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Dogchild
Jeet was raised by a pack of wild dogs. Recaptured and ‘rehumanised’, Jeet now lives with the last of his people in an ancient walled town in the vast expanse of the Deathlands, besieged by a much larger enemy clan. They are preparing for the final battle and it’s Jeet’s task to record the events. But Jeet is struggling to come to terms with his half-human, half-dog identity. Can the impending conflict, and his relationship with another rehumanised dogchild, shed any light on what it takes to be a survivor?
480 pages, Paperback
First published September 6, 2018
11 people are currently reading
179 people want to read
About the author
Kevin Brooks
75 books876 followersKevin Brooks was born in 1959 and grew up in Exeter, Devon, England. He studied Psychology and Philosophy at Birmingham, Aston University in 1980 and Cultural Studies in London in 1983. Kevin Brooks has been in a variety of jobs including: musician, gasoline station attendant, crematorium handyman, civil service clerk, hot dog vendor at the London Zoo, post office clerk, and railway ticket office clerk.
Kevin Brooks's writing career started with the publication of Martyn Pig in 2002 through The Chicken House which won the Branford Boase Award 2003 and was shortlisted for the Carnegie Medal. He also wrote Lucas (2002) which was shortlisted for the Guardian Children's Fiction Prize and Booktrust Teenage Prize in 2003 also winning the North East Book Award in 2004.
In 2004 he published Kissing the Rain and Bloodline and I See You, Baby and Candy in 2005. In 2006 he published 3 books including: Johnny Delgado Series - Like Father, Like Son and Private Detective as well as The Road of the Dead; a standalone novel. In February 2008 he published the standalone book Black Rabbit Summer.
As a child, Kevin Brooks enjoyed reading detective novels. He writes most plots of the various books he has written around crime fiction. He likes mystery and suspence and enjoys putting both of those components into each and every story he writes in some shape or form.
Kevin Brooks's writing career started with the publication of Martyn Pig in 2002 through The Chicken House which won the Branford Boase Award 2003 and was shortlisted for the Carnegie Medal. He also wrote Lucas (2002) which was shortlisted for the Guardian Children's Fiction Prize and Booktrust Teenage Prize in 2003 also winning the North East Book Award in 2004.
In 2004 he published Kissing the Rain and Bloodline and I See You, Baby and Candy in 2005. In 2006 he published 3 books including: Johnny Delgado Series - Like Father, Like Son and Private Detective as well as The Road of the Dead; a standalone novel. In February 2008 he published the standalone book Black Rabbit Summer.
As a child, Kevin Brooks enjoyed reading detective novels. He writes most plots of the various books he has written around crime fiction. He likes mystery and suspence and enjoys putting both of those components into each and every story he writes in some shape or form.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 36 reviews
June 9, 2020
Another topic that I just can't resist is feral children... and combined with my love of dogs, as soon as I saw the cover of this YA dystopian fantasy, I knew that I had to read it. And I loved every page of it! Jeet is the young narrator here - tasked with writing an account of his seaside town and their ongoing war with the Day - a stronger, better supplied and more multiplied people. Jeet is one of the few dogs children in the town. Stolen by dogs, then re-captured by people and "humanized," Jeet provides a unique perspective. HIs story of a crippled, struggling post-apocalyptic world is engaging and downright fascinating from the very start. The whole world comes to life and it is such an exciting and compelling read. I really couldn't put it down! I loved the premise, the way that the relationships grown and develop and the action-packed plot! I really enjoyed this! Stylistically, there are a few things that are a bit distracting at first (the way contractions are handled), it is easy to get used to this. I am not sure if Brooks intends to write a sequel, but I certainly hope so! And I am eager to check out his books for adults as well!
September 28, 2020
This intense novel imagines the plight of the few human communities left after earth’s climate, oceans and land have been polluted beyond repair. There is the Town, where Jeet lives, with a few hundred people. There is the enemy community, the Dau, with a few thousand. And there are roving bands of wild dogs. Sometimes, as a result of skirmishes between the communities, children are found by the dogs and raised as their own. When these children are reclaimed, they are called “dogchilds.” Jeet is a dogchild, and he has the abilities of smell and pack intuition of a dog. When he senses that Pilgrim, the second in command of the Town, is secretly planning a violent treasonous capitulation to the Dau, Jeet tries to warn the leaders. But Pilgrim’s influence and sadism thwart him at every turn. Complicating matters, Jeet has discovered that Chola Se, a fellow dogchild, was kidnapped and abused by Pilgrim, who claims it was the Dau.
This story is so compelling, and the world is really well drawn. Jeet’s narration is also a history of the Town that leaders have asked him to write, so the reader has a clear description of all of the characters and their relationships as the action unfolds. The world of “dogchilds” and dogs is fascinating and beautiful. Especially intense is the karmic relationship beween Jeet and his dog mother. The dogs as a group are really anything but wild, surviving in a community which is more evolved than the humans in some ways.
So, the story is one of survival and a cautionary tale of the future of the human race. There is a fair amount of violence, including sexual, as well as romance and a meditation on what it’s like to be human. Plus the dog stuff is so cool!
This story is so compelling, and the world is really well drawn. Jeet’s narration is also a history of the Town that leaders have asked him to write, so the reader has a clear description of all of the characters and their relationships as the action unfolds. The world of “dogchilds” and dogs is fascinating and beautiful. Especially intense is the karmic relationship beween Jeet and his dog mother. The dogs as a group are really anything but wild, surviving in a community which is more evolved than the humans in some ways.
So, the story is one of survival and a cautionary tale of the future of the human race. There is a fair amount of violence, including sexual, as well as romance and a meditation on what it’s like to be human. Plus the dog stuff is so cool!
August 17, 2018
Raw, violent and gripping - a very different kind of YA novel.
January 14, 2022
Indrukwekkende dystopische roman die je op het puntje van je stoel laat zitten. Absolute aanrader!
Jammer dat er geen cover bij staat en dat ik die ook niet kan toevoegen.
Jammer dat er geen cover bij staat en dat ik die ook niet kan toevoegen.
May 29, 2019
presto la recensione
April 1, 2019
Deathland Dogs ist mit der Prämisse geschrieben, dem Leser die postapokalyptische Welt möglichst authentisch zu vermitteln.
Aus diesem Grund wird komplett auf Kommasetzung verzichtet. Bei dem Gedanken kräuseln sich einem Leser zwar in aller Regel erstmal die Fingernägel, mit der Zeit lässt sich das aber tatsächlich recht gut ausblenden. Auch, weil der Satzbau größtenteils an fehlende Kommata angepasst wurde. Dennoch gibt es einige Stellen, insbesondere Aufzählungen, in denen man - ulkiger Weise - über die nicht vorhandenen Kommata stolpert. Dadurch wird der Lesefluss leider sehr effektiv sofort unterbrochen und der Leser aus dem Geschehen gerissen. Das fand ich sehr schade und es wäre wohl sinniger gewesen, einfach hier und da doch mal einen Punkt zu setzen.
Dementsprechend kann ich mich zwar auch mit dem Prinzip anfreunden, dass die Geschichte zu einer Zeit spielt, in der kaum noch jemand lesen und schreiben kann, weil diese Fähigkeiten natürlich im erbarmungslosen Kampf ums Überleben an Wichtigkeit verlieren. Ich kann mich allerdings weniger damit anfreunden, dass unser Protagonist, aufgewachsen bei wilden Hunden, lesen und schreiben kann – und sich dabei auch noch besser ausdrückt, als so mancher zeitgenössische Autor oder Journalist. Sätze wie „(…) warten mit stumpfsinniger Geduld (…)“ oder „(…), wenn alle Menschen von der Erdoberfläche gefegt würden.“ haben mich zu Anfang doch das ein oder andere Mal verwundert die Stirn runzeln lassen.
Unser Protagonist – Jeet – ist dabei nicht nur durch seine Ausdrucksweise ein eher kurioser Charakter. Ein wildes „Hundskind“, von den Menschen zwangsresozialisiert, eigentlich unerfahren in taktischer Kriegsführung, schleicht er sich - komischerweise wie ein Elite Soldat - in das feindliche Lager. Äußerst logisch, absolut tödlich und vollkommen emotionslos. Seine gewalttätige Seite mag zwar sehr von seinem Leben als Hundskind und seinem Kampftraining bei den Menschen geprägt seien, wirkt aber einfach zu makellos und zu erfahren für einen jungen Mann wie ihn.
Je länger man das Buch allerdings am Stück liest, desto mehr rücken diese Stolpersteine zum Glück in den Hintergrund und es entfaltet sich recht früh eine spannende Geschichte. Dass ich das Buch in 3-4 Zügen gelesen habe, trägt damit wahrscheinlich doch sehr zu meiner eher positiven Meinung bei.
Fazit
Ein überraschend brutales und blutiges Buch, mit einem leicht inkonsistenten, aber doch liebenswürdig einzigartigem Protagonisten und einer Geschichte, die ich so in diesem Genre noch nicht gelesen habe. Wer auf postapokalyptische Überlebenskämpfe, ungewöhnliche Story Elemente und reichlich Emotionen steht, sollte sich diesen Titel durchaus mal genauer ansehen.
Aus diesem Grund wird komplett auf Kommasetzung verzichtet. Bei dem Gedanken kräuseln sich einem Leser zwar in aller Regel erstmal die Fingernägel, mit der Zeit lässt sich das aber tatsächlich recht gut ausblenden. Auch, weil der Satzbau größtenteils an fehlende Kommata angepasst wurde. Dennoch gibt es einige Stellen, insbesondere Aufzählungen, in denen man - ulkiger Weise - über die nicht vorhandenen Kommata stolpert. Dadurch wird der Lesefluss leider sehr effektiv sofort unterbrochen und der Leser aus dem Geschehen gerissen. Das fand ich sehr schade und es wäre wohl sinniger gewesen, einfach hier und da doch mal einen Punkt zu setzen.
Dementsprechend kann ich mich zwar auch mit dem Prinzip anfreunden, dass die Geschichte zu einer Zeit spielt, in der kaum noch jemand lesen und schreiben kann, weil diese Fähigkeiten natürlich im erbarmungslosen Kampf ums Überleben an Wichtigkeit verlieren. Ich kann mich allerdings weniger damit anfreunden, dass unser Protagonist, aufgewachsen bei wilden Hunden, lesen und schreiben kann – und sich dabei auch noch besser ausdrückt, als so mancher zeitgenössische Autor oder Journalist. Sätze wie „(…) warten mit stumpfsinniger Geduld (…)“ oder „(…), wenn alle Menschen von der Erdoberfläche gefegt würden.“ haben mich zu Anfang doch das ein oder andere Mal verwundert die Stirn runzeln lassen.
Unser Protagonist – Jeet – ist dabei nicht nur durch seine Ausdrucksweise ein eher kurioser Charakter. Ein wildes „Hundskind“, von den Menschen zwangsresozialisiert, eigentlich unerfahren in taktischer Kriegsführung, schleicht er sich - komischerweise wie ein Elite Soldat - in das feindliche Lager. Äußerst logisch, absolut tödlich und vollkommen emotionslos. Seine gewalttätige Seite mag zwar sehr von seinem Leben als Hundskind und seinem Kampftraining bei den Menschen geprägt seien, wirkt aber einfach zu makellos und zu erfahren für einen jungen Mann wie ihn.
Je länger man das Buch allerdings am Stück liest, desto mehr rücken diese Stolpersteine zum Glück in den Hintergrund und es entfaltet sich recht früh eine spannende Geschichte. Dass ich das Buch in 3-4 Zügen gelesen habe, trägt damit wahrscheinlich doch sehr zu meiner eher positiven Meinung bei.
Fazit
Ein überraschend brutales und blutiges Buch, mit einem leicht inkonsistenten, aber doch liebenswürdig einzigartigem Protagonisten und einer Geschichte, die ich so in diesem Genre noch nicht gelesen habe. Wer auf postapokalyptische Überlebenskämpfe, ungewöhnliche Story Elemente und reichlich Emotionen steht, sollte sich diesen Titel durchaus mal genauer ansehen.
June 8, 2020
This is a stark, often unsettling post-apocalyptic story. Jeet, a child raised by the wild dogs that killed his human family, lives in a settlement where there are few other "dogchildren" - most dogchildren don't rehabilitate back to being human well; they run away, back to their dog families or die in the process of rehumanizing. Jeet lives with his uncle, Starry, after the settlement kills his pack of Deathland dogs on a raid, and eventually, becomes trusted enough that town head Marshal Gun Sur first asks him to write a history of their people, and then, to be part of a spying mission as the group gets ready to go to war against their enemy settlement, the Dau. Chola Se, another dogchild, and the closest thing Jeet has to a friend, has been kidnapped in a raid on the settlement; Jeet rescues her and learns that she has been sexually assaulted mutiple times - including by their own settlement's second in command, Deputy Pilgrim. Jeet and Chola Se believe that Deputy is a traitor, but before they can enact their own plans, Pilgrim puts actions in motion that will turn the entire encampment against the two. While they want to flee, go back to their dog family and forget about the settlers entirely, but Chola also wants revenge against Pilgrim.
This is a gritty, rough story that includes sexual assault, graphic violence, and cannibalism. Definitely not for the younger set. The story is harrowing, with desperation that reaches out and grabs readers with every turn of the page. Kevin Brooks has created a stark, desolate landscape and characters that will stay with you after you finish the book. The love between Jeet and his dog mother makes for emotional, moving writing; Chola's rage, always simmering, ready to explode, will leave readers gritting their teeth. He gets to readers on a visceral level. The book is written as if it were Jeet's chronicle, so you won't see punctuation; there aren't traditional paragraphs, sentence structures, or spelling; there are no real chapter breaks, either; more like pauses between entries. If you have teen post-apocalypse fans that can handle rougher subject matter, give them this book.
Dogchild has a starred review from Booklist.
This is a gritty, rough story that includes sexual assault, graphic violence, and cannibalism. Definitely not for the younger set. The story is harrowing, with desperation that reaches out and grabs readers with every turn of the page. Kevin Brooks has created a stark, desolate landscape and characters that will stay with you after you finish the book. The love between Jeet and his dog mother makes for emotional, moving writing; Chola's rage, always simmering, ready to explode, will leave readers gritting their teeth. He gets to readers on a visceral level. The book is written as if it were Jeet's chronicle, so you won't see punctuation; there aren't traditional paragraphs, sentence structures, or spelling; there are no real chapter breaks, either; more like pauses between entries. If you have teen post-apocalypse fans that can handle rougher subject matter, give them this book.
Dogchild has a starred review from Booklist.
April 4, 2021
Oh, look, I found Mowgli in the Dystopia...
Jeet is a Dogchild - a boy who was raised for some years by a pack of wild dogs after the fall of civilization. He lives with his uncle, Starry, at the edge of the world, in a town with a huge wall and guard towers and on the other side of the wall are both the Deathlands and the Dau. The Dau is a group which has been pursuing Jeet's people and want them to die (except for the women and children who can (a) provide new blood lines and (b) be raised up to be little soldiers for the Dau).
Jeet knows that in his small group there are at least two other Dogchildren, namely Cholla Se, who suddenly disappears at the same time Gun Sir, the mayor/commander wants to send Jeet on a mission to break into the Dau's camp/home and steal detonators for a Grand Plan to rid the world of the Dau. Jeet agrees to go because he figures he can convince his dog mother to help him - if she's still alive in the Deathlands.
And such begins a wild ride of a story. Jeet is a compelling narrator - being one of the few people of the group who can write, he's asked to write the history of the group and the future war that will decide whether Jeet's people or the Dau will survive. Jeet also has the gift of presentience - and knows some of the horrible things that are going to happen. As he thinks like a dog - and barely considers himself human - his thoughts on the world and what is happening around him are very intriguing.
A rough, dark story but compelling all the same.
Also, shout out to Clifford Simak's CITY, because all I could think of was that idea at the ending of this story.
Jeet is a Dogchild - a boy who was raised for some years by a pack of wild dogs after the fall of civilization. He lives with his uncle, Starry, at the edge of the world, in a town with a huge wall and guard towers and on the other side of the wall are both the Deathlands and the Dau. The Dau is a group which has been pursuing Jeet's people and want them to die (except for the women and children who can (a) provide new blood lines and (b) be raised up to be little soldiers for the Dau).
Jeet knows that in his small group there are at least two other Dogchildren, namely Cholla Se, who suddenly disappears at the same time Gun Sir, the mayor/commander wants to send Jeet on a mission to break into the Dau's camp/home and steal detonators for a Grand Plan to rid the world of the Dau. Jeet agrees to go because he figures he can convince his dog mother to help him - if she's still alive in the Deathlands.
And such begins a wild ride of a story. Jeet is a compelling narrator - being one of the few people of the group who can write, he's asked to write the history of the group and the future war that will decide whether Jeet's people or the Dau will survive. Jeet also has the gift of presentience - and knows some of the horrible things that are going to happen. As he thinks like a dog - and barely considers himself human - his thoughts on the world and what is happening around him are very intriguing.
A rough, dark story but compelling all the same.
Also, shout out to Clifford Simak's CITY, because all I could think of was that idea at the ending of this story.
December 31, 2020
A boy raised by wild dogs fights for survival in this gripping post apocalyptic tale by an acclaimed Carnegie Medalist.
Jeet is a dogchild, raised by the wild dogs who killed his parents, then recaptured and “rehumanized.” He now lives with one of only two remaining human communities in the world, besieged by the much larger enemy clan. In a wasteland shaped by war, starvation, and haunting violence, Jeet grapples with his identity — he misses his wild family, and the people of his clan see dogchilds as less than human. When the human clans begin to prepare for a final, bloody battle against each other, Jeet is at the center. His struggle and his relationship with another rehumanized dogchild shed light on what it means to be human or inhuman — and what it takes to be a survivor. In his most ambitious novel yet, Carnegie Medalist Kevin Brooks offers a breathless work of speculative fiction that will have readers at the edge of their seat.
Out June 2020
480 Pages
MY THOUGHTS:
I received this book in exchange for my honest review.
Wow. Dark, brutal, action-packed, blatant, eerie… I know this is a young adult, but it’s gritty, references subjects like rape, abuse, cannibalism, gore…
I was caught up in the story immediately, held hostage throughout and left bewildered and satisfied at the end. A remarkable insightful story that will leave you on the edge of your seat.
Jeet is a dogchild, raised by the wild dogs who killed his parents, then recaptured and “rehumanized.” He now lives with one of only two remaining human communities in the world, besieged by the much larger enemy clan. In a wasteland shaped by war, starvation, and haunting violence, Jeet grapples with his identity — he misses his wild family, and the people of his clan see dogchilds as less than human. When the human clans begin to prepare for a final, bloody battle against each other, Jeet is at the center. His struggle and his relationship with another rehumanized dogchild shed light on what it means to be human or inhuman — and what it takes to be a survivor. In his most ambitious novel yet, Carnegie Medalist Kevin Brooks offers a breathless work of speculative fiction that will have readers at the edge of their seat.
Out June 2020
480 Pages
MY THOUGHTS:
I received this book in exchange for my honest review.
Wow. Dark, brutal, action-packed, blatant, eerie… I know this is a young adult, but it’s gritty, references subjects like rape, abuse, cannibalism, gore…
I was caught up in the story immediately, held hostage throughout and left bewildered and satisfied at the end. A remarkable insightful story that will leave you on the edge of your seat.
May 24, 2020
This is a loooooong book. I really liked the premise, unusual and different , however I found that the lengthy explanations of the fight scenes just left me uninterested. I wanted more of other aspects of the story and less of the pointless battle descriptions. Another thing that irritated me was the boys use of grammar. It made reading that book all that harder and as a dyslexic reader I don’t want any more obstacles. I just found this really effected the flow of conversation and I wasn’t entirely sure why this was put in place.
I enjoyed the overall story and with a little bit of editing I think this could be a really good book.
I enjoyed the overall story and with a little bit of editing I think this could be a really good book.
August 24, 2020
Low rating, why? It d r a g g e d. It contain one plot. The coming battle with the Dau was strung out in the last part of the book. Introduction of the main character, Jeet, was interesting and quite tense. The conclusion was a study of personal demons being over come by Jeet's ability to become something other then human. Seeing both sides of this inner battle while dealing with what was happening at the moment just took too long and was so confusing. 100 less pages would of been fine but dwelling on this personal battle made it drag. Later. Keep Reading.
March 15, 2020
A dystopia set in a post-apocalyptic world when all that's left is two small groups of people and packs of wild dogs. Jeet is one of a handful of humans raised by dogs and later "re-humanized" and is thrust into the middle of the war between the two clans. Some interesting ideas but the whole thing is just too long. See my full review here.
Thanks to Candlewick for the ARC.
Thanks to Candlewick for the ARC.
June 16, 2020
So different but very readable. Didn't think I would enjoy this but I actually did. Looking for something different and offbeat? Pick this up. I know there are people who will enjoy this fast paced and well told story. Happy reading! #Dogchild #NetGalley
November 28, 2019
Jeet's world is a desolate one. Living in an isolated community on the edge of survival, he knows that his fellow villagers don't really accept him. His early life among the wild dogs that wander the wilderness and his subsequent "rehumanization" to the village means that he'll never be truly accepted. When tragedy strikes his village, though, and he becomes privy to some information that affects how he views their rival village - he makes the choice to act. And that choice is going to lead Jeet and his whole community to a final breaking point.
First off, this is a really long book. I read it on my Kindle so I didn't have much of a sense of how long it would be until I'd been reading for so long and realized I was only at 30%! I feel like it could've been much shorter and still have been an interesting story. Because it IS an interesting story - I liked Jeet's dog connection and how his life among them as a child influences his present day character development. I liked setting and even the plot is good, I just often found the length it took to make things happen (especially battles) made me loose my interest. Also, I wanted MORE BACKSTORY. More on the entire world but most especially WHY there are two rival, kill-each-other-until-we-are-all-destroyed villages. I had a hard time investing in their feud - it all seemed so useless! The first thing we learn about Jeet's village is that they have a deadly rival village....and that's all we ever really learn about it. Also, part of Jeet's character is that he somehow is unable to use English grammar, which just irked my eyeballs every time.
It's telling, though, that despite all these things that frustrated me, I still finished it because I wanted to know what happened. Readers who enjoy dystopian stories and who are just less picky that me will probably enjoy it. So, not a waste of time, just not a book I could let my brain and my disbelief relax into.
First off, this is a really long book. I read it on my Kindle so I didn't have much of a sense of how long it would be until I'd been reading for so long and realized I was only at 30%! I feel like it could've been much shorter and still have been an interesting story. Because it IS an interesting story - I liked Jeet's dog connection and how his life among them as a child influences his present day character development. I liked setting and even the plot is good, I just often found the length it took to make things happen (especially battles) made me loose my interest. Also, I wanted MORE BACKSTORY. More on the entire world but most especially WHY there are two rival, kill-each-other-until-we-are-all-destroyed villages. I had a hard time investing in their feud - it all seemed so useless! The first thing we learn about Jeet's village is that they have a deadly rival village....and that's all we ever really learn about it. Also, part of Jeet's character is that he somehow is unable to use English grammar, which just irked my eyeballs every time.
It's telling, though, that despite all these things that frustrated me, I still finished it because I wanted to know what happened. Readers who enjoy dystopian stories and who are just less picky that me will probably enjoy it. So, not a waste of time, just not a book I could let my brain and my disbelief relax into.
October 27, 2019
Schon alleine beim lesen des Klappentextes bin ich sofort Feuer und Flamme von diesem Buch. Dieser klingt nicht nur gigantisch, nein, er verspricht auch eine super spannende, fesselnde und aufregende Lesestunden. Also gng ich voller Erwartungen an das Buch ran und wurde letztenendes auch nicht davon enttäuscht. Schon die ersten Seiten waren so einnehmend, dass ich einfach weiterlesen musste. Kevin Brooks’ Schreibstil ist auch so intensiv und einnehmend, dass es keine andere Möglichkeit gab als weiter zu lesen und das bereute ich nicht.
Auch seine Figuren sind einfach richtig wunderbar gezeichnet. Jeet ist ein Dogchild und sein Charakter wurde einfach richtig genial gezeichnet, was ihn unheimlich sympathisch und super authentisch gemacht hat. Auch die anderen waren gut gezeichnete Figuren die man einfach ins Herz schließen musste und es war für mich einfach so, als wären das keine fiktiven Figuren sondern echte Menschen und das haute mich absolut um!
Kevin Brooks ist es in diesem Buch einfach gelungen, eine fantastische und fesselnde Story zu schreiben, die von einer spannenden und einnehmenden Handlung begleitet wird. Beides zusammen harmonierte miteinander und ergaben dann ein Gesamtbild das einfach richtig genial war. Die Handlungsstränge in diesem Buch waren so gut in die Handlung eingebaut, dass es immer spannend und aufregend geblieben ist und es hier nie aufhörte und auch nie langweilig wurde.
MEIN FAZIT:
Ich muss abschließend einfach sagen, dass es sich bei Deathland Dogs um ein fantastisches Jugendbuch handelt, welches rasant beginnt und immer mehr an fahrt aufgenommen hat je weiter ich gekommen bin. Kevin Brooks überzeugte mich einfach in allen Punkte. Und so bescherte mir das Buch einfach spannende und leichte Lesestunden weshalb ich es nur mit 5 von 5 bewerten kann.
Auch seine Figuren sind einfach richtig wunderbar gezeichnet. Jeet ist ein Dogchild und sein Charakter wurde einfach richtig genial gezeichnet, was ihn unheimlich sympathisch und super authentisch gemacht hat. Auch die anderen waren gut gezeichnete Figuren die man einfach ins Herz schließen musste und es war für mich einfach so, als wären das keine fiktiven Figuren sondern echte Menschen und das haute mich absolut um!
Kevin Brooks ist es in diesem Buch einfach gelungen, eine fantastische und fesselnde Story zu schreiben, die von einer spannenden und einnehmenden Handlung begleitet wird. Beides zusammen harmonierte miteinander und ergaben dann ein Gesamtbild das einfach richtig genial war. Die Handlungsstränge in diesem Buch waren so gut in die Handlung eingebaut, dass es immer spannend und aufregend geblieben ist und es hier nie aufhörte und auch nie langweilig wurde.
MEIN FAZIT:
Ich muss abschließend einfach sagen, dass es sich bei Deathland Dogs um ein fantastisches Jugendbuch handelt, welches rasant beginnt und immer mehr an fahrt aufgenommen hat je weiter ich gekommen bin. Kevin Brooks überzeugte mich einfach in allen Punkte. Und so bescherte mir das Buch einfach spannende und leichte Lesestunden weshalb ich es nur mit 5 von 5 bewerten kann.
June 12, 2020
*I received a digital copy of this book from NetGalley and Candlewick in return for an honest review*
Jeet is a dogchild, a human raised by dogs who was captured and rehumanized. He now has the task of writing down the events leading up to the war between his town and the Dau, an enemy settlement.
When I first started reading this book, I was very wary because with Jeet telling the story, there are deliberate spelling and grammar errors with no quotation marks when people are talking. It makes sense, but it was hard to read at first. Once you get used to it, the book pulls you right in.
I enjoyed Jeet as a character. He’s honest and writes everything he sees and feels. The writing actually fits Jeet well and I’m glad that it’s written the way it was. It feels as though you are discovering the world as Jeet is.
This book is violent and raw with themes of sexual assault, but it drives the book in a way that makes you want more. I would not be opposed to sequel! I want to know more about Jeet, Chola Se, the Dau and everything that makes up the history of this story. I want to know what happens after the end, too.
I would recommend this to young adult readers who are able to handle the harder subject matter and who enjoy dystopian novels.
Jeet is a dogchild, a human raised by dogs who was captured and rehumanized. He now has the task of writing down the events leading up to the war between his town and the Dau, an enemy settlement.
When I first started reading this book, I was very wary because with Jeet telling the story, there are deliberate spelling and grammar errors with no quotation marks when people are talking. It makes sense, but it was hard to read at first. Once you get used to it, the book pulls you right in.
I enjoyed Jeet as a character. He’s honest and writes everything he sees and feels. The writing actually fits Jeet well and I’m glad that it’s written the way it was. It feels as though you are discovering the world as Jeet is.
This book is violent and raw with themes of sexual assault, but it drives the book in a way that makes you want more. I would not be opposed to sequel! I want to know more about Jeet, Chola Se, the Dau and everything that makes up the history of this story. I want to know what happens after the end, too.
I would recommend this to young adult readers who are able to handle the harder subject matter and who enjoy dystopian novels.
June 21, 2020
This book started off great. The world was interesting and the there was nice character development. I was really looking forward to where this would go.
Summary- Jeet was taken as a child by a pack of Deathland dogs and raised as one of them. He was then recaptured by men and “rehumanized” when he was six. At 12 the leader whams Jeet to write the history of his people because Jeet has an objective pout of view and there will soon be a war with the much larger Dau tribe and their history needs to be written.
From that point there should have been some major editing and cuts. Probably 200 pages could have been sheered off and it would have only improved things. It went from being very compelling to slow by the time I got 20% in. It never really got better. It became predictable. Tense and bloody scenes of 25 foot long eels attacking out from the ocean mud became mundane trailer plots.
The best thing from the book was the line “Reasons don’t change reality. We are here. This is what we have. This is our world.” I found this quite profound.
There were just too many unbelievable decisions and too much dragged out.
Summary- Jeet was taken as a child by a pack of Deathland dogs and raised as one of them. He was then recaptured by men and “rehumanized” when he was six. At 12 the leader whams Jeet to write the history of his people because Jeet has an objective pout of view and there will soon be a war with the much larger Dau tribe and their history needs to be written.
From that point there should have been some major editing and cuts. Probably 200 pages could have been sheered off and it would have only improved things. It went from being very compelling to slow by the time I got 20% in. It never really got better. It became predictable. Tense and bloody scenes of 25 foot long eels attacking out from the ocean mud became mundane trailer plots.
The best thing from the book was the line “Reasons don’t change reality. We are here. This is what we have. This is our world.” I found this quite profound.
There were just too many unbelievable decisions and too much dragged out.
June 21, 2020
This book started off great. The world was interesting and the there was nice character development. I was really looking forward to where this would go.
Summary- Jeet was taken as a child by a pack of Deathland dogs and raised as one of them. He was then recaptured by men and “rehumanized” when he was six. At 12 the leader whams Jeet to write the history of his people because Jeet has an objective pout of view and there will soon be a war with the much larger Dau tribe and their history needs to be written.
From that point there should have been some major editing and cuts. Probably 200 pages could have been sheered off and it would have only improved things. It went from being very compelling to slow by the time I got 20% in. It never really got better. It became predictable. Tense and bloody scenes of 25 foot long eels attacking out from the ocean mud became mundane trailer plots.
The best thing from the book was the line “Reasons don’t change reality. We are here. This is what we have. This is our world.” I found this quite profound.
There were just too many unbelievable decisions and too much dragged out.
Summary- Jeet was taken as a child by a pack of Deathland dogs and raised as one of them. He was then recaptured by men and “rehumanized” when he was six. At 12 the leader whams Jeet to write the history of his people because Jeet has an objective pout of view and there will soon be a war with the much larger Dau tribe and their history needs to be written.
From that point there should have been some major editing and cuts. Probably 200 pages could have been sheered off and it would have only improved things. It went from being very compelling to slow by the time I got 20% in. It never really got better. It became predictable. Tense and bloody scenes of 25 foot long eels attacking out from the ocean mud became mundane trailer plots.
The best thing from the book was the line “Reasons don’t change reality. We are here. This is what we have. This is our world.” I found this quite profound.
There were just too many unbelievable decisions and too much dragged out.
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January 12, 2021Review can also be found at Snow White Hates Apples.
DNFed.
It took me a long, long time to read this and although I tried hard to push through, I couldn't bring myself to finish this book.
There's a combination of things that had me ultimately giving up on reading this:
1. The pacing is steady but also incredibly slow. The action scenes could've been breaths of fresh air (used to keep readers on their toes), but lengthy explanations of those moments just kept everything slow.
2. Although I'm intrigue by the way the story is written, it also made it harder to read. This could be formatting errors in the e-galley provided, or it could be on purpose. Either way, the "hede", em dashes and the general lack of quotation marks to mark which phrase is a dialogue required so much energy for me to decipher what is what, that I was just too exhausted to read more than a few pages each time.
3. I was also expecting the narrative to sound more young adult than middle grade so this kind of threw me off.
4. The romance also feels out of place and there's a number of decisions made that had me going ???
Despite the above, I really love the premise. I honestly would've read this book till the end—even with the slow pacing, the questionable moments, out-of-place romance and the middle grade tone still in place. It's just the way the story was executed bogged me down the most.
Thank you to both Netgalley and Candlewick Press for providing me a copy of this in exchange for an honest review!
DNFed.
It took me a long, long time to read this and although I tried hard to push through, I couldn't bring myself to finish this book.
There's a combination of things that had me ultimately giving up on reading this:
1. The pacing is steady but also incredibly slow. The action scenes could've been breaths of fresh air (used to keep readers on their toes), but lengthy explanations of those moments just kept everything slow.
2. Although I'm intrigue by the way the story is written, it also made it harder to read. This could be formatting errors in the e-galley provided, or it could be on purpose. Either way, the "hede", em dashes and the general lack of quotation marks to mark which phrase is a dialogue required so much energy for me to decipher what is what, that I was just too exhausted to read more than a few pages each time.
3. I was also expecting the narrative to sound more young adult than middle grade so this kind of threw me off.
4. The romance also feels out of place and there's a number of decisions made that had me going ???
Despite the above, I really love the premise. I honestly would've read this book till the end—even with the slow pacing, the questionable moments, out-of-place romance and the middle grade tone still in place. It's just the way the story was executed bogged me down the most.
Thank you to both Netgalley and Candlewick Press for providing me a copy of this in exchange for an honest review!
March 17, 2020
This was not my type of book. I love dystopian books and this didn't quite fit that criteria because the action was too slow and there were no scientific explanations for things. For instance, when Jeet said he could make dogs be silent, he didn't know how--he just could. It also didn't do a good job with the being raised in the wild part because I just don't think dogs would act the way the author made them act. Tarzan was much better at that. There was a passionless romance too. Overall, I do think others might enjoy the story, but I was not impressed with it.
August 15, 2019
Another good novel from Kevin Brooks. I wasn't too sure about the magical realism of this at first, but it works.
The main issue I have with this is the deliberate spelling and grammar errors - it makes sense as to why these are in the book, but from the outset some fairly complex language is used, so it's a bit jarring. Why does Jeet not know how to write simple words but have no trouble with complicated ones? It's a nitpick really, though.
The main issue I have with this is the deliberate spelling and grammar errors - it makes sense as to why these are in the book, but from the outset some fairly complex language is used, so it's a bit jarring. Why does Jeet not know how to write simple words but have no trouble with complicated ones? It's a nitpick really, though.
May 18, 2025
3-1/2 stars. I liked it. It kept me interested. I liked the main character and the story but it was hard to read, not just because of the format (Ide - instead of I'd and no quotes for words that were spoken) but because of the descriptions of some of the settings. I had to skim some of those quickly because it bored me and wanted to get back to the story. I also wish there was more of the story with the dog family.
June 27, 2023
The voice was well-done and the initial concept was intriguing, but unfortunately that is all the good I can say about it. By the end of the book I was skimming, just wanting to see the resolution without having to go through all of the drawn-out nothingness of it. So little really changed from beginning to end that I found myself going "So what was the point of that?"
September 5, 2024
I struggled hard to finish this book, it was way longer than it needed to be. It easily could have been 200 pages shorter and I strongly believe that it would have improved the overall story. The concept isn’t anything groundbreaking and the romance was very half baked and should have been cut out all together. The writing style is great but that’s the only praise I could give this book.
May 27, 2020
Dogchild is a gripping, original and fast-paced read, that is extremely clever and has characters which you can't help but become attached to as the story unfolds.
June 19, 2020
This was one of the most unique dystopian novels I’ve ever read. Very sad, quite violent, but thought provoking and written extremely well. I couldn’t put it down!
July 6, 2020
I was surprised to realise that this was my first Kevin Brooks book, but I doubt it'll be my last.
This dystopian novel about a boy who was kidnapped by wild dogs and in turn became a Dogchild felt like a refreshing take on a genre that has become all too predictable. It comes with many of the usual dystopian tropes: post-apocalyptic starvation, tyrannical leaders, strict regimes and violence, but the rehumanising of the Dogchilds gave it an interesting spin.
It was well-written and relatively fast-paced but I did think some parts were too drawn out (it's pretty long). There was a touch of romance in amongst the action, but not enough to put of teenage boys who I think would be its target market!
This dystopian novel about a boy who was kidnapped by wild dogs and in turn became a Dogchild felt like a refreshing take on a genre that has become all too predictable. It comes with many of the usual dystopian tropes: post-apocalyptic starvation, tyrannical leaders, strict regimes and violence, but the rehumanising of the Dogchilds gave it an interesting spin.
It was well-written and relatively fast-paced but I did think some parts were too drawn out (it's pretty long). There was a touch of romance in amongst the action, but not enough to put of teenage boys who I think would be its target market!
August 24, 2020
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June 28, 2022
Enjoyable YA post-apocalytpic book
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