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Gundog
In the near future, Earth has been conquered by a race of brutal alien machines known as the Mek, and an entire generation has grown up under their oppressive rule.
When Dakota Bregman, a rebellious young woman imprisoned in a Mek labor camp stumbles across a mysterious map that may hold the secret to humanity’s liberation, she escapes and embarks on a dangerous odyssey across an alien-occupied America that leads her to an amazing discovery — a long-lost prototype war machine known as a Gundog. Created by the last defenders of Earth, it has lain dormant for decades, hidden away. Waiting for someone to wake it up.
Now Dakota must confront a legacy she never knew she had, and embrace the warrior she was meant to be, facing down impossible odds and an overwhelmingly superior enemy in the hope of sparking a new flame of human resistance...
When Dakota Bregman, a rebellious young woman imprisoned in a Mek labor camp stumbles across a mysterious map that may hold the secret to humanity’s liberation, she escapes and embarks on a dangerous odyssey across an alien-occupied America that leads her to an amazing discovery — a long-lost prototype war machine known as a Gundog. Created by the last defenders of Earth, it has lain dormant for decades, hidden away. Waiting for someone to wake it up.
Now Dakota must confront a legacy she never knew she had, and embrace the warrior she was meant to be, facing down impossible odds and an overwhelmingly superior enemy in the hope of sparking a new flame of human resistance...
312 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2023
54 people are currently reading
2502 people want to read
About the author
Gary Whitta
42 books398 followersGary Whitta is an award-winning screenwriter best known for The Book of Eli starring Denzel Washington. He also co-wrote the Will Smith sci-fi movie After Earth, and was writer and story consultant on Telltale Games’ The Walking Dead. He is co-writer of the upcoming Star Wars movie Rogue One as well as the animated series Star Wars Rebels.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 90 reviews
March 23, 2023
A frankly terrible book, it reads like a movie treatment reworked into the dullest, most passionless prose I've come across in a long while.
This feels like it's written to then be sold off to some movie company (not out of the realm of possibility, knowing mr. Whitta's screenwriting resume). Look, I can't look into mr. Whitta's head, but the book reads as if he himself barely can be bothered with telling this story.
Mr. Whitta doesn't do descriptions, that's what art designers are for! So you get an alien race, the Mek, that is never physically described. They plod and/or fly around in biped/drone-like form, but I couldn't tell you what they look or sound like. As far as I can remember there is one short description of what an elite Mek unit might look like, and that's yer lot. That feels like a real problem when those same Mek are your main antagonists.
Same basically goes for the titular Gundog - a large mech that is described in half a page, and we should feel lucky we even got that. Characters speak like big budget American movie characters, the dialogue version of pumping fists in the air. There are bits of character development slotted in at regular intervals, and that's how they read - dull and regimentary. I ended up not liking or disliking the main characters, I just felt nothing towards them.
The actual sci-fi stuff we get feels underused and I know, this is a (bad) Spielberg action movie, but did it have to be so safe and predictable? At one point, it turns out that the humans were able to 'upload' human brains to computers, so you get a human consciousness/AI hybrid, which is a fine sci-fi trope. But in this case it is stated that this semi-AI can't be copied, and the uploaded person can't survive the procedure. No reasons are given for this, it just is. That's no fun! Imagine having a semi-AI of a person, and the uploaded person also is still alive. The semi-AI goes out on missions in a Gundog, returns as basically a different battlescarred version of the living person. Oh, the dialogue we could've had! Endless interesting characterisation!
What we do get is an emotional bond between one of these semi-AIs and a main character, and it's solely used to hit a couple of boring, predictable emotional notes.
Anyway, I got so bored with this book I kept thinking how it could be rewritten into something more interesting and fun, while still being full of action and suspense. A review no-no, or a method of survival: you decide.
Avoid this book.
(Thanks to Inkshares for providing me with an ARC through NetGalley)
This feels like it's written to then be sold off to some movie company (not out of the realm of possibility, knowing mr. Whitta's screenwriting resume). Look, I can't look into mr. Whitta's head, but the book reads as if he himself barely can be bothered with telling this story.
Mr. Whitta doesn't do descriptions, that's what art designers are for! So you get an alien race, the Mek, that is never physically described. They plod and/or fly around in biped/drone-like form, but I couldn't tell you what they look or sound like. As far as I can remember there is one short description of what an elite Mek unit might look like, and that's yer lot. That feels like a real problem when those same Mek are your main antagonists.
Same basically goes for the titular Gundog - a large mech that is described in half a page, and we should feel lucky we even got that. Characters speak like big budget American movie characters, the dialogue version of pumping fists in the air. There are bits of character development slotted in at regular intervals, and that's how they read - dull and regimentary. I ended up not liking or disliking the main characters, I just felt nothing towards them.
The actual sci-fi stuff we get feels underused and I know, this is a (bad) Spielberg action movie, but did it have to be so safe and predictable? At one point, it turns out that the humans were able to 'upload' human brains to computers, so you get a human consciousness/AI hybrid, which is a fine sci-fi trope. But in this case it is stated that this semi-AI can't be copied, and the uploaded person can't survive the procedure. No reasons are given for this, it just is. That's no fun! Imagine having a semi-AI of a person, and the uploaded person also is still alive. The semi-AI goes out on missions in a Gundog, returns as basically a different battlescarred version of the living person. Oh, the dialogue we could've had! Endless interesting characterisation!
What we do get is an emotional bond between one of these semi-AIs and a main character, and it's solely used to hit a couple of boring, predictable emotional notes.
Anyway, I got so bored with this book I kept thinking how it could be rewritten into something more interesting and fun, while still being full of action and suspense. A review no-no, or a method of survival: you decide.
Avoid this book.
(Thanks to Inkshares for providing me with an ARC through NetGalley)
January 24, 2023
I'd like to thank NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this book.
I truly enjoyed Rogue One. Of all the Star Wars films that have come out over the years, it has been my favorite. Seeing this book pop up and knowing Gary wrote the screenplay / story outline, I wanted to see how good his writing skills were.
Gundog while not perfect or bad is a GREAT launch into what could be a really good film series. The story takes place in the future where a race of aliens come and basically take over the planet. They changed the information accessible to future generations as if mankind rebelled and or pushed them into the state they were in. When in actuality, the aliens came and just decreed world domination from the get-go.
Our main character is a twenty year old girl who is born to a mother who is a general in a group of resistance soldiers who create a gundam / pacific rim type robot (just not that tall) to fight the aliens. Her mother dies, leaving her in the care of her older brother. Her older brother and her are on the run for a while and eventually get caught and take them to a compound where they work as slaves to the aliens.
The strengths of the story is that I liked the main character, the world, the plot, and I liked the characters. I just felt that the story was almost too thin. You never see the aliens. You never really get any chapters besides them conversing through a computer to one another when she escapes. I also felt that there needed to be more character development when it came to the two men that are both championing for her heart. One was the son of a general who used to work with her mom, the other was someone who looked up to her / crushed on her while in the compound. While both are really interesting drafts as characters, there needed to be a bit more depth.
And that comes down to the only fault of this book. The book ends where there is supposed to be a sequel (that's what I took it as) and if there will be a sequel, there needs to be more depth, more agency to the villains and better grasp on the love story.
I really liked it though and I think there is great potential for this to be a film. With some more work, it'll be a fun sci-fi movie with a great female protag with two cute guys who can kick ass.
I truly enjoyed Rogue One. Of all the Star Wars films that have come out over the years, it has been my favorite. Seeing this book pop up and knowing Gary wrote the screenplay / story outline, I wanted to see how good his writing skills were.
Gundog while not perfect or bad is a GREAT launch into what could be a really good film series. The story takes place in the future where a race of aliens come and basically take over the planet. They changed the information accessible to future generations as if mankind rebelled and or pushed them into the state they were in. When in actuality, the aliens came and just decreed world domination from the get-go.
Our main character is a twenty year old girl who is born to a mother who is a general in a group of resistance soldiers who create a gundam / pacific rim type robot (just not that tall) to fight the aliens. Her mother dies, leaving her in the care of her older brother. Her older brother and her are on the run for a while and eventually get caught and take them to a compound where they work as slaves to the aliens.
The strengths of the story is that I liked the main character, the world, the plot, and I liked the characters. I just felt that the story was almost too thin. You never see the aliens. You never really get any chapters besides them conversing through a computer to one another when she escapes. I also felt that there needed to be more character development when it came to the two men that are both championing for her heart. One was the son of a general who used to work with her mom, the other was someone who looked up to her / crushed on her while in the compound. While both are really interesting drafts as characters, there needed to be a bit more depth.
And that comes down to the only fault of this book. The book ends where there is supposed to be a sequel (that's what I took it as) and if there will be a sequel, there needs to be more depth, more agency to the villains and better grasp on the love story.
I really liked it though and I think there is great potential for this to be a film. With some more work, it'll be a fun sci-fi movie with a great female protag with two cute guys who can kick ass.
June 27, 2023
Ho boy. If I had looked into the author at all before I picked this one up I may have avoided it - Whitta wrote Star Wars: Rogue One which is not only my least favourite of the Disney Star Wars films, but I think just a poor film overall. Nowhere near enough time is dedicated to the characters we're expected to like and it is far too preoccupied with being an epic action film to even flirt with spending the time needed.
As it turns out, his original fiction has almost the identical problem.
GUNDOG is set in a undetermined future where Earth has been invaded and occupied by the Mek, who we are told tried to peacefully make contact with humanity before being betrayed and provoked by our warlike nature into enslaving the human race.
Our protagonist, Dakota, is a mechanic in a Mek-run 'township' until one day a mysterious newcomer tells her that she's destined for great things and that - gasp - the Mek didn't come in peace after all!
Yada yada yada, mech combat, the end.
I really, really wish I liked this - I don't hate the setting and the concept, it seems like pretty inoffensive YA fare, but god - Whitta has no patience. In the space of 300 pages he introduces the world and all its problems, shows us the solution, and implements it.
Dakota knows the mysterious stranger - Falk - for all of a week and shes talking about how he's 'earned her respect... and more' (oooOOOOoooOOooo!!!). Humans don't move this quickly, I don't care how traumatised they are.
It also feels like he couldn't make up his mind if he wanted the Mek to be an all-seeing, all-knowing unstoppable machinemind or a fallible enemy. A lot is mentioned (early - it seems to drop off over time, how interesting) about the Mek's 'algorithm', the thing that determines how the Mek handles anything, all geared towards brutal efficiency - however as the story goes on, things like 'Oh the Mek have grown complacent' begin cropping up, 'Wow how strange that the super-organised Mek have buggered this up'. The Mek don't act in a rational, efficient manner a lot of the time - a lot of unnecessary wanton cruelty for an uber-efficient machine race.
In the same vein, it didn't seem like he could make his mind up whether it was doing a hard SF Battletech-inspired mech fiction, or a Macross-inspired 'Singing lullabyes to the memory chip with my mum's consciousness on it will bring her back to life' fiction.
Just on the whole trying far too hard. The tone is immature, but it doesn't feel like it's even aimed at a YA audience. A section towards the end really stuck out as being particularly hamfisted.
This isn't something you tell us, Whitta - this is something you allow the audience to see, except we don't get a chance to because you're speedrunning Character Arcs 101 as fast as you humanly can to get to the ending.
Finally, the action - in theory the thing that this book is clearly trying the hardest to get you invested in - is clunky and uninteresting. I'm a fan of BattleTech fiction (or at least I was 15 years ago) and I remember enjoying the nitty gritty of the battles - however in GUNDOG my eyes glazed over.
A no from me, and a big avoid to everybody who's read this far.
Thanks to NetGalley and Inkshares for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!
As it turns out, his original fiction has almost the identical problem.
GUNDOG is set in a undetermined future where Earth has been invaded and occupied by the Mek, who we are told tried to peacefully make contact with humanity before being betrayed and provoked by our warlike nature into enslaving the human race.
Our protagonist, Dakota, is a mechanic in a Mek-run 'township' until one day a mysterious newcomer tells her that she's destined for great things and that - gasp - the Mek didn't come in peace after all!
Yada yada yada, mech combat, the end.
I really, really wish I liked this - I don't hate the setting and the concept, it seems like pretty inoffensive YA fare, but god - Whitta has no patience. In the space of 300 pages he introduces the world and all its problems, shows us the solution, and implements it.
Dakota knows the mysterious stranger - Falk - for all of a week and shes talking about how he's 'earned her respect... and more' (oooOOOOoooOOooo!!!). Humans don't move this quickly, I don't care how traumatised they are.
It also feels like he couldn't make up his mind if he wanted the Mek to be an all-seeing, all-knowing unstoppable machinemind or a fallible enemy. A lot is mentioned (early - it seems to drop off over time, how interesting) about the Mek's 'algorithm', the thing that determines how the Mek handles anything, all geared towards brutal efficiency - however as the story goes on, things like 'Oh the Mek have grown complacent' begin cropping up, 'Wow how strange that the super-organised Mek have buggered this up'. The Mek don't act in a rational, efficient manner a lot of the time - a lot of unnecessary wanton cruelty for an uber-efficient machine race.
For an alien race that had conquered all of humanity, the Mek were sometimes surprisingly sloppy when it came to detail.
In the same vein, it didn't seem like he could make his mind up whether it was doing a hard SF Battletech-inspired mech fiction, or a Macross-inspired 'Singing lullabyes to the memory chip with my mum's consciousness on it will bring her back to life' fiction.
Just on the whole trying far too hard. The tone is immature, but it doesn't feel like it's even aimed at a YA audience. A section towards the end really stuck out as being particularly hamfisted.
And that pointed to the biggest change of all: her. She was returning to the township not as the frightened young woman who had left it, but as someone entirely new. Strong. Empowered.
This isn't something you tell us, Whitta - this is something you allow the audience to see, except we don't get a chance to because you're speedrunning Character Arcs 101 as fast as you humanly can to get to the ending.
Finally, the action - in theory the thing that this book is clearly trying the hardest to get you invested in - is clunky and uninteresting. I'm a fan of BattleTech fiction (or at least I was 15 years ago) and I remember enjoying the nitty gritty of the battles - however in GUNDOG my eyes glazed over.
A no from me, and a big avoid to everybody who's read this far.
Thanks to NetGalley and Inkshares for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!
quit-dnf
June 21, 2023DNF at 30%.
Gary Whitta's Gundog offered a lot of promise, but failed to deliver. It revolves around an alien invasion, and in the book's opener we get a two page infodump that catches us up on future history, which - in the 85 pages I read - is about as interesting as this book gets. A machine race known as the Mek (get it? Mek because they're mechanical beings? I'm not sure if they named themselves that or if it was meant as a derogatory hardy har har name invented by the humans they subjugated.) came to Earth in peace, seeking to trade their advanced technology for our natural resources, which their dying home world was in desperate need of. But, since humanity is the shitshow that it is, we decided we could just take their technology in lieu of nothing at all, and declared war, because we're a cynical, barbaric species and such is our way. Of course, the Mek's peaceful ways hid a hugely advanced military might that they used to wipe the Earth's ass with us and claim our planet for themselves. Humanity was rounded up into labor camps, which is where Gundog actually begins and any excitement that may have existed in this story goes to die.
Mechs are a hugely important part of this book. The alien race is wholly mechanical and Gundog arrives in timely fashion given current events regarding the threats posed by artificial intelligence to humanity, employment, and the arts (see the Writer's Guild of America's strike, for instance, and their demands to regulate AI in Hollywood productions). There are giant mechanized war machines the humans piloted in the war called Gundogs, and one long lost, fabled Gundog left standing as a monument by the Meks to humanity's utter failure supposedly still standing outside Bismark, ND, or so rumor has it. Whitta's writing is mechanical, too -- stiff, dull, and completely lifeless, there's no joy, urgency, or amusement to be found in these words. The book itself may as well have been outlined by AI with the prompt "The Hunger Games meets Robot Jox" it's so trope-ridden.
If you've read virtually any post-apocalyptic dystopian book with a YA woman destined for greatness thanks to her unknown especially to her legacy on a Joseph Campbell hero's journey, aided by a boy she knowns nothing about but who knows more than her about basically everything including her familial legacy, you've read far less robotic versions of Gundog already.
Gary Whitta's Gundog offered a lot of promise, but failed to deliver. It revolves around an alien invasion, and in the book's opener we get a two page infodump that catches us up on future history, which - in the 85 pages I read - is about as interesting as this book gets. A machine race known as the Mek (get it? Mek because they're mechanical beings? I'm not sure if they named themselves that or if it was meant as a derogatory hardy har har name invented by the humans they subjugated.) came to Earth in peace, seeking to trade their advanced technology for our natural resources, which their dying home world was in desperate need of. But, since humanity is the shitshow that it is, we decided we could just take their technology in lieu of nothing at all, and declared war, because we're a cynical, barbaric species and such is our way. Of course, the Mek's peaceful ways hid a hugely advanced military might that they used to wipe the Earth's ass with us and claim our planet for themselves. Humanity was rounded up into labor camps, which is where Gundog actually begins and any excitement that may have existed in this story goes to die.
Mechs are a hugely important part of this book. The alien race is wholly mechanical and Gundog arrives in timely fashion given current events regarding the threats posed by artificial intelligence to humanity, employment, and the arts (see the Writer's Guild of America's strike, for instance, and their demands to regulate AI in Hollywood productions). There are giant mechanized war machines the humans piloted in the war called Gundogs, and one long lost, fabled Gundog left standing as a monument by the Meks to humanity's utter failure supposedly still standing outside Bismark, ND, or so rumor has it. Whitta's writing is mechanical, too -- stiff, dull, and completely lifeless, there's no joy, urgency, or amusement to be found in these words. The book itself may as well have been outlined by AI with the prompt "The Hunger Games meets Robot Jox" it's so trope-ridden.
If you've read virtually any post-apocalyptic dystopian book with a YA woman destined for greatness thanks to her unknown especially to her legacy on a Joseph Campbell hero's journey, aided by a boy she knowns nothing about but who knows more than her about basically everything including her familial legacy, you've read far less robotic versions of Gundog already.
January 17, 2024
как говорили в школе, «ни ума, ни фантазии»
March 30, 2023
Gundog features a world where humanity is enslaved by an alien techno-species but with some The Last Starfighter-style fate, a massive dual-piloted mecha, and a bit of luck, a fire can be lit to fight back.
Gary Whitta begins a new, original sci-fi franchise with Gundog, and let me stress the "begins" and "franchise" in that sentence. He captures the structure of classic Cameron action films on the page and while things that come with that formatting could turn off bookish traditionalists it all works well when you read through that lens, (which shouldn't be surprising with Whitta's other works in film and comics.)
Certain aspects of descriptions can feel a little vague if you're looking for a hyper-realized picture of, say, how the antagonist species looks. Personally, this kind of writing doesn't bother me much as I like when books afford me just enough detail that I can complete an image myself. Would the finite and completed imagery be nice to have? Sure, but I think this format allows the reader to be part of the creation that way so I'm fine with it.
Conversely, the way moments are described should certainly clear the bench-mark for most folks. The world is mostly gritty and the action is exhilarating which allows for some quiet moments to shine, particularly later in the story. I do think some cynics will find these moments clichéd but the flip side of the cliché coin is otherwise described as universally relatable, again Cameron-esque that way.
Gundog is a really solid start to something bigger, the book itself nods toward the future, and I'd be happy to see more of this world. I'd recommend for a casual read, especially if you appreciate '80s and '90s action cinema.
I would like to thank NetGalley and Inkshares for my advanced copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.
Gary Whitta begins a new, original sci-fi franchise with Gundog, and let me stress the "begins" and "franchise" in that sentence. He captures the structure of classic Cameron action films on the page and while things that come with that formatting could turn off bookish traditionalists it all works well when you read through that lens, (which shouldn't be surprising with Whitta's other works in film and comics.)
Certain aspects of descriptions can feel a little vague if you're looking for a hyper-realized picture of, say, how the antagonist species looks. Personally, this kind of writing doesn't bother me much as I like when books afford me just enough detail that I can complete an image myself. Would the finite and completed imagery be nice to have? Sure, but I think this format allows the reader to be part of the creation that way so I'm fine with it.
Conversely, the way moments are described should certainly clear the bench-mark for most folks. The world is mostly gritty and the action is exhilarating which allows for some quiet moments to shine, particularly later in the story. I do think some cynics will find these moments clichéd but the flip side of the cliché coin is otherwise described as universally relatable, again Cameron-esque that way.
Gundog is a really solid start to something bigger, the book itself nods toward the future, and I'd be happy to see more of this world. I'd recommend for a casual read, especially if you appreciate '80s and '90s action cinema.
I would like to thank NetGalley and Inkshares for my advanced copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.
January 16, 2023
3.5 rounding down.
This reads a lot like someone pitching a sci-fi/action movie. In its book format, I could have used much more world building and time to get to know the characters (some of the moments that were set up to be emotional just were not). However, I very much enjoyed the Mek chatter interludes (especially Rosie v Mek at the Hanger!) and I can't fathom how I'd get the same enjoyment in movie format.
Gundog is fast paced, sure to be a good read for sci-fi fans, and sets itself up well for a sequel. I had my qualms with this one, but I will definitely be reading what comes next..
Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
This reads a lot like someone pitching a sci-fi/action movie. In its book format, I could have used much more world building and time to get to know the characters (some of the moments that were set up to be emotional just were not). However, I very much enjoyed the Mek chatter interludes (especially Rosie v Mek at the Hanger!) and I can't fathom how I'd get the same enjoyment in movie format.
Gundog is fast paced, sure to be a good read for sci-fi fans, and sets itself up well for a sequel. I had my qualms with this one, but I will definitely be reading what comes next..
Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
October 19, 2023
I really enjoyed this book: it had solid characters, an interesting setting, and a pace that I found hard to put down. While it's very much a standalone book, it's easy to see that the story could broaden considerably and bring more scope into it. As it stands now, it's a tight, fast paced novel about a nascent revolution... with Mechs!
On another note, I see many people reviewing this book saying it was 'poorly written' or 'read like a script' and I disagree with those sentiments. I found the prose to be sparse and to the point, but to me that was a solid reflection of the protagonist, Dak: she's pretty direct herself and I thought the the writing was an effective way to represent her personality in writing. I honestly never found it lacking. Quite the opposite in fact: as the reader, it left me plenty of space to fill in my own blanks and interpretations, all while setting a really propulsive narrative. I can completely understand if someone didn't like the writing, but saying it's not written well is a major disservice to the author.
On another note, I see many people reviewing this book saying it was 'poorly written' or 'read like a script' and I disagree with those sentiments. I found the prose to be sparse and to the point, but to me that was a solid reflection of the protagonist, Dak: she's pretty direct herself and I thought the the writing was an effective way to represent her personality in writing. I honestly never found it lacking. Quite the opposite in fact: as the reader, it left me plenty of space to fill in my own blanks and interpretations, all while setting a really propulsive narrative. I can completely understand if someone didn't like the writing, but saying it's not written well is a major disservice to the author.
June 14, 2023
Read this review and more on my blog, uncovered-books.
I received a free copy of Gundog from the publisher in exchange for my honest opinion.
Set in the future of Earth, Gundog is a science fiction book that felt more dystopian in nature without the relevant world building that previous dystopian novels have. The only reason why this is would be considered a sci-fi book is because of aliens.
Throughout the entirety of Gundog, I never once got the feeling that I was in a science fiction time. Nothing in here was particularly described to give any sense of what the world felt like. If we are in a future where humanity has been conquered by an alien race, you need to describe how this Earth looks, how worn the survivors are. While book readers do have good imaginations, you need to give us something to work with.
My biggest gripe with Gundog is that we never seem to get to the meat of anything. The plot seems to jump along whenever it gets bored with whatever is currently happening. The characters are never given solid motives, if they are even given motives at all. At no point in the entirety of this novel were the alien Men described in any level of detail. A floating hunk of metal is the only image that I had of them in my mind for the duration of the read. Now that I think of it, none of the character were really described in anyway.
Gundog was an extreme easy read. I cannot remember the last time that I read a book of this length so quickly (it was probably when I was in high school in my devour a book in a day phase). I would classify this book to be aimed more towards the young adult reading group because of the nature of both its ease of reading as well as everything moving along so quick. No scene felt like it ended up explaining everything, like we were reading through with partially blinkered view of what was occurring. This got so frustrating since things never ended up feeling fulfilling.
While a gripping read, the more I think about the more I am annoyed with how much potential was wasted.
I received a free copy of Gundog from the publisher in exchange for my honest opinion.
Set in the future of Earth, Gundog is a science fiction book that felt more dystopian in nature without the relevant world building that previous dystopian novels have. The only reason why this is would be considered a sci-fi book is because of aliens.
Throughout the entirety of Gundog, I never once got the feeling that I was in a science fiction time. Nothing in here was particularly described to give any sense of what the world felt like. If we are in a future where humanity has been conquered by an alien race, you need to describe how this Earth looks, how worn the survivors are. While book readers do have good imaginations, you need to give us something to work with.
My biggest gripe with Gundog is that we never seem to get to the meat of anything. The plot seems to jump along whenever it gets bored with whatever is currently happening. The characters are never given solid motives, if they are even given motives at all. At no point in the entirety of this novel were the alien Men described in any level of detail. A floating hunk of metal is the only image that I had of them in my mind for the duration of the read. Now that I think of it, none of the character were really described in anyway.
Gundog was an extreme easy read. I cannot remember the last time that I read a book of this length so quickly (it was probably when I was in high school in my devour a book in a day phase). I would classify this book to be aimed more towards the young adult reading group because of the nature of both its ease of reading as well as everything moving along so quick. No scene felt like it ended up explaining everything, like we were reading through with partially blinkered view of what was occurring. This got so frustrating since things never ended up feeling fulfilling.
While a gripping read, the more I think about the more I am annoyed with how much potential was wasted.
March 3, 2024
Pretty generic sci fi book. Borrows lots of ideas from popular culture: district 9, horizon zero dawn, Pacific Rim, etc.
This book could have been a great stand alone novel but with the threat level of the Mek (bad guys), I think it had to end open-ended otherwise there would be too many deus ex machina level plot twists.
I'm glad I read it and that it's on the shelf. Noticed several printing errors which was odd but neat to own.
This book could have been a great stand alone novel but with the threat level of the Mek (bad guys), I think it had to end open-ended otherwise there would be too many deus ex machina level plot twists.
I'm glad I read it and that it's on the shelf. Noticed several printing errors which was odd but neat to own.
September 18, 2023
3.5 stars rounded up. Gundog has a very interesting premise and the Mek and Gundogs were really cool. I was invested in the story, but there were parts that felt lacking. The action was written well, but felt rushed; I thought that all of the action scenes were over too fast. You could definitely tell that this was meant to be written as a screenplay, but overall, it was a fun listen, and I'd be interested to watch a movie if it ever got made into one.
December 22, 2023
I enjoyed this book, it is the best written book I've read? no, but it was a fun adventure , not unlike a big budget popcorn film which isn't surprising considering the author is a screen writer. Overall an entertaining story.
April 9, 2024
Review pending
July 18, 2023
Many science fiction books now utilize dystopian futures and awful circumstances for planets and their people. Gundog by Gary Whitta uses this situation on our earth in the United States as a setup but quickly goes upbeat to a flicker of hope that could be possible if the right action is taken. In this version, earth has been taken over by alien robots and society has been broken down to the point that humans are in labor camps being killed if they act rebellious. The story centers around Dakota, a survivor based on her skills and her willingness to follow the rules. However Dakota receives a chance to escape which turns into a fight for her life and a possibility to learn more of her past and find a future. This novel is adventurous and moves quite quickly as we learn that Dakota can be tenacious and her knowledge is useful for survival. We follow her across the prairies of the United States, while hiding from the aliens which they call Meks. The pacing of the book is similar to a young adult title, and the characters have relationships that go with that genre as well. I enjoyed running with Dakota, her transportation and the other characters that she picks up along the way. Whitta did well to never have her in one place for too long. The novel includes a bit of found family and seems to be setting up for a sequel since even though it technically comes to a conclusion, some strings are left untied. Because of the simplicity of the set up and the primary subject of adventure, Gundog would be a great novel for someone just starting science fiction. Thank you to Netgalley for this ecopy in return for an honest review.
February 19, 2023
This ARC was provided by Netgalley and Inkshares in exchange for an honest review.
Gundog is a fast paced underdog story of a brother and sister who are descendants of the last holdouts in an alien invasion. Our main character Dakota leads us through a compound escape, and out into unknown territory in search of a mystery location. The entire novel is delightfully cinematic, and doesn't dwell on anything unnecessarily.
This was a nice, casual read. I look forward to a potential sequel and hopefully a TV or movie adaptation.
Gundog is a fast paced underdog story of a brother and sister who are descendants of the last holdouts in an alien invasion. Our main character Dakota leads us through a compound escape, and out into unknown territory in search of a mystery location. The entire novel is delightfully cinematic, and doesn't dwell on anything unnecessarily.
This was a nice, casual read. I look forward to a potential sequel and hopefully a TV or movie adaptation.
April 21, 2023
This early review copy was provided by NetGallery and Inkshares Publishing. Many thanks to them for providing me with this copy in exchange for an honest review! Let's get into it...
The Premise...
The setting of the story is as follows...
In the aftermath of an alien invasion by a race called 'The Mek', most of Earth's population has either been terminated or enslaved into work camps called 'townships'. The protagonist of the novel is a girl called Dakota (Yes named after the state!) who works in a township with her disabled brother Sam. It is revealed early into the story that Dakota and Sam's parents were generals in Earth's last battalion and piloted Earth's greatest weapon - The Gundog.
The Gundog is a large, mechanised weapon that operates with a pilot and a gunner. The Gundog is Earth's best chance at taking back it's planet and you can bet your bottom dollar that Dakota is going to find a Gundog...
The Good...
For the first 1/3 of this book, I was absolutely hooked! The opening sequence to this story is fantastic, with a great premise and introductory segment. I immediately liked the character of Dakota, a strong female lead who takes on her brother's role as lead sibling once he becomes unable to work due to an injury sustained during his enslavement.
Another great aspect to this story is the characters of Runyon and Rosie. These two characters really add some substance to the novel and their relationships to Dakota are the most believable part of the story. Runyon in particular has a great character arc and really develops into a protagonist that you can cheer for as he becomes a far stronger and determined person.
What wasn't so good...
Where the first 1/3 of the book flourished, the rest of the book I feel unfortunately lost it's way. This, I feel in particular, is related heavily to the character of Falk. Falk is a character that Dakota meets in the township and develops a 'strong bond' with over the duration of a few weeks in the story. However the development of this relationship is never fully explored - it happens over the space of a few pages, therefore it's extremely hard to believe that Dakota could possibly see Falk as someone she is equally as close to as her brother Sam.
Even more frustrating when reading, is that Falk is essentially a pointless character. After finishing, my first thought was "Why did Whitta write this character? What purpose does he actually serve?". I honestly feel that if this is leading up to a sequel, then Falk's character might serve some purpose. However in this book, it feels very out of place and that a lot of his part was filler. I desperately wanted him to serve some more purpose than he did - but unfortunately it just wasn't explored.
Lastly, I feel that Whitta relied on the use of 'Deus Ex Machina' too many times to just resolve hopeless situations that just do not make sense. This was maybe trying too hard, but it definitely felt a bit disappointing to be presented with a tough situation and somehow the characters escape these time and time again.
Final Verdict...
Overall, Gundog is a very fast-paced text that has lots of enjoyable moments - particularly in the beginning and ending sections of the book. It hosts a cast of interesting characters, but ultimately fails to develop meaningful character arcs and feels that it sometimes loses it's way plot-wise. It would definitely be interesting to see, if Whitta writes a sequel, how he develops the story and the characters within the story.
Rating out of 5: 3
Once again, many thanks to NetGallery and Inkshares Publishing for allowing me to read this text early! Gundog publishes in July 2023.
The Premise...
The setting of the story is as follows...
In the aftermath of an alien invasion by a race called 'The Mek', most of Earth's population has either been terminated or enslaved into work camps called 'townships'. The protagonist of the novel is a girl called Dakota (Yes named after the state!) who works in a township with her disabled brother Sam. It is revealed early into the story that Dakota and Sam's parents were generals in Earth's last battalion and piloted Earth's greatest weapon - The Gundog.
The Gundog is a large, mechanised weapon that operates with a pilot and a gunner. The Gundog is Earth's best chance at taking back it's planet and you can bet your bottom dollar that Dakota is going to find a Gundog...
The Good...
For the first 1/3 of this book, I was absolutely hooked! The opening sequence to this story is fantastic, with a great premise and introductory segment. I immediately liked the character of Dakota, a strong female lead who takes on her brother's role as lead sibling once he becomes unable to work due to an injury sustained during his enslavement.
Another great aspect to this story is the characters of Runyon and Rosie. These two characters really add some substance to the novel and their relationships to Dakota are the most believable part of the story. Runyon in particular has a great character arc and really develops into a protagonist that you can cheer for as he becomes a far stronger and determined person.
What wasn't so good...
Where the first 1/3 of the book flourished, the rest of the book I feel unfortunately lost it's way. This, I feel in particular, is related heavily to the character of Falk. Falk is a character that Dakota meets in the township and develops a 'strong bond' with over the duration of a few weeks in the story. However the development of this relationship is never fully explored - it happens over the space of a few pages, therefore it's extremely hard to believe that Dakota could possibly see Falk as someone she is equally as close to as her brother Sam.
Even more frustrating when reading, is that Falk is essentially a pointless character. After finishing, my first thought was "Why did Whitta write this character? What purpose does he actually serve?". I honestly feel that if this is leading up to a sequel, then Falk's character might serve some purpose. However in this book, it feels very out of place and that a lot of his part was filler. I desperately wanted him to serve some more purpose than he did - but unfortunately it just wasn't explored.
Lastly, I feel that Whitta relied on the use of 'Deus Ex Machina' too many times to just resolve hopeless situations that just do not make sense. This was maybe trying too hard, but it definitely felt a bit disappointing to be presented with a tough situation and somehow the characters escape these time and time again.
Final Verdict...
Overall, Gundog is a very fast-paced text that has lots of enjoyable moments - particularly in the beginning and ending sections of the book. It hosts a cast of interesting characters, but ultimately fails to develop meaningful character arcs and feels that it sometimes loses it's way plot-wise. It would definitely be interesting to see, if Whitta writes a sequel, how he develops the story and the characters within the story.
Rating out of 5: 3
Once again, many thanks to NetGallery and Inkshares Publishing for allowing me to read this text early! Gundog publishes in July 2023.
Read
January 27, 2025I actually listened to the podcast on Spotify of this and really enjoyed it. It was entertaining but definitely was written by a man
December 3, 2023
This was a fun read that left me wanting more. Seriously, it needs a sequel right now.
March 22, 2023
Well, I think this is the first audiobook I have listened to in it's entirety!
The story is... pretty good actually. Its a mecha/post apoc type story. Aliens invaded and won. A survivor in a work camp learn of a "hidden hope" and goes to find the last remnants of the human war machines - goes out and starts the human uprising.
The characters (few that there are) are pretty darned great. Dakota was a good "anguished/snarky survivor". Rosie was hilarious. The Mek commander interludes were appropriately tension building.
Not a brilliant book that i'll rave about, but darned solid and worth your time. I'll be buying this once its out in hardcopy and reading it again.
The story is... pretty good actually. Its a mecha/post apoc type story. Aliens invaded and won. A survivor in a work camp learn of a "hidden hope" and goes to find the last remnants of the human war machines - goes out and starts the human uprising.
The characters (few that there are) are pretty darned great. Dakota was a good "anguished/snarky survivor". Rosie was hilarious. The Mek commander interludes were appropriately tension building.
Not a brilliant book that i'll rave about, but darned solid and worth your time. I'll be buying this once its out in hardcopy and reading it again.
May 6, 2023
I really really really wanted to love this book! The premise and most aspects of the story appealed to me; overlord aliens, long lost mech, a strong female lead, etc.
It felt like the bones for a movie script though. There was the potential for so much depth, description and world building and I feel the surface was barely scratched. There were also a lot of filler characters and parts of the story that had no real meaning or relevance.
Unfortunately the idea of this book was better than the reality. It would probably make a decent movie though.
Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and Inkshares for a copy.
It felt like the bones for a movie script though. There was the potential for so much depth, description and world building and I feel the surface was barely scratched. There were also a lot of filler characters and parts of the story that had no real meaning or relevance.
Unfortunately the idea of this book was better than the reality. It would probably make a decent movie though.
Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and Inkshares for a copy.
September 20, 2023
A fun robot apocalypse!
I wasn't sure what to expect but wow, I was floored by how captivating and fun this book was. Loved the twists and ideas in it (though would love move). It wasn't overtly complex or dense - just straight to the core and action.
I'd be interest in reading more about it!
The audio version is great too. Highly recommend.
I wasn't sure what to expect but wow, I was floored by how captivating and fun this book was. Loved the twists and ideas in it (though would love move). It wasn't overtly complex or dense - just straight to the core and action.
I'd be interest in reading more about it!
The audio version is great too. Highly recommend.
November 7, 2024
A book that boldly asks the question "what if a giant mech fighting an alien occupation was fucking boring"
September 5, 2023
I received this ARC from a Goodreads giveaway and am voluntarily submitting this review.
Military sci-fi isn’t my typical literary genre and I was a little worried about tackling a book about a futuristic tech war fought between a sublimated earth population about 20 years after being conquered by an alien AI military force. But. Right away I was captivated by the characters and the storyline. I’d read some of the reviews criticizing this work for lack of descriptions and for basically writing a screen treatment and calling it a book but honestly, it was just about perfect for me. I had no trouble visualizing the characters, the terrain, or the equipment to the extent it was necessary to make the story work for me. While it’s true that I didn’t know the MC’s hair color or the exact size and profile of the gundog (the author said “big” and it could hold 2 people but not 3. That seemed more than adequate), but I didn’t need more detail than that, and I didn’t want more.
I felt like the writing was tight for a reason; the plot developed at a breakneck pace and to stop and flesh out some of the visuals would have made me impatient to get back to the action.
Speaking of the action, what fun it was! For a story focused on the utter defeat of our entire planet’s population there was plenty to root for here and it was exciting to read about how things unfolded. A little unbelievable? Sure, but what sci fi isn’t? Ever read Asimov or Heinlein? That’s what it’s all about—imagining the impossible and letting it become real in the story.
I really liked Dakota (MC) and was so happy that she wasn’t one of those spunky spitfire girl-power types. She was smart but not invincible. She’d had a terrible childhood and loads of trust issues without having to wring her hands over everything that happened. She knew how to keep her head down to survive but when an alternative was offered she was quick to jump in and let herself hope for a better world. Good stuff.
I thought the pacing was great and swallowed this book up during about 3 very busy days for me. If there is to be a sequel (seems like there’s room for one), I’ll snap it up.
Military sci-fi isn’t my typical literary genre and I was a little worried about tackling a book about a futuristic tech war fought between a sublimated earth population about 20 years after being conquered by an alien AI military force. But. Right away I was captivated by the characters and the storyline. I’d read some of the reviews criticizing this work for lack of descriptions and for basically writing a screen treatment and calling it a book but honestly, it was just about perfect for me. I had no trouble visualizing the characters, the terrain, or the equipment to the extent it was necessary to make the story work for me. While it’s true that I didn’t know the MC’s hair color or the exact size and profile of the gundog (the author said “big” and it could hold 2 people but not 3. That seemed more than adequate), but I didn’t need more detail than that, and I didn’t want more.
I felt like the writing was tight for a reason; the plot developed at a breakneck pace and to stop and flesh out some of the visuals would have made me impatient to get back to the action.
Speaking of the action, what fun it was! For a story focused on the utter defeat of our entire planet’s population there was plenty to root for here and it was exciting to read about how things unfolded. A little unbelievable? Sure, but what sci fi isn’t? Ever read Asimov or Heinlein? That’s what it’s all about—imagining the impossible and letting it become real in the story.
I really liked Dakota (MC) and was so happy that she wasn’t one of those spunky spitfire girl-power types. She was smart but not invincible. She’d had a terrible childhood and loads of trust issues without having to wring her hands over everything that happened. She knew how to keep her head down to survive but when an alternative was offered she was quick to jump in and let herself hope for a better world. Good stuff.
I thought the pacing was great and swallowed this book up during about 3 very busy days for me. If there is to be a sequel (seems like there’s room for one), I’ll snap it up.
May 12, 2024
This is probably a solid 3 1/2 stars, and if the ending had been more than kind of pat, I'd probably have rounded up rather than down.
Honestly, I liked this a lot through much of it, but it feels like a rewrite to put some of the loaded rifles on the wall earlier than they are. I suppose that sounds like I'm complaining about dei ex machina, but they largely don't rise to that kind of importance. They just weirdly tell of bits of business that happened in-between what we'd previously heard in the story and feel like if we'd heard them earlier, it would have made everything better.
And I don't mean to suggest that's because Whitta does more screenwriting. I've gotta say the business with chewing gum that's told in this fashion would particularly be a really good bit of character bonding, particularly in a movie.
The scene where something happened with water earlier than we need, suggests a good scene, too, and feels missing once it's just referred to as having happened out of our view.
All of that said, most of this I found very enjoyable. I thought the setup and characters were very enjoyable. It feels only 2/3 baked, but the sections that are cooked all the way through are delicious. If this were the first in a series of books or the pilot to a TV series, I'd be ignoring my quibbles and excitedly preparing for the next one.
Honestly, I liked this a lot through much of it, but it feels like a rewrite to put some of the loaded rifles on the wall earlier than they are. I suppose that sounds like I'm complaining about dei ex machina, but they largely don't rise to that kind of importance. They just weirdly tell of bits of business that happened in-between what we'd previously heard in the story and feel like if we'd heard them earlier, it would have made everything better.
And I don't mean to suggest that's because Whitta does more screenwriting. I've gotta say the business with chewing gum that's told in this fashion would particularly be a really good bit of character bonding, particularly in a movie.
The scene where something happened with water earlier than we need, suggests a good scene, too, and feels missing once it's just referred to as having happened out of our view.
All of that said, most of this I found very enjoyable. I thought the setup and characters were very enjoyable. It feels only 2/3 baked, but the sections that are cooked all the way through are delicious. If this were the first in a series of books or the pilot to a TV series, I'd be ignoring my quibbles and excitedly preparing for the next one.
October 21, 2023
Gundog by Gary Whitta
Challenging, hopeful, mysterious sad, and tense.
Fast-paced
Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75 ⭐
I love the Gundam style mechs...and the idea of a mechanical invasion...and a war to end all wars...with the humans in coralled communities.
This is the start of the adventure...for our main character, Dakota and her older brother,
Sam.
The story is sort of limited in scope, and more of a linear tale. I was hoping for broader implications, though the tension was on overdrive for a while (which was fun to read).
There was a lull for a bit, at Mount Rushmore. Love how Dakota and the other character (no-spoilers) that arrive at the compound...and a lot of the cultural items/themes are not within their scope of knowledge...but the readers get the joke/item's significance.
The ending was interesting, for I had NO idea that this was a beginning of a series. I was thinking this was a one-off (but glad to be wrong).
It's not Gary Whitta's best work, but it would be fun to see it adapted to a TV series...eventually...when there are a few more books. I'd definitely watch it.
Challenging, hopeful, mysterious sad, and tense.
Fast-paced
Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75 ⭐
I love the Gundam style mechs...and the idea of a mechanical invasion...and a war to end all wars...with the humans in coralled communities.
This is the start of the adventure...for our main character, Dakota and her older brother,
Sam.
The story is sort of limited in scope, and more of a linear tale. I was hoping for broader implications, though the tension was on overdrive for a while (which was fun to read).
There was a lull for a bit, at Mount Rushmore. Love how Dakota and the other character (no-spoilers) that arrive at the compound...and a lot of the cultural items/themes are not within their scope of knowledge...but the readers get the joke/item's significance.
The ending was interesting, for I had NO idea that this was a beginning of a series. I was thinking this was a one-off (but glad to be wrong).
It's not Gary Whitta's best work, but it would be fun to see it adapted to a TV series...eventually...when there are a few more books. I'd definitely watch it.
September 26, 2025
I could have easily finished this book in a weekend, or even in one day, but I kept putting it down and debating whether to finish it, not once, but twice. After the first five chapters, I just got the impression I was reading a made-for-TV or movie book. The pacing, clichés, and exposition all gave me that vibe. I want to get to know this world through the story and its characters, not an introduction on the first two pages like a movie voice-over.
The main characters were fine, but nothing memorable. Everything lacked a clear description, including our main characters; the best you get is that one of them is pretty scrawny. I kept asking myself, 'Why does this character make these decisions?' or...'Why does this feel so cliché?'
I think the concept is interesting, and there's a lot of room for some cool worldbuilding with the baddies being alien machines, but it fell flat for me. In the end, I finished it, and it was fine. I would not recommend it unless you need a quick weekend read that feels like a sci-fi miniseries with a 3/5 rating.
The main characters were fine, but nothing memorable. Everything lacked a clear description, including our main characters; the best you get is that one of them is pretty scrawny. I kept asking myself, 'Why does this character make these decisions?' or...'Why does this feel so cliché?'
I think the concept is interesting, and there's a lot of room for some cool worldbuilding with the baddies being alien machines, but it fell flat for me. In the end, I finished it, and it was fine. I would not recommend it unless you need a quick weekend read that feels like a sci-fi miniseries with a 3/5 rating.
October 1, 2023
Whitta should stick to writing screenplays. Some interesting ideas here but the prose reads as though it was written by an adolescent. The story is dialog heavy, which is not necessarily a bad thing but you never get a good feeling for what makes this world unique. Your left to fill in the gaps with your own mental visualizations derived from past post-apocalyptic sci-fi. Some of the choices made seem contrived just to fill in plot-gaps. When the story finally gets moving along if feels like we spend too short of an amount of time in that portion of the story to sprint towards the end. There are story issues that are nagging and it would have been more enjoyable if those had been addressed during editing. Overall an enjoyable, fast-paced, easy read but I can't get over the feeling that it was a screenplay that was converted to a book for the purposes of being the basis for a series of films.
October 2, 2023
When I read a great story like this one, I often wonder.....where does the story come from? GUNDOG is a unique story line set after "the end of the world as we know it". It has been long enough since the human world was conquered and it's habitants imprisoned, that the current generation has never known a life other than this. When evidence is found that gives hope of freedom, there is no question, action will be taken, no matter the consequences. The story takes some very different twists to land at a point where the rebels have a chance. What happens after that? You'll have to read the book for yourself.
July 21, 2025
This book was the most boring piece of fiction I’ve read in a long time. I couldn’t tell you anything substantial or noteworthy about any of the characters. What do they look like? No clue. What are the Mek aliens like? Robotic and ultra-intelligent, but no idea what they look like. Everything was surface-level. The dialogue was boring and repetitive. It had no drive to it. You could guess exactly what would happen before it happened. Half the book could be deleted and you’d still have the exact same story and glean no less info about the characters and setting. Do not read this. There are a million other, more fulfilling science fiction reads out there. Don’t waste your time with this.
July 7, 2023
A fast paced sci-fi action novel that kept me hooked until the end.
This feels like the story of what the world might have been like if the aliens from War of the Worlds had succeeded with their invasion. The human race subjugated and is at the mercy of aliens who remain faceless and brutal throughout.
Ultimately this is a book about courage and beating the odds, it felt like I was able to see the action play out in my head like a really cool action movie.
This left me wanting more stories from this universe and the ending left plenty of potential for more stories to be told.
This feels like the story of what the world might have been like if the aliens from War of the Worlds had succeeded with their invasion. The human race subjugated and is at the mercy of aliens who remain faceless and brutal throughout.
Ultimately this is a book about courage and beating the odds, it felt like I was able to see the action play out in my head like a really cool action movie.
This left me wanting more stories from this universe and the ending left plenty of potential for more stories to be told.
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