Review: Great Intro to "Dog Aliens 1: Raffle's Name"
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 08 10, 2013
"Dog Aliens: Kaxian Duty - A Short Story" by Cherise Kelley is a brief but amusing prequel, solely intended to introduce the main characters in Kelley's first novel, "Dog Aliens 1", which I've also reviewed at the following link, if you want to find out more about that story.http://www.amazon.com/review/R4HKCAG7LQZDO/ref=cm_cr_pr_perm?ie=UTF8&ASIN;=B00ABAXFCY&linkCode;=&nodeID;=&tag;="Kaxian Duty" really is comparable to a prologue for the full novel. In "Kaxian Duty" we are introduced to the three main characters, Clem, Lido and Skil, at the same time they are introduced to each other. We also find out what their newly assigned jobs will be, as they are all puppies taking their first steps into the working world of Kaxians, also known on Earth as "big dogs". Clem really hopes he will be assigned Guard Duty as one of the Defenders, but instead he is assigned to work in the Jex mine... at least until he gets a little bigger.("Jex" is a mineral substance found in abundance on Earth, but of no value to Earthlings. The Kaxians, on the other hand, need it to maintain existence on their native planet, Kax. They have a rather unique manner of transporting it from the mine to their shuttles... kind of makes you glad you're not a miner!)"Kaxian Duty" includes the first chapter of "Dog Aliens 1", so in a sense it really is a prologue to that book. We get just enough back story to whet our appetites for "Dog Aliens 1", which no doubt was Kelley's intention. However, if you will check out my review of "Dog Aliens 1" you will find out that book is a very good, fun read, too.For anybody who enjoys reading a book just for fun, especially one with a lot of imagination built in, I heartily recommend you get both of these. Read "Kaxian Duty - A Short Story" first, then move right into "Dog Aliens 1". I think you will come to appreciate Cherise Kelley's very imaginative story about Kaxians, and the Niques who hound them (pun intended) every step of the way!