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The Hundred and One Dalmatians #2
The Starlight Barking
Dodie Smith's The Hundred and One Dalmatians, later adapted by Disney, was declared a classic when first published in 1956. The Starlight Barking, Dodie's own long-forgotten sequel, is a thrilling new adventure for Pongo and his family, lavishly illustrated by the same artist team as the first book. As the story opens, every living creature except dogs is gripped by an enchanted sleep. One of the original Dalmatian puppies, all grown up since the first novel, is now the Prime Minister's mascot. Relying on her spotted parents for guidance, she assumes emergency leadership for the canine population of England. Awaiting advice from Sirius, the Dog Star, dogs of every breed crowd Trafalgar Square to watch the evening skies. The message they receive is a disturbing proposition, one that might forever destroy their status as "man's best friend."
160 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1967
45 people are currently reading
2263 people want to read
About the author
Dodie Smith
110 books1,265 followersBorn Dorothy Gladys Smith in Lancashire, England, Dodie Smith was raised in Manchester (her memoir is titled A Childhood in Manchester). She was just an infant when her father died, and she grew up fatherless until age 14, when her mother remarried and the family moved to London. There she studied at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts and tried for a career as an actress, but with little success. She finally wound up taking a job as a toy buyer for a furniture store to make ends meet. Giving up dreams of an acting career, she turned to writing plays, and in 1931 her first play, Autumn Crocus, was published (under the pseudonym “C.L. Anthony”). It was a success, and her story — from failed actress to furniture store employee to successful writer — captured the imagination of the public and she was featured in papers all over the country. Although she could now afford to move to a London townhouse, she didn't get caught up in the “literary” scene — she married a man who was a fellow employee at the furniture store.
During World War II she and her husband moved to the United States, mostly because of his stand as a conscientious objector and the social and legal difficulties that entailed. She was still homesick for England, though, as reflected in her first novel, I Capture the Castle (1948). During her stay she formed close friendships with such authors as Christopher Isherwood and John Van Druten, and was aided in her literary endeavors by writer A.J. Cronin.
She is perhaps best known for her novel The Hundred and One Dalmatians, a hugely popular childrens book that has been made into a string of very successful animated films by Walt Disney. She died in 1990.
During World War II she and her husband moved to the United States, mostly because of his stand as a conscientious objector and the social and legal difficulties that entailed. She was still homesick for England, though, as reflected in her first novel, I Capture the Castle (1948). During her stay she formed close friendships with such authors as Christopher Isherwood and John Van Druten, and was aided in her literary endeavors by writer A.J. Cronin.
She is perhaps best known for her novel The Hundred and One Dalmatians, a hugely popular childrens book that has been made into a string of very successful animated films by Walt Disney. She died in 1990.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 240 reviews
August 20, 2023
‘If I have any beliefs about immortality, it is that certain dogs I have known will go to heaven, and very, very few persons.’
James Thurber
Following in the footsteps of C.S. Lewis (one of my very favourite world-builders), Dodie Smith’s quirky and enjoyable sequel to ‘A Hundred and One Dalmatians’ explores concepts outside the ‘real’ world - in this case via the Aslan-ish Sirius.
Less imaginative and enchanting than Lewis’s creations, ‘The Starlight Barking’ nevertheless reunites the reader with the loveable Pongo, Missus, Cadpig et al and just manages to hold their attention with a slightly bizarre scenario and a very open ending. In all, the novel feels unfinished, whether by design or with intentions of further development, but not unworthy of seeking out and enjoying.
James Thurber
Following in the footsteps of C.S. Lewis (one of my very favourite world-builders), Dodie Smith’s quirky and enjoyable sequel to ‘A Hundred and One Dalmatians’ explores concepts outside the ‘real’ world - in this case via the Aslan-ish Sirius.
Less imaginative and enchanting than Lewis’s creations, ‘The Starlight Barking’ nevertheless reunites the reader with the loveable Pongo, Missus, Cadpig et al and just manages to hold their attention with a slightly bizarre scenario and a very open ending. In all, the novel feels unfinished, whether by design or with intentions of further development, but not unworthy of seeking out and enjoying.
January 27, 2018
Let's get the most important thing out of the way: There is no Cruella. I feel cheated.
At the beginning of this sequel we find Pongo and Missus leaving their home once again so that they and their family can find out why all of the humans are in a sleep coma.
The stakes feel low and I went through 60% of the book without a clue as to what's happening, so the story feels too drawn out so the climax didn't really hit as hard as it could. The Pongo and Missus relationship is still stereotypical 1950s with him being seen as the smart one and she the emotionally connected one. I thought Cadpig would be a more interesting character as the Prime Minister's dog but this was not the case.
I would recommend this book if you're a die hard Dodie Smith fan.
At the beginning of this sequel we find Pongo and Missus leaving their home once again so that they and their family can find out why all of the humans are in a sleep coma.
The stakes feel low and I went through 60% of the book without a clue as to what's happening, so the story feels too drawn out so the climax didn't really hit as hard as it could. The Pongo and Missus relationship is still stereotypical 1950s with him being seen as the smart one and she the emotionally connected one. I thought Cadpig would be a more interesting character as the Prime Minister's dog but this was not the case.
I would recommend this book if you're a die hard Dodie Smith fan.
March 28, 2013
Ok, no, it's not as good—not nearly—as 101 Dalmations but it's still got the Dodie Smith verve of that book as well as the original characters. The sci-fi premise where an alien canine comes to earth to speak to the dogs of earth may sound odd at best, but this is a kids' book and I think Smith was attempting to connect with the growing interest in sci-fi in the 1960s when she wrote this. Her ability to make the dogs come to life in so loving a manner is still firmly intact in this novel and if anything, what's lacking is a villain of the caliber of Cruella de Vil. (Ms. de Vil is actually in the book, but she sleeps through all the action—you'll have to read the book to understand why.)
For dog lovers, it's a charming book nonetheless and for those who find Smith before Disney made her work a household name to be an interesting author, it's worth reading. While far fewer people would know Smith's adorable canines without Disney, her way with words and early 20th century take on England were nearly wiped from the page once Disney made their 1961 film of 101 Dalmations so I highly recommend reading the original Smith novel to anyone who has not: it's 10x more charming and alluring than Disney's take on the same pups.
For dog lovers, it's a charming book nonetheless and for those who find Smith before Disney made her work a household name to be an interesting author, it's worth reading. While far fewer people would know Smith's adorable canines without Disney, her way with words and early 20th century take on England were nearly wiped from the page once Disney made their 1961 film of 101 Dalmations so I highly recommend reading the original Smith novel to anyone who has not: it's 10x more charming and alluring than Disney's take on the same pups.
September 1, 2023
Read along with the 372-pages-I'll-never-get-back podcast, which is the only reason for someone to read this book this century, unless you're a cultish Disney completionist (which doesn't even fit because Disney didn't touch this sequel to the 101 Dalmations source material.)
It's odd, with many ill-advised movements. The podcast hosts pulled more humour out of it than I think was textually warranted, particularly the pro-fascism and eugenics interpretations. Mostly I think the text is fully explained by a mix of being written-by-a-71-year-old-in-1967, extremely British including the class system, dog protagonists intentionally written as not that bright, the particular dog-pet mentality that originated in the first book, conceptions of purebred animals, and more than a bit of talking down to its child audience.
I most appreciated the inclusion of my favorite topic for children's books: the looming threat of nuclear war.
It's odd, with many ill-advised movements. The podcast hosts pulled more humour out of it than I think was textually warranted, particularly the pro-fascism and eugenics interpretations. Mostly I think the text is fully explained by a mix of being written-by-a-71-year-old-in-1967, extremely British including the class system, dog protagonists intentionally written as not that bright, the particular dog-pet mentality that originated in the first book, conceptions of purebred animals, and more than a bit of talking down to its child audience.
I most appreciated the inclusion of my favorite topic for children's books: the looming threat of nuclear war.
February 5, 2011
Dodie Smith's writing is always rather fun, but The Starlight Barking does suffer when taken as a sequel to A Hundred and One Dalmatians. The topic is such a contrast -- instead of the anthropomorphic but somehow believable concept of two dogs going off to find their pups, who have been dognapped to be used to make fur coats, now we have something that is pretty sci-fi-ish in nature, with a Moral snuck in about humans fighting and maybe even trying to destroy the world. It just doesn't really work with the fun and witty first book. The humour in this book is sort of at the dogs' expense, really: laughing at Cadpig and her self-important ways, and the Cabinet of dogs echoing the real Cabinet, and things like that.
I loved it a lot when I was younger, but the mismatch is unbearable somehow now. As an adult, I'd give it two stars, but based on my previous enjoyment, I gave it three. Still, I wouldn't say it's unmissable.
I loved it a lot when I was younger, but the mismatch is unbearable somehow now. As an adult, I'd give it two stars, but based on my previous enjoyment, I gave it three. Still, I wouldn't say it's unmissable.
July 19, 2025
Absolutely chaotic
July 4, 2016
I mean, it was cute. I never read the first one, but I obviously know the story. I won't be keeping my copy, because I've been trying to get rid of any kid/chapter books I won't want my future kids to read. Not that there's a specific reason for them not to read this. I just didn't feel like it would be particularly edifying or constructive to them. And it was a little weird.
A weird thing that I actually did like about it, was that Pongo and Missis represent a really good picture of marriage. (Lol) She was supportive and submissive while still sharing her opinions and worries, and he was protective and a leader while still listening to her and loving her.
The End.
A weird thing that I actually did like about it, was that Pongo and Missis represent a really good picture of marriage. (Lol) She was supportive and submissive while still sharing her opinions and worries, and he was protective and a leader while still listening to her and loving her.
The End.
January 7, 2013
This book is kind of crazy, especially considering it is a sequel of a classic story that isn't too strange.
July 19, 2015
Barking mad; as I’m sure other Goodreads bookworms will have already recorded.
The premise of the plot of this book is decidedly bizarre; as if Mrs Smith was on an acid high at the time (1967). However, in the light of the wonderful “One Hundred and One Dalmatians,” I prefer to think (delude myself?) that fault lies with the erring and unnamed editor at William Heinemann whose imagination was no doubt entirely caught up in the Space Race, science fiction, and should instead have taken out and shot at dawn as a lesson to prevent Penguin from later adding the title to their Puffin range.
I had not read this book during my childhood. Reading it now I didn’t get past page 77. This book is pseudo-science fiction without so much as a supporting vestige of science however creatively and imaginatively spun.
Right from the outset the reader is presented with a mystery as to why all humans, birds, insects, horses, mice, pigs, cows, cats … etc have fallen into a deep sleep. But not, of course, dogs, and oddly one child and one cat.
In the descriptive text, a number of Dalmatian ‘marriages’ are described, and given as being a Very Good Thing. Nowhere (or at least up to page 77) is either a civil or a theological construction of dog ‘marriage’ hinted at, outlined, or let alone explained. I personally heartily dislike the signal and ignorant abuse of words. More mystery follows hotfoot; how can Pongo in Suffolk hear and understand Cadpig barking in central London? How do hundreds of dogs manage to make the journey to 10 Downing Street by foot, in a matter of hours, not days? By ‘swooshing’ meaning by running whilst wishing one could run faster & Hey Presto, Surprise, Surprise, they do, at a considerably faster rate than any Olympic track athlete; and under Pongo’s admonishment to avoid accidents with other traffic!
Flipping further I found a visit to a sleeping Cruella de Vil, and a pseudo-religious Voice (Sirius Lord of the the Dog Star) entering the storyline, to warn the ‘caninecade’ that he can save them from the destructive nuclear forces about to be unleashed by humans. It would appear that the book then rapidly descends into farce as a number of ownerless dogs instead opt to seek a life at Battersea Dogs Home (a highly reputable establishment in real life). Hmm.
Nope. This really wasn’t a book for me, nor for any child I know and love. Now the real dilemma is do I burn my copy, or do I give it to a Charity Shop to resell to some unsuspecting …… ?.
The premise of the plot of this book is decidedly bizarre; as if Mrs Smith was on an acid high at the time (1967). However, in the light of the wonderful “One Hundred and One Dalmatians,” I prefer to think (delude myself?) that fault lies with the erring and unnamed editor at William Heinemann whose imagination was no doubt entirely caught up in the Space Race, science fiction, and should instead have taken out and shot at dawn as a lesson to prevent Penguin from later adding the title to their Puffin range.
I had not read this book during my childhood. Reading it now I didn’t get past page 77. This book is pseudo-science fiction without so much as a supporting vestige of science however creatively and imaginatively spun.
Right from the outset the reader is presented with a mystery as to why all humans, birds, insects, horses, mice, pigs, cows, cats … etc have fallen into a deep sleep. But not, of course, dogs, and oddly one child and one cat.
In the descriptive text, a number of Dalmatian ‘marriages’ are described, and given as being a Very Good Thing. Nowhere (or at least up to page 77) is either a civil or a theological construction of dog ‘marriage’ hinted at, outlined, or let alone explained. I personally heartily dislike the signal and ignorant abuse of words. More mystery follows hotfoot; how can Pongo in Suffolk hear and understand Cadpig barking in central London? How do hundreds of dogs manage to make the journey to 10 Downing Street by foot, in a matter of hours, not days? By ‘swooshing’ meaning by running whilst wishing one could run faster & Hey Presto, Surprise, Surprise, they do, at a considerably faster rate than any Olympic track athlete; and under Pongo’s admonishment to avoid accidents with other traffic!
Flipping further I found a visit to a sleeping Cruella de Vil, and a pseudo-religious Voice (Sirius Lord of the the Dog Star) entering the storyline, to warn the ‘caninecade’ that he can save them from the destructive nuclear forces about to be unleashed by humans. It would appear that the book then rapidly descends into farce as a number of ownerless dogs instead opt to seek a life at Battersea Dogs Home (a highly reputable establishment in real life). Hmm.
Nope. This really wasn’t a book for me, nor for any child I know and love. Now the real dilemma is do I burn my copy, or do I give it to a Charity Shop to resell to some unsuspecting …… ?.
January 13, 2013
A few months back I read the first book in this trilogy by Dodie Smith and I loved reading the original tale of the 101 Dalmatians. So when I decided to host the 2013 Pre-1960 Classic Children's Books Reading Challenge I immediately put this one on hold. Unfortunately for me the book was published 7 years too late to qualify for the challenge but I read it anyways.
This book centers around Pongo and Missis, the main characters from the 101 Dalmatians and a few of their pups plus some other beloved characters that appeared in the first book as well as the Walt Disney animated film of the same name. In this book the dogs wake up to a world filled with silence in which canines are the only animals awake, well the dogs, and 3 honorary dogs which include two cats and a young boy named Tommy.
I thought the characters were simply delightful. While the book is written at a bit of a hire level for young children nowadays, we simply forget that children's books used to be written a lot different compared to those we see more often. As I said the characters were delightful and it was lovely to see much of the original cast and to meet some new faces as well which included the dog version of the British parliament.
What I enjoyed most about the novel was the story itself which takes on a bit of a science fiction slant which I was not expecting at all and since I don't want to ruin it for anyone who may read it let me just say that I thought it was rather unique to have that in a child's book about dogs and I think Dodie Smith did a lovely job incorporating the science fiction aspects into her book in a way that wasn't to high brow for children to understand and like. I think the fact that the book offered something different was wonderful.
It's well known that Dodie Smith is a wonderful children's author and this book just adds to her repatoir. I loved the way she created her characters and gave them all different personalities and quirks to go along with them as well and I thought it was one of the most heartwarming novels with a great amount of adventure that I've read in a long and I think this is one along with the preceding book that should be in every child's library.
I would recommend this to anyone who has a child to include this in their child's library. While like I mentioned before it may be a little harder for toddlers to comprehend it would make for the perfect bedtime read for older children.
This book centers around Pongo and Missis, the main characters from the 101 Dalmatians and a few of their pups plus some other beloved characters that appeared in the first book as well as the Walt Disney animated film of the same name. In this book the dogs wake up to a world filled with silence in which canines are the only animals awake, well the dogs, and 3 honorary dogs which include two cats and a young boy named Tommy.
I thought the characters were simply delightful. While the book is written at a bit of a hire level for young children nowadays, we simply forget that children's books used to be written a lot different compared to those we see more often. As I said the characters were delightful and it was lovely to see much of the original cast and to meet some new faces as well which included the dog version of the British parliament.
What I enjoyed most about the novel was the story itself which takes on a bit of a science fiction slant which I was not expecting at all and since I don't want to ruin it for anyone who may read it let me just say that I thought it was rather unique to have that in a child's book about dogs and I think Dodie Smith did a lovely job incorporating the science fiction aspects into her book in a way that wasn't to high brow for children to understand and like. I think the fact that the book offered something different was wonderful.
It's well known that Dodie Smith is a wonderful children's author and this book just adds to her repatoir. I loved the way she created her characters and gave them all different personalities and quirks to go along with them as well and I thought it was one of the most heartwarming novels with a great amount of adventure that I've read in a long and I think this is one along with the preceding book that should be in every child's library.
I would recommend this to anyone who has a child to include this in their child's library. While like I mentioned before it may be a little harder for toddlers to comprehend it would make for the perfect bedtime read for older children.
July 27, 2015
Despite growing up with a deep love for 101 Dalmatians (the book, of course, and the animated Disney film - certainly not the miserable excuse for a live action version), I'd never previously read the sequel. Recently, I picked up a nice first edition in a local bookstore but immediately got discouraged by all the negative reviews I found when I skimmed online. I'm apparently a different sort of audience, because I thought this book was delightful.
It's a departure from the original book in some ways, since it strays into a more metaphysical, science fiction setting, but the themes and writing style hold true to Dodie Smith's other material. If you think about it, it's not as though 101 Dalmatians itself was a particularly realistic or sugar-sweet story: its entire foundation is the idea that a woman - broadly hinted at as not-entirely human - wants to skin a hundred puppies to make herself a spotted coat. It's meant to be a slightly-left-from-center world, where the animals see humans as their pets and maintain entire networks of communication and transportation of which the humans remain blissfully unaware.
The Starlight Barking, then, is actually a pretty appropriate sequel. It takes humans entirely out of the equation by engineering a mysterious event where the only creatures awake for a day are the dogs. It kicks off with a fairly slow start, spending too much time recapping the previous book's events and re-introducing the characters, but it picks up speed and creativity as the dalmatians journey to London and form their animal version of human governmental structure.
There are some less-than-perfect notes, certainly, and I felt Pongo held too much of the spotlight, but Missis and Cadpig were both wonderfully strong characters, with subtly profound dialogue. Dodie Smith has a particular skill for slipping forward-thinking messages into her novels. The ideas here touch on the human obsession with power struggles and the potential for a devastating nuclear war, but it's not an overpowering component of the story. The overarching tale is, essentially, an affirmation of dogs' position as man's best friend. This heartwarming narrative spins off into a more universal understanding of the need to make the most of your time on Earth, and to search for those whom you can love, and who will care for you in turn.
It's not a perfect book, but I think it's certainly a worthy successor to the beloved classic.
It's a departure from the original book in some ways, since it strays into a more metaphysical, science fiction setting, but the themes and writing style hold true to Dodie Smith's other material. If you think about it, it's not as though 101 Dalmatians itself was a particularly realistic or sugar-sweet story: its entire foundation is the idea that a woman - broadly hinted at as not-entirely human - wants to skin a hundred puppies to make herself a spotted coat. It's meant to be a slightly-left-from-center world, where the animals see humans as their pets and maintain entire networks of communication and transportation of which the humans remain blissfully unaware.
The Starlight Barking, then, is actually a pretty appropriate sequel. It takes humans entirely out of the equation by engineering a mysterious event where the only creatures awake for a day are the dogs. It kicks off with a fairly slow start, spending too much time recapping the previous book's events and re-introducing the characters, but it picks up speed and creativity as the dalmatians journey to London and form their animal version of human governmental structure.
There are some less-than-perfect notes, certainly, and I felt Pongo held too much of the spotlight, but Missis and Cadpig were both wonderfully strong characters, with subtly profound dialogue. Dodie Smith has a particular skill for slipping forward-thinking messages into her novels. The ideas here touch on the human obsession with power struggles and the potential for a devastating nuclear war, but it's not an overpowering component of the story. The overarching tale is, essentially, an affirmation of dogs' position as man's best friend. This heartwarming narrative spins off into a more universal understanding of the need to make the most of your time on Earth, and to search for those whom you can love, and who will care for you in turn.
It's not a perfect book, but I think it's certainly a worthy successor to the beloved classic.
May 17, 2009
This book is certainly fun, though it lacks the spark that made One-Hundred-and-One Dalmatians great. ((Side note: If you think that story is merely a Disney movie, think again. Go to the library and check it out. It's such a great book and a wonderful read-aloud.))
Dodie Smith certainly spins wonderful tales of the world that dogs inhabit. I am very much looking forward to reading these with Arthur one day soon.
Dodie Smith certainly spins wonderful tales of the world that dogs inhabit. I am very much looking forward to reading these with Arthur one day soon.
December 27, 2017
I'm rather sorry I bothered with this one. This is a proper weird little book. It’s kind of a bible story - fable type thing and part political moral lesson. Very bizarre. Considering the whole book was magical themed, for me there was no magic or joy in reading it. Rather disappointing as I recently read and enjoyed The Hundred and One Dalmatians. What was the author thinking? Maybe I'm just too old to appreciate it?
January 12, 2019
I'm not sure what Dodie Smith was thinking when she wrote this, but it's a far cry from the sweet first book Hundred and One Dalmatians. Perhaps the desire to be a science fiction writer was too great. Sorry to say I just did not like it at all!
March 27, 2008
The sequel to 101 Dalmations and just as good as the first with a little science fiction twist.
March 26, 2012
It's one of the most heartwarming books I've ever read.
Read
July 22, 2025A bonkers sequel to The 101 Dalmatians. All the dogs gain the power of flight (which they call "swooshing") and, because all the humans on Earth are trapped in sleep, the dogs start forming an interim British government using telepathy. Doorknobs are still a problem surmountable only in the second act.
In a weird B-plot cul-de-sac, Cruella de Vil has quit the fur trade and become a tinker, selling her wares from a storefront called Kloes that Klank. She sleeps through the entire book on an armored bed fitted with sheets made of tin. The dogs briefly consider murdering her where she lies.
In Dodie Smith's version of a nuclear-age disquisition, all the dogs on Earth receive an exercisable option in the vein of "So Long and Thanks for All the Fish", courtesy of a cosmic, shapeshifting dog entity hailing from the heart of the (Canis Major) star, Sirius: he proposes that the dogs of Earth join him in un-spayed, loll-tongued utopia, away from the inevitable 1960s nuclear winter.
Each and every dog, undivided, must either decide to go to the dog-star, Sirius, or stay back on Earth, together. In the end, the dogs must learn the meaning of unity vs unanimity, and, having all deferred the decision-making to their intact philosopher-king, Pongo, decide they are honor-bound to accompany Earth to its ultimate destiny of man-made destruction. 🐾
In a weird B-plot cul-de-sac, Cruella de Vil has quit the fur trade and become a tinker, selling her wares from a storefront called Kloes that Klank. She sleeps through the entire book on an armored bed fitted with sheets made of tin. The dogs briefly consider murdering her where she lies.
In Dodie Smith's version of a nuclear-age disquisition, all the dogs on Earth receive an exercisable option in the vein of "So Long and Thanks for All the Fish", courtesy of a cosmic, shapeshifting dog entity hailing from the heart of the (Canis Major) star, Sirius: he proposes that the dogs of Earth join him in un-spayed, loll-tongued utopia, away from the inevitable 1960s nuclear winter.
Each and every dog, undivided, must either decide to go to the dog-star, Sirius, or stay back on Earth, together. In the end, the dogs must learn the meaning of unity vs unanimity, and, having all deferred the decision-making to their intact philosopher-king, Pongo, decide they are honor-bound to accompany Earth to its ultimate destiny of man-made destruction. 🐾
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 1, 2016
A rather poor sequel to The Hundred and One Dalmatians. Yes, we get to meet all the charming and slightly eccentric characters of the first book again and yes, the character interaction and silliness is easily on par with the first book, but when it comes to the plot... oh boy. It's a fun book and offers quite a few chuckles, but it quickly made me go "Riiiiiiight..."
*SPOILERS FROM HERE*
First, the obvious plot issues. While the first book was mostly realistic (granting dogs just enough intelligence and skills to coordinate and execute a rescue, which is well within the accepted levels of stories for children), this one has our Dalmatians communicating via telepathy and being able to fly. And then it manages to become even more bizarre as all dogs on Earth are offered the chance to be raptured to space by Sirius, Lord of the Dog Star, who fears that we'll nuke ourselves back into the Stone Age. I wish I was making this up.
Now, this would normally be my kind of book! After all, books like Danny Yates Must Die or the Discworld series also throw a surreal world at the readers, and I loved those.
However, the difference between those books and this one is that here, we have a REALISTIC world that suddenly TURNS surreal, and for the readers to accept that, they need some kind of explanation: Who did this, and how/why? And this is where this book fails to deliver: The initial sense of wonder doesn't last long, and for more than half the book, our characters are wandering around with no real sense of purpose. Then we finally meet Sirius... but instead of exploring this marvelous character any further, the book hurries the plot along, squeezing the revelation, offer, resolution and epilogue into roughly the last third of the not-so-long book.
Beyond the broken pacing, I can't help but notice how the themes are not really what you'd expect from the sequel to 101 Dalmatians. Between possible nuclear war and The Rapture (eternal bliss for all dogs while the rest of the world is left to stumble into possible war), there are also shorter "Wait, what?" moments like Patch being in love with his sister (the love of his life...) and opting for voluntary self-extinction because he doesn't want his imperfect DNA to persist in the genepool.
All in all, this book left me slightly unfulfilled, and it only earned its second star because the characters are just as adorable and lovable as before. I loved the first book, and I loved the surreal plot teaser/summary, but the book just failed to deliver in the plot department. Give me a sequel to 101 Dalmatians or give me a surreal novel with superpowers and aliens, but please don't mix the two.
*SPOILERS FROM HERE*
First, the obvious plot issues. While the first book was mostly realistic (granting dogs just enough intelligence and skills to coordinate and execute a rescue, which is well within the accepted levels of stories for children), this one has our Dalmatians communicating via telepathy and being able to fly. And then it manages to become even more bizarre as all dogs on Earth are offered the chance to be raptured to space by Sirius, Lord of the Dog Star, who fears that we'll nuke ourselves back into the Stone Age. I wish I was making this up.
Now, this would normally be my kind of book! After all, books like Danny Yates Must Die or the Discworld series also throw a surreal world at the readers, and I loved those.
However, the difference between those books and this one is that here, we have a REALISTIC world that suddenly TURNS surreal, and for the readers to accept that, they need some kind of explanation: Who did this, and how/why? And this is where this book fails to deliver: The initial sense of wonder doesn't last long, and for more than half the book, our characters are wandering around with no real sense of purpose. Then we finally meet Sirius... but instead of exploring this marvelous character any further, the book hurries the plot along, squeezing the revelation, offer, resolution and epilogue into roughly the last third of the not-so-long book.
Beyond the broken pacing, I can't help but notice how the themes are not really what you'd expect from the sequel to 101 Dalmatians. Between possible nuclear war and The Rapture (eternal bliss for all dogs while the rest of the world is left to stumble into possible war), there are also shorter "Wait, what?" moments like Patch being in love with his sister (the love of his life...) and opting for voluntary self-extinction because he doesn't want his imperfect DNA to persist in the genepool.
All in all, this book left me slightly unfulfilled, and it only earned its second star because the characters are just as adorable and lovable as before. I loved the first book, and I loved the surreal plot teaser/summary, but the book just failed to deliver in the plot department. Give me a sequel to 101 Dalmatians or give me a surreal novel with superpowers and aliens, but please don't mix the two.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 21, 2021
Absolutely awful. This book is lacking in the delightful charm of the original, it has been replaced by absurd, childish, mythical lunacy that contains not one iota of believability. The charming characters of the original are reduced to cartoons, FLYING ACROSS THE COUNTRY AND COMMUNICATING WITH EACHOTHER THROUGH THE POWER OF TELAPATHY. No wonder this sequel has never been adapted for the screen, it is a butchery of everything good about 101 Dalmatians.
June 29, 2015
In this sequel to 101 Dalmatians, all humans on earth fall into a deep sleep and the country must be run by dalmatians, who now have psychic powers and can fly. A canine space god shows up to make a Faustian bargain with the new dog lords, and the whole thing is also a parable about nuclear war. This is the worst idea for a sequel!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 22, 2015
Sort of science fiction with dogs, but don't let that put you off if you don't like science fiction or don't like dogs, because the plot and the characters will carry you through. And the whole notion of a sleeping London crammed full of dogs (and a flying tractor) regulated by traffic lights is just wonderful.
June 10, 2009
I read this sequel to 101 Dalmations several times in my childhood, and calmly accepted the author's choice to veer into science fiction. As an adult though, I'm less biddable, and find the premise of this book (which I can't describe with being spoiler-ish) just too weird.
July 8, 2025
5 🌟
What a most fantastic and charming book! Not at all what I was expecting being the original sequel to 101 Dalmatians written 11 years later in 1967 by Dodie Smith (I got my hands on an orginal 1970s printed Puffin edition), however - and to my delight - the sci-fi and fantasy themes of The Starlight Barking paired with the original charisma from the first novel worked surprisingly splendidly to create a different and simply endearing story. I read the entire thing in a day! Curiously and funny enough my favorite of the puppies in the first novel - Patch, who I just so happen to have a plushie of (who read the book with me) is described in this rendition as having grown up to be the best uncle dog to all the other puppies 🥰
What a most fantastic and charming book! Not at all what I was expecting being the original sequel to 101 Dalmatians written 11 years later in 1967 by Dodie Smith (I got my hands on an orginal 1970s printed Puffin edition), however - and to my delight - the sci-fi and fantasy themes of The Starlight Barking paired with the original charisma from the first novel worked surprisingly splendidly to create a different and simply endearing story. I read the entire thing in a day! Curiously and funny enough my favorite of the puppies in the first novel - Patch, who I just so happen to have a plushie of (who read the book with me) is described in this rendition as having grown up to be the best uncle dog to all the other puppies 🥰
Read
November 28, 2024Ah, a sequel to the children's classic, with the opening line, 'Not long ago there lived in Suffolk a hundred and one Dalmatians...' Thanks for sharing Esther :)
Gosh how things have changed since 1960's, I imagine children and YA readers would find this very dated, and not a little dull I'm afraid :( That said, it's a nice enough story of dogs, mostly Dalmatians, starring in their own little drama. Humans are very much the 'sleeping' parties in this adventure, although Cruella de Ville makes a brief guest appearance. The challenge this time is more otherworldly, or 'metaphysical' as Missis (Pongo's partner) puts it. Dogkind is saved from Sirius (probably) and everything returns to normal, well a bucolic quaint normal!
Gosh how things have changed since 1960's, I imagine children and YA readers would find this very dated, and not a little dull I'm afraid :( That said, it's a nice enough story of dogs, mostly Dalmatians, starring in their own little drama. Humans are very much the 'sleeping' parties in this adventure, although Cruella de Ville makes a brief guest appearance. The challenge this time is more otherworldly, or 'metaphysical' as Missis (Pongo's partner) puts it. Dogkind is saved from Sirius (probably) and everything returns to normal, well a bucolic quaint normal!
August 29, 2021
I feel weird rating this one cause I don't typically read children books and would not have read this if not for a book club. Its a fascinating time capsule and very of its time and not what you would expect for a 101 Dalmatians sequel. Its very fantastical and honestly instead of reading it I would recommend watching Judith's video about it here: https://youtu.be/J67bhS1MupY
July 30, 2023
Well that just happened.
What a deeply weird book. But hey, it was short and easy to read, so not totally a waste of a few hours.
What a deeply weird book. But hey, it was short and easy to read, so not totally a waste of a few hours.
September 15, 2024
2,5 stars!
The first book was a pretty straightforward story of dogs that went of to rescue their pups. It was mostly grounded in reality. No magic powers, everybody still needed to tend to their needs and stuff. I found it boring, passive, sexist, racist and not very exciting. The movie's the superior version. Then later I found about the sequel, The Starlight Barking. Written ten years later by the same author, what kind of story could there be told? Book 1 wrapped up everything pretty nicely.
Could Cruella make a come back with another scheme to make dalmatian furcoats? No, this book decided to be...well, kind of batshit insane and just fucking change genres all together!
And I kind of love it for it, it is such a short, weird book that more people should read. If you don't want too, here's my very bad summing up what happens and all it's batshit insane glory:
So, one night everybody goes too sleep. The next day, all the dogs wake up and quickly conclude they are the only ones! Other animals and people are still asleep and the dogs can't rouse them. They don't know what's going on. More bonkers stuff happens. Dogs now have magical powers.
They can sort of fly very low over the ground, they call it 'swooshing' and it's basically dogs moving about like a hovercraft. A dogvercraft if you like. They can travel long distances really fast now with thinking about how fast they want to go. They are also telepathic, as dogs from all over the United Kingdom (and world) can instantly communicate with eachother. They are no longer hungry, thirsty or cold as another side effect. (We also learn that all Dalmatians have 'proper' heterosexual marriages I guess. And that the Dearly's have not heard of the concept of snipping their pets. There's always a hundred and one of the fuckers around and the logistics of keeping up with so many dogs is never explained. A third book could probably just be a weird story of Dalmatians taking over the world at the rate these guys are pumping out puppies and spreading them all over Great Britain. Yes, I would read this.)
Pongo and Missus go off to London after one of their daughters, now the Prime minister's dog, calls upon them and help her out. (Pongo can't stand that his daughter knew a word he didn't so he takes some time to go up and look it up in a dictionary.) They take a small army of other Dalmatians with them and pick up more dogs along the way. (One of Pongo's pups now has a wife called.....Gay.)
After arriving in London, dogs basically take over the cabinet. The gang is contacted and told that a small boy (Tommy from the first book) and a few cats are awake, because of their bond with the dogs. They can talk the dog language and are honorary dogs.
Fuck it, they are now part of the plot. A tractor brings them to London pulled and pushed by Swooshing dogs, so now there's a Hovercraft-tractor.
Does the kid add anything significant? No, not really. He just hangs around. Hell, one of the cats does not even speak or do much of anything and is just along for the ride.
They go off to check upon Cruella and her husband, which are also sleeping. They now make weird metallic coats that clank if you wear them and move about. She's not behind the shenanigans.
A Staffordshire Terrier kind of casually suggests that they can kill of Cruella in her sleep. The Sheepdog who came along with Tommy and the cats's is like: 'No, you can't bite a sleeping woman.' Implying he would probably be fine with it if she was awake and capable of defendig herself. Note that this happens all within earshot of a small kid who's likely not older then three. Kinda dark.
So they go back to the Prime minister's house and suddenly a bright light appears on the televison. Missis is like: 'Oh shit, I dreamt of that bright star last night!' (But she was dismissed because she's still considered a silly woman.)
The star's like: 'Sup my dudes, here's some instructions for you all to follow. Tell every dog to go and seek out an open public space. Tell them to wait for midnight.' The gang's like: 'So, who the fuck are you?' and the star's like: 'Wait and see, bitches, you will learn later.'
So off they go and do just that. They also just basically invent flying ala what Peter Pan does, but call it 'High Swooshing' and now they can take the Tractor high up in the air with them. I have no fucking idea how a machine meant for maybe two (or three small) persons can carry the whole ass gang. Just go along with it.
At Trafalgar Square hundres of dogs have gathered around and they look up at Nelson's statue. A bright light appears and a booming voice can be heard. It calls itself Sirius, lord of the dogstar, and makes a grand offer to all the dogs. 'Yo, I made it so that everybody except you dogs are all asleep, gave you magical powers and made you feel really fucking good and not hungry or cold and whatever. But now I'm like: Yeah being a lonely star fucking sucks. For millions of years I have looked down upon Earth and seen how you dogs went from wild, savage creatures to pampered pets or abused wretches and everything between. You are like: Yo, the humans are our pets! But fuck it, it's the other way around, my dudes. Basically humans are ass and are probably going to bomb everything to shit with their newfangled nuclear weapons. Which would mean you might end up living a very shitty life filled with fighting and starvation but like forever, with no chance of being adopted by some nice humans and stuff. If there even is a world for you to inherit. Never mind the fact that so many dogs are kind of treated like garbage anyway even without this, but fuck it I won't go in to many details about this. So, basically let me beam you up to my home star/planet/whatever and be blissfull forever? Which is totally not creepy, because everybody LOVES being happy all the time, right? :D!'
The dogs are like: 'Uhm....so what happens if we do? Will humans not remember they ever had dogs?'
Sirius be like: 'Yes, that's basically it. They will not remember they ever had you around. Or I can just let them sleep indefinitley :D?' Which the dogs don't want too happen.
So the dogs are like: 'Oh shit, uhm....fuck, what are we going to do now??'
Some are like: 'No fuck it, I want to stay here.'
Others are like: 'Oh shit, this sounds like fucking amazing??'
And some dogs are like: 'Uhhm....Well shit, I don't know...'
And then it's decided that like three dogs should decide to make this very hefty decision.
And I mean make it for all dogs, because apparantly Sirius can't be assed to consider the possibilty that maybe he can beam up some of the dogs. Especially the really abused, starved and stray ones and the ones seeking out an adventure. No, it's either ALL the dogs or NONE I guess. Even Tommy the kid is like: 'Fuck yes I wanna go to space, and have adventures and shit!' And Sirius would allow him to come if the dogs take up his offer.
So Missus, Pongo and their kid Cadpig go to the national gallery and are like: 'Ok, we have like two hours to make this decision. WTF are we going to do?'
A Great Dane stomps right on in with a Chihuahua on his back called Sam. And Sam and the Great Dan are like: 'Yeah, so I live with a professor and might you all have considered the option that this is a case of massive dog hysteria? Also that Sirius is a manipulative dick? He makes you feel amazing and stuff but does it really feel like a choice if you accept his offer? Think about it.'
So they do. Also some abused, starved dogs appear and the trio ask them: 'Yo, would you like to go to space and live with Sirius? You have like no homes or loving owners and are treated fucking terribly. Maybe you now have a chance for a better life and an adventure.' But the poor thin dogs are like: 'No, we don't want to go. We first want to live our lives here. We might be in a bad situation but there's alot of kind people out there that might end up giving us a chance. In the past this has happened and we always remember the humans that were nice for us. Even they apparantly just threw us out anyway but fuck logic or even considering Sirius's offer further :D.'
So basically the decision has been made and Sirius is like: 'Yo bitches, times up. It two o'clock at night and I kind of already know what you have decided and it seems a no, yes?'
(Once again, if Sirius could look at each dog's thoughts and emotions anyway, why not just take the ones that wanted to go anyway?)
He also admits that yes, he was kind of being a dick earlier.
So now it has been decided, Sirius gives them until sunrise to go back to their homes. After that all of their magical powers go away and they go back to being a regular dog and the world will wake up once again. Sirius fucks off but before he goes: 'You can still see me shine brightly whenever there dog days in summer. K thanks bye bitches. I will never ever make this offer again probably.'
So off they go, back home. All dogs just magically teleport or Swoosh back home I guess. But oh no, we need another point of conflict in the form of the fat, useless son of Pongo and Missis! (Haha because fat characters are only good for that: being fun and dumb and useless I guess. Blegh.) Roly Poly went with them, made friends with a fat boxer called George and fucked off for the remainder of the book. Oh no, the sun is coming up and Missis is like: “Oh no, Pongo! Our son is not with us!' And Pongo's like: 'Oh shit, but we have to get this whole ass tractor back home and also the kid, we can't get stranded in bumfuck nowhere when the sun's up, stranded without magic?'
RP arrives just in time and is like: 'So....while you lot were fretting about wtf was going on, me and my pal George here went in to the gardens. We swam about and then decided to go off to France and party in Paris. George had some fun with the ladies there, wink wink nudge nudge :D'
Missis: 'But....you can't have swooshed all over the ocean and be back in time??'
RP: 'Yes we did, mother because Sirius noticed us and gave us more, special fast magic so we could be back on time in London.'
And then nothing comes from this, except we learn that two dogs probably had a great time. This adds so much, totally does not feel useless or anything.
So they all arrive at home, climb in to their beds and notice that everything went back to normal. The End.
So this was stupid in a good way. Was it very good? No, hell no. But I found it far better then book 1. Read this one if a few short hours, the other took me over a month despite not being very long. This one was surreal, weird, dreamy and just way more fun. I liked the direction it took, going from a somewhat grounded animalstory to a bonkers scifi adventure with fucking magic and a manipulative God-star dog thing. I loved how it just casually changed genres. It was written around the time of the cold ward so this book is kind of a time capsule. Also the sexism was toned down a bit, Cadpig was a leader in her own right and even Missis felt more of a complete character. It was still there of course in spades, but atleast not as heavy as in book 1. If you're in the mood for a goofy, quick and kind of surreal book. This might be the one for you. I think it makes an excellent read for a bookclub or just to have as a unique conversation topic.
The first book was a pretty straightforward story of dogs that went of to rescue their pups. It was mostly grounded in reality. No magic powers, everybody still needed to tend to their needs and stuff. I found it boring, passive, sexist, racist and not very exciting. The movie's the superior version. Then later I found about the sequel, The Starlight Barking. Written ten years later by the same author, what kind of story could there be told? Book 1 wrapped up everything pretty nicely.
Could Cruella make a come back with another scheme to make dalmatian furcoats? No, this book decided to be...well, kind of batshit insane and just fucking change genres all together!
And I kind of love it for it, it is such a short, weird book that more people should read. If you don't want too, here's my very bad summing up what happens and all it's batshit insane glory:
So, one night everybody goes too sleep. The next day, all the dogs wake up and quickly conclude they are the only ones! Other animals and people are still asleep and the dogs can't rouse them. They don't know what's going on. More bonkers stuff happens. Dogs now have magical powers.
They can sort of fly very low over the ground, they call it 'swooshing' and it's basically dogs moving about like a hovercraft. A dogvercraft if you like. They can travel long distances really fast now with thinking about how fast they want to go. They are also telepathic, as dogs from all over the United Kingdom (and world) can instantly communicate with eachother. They are no longer hungry, thirsty or cold as another side effect. (We also learn that all Dalmatians have 'proper' heterosexual marriages I guess. And that the Dearly's have not heard of the concept of snipping their pets. There's always a hundred and one of the fuckers around and the logistics of keeping up with so many dogs is never explained. A third book could probably just be a weird story of Dalmatians taking over the world at the rate these guys are pumping out puppies and spreading them all over Great Britain. Yes, I would read this.)
Pongo and Missus go off to London after one of their daughters, now the Prime minister's dog, calls upon them and help her out. (Pongo can't stand that his daughter knew a word he didn't so he takes some time to go up and look it up in a dictionary.) They take a small army of other Dalmatians with them and pick up more dogs along the way. (One of Pongo's pups now has a wife called.....Gay.)
After arriving in London, dogs basically take over the cabinet. The gang is contacted and told that a small boy (Tommy from the first book) and a few cats are awake, because of their bond with the dogs. They can talk the dog language and are honorary dogs.
Fuck it, they are now part of the plot. A tractor brings them to London pulled and pushed by Swooshing dogs, so now there's a Hovercraft-tractor.
Does the kid add anything significant? No, not really. He just hangs around. Hell, one of the cats does not even speak or do much of anything and is just along for the ride.
They go off to check upon Cruella and her husband, which are also sleeping. They now make weird metallic coats that clank if you wear them and move about. She's not behind the shenanigans.
A Staffordshire Terrier kind of casually suggests that they can kill of Cruella in her sleep. The Sheepdog who came along with Tommy and the cats's is like: 'No, you can't bite a sleeping woman.' Implying he would probably be fine with it if she was awake and capable of defendig herself. Note that this happens all within earshot of a small kid who's likely not older then three. Kinda dark.
So they go back to the Prime minister's house and suddenly a bright light appears on the televison. Missis is like: 'Oh shit, I dreamt of that bright star last night!' (But she was dismissed because she's still considered a silly woman.)
The star's like: 'Sup my dudes, here's some instructions for you all to follow. Tell every dog to go and seek out an open public space. Tell them to wait for midnight.' The gang's like: 'So, who the fuck are you?' and the star's like: 'Wait and see, bitches, you will learn later.'
So off they go and do just that. They also just basically invent flying ala what Peter Pan does, but call it 'High Swooshing' and now they can take the Tractor high up in the air with them. I have no fucking idea how a machine meant for maybe two (or three small) persons can carry the whole ass gang. Just go along with it.
At Trafalgar Square hundres of dogs have gathered around and they look up at Nelson's statue. A bright light appears and a booming voice can be heard. It calls itself Sirius, lord of the dogstar, and makes a grand offer to all the dogs. 'Yo, I made it so that everybody except you dogs are all asleep, gave you magical powers and made you feel really fucking good and not hungry or cold and whatever. But now I'm like: Yeah being a lonely star fucking sucks. For millions of years I have looked down upon Earth and seen how you dogs went from wild, savage creatures to pampered pets or abused wretches and everything between. You are like: Yo, the humans are our pets! But fuck it, it's the other way around, my dudes. Basically humans are ass and are probably going to bomb everything to shit with their newfangled nuclear weapons. Which would mean you might end up living a very shitty life filled with fighting and starvation but like forever, with no chance of being adopted by some nice humans and stuff. If there even is a world for you to inherit. Never mind the fact that so many dogs are kind of treated like garbage anyway even without this, but fuck it I won't go in to many details about this. So, basically let me beam you up to my home star/planet/whatever and be blissfull forever? Which is totally not creepy, because everybody LOVES being happy all the time, right? :D!'
The dogs are like: 'Uhm....so what happens if we do? Will humans not remember they ever had dogs?'
Sirius be like: 'Yes, that's basically it. They will not remember they ever had you around. Or I can just let them sleep indefinitley :D?' Which the dogs don't want too happen.
So the dogs are like: 'Oh shit, uhm....fuck, what are we going to do now??'
Some are like: 'No fuck it, I want to stay here.'
Others are like: 'Oh shit, this sounds like fucking amazing??'
And some dogs are like: 'Uhhm....Well shit, I don't know...'
And then it's decided that like three dogs should decide to make this very hefty decision.
And I mean make it for all dogs, because apparantly Sirius can't be assed to consider the possibilty that maybe he can beam up some of the dogs. Especially the really abused, starved and stray ones and the ones seeking out an adventure. No, it's either ALL the dogs or NONE I guess. Even Tommy the kid is like: 'Fuck yes I wanna go to space, and have adventures and shit!' And Sirius would allow him to come if the dogs take up his offer.
So Missus, Pongo and their kid Cadpig go to the national gallery and are like: 'Ok, we have like two hours to make this decision. WTF are we going to do?'
A Great Dane stomps right on in with a Chihuahua on his back called Sam. And Sam and the Great Dan are like: 'Yeah, so I live with a professor and might you all have considered the option that this is a case of massive dog hysteria? Also that Sirius is a manipulative dick? He makes you feel amazing and stuff but does it really feel like a choice if you accept his offer? Think about it.'
So they do. Also some abused, starved dogs appear and the trio ask them: 'Yo, would you like to go to space and live with Sirius? You have like no homes or loving owners and are treated fucking terribly. Maybe you now have a chance for a better life and an adventure.' But the poor thin dogs are like: 'No, we don't want to go. We first want to live our lives here. We might be in a bad situation but there's alot of kind people out there that might end up giving us a chance. In the past this has happened and we always remember the humans that were nice for us. Even they apparantly just threw us out anyway but fuck logic or even considering Sirius's offer further :D.'
So basically the decision has been made and Sirius is like: 'Yo bitches, times up. It two o'clock at night and I kind of already know what you have decided and it seems a no, yes?'
(Once again, if Sirius could look at each dog's thoughts and emotions anyway, why not just take the ones that wanted to go anyway?)
He also admits that yes, he was kind of being a dick earlier.
So now it has been decided, Sirius gives them until sunrise to go back to their homes. After that all of their magical powers go away and they go back to being a regular dog and the world will wake up once again. Sirius fucks off but before he goes: 'You can still see me shine brightly whenever there dog days in summer. K thanks bye bitches. I will never ever make this offer again probably.'
So off they go, back home. All dogs just magically teleport or Swoosh back home I guess. But oh no, we need another point of conflict in the form of the fat, useless son of Pongo and Missis! (Haha because fat characters are only good for that: being fun and dumb and useless I guess. Blegh.) Roly Poly went with them, made friends with a fat boxer called George and fucked off for the remainder of the book. Oh no, the sun is coming up and Missis is like: “Oh no, Pongo! Our son is not with us!' And Pongo's like: 'Oh shit, but we have to get this whole ass tractor back home and also the kid, we can't get stranded in bumfuck nowhere when the sun's up, stranded without magic?'
RP arrives just in time and is like: 'So....while you lot were fretting about wtf was going on, me and my pal George here went in to the gardens. We swam about and then decided to go off to France and party in Paris. George had some fun with the ladies there, wink wink nudge nudge :D'
Missis: 'But....you can't have swooshed all over the ocean and be back in time??'
RP: 'Yes we did, mother because Sirius noticed us and gave us more, special fast magic so we could be back on time in London.'
And then nothing comes from this, except we learn that two dogs probably had a great time. This adds so much, totally does not feel useless or anything.
So they all arrive at home, climb in to their beds and notice that everything went back to normal. The End.
So this was stupid in a good way. Was it very good? No, hell no. But I found it far better then book 1. Read this one if a few short hours, the other took me over a month despite not being very long. This one was surreal, weird, dreamy and just way more fun. I liked the direction it took, going from a somewhat grounded animalstory to a bonkers scifi adventure with fucking magic and a manipulative God-star dog thing. I loved how it just casually changed genres. It was written around the time of the cold ward so this book is kind of a time capsule. Also the sexism was toned down a bit, Cadpig was a leader in her own right and even Missis felt more of a complete character. It was still there of course in spades, but atleast not as heavy as in book 1. If you're in the mood for a goofy, quick and kind of surreal book. This might be the one for you. I think it makes an excellent read for a bookclub or just to have as a unique conversation topic.
January 4, 2022
Very weird but dogs flying is a pretty awesome concept. Fun read.
June 16, 2015
Apparently the author of The Hundred and One Dalmatians wrote a sequel some 12 years later, which has been largely forgotten by the public, but I recently learned of its existence when I was picking up Dodie Smith's first Dalmatian book at the library, and thought it might be fun to have a double feature. That seems to have been a poor decision. While the first book is charming and exciting, a delightful animal rescue story about family and courage and becoming more than you think you are, the sequel takes a major turn in style and content and tells a completely different story.
It was nice at the start to pick up in the years following the events of the first book, getting reacquainted with Pongo, Missis, and their "Dynasty of Dalmatians," but by the end of the first chapter, things get pretty wonky. The mystery is intriguing enough at the start--every living creature except for dogs (and some non-living entities, such as the wind) seems to have fallen under some kind of enchantment causing them not to wake up. It's then up to the dogs to discover the source of this curious turn of events, and it just gets more bizarre from there. Later developments include mind-reading across hundreds of miles, doors opening by themselves, no feelings of hunger, thirst or fatigue, traveling at great speeds without touching the ground (a phenomenon they call "swooshing"), and a strange interaction at Trafalfar Square with an other-worldly dog from outer space (who first communicates with them through a glowing television set) who has a plan that threatens the society and future of the world's population of dogs. It was fun to read about the sort of social structure and government of dogs (largely relative to their human counterparts), but all the charm is lost in the mystical and odd fantasy of it. While the universe and the peril of the first novel were firmly grounded and rooted in reality, the sequel takes things to a very odd level. I gave it ()barely) two stars because the writing was still charming, and some of the characters uttered rather profound statements at times (especially Missis, who seems to really have grown up since her naive days as a new mother, and Cadpig, one of the original fifteen puppies who has by now taken up residence with the Prime Minister, and now acts in that capacity in dog society), but it's hard to care when the surrounding events are so silly. There were some really contrived plot points that seemed to have been arbitrarily included to add interest and help propel the story, and a lot of the story seemed a little bit too (to use a word that becomes a recurring theme throughout the book) metaphysical. I like my English Dalmatians a little more believable. For a moment it seemed like there were going to be some interesting references or parallels to religion and God, as there were in the first book, but then they went a totally different direction and just became pseudo-religious mumbo-jumbo instead. And then, for good measure, why not throw in a muddled message about the evils of war and the hopelessness in the good of mankind?
This might just be one of the weirdest books I've ever read. One good thing that can be said about this book is that it's a pretty quick read. The bottom line: There is some nice writing, and some of the great characters return in Dodie Smith's continuation of the Dalmatian saga, but there are a LOT of reasons this is (and probably should have remained) a "long-forgotten sequel". I guess we can all be grateful that none of the film sequels have used this book as inspiration for story. Yikes.
It was nice at the start to pick up in the years following the events of the first book, getting reacquainted with Pongo, Missis, and their "Dynasty of Dalmatians," but by the end of the first chapter, things get pretty wonky. The mystery is intriguing enough at the start--every living creature except for dogs (and some non-living entities, such as the wind) seems to have fallen under some kind of enchantment causing them not to wake up. It's then up to the dogs to discover the source of this curious turn of events, and it just gets more bizarre from there. Later developments include mind-reading across hundreds of miles, doors opening by themselves, no feelings of hunger, thirst or fatigue, traveling at great speeds without touching the ground (a phenomenon they call "swooshing"), and a strange interaction at Trafalfar Square with an other-worldly dog from outer space (who first communicates with them through a glowing television set) who has a plan that threatens the society and future of the world's population of dogs. It was fun to read about the sort of social structure and government of dogs (largely relative to their human counterparts), but all the charm is lost in the mystical and odd fantasy of it. While the universe and the peril of the first novel were firmly grounded and rooted in reality, the sequel takes things to a very odd level. I gave it ()barely) two stars because the writing was still charming, and some of the characters uttered rather profound statements at times (especially Missis, who seems to really have grown up since her naive days as a new mother, and Cadpig, one of the original fifteen puppies who has by now taken up residence with the Prime Minister, and now acts in that capacity in dog society), but it's hard to care when the surrounding events are so silly. There were some really contrived plot points that seemed to have been arbitrarily included to add interest and help propel the story, and a lot of the story seemed a little bit too (to use a word that becomes a recurring theme throughout the book) metaphysical. I like my English Dalmatians a little more believable. For a moment it seemed like there were going to be some interesting references or parallels to religion and God, as there were in the first book, but then they went a totally different direction and just became pseudo-religious mumbo-jumbo instead. And then, for good measure, why not throw in a muddled message about the evils of war and the hopelessness in the good of mankind?
This might just be one of the weirdest books I've ever read. One good thing that can be said about this book is that it's a pretty quick read. The bottom line: There is some nice writing, and some of the great characters return in Dodie Smith's continuation of the Dalmatian saga, but there are a LOT of reasons this is (and probably should have remained) a "long-forgotten sequel". I guess we can all be grateful that none of the film sequels have used this book as inspiration for story. Yikes.
October 15, 2023
I have mixed feelings about this book. While it is good in terms of the fact that it continues the story of the last book and tells you what happened to the characters, much your overall opinion of this book is kind of based on what you like. The story is that after an unexplained period of time, Pongo and his family wake up to find that every non-dog species on earth has fallen into an enchanted sleep, and it falls on them to find out what's going on. They also find out that all that all of the dogs on earth can fly, read each others minds, and turn on electricity powered objects with their brains. Yeah. Beyond that, nothing much else happens except for a really weird side story that probably doesn't even need to be in the book, and an ending that tries to seem happy but is actually kind of sad. This is because the ending is the best part, while the rest of the book kind fails to deliver its promise of a "thrilling adventure". There's also this weird metaphor about the dangers of nuclear bombs, which is really irrelevant to this book for two reasons: one, this a book about flying dogs, and two, its only in there for the last few pages. I liked it (I'm a sucker for anything Dalmatian related) and you also might like it, but if you don't, that's okay.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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