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Adrian Tchaikovsky

Dogs of War (1) Paperback – November 1, 2022

by Adrian Tchaikovsky (Author)

1,351 ratings

Book 1 of 2: Dogs of War

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My name is Rex. I am a good dog.

Rex is also seven foot tall at the shoulder, bulletproof, bristling with heavy caliber weaponry, and his voice resonates with subsonics especially designed to instill fear.

With Dragon, Honey, and Bees, he's part of a Multiform Assault Pack operating in the lawless anarchy of Campeche, Mexico. A genetically engineered Bioform, he's a deadly weapon in a dirty war. All he wants to be is a Good Dog. And to do that he must do exactly what Master says and Master says he's got to kill a lot of enemies.

But who, exactly, are the enemies? What happens when Master is tried as a war criminal? What rights does the Geneva Convention grant weapons? Do Rex and his fellow Bioforms even have a right to exist? And what happens when Rex slips his leash?

Print length

352 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Head of Zeus
Publication date

November 1, 2022
Dimensions

5 x 0.9 x 7.75 inches
ISBN-10

1800248938
ISBN-13

978-1800248939
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"A timely warning about the dangers of artificial intelligence and super weapons in the hands of unscrupulous powers." —GUARDIAN

About the Author

Adrian Tchaikovsky was born in Lincolnshire before heading off to Reading to study psychology and zoology. He subsequently ended up in law and has worked as a legal executive in both Reading and Leeds, where he now lives. Married, he is a keen live role-player and occasional amateur actor and has trained in stage-fighting. He's the author of Children of Time, the winner of the 30th Anniversary Arthur C. Clarke Award, and the Sunday Times bestseller Shards of Earth.

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Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Head of Zeus; Reissue edition (November 1, 2022)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 352 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1800248938
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1800248939
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 8.5 ounces
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5 x 0.9 x 7.75 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #238,058 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #18,607 in Science Fiction (Books)

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1,351 ratings

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Adrian Tchaikovsky

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Adrian Tchaikovsky was born in Woodhall Spa, Lincolnshire before heading off to Reading to study psychology and zoology. For reasons unclear even to himself he subsequently ended up in law and has worked as a legal executive in both Reading and Leeds, where he now lives. Married, he is a keen live role-player and occasional amateur actor, has trained in stage-fighting, and keeps no exotic or dangerous pets of any kind, possibly excepting his son. Catch up with Adrian at www.shadowsoftheapt.com for further information about both himself and the insect-kinden, together with bonus material including short stories and artwork. Author Website: http://shadowsoftheapt.com/

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The Captain

The Captain's Log

Reviewed in the United States on August 10, 2019

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Ahoy there mateys! I have no idea where or how I first encountered this book but I knew I wanted to read it. The problem was finding a copy as Amazon lists it as a “rare book.” I had never read the author’s works before but then there was an eArc of walking to aldebaran on and I was luckily approved. I loved it and I was thus determined to find dogs of war. I wanted a copy for me kindle but couldn’t get one so I finally broke down and bought a beautiful paperback version.

So what was it about this book got me attention back in day? Well this novel is about a pack of bioform war dogs and the story is told from the perspective of the pack leader, Rex. Now mind ye, Rex is a seven foot tall dog-beast with a scary voice and is bristling with weapons. The rest of his pack is even weirder. They are designed to always obey their Master. But Rex is smart and something isn’t adding up. Should Rex continue to follow his programming and be a “Good Dog ” or should he try and figure out the problem?

Now it be true that the beginning of this book is more of a military war story but that doesn’t last. And that’s a good thing. Partway through, the tone of the book shifts and the book delves into the legal and ethical ramifications of the bioforms and their programming with lots of social commentary. Along the way ye follow Rex and how both he and society are changing.

It was weird and wonderful. I absolutely loved Rex and the other members of the pack. Not only was the book thought-provoking but I very much enjoyed the implications of the technology and the ending. It was worth every bit of trouble to track down a copy of this book. I will be reading more of the author’s works. Arrrr!

7 people found this helpful

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DragonCeres

Interesting and quick read.

Reviewed in the United States on December 31, 2020

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Really interesting premise. Humans have created semi-intelligent animals (Bioforms) to fight in the wars for them. When it was found that the human leader used the bioforms to commit war crime in a war zone, the Bioforms very existence is called into question. Should they be exterminated? Are they property, a thing to be owned, or do they have rights?

We mainly follow Rex, the Bioform dog, caught in this. Rex just wants to be a Good Dog. He likes having a Master that tells him what to do. Things were easier that way. Throughout the book, we see his struggle with being free, with having to make choices for himself and others, all the while just wanting someone to tell him what to do, and ultimately making the right choice.

There're also a few other characters that play into Rex's decisions. Honey, a Bioform Bear that is extremely smart, who wants freedom and want the Bioforms to have rights like another human. There is an artificial intelligence that also sees Bioforms as a way forward for humanity, and for humanity's acceptance of itself.

While the concepts were interesting and Rex's struggle pulled at my heartstrings, something didn't quite click as to the general flow and argument in the story itself. There's a lot of discussion of how public opinion sways whether the Bioforms have the right to live or not, and how public opinion decides the fate of everything. Also the books jumps forward in time several times and that felt a bit jarring. The overall argument about the Bioforms right to live felt very predictable. While the author set up an interesting premise in terms of the Bioforms as another form of intelligence, it's nothing special compared to other sci-fi books describing AIs and their rights.

The book was a quick read and I can't help loving Rex. However, it wasn't anything too spectacular.

3 people found this helpful

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ht

Young adult fiction.

Reviewed in the United States on August 28, 2019

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Probably not the ideal first approach to Dr. Adrian work. Underdeveloped plot, flat characters, aside the interesting Rex. No breathtaking worldview, narrative, insights on the ongoing singularity or the nature of war. Seems a book wrought in between other things. Which is a shame. There's a lot of potential on the subjects of distributed responsibilities, post human beings and the near future warfare.
You will not find Gibson and Stephenson narrative brilliance, Watts ferociously ingenious take on the Singularity, Banks delicious view of Society.

6 people found this helpful

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Anikó T.

Rex, Good Dog

Reviewed in the United States on August 18, 2021

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Ever since reading the Children of Time duology, I know that Adrian Tchaikovsky is the master of humanizing not human beings. He might write a book one of these days, which won't make me ugly sob, but it is definitely not this one... :) Like in his previous duology, the human chapters felt a bit flat, but loved the others. The story is about Rex and his team of bioform teammates: we can see them dropped into live fire situations and we can follow their journey of figuring out who is the enemy, what makes you good or bad, property or a free being. These are all hard questions, but one thing is without question in my mind: Rex, Good Dog.

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Chris

Dog + Science fiction = GREAT!

Reviewed in the United States on November 27, 2018

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This book reminded me of a great short story titled: “Sergeant Chip.” This is one of the best books I have read in years. It was a wonderful mix of science fiction and humanity as seen through a dog’s eye

2 people found this helpful

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Thad Ligon

Awesome

Reviewed in the United States on April 29, 2020

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What an incredible story! So far, I've loved anything I've read from Adrian Tchaikovsky.

Reviewed in the United States on January 10, 2018

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Man's best friend meets high tech sci-fi. What could make a better read?

Reviewed in the United States on August 8, 2018

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Must read book!!

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Imyril

Not really my cup of tea

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 23, 2018

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This is a quick read if not always an easy one - and one which rewards reflection no matter how fast you breeze through it. However, I can’t say I enjoyed it for the most part. With the exception of the astonishing third act (oh, I could have read a whole book along these lines; it was an unexpected, brilliant twist on proceedings), this is very military in focus, which just isn't my thing. Rex’s existence is defined by his usefulness in war; while the broader implications of emerging AI and sentient rights are intriguing, and the world-building as credible as it is disturbing, the primary narrative is one of violence.

I also found the structure a little disjointed, with the leaps forward often happening just as I finally settled into the ‘current’ time period and became engaged by its context and characters. While Rex’s narration is often touching, it’s highly repetitive – as a reader, I put things together far faster than he could, but had to labour along with him until he reached the inevitable conclusion (and it did feel like hard labour at times). These aspects blunted my engagement; I zoomed through this because I had a long train journey with limited options, but I appreciated it rather than loved it.

...that said, I think it would make a brilliant bit of cinema, which I’d probably enjoy considerably more.

33 people found this helpful

the dilettante

Unsentimental yet moving - another great Adrian Tchaikovsky book

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 5, 2018

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There are many reviews here already expounding on the weighty themes so carefully explored in this book. Those reviews have also covered adequately the thrilling action sequences, where there is all the military gore and chaos you could wish for. The character-building is also rightly praised. The reason I have added to these reviews is to point out that the the author never falls into the trap of sentimentality. In a novel written largely in first-person, tone is all-important. Especially as the main narrator is a dog, who, while a gun-toting killing machine, is also largely an innocent who has been Done Wrong. In the wrong hands this could have been mawkish. But Tchaikovsky avoids all those bear-traps and delivers a thoughtful piece on the possibilities inherent in AI and humanity's careless use and manipulation of natural resources. Which is also a ripping yarn. How does he keep producing such a high volume of high-quality work?

39 people found this helpful

M. Hepworth

A short & incisive novel

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 12, 2017

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Rex is a Good Dog.

We’ve uplifted and/or engineered dogs – and other animals – into man-sized killing machines and deployed them into dirty wars and clandestine conflicts. Rex is a simple soul, doing what Master tells him, but he’s learning that the world is more complicated than Master is allowing him to know…

This begins as MilSF but quickly starts looking at the ethics of using these Bioforms for combat, and how we react when made tools become something more...and then switches again to see how the bioforms handle these transitions. A lot of chapters are from Rex’s POV, and while his simplicity of thought sometimes seems a little cliched and wearing, there’s a power behind his sections that draw you in. As a whole it handles some interesting themes, some of which are a bit too spoilery to mention, and matches them to an exciting story that sits somewhere between MillSF and thriller. I’d compare it to The Red trilogy, which is a good compliment IMO.

I’ve seen this described as a novella but I make it as being over 80k words, so I’d recommend it as a short & incisive novel.

10 people found this helpful

CPoin

Like Disney's Bolt but with war crimes.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 5, 2022

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I quite enjoyed this, it was far more intelligent than I'd assumed it would be. There's not a great deal that happens, but it asks interesting questions and has some scary but hopeful ideas. Definitely worth a read and some aspects will continue resonating long after reading.

Rex, however, as the protagonist, is frustratingly dim. While everyone else around him develops beyond their intended capacitues, seemingly even the other dogs, he stays a bit of a dumb mutt. He kind of just ages, rather than grows, and any significant changes to his character are made externally rather than developed within.

The author's repeated jarring use of the word 'leery' in his books is something I'd expect an editor to have reigned in.

One person found this helpful

M. Knott

Terrific fun and popping with ideas

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 28, 2018

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This was a terrific book. On one level it's an easy-to-read thriller with some really engaging characters (Rex just wants to be a good dog). But on another it asks plenty of 'big questions', which is where sci-fi really scores for me.

Rex and his companions are engineered bioforms that are built to work alongside or even replace human soldiers. But are they merely weapons or do they deserve status as intelligent, not-quite-humans? And if all Rex wants to be is a good dog but his master is a war criminal, who is responsible for the atrocities committed?

I think the author has a background in psychology and zoology, so he really has fun here exploring the different way that some of the different characters think (he's got form on this in his previous book Children of Time, but Dogs of War is an easier read). There are also other ideas popping out all over the place, such as the wonderful character of Bees, which is a distributed intelligence in a swarm of bees. Then there's what happens when we reach The Singularity, which is the point at which artificial intelligence surpasses that of its human creators - that's something we'll all have to think about in a few years.

There's a lot more, but I don't want to spoil anything.

If you just want a fun read, I think this is good fun. If you want interesting ideas, it's packed with them. I'd recommend this even to people who aren't sure they like sci-fi because it's such a good example of what sci-fi does best.

6 people found this helpful

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