by Kirsten Bakis
ISBN: 0340685964
This is a first novel with an unusual premise: dogs who have been genetically and surgically altered
show up in the Manhattan of the near future. And the dogs are rich.
We learn about the twisted scientist who was driven to create the dogs, and how they came to New York.
Most of the story is told from the point of view of a young woman who is invited in to the monster dogs
inner circle. These circumstances focus the reader’s attention on the novel’s big question:
what makes a “monster” and what is it that makes a “human”?
There were few missteps in this novel: most notably the inclusion of a letter which didn’t ring true,
and did nothing to advance the story. I wish Bakis had trusted her readers a bit more on this point; most
of the time she trusts us to be using our brain.
In the end, Bakis promises to reveal more of secret than she does. This left me feeling not cheated, but
with a vague sense of disappointment. She had me believing she was going to deliver the goods. It was an
interesting ride, though. Worth a read.
