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Fifteen Dogs
- Narrated by: André Alexis
- Length: 6 hrs and 20 mins
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Fifteen Dogs
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Publisher's Summary
"I wonder," said Hermes, "what it would be like if animals had human intelligence."
"I'll wager a year's servitude," answered Apollo, "that animals - any animal you like - would be even more unhappy than humans are if they were given human intelligence."
And so it begins: a bet between the gods Hermes and Apollo leads them to grant human consciousness and language to a group of dogs overnighting at a Toronto veterinary clinic. Suddenly capable of more complex thought, the pack is torn between those who resist the new ways of thinking, preferring the old dog ways, and those who embrace the change. The gods watch from above as the dogs venture into their newly unfamiliar world, as they become divided among themselves, as each struggles with new thoughts and feelings. Wily Benjy moves from home to home, Prince becomes a poet, and Majnoun forges a relationship with a kind couple that stops even the Fates in their tracks.
André Alexis' contemporary take on the apologue offers an utterly compelling and affecting look at the beauty and perils of human consciousness. By turns meditative and devastating, charming and strange, Fifteen Dogs shows you can teach an old genre new tricks.
Critic Reviews
"[Alexis] devises an inventive romp through the nature of humanity in this beautiful, entertaining read.... A clever exploration of our essence, communication, and how our societies are organized." (Kirkus Reviews)
"Alexis manages to encapsulate an astonishing range of metaphysical questions in a simple tale about dogs that came to know too much. The result is a delightful juxtaposition of the human and canine conditions, and a narrative that, like just one of the dogs, delights in the twists and turns of the gods' linguistic gift." (Publishers Weekly)
"...I'm far from being a dog person, but as a book person I loved this smart, exuberant fantasy from start to finish." (Jonathan Gibbs, The Guardian)
What listeners say about Fifteen Dogs
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Kassandra Bossell
- 08-07-2024
This is important writing
The perspective of a being within an ecosystem of life forms with no master is essential to contemporary literature- as is the questioning of what are we living for!?
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Amazon Customer
- 13-09-2016
A parable of what troubles us
This is almost a perfect book. it is clear about what it is, setting us up from the beginning to see that it is a parable. It does not labour is points giving us enough to investigate some of the most troubling thoughts about our mortal limits. It takes you into an otherly world.
The narration by the author is a joy
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Samantha
- 22-10-2020
Emotional but brilliant
I couldn't give this book 5 stars purely because of how emotionally intense it is to read.
However, in every other regard it is written and spoken beautifully, with undertones of philosophical insight woven into the entire story.
I would recommend anyone thinking of reading it, to definitely do so.
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