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nwhyte's review against another edition
5.0
https://nwhyte.livejournal.com/3424586.html
As a kid I hugely enjoyed Diana Wynne Jones' Dogsbody and A.M. Lightner's Star Dog (the latter long out of print), both of which centre around the relationship between a human and a puppy which has been born with unearthly powers due to extraterrestrial intervention. Here, the eponymous Sirius is the product of human intervention, enhanced to superior intellectual abilities and also much longer lifespan. I've read a lot of Stapledon's cosmic fiction before, and not always been hugely impressed; I found Sirius much easier to relate to both as a book and as a character. Sure, it draws heavily on Frankenstein, but I think Stapledon brings a lot of new material to his source - most particulary the intense relationship between dog and girl. You know of course where it is going to end, but it kept me very engaged until we got there.
As a kid I hugely enjoyed Diana Wynne Jones' Dogsbody and A.M. Lightner's Star Dog (the latter long out of print), both of which centre around the relationship between a human and a puppy which has been born with unearthly powers due to extraterrestrial intervention. Here, the eponymous Sirius is the product of human intervention, enhanced to superior intellectual abilities and also much longer lifespan. I've read a lot of Stapledon's cosmic fiction before, and not always been hugely impressed; I found Sirius much easier to relate to both as a book and as a character. Sure, it draws heavily on Frankenstein, but I think Stapledon brings a lot of new material to his source - most particulary the intense relationship between dog and girl. You know of course where it is going to end, but it kept me very engaged until we got there.
salixa's review against another edition
4.0
The blurb on the back says "Probably the finest novel with a non human protagonist ever written." I would have to agree. Sirius is a complex creature in a complex world. There are some things that he does that one would not agree with but, as with his contemporaries and his fictional biographer, one finds sympathy for his unique plight. Moreover Sirius' commentary about the human race is interesting and revealing.
mickbordet's review against another edition
4.0
An enjoyable story and commentary on the human condition as seen through the eyes of a dog, though I found it to be lacking in emotion in places where it would otherwise have served well.
larissa_rowan's review against another edition
3.0
Youtube review is heeerreee: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hEKFdwwA7OM
gildius's review against another edition
4.0
I found this book really interesting. Although it is quite old-fashioned in style and sometimes seems more like a vehicle for a philosophical or political treatise than a story, if you want your mind bent and your thoughts well and truly provoked, 'Sirius' is excellent.
Read my full review on my blog:
http://www.50ayear.com/2017/06/23/24-sirius-olaf-stapledon/
Read my full review on my blog:
http://www.50ayear.com/2017/06/23/24-sirius-olaf-stapledon/
zanbaldwin's review against another edition
3.0
Whilst I wouldn't say this was the most enjoyable book to read, it is one that should be read. Review to come shortly.
quinten's review against another edition
3.0
The middle part of this book is slow going and it was hard to pick up but the ending was very strong. Due to this middle part it doesn't get as much stars as it could.
Still a great book and a fascinating topic!
Still a great book and a fascinating topic!
frostling's review against another edition
3.0
Interesting novel about a super-intelligent dog and his conflicting Wolf-Human nature. Unfortunately for him, he is the only one of his kind, and he soon gets confronted to bad people, who drive him, literally crazy.
I enjoyed the first 100 pages, and then found it rather repetitive as the relationship with Paxy, (his Human friend), gets told over and over again. She wants to be with her friends, and she is cold to him, which drives him to develop his Wolf instincts.
Due to this conflict in him, he was never going to adapt and be a ‘good dog’, who can write, read and create music. No, eating raw flesh from sheep and even Humans is too seriously attractive to Sirius, who is, then, pretty much a serial killer...
I enjoyed the first 100 pages, and then found it rather repetitive as the relationship with Paxy, (his Human friend), gets told over and over again. She wants to be with her friends, and she is cold to him, which drives him to develop his Wolf instincts.
Due to this conflict in him, he was never going to adapt and be a ‘good dog’, who can write, read and create music. No, eating raw flesh from sheep and even Humans is too seriously attractive to Sirius, who is, then, pretty much a serial killer...
victortanasa's review
3.0
Good read that explores various aspects of humanity, but the fact that it's written like a biography keeps me from getting really attached to the charaters.