Plague Dogs: Amazon.ca: Richard Adams: Books

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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. --This text refers to the Mass Market Paperback edition.

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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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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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3.0 out of 5 stars not necessarily enjoyable, but important, May 28 2003

By	Shannon B Davis "Nepenthe" (Arlington, MA United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

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

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 culture's professed love for domesticated animals. If you don't already boycott animal-testing companies, it will make you want to check the labels on all your products. You will want to write letters to your congresspeople after reading this book, and you will be glad that many corporations already have taken heed and ceased animal testing.

It is difficult read for a number of reasons. The poetic writing style can make it confusing as to whose mind we are hearing, and the fact that one of the characters is quite mad can also add to the confusion. Add to that the dialect used by the characters, and you will have to concentrate to understand what is being expressed.

The first half of the book is far more exciting and interesting than the second half, but it is important to stick it out to read the end.

One thing that bothered me was the author's self-referentialism. He actually refers to himself and the book 'Watership Down' in the third person. And at another point, he breaks the scene to start speaking frankly to the audience as the author. For this reason, Plague Dogs seemed amateurish next to his other works. Because of its important message, I wish it could have been a better book.

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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.
Thanks for reading my review, did it help?

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Most recent customer reviews

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

4.0 out of 5 stars Difficult and disturbing, but worth it
Most people who pick up this book, I am sure, will already be inclined to agree with Richard Adams on the subject of animal experimentation. Read more

Published on Sep 21 2002 by M. D. Smart

5.0 out of 5 stars Patience will be rewarded
This book is considered one of Adams' weaker works. Readers will find it maddeningly moralistic, pompus and self important. Read more

Published on Jul 22 2002

4.0 out of 5 stars Worth the read
I just recently finished this book and can say with much sincerety that Adams has created a wonderful piece of work in "The Plague Dogs. Read more

Published on May 21 2002 by Zachary T. Tindell