Well, I am sad to say that this book didn't work for me. I was very excited to start it and LOVED the gorgeous cover but I didn't enjoy this story. It was very dream-like and that's fine if I am invested in the main character but Karen didn't come alive for me. She was very bland and slightly annoying and though she tried to come across as a bad ass bitch she ran screaming to the menfolk whenever something scary occurred and that was annoying. Many people love and adore this story but I had some issues that I cannot ignore. Here are a few of them:

*An unclear timeline. Someone's lover dies (goes missing?) 6 months previous and this someone later says he's been trying to have sexy times with another guy for the past 6 months. WTF? That makes you a creepy jerk with no loyalty or feelings!

*Unrealistic and sometimes cringy dialogue. "Don't flatter yourself bi-boy" #NoJustNo

*Inconsistent characterization. One character is described as the quickest to laugh and 4 pages later he's a "gloomy Gus". Make Up Your Mind.

*It wasn't scary (to me).

*There was too much tedious telling and not enough showing.

*A lack of well done atmosphere. I should've felt a chill but I didn't.

*A character states animals do not have feelings. Screw you, Rory! Animals do too have feelings #SorryNotSorry

I'm giving it two stars because the dog Dusty lives. And you can yell at me for revealing that but if you are a dog person you NEED to know!

I wish I could write a positive review but I have to be honest.

Petsy Dog Shop is one of the best online pet accessories shop in USA. The store is offering standard products.

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We start to recommend you the leather dog collars with name. Because they are sophisticated, trendy, durable and secure.

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In a blink of an eye, Christmas arrives. The stores are decorated in red, gold, and lights and Christmas songs are playing.It’s magic.

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I have now culled more than 8,000 pieces of paper from my home.  Photocopied books and partial books and notes from books have been scanned into PDFs and the paper delivered for recycling.  There is still more of that to go, but 8,000 seems like a good start.

After a very chilly day yesterday, today's weather was almost perfect for being in the studio.  I spent more than five hours cleaning, organizing, and working on small sewing projects that went into suspended animation when hot weather arrived in early May.  These sewing projects are craft items that will be added to my inventory for art shows or listed on my Etsy store. www.etsy.com/shop/AZAngelFeathers

Though my scanner is still being contrary, I've managed to scan the covers, TOCs, and some sample pages of old craft books and magazines to be destashed via the Etsy store.  Some go back to the 1970s.  I don't need them and they are just taking up room.  Though I've only listed a few today, I will continue to add more over the next week or so.  Any profits will go toward my Big Decision fund.  If they don't sell, I'll probably just donate them to the library.

Tomorrow I have to take Moby down to the vet for a check-up on his arthritis or whatever it is.  He loves getting into the car -- and then refuses to get out once we're there.  I have to get the techs to help me haul him out when we arrive and lift him back in when we leave, then let him make up his mind when we return home.  Last time I think he sat curled in the back seat for half an hour or so before he finally climbed out.

He is twelve and a half -- and 85 pounds -- so I don't force him. 

★ ★ ★ 1/2 (rounded up)
This originally appeared at The Irresponsible Reader.
---

Of course, the humans couldn't go alone. There had to be dogs. Because wherever humans went dogs came along. Like rats, only more helpful. Dogs would herd livestock. Dogs would keep watch against the unknown. And, more importantly, dogs would keep the human crew company during the long spaceflight, and on their new home, far away from Earth.

 

But first they had to get there.

I guess this is technically a "Middle Grade" book -- but forget about that. Call it All-Ages instead -- that way, adults and YA readers and . . . everyone can enjoy this SF guilt-free. I should also include this line from The Big Idea post Van Eekhout wrote on Scalzi's blog: "Spoiler: I don’t kill off any of the dogs in this book. Why not? Because I’m not a monster, that’s why not." It's important to get that out of the way.

Let's start with this: the rationale to bring dogs along on a spaceship. It's brilliant. It also points to one of the biggest problems with Starfleet, the Colonial Battle Fleet, the Serenity, etc. A lack of animals. Sure, NCC 1701-D had pets (not that we saw them often), but they were sealed up in cabins. And Firefly's episode "Safe" had cattle, but that was an oddity. The animals aboard Laika are there for purposes -- like the main character, Lopside. He's there to hunt rats -- where there are humans and cargo, there are rats. Something small and fast -- and with a good nose -- is needed to hunt rats down.

The book will do a better job explaining the roles of the other three dogs and what advances in breeding have led to dogs being capable of being more than the dogs we have today -- while still remaining dogs -- to become Barkonauts.

These poor, brave dogs go into the hibernation state just before the humans do to complete the voyage to a nearby star system as part of human exploration and colonization, the first mission like this humanity has tried. But when the dogs wake up, they notice something's wrong -- part of the ship is missing, as is the crew.

They're too far into the mission to turn around, too far away for a rescue mission to reach them. At this point, Lopside and the others have to try to salvage what they can and limp along to their final destination.

Lopside is a terrier mix, he's brave, he has (understandably) abandonment issues -- which are not helped at all by the absence of the humans. He's a little scatter-brained (like a good terrier) and he's incredibly loyal and has a great heart. The other barkonauts are as well-drawn and lovable.

Van Eekhout is clearly a dog-lover and it comes out in his characters. He's also a pretty good story-teller, because even with that spoiler, I was invested in the outcome and really wasn't sure how he was going to pull things off in a way that was satisfying and that wouldn't reduce semi-sensitive 5th-graders across the globe to quivering balls of tears (a lesson Wilson Rawls could've used, I have to say -- no, I'm not still torn up about Old Dan and Little Ann, why do you ask?). He does succeed in that -- although some might get a bit misty at a point or two. It's a fun and creative story, and takes some oft-repeated SF tropes and deals with them in a refreshing way.

Ignore the stars -- I can't bring myself to give it more, I don't know why. Pay attention to what I have said above and this: read the book. It'll warm your heart, it'll make you make you a little sad, it'll give you something to grin about -- and it tells a good story, too. What more do you want?