Canidae: The Journey

Name: Canidae: The Journey
Author: Paul Woodward
ISBN: 978-0692323045

by Paul Woodward ‧ RELEASE DATE: Nov. 24, 2014

A promising beginning for a new writer, but to make the most of his talents, Woodward needs to work on developing an ear for...

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Seeking reasons behind the extinction of humankind some 7,000 years before, a team of humanoid dogs uncovers an impending invasion of crystalline aliens and a traitor at the heart of their society.

Woodward’s debut novel is based on the entertaining premise that, after the extinction of humans at the hands of an alien race called crystallen, dogs developed superintelligence and opposable thumbs. This race, which calls itself Canidae, is divided into numerous tribes and recently united as the Unified Canidae Society. Azure is the 19-year-old son of the Chancellor of UCS, and as the story opens, he undergoes a rite of passage that will pinpoint his calling in life. To his surprise, he is revealed as a potential leader, despite his lack of interest in politics. To gain further insight into his path, Azure volunteers to join an expedition investigating the cause of human extinction. Their expedition uncovers journal entries and other documentation of Dr. Zennith, the last human, while they simultaneously encounter the resurgent crystallen. Woodward has developed a strong plot that, unlike many first installments of what is clearly intended as a series, resolves satisfyingly within the volume. The idea of dogs as the dominant species on Earth has great potential, both serious and humorous; however, that potential remains unfulfilled. The Canidae seem to be little more than furry humans with doggy faces (effectively portrayed in DiLeva’s chapter-head illustrations). Canidae families are called “packs,” but they evince little packlike behavior; Vence, who serves as a guide dog—a joke still waiting to be made—has a better sense of smell than the others, but there is otherwise little exploration of how the canine experience of the world differs from humans. And one can’t help thinking that the preservation of human structures and paper documents for 7,000 years would be slightly less unbelievable if that time were in dog years. Either way, the writing is often repetitive and clunky: “ ‘Let’s go to the ruins.’ Azure, Kael, Yasu and Vence all left the tent and began heading toward the ruins.”

A promising beginning for a new writer, but to make the most of his talents, Woodward needs to work on developing an ear for language and worldbuilding.

Pub Date: Nov. 24, 2014

ISBN: 978-0692323045

Page Count: 258

Publisher: CreateSpace

Review Posted Online: Jan. 7, 2015

Review Program: Kirkus Indie

Categories:

GENERAL FICTION

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BETWEEN SISTERS

by Kristin Hannah ‧ RELEASE DATE: May 1, 2003

Briskly written soap with down-to-earth types, mostly without the lachrymose contrivances of Hannah’s previous titles...

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Sisters in and out of love.

Meghann Dontess is a high-powered matrimonial lawyer in Seattle who prefers sex with strangers to emotional intimacy: a strategy bound to backfire sooner or later, warns her tough-talking shrink. It’s advice Meghann decides to ignore, along with the memories of her difficult childhood, neglectful mother, and younger sister. Though she managed to reunite Claire with Sam Cavenaugh (her father but not Meghann’s) when her mother abandoned both girls long ago, Meghann still feels guilty that her sister’s life doesn’t measure up, at least on her terms. Never married, Claire ekes out a living running a country campground with her dad and is raising her six-year-old daughter on her own. When she falls in love for the first time with an up-and-coming country musician, Meghann is appalled: Bobby Austin is a three-time loser at marriage—how on earth can Claire be so blind? Bobby’s blunt explanation doesn’t exactly satisfy the concerned big sister, who busies herself planning Claire’s dream wedding anyway. And, to relieve the stress, she beds various guys she picks up in bars, including Dr. Joe Wyatt, a neurosurgeon turned homeless drifter after the demise of his beloved wife Diane (whom he euthanized). When Claire’s awful headache turns out to be a kind of brain tumor known among neurologists as a “terminator,” Joe rallies. Turns out that Claire had befriended his wife on her deathbed, and now in turn he must try to save her. Is it too late? Will Meghann find true love at last?

Briskly written soap with down-to-earth types, mostly without the lachrymose contrivances of Hannah’s previous titles (Distant Shores, 2002, etc.). Kudos for skipping the snifflefest this time around.

Pub Date: May 1, 2003

ISBN: 0-345-45073-6

Page Count: 400

Publisher: Ballantine

Review Posted Online: June 24, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2003

Categories:

GENERAL FICTION

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THE ALCHEMIST

by Paulo Coelho & translated by Margaret Jull Costa ‧ RELEASE DATE: July 1, 1993

Coelho's placebo has racked up impressive sales in Brazil and Europe. Americans should flock to it like gulls.

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Coelho is a Brazilian writer with four books to his credit. Following Diary of a Magus (1992—not reviewed) came this book, published in Brazil in 1988: it's an interdenominational, transcendental, inspirational fable—in other words, a bag of wind.

The story is about a youth empowered to follow his dream. Santiago is an Andalusian shepherd boy who learns through a dream of a treasure in the Egyptian pyramids. An old man, the king of Salem, the first of various spiritual guides, tells the boy that he has discovered his destiny: "to realize one's destiny is a person's only real obligation." So Santiago sells his sheep, sails to Tangier, is tricked out of his money, regains it through hard work, crosses the desert with a caravan, stops at an oasis long enough to fall in love, escapes from warring tribesmen by performing a miracle, reaches the pyramids, and eventually gets both the gold and the girl. Along the way he meets an Englishman who describes the Soul of the World; the desert woman Fatima, who teaches him the Language of the World; and an alchemist who says, "Listen to your heart" A message clings like ivy to every encounter; everyone, but everyone, has to put in their two cents' worth, from the crystal merchant to the camel driver ("concentrate always on the present, you'll be a happy man"). The absence of characterization and overall blandness suggest authorship by a committee of self-improvement pundits—a far cry from Saint- Exupery's The Little Prince: that flagship of the genre was a genuine charmer because it clearly derived from a quirky, individual sensibility.

Coelho's placebo has racked up impressive sales in Brazil and Europe. Americans should flock to it like gulls.