Plague Dogs: Amazon.ca: Richard Adams: Books

Product Description

"Thousands and thousands of people will love this book!"
THE BOSTON GLOBE
A lyrical, engrossing tale, by the author of WATERSHIP DOWN, Richard Adams creates a lyrical and engrossing tale, a remarkable journey into the hearts and minds of two canine heroes, Snitter and Rowf, fugitives from the horrors of an animal research center who escape into the isolation--and terror--of the wilderness.

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Customer Reviews

34 Reviews

5 star:		(19)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(2)

Average Customer Review

4.2 out of 5 stars (34 customer reviews)

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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars I marked this book with post-it's, Feb 20 2003

By

A. McClellan (Houston, TX) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)

This review is from: Plague Dogs (Mass Market Paperback)

"Some say deep sleep is dreamless and that we dream only in the moments before awakening, experiencing during seconds the imagined occurances of minutes or hours. Others have surmised that dreaming is continuous as long as we are asleep, just as sensation and experience must needs continue while we are awake; but that we recall--when we recall at all--only those margins and fragments which concluded the whole range of our imagination during sleep; as though one who at night was able to walk alive through the depths of the sea, upon his return could only remember only those light-filtering, green-lit slopes up which he had clambered back at last to the sands of morning."

This is just a touch of the poetic writing that Richard Adams uses to convey this beautiful story of two dogs. It is also a story about society. This is not an easy read. The reasons that this book was more difficult for me was because of the dialect that one of the dogs spoke with and also the British terms (new to me i.e. Lorry =vehicle, dust bins =trash bins), and the text is so rich it takes a slower read to digest it. I had to look up a few words, so reading this book expanded my vocabulary. Although the reading was slower, it was worth it. Very worth it. Once I was 1/2 way through I was thanking myself for keeping on, it was paying off. And by the end - I was very into it.
I have never read such a unique writing style. There is no way to describe it but to say it is art. I poured over the book with post-its marking the ingenious philosophical ideas that I'd loike to come back to to think about and discover my feelings about.
This was my third Richard Adam's novel and I am always amazed. I plan to read all of his books.
Great read. Highly recommended. Thought provoking.
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5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant--with a wonderfully constructed ending, Aug 23 2001

By

James G. Greenhill "Jim Greenhill" (Durango, CO USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)

This review is from: Plague Dogs (Mass Market Paperback)

"The Plague Dogs" isn't nearly as accessible as "Watership Down" & it's not a children's book. Don't start reading Adams with this book--start with "Watership Down." ... Some of the dialect (especially that of the Tod) will be very difficult for American readers (though it was slightly toned down for American editions) & it's perhaps hard to follow if you've never heard the real thing, but even it is brilliant. I have heard the real thing & Adams captures it perfectly. It works best if you read it quickly. ... Adams does some wonderful experimentation with the writing in the book, experimentation that draws on a vast literary heritage & demonstrates very wide reading, experimentation that is itself a tribute to his literary forefathers. ... The characters, especially the canine ones, are very well-drawn (I'm tempted to call my next dog Rowf). ... Good plot twists, evocative geographical description, a singularly haunting passage about a ghost, great description of snow. ... The animal experimentation theme is very well done, not overstated (all of the experiments Adams described were real) & while it's obvious where Adams stands, he has the guts to balance the debate with an unexpected portrait of a dying child. ... The true brilliance of this book lies in the ending, which is just an absolute work of art, drawing together narrative strings, switching narrative styles, switching points of view, speeding up & slowing down (& even incorporating the author's tribute to his own friends without becoming excessively idiosyncratic) until it becomes positively lyrical. The book is worth it for the ending alone ... & Adams is a master of making the incredible credible so we willingly suspend disbelief ... maybe because Rowf & Snitter are so well portrayed we sorely want them to live. Not an easy read, but SO good.

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4.0 out of 5 stars Good ..., Jan 28 2004

By

yessca - See all my reviews

This review is from: Plague Dogs (Paperback)

I found the book very slow. Infact I stop reading it altoghter. I thought it was another Watership Down. Dont get me wrong I did enjoy it once I got done reading the book. The books starts out slow but is slowly begins to pick up. The book is well set in which he gives wonderful descriptions of places, smells, (hey, half the plants and flowers I have never heard of)and locations. Like many of his books this one deals with man vs nature. The heros two dogs are living off their wits. One is a dreamer who feels that there is love in every mans heart and the other is truth, who knows what man is capable of doing. This book is well worth the time and the read.

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Most recent customer reviews

3.0 out of 5 stars not necessarily enjoyable, but important
This may not be an enjoyable book, but it's an important book. It is important because it touches on the horror of animal experimentation, which so contrasts with Western... Read more

Published on May 28 2003 by Shannon B Davis

4.0 out of 5 stars Compelling but corny
In all likelihood, you'll already be familiar with Watership Down when you first hear of Plague Dogs. Read more

Published on Dec 23 2002 by Enantiodromos