A review by audbuttrue
Beasts of Burden: Animal Rites by Evan Dorkin

4.0

Beasts of Burden: Animal Rites was a surprisingly dark, but fun read. I wasn't sure how easy it would be to write a good story about dog paranormal investigation team, but they managed it. Beautiful watercolor illustrations added an interesting tone to the story that I think would have been absent if a more cartoony or too realistic art style was used. Despite the children's storybook look, that is not what this is. The first couple stories were a bit on the light side, but things quickly take a much more serious turn. You could easily review each investigation differently, with some being better than others and with different levels of scariness, humor, or sadness. I liked the unique take on some classic ideas, and I hope that Dorkin will write more in the future to add to the animals' tales.

I do think it is worth noting that a couple of harsh things happen to dogs and while it is not usually pictured too explicitly, it can be a little hard to take. Just worth being aware of before reading.