The animal experimentation theme is very well done, not overstated (all of the experiments Adams described were real) & while it's obvious where Adams stands, he has the guts to balance the debate with an unexpected portrait of a dying child. Good plot twists, evocative geographical description, a singularly haunting passage about a ghost, great description of snow. The characters, especially the canine ones, are very well-drawn (I'm tempted to call my next dog Rowf). Adams does some wonderful experimentation with the writing in the book, experimentation that draws on a vast literary heritage & demonstrates very wide reading, experimentation that is itself a tribute to his literary forefathers. I have heard the real thing & Adams captures it perfectly. Some of the dialect (especially that of the Tod) will be very difficult for American readers (though it was slightly toned down for American editions) & it's perhaps hard to follow if you've never heard the real thing, but even it is brilliant. Don't start reading Adams with this book-start with 'Watership Down.'. 'The Plague Dogs' isn't nearly as accessible as 'Watership Down' & it's not a children's book.

It is adventurous, it is masterfully poetic, and, though it does not surpass 'Watership Down,' should be considered a remarkable achievement. Yet even so, I recommend this to everyone. Also, I felt that the ending was artificial whereas this book could have had a very moving, tragic ending, it left off on a high note, which is surely desireable, yet makes this novel somewhat forgettable. A dialogue between two humans seems more like a lecture on the evils of animal testing, and is directed at the reader rather than resmbling a realistic conversation (though I enjoyed the brief allusion to 'Watership Down' in there). My only complaint - and this is why I rate it four stars instead of five - is that the story wanes in the last twenty pages or so. These two points of view are weaved together nearly perferctly, creating a story that left me desperate to finish. The story takes place on two fronts: the animal and the human. I read this shortly after reading 'Watership Down,' and was thoroughly pleased.

The plague dogs novel