This is the first review I have ever written for a book, but I felt this was so different from what I was expecting that I wanted to write a review in order to save other people from making the same assumption I did about this book.

I love dogs, so I was expecting some great, inventive sci fi dog stories. These stories were unique, but the majority in this collection portray dogs in a negative light and I don't see dogs in a negative light and don't like reading stories that make them out to be terrifying creatures or stories that the dog just ends up being murdered in the end!

Many of the stories aren't really even about dogs as the main character. They're about humans and dogs make up a part of the story or are a supporting character or almost a side note.

The only 2 stories I can even say that I actually enjoyed out of the 16 total are Desertion by Clifford D. Simak and Friend's Best Man by Jonathan Carroll. Friend's Best Man had a kind of creepy ending, because the guy's dog ends up letting him know where he can go to be safe from the revolution the animals are planning against the human race.

Some of these stories were meant to be scary or at least thrilling, but the only one of the stories that was truly terrifying was a story called Do it for Mama! by Jerrold J. Mundis. This story was essentially about a nearly total prohibition of dogs in New York City, started by some radical anti-dog people who provide lawmakers with some figures showing how dangerous and unsanitary dogs are and end up with enough support to pass a law banning dogs in NYC. This was written in a way that was very realistic and actually, this is something you can almost envision happening in a world where we keep losing our civil liberties! Very scary reading!

The book is not completely bad, and there are even a few stories that are actually good, but I recommend borrowing this book, as the majority of the stories were simply a chore to read rather than being enjoyable as stories should be.

If you are a looking for a dog-oriented sci fi novel, check out the book Sirius: The Dog Star, edited by Martin H. Greenberg and Alexander Potter. This is a wonderful collection of dog stories that I read a few years ago and some of the stories still stand out in my mind as being some of the best short stories I've ever read. I never re-read books, but Sirius is one I am planning on re-reading--it's that good! ( )