A review by sayitagainjen
An Oath of Dogs by Wendy N. Wagner

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.