“Lives of the Monster Dogs,” by Kirsten Bakis

FM's rating:

1.      Premise 8

2.      Prose 8

3.      Plot 6

4.      Characters 7

5.      Overall 7

Comments (optional - but try to keep it under 3000 words!)

This novel gets points in my book for being rather quirky in an oddly appealing way, even if the author seems to rely a little too heavily on its “originality.”  The premise, fascinating as it is, doesn’t get adequate development from the plot.  If the characters were stronger, that might be enough to pull it through.  If the prose didn’t occasionally lapse into a thin veneer of pseudo-philosophical/metaphysical musings, it too might have carried the day.  But overall, I was left with the unsatisfied feeling of dashed expectations.  A “7” is still a high enough overall rating to half-heartedly recommend, and others may get a lot more out of it than I did.