The Pack

by David Fisher

In the August heat they frolicked on the beaches, fetched sticks, played with the children.Then the summer dwellers left, abandoning them to the island's harsh winter. Ravenous hunger and violent rage have brought them together under a cunning, ferocious leader.Man has betrayed his best friend-now the dogs will have their day...

Genres: Horror, Fiction, Thriller, Novels, Audiobook, Dogs, Adult Fiction

249 pages, Hardcover

First published December 12, 1976

About the author

Librarian’s note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

David Fisher is the author of more than twenty New York Times bestsellers and coauthor of Bill O'Reilly's Legends and Lies series. His work has also appeared in most major magazines and many newspapers. He lives in New York with his wife and two sons.

Reviews

[Tim · Rating 1 out of 5]

Dear reader, I have been told in the past that my rare 1 star reviews can be "overlong and mean spirited." If you feel that way, I respect that and suggest you look at one of the more positive reviews for the book. They will likely be kinder and shorter.
____________________

Man, there certainly was a stream of killer animal novels in the 70s and 80s. Rats, slugs, insects, sharks you name it, if it was even a semi-sentient animal, it probably wanted to kill you in some creative fashion. The Pack continues this idea with "man's best friend."

Okay, so let's start off noting that the idea of this book is horrific. Not just the idea about dogs attacking human as a pack, but WHY they are attacking. You see apparently the author heard about people who came from the city, rented houses on islands, bringing an animal to entertain their kids and then when it was time to go back home, would leave the animal on the island to die. That is horrible, and after a prologue where we see just that, I was ready for these assholes to come back to the island the next summer for some comeuppance and doggy revenge.

...

Nope! It takes place in the winter, and focuses on the dogs going after the people who live on the island year round (who did nothing in the prologue and many of them indeed condemned this behavior) and their vising family.



Already we have gotten off on the wrong start. Do we get a death scene with ANY of those people who left their animals behind? No... okay, well this is already thoroughly disappointing. Let's see what else you'll throw at me.

NO! Stay positive. I mean, this is still salvageable. I'll confess, I enjoy a good b-horror killer animal story. Those were my thoughts going into the book, followed by this: "This should be cheesy good fun... why isn't this cheesy good fun?"

Oh, dear sweet naive Tim of a week ago, you know nothing of the world. Forgive me for being cynical (which if you won't, now might be a good time to abandon ship on this review, because I'll be getting worse) but the book is less of an animal attack story and more of a cutting metaphor for reality! It's about you feeling like you're stuck in a world gone mad full of disappointing decisions. This book is like a slap in the face every time you read it, so much so that it's less a book and more of a timely reminder on social distancing (people from the future, please tell me this joke is dated... oh, please, please tell me that).

First the positives. It's fast paced and short. There, I praised the damn thing. Now let's eviscerate it.

Let's get down to the characters. They have names, but I won't bother typing them out. It requires more brain power in terms of memory than the book deserves.

There is lead character guy, I'll talk about him later because I could write an entire essay on why he's the most frustrating protagonist I've read in years.

Annoying wife: she's a big city girl who doesn't understand these outdoorsy ways. She would rather complain about not being in the city, complain about a broken nail, and spend a fortune on jewlery and clothes. You know the cliche, I don't need to continue.

The lead's mom and dad. They live on the island and can't understand their son and his city folk ways. They suspect that he may... *Gasp* want them to move to the city as there is no one to take care of them on the island... AND THEY ARE RIGHT! Will they be able to talk their son out of his fool notions? Do any of us really care? The dogs sure don't and kill off this plot point pretty fast... pun most certainly intended.

There's the kids. They have no real personality. They are children and only seen briefly. Nothing really to hate here, I mean they're kids... oh, wait, they started talking and are just as annoying as everyone else in the book. That's a relief. To hell with them too.

Finally there is the brother. The brother is a Vietnam war vet, who is lost in a world at peace, and spends his time wandering aimlessly, drinking, sleeping with most likely underage girls, hunting and wanting to prove himself better than that hoity toity college educated brother of his... because of course that had to be his character. Of course you had to make him a bigger asshole than his brother, because his brother is such an insufferable dick. You know what though, I still like him better. He may be an annoying cliche, but he shares my dislike of his brother, so I'll even mention his name is Kenny because at least he's got one thing going for him.



Oh Fight Club references, they do come in useful sometimes...

So, speaking of toxic masculinity (wonderful transition there Tim, that newly invented Pulitzer Prize for Goodreads reviews is almost yours), lets talk about our lead. So, he's an insecure asshat who seems to go the entire book "taking back his place," which is to say showing his wife who is the boss. No, I'm not joking, that seems to be the lesson learned from this experience.

At one point I made an update that just said the following "Wow.... I’ve never read one single page filled with so much macho bullshit in all my years of reading. I can’t decide if the book is entertainingly bad now or just bad."

Now it is time to reveal what was on that page. Be ready for a long quote.

"He would kill them, and that would show her.

The thought startled him. Her? Diane? Diane loved him, there was no question of that. Maybe he indulged her too much over the years, maybe he hadn't been as demanding as he should have been. But now he would show her. Now he would reestablish his superiority.

There was more. He tried to shut off his mind, but it pumped out additional truths. The reason surfaced no matter how he denied it. Finally he had to admit to himself that the night's excitement had exhilarated him far beyond anything in recent memory. That he once again felt incredibly alive after so many dead years in the city."

Okay, let's breakdown this paragraph by paragraph.

First one: Yes, killing dogs will sure show them. May as well put on a labcoat and shout into a thunderstorm "I'LL SHOW THEM ALL!!!!!!"

Second paragraph: He should have been more demanding? He needs to... reestablish... his... superiority? I really have nothing to say to that. I really have no words. Please, someone help me out here. Jean-Luc?



Thank you Picard. As always, you are a source of wisdom.

Paragraph three: so... the most exhilarating night of your life was the night your dad was murdered in front of you by a bunch of dogs, and traumatized your family... There's no nice way to say this, but you're kind of fucked up dude.

I wish I could say the macho bullshit ended there, but no, of course it doesn't. At one point he is in a life or death situation and debates on calling his wife for help. He decides not to because: “the thought of her knowing he had failed again was abominable.”

Is this a book about killer dogs or the most insecure man in the world? I honestly don’t know anymore.

At one point his wife has the gall to offer a suggestion, namely that they throw out food laced with some of her vallium, so that maybe the dogs will get drowsy. His reaction "The pills again. Her answer to everything." Okay, I dislike his wife as a character, but seriously, to hell with you man. She made a semi-reasonable suggestion and he immediately dismisses her.

Later his wife saves him from another situation and we get the following gem "An now his wife had to act to save his life. The dogs; rotten, disgusting dogs, had humiliated him, made him less of a man."

Want more? His son gets bitten by a dog and his wife fears rabies, he decides to make a run for the car. He considers why should he do this when help will eventually arrive.

"For Diane, he told himself. And, after pausing, admitted silently, for myself."

Not for your son, you selfish bastard? No, again, it always comes down to him, to proving himself the big man. Can't accept anyone's help, has to prove he can do it, take control for himself and show his wife who is boss. To hell with the kids, they exist just to show that he is a dominant male who produced more than one offspring.

To hell with this book.

If I were a diplomat, I would call this book "an admirable attempted at an old story." I am not a diplomat, so I'll call it a "tired cliche, followed by a tired cliche, rounded off with a touch of cliche and some fine wine, because I assure you, you'll need alcohol to finish this off.

In closing: TLDR - book sucks, don't read it. 1/5 stars.

[Grady Hendrix · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Summer dogs make winter pests." Or, as the back cover says, "Man has betrayed his best friend — now the dogs will have their day." Cold blooded.

[Scott Rhee · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ve written at length about “man vs. nature” horror stories and how they all play upon the same fear: the fear that Mother Nature will get revenge for our sins against her. Because, let’s face it: we haven’t been nice to her, especially her domain known as the animal kingdom.

The theme of animals that aren’t normally aggressive suddenly turning homicidal has been one that has been used effectively in many horror novels, starting as early as Herman Melville’s “Moby Dick” (arguably, a horror novel for whalers). Daphne DuMaurier’s “The Birds”, Peter Benchley’s “Jaws”, Ezekiel Boone’s “The Hatching” are all excellent examples of animals that we have, historically, taken for granted, to our peril. Deep down, we all know that if birds, sharks, or spiders ever decided to rise up against humanity, we’d quickly be history.

Dogs have, perhaps, been the animal species most taken for granted. We don’t think twice about our faithful family pets turning into psychotic killers, but David Fisher, in his 1976 novel “The Pack”, certainly did.

“The Pack” works on essentially the same basic plot as every “animal revenge” horror story: a small group of humans are holed up in a house, trying to survive an onslaught of murderous animals. In this case, the vengeful beasts are dogs. Not wolves, and not wild dogs. I’m talking about domesticated animals. It is an exercise in pure suspense and terror when Fritzie the dachshund decides, one day, he wants to eat your face.


I realize this is not a dachshund. I know what a dachshund looks like. I'm not stupid. I think this is a chihuahua-pomeranian-bichon frise mix, maybe. Whatever. It just looks adorable and mean and looks like it could eat your face off if it wanted to. Assuming you were low to the ground.

It is, also, a not-so-subtle condemnation on asshole pet-owners. We all know them. They are people that should not own pets, because they treat them as things rather than autonomous living beings, with personalities and feelings. They use their pets as accessories or status symbols rather than treating them as the affectionate furry family members that they are.

And maybe it’s not as common practice (thank God), but there was a time when people would discard pets by throwing them in garbage bags and dumping them in rivers, or driving far out in the middle of the country and tossing them into a field, leaving them to fend for themselves. Such is the case in this novel.

Burrows Island, off the coast of upstate New York, is a small summer-cottage resort island. Boasting only a literal handful of year-round residents, most of the island is rental homes for the seasonal tourists. It is common practice that these summer people “adopt” a pet for the summer and then just leave them to die in the woods when they leave.

For the small group of residents, the pack of domesticated dogs running feral in the woods has never been a huge problem. The dogs usually end up starving to death. There’s something unusual about this year’s pack, though. They appear to be smarter, more calculating, and they appear to be working together.

When an unseasonable blizzard hits the island, the killing starts. The dogs have the humans exactly where they want them: trapped in their homes…

Perhaps it’s owing to the fact that I’m a dog-lover, but I was kind of rooting for the dogs. I also found the human characters pretty annoying, which I’m sure was intentional of Fisher’s part. Humans created these monsters in the first place, so it’s only a fitting bit of karma that the humans should get their comeuppance. Granted, being ripped to shreds by a hungry terrier, a labrador, and a Dalmatian is pretty brutal.

A word of warning to fellow animal-lovers: there is a lot of violence committed against dogs in this, not the least of which is the desertion and abuse. No, the humans in this use anything and everything at their disposal—-guns, fire-pokers, cars—-in an almost-atavistic glee to wipe out the killer dogs. There are no good guys in this story, by the way…

[oddo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Straw Dogs with dogs.

[Matt · Rating 3 out of 5]

David Fisher delivers a novel of some interest, definitely checking the boxes for a 1970s horror story, though not as impactful as the first of his novels I read. Fisher pens this book, likely at a time when he was trying to make a name in the genre, dealing with a pack of dogs who went from loving pets in the summer to savage beasts when abandoned on an island during the winter months. The story has a a sense of horror and darkness, though definitely not one I would have enjoyed as much without knowing this backstory.

Every summer, families would come to the island to enjoy vacations and soak up the summer heat. They brought their picnics, their sand toys and even their dogs. Summers with a pet seem almost perfect… at least for a time.

Once the summer ended and residents headed back to their lives in the city, some chose to leave the animals behind. They let them run off into the woods to explore, speeding away before the canine was aware of what’s happening. After the emotional realisation, these dogs had to learn survival. One part was locating the local pack, deep in the woods; a ramshackle group that have been abandoned and left to survive when the temperatures drop.

This summer, things changed. Led by a bloodthirsty leader, this pack of dogs is ready to get their revenge on those who abandoned them or any human they can find. Armed with as much anger as one can expect and a determination to hunt down anyone who might cross their path, this pack is ready to make a stand and leave no one in their wake. Fisher provides the reader with a story about the clash between the human and canine worlds, years before Cujo became a thing.

I love a good thriller or horror story, though I admit that I like depth and intrigue over plain blood and guts. While David Fisher made an impact on me with a more recent novel, I wanted to read some of his earlier work to see how it compared. I had to remember the context before being too bold with my comments. A decent narrative provides the foundation for the story, though it lacked depth and intensity, choosing the cornier clash and attack formula. Fisher provides the reader with all the elements he promises, but this falls short from the calibre I had come to expect from the first novel I read. Straightforward characters, man and dog alike, pepper the story and provide bridges between the setting and action of the story’s plot. Basic plot points provide some surprises, but also the expected ‘scary’ moments that the 1970s reader likely lapped up with glee. Not a stellar read, but I can suspend my expectations, as this was my choice to sample Fisher’s earlier work.

Kudos, Mr. Fisher, for this howl of a read!

Love/hate the review? An ever-growing collection of others appears at:
http://pecheyponderings.wordpress.com/

[Richard Martin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review to Follow

[Austin Smith · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a lean 200 page novel about a pack of killer dogs that... well, kill some people. What more can I say, and what more can you expect out of a book like this? It gets the job done. 3⭐

[Plagued by Visions · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a surprising cut above the rest of the “killer animal” fodder of its time in terms of being a contemplative, harrowing, and modern take on the man vs. nature debacle.

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

I didn’t have high hopes for this book (because let’s face it, the plot sounds terrible) but it was actually very suspenseful and disturbing. Poor puppies. Not their fault.

[Thomas · Rating 3 out of 5]

There are some foibles in the book -- Fisher jumps from perspective to perspective and back again without any clear breaks; the characters don't always do what's sensible; the premise here is basically Jaws 4: The Revenge, but with dogs -- but none of that can detract from the unrelenting suspense and action that keep this story rolling. If you can accept all of the above, then you're in for a hell of a ride.

[Ken · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love these 'Paperbacks from Hell' reprints. They give a real snapshot to 70s horror, whilst knowing these were the titles selected from Gerady Hendrix's popular non-fiction review of the era - you know it's going to be good.

The premise is so simple, yet effective.
Dogs are being left to fend for themselves, having been 'summer pets' for families on a vacation island.
Quite frankly, the way these poor animals have been left, the humans deserve everything that comes at them...

The orphaned pack made up of German Shepherds, Collies and Golden Retrievers soon causes mayhem and bloodshed in this tense and suspenseful quick read.

[Charles Dee Mitchell · Rating 3 out of 5]

I hope this isn’t a real thing – The premise of The Pack is that families who summer on Burrows Island have no qualms about picking out a dog from the New York City pound, keeping it as a family pet during the summer, and abandoning it to starve or fend for itself when they head back to the city come September. I had looked forward to a story that would tell of such scum receiving their comeuppance, but those who suffer turn out to be the laidback, elderly year-rounders who take too long to realize that “just dogs” could have transformed into an effective killing machine.

Fisher is one of those professional writers with over fifty books to his name, ranging from novels, to ghostwritten memoirs, to a parody series called Chicken Poop for the Soul. He knows how to keep his story moving and he milks this rather “Movie of the Week” premise for all it’s worth. (I thought I remembered it as a Movie of the Week from the ‘70’s, but it was in fact filmed for theatrical release.)

The Pack is part of the Valancourt Press Paperbacks from Hell reprints of 1970’s and ‘80’s horror novels. Not recommended for readers either afraid of dogs or squeamish about means of dispatching them.

[Genevieve Clements · Rating 5 out of 5]

So many moments of "fuck yeah" an others of me shaking my head and saying "noOoOo" I been around dogs my whole life. I know my dogs are smarts so this book definitely hits me where it hurts.....my heart lol

[Ross McClintock · Rating 4 out of 5]

More beach reading fun! This one packed a heck of a punch as it leads off with the worst family ever abandoning their dog on a popular island for vacationing as their summerends. That poor dog soon joins up with a pack of similarly abandoned dogs, and they're forced to hunt game for food as they shed their last vestiges of domesticity. Later that winter, another family arrives to the island, now sparsely populated to visit the grandparents. Soon man and canine are pitted against each other as the abandoned strays grow more daring. While it lacks in plausibility, it hits all the emotional notes as the stakes start to escalate. This is definitely a book to make you want to hold your furry friends after reading.

[Will Wilson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun and entertain like a horror B movie. The gore and violence was portrayed very viscerally but the characterization was a bit lack luster . A lot of charters did actions that just did not make any sense to the personalities they where previously ascribed to. There is also a sub plot with the protagonists brother that is complete filler and goes nowhere.

[Dick Grunert · Rating 4 out of 5]

NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD meets CUJO. Solid little animal attack book. The characters aren’t super interesting, but it’s well written and Fisher keeps the whole thing moving so fast, it doesn’t matter. Another great addition to the Paperback From Hell line-up!

[Mark Young · Rating 3 out of 5]

An enjoyable addition to the paperbacks from hell series. Flawed but fun. Not for dog lovers.

[Jeff Raymond · Rating 4 out of 5]

Like a silly drive-in double feature with a little extra darkness. A fun ride.

[Curtis · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you can eat fried chicken then I should be able to eat fried dog. I should be able to eat a bucket of fried dog at a chicken fight!

[Casey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sorry this is so long, I just needed to vomit this out after I read the book.

The novel centers around a group of "summer dogs" which means they are loved and cared for during a family's summer vacation, but once winter comes, they are abandoned and left to fend for themselves. Burrows Island is basically deserted during the winter months only housing a few elderly inhabitants. Tom Hardman and his wife are among these residents, when their older son, Larry and his family come to visit they realize that the abandoned pooches are not as harmless as Tom is led to believe. This starts a war between the Hardman family and the Burrows Island canines to see who can outmatch who first.

Larry, a successful architect, is a NYC resident who from the outside, has it pretty good- wealth, a beautiful wife, and two children- he is the vision of the American Dream. Inside, Larry feels emasculated and seeks to find it on the island.

During the novel we spend the majority looking at the world through Larry's eyes- the scars of living in a patriarchal society runs deep- his views are hierarchical in nature and very gendered. He believes in "the man of the house" passed down to him from his father, Tom, who is by every definition of the word "manly" - he has a wife who adores and follows his lead without question, raised two sons, lives remotely in the wilderness and must survive by his own wits- something Larry covets and is exhilarated by once the dogs begin their attack. Larry, for lack of a better word, resents his wife. Diane is everything is mother is not- Diane, enjoys the hustle and bustle of the city and has managed to be successful in her own right. Larry continually attacks and vilifies his wife for being a modern woman. These feelings of outrage towards Diane continue throughout the novel. After Cornelia Cornwall shows up to the Hardman's house covered in blood, raving about dogs and Charlie. Tom and Larry agree to go look for Cornelia's husband. Here, Larry is trying to regain his masculinity back by commanding his wife like a drill sergeant and here we are exposed to what life must've been like for Frieda Hardman.

" Tom stood behind his son, listening to him reel off orders. There was nothing to be added, he decided, Larry had covered everything. Temporarily, he shut his great concern for the safety of his friend out of his mind, feeling nothing but pride. Pure fatherly pride in his son. On this day, this hour, he had enjoyed the rare privilege of watching his son finally take control of his life."- pg 61

This view of men needing to be in control is echoed in Larry's sentiments when he is pondering how the dogs could rise against him- he equates the dogs to Diane.

" Machismo, that was the reason. His desperate need to prove that he, alone, could protect his family. His need to prove that one man is superior to a pack of witless animals, that one human mind can outwit any number of dogs. Thus far, though, he had failed. ... He would kill them and that would show her. ... Diane loved him, there was no question of that. Maybe he had indulged her too much over the years, maybe he hadn't been as demanding as he should have been. But now he would show her. Now he would reestablish his superiority." - pg 92

His escalations with his wife continue to heighten after the Hardmans are unsuccessful in finding Charlie and the mauling of his father on the way back from the neighbor's house. Larry is attacked by an Airedale terrier in his parents’ home. After the dog is dealt with Diane has a panic attack for the absurdity of the situation- who Larry, unsurprisingly, doesn't handle well.

"She ran at him, beating her clenched fists against his chest. He let her work out his frustration, but when she began to cry, he caught her wrists tightly. At last, he could take no more, he released her left wrist and smacked her solidly across the face with his open right hand. The crack of the blow resounded through the room. ...She glared at him, said nothing, then strode quickly from the room, trailed by a wide-eyed Josh." - pg 82

His masculinity is constantly tested, and retested throughout the pages of the novel manifesting itself when Diane offers to help, giving decent solutions to solve the threat of the dog pack growing outside their front door. He often bitterly dismisses his wife’s capabilities and her ability to handle stressful situations.

“He realized now that he had to get professional help. No one in the house was capable of aiding him. The children were too young, his mother too old, Corny was too far gone, and Diane? Diane was simply incapable. If he couldn’t take care of the dogs himself, he would need other men, armed men, to destroy the pack.” - pg 91

At the beginning of the book, the cataclysmic event that starts this battle of wills begins when Larry asserts himself "protecting his brood" murdering the shepherd's mate after Macy, Larry's daughter, has a innocent experience with the dogs. This angers the gray German shepherd who begins seeking retribution for the death of the female.

" "Get the gun," Larry told his father.
"Larry, I don't-"
"Get the gun," he ordered. His mouth was dry and tightly drawn, his eyes fixed on the dogs, as they pulled the remains of the doll apart. ... His son took the weapon and ammunition without a word, slid one bullet into the chamber and hefted the rifle to his shoulder. ... He pushed the stock securely into his shoulder, and adjusted it for comfort, and sighted down the long barrel on the gray shepherd, the leader. There was nothing more for Thomas Hardman to say. He still refused to believe the dogs were dangerous, but understood his arguments would have no effect on his son. His only thought was, get it over with." -pg 55

This crisis in his identity carries over to Larry’s father as the two struggle trying to establish their own manhood to each other. Larry tries to convince his father that moving to NYC would be better for him due to age and isolation. While Tom is absolute in his stance, stating that the island will be his home and his grave. Though, Larry tries to persuade him otherwise, he knows that the islander life style is something they both equally cherish, while city living is emasculating. Tom's stubbornness and his masculinity ultimately becomes his downfall. Tom in a act of the "stoic hero" chooses to make a stand when the guilt of Charlie's death weighs down upon him. He is quickly, almost hilariously mauled to death due to his own chagrin. This trait is seemingly passed down to Larry's younger brother Kenny- immature and unwilling to settle down, jumping from woman to woman (underage women at that) and not securing a solid job. When Larry, unwillingly calls Kenny for help after Diane pleads with him, Kenny jumps to the pump. Not in the altruistic way as one might expect, but as a way to one up his older brother to prove himself a "hero" to his family. In the end, Kenny is punished by taking on the stormy seas that has grounded rescue services. The dinky boat capsizes, and along with his friend, ends up perishing due to Kenny's recklessness.

Now, finally, the best part, the dogs. There seems to be a clear parallel between the gray GSD and Larry, as the two fight for superiority over one another and their collective groups. Each are willing to put the members of their "packs" in danger to outsmart one another, and both are too stubborn to give up in their pursuit for dominance. Larry spends much of the novel begrudgingly showing respect to the shepherd as the dog commands his pack with ease and is able to sabotage Larry's plans.

"The shepherd was the most unusual of them all. It was not necessarily his looks, the dog was thin in the flank and its coat was matted. Rather it was the absolute control he held over the rest of the pack. There was little doubt in Larry's mind that the dog communicated intelligently with the other animals. But how? And why this one dog? What made it so special?"- pg 101

And

"The shepherd had picked up the sounds of the struggle. The dog listened, understood and was not surprised when the battle ended without a canine howl of victory. It had been a successful probe. The enemy's citadel had been breached. The enemy was tiring." - pg 145

Their impetuous behavior that the two show throughout the novel solidifies that the two are mirror images of the other.

As I was reading I also began to notice a pattern- when Larry kills the dogs when we do get to know their sex, it's the females that feel his wrath. Larry's first kill is the German shepherd bitch then the Airedale terrier, who he throws outside to make an example of the next morning after the first attack, and finally Dolly the golden retriever. She redirects her aggression from Larry to his son, which enables Diane to save Larry. He later makes an example of a decapitated Dolly, throwing her body from the roof. His satisfaction of making a point through the female dogs acts as another shit display of machismo, trying to prove himself to the pack's leader and projecting his resentment towards his wife onto the dogs. Even then, Larry fails in this simple act of defiance.

"He wanted to kill them all, destroy them. His eyes swept through the room, seeking a weapon. Anything capable of inflicting pain would serve. But instead his eyes fixed on the bloody body of the Airedale. In two strides he was at the body. He would show them. He took hold of the wiry-haired tail at its base, and dragged the body across the floor. Her insides trailed along behind the body, leaving a thin line of blood and small bits of gut. ... Turning his back on them, he grabbed the tail with both hands, and yanked the body out into the snow. Murmuring curses, Larry tried to lift the body by its tail. His intent was to launch it into the air to show them his strength. But the body weighed an unwieldy forty pounds, too much for him to fling very far. He was forced to settle, for a half spin, and the carcass tumbled into the yard, splattering the snow with blood. Larry stood triumphantly on the step, looking into the dark, almond-shaped eyes of the gray shepherd. Now they knew he was not afraid of them. He had proved he could face them. He would wage his battle and win." -pg 85 + 86

and

"Physically, she had won. He was alive only because her heritage betrayed her at the last minute. her victory had been greater than that, though. His leg hurt, but the worst pain was the knowledge that he was less than he believed. ... And now his wife had had to act to save his life. The dogs; the rotten, disgusting dogs had humiliated him, made him less of a man." - pg 144

This leads me to believe that Diane is the parallel to the black Labrador Retriever; who seems to test the German Shepherd's command as Diane does to Larry throughout the novel.

"The Labrador sat up as the first snow particles fluttered from the roof, then took three hesitant steps toward the house. The shepherd noticed the Labrador's advance and growled threateningly. Then the shepherd acted. He trotted towards the black dog, baring his teeth in a snarl, leaving no doubt he would go for the Labrador if it continued its challenge to his leadership. The Labrador took a tentative step toward the shepherd, then turned away, resuming his place." -pg 172

Diane and the Labrador retriever are even described the same way, sharing similar features as dark hair/fur and the fact that both of them are good-looking. This is the only compliment that Larry manages to muster about his wife or any of the other dogs besides the gray shepherd throughout the novel. The comparison goes farther in the way both, the Labrador and Diane tiptoe around Larry and the shepherd, in order to appease them, and not feel the scorn of their anger.

At last like every other male in his family, Larry finally receives his comeuppance. Larry’s half-brained plan of scooting across the telephone wire over to the snow covered Chevy truck in the yard is thwarted when the wire begins to weaken allowing the shepherd to attach himself to Larry’s wrist dragging him down. Severely injured, it is up to Diane to save the day in true Final Girl form. The shepherd also receives his dues, when Diane splashes lye onto his face and later, runs him over with the truck. This act of injuring the shepherd, allows the pack to choose a new leader, which is shown when the Labrador retriever takes off with the remaining surviving canines into the woods after Diane’s homemade bombs go off. (It’s not explicitly stated that the Lab is the new leader, but since him and the Irish Setter who dies earlier are the only ones to really question the shepherd’s leadership I am making the assumption that the Lab is now in charge.) In the same vein, Diane manages to save her family from being ripped apart by the dogs based on her own capabilities.


Though the story presents itself as a killer dog novel, it really is about the loss of masculinity and how toxic it can become when the feelings of inadequacy start to fester in the mind. When I first got this novel I didn’t think I was going to like it, it screamed hetero-normative wet dream to me, and the fact it also takes place in the 70’s I was more than a little skeptical. I’m glad it managed to surprise me. "The Pack"is a thrilling fast paced novel, that if any of the crap I wrote above interests you, then give it a shot.

Nitpick time:
1. Who the hell abandons a purebred dog out on a island! There were breeds you don't commonly see like: Irish setter, Collie, greyhound, wolfhound, and a Dalmatian! Who is leaving these $2000 to $5000 dogs on an island!? Lots of money to just love for one summer. Could probably write a whole other review about this.
2. The family is so awful to Dopey the Basset- they are always hitting him or telling to go away constantly.
3. At the end the family leaves, their basset hound behind perpetuating the problem, like seriously? But the Labrador and the pack takes in the little hound dog.
4. It's clearly established that Dopey is a Basset in the first couple of chapters, but at the end the author calls him a terrier...bro.

[Chris Harriman · Rating 3 out of 5]

A solid if not great read, but I feel compelled to write a review because of how weirdly misled I feel about this book based on the current most popular review on goodreads. Going to mark everything as a spoiler to be safe.

While this is clearly a pulpy horror novel about killer dogs, it also is very much about the central family, and a relationship between 2 brothers. Kenny, a tough, rugged manly man type, who relishes any opportunity to lord these characteristics over his 'weaker' brother, and said brother, Larry, one of our protagonists, who is painfully insecure about this and deeply resents any time his brother comes to his rescue. He constantly looks for ways to assert his 'manliness' due to this insecurity. And, of course, in the book he is quickly in a tough situation in which he must look to his brother for aid.

The current top review on this site feels the author sees these men as heroes, and thinks we, the readers, are meant to as well. I cannot disagree more strongly. The very idea is baffling to me, and seems it could only be supported by failing to read the last 50 pages. We have access to both these men's thoughts, and both repeatedly make bone-headed decisions based on their rivalry--and ultimately pay a steep price. Larry literally acknowledges internally that he is harming his families chances for survival but is so hell-bent on proving his masculinity that he does so anyway.

So how do things go for these two men? Larry, in the beginning of the third act, in a crisis of masculinity, attempts to single handedly solve his families dilemma with a grand heroic gesture--which fails miserably and leaves him off screen and incapacitated for the remainder of the book. And Kenny? after repeatedly fantasizing about how badass he'll look when he saves his dumb nerd brother, he also makes a stupid high-risk decision that ultimately gets himself and his best friend killed, without ever even reaching the island or having any positive impact whatsoever for our main family. These events leave Larry's wife to become the main character and basically go rambo and take on the entire pack single-handedly in the climax, saving her family while the two men in her life one might expect to help are dead or unconscious after dumb attempts at proving themselves and one-upping each other.

The top review on goodreads decribes the message of the book as men showing their women who's boss. After reading the climax of the book, I think this reviewer must have missed something, or simply didn't finish the book. If anything, this is a book about men attempting, and miserably failing at this. Larry is shown to be a weak insecure man driven into terrible decisions by said weakness and insecurity--THIS IS ON PURPOSE! We as the reader are meant to see this! When he has an internal rant about showing his wife how tough he is, we are SUPOSSED to judge this and see how wrongheaded it is, as ensuing events make clear. His flaws are central to everything. While mileage may vary here, I thought the failing, frayed marriage at the center of everything was a good inclusion, it made things more tense--our central couple both have deeply uncharitable thoughts about the other at times, which is stressful--while we need these two at the top of their game, and focused on survival, they get sidetracked with pettiness. For me this increases tension, but it is fair to say that our characters here are not highly likeable. I think their flaws make them more interesting, but if you need your heroes just being constantly heroic this is not a book for you.

I don't want to mislead--this book isn't exactly a feminist work, it's from the 70s and feels like it in a lot of ways, but the idea that this is a book about tough guys being cool, is just so wildly unsupported by the actual text.

[Garth · Rating 3 out of 5]

2024: A Year in Paperback Hell

May: Not the worst of Hell this year, but not the best. Interesting concept, though. Do people (or did they) really get holiday/vacation pets that they would just abandon? I came of age in the 70’s and have never heard of this.

[Francisco · Rating 4 out of 5]

The last volume, up until now, in the Paperbacks from Hell reprint collection is a short and sweet animal attack novel. In this story a bunch of dogs get abandoned by families vacationing on an island off the Northeast coast of the US and form a pack. In winter, as food gets scarce they start searching for new sources of food holding a resentment against the humans who abandoned them. We follow a family returning to the husband's parents' house in the Island and they inevitably get involved with the titular pack. 

This is a pretty exciting book, the last 50 or so pages are pretty riveting, in fact, and it is smart enough to upend a lot of the stereotypes that are to be expected in the genre. For example, Diane, the family's mother, starts off the book being described as this urbanite model who is pretty much good for nothing, while all the men are these rugged island people. In many books this would actually be the status quo throughout the book, here things take much more interesting turns.

If anything the book is a study on toxic masculinity. All these heroic males just get their ass handed to them, by the sea, by the dogs and by their sheer fucking hubris. In the end it's the urbanite woman who has to step up to save the day and show herself to be more competent than any of the men in the story. In fact even her mother-in-law was the one who also got close to solving the problem, if only she hadn't left her keys in the house. All in all a really fun, smart and often riveting home invasion, animal attack horror novel.

[Laurie Thurston · Rating 3 out of 5]

Oh, man. I read this book when I was 12, maybe 13. My mom was horrified I'd read it and I remember being crazy traumatized about this fast-paced animal horror story. For some reason, I got thinking about it and found a used copy on Amazon that I just finished re-reading this week. Funny how I can't remember half of what happened last week, but I remembered EXACTLY how that book I first read nearly 40 years ago began and ended. And I was right. And I'm newly traumatized :)

[Jason Bergman · Rating 3 out of 5]

An enjoyable horror novel that doesn't overstay its welcome. It starts slow, but about halfway through it hits its stride. It's fairly straightforward, and doesn't over-complicate things, and it lacks the ugliness that makes Cujo so painful to read. Not a glowing endorsement, but again, I enjoyed it.

[James S. · Rating 2 out of 5]

A horror novel that's hard for me to review, because while nothing in particular is wrong with it - the writing and characterization are fine, the scenario has potential - I never felt any suspense, let alone fear. Perhaps it's just that I don't find little dogs to be scary. Overall, a mediocre book.

[Walter · Rating 1 out of 5]

Poorly written and miserably designed animal attack thriller. You can tell from page one the author doesn’t like any of the characters and you just wait for all the gotcha demises. Another grim and sullen entry into the PAPERBACKS FROM HELL series.

[stink · Rating 2 out of 5]

I knew just from the introduction that this was going to be the same tone as those cheap 70’s horror flicks. Riddled with tropes, extremely one note characters, and just completely unbelievable motives behind actions. The exit plans the husband and wife come up with are so over the top, I could write individual essays about what’s wrong with each “solution.” It really just seems like these characters want to escape in the most difficult way possible. The children in this book seem to be forgotten about 90% of the time, by the author and therefore the characters, and the children themselves seem completely oblivious to any level of danger happening around them. The character writing is just so silly, it genuinely made me laugh out loud at certain points. Bouncing off that point though, I did have a good time reading The Pack. If you’re looking for a quick, easy read and some fun horror not meant to be taken so seriously, then I would recommend this book.

Ps. I did think it interesting, whether purposefully written or coincidental irony, that all of the male characters on Burrows Island keep pointing out that “dogs are animals, and don’t have human intelligence. Therefore, we can’t possibly lose.” And then proceed to fail miserably at every attempt to fight back.

[Frod Potornich · Rating 1 out of 5]

Excites my misanthropy like no other. Currently 1/3 through the book and feel nothing but loathing, sadness, and misery at the thought of reaching the end. It's a book about men wishing they were Men, the horrid women they are married to, how fickle and cruel city folk are, how country folk excuse passive cruelty for "the way of things", and a bunch of dogs that have been abandoned to starvation and the elements, and ultimately pushed to their limit. If this were a book about the dogs exacting ultimate vengeance on a bunch of despicable people, I'd be all in. As it is, it's more about how elated some dickhead is now that he can berate his wife for being a useless city woman, while simultaneously feeling like a Man for killing the dogs that I'm rooting for.

It makes sense that Joe Don Baker (of MST3K's "Mitchell" fame) starred in the movie version of this. I can't imagine a better avatar for the boneheaded 70s masculinity bullshit that occurs between these covers. I'm going to stop reading now so that I can freely imagine that the dogs kill everyone and create a dog-run society/brutal conqueror's paradise, instead of the idiotic massacre that I'm sure ends up happening.

[Art Vandelay · Rating 4 out of 5]

After multiple families of dicks leave dogs on an island to die in the woods during the brutal winters, the dogs rightfully turn on the humans. Our main character, Larry, brings his family onto the island to try to convince his parents to come live with him in the city since the island's population has dwindled to 5 elderly couples. Larry is a great, flawed character doing his best in the situation—he admits his shortcomings as a manly man. The storyline is similar to Cujo. Most of the book is about the family trapped in their house during a storm after the dogs declare war on their former masters. The book is able to keep the tension at a decent level—either through the dogs vs. Larry or the tension between Larry and his materialistic wife or his rebellious little brother.

There are some dog POV passages that are a little silly, but the book plays it straight most of the time. I will say if you're sensitive to violence against dogs, this one may not be for you. There is plenty of detailed carnage at the expense of some of the dogs. I enjoyed it for what it was.