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thistlechaser's review
3.0
This book was many things, and while I liked most of them, some of them completely didn't work for me.
It was a (very very cool) scifi book. Set on another planet (or moon, to be exact), humans had been colonizing it for 100 years or so, but it was such a harsh, foreign place, they were just starting to get a toehold. The world was so interesting and different -- evolution went the route of fungi instead of mammals. And when you realize all the potential of that... wow, there was just so much to learn and experience! I loved the world so much!
An Oath of Dogs was also a horror book -- intermixed with the current timeline, we saw how bad things were in the first year in the new world. We saw people starving to death. We saw what these people had to do to live...
This book was also a murder mystery, and for me this was the part of it I liked least. A character died before the book started, so for me personally, I really didn't care about it because the reader had no attachment to him. Unfortunately this was the biggest part of the plot.
The story also had a plot about corporate greed/eco-terrorism, and like the murder mystery, it just didn't work for me. Sadly this was the second biggest part of the plot.
While I completely loved the first half of the book, the second half (more focused on the murder mystery/corporate greed plots) dragged some for me. By the last 10%, I was (sadly) ready for the book to be over so I could move on to the next one.
The 'dogs' in the title referred to literal dogs, the animals people can become when times are bad, and sentient dogs (sort of) found on the world this takes place in.
In addition to the moon setting being great, the main characters were really outstanding, too. Interesting, believable, I really enjoyed spending time with them. The main male character was gay and vegan, but that felt natural and not just shoehorned in.
Some of the minor characters... not so much. I have trouble believing that in the future, when we're far enough advanced to be able to live on multiple other worlds, that homophobic insults would still be around. I suppose it could be true, but if we can't put hatred behind us, can we really reach this far into space?
It was a (very very cool) scifi book. Set on another planet (or moon, to be exact), humans had been colonizing it for 100 years or so, but it was such a harsh, foreign place, they were just starting to get a toehold. The world was so interesting and different -- evolution went the route of fungi instead of mammals. And when you realize all the potential of that... wow, there was just so much to learn and experience! I loved the world so much!
An Oath of Dogs was also a horror book -- intermixed with the current timeline, we saw how bad things were in the first year in the new world. We saw people starving to death. We saw what these people had to do to live...
This book was also a murder mystery, and for me this was the part of it I liked least. A character died before the book started, so for me personally, I really didn't care about it because the reader had no attachment to him. Unfortunately this was the biggest part of the plot.
The story also had a plot about corporate greed/eco-terrorism, and like the murder mystery, it just didn't work for me. Sadly this was the second biggest part of the plot.
While I completely loved the first half of the book, the second half (more focused on the murder mystery/corporate greed plots) dragged some for me. By the last 10%, I was (sadly) ready for the book to be over so I could move on to the next one.
The 'dogs' in the title referred to literal dogs, the animals people can become when times are bad, and sentient dogs (sort of) found on the world this takes place in.
In addition to the moon setting being great, the main characters were really outstanding, too. Interesting, believable, I really enjoyed spending time with them. The main male character was gay and vegan, but that felt natural and not just shoehorned in.
Some of the minor characters... not so much. I have trouble believing that in the future, when we're far enough advanced to be able to live on multiple other worlds, that homophobic insults would still be around. I suppose it could be true, but if we can't put hatred behind us, can we really reach this far into space?
tyrshand's review
5.0
What a fascinating novel! I loved the ecology of the planet, the religion that morphed from it, the fact that both main characters came off as prickly but then you get to know them... There are several interesting twists as well.
I feel like I've got a lot to say about it, but so much would be spoilery so you'll just have to read it so we can discuss it.
Though the book is a complete tale, there are plenty of questions left unanswered. I don't know if this means there will be a sequel, but, if not, these aren't the kind of questions that would be maddening. They're interesting ones to ponder and debate, rather than cliffhangers.
I suppose what stands out to me most is that even though a lot of awful things happen on this far off moon, I still picture it as breathtaking and would love to visit.
I feel like I've got a lot to say about it, but so much would be spoilery so you'll just have to read it so we can discuss it.
Though the book is a complete tale, there are plenty of questions left unanswered. I don't know if this means there will be a sequel, but, if not, these aren't the kind of questions that would be maddening. They're interesting ones to ponder and debate, rather than cliffhangers.
I suppose what stands out to me most is that even though a lot of awful things happen on this far off moon, I still picture it as breathtaking and would love to visit.
spiraldots's review against another edition
4.0
Review originally written for my blog
I received this as an e-Arc from the publisher as I'm a big fan of Angry Robot and as soon as I saw the cover for this, I just had to read it. It's a sci-fi novel set on the planet Huginn which is earth-like but with very different native flora and fauna. Kate arrives to find her boss dead and so she slowly tries to figure out what happened as she learns more about the society which compromises mill workers and a group of religious people called Believers.
Kate's story is also interspersed with entries from the diary of one of the Believers back when they first settled on the planet and these are very fascinating as one aspect of Sci-Fi that I love is the early settler period where they are discovering all the differences from earth and trying to figure out how to make a living on the planet.
The characters are all fantastic and I just adore Kate. She has a service dog, Hattie, who is by far one of my favourite characters because I adore dogs. I'm breaking my no-spoilers policy here to mention that Hattie does not die. I spent a lot of the book worrying about that and I would have enjoyed it much more if I'd known that going in, and I also know that some people might not want to read it unless they had that guarantee so don't worry - the dog lives! The other characters are all very interesting too and the Believers in particular are very interesting to read about - especially as you slowly learn more of their history through the diary.
I really enjoyed this novel, it's exactly the kind of Sci-Fi that I adore with strange alien biology, stories of settlers trying to make a living and it has an adorable dog in it. I would definitely recommend this novel to those that enjoy Sci-Fi as it's just excellent and I can't wait for it to be released to I can make my friends read it.
I received this as an e-Arc from the publisher as I'm a big fan of Angry Robot and as soon as I saw the cover for this, I just had to read it. It's a sci-fi novel set on the planet Huginn which is earth-like but with very different native flora and fauna. Kate arrives to find her boss dead and so she slowly tries to figure out what happened as she learns more about the society which compromises mill workers and a group of religious people called Believers.
Kate's story is also interspersed with entries from the diary of one of the Believers back when they first settled on the planet and these are very fascinating as one aspect of Sci-Fi that I love is the early settler period where they are discovering all the differences from earth and trying to figure out how to make a living on the planet.
The characters are all fantastic and I just adore Kate. She has a service dog, Hattie, who is by far one of my favourite characters because I adore dogs. I'm breaking my no-spoilers policy here to mention that Hattie does not die. I spent a lot of the book worrying about that and I would have enjoyed it much more if I'd known that going in, and I also know that some people might not want to read it unless they had that guarantee so don't worry - the dog lives! The other characters are all very interesting too and the Believers in particular are very interesting to read about - especially as you slowly learn more of their history through the diary.
I really enjoyed this novel, it's exactly the kind of Sci-Fi that I adore with strange alien biology, stories of settlers trying to make a living and it has an adorable dog in it. I would definitely recommend this novel to those that enjoy Sci-Fi as it's just excellent and I can't wait for it to be released to I can make my friends read it.
allisonk's review
4.0
loved this book. lots of interesting ideas about off-world colonization and the inherent differences of new planets coupled with a tense and absorbing thriller. plus, dogs :)
krush77's review
4.0
A lovely little surprise from a mystery box. It immediately strikes me from a premise of between the word for world is forest by ursla k leguin and aliens film by James Cameron, with a douse of mystery. Though not as finely written as the former as the ending came on a bit rushed it was cathartic still for the colony of huggin to continue. Also the representation of the PTSD of Kate Standish never felt like a hinderence to her doing things in the plot nor did it felt like it was dealt with in the story as a proper arc. In all a plesent read though a little slow.
sarahmp's review
adventurous
dark
hopeful
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25
Easy read, a bit of, quite enjoyed it but don't it will stay with me
renogan's review
adventurous
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
richardneary's review
4.0
Starts off very strongly and finishes with a flourish. Kind of like a serious version of Avatar. Forest planet, sci-fi, big evil corporation. No giant blue people. A pack of haunted (?) dogs instead. My one gripe with this is some of the decision making and dialogue was a tad contrived especially at the crisis/turning points.
sayitagainjen's review
3.0
While a sci-fi–flavored murder mystery was a refreshing change of pace, AN OATH OF DOGS ultimately fell short on delivering a cohesive and surprising narrative—especially in the last quarter of the book. Wagner introduces us to a whole new world, a moon, in fact, that's only accessible via wormhole and a year's journey in cryo sleep. That, in and of itself, is worth exploring, and Wagner...doesn't. Despite the fact that it's the 23rd century, very little has changed. Corporations are still (comically) evil. Technology somehow hasn't advanced beyond "cable." And even though there's a world on which life itself might be changing in new and unique ways, the reasons and the science behind it are hand waved away. There are bisexual (and trans!) characters, but bisexuality itself is not integral to the plot, even though the bisexual person's relationship to the murdered character is. An interesting book that ultimately fell short.
lemoneater's review
3.0
A fun book that could use some tighter editing. Great beach read for fans of speculative fiction. I would like to see a series based on this world, following the generations who stay on the planet, and what becomes of them / what they become.