It's been a few years since I last read a Beasts of Burden book, and I believe I have missed a few other adventures in between, but this one stands alone as it is mostly a flashback to a solo adventure of Emrys the Old English Sheepdog in 1947 occupied Japan. The conceit of the series is that there are intelligent dogs who can do magic and act as monster hunters, mostly in secret from the normal humans around them.

I was bored as Emrys just wandered around teaming up with an American stray dog and meeting up with some Japanese dogs who also fight monsters. Emrys would occasionally fight some Japanese demons and spirits, mostly casting a flame spell at them as he slowly worked his way toward the big bad and the final confrontation. It was all pretty straightforward, with the only thing to distinguish it being the creators driving home again and again, "Hey look, we're in Japan and these are Japanese monsters!" Maybe they were able to write off some vacation expenses? ( )