Dogs of War
Page turning
Compelling
Cerebral

Dogs of War

A NEW SCIENTIST BOOK OF THE YEAR. My name is Rex. I am a good dog. Rex is also seven foot tall at the shoulder, bulletproof, bristling with heavy calibre weaponry and his voice resonates with subsonics especially designed to instil fear. With Dragon, Honey and Bees, he's part of a Multiform Assault Pack operating in the lawless anarchy of Campeche, Mexico. A genetically engineered Bioform, he's a deadly weapon in a dirty war. All he wants to be is a Good Dog. And to do that he must do exactly what Master says and Master says he's got to kill a lot of enemies. But who, exactly, are the enemies? What happens when Master is tried as a war criminal? What rights does the Geneva Convention grant weapons? Do Rex and his fellow Bioforms even have a right to exist? And what happens when Rex slips his leash?
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Reviews

Photo of Karl Ansell
Karl Ansell@twotonteddy
5 stars
Jan 15, 2024

One of the best books I've read over the last few years and brings out such emotion that very few books ever have.

+5
Photo of Janice Hopper
Janice Hopper@archergal
3 stars
Nov 2, 2022

So... what if Murderbot were a very large dog construct, but with Master issues? That's what I started thinking about part way through this book. But it's entirely possible I have a small Murderbot fixation. Rex, a modified and enhanced soldier built on a canine framework, is happy to be a Good Dog, and to please his Master. But what if Master is a Bad Man? His fellow modified and enhanced soldier built on a BEAR framework is Honey. Honey is smarter than the people who made her thought she'd be. She's smart enough to start to question what Master wants her to do. And of course, she doesn't have the canine hard-wiring that Rex does, the stuff that makes him want to be a Good Dog and to obey Master. I went into this book with high expectations, but was somewhat disappointed. The author leaned pretty heavily into the "I AM DOG, I MUST OBEY" idea, somewhat to the detriment of the story. Anybody who owns a dog knows that may not be exactly true. (Of course, domestic dogs don't have actual electrical feedback circuits that have been wired into their brains either.) I thought the book got a bit more interesting toward the end. But honest to doG, the villain was cartoonish. Could have been better for me, but not too bad.

Photo of Sunyi Dean
Sunyi Dean@sunyidean
5 stars
Dec 17, 2021

Another brilliant book I'm floored and surprised l over again. As ever not a book I could have imagined reading or being written but it far exceeded its own simple premise to deep dive into all kinds of artificial life exploration. Just brilliantly thought out and sad and engaging.

Photo of Ben Nathan
Ben Nathan@benreadssff
5 stars
Sep 15, 2021

Amazing everything. Great characters, use of technology, speculation about the direction we go. Everything. I love this book.

Photo of Gordon McLean
Gordon McLean@gordon
5 stars
Jun 1, 2021

Stunning vision of the near future Are you a Good Dog? Do you obey your Master? What if that comes with a price? A near future view of a world of Bioforms and more. Intelligent, moving, thought provoking.

Photo of Spaceghost
Spaceghost @spaceghost
4 stars
Dec 12, 2022
Photo of Sunky
Sunky@heysunny
5 stars
Jul 23, 2024
Photo of Nora
Nora @ngoldie
5 stars
Jun 1, 2023
Photo of Tomas Vadovic
Tomas Vadovic@ciganik
3 stars
Jan 27, 2023
Photo of Chris G
Chris G@encima
4 stars
Dec 2, 2022
Photo of Sara Piteira
Sara Piteira @sararsp
5 stars
Oct 31, 2022
Photo of Vanessa
Vanessa @nasa
4 stars
Aug 19, 2022
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Isa s@purzel
4 stars
Dec 14, 2021
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Marcel@marcel
4 stars
Aug 13, 2021
Photo of Chris G
Chris G@encima
4 stars
Aug 12, 2021
Photo of Stef
Stef@stef
4 stars
Jul 27, 2021