Review: Engaging Vision of a Dystopian World
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 08 1, 2013
"When Dogs Could Talk" immerses the reader in a world gone insane, where civil ware may (and does) break out, and where gruesome murders and violence are an everyday occurrence. The protagonist, Charlie Harris, is a hard-bitten reporter who's more often than not hung over. He works for The Globe, navigating the difficult politics of life as a reporter while trying to also navigate the dangerous streets outside of the office.At the beginning of the novel, Charlie is called the scene of a horrific murder--the fact that it doesn't even turn his stomach (though it may turn the reader's) is a testament to just how much he's seen and how jaded he is. The victim? The militia's chief intelligence officer and the woman believed to be his mistress. The murder is more than it seems, and Charlie is drawn out into the corrupt world as he attempts to find out more about who did it, and eventually becomes a target for revenge himself."When Dogs Could Talk" is not light reading--you'll have to pay attention to the characters, their motivations, and movements of the various political factions within the novel. If you're looking for something engrossing, though, it will be a compelling read. Charlie is a character who is hard to get close to--what drives him, what is the moral code he's working under?--but by the time you get to the brutal murder of someone he's involved with, you realize you have come to care about him. Recommended for those who enjoy political thrillers, dystopian novels, and novels that make you think while they entertain you (though I will say there's some gore, so if that bothers you, you might be skipping some passages).