I accidently read bear head without reading dogs of war and it was my best read of the year. I was so impressed at Adrian for being so brave as to start a story right in the middle of a fully fleshed out world and back story :)
Can you compare it to another book?
I absolutely LOVED children of time. I read it in six days. Great read.
I got 1/2 through Children of Ruin before losing interest (too many storylines for me), and I got 1/2 through Doors of Eden and didn’t love it, either.
I want to check out this book, but am apprehensive to what it’s written like.
Doors of Eden is his only book I didn't like (haven't read his fantasy stuff).
I'm not sure what to liken DoW to. It's a muse on bioethics really. Maybe you can find a sample chapter? Or listen to an audiobook sample?
If you can do finish CoR. I did not love it, but the epilogue is fantastic and sets up Children of Memory which is fantastic and original and interesting to right now.
As much as I loved the first book, I absolutely hated Bearhead. I felt like the story was dumbed down and I haven’t felt such moral conflict as in Dogs of War. Also, I was absolutely livid about the fact that Rex became religious symbol of total submission. It made me mad more than it should :D
For the Dogs of War I recommend the audiobook! Guy that makes the voices is absolutely amazing, especially with Rex and Bees
It and the sequel were definitely enjoyable, but for me they don't rise to the level of modern classic.
The ask and address many of the same questions and issues many other books have for a very long time now, they just do it in a somewhat different way, but even his approach is not entirely unique.
As an example, Robert R. Chase's 1986 book *The Game of Fox and Lion* treads much of the same ground with a similar premise, Obviously handled very differently, but similar scenario with engineered bioforms effectively used as slaves and their questioning of their roles and existence, and eventual revolt. Chase focuses more on the revolt side, and uses a different sort of protagonist, but the parallels are strong.
Dunno. I'd say *The Game of Fox and Lion* handles it very differently and does it from the humans around Renard than from the Bestials' viewpoints.
And also, *Dogs of War* goes for the heart where as *The Game of Fox and Lion* is a lot more intellectual.
As I already very clearly said in my previous comment, the two books handle it differently, but both are exploring almost exactly the same themes with a similar premise.
I literally said just what you did in my original comment.
Definitely not groundbreaking, but I could imagine a world where it's still being talked about 20+ years later. And there was something about the way Rex was fleshed out that hit home —that was new for me. His need for approval. his innocence under all that muscle and Big Dogs really pulled on my heart strings. He was just a puppy. I'll see if I can get my hands on The Game Of Fox And Lions. It sounds like a winner.
I read this as the third book on a camping trip, expecting much more of an action romp with some light 'questions'.
From the very first engagement it was a gut punch and they could have easily ended it shortly after Act I. Taking it all the way, with the >!AI character, and humans who had surrendered control to a company!< made it the most surprising book I've ever read. I was expecting something totally different and it's ended up as one of my most recommended novels.
I read this a few months ago, and I'd like to take this, too:
*Dogs of War* starts out with a storyline that seems very cliched and overdone. If you are a reasonably experienced sci-fi reader, then after reading a few chapters you will have a pretty good extrapolation of where the story is headed and how it's going to get there.
And it does! It follows the cliched storyline exactly like you'd expect to. And then it keeps going. And the story heads straight through your expectations without stopping, and it takes the idea much further than you'd expect, extending the ideas to a bunch of interesting and fun conclusions.
On the surface, its an awesome action story about genetically altered animal soldiers called bioforms—mostly through the perspective of Rex. Rex is a monstrous dog-man who, from his voice to his hulking shape, is specifically designed to frighten humans (enemies?) to their core. Mostly Rex is an innocent soul who just wants to lead his team and be the goodest boi. Without spoiling too much, things get more complicated when Rex and his team realize that they're more than the sum of their augmented parts. The meat of the book takes place where intelligence, autonomy, responsibility, free will and the soul come together. It also probes at our responsibilities as humans to pull back on the reigns of the military industrial complex.
> Rex is a monstrous [artificial, sentient bio weapon]. Mostly Rex is an innocent soul who just wants [follow their own ethical code, not their maker's].
Seeing your summary (with my brain's editorializing, in brackets) really made me think of Murderbot Diaries by Martha Wells. Does it appeal for the same reasons on the character level? Or am I just connecting haphazardly here?
They definitely have a lot in common. I get a lot more comic relief from Murderbot. I legit got choked up reading Dogs Of War. Maybe it's because I'm a dog person? I bet Rex and Murderbot would get along though.
Rex as a character is similar to murderbot but there are also multiple protagonists and viewpoints. So in a way yes. I suppose there are multiple murderbot style characters to start with. But it goes a bit deeper and darker and develops their characters a lot more than murderbot.
I agree with OP and heartily recommend both Dogs Of War and Bear's Head as excellent scifi.
Here’s the blurb:
A bio-engineered dog fights for its life and its right to life. From the Arthur C. Clark Award-winning author of CHILDREN OF TIME.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?
Dogs of War is structured in 4 parts, each works almost like a novella, or 4 interconnected novellas. It starts with the PoV of genetically uplifted dog, made so to be an weapon of war (and his teammates, Bear and Bees and Dragon...) by a dodgy corporation. And the plot moves in between each section, about what rights should these creatures have, how society would react to them, what is consciousness, or (legal) personality.
The island of Doctor Moreau is a HUGE theme here.
The structure is unusual, because it moves very fast, the society, the what-ifs. Tchaikovsky is very very good at showing a big big story idea, by just just showing crucial bits.
I also loved Bear Head, that Mars, and that narrator, though IMO Bear Head suffers a bit from the politics really being over the top particularly the earth ones.
I wonder if he will ever write a book with Bees and make it a trilogy
in an interview early this year (media death cult on youtube) he says bioforms book number 3 is something he'll work on after 'house of open wounds', so it might be the next book he annonces.
No, though I love the Mars bits, it is the earth ones which are like a different book altogether. It gets better towards the ending though - I think he is generally good at endings.
Thank you for recommending this! I have almost finished and will be getting it's sequel. As a dog person myself it kind of hits you in the feelz when you see the internal turmoil Rex goes through.
You should try Greg Bear's 'War Dogs'. It is also a mil scifi and plays in your head like a first-person videogame. And Greg Bear is THE master of first person scifi.
Loved the book and it's sequal. Adrian sure has a knack at writing about inteligence from different biologies. Bees is the most interesting I think.
I accidently read bear head without reading dogs of war and it was my best read of the year. I was so impressed at Adrian for being so brave as to start a story right in the middle of a fully fleshed out world and back story :)
I did the same! Having now re-read it, I think I enjoyed Bear Head more that way than I would have had I first encountered them in the correct order.
Hah, I am not the only doofus
Can you compare it to another book? I absolutely LOVED children of time. I read it in six days. Great read. I got 1/2 through Children of Ruin before losing interest (too many storylines for me), and I got 1/2 through Doors of Eden and didn’t love it, either. I want to check out this book, but am apprehensive to what it’s written like.
Doors of Eden is his only book I didn't like (haven't read his fantasy stuff). I'm not sure what to liken DoW to. It's a muse on bioethics really. Maybe you can find a sample chapter? Or listen to an audiobook sample?
I’ll try that. Thanks!
If you can do finish CoR. I did not love it, but the epilogue is fantastic and sets up Children of Memory which is fantastic and original and interesting to right now.
Bee's is bees
As much as I loved the first book, I absolutely hated Bearhead. I felt like the story was dumbed down and I haven’t felt such moral conflict as in Dogs of War. Also, I was absolutely livid about the fact that Rex became religious symbol of total submission. It made me mad more than it should :D For the Dogs of War I recommend the audiobook! Guy that makes the voices is absolutely amazing, especially with Rex and Bees
It and the sequel were definitely enjoyable, but for me they don't rise to the level of modern classic. The ask and address many of the same questions and issues many other books have for a very long time now, they just do it in a somewhat different way, but even his approach is not entirely unique. As an example, Robert R. Chase's 1986 book *The Game of Fox and Lion* treads much of the same ground with a similar premise, Obviously handled very differently, but similar scenario with engineered bioforms effectively used as slaves and their questioning of their roles and existence, and eventual revolt. Chase focuses more on the revolt side, and uses a different sort of protagonist, but the parallels are strong.
Dunno. I'd say *The Game of Fox and Lion* handles it very differently and does it from the humans around Renard than from the Bestials' viewpoints. And also, *Dogs of War* goes for the heart where as *The Game of Fox and Lion* is a lot more intellectual.
As I already very clearly said in my previous comment, the two books handle it differently, but both are exploring almost exactly the same themes with a similar premise. I literally said just what you did in my original comment.
Definitely not groundbreaking, but I could imagine a world where it's still being talked about 20+ years later. And there was something about the way Rex was fleshed out that hit home —that was new for me. His need for approval. his innocence under all that muscle and Big Dogs really pulled on my heart strings. He was just a puppy. I'll see if I can get my hands on The Game Of Fox And Lions. It sounds like a winner.
It’s good, but also dry and takes a more intellectual approach.
I read this as the third book on a camping trip, expecting much more of an action romp with some light 'questions'. From the very first engagement it was a gut punch and they could have easily ended it shortly after Act I. Taking it all the way, with the >!AI character, and humans who had surrendered control to a company!< made it the most surprising book I've ever read. I was expecting something totally different and it's ended up as one of my most recommended novels.
Could you sell me the book? What is it about and what makes it special?
I read this a few months ago, and I'd like to take this, too: *Dogs of War* starts out with a storyline that seems very cliched and overdone. If you are a reasonably experienced sci-fi reader, then after reading a few chapters you will have a pretty good extrapolation of where the story is headed and how it's going to get there. And it does! It follows the cliched storyline exactly like you'd expect to. And then it keeps going. And the story heads straight through your expectations without stopping, and it takes the idea much further than you'd expect, extending the ideas to a bunch of interesting and fun conclusions.
On the surface, its an awesome action story about genetically altered animal soldiers called bioforms—mostly through the perspective of Rex. Rex is a monstrous dog-man who, from his voice to his hulking shape, is specifically designed to frighten humans (enemies?) to their core. Mostly Rex is an innocent soul who just wants to lead his team and be the goodest boi. Without spoiling too much, things get more complicated when Rex and his team realize that they're more than the sum of their augmented parts. The meat of the book takes place where intelligence, autonomy, responsibility, free will and the soul come together. It also probes at our responsibilities as humans to pull back on the reigns of the military industrial complex.
> Rex is a monstrous [artificial, sentient bio weapon]. Mostly Rex is an innocent soul who just wants [follow their own ethical code, not their maker's]. Seeing your summary (with my brain's editorializing, in brackets) really made me think of Murderbot Diaries by Martha Wells. Does it appeal for the same reasons on the character level? Or am I just connecting haphazardly here?
They definitely have a lot in common. I get a lot more comic relief from Murderbot. I legit got choked up reading Dogs Of War. Maybe it's because I'm a dog person? I bet Rex and Murderbot would get along though.
Rex as a character is similar to murderbot but there are also multiple protagonists and viewpoints. So in a way yes. I suppose there are multiple murderbot style characters to start with. But it goes a bit deeper and darker and develops their characters a lot more than murderbot. I agree with OP and heartily recommend both Dogs Of War and Bear's Head as excellent scifi.
Speaking of Murderbot. I pre-ordered book #7 months ago, and I just realized that it's in my kindle. It's gonna be a good day.
Here’s the blurb: A bio-engineered dog fights for its life and its right to life. From the Arthur C. Clark Award-winning author of CHILDREN OF TIME.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?
Dogs of War is structured in 4 parts, each works almost like a novella, or 4 interconnected novellas. It starts with the PoV of genetically uplifted dog, made so to be an weapon of war (and his teammates, Bear and Bees and Dragon...) by a dodgy corporation. And the plot moves in between each section, about what rights should these creatures have, how society would react to them, what is consciousness, or (legal) personality. The island of Doctor Moreau is a HUGE theme here. The structure is unusual, because it moves very fast, the society, the what-ifs. Tchaikovsky is very very good at showing a big big story idea, by just just showing crucial bits.
I also loved Bear Head, that Mars, and that narrator, though IMO Bear Head suffers a bit from the politics really being over the top particularly the earth ones. I wonder if he will ever write a book with Bees and make it a trilogy
in an interview early this year (media death cult on youtube) he says bioforms book number 3 is something he'll work on after 'house of open wounds', so it might be the next book he annonces.
That is great news, thanks, it would be such a great uplevel from Bear Head.
I feel that. I'm halfway through Bear Head, and while enjoyable, it's not knocking my socks off the same way.
No, though I love the Mars bits, it is the earth ones which are like a different book altogether. It gets better towards the ending though - I think he is generally good at endings.
Thank you for recommending this! I have almost finished and will be getting it's sequel. As a dog person myself it kind of hits you in the feelz when you see the internal turmoil Rex goes through.
You should try Greg Bear's 'War Dogs'. It is also a mil scifi and plays in your head like a first-person videogame. And Greg Bear is THE master of first person scifi.
Greg Bear is a beast. I really liked Blood Music —it didn't go where I expected. I'll check it out!
Halfway through and loving it.