
Lucky for him, some of his brothers decide to form their own mercenary group by way of crowdfunding. The war dogs set up a funding campaign to overthrow a dictator, and the people of Azerbaijan donate. It even has stretch goals. Finally, something the dogs can get excited about. Why play war games when they were raised for real combat?
This is a visceral and violent read. The narrative style helps the reader get into the mindset of these engineered dogs. Each of them is damaged physically as well as psychologically, and they often take it out on one another. They are expected to be normal, but for them that isn’t possible. The narration helps the reader feel it for themselves.
Only real complaint is that I spent half the book confused about the setting. I thought it took place in Azerbaijan, a nation bordering Iran and Georgia, as the text mentions it multiple times, only to find out it takes place in South America. I don’t remember it ever establishing this in the story itself. I thought “San Iadras, Middle American Corporate Preserve” was some district inside Azerbaijan, as the text mentions the war dogs were emancipated, so naturally they’d be sent to their own district, but that’s not what happens. If the story explains why Edane and his brothers are in South America, trying to live normal lives, I missed that part.
The exact timeline of the backstory is unclear. Edane was bred for war, but by whom and for whom? He was raised for combat, but when and why exactly did emancipation happen? I do think the worldbuilding could have been clearer, as it’s not an easy journey to understand the context of what’s happening, but most everything does fit together by the midpoint. The story’s focus is on war and what it does to these canines. What being raised for war does to the mind and the body. Dog Country shows it in vivid detail, even if it’s difficult to tell some of the characters apart. Since they are clones of one another, this works just fine for the story.
The second half is the crowdfunded rebellion itself, the wardogs in their element and loving it. Harsh and painful as it is, it’s a reason to live. As far as the brothers are concerned, the people of Azerbaijan hired them to depose their dictator. Whatever they need to do to accomplish this is part of the job. It’s what they were bred for. It’s all they understand. The canines don’t really question or think about why they’re fighting, or if they should. It’s who they are, so it isn’t really a choice.
The crowdfunded private mercenary company is amusing. Lawyers find them when the funding begins to take off and handle the business and legal end of things with no solicitation on the dogs’ part. All the dogs want to do is get guns and do what they were born to do, so it’s amusing to think that overnight this becomes legitimate, legally and operationally.
Overthrowing a dictator is the easy part. Rebuilding is something else entirely, and I’m pleased the dogs are aware of the possibility they are letting someone worse take over, so they are obligated to prevent that, too.
Edane is the emotional core of the story. He can’t be something he’s not. None of the dogs can, and the narration helps the reader empathize with them for being forced to be what they are. Is war really all they have? A purpose is what they seek. They do make a difference, and their personal journeys to find where they belong form a satisfying read. Well done.
April 28, 2016
This is a very strange book. It’s certainly science fiction and it’s a military science fiction book at that. But, why?
You see, the main characters in the book are genetically created dogs. They are not genetically created just to fight because I think I read about other dogs doing non-warfighting things. 2104 or further into our future and apparently genetic engineering has taken off and become common place. So much so, that different variety of animals have been genengineered to have human features and apparently human brains? This is where I think the story is a real stretch. If you’ll notice a dogs head, there isn’t all that much room for a brain. So, I don’t understand how a dog could be gene engineered to do human activities unless their heads were humongous and then they’d look something really weird. And, even the dogs in this book don’t act like dogs. They act like humans so why use dogs as your main character?
Anyway, the story involves a certain dog name Edane who appears to have been built to done one thing and that is fight. So, when he’s not in an army of some kind, be it a mercenary army or a “contract” army, he is playing a game called MilSim. And this is fine with Edane. He can’t seem to get enough of this military type activity. Now, I don’t think all dogs are the same as Edane, but there apparently are a lot of them that like to go to war. Even though Edane can’t be hurt during a milsims game, he can and was almost killed in his recent real war in Tajikistan. He has vivid memories of that experience plus a lot of scars to go with those memories.
So, that’s what the book is about. Dogs fighting a war or in this book a crowdfunded action to remove a dictator. Yeah, you see a bunch of Edane's buddies decide to find out how badly the people of Azerbaijan want their dictator removed. So, while at home watching the Internet, their crowdfunding proposal soars to hundreds of thousands of dollars and then to over a million. They then get busy deciding on how to do what they had proposed. Apparently, dogs can get things done without a big chain of command. Someone sees something that needs done in order to accomplish the mission, they do it. Edane finds himself drawn back to this new fight. He has to go and prove something. He left Tajikistan under heavy sedation and certainly not the way he wanted to finish that fight. He now feels compelled to go back to war.
This story could have been about any human who has gone to war. That group of men and women know what it feels like to be involved in something important, something greater than yourself. They know what it is to work within a group to accomplish a defined mission. They know the risks and are willing to accept them. They also know that while doing this very dangerous job, they are absolutely alive! So, while the story was good, it didn’t have to be about dogs; it’s a story of any soldier. If you’ve been there, done that, you’ll understand Edane and this book.
You see, the main characters in the book are genetically created dogs. They are not genetically created just to fight because I think I read about other dogs doing non-warfighting things. 2104 or further into our future and apparently genetic engineering has taken off and become common place. So much so, that different variety of animals have been genengineered to have human features and apparently human brains? This is where I think the story is a real stretch. If you’ll notice a dogs head, there isn’t all that much room for a brain. So, I don’t understand how a dog could be gene engineered to do human activities unless their heads were humongous and then they’d look something really weird. And, even the dogs in this book don’t act like dogs. They act like humans so why use dogs as your main character?
Anyway, the story involves a certain dog name Edane who appears to have been built to done one thing and that is fight. So, when he’s not in an army of some kind, be it a mercenary army or a “contract” army, he is playing a game called MilSim. And this is fine with Edane. He can’t seem to get enough of this military type activity. Now, I don’t think all dogs are the same as Edane, but there apparently are a lot of them that like to go to war. Even though Edane can’t be hurt during a milsims game, he can and was almost killed in his recent real war in Tajikistan. He has vivid memories of that experience plus a lot of scars to go with those memories.
So, that’s what the book is about. Dogs fighting a war or in this book a crowdfunded action to remove a dictator. Yeah, you see a bunch of Edane's buddies decide to find out how badly the people of Azerbaijan want their dictator removed. So, while at home watching the Internet, their crowdfunding proposal soars to hundreds of thousands of dollars and then to over a million. They then get busy deciding on how to do what they had proposed. Apparently, dogs can get things done without a big chain of command. Someone sees something that needs done in order to accomplish the mission, they do it. Edane finds himself drawn back to this new fight. He has to go and prove something. He left Tajikistan under heavy sedation and certainly not the way he wanted to finish that fight. He now feels compelled to go back to war.
This story could have been about any human who has gone to war. That group of men and women know what it feels like to be involved in something important, something greater than yourself. They know what it is to work within a group to accomplish a defined mission. They know the risks and are willing to accept them. They also know that while doing this very dangerous job, they are absolutely alive! So, while the story was good, it didn’t have to be about dogs; it’s a story of any soldier. If you’ve been there, done that, you’ll understand Edane and this book.
September 14, 2016
A crowdfunded war and a group of genetically identical dog-people created as soldiers and emancipated into a world that doesn't understand, or always approve of, them and their talents. What could possibly go wrong?
Although there's a fair amount of violence, overall this is a story about coping in a world where you're not normal and don't know how to be.
Although there's a fair amount of violence, overall this is a story about coping in a world where you're not normal and don't know how to be.
January 29, 2022
3.75 stars
It seems like all the books I reviewed lately left me a bit confused because once again I have to say that I have mixed feelings towards this book. Truth be told, they were all books that I enjoyed, mixed feelings apart, so that’s good, but I hope to find the time to write a review or two for some of the books that I enjoyed without mixed feelings in there. But for now let’s take a better look at this one!
The characters in there are gengineered people, mainly we have former soldiers with dog DNA, and they all are alike, the same kind of dog and the same look. It is hard to recognize one from the other, even for them, using only their looks. But they are not the only one to have been geningered, we get to see others that carry other animals DNA, but our protagonists are mainly from the first type. And our real MC is Edane. We get to know him pretty well in this book, and one of the best thing is that when we reach the end of the book, Edane become one of our friends. And I think it is almost impossible to not be moved by him and by his story. Around Edane and his story the author develop a lot of interesting themes. We have the most evident, about the ethics of biongeneering and similar, we have the debat around war too, and we have to really take a look at the life of soldiers. And then there is PTSD, that it is really present in there too. And there is also the part about integration and the way in which the society treats what and who perceives as different. So, there is quite a lot on a bigger scale, as to say. And mind me, this is great. Because this is really a book that made you think, and it made you think about a lot of different topics and matters. And this is a good thing.
But there is also a more intimate dimension to it all, that touches Edane as a person, and this was what really get to me. When you read a book, and things go well, usually there is something that you will take with you after finishing it. Sometimes it can be the feeling of a new friendship with new characters, sometimes is a POV on something, sometimes a quote that resound with you, or a new place to visit, or whatever. And what will stay with me for quite a long time, in there, is Edane realtionship with his girlfriend.
And I know that it can really sounds stupid, because there is quite a lot going on, aside from the plot, in this book, that a relationship is not what you will expect to really focus on. And yet, Edane and his girlfriend have one of the best realtionship ever portraied. And it is not because they are happy (they are not), but it is that they really try and, and this is what really did it for me, they are quite honest, not only with each other, but with their own self. They are really different, they want and need different things, and it is really hard for them to understand each other some times, but even if the fight and they can’t fix all that is wrong, they are honest, they are real and they have the courage to ask. (Okay, more Janine, I think she was called so, than Edane). But the scene in which she admits to him that she needs someone who tell her that she is beautiful, and not only that, but someone who makes her feel beautiful, was one of the best scene not only of the book, but of the way in which relationships are portraied in books. Because it is not easy to say something like this, and it is not really easy to admit something like this with ourselves. This honesty, and this level of self-knowledge was short of amazing, to me.
And the fact that Edane doesn’t even know what beautiful means, well, it add another layer in there. And it was just so good. (Even if, yes, they relationship is on hedge, and you don’t really know what would happen to them until the end. But, and this is really a strange thing coming for me, here it is not important if they would get an happy ending or not, it is important the journey. ).
And then we have the theme of identity. Edane is really having a hard time adjusting to his life outside the army and the war, because:
It wasn’t just a movie he had to live beside, watching every day, full of people, human people who didn’t look like him, being fulfilled by things he could never understand but things he’d be judged for all the same.
And
Edane had been made to be a soldier, and he wasn’t one. Because it was bad to be a soldier.
You really feel the struggle here, and it is so moving, and it is so hard. It was really amazing. And it made me really fall for Edane.
So I think you get what I really loved about this book. And there is another thing that was pretty pretty great: they crowfounded a war. It is just mindblowing, it is incredible, but it is also quite plausible. And this is really really scary. But it was brilliant!
All of this is pretty great, and so far there is not a single bad thing. But now let’s get to what wasn’t so great in there. I have to confess that I speed read some part of this book, because I wasn’t really interested in them. A lot of Edane brother’s, and Edane himself too, play a simulation game, a sort of warfare game that help them find a goal in this new exictence, and we get to see a lot of their games. And I wasn’t really so interested. And we get to see a lot of real fights too, when they went to war and… again, not so interested in all of that. If on one hand I was invested in Edane and his brothers life, on the other I wasn’t really interested in some parts of the book. And there are a lot of scenes that were games or real fights. So yeah… on one hand I enjoyed a lot of things in there, and I really think that it is a pretty solid book on some different levels, because it really get you thinking and this is good, but on the other it was also borign in a lot of scenes.
But all things considered, I am feeling like recommending it anyway, because Edane is worth meeting, and there are a lot of interesting topic!
It seems like all the books I reviewed lately left me a bit confused because once again I have to say that I have mixed feelings towards this book. Truth be told, they were all books that I enjoyed, mixed feelings apart, so that’s good, but I hope to find the time to write a review or two for some of the books that I enjoyed without mixed feelings in there. But for now let’s take a better look at this one!
The characters in there are gengineered people, mainly we have former soldiers with dog DNA, and they all are alike, the same kind of dog and the same look. It is hard to recognize one from the other, even for them, using only their looks. But they are not the only one to have been geningered, we get to see others that carry other animals DNA, but our protagonists are mainly from the first type. And our real MC is Edane. We get to know him pretty well in this book, and one of the best thing is that when we reach the end of the book, Edane become one of our friends. And I think it is almost impossible to not be moved by him and by his story. Around Edane and his story the author develop a lot of interesting themes. We have the most evident, about the ethics of biongeneering and similar, we have the debat around war too, and we have to really take a look at the life of soldiers. And then there is PTSD, that it is really present in there too. And there is also the part about integration and the way in which the society treats what and who perceives as different. So, there is quite a lot on a bigger scale, as to say. And mind me, this is great. Because this is really a book that made you think, and it made you think about a lot of different topics and matters. And this is a good thing.
But there is also a more intimate dimension to it all, that touches Edane as a person, and this was what really get to me. When you read a book, and things go well, usually there is something that you will take with you after finishing it. Sometimes it can be the feeling of a new friendship with new characters, sometimes is a POV on something, sometimes a quote that resound with you, or a new place to visit, or whatever. And what will stay with me for quite a long time, in there, is Edane realtionship with his girlfriend.
And I know that it can really sounds stupid, because there is quite a lot going on, aside from the plot, in this book, that a relationship is not what you will expect to really focus on. And yet, Edane and his girlfriend have one of the best realtionship ever portraied. And it is not because they are happy (they are not), but it is that they really try and, and this is what really did it for me, they are quite honest, not only with each other, but with their own self. They are really different, they want and need different things, and it is really hard for them to understand each other some times, but even if the fight and they can’t fix all that is wrong, they are honest, they are real and they have the courage to ask. (Okay, more Janine, I think she was called so, than Edane). But the scene in which she admits to him that she needs someone who tell her that she is beautiful, and not only that, but someone who makes her feel beautiful, was one of the best scene not only of the book, but of the way in which relationships are portraied in books. Because it is not easy to say something like this, and it is not really easy to admit something like this with ourselves. This honesty, and this level of self-knowledge was short of amazing, to me.
And the fact that Edane doesn’t even know what beautiful means, well, it add another layer in there. And it was just so good. (Even if, yes, they relationship is on hedge, and you don’t really know what would happen to them until the end. But, and this is really a strange thing coming for me, here it is not important if they would get an happy ending or not, it is important the journey. ).
And then we have the theme of identity. Edane is really having a hard time adjusting to his life outside the army and the war, because:
It wasn’t just a movie he had to live beside, watching every day, full of people, human people who didn’t look like him, being fulfilled by things he could never understand but things he’d be judged for all the same.
And
Edane had been made to be a soldier, and he wasn’t one. Because it was bad to be a soldier.
You really feel the struggle here, and it is so moving, and it is so hard. It was really amazing. And it made me really fall for Edane.
So I think you get what I really loved about this book. And there is another thing that was pretty pretty great: they crowfounded a war. It is just mindblowing, it is incredible, but it is also quite plausible. And this is really really scary. But it was brilliant!
All of this is pretty great, and so far there is not a single bad thing. But now let’s get to what wasn’t so great in there. I have to confess that I speed read some part of this book, because I wasn’t really interested in them. A lot of Edane brother’s, and Edane himself too, play a simulation game, a sort of warfare game that help them find a goal in this new exictence, and we get to see a lot of their games. And I wasn’t really so interested. And we get to see a lot of real fights too, when they went to war and… again, not so interested in all of that. If on one hand I was invested in Edane and his brothers life, on the other I wasn’t really interested in some parts of the book. And there are a lot of scenes that were games or real fights. So yeah… on one hand I enjoyed a lot of things in there, and I really think that it is a pretty solid book on some different levels, because it really get you thinking and this is good, but on the other it was also borign in a lot of scenes.
But all things considered, I am feeling like recommending it anyway, because Edane is worth meeting, and there are a lot of interesting topic!
February 14, 2017
Not fitting in is something almost everyone deals with in their lives and it works well with this story. While there are different points of view the main one is Edane a genetically engineered dog solider made and trained for war. But when he's sent back home injured and recovering he finds himself lost like many of his brothers.
Edane is free to make his own choices but finds himself lost among a world that doesn't understand him and that he doesn't understand in turn. He's good at war but you can't be at war all the time. So when a crowdfunded war to remove a dictator takes off Edane finds an opportunity to be useful and to find out who he really is and if fighting is something he can ever leave behind.
This was excellently done military sci fi and the characters were very well done. None of the characters felt like they were just humans redone as dogs. Edane and his brothers all had a distinct voice and way of thinking which is something that not all writers manage when it comes to non human characters.
The way Muslim people were viewed in the book by Edane and his brothers was understandable to a point but it did make me uncomfortable and I think it could bother other readers as well which is why I'm not giving this book a higher rating.
The military aspects were very well done and believable even for someone like me who knows little to nothing about how it works.
Well written book, distinct non human characters, and a great story about trying to find out where you belong.
Edane is free to make his own choices but finds himself lost among a world that doesn't understand him and that he doesn't understand in turn. He's good at war but you can't be at war all the time. So when a crowdfunded war to remove a dictator takes off Edane finds an opportunity to be useful and to find out who he really is and if fighting is something he can ever leave behind.
This was excellently done military sci fi and the characters were very well done. None of the characters felt like they were just humans redone as dogs. Edane and his brothers all had a distinct voice and way of thinking which is something that not all writers manage when it comes to non human characters.
The way Muslim people were viewed in the book by Edane and his brothers was understandable to a point but it did make me uncomfortable and I think it could bother other readers as well which is why I'm not giving this book a higher rating.
The military aspects were very well done and believable even for someone like me who knows little to nothing about how it works.
Well written book, distinct non human characters, and a great story about trying to find out where you belong.
April 3, 2016
This was a great read and one that I will definitely be revisiting in the future. The characters are relatable and do a fantastic job of exploring the human condition, all against the backdrop of dystopian, military sci-fi. Very highly recommended.
May 6, 2025
So much to say about this book.
For one, it can be disheartening to fail at completing something you believe you were bred to do for so long. Something like that can itch at the back of one's mind as they do other tasks besides the one thing they're meant to do. When the opportunity to continue satisfying that need presents itself, it'll give one a morale boost and re embrace what they're best at, although there’s the risk of seeing whether or not that person is ever able to leave their past self behind during that. This is what I've gathered from Edane Estian's story because in his eyes, he left a part of him behind, literally and figuratively, after getting injured critically during his time in Tajikistan. His failed duty left him dissatisfied and maimed as authoritarian regimes rein throughout Central Asia. He never felt like he belonged in a normal civilian life after returning and healing from war, but a spot on the MilSim team is the closest he'll get to reigniting his longing for fulfilling the task he was made for.
What I liked about Edane is deep within him is a sense of altruism as he stands up to bullies, something instilled in him as a kid. That still remains intact despite it being buried under a merciless soldier, who has a reignited motive to fight again: overthrowing Azerbaijan's dictatorship. On the other hand, those foreign citizens hate him since they considered him such an abomination, either for religious reasons, or because they dislike other people fighting their battles for them. It's like the book says:
By the time the war is done, he regains a part of himself he lost previously. He lost that opportunity to be what he was made for in Tajikistan since he was hurt badly there, but he found it in Azerbaijan since he completed those orders given to him long ago; that sense of him wanting to help people doesn’t waver. He also gains a sense of clarity in himself as he sees that although fighting and killing is satisfying to him, he only did it because he was ordered to do so. He wasn't living for himself, he was living for those who bred him for war. Letting others dictate his happiness wasn't what he wanted. It's also where his fascination with the blue sky comes from. While looking at it, there was no one around to tell him what to do or who to be, nor was he letting preconceived notions get in his way of what he thinks he should do. It was just him in the moment, taking in his surroundings on his own accord. That's what living was to him. It can be argued that Edane looking at the sky implies he’s still searching for meaning beyond what he was made for because the sky is endless with possibilities where answers can be hard to locate in, but the book ends more optimistically in a general sense, so I'd like to think he knows what he wants out of life at that point.
Another thing to appreciate is his relationship with Janine. Edane is so accustomed to war, MilSim game or not, and interacting with people in professional and platonic ways, and still shell shocked from his war duties that it's hard for him to get used to romantic relationships and intimate gestures. It's something very foreign to him while integrating into normal society, but he still tries with Janine's help and support, which is really sweet. Their relationship isn't without its hiccups though. A part of me wanted to dislike Janine for giving Edane such a hard time adjusting to a new life along with her needs, especially when she hooked up with someone else behind his back, but I couldn't since I felt damn near as bad about her situation since she was bred to be another tool for others to order around. It's difficult for both of them to make their own choice beyond what they were meant to do pre-Emancipation. Edane wasn't used to thinking and feeling, only fighting. Janine was so used to people knowing what to do with her romantically that guiding someone else to be the same is an anomaly to her. Her impatience and Edane's unfortunate obliviousness are realized as something they both have yet to work around, which I absolutely hope they do since they're both quite damaged people with the ability to help each other be their best selves.
The whole section of fighting in Azerbaijan was the weakest portion for me. As intense as it was at the moment, it felt too easy for Edane and his brothers at first, which turned some of the middle points into a slog. It mostly felt like he was going from point A to point B, completing each objective without much challenge or consequence, and it would’ve been a bit more enticing to see Edane face a little more turmoil and setback like Ereli and Eversen did during their segments. It can be argued that he and the rest of his brothers are just that efficient at their jobs as soldiers, seeing how they were morphed into the most elite fighters in the world; having the traits of humans and dogs combined into one being for enhanced senses all around. That there lies the biggest appeal of the book. In fact, a common sentiment with stories like these is that the “furry” gimmick doesn’t justify its existence beyond an aesthetic to where you might as well read about humans instead, but I’d argue that gimmick is exactly what makes it interesting. It gives the narrative an extra bout of fantastical pizzazz to separate itself from any other story and offers more captivating dichotomies for how animals and humans are perceived together, especially when one is arguably better than the other in certain aspects. Also, stories tend to be bigger in scale and larger in stakes from their perspective. Animals tend to have superior traits to humans in senses and other abilities and vice versa, so the concept of combining the two for the best of both worlds sets up some intriguing introspections on both species. The genetic engineering of furries here gives them physical advantages. It could be argued that you might as well have regular humans use steroids, but the story wouldn’t work since the dilemma of excluding furries from taking part in MilSim for their circumstantial differences in physicality would fall flat, especially because they have humans on their team too, and Edane proving he doesn’t need to be what others made him out to be wouldn’t work. This isn’t a human story with anthro dogs painted over it since they have specific thinking and feeling patterns to make them stand out. It makes the idea of outsiders finding a place to fit in a world not necessarily made for them more riveting to explore.
All in all, this was a great character exploration of finding a place to belong in despite preconceived notions. With how well realized the world is, even if I had to speculate every now and then, it made for a great premise to explore different characters in.
For one, it can be disheartening to fail at completing something you believe you were bred to do for so long. Something like that can itch at the back of one's mind as they do other tasks besides the one thing they're meant to do. When the opportunity to continue satisfying that need presents itself, it'll give one a morale boost and re embrace what they're best at, although there’s the risk of seeing whether or not that person is ever able to leave their past self behind during that. This is what I've gathered from Edane Estian's story because in his eyes, he left a part of him behind, literally and figuratively, after getting injured critically during his time in Tajikistan. His failed duty left him dissatisfied and maimed as authoritarian regimes rein throughout Central Asia. He never felt like he belonged in a normal civilian life after returning and healing from war, but a spot on the MilSim team is the closest he'll get to reigniting his longing for fulfilling the task he was made for.
What I liked about Edane is deep within him is a sense of altruism as he stands up to bullies, something instilled in him as a kid. That still remains intact despite it being buried under a merciless soldier, who has a reignited motive to fight again: overthrowing Azerbaijan's dictatorship. On the other hand, those foreign citizens hate him since they considered him such an abomination, either for religious reasons, or because they dislike other people fighting their battles for them. It's like the book says:
"Tajikistan had been somewhere he’d fit in, for a time. While the people had hated him there, he’d done his best to defend them from the belligerents bullying them around. Now Azerbaijan was the same way, except Edane had pushed Azerbaijan’s bully down by being a bigger, stronger bully."
By the time the war is done, he regains a part of himself he lost previously. He lost that opportunity to be what he was made for in Tajikistan since he was hurt badly there, but he found it in Azerbaijan since he completed those orders given to him long ago; that sense of him wanting to help people doesn’t waver. He also gains a sense of clarity in himself as he sees that although fighting and killing is satisfying to him, he only did it because he was ordered to do so. He wasn't living for himself, he was living for those who bred him for war. Letting others dictate his happiness wasn't what he wanted. It's also where his fascination with the blue sky comes from. While looking at it, there was no one around to tell him what to do or who to be, nor was he letting preconceived notions get in his way of what he thinks he should do. It was just him in the moment, taking in his surroundings on his own accord. That's what living was to him. It can be argued that Edane looking at the sky implies he’s still searching for meaning beyond what he was made for because the sky is endless with possibilities where answers can be hard to locate in, but the book ends more optimistically in a general sense, so I'd like to think he knows what he wants out of life at that point.
Another thing to appreciate is his relationship with Janine. Edane is so accustomed to war, MilSim game or not, and interacting with people in professional and platonic ways, and still shell shocked from his war duties that it's hard for him to get used to romantic relationships and intimate gestures. It's something very foreign to him while integrating into normal society, but he still tries with Janine's help and support, which is really sweet. Their relationship isn't without its hiccups though. A part of me wanted to dislike Janine for giving Edane such a hard time adjusting to a new life along with her needs, especially when she hooked up with someone else behind his back, but I couldn't since I felt damn near as bad about her situation since she was bred to be another tool for others to order around. It's difficult for both of them to make their own choice beyond what they were meant to do pre-Emancipation. Edane wasn't used to thinking and feeling, only fighting. Janine was so used to people knowing what to do with her romantically that guiding someone else to be the same is an anomaly to her. Her impatience and Edane's unfortunate obliviousness are realized as something they both have yet to work around, which I absolutely hope they do since they're both quite damaged people with the ability to help each other be their best selves.
The whole section of fighting in Azerbaijan was the weakest portion for me. As intense as it was at the moment, it felt too easy for Edane and his brothers at first, which turned some of the middle points into a slog. It mostly felt like he was going from point A to point B, completing each objective without much challenge or consequence, and it would’ve been a bit more enticing to see Edane face a little more turmoil and setback like Ereli and Eversen did during their segments. It can be argued that he and the rest of his brothers are just that efficient at their jobs as soldiers, seeing how they were morphed into the most elite fighters in the world; having the traits of humans and dogs combined into one being for enhanced senses all around. That there lies the biggest appeal of the book. In fact, a common sentiment with stories like these is that the “furry” gimmick doesn’t justify its existence beyond an aesthetic to where you might as well read about humans instead, but I’d argue that gimmick is exactly what makes it interesting. It gives the narrative an extra bout of fantastical pizzazz to separate itself from any other story and offers more captivating dichotomies for how animals and humans are perceived together, especially when one is arguably better than the other in certain aspects. Also, stories tend to be bigger in scale and larger in stakes from their perspective. Animals tend to have superior traits to humans in senses and other abilities and vice versa, so the concept of combining the two for the best of both worlds sets up some intriguing introspections on both species. The genetic engineering of furries here gives them physical advantages. It could be argued that you might as well have regular humans use steroids, but the story wouldn’t work since the dilemma of excluding furries from taking part in MilSim for their circumstantial differences in physicality would fall flat, especially because they have humans on their team too, and Edane proving he doesn’t need to be what others made him out to be wouldn’t work. This isn’t a human story with anthro dogs painted over it since they have specific thinking and feeling patterns to make them stand out. It makes the idea of outsiders finding a place to fit in a world not necessarily made for them more riveting to explore.
All in all, this was a great character exploration of finding a place to belong in despite preconceived notions. With how well realized the world is, even if I had to speculate every now and then, it made for a great premise to explore different characters in.
November 16, 2019
Something Different
The book was really good, though of the terms took getting use to, not sure if the terms are based on reality or purely fictional, though the story itself was fictional it did have some reality based situations and events that occurred. I took Edane as the main character and the writer did a great job giving him depth. The supporting characters though I wouldn’t view them as such, because I didn’t feel they were but I don’t have any other way to describe them, we were giving some insight, but overall they were pretty self explanatory. Overall, I would read a book by this writer again. Excellent job!
The book was really good, though of the terms took getting use to, not sure if the terms are based on reality or purely fictional, though the story itself was fictional it did have some reality based situations and events that occurred. I took Edane as the main character and the writer did a great job giving him depth. The supporting characters though I wouldn’t view them as such, because I didn’t feel they were but I don’t have any other way to describe them, we were giving some insight, but overall they were pretty self explanatory. Overall, I would read a book by this writer again. Excellent job!
March 27, 2022
Oh wow, where to start? This was a fantastic story - even though I was a little hesitant** at first to try it - which wound up being one of the most thrilling and unique books I've read in some time! I mean, great googly moogly, this one really hit all the right buttons and then some! Definitely a worthy entrant in the current Self-Published Science Fiction Contest that I'm keeping a close eye on!
There is so so much going on in this book. First and foremost: PAY ATTENTION TO THE CHAPTER TITLE INFORMATION! Trust me on this, ok (and sorry for yelling)? But beyond that… I mean, this COULD have just been a story about a kind of Afghanistan or Iraq or Ukraine War in the not so distant future. But Cross has made it so much deeper than that with his incredibly and, yes, surprisingly multi-layered characterizations of the gengineered War Dogs. Edane will wind up being one of the most sympathetic players you'll meet, well, period! Is the story then about what he and his cloned brothers and sisters face, both from their days as naive pups training to be used in combat to their eventual emancipation and search for self-worth and -purpose? Well… maybe? That's sure part of it.
But really, with all that happens from the perspective of war and the scars from same - naturally indicating those you can see and suffer from for years to come to those you can't see and, well, suffer from for years to come - couldn't it just be a treatise about what soldiers face every time man decides to do this to his fellow man (or dog, yes yes, I know)? Again, that is definitely part of it. After all, if you're just following orders - or just following your innate need to please your masters because that's how you were created and trained - what happens when that paradigm no longer fits into the reality of the world around you? Who is right and who is wrong then? The corporate overlords? The ones seeking vengeance? The people that think they know - and ONLY they know - what's best for everyone else considered, well, the people? Hmm...
Oh man, I LOVED HOW THIS BOOK MADE ME THINK!! You might have noticed that… but damn my brain is kind of sore right now from using it so much! And the non-linear construction! That was amazingly well-handled (see my earlier comment about chapter intros)! All these exclamation points, too, a sure sign of insanity! I blame changing the clocks last night...
So yeah, what I'm trying to get across is that this is prime action-adventure and sci-fi in a nasty, nasty future. And if you're keeping score, I'm certainly going to call this book "grimdark" because I haven't felt quite this, well, nauseous at parts and outright full of dismay and despair while reading since my last gd book (yes, you can interpret that abbreviation in one and/or two ways)! There is very little here which is truly uplifting - certainly not particularly where humans are involved. Maybe there's a little more… satisfaction? … to be found as we follow Edane around as he searches somehow, somewhere for his sense of being and, again, purpose. But don't misunderstand me: like an all-night Ingmar Bergman movie marathon, it's still just as thrilling and fascinating as it can be no matter what kind of genre you want to place this in!
And that's not even taking into account some of the absolutely most realistic battle scenes that I have EVER read! That's not hyperbole, that's actual blood and guts talking there! Oh and watch this space: a lot of these "scifi inventions" will be appearing before we know it! Just ask the folks that wrote the original screenplays for Star Trek in the 60s... um, I mean, 1960s naturally...
If I had any one complaint - and it's not even strong enough to call a complaint per se (I've referred to these before as nits as in 'those things people like me tend to pick at') - it's that sometimes the really heavy military jargon weighs things down a bit. Not so much the tactics or strategy (yes, I know we learned the difference) but really the hardware discussions. I know it's almost impossible NOT to have that, particularly as the main players are soldiers-for-hire and we're in the middle of a very real war situation, but still… It gets a bit IKEA assembly instruction-y if that makes sense? No? Oh well. Lots of weapon and ammo detes if you're into that so enjoy if that's your thing.
Finally, just how perfect was the role of social media/crowd-funding handled in this story? Can't you just see this happening, well, sooner rather than later? I don't want to say more because that would definitely be far too spoil-y but damn! It just makes too much sense! Now if you'll excuse me, I'm heading over to Twitter to start a movement to put some folks in prison that have had it coming for well over a year now... particularly if the 0106 committee or the NY DA won't get their asses in gear. And yes, your contributions will be most appreciated in driving our new form of democracy forwards to a better tomorrow!
Be good. Not a dog pun, just in general.
**Apropos my hesitation: yes, there was the issue of "furries" being discussed (not relevant for the book so keep on reading please) and that I had read some time back a book featuring "Dogs" and "War" (no further comments needed) that did NOT work out for me AT ALL.
There is so so much going on in this book. First and foremost: PAY ATTENTION TO THE CHAPTER TITLE INFORMATION! Trust me on this, ok (and sorry for yelling)? But beyond that… I mean, this COULD have just been a story about a kind of Afghanistan or Iraq or Ukraine War in the not so distant future. But Cross has made it so much deeper than that with his incredibly and, yes, surprisingly multi-layered characterizations of the gengineered War Dogs. Edane will wind up being one of the most sympathetic players you'll meet, well, period! Is the story then about what he and his cloned brothers and sisters face, both from their days as naive pups training to be used in combat to their eventual emancipation and search for self-worth and -purpose? Well… maybe? That's sure part of it.
But really, with all that happens from the perspective of war and the scars from same - naturally indicating those you can see and suffer from for years to come to those you can't see and, well, suffer from for years to come - couldn't it just be a treatise about what soldiers face every time man decides to do this to his fellow man (or dog, yes yes, I know)? Again, that is definitely part of it. After all, if you're just following orders - or just following your innate need to please your masters because that's how you were created and trained - what happens when that paradigm no longer fits into the reality of the world around you? Who is right and who is wrong then? The corporate overlords? The ones seeking vengeance? The people that think they know - and ONLY they know - what's best for everyone else considered, well, the people? Hmm...
Oh man, I LOVED HOW THIS BOOK MADE ME THINK!! You might have noticed that… but damn my brain is kind of sore right now from using it so much! And the non-linear construction! That was amazingly well-handled (see my earlier comment about chapter intros)! All these exclamation points, too, a sure sign of insanity! I blame changing the clocks last night...
So yeah, what I'm trying to get across is that this is prime action-adventure and sci-fi in a nasty, nasty future. And if you're keeping score, I'm certainly going to call this book "grimdark" because I haven't felt quite this, well, nauseous at parts and outright full of dismay and despair while reading since my last gd book (yes, you can interpret that abbreviation in one and/or two ways)! There is very little here which is truly uplifting - certainly not particularly where humans are involved. Maybe there's a little more… satisfaction? … to be found as we follow Edane around as he searches somehow, somewhere for his sense of being and, again, purpose. But don't misunderstand me: like an all-night Ingmar Bergman movie marathon, it's still just as thrilling and fascinating as it can be no matter what kind of genre you want to place this in!
And that's not even taking into account some of the absolutely most realistic battle scenes that I have EVER read! That's not hyperbole, that's actual blood and guts talking there! Oh and watch this space: a lot of these "scifi inventions" will be appearing before we know it! Just ask the folks that wrote the original screenplays for Star Trek in the 60s... um, I mean, 1960s naturally...
If I had any one complaint - and it's not even strong enough to call a complaint per se (I've referred to these before as nits as in 'those things people like me tend to pick at') - it's that sometimes the really heavy military jargon weighs things down a bit. Not so much the tactics or strategy (yes, I know we learned the difference) but really the hardware discussions. I know it's almost impossible NOT to have that, particularly as the main players are soldiers-for-hire and we're in the middle of a very real war situation, but still… It gets a bit IKEA assembly instruction-y if that makes sense? No? Oh well. Lots of weapon and ammo detes if you're into that so enjoy if that's your thing.
Finally, just how perfect was the role of social media/crowd-funding handled in this story? Can't you just see this happening, well, sooner rather than later? I don't want to say more because that would definitely be far too spoil-y but damn! It just makes too much sense! Now if you'll excuse me, I'm heading over to Twitter to start a movement to put some folks in prison that have had it coming for well over a year now... particularly if the 0106 committee or the NY DA won't get their asses in gear. And yes, your contributions will be most appreciated in driving our new form of democracy forwards to a better tomorrow!
Be good. Not a dog pun, just in general.
**Apropos my hesitation: yes, there was the issue of "furries" being discussed (not relevant for the book so keep on reading please) and that I had read some time back a book featuring "Dogs" and "War" (no further comments needed) that did NOT work out for me AT ALL.
June 30, 2023
Clone soldiers, but they are neurotic dogs. Much strong, very brotherhood, wow. Consistent, and if you like MilSF, possibly interesting? I'd usually resist the urge to say "Furry MilSF", but the author, and I quote, is "a member of the furry fandom", so I feel somewhat justified. Not a ton of depth, but not nothing – the country they invade when they are mobbed out of Fantasy Violence Football turns out to be way more complex than they thought, and the post-capitalist lawyer wrangling was funny. Not sure about the neurotic relationship stuff, but ehh. It's fine.
June 26, 2025
This is the first book that I have read from this author and have found it to be one of the better pieces of furry fiction that I have read thus far. It is also rather unique among furry fiction in that it thematically features military experiences quite heavily. This book is an easy recommendation if you want to read a world of action and drama with characters that, like in real life, are all a little (or a lot) messed up in various ways.
May 27, 2024
I’m not really sure how to rate this book, because while it is very good, it’s just not for me. The characters are well-developed and the plot is quite gripping, but there’s a lot of discussion regarding topics I find hard to follow, such as politics and military tactics/weaponry.
February 16, 2023
Fantastically grounded military sci-fi perfectly mixed with imaginative speculative tech.
Read if you want to see doggos being good boys with deadly efficiency.
Read if you want to see doggos being good boys with deadly efficiency.
June 18, 2024
good
I really enjoyed this book, had a satisfying ending the I think each character deserved. 5 stars 10 out of ten.
I really enjoyed this book, had a satisfying ending the I think each character deserved. 5 stars 10 out of ten.
December 29, 2025
I’ll preface this review by stating that I don’t like military sci-fi and had I bothered to look just a little bit more at its tags, I would have likely not picked this book up. If that’s enough for you to discount my whole opinion on it, I understand. I firmly believe that you can’t fault a piece of media for being the genre it is, but I still spend my money on it, I still read it, and as such I’m going to give my opinion on it.
And with that out of the way, let’s get started.
Not gonna lie, when I first read that synopsis, I was hooked right in. Anthropomorphic dogs? Exploration of PTSD and soldier’s back to life after deployment? Feelings of otherness? Nature vs nurture? Sign me up! And as I started reading Dog Country, Malcolm F. Cross sure delivered. The early parts of the book detailing Edane’s life back from the war, his feelings when it came to society, his relationship, and his own self-worth; and the occasional flashbacks to his time in the war, dealing with a society that saw him as threat both as a dog and foreign agent? Chef’s kiss. Couple that with Ereli’s chapters, which were fun to read, and a looming possibility of a confrontation with Edane, where our protagonist background could play a key part? I have to say, I was really enjoying my time.
And then the second half happened…
Look, I don’t vibe with military sci-fi, but leaving that aside for the moment, there were several issues. All the introspection? Gone, making way for more action scenes. The distinct voices between our two main PoVs? Muddled as we got more and more characters, not helped that with all of them having similar names and being literal clones of each other, which makes it so they all start to blend together. Not to mention the appearance of several tropes that (while I’m sure military sci-fi fans enjoy them) are just the ones that keep me out of the genre. And the ending just felt like it didn’t represent either the character progression that we saw on either half.
All in all, this wasn’t the book for me, and again—that’s my issue—not the book’s, so if you’re into military sci-fi, give it a go. You might enjoy it more than me.
And with that out of the way, let’s get started.
Not gonna lie, when I first read that synopsis, I was hooked right in. Anthropomorphic dogs? Exploration of PTSD and soldier’s back to life after deployment? Feelings of otherness? Nature vs nurture? Sign me up! And as I started reading Dog Country, Malcolm F. Cross sure delivered. The early parts of the book detailing Edane’s life back from the war, his feelings when it came to society, his relationship, and his own self-worth; and the occasional flashbacks to his time in the war, dealing with a society that saw him as threat both as a dog and foreign agent? Chef’s kiss. Couple that with Ereli’s chapters, which were fun to read, and a looming possibility of a confrontation with Edane, where our protagonist background could play a key part? I have to say, I was really enjoying my time.
And then the second half happened…
Look, I don’t vibe with military sci-fi, but leaving that aside for the moment, there were several issues. All the introspection? Gone, making way for more action scenes. The distinct voices between our two main PoVs? Muddled as we got more and more characters, not helped that with all of them having similar names and being literal clones of each other, which makes it so they all start to blend together. Not to mention the appearance of several tropes that (while I’m sure military sci-fi fans enjoy them) are just the ones that keep me out of the genre. And the ending just felt like it didn’t represent either the character progression that we saw on either half.
All in all, this wasn’t the book for me, and again—that’s my issue—not the book’s, so if you’re into military sci-fi, give it a go. You might enjoy it more than me.
August 19, 2016
And what's a person who's been only really trained for war do after being forcibly taken out of the war? This question is an escalation of the issues raised by the transition of a soldier to civilian life. Conflict arises as the soldier is underprepared for the transition, and the civilians fail to understand the POV of the soldier. This sci-fi tale grasps this scenario and runs with it.
By the 22nd Century, genetically engineered, clone soldiers that contain a blend dog and human DNA are made for war. Until they are freed in a half-assed attempt to mainstream the young pups. Despite the efforts of many adoption parents, most of the dogs end up back in the military with whole divisions populated by gen-mods.
Edane, a gen-mod dog, survives the Tajik War but not on his own terms. He lost an arm and was sent home. He's unsettled with how it all played out and struggles to come to terms with his sense of not belonging in civilian life. His adoptive mothers and his girlfriend likewise fail to see his POV. Edane finds an almost satisfactory answer in the semi-pro Military Simulation Leagues. And then another war comes along . . .
This novel brilliantly captures both the failed communication and understanding between the military and civilian POVs and a strikingly realistic mindset of a gen-mod dog-human struggling to read social cues and emotions that he wasn't raised to read.
Secondarily, it poses an interesting scenario with a crowd-fund revolution hiring a mercenary army to overthrow a dictatorship.
Slowing the flow of the novel is the time-jumping between the Tajik War and later points. Also, the similarity of names to denote the clone aspect of the gen-mods obfuscates the individuality necessary to pull off this multiple POV novel. Overall, this novel is very good and recommended.
I received my copy of this novel directly from the author through bookreviewdirectory.wordpress.com.
By the 22nd Century, genetically engineered, clone soldiers that contain a blend dog and human DNA are made for war. Until they are freed in a half-assed attempt to mainstream the young pups. Despite the efforts of many adoption parents, most of the dogs end up back in the military with whole divisions populated by gen-mods.
Edane, a gen-mod dog, survives the Tajik War but not on his own terms. He lost an arm and was sent home. He's unsettled with how it all played out and struggles to come to terms with his sense of not belonging in civilian life. His adoptive mothers and his girlfriend likewise fail to see his POV. Edane finds an almost satisfactory answer in the semi-pro Military Simulation Leagues. And then another war comes along . . .
This novel brilliantly captures both the failed communication and understanding between the military and civilian POVs and a strikingly realistic mindset of a gen-mod dog-human struggling to read social cues and emotions that he wasn't raised to read.
Secondarily, it poses an interesting scenario with a crowd-fund revolution hiring a mercenary army to overthrow a dictatorship.
Slowing the flow of the novel is the time-jumping between the Tajik War and later points. Also, the similarity of names to denote the clone aspect of the gen-mods obfuscates the individuality necessary to pull off this multiple POV novel. Overall, this novel is very good and recommended.
I received my copy of this novel directly from the author through bookreviewdirectory.wordpress.com.
April 20, 2016
If you haven't read Malcolm F. Cross before, I recommend starting with his short piece, "War Dog" (and its companion, "Marginalized Populations".) It's set in the same universe as this novel and it is a more coherent story. If you don't want to shell out 99 cents for the short story, you can read this novel for free through Amazon Prime.
Dog Country is unusual in that it leans on the strength of Cross' writing rather than its story. The story -- essentially a neurologically atypical journey of discovery wrapped in war story trappings -- has some clever, engaging components and themes, but it moves in fits and starts, and eventually stalls out soon after the main character's deployment.
This isn't to say that the writing is top-notch. The chapters' topics and timeline jump around in ways that sometimes doesn't help the reader or the story. I get the sense that the whole thing needs more editing from a third party. But whenever you dive into one of Cross' chapters, you'll find it to be smooth, easy reading about uncomfortable topics. I can't read top authors like Brandon Sanderson aloud without groaning; Cross is a pleasure even when reading it aloud.
Overall, it's a recommended read up until deployment. (Everything past deployment is fun, but the story is mostly over by that point.)
Dog Country is unusual in that it leans on the strength of Cross' writing rather than its story. The story -- essentially a neurologically atypical journey of discovery wrapped in war story trappings -- has some clever, engaging components and themes, but it moves in fits and starts, and eventually stalls out soon after the main character's deployment.
This isn't to say that the writing is top-notch. The chapters' topics and timeline jump around in ways that sometimes doesn't help the reader or the story. I get the sense that the whole thing needs more editing from a third party. But whenever you dive into one of Cross' chapters, you'll find it to be smooth, easy reading about uncomfortable topics. I can't read top authors like Brandon Sanderson aloud without groaning; Cross is a pleasure even when reading it aloud.
Overall, it's a recommended read up until deployment. (Everything past deployment is fun, but the story is mostly over by that point.)
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 26, 2016
I had a strange relationship with this book as I was reading it. I enjoyed it, for sure, but there were a few moments that took me longer than normal to bring into focus. There are headers for each section that give you the name of the point-of-view character, but they also have a year that is important to pay attention to. I was lost for a bit as it jumped between two timelines, and I have to say that there was a bit of a disconnect between some of the characters as well.
Overall, it was a good book with a definite goal in mind, and it gets that message across well enough. With a bit of focus, the story unfolds as I believe it should and tells a story that was refreshing to read.
Overall, it was a good book with a definite goal in mind, and it gets that message across well enough. With a bit of focus, the story unfolds as I believe it should and tells a story that was refreshing to read.
November 17, 2016
Wow
So let me just say it took me a minute to get in with the flow of the book due to it having a jump from character to character at times but over all kept me wanting more. Action packed thrill ride at its finest only complaint I had was there was times a litre visual illustration would have been amazing because iChat to go back a few times and try to really paint what was being said not due to lack of information but these are future times and that LAMW sounds awesome. Keep it up!
So let me just say it took me a minute to get in with the flow of the book due to it having a jump from character to character at times but over all kept me wanting more. Action packed thrill ride at its finest only complaint I had was there was times a litre visual illustration would have been amazing because iChat to go back a few times and try to really paint what was being said not due to lack of information but these are future times and that LAMW sounds awesome. Keep it up!
November 8, 2024
This is definitely one of those books where you read the summary and ask yourself "Why not?"
I was surprised at how well it depicts modern combat, and found Edane and his girlfriend to be very compelling characters.
Some of the highly detailed political background fell flat, I found myself skipping a few pages every now and then but I was very entertained.
edit: i figured out the why they feel flat, its more due to how little Ereli is fleshed out, i wish he had the same background treatment than Edane.
I was surprised at how well it depicts modern combat, and found Edane and his girlfriend to be very compelling characters.
Some of the highly detailed political background fell flat, I found myself skipping a few pages every now and then but I was very entertained.
edit: i figured out the why they feel flat, its more due to how little Ereli is fleshed out, i wish he had the same background treatment than Edane.
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