The twentieth anniversary of a postmodern classic, blending the gothic
novel with bleeding-edge science fiction
After a century of cruel experimentation, a haunted race of genetically
and biomechanically uplifted canines are created by the followers of a
mad nineteenth-century Prussian surgeon. Possessing human intelligence,
speaking human language, fitted with prosthetic hands, and walking
upright on their hind legs, the monster dogs are intended to be super
soldiers. Rebelling against their masters, however, and plundering the
isolated village where they were created, the now wealthy dogs make
their way to New York, where they befriend the young NYU student Cleo
Pira and--acting like Victorian aristocrats--become reluctant
celebrities.
Unable to reproduce, doomed to watch their race become extinct, the
highly cultured dogs want no more than to live in peace and be accepted
by contemporary society. Little do they suspect, however, that the real
tragedy of their brief existence is only now beginning.
Told through a variety of documents--diaries, newspaper clippings,
articles for Vanity Fair, and even a portion of an opera
libretto--Kirsten Bakis's Lives of the Monster Dogs uses its
science-fictional premise to launch a surprisingly emotional exploration
of the great themes: love, death, and the limits of compassion. A
contemporary classic, this edition features a new introduction by Jeff
VanderMeer.
