Fifteen Dogs

When reviewing a book such as this one, in which dogs are given human-like powers and intellect, I find it interesting to compare 15 Dogs to Jack London's books, in which dogs, also Canadian ones to boot, are given or at least attributed similar capabilities. Of course for Alexis' Dogs the powers are divinely granted whereas for London's the powers are more primeval, more Mother-Natural if we will, but the comparison is still of value. Which dogs come out ahead? Survival in winter: London's would seem to do better than Alexis', although ultimately both would need humans. Ability to deal with an aggressive man: Alexis' can dodge a dog-catcher whereas London's can hide from a gun. But these are facile comparisons. The key is in the poetry; it always is. Alexis deeply wants to believe, and wants us to believe as well, that poetry gives an edge to human and canine alike. London, well, his poetry is not recited like Alexis', but rather only occasionally felt in the harmony between man, nature, and dog. Perhaps poetry is the mark of higher intellect, meaning nothing yet everything, the closest we get to the divine. London never got that far and Alexis did, so that should settle it, but in all fairness perhaps Alexis could not have gotten where he got without London in the background. Great book Andre.

The gods' wager and the book's premise - will 15 dogs die in a happy or unhappy state after having been granted human conscience and language - is haunting. Events start like rivulets, then forming into creeks as the characters and destinies of the dogs and the pack develop, to finally, with the last surviving dog, becoming a large and unfathomably wide river full of unanswered secrets and questions about what represents a good life and a good death, and what eventually remains as eternal. Pity for those who abandon the book too early upstream!Based on the premise of the wager, the book obviously has a philosophical bent, but never do the dogs in the story become mere 'canine' humans though. They retain their 'dogginess' throughout despite their ability to think rationally in human terms and to understand and speak human language. This makes their ability to reflect on the human and their own condition in an urban setting all the more alluring. A worthy modern parable for our times.

Am I dense or...I don't know. I was intrigued enough to keep reading, but it felt overly pretentious. Or maybe it was just above me and I resented that. Was it about possessing human intelligence or was it just about death...since that's all that any of them amounted to. I still don't know what the point was and I'm sad to have read about 15 dogs dying. Now I'm uncomfortAble when my dog stares at me. I might recommend it to a friend just so I can ask them what the check does it at all mean?

This is a very solid book, well-written, thoughtful and thought-provoking. A story that starts with a conversation between Olympian deities in a bar in Toronto as the preamble to a fable about talking dogs might now sound all that promising but the story is so well written and the messages delivered so clearly without being heavy handed that the reader is carried along without any resistance. I found the story about the dogs touching and affecting and the messages it conveyed about human behaviour meaningful and timely. A very worthwhile read.

It was an odd book. Yet as I read I liked it more. In the end it moved me to tears. I am not quite sure why. Perhaps because of the dogs I have I have loved and lost. Perhaps because of the people I have loved and lost. Perhaps because of the parts of me that I have loved and lost. Perhaps because of the idea of death and the finality of death. It was an odd book. It made me think. It made me for the first time appreciate poetry. An odd but appreciated book.

First amazon book review but felt compelled after reading this book in just a few days. It is not a heavy book and the plot is clear, humorous, and deeply contemplative. There was something captivating about taking such a unique, fresh perspective as dogs with minds fable. What happens when dogs gain human intelligence one sudden moment in their lives? What transgresses is a philosophical awakening. I appreciated that each animal "gifted" with intelligence responds to their new consciousness so differently... each living threads of life through the streets of Toronto.Also, this book is printed BEAUTIFULLY. The paper is thick, the Albertan typeset is beautiful, and the accompanying maps gave a great feel to the book.

15 dogs granted human consciousness by the gods: what will happen to them? Which will triumph: canine consciousness or human? Or will a new, improved creature be created, combining the best of both? The gods keep returning to intervene in the fate of the dogs. This is a philosophically profound work. We watch the dogs descend into human vices: hatred of the other, deception, and even mass murder of their own kind. But we also see them using human gifts: language, creativity, and empathy. The novel concentrates not on all 15 dogs (most don't last very long) but develops a few in depth. Some of the dogs suffer greatly but a few triumph in strange ways. Some of the tales are harrowing and some uplifting. The gods themselves are not that interesting; it is the dogs who are the fascinating characters here.

My bookshelves aren't arranged in any order – just as well, for I have no idea where to put this oddity. It begins in a bar in Toronto, where the Greek gods Hermes and Apollo are having a quiet drink and a discussion about being human and what might happen if animals had human intelligence. Intellectual stuff, and we're only on page 2. Apollo bets Hermes that animals would be even unhappier than humans if they had our intelligence, and Hermes takes on the bet – on condition that if only one animal is happy at the moment of its death, he wins.Leaving the bar, they pass a vet's surgery, and grant human intelligence to the fifteen inmates, from a toy poodle to a Great Dane. From then on, it's the dogs' story – or maybe it's an allegory of the human condition … The dogs have the intelligence to escape the surgery; but one of the fifteen feels she is just too old and set in her ways to change The others form a pack, and that's where the troubles begin. Some of them embrace their new status, one of them finds a poetic voice, another learns that language can be shared with humans and so lead to a deeper master-dog relationship. But for a small group in the pack, “This thinking of yours, black dog, is an endless, dead field. Since the change, I have been alone with thoughts I do not want.” The pack splits violently, and the imaginative ones have to make their own way apart from the other dogs.The effect on the humans they meet is no less dramatic - when Majnoun the big poodle answered a question from his “mistress”, “the woman began breathing quickly, then fell to the floor. Perhaps, thought Majnoun, she's unsure if she understood me right. He looked up at her, nodded and said 'Treat'. This time she cried out and ran from the room in terror.” In time, the two grew close, but for all of the pack, the gift from the gods was too much to bear. For some of the dogs, the only possible response was rejection - is that, perhaps, echoed in some human responses to change ? For at least one dog, the response to rejection was a violent rejection of rejection: do we see something of that sort, again, in human responses to those who reject our common values ?Enough of the heavy speculation – there are plenty passing comic incidents of dog and human values hitting each other head on to lighten the mood; just don't expect a cuddly pet dog tale. It's too gritty for that, and you'll have to read it to find out who won the bet. (Review originally published in the Chesil Magazine, Dorset)

I was beguiled by an interview with the author on Mariella Frostrup's R4 Book Programme to buy this as a Christmas present for my (grown) son who owns a poodle. It seemed an innocent philosophical mind-experiment to imagine dogs given the ability to understand speech. However, make no mistake, it is a tough read - not because it is poorly written but because it is poignant in the extreme and quite often simply tragic. So, unsuitable as a gift, particularly to someone whose dog is poorly! However, if you want to challenge your thinking about what it may be to be a dog, and how ghastly the gap in understanding is between dog and human, and indeed between human and human, read this book!

This is one of the best books I have read in recent years. It is nothing like your average animal story, instead it displays a deep and profound understanding of human (yes, human) imperfections, while still being captivating to a dog lover. Make a note of this author, I for one cannot wait to read more.

A couple of Greek Gods are chilling out in a bar when they decide to give a group of dogs human consciousness for a bet. Gods, eh?André Alexis has fun with the idea, following the dogs as they form a pack and explore their different attitudes to their newly expanded horizons. How do they ensure they retain their essential dogginess? How will they interact with humans and other dogs? How to communicate? The answers vary.It's a whimsical idea, but it's never twee. A fun and entertaining read.

I bought this book because I loved the concept of dogs being given human consciousness. But I have to say I was disappointed. It seems rather randomly put together, I couldn't see why there were so many dogs to start with, I couldn't figure out who was who, but then many of whom don't survive for long - is that what human consciousness does? And the gods interfere at will it seems. And why were none of these strays wandering the streets of the city of Toronot never rounded up by dog catchers? (Am I being too pedantic?) It was as if the writer was making it up as he went along.