The Plague Dogs

is a significant step down when compared to the remarkable Watership Down. The true essence and strength of Watership Down lay in its extraordinary world-building and the grand scale adventure it presented. The rich and detailed culture of the rabbits, along with their fascinating interactions with one another, was an absolute delight that had readers eagerly turning the pages. However, in The Plague Dogs, much of the captivating animal-cultural aspect is unfortunately cast aside. Instead, it focuses on a scathing commentary regarding how humans interact with animals.

While this is indeed an important and worthy issue to explore, the themes that Richard Adams attempts to convey are somewhat stunted. This is due to characters and a story that are not always engaging or interesting enough to maintain the reader's attention throughout the entire journey.

There are moments when the world-building shines through, and glimmers of what made his masterpiece so outstanding can be seen, which can be truly riveting. However, a considerable amount of time is wasted in unnecessary wandering and a rather heavy-handed approach. Unlike in his other work, where the characters were strong enough to carry the reader through the quiet, philosophical parts and the anticipation of the next adventure was always present, there is very little in The Plague Dogs to keep us motivated and eager to continue.

Snitter and Rowf are somewhat interesting, but they are not given enough depth or characteristics to endear them to the readers. Often, they seem aimless in their direction, which makes the reader feel that the story could have been developed further. If you are a die-hard fan of Richard Adams, it might be worth giving this book a try. But for others, it could prove to be a rather difficult read to get into.

Richard Adams became known to me quite early with "Ruttokoirat" (WSOY, 1978), as my late father highly recommended the book to me. However, I didn't manage to read it until now, and it's certainly not a children's book, even though it tells about dogs.

Nipsu and Räyhkä, the dogs, escape from an experimental animal laboratory located in the English fens, where they have become the victims of cruel experiments. To survive in the harsh world, they have to adopt the ways of wild animals, with the help of a badger. Hunting sheep only gets the local farmers on their tails, and soon the dogs have to flee for their lives even from the army's helicopters. The media has indeed received a tip that the escapees may be carrying a deadly virus with them, and on top of that, a tragic scene awaits them if another...

Despite its promising setup, the book was a bit of a disappointment, which may have been influenced by the high expectations set by Ruohometsän kansa. The book is slightly cumbersome, influenced by both the ambitious narrative technique with its stream-of-consciousness passages and the occasional clumsiness of the translation relying on dialects. The ending also doesn't quite meet the expectations.

Nevertheless, the description of the dogs' escape journey and the author's stance against animal experiments get the reader to rate it three stars.

What started as a really good book suddenly became a chore to read.

This doesn't mean I didn't enjoy it. There were just several times in the story that felt unnecessarily long winded and not integral to the plot.

If you are a dog lover, I would not recommend this book. The cruelty that our protagonists, Sniter and Rowlf, go through would make the puppy lovers of America call PETA on Richard Adams. It is the result of the experiments placed on them that make Sniter have random turns about the place, saying, "It's the flies, they're in my head again, Rowlf." These spastic turns put into motion a lot of the conflicts the two dogs encounter as the "white coats" hunt them down.

This book has been called Watership Down for dogs (mostly because they're both written by the same author). However, what makes them different is that Plague Dogs delves more into the psychological elements of survival, whereas Watership was a fight or flight thriller. Plague Dogs is a good counterpart to its more famous predecessor. It will come down to the reader's preference on which book is better.

Overall, while Plague Dogs has its moments, it also has its flaws. The pacing issues and the disturbing nature of the dog's treatment may turn some readers away. However, for those who are interested in a deeper exploration of the psychological aspects of survival, it may be worth a read.

Oh my, what a remarkable and unforgettable journey this book takes us on.

To briefly sum up the plot, it is the captivating tale of two dogs that manage to flee from their impending doom at an animal research facility. Subsequently, they attempt to survive in the wilds of the Lake District in northern England, and in doing so, they unwittingly create quite a stir.

In addition to the two dogs, a fox also joins them, and a significant portion of the book is written from the perspectives of various human characters, including scientists, journalists, farmers, and even politicians all the way down in London.

The chapters told from the dogs' points of view are almost always deeply heartrending. One of the dogs, Snitter,曾经有过一个主人, while the other, Rowf, never did. As a result, while Snitter desires to find a new owner (as he knows that some people are not bad), Rowf (who has only known the scientists conducting experiments on him) longs for nothing more than to escape from them. The experiments carried out on them add another layer to their interactions. Snitter had undergone brain surgery and has trouble distinguishing between dreams and reality, often hallucinating. Rowf was part of a cruel experiment where he was repeatedly placed in a water-filled tank to see if he could stay afloat for longer each time. However, in his perception of what a good dog should do, he feels he has failed his owners by escaping instead of drowning as they intended.

The human characters are well-developed, although some of them are truly evil. Going into more detail about them would reveal too much, but I will say that by the end of the book, you will have a more positive view of some of them... while others remain completely evil. Especially in the last 100 pages or so, there are many profound and philosophical remarks and discussions by the human characters as the story rapidly approaches its conclusion, which I did not anticipate at all.

The writing is outstanding, just as I expected after reading Watership Down. I simply adore Richard Adams' style, his ability to incorporate metaphors related to the ancient Greek and Roman worlds, and his overall writing approach... I can't quite put it into words, but reading his stories is a pure delight. Regarding Richard Adams, I would just like to say that I would have loved to meet him. He seems like a remarkable man who deeply cared about animals, the environment, and the nature of his native England.

Overall, I would say that I enjoyed Watership Down a little more, but this book is still excellent.

And I don't know where else to mention this in this review, so I'll say it here: perhaps the most tragic aspect I'll take away from this book isn't actually any part of the story itself, but rather from the introduction, which reveals that all the experiments performed on animals in this book have actually been carried out in the real world.

This is an excellent book that has the power to truly disturb you.

It is not the kind of book that you can simply read and forget. Instead, it has a way of staying with you long after you have turned the last page.

The story and the characters within it are so vividly brought to life that they seem to invade your thoughts and emotions.

You find yourself constantly reflecting on the events that took place and the lessons that were learned.

It makes you question your own beliefs and values, and forces you to look at the world from a different perspective.

This book is a must-read for anyone who is looking for a thought-provoking and impactful read. It will leave you with a sense of unease, but also a newfound appreciation for the power of literature.

This book was a major disappointment after loving Watership Down and Tales From Watership Down.

There were a significant number of humans in this book, which clouded things to a considerable extent. In Watership Down, we were transported into a new world as the rabbits were wild, with their own unique folk-lore, language, and interesting cultural aspects. However, in this book, the dogs only knew man and had no knowledge of the wild or nature. This prevented the story from truly captivating the reader by immersing him in a different reality. The reality presented in this book was that of humans, and the dogs often wondered why men had transformed natural houses into unnatural trees and rocks. Moreover, the author didn't even attempt to showcase any use of natural instinct on the part of the dogs.

There were also huge dialectual barriers. Half of the humans in the story, as well as the fox they encountered along the way, spoke in a very thick accent and strange dialect that was difficult to adjust to. Several times, I had to keep reading and re-reading sections, eventually giving up on deriving any meaning from them. At times, it did become easier to understand. The real annoyance was that one of the main characters was not always in a sane state of mind, so sometimes he rambled on in a sort of nonsense. Between these two significant barriers, it was challenging for me to have the determination to continue reading.

I trudged along nonetheless.

The symbolism of Watership Down was completely abandoned in this book. The reader was drawn into a story where he could witness the evil deeds of humans (and there were few deeds that weren't evil in this book). This book stated exactly what it meant without allowing the reader to探寻 any deeper meaning.

Our heroes never seemed to truly achieve the respect that the title implies. They stumbled through the book, never really learning much, formulating any plans, or being self-preserving. In the end, the dogs should have died. I didn't want them to, but the entire tone of the novel built up to an ending that was completely at odds with the entire novel. Adams wasn't brave enough to break our hearts. For some reason, you do learn to like the main characters. Although they were not good at what they were doing and constantly frustrated the reader with their errors, you did feel sorry for them. Their actions were not judged as good or bad in any way, only as necessary (and with that, I will add that this is a fairly violent book), and without knowing that they had escaped from horrible animal testing practices, they would not have gained any ground in the readers' hearts.

This book truly deserves 5 stars. It made me cry and is completely unlike any other book I've ever read.

The narration is an absolute delight. At times, it's satirical, poking fun at various aspects of life in a clever and entertaining way. Then, it can suddenly turn poetic, painting vivid pictures with words and evoking deep emotions. And there are even moments when it takes on a dog-like quality, adding an unexpected and charming element.

Despite the fun narration, there's also a ton of action to keep the story moving forward at a brisk pace. However, the Lakelander accent, especially that of the Tod, really slowed me down. It took some getting used to, but in a strange way, it added to the authenticity and charm of the book.

Finally, the ending was perfect. It tied up all the loose ends beautifully and left me feeling satisfied and fulfilled. There are truly no notes to be made. This book is a masterpiece that I would highly recommend to anyone looking for a unique and unforgettable reading experience.

Oh, Mr. Adams,

You truly have a remarkable talent for writing. The words you pen are nothing short of beautiful. It's as if you have this magical ability to craft sentences and stories that have a profound impact on the reader.

Another one of your books has once again completely fucked me up. I don't even know how to fully describe the emotions and thoughts it has evoked within me. It's like a wild ride that I couldn't get off of, and by the end, I was left in a state of awe and confusion.

Your writing style is so unique and engaging. It draws me in from the very first page and holds my attention until the very last. I can't wait to see what you come up with next.

I was already halfway through the book.

However, it was in a bag that I lost while getting my rental car during my travel to Arizona.

This was depressing enough for me that I didn't want to proceed further.

I'm certain there is a happy ending to the book, but the beginning was so difficult for me that I don't want to recommend the book.

It is a book written in the UK, so it is well-written.

But I'm not into the extreme torture done to dogs in the name of science.

And then when the dogs kill sheep to survive and have farmers hunting them along with the 'white coats'.

I will probably eventually try to finish the book when I can get another copy though.

Despite the setback of losing the book, I still have a glimmer of hope that I will be able to complete it and perhaps gain a better understanding of the story as a whole.

The difficult beginning has left a sour taste in my mouth, but I'm willing to give it another chance to see if the happy ending can redeem the earlier parts.

Maybe once I have the book in my hands again, I'll be able to look beyond the initial discomfort and appreciate the author's intentions.

After seeing the animated movie based on this book many years ago, I was immediately intrigued and wanted to read the book.

The story follows two dogs, Rowf and Snitter, who manage to escape from an animal experiment lab and embark on a journey to live in the wild. Rowf, having never had a master and having endured harsh treatment at the hands of the whitecoats in charge of the facility, is extremely untrusting of all men. On the other hand, Snitter knows about masters as he once had one, whom he believes is dead due to an unfortunate accident that led to his arrival at the facility.

During their adventure, they encounter a fox, simply known as the tod, and together they hunt and do their best to survive in the wild, relying on sheep, chicken, and anything else they can find to eat. However, things take a turn for the worse when they are suspected of being infected with the bubonic plague, leading to a大规模的 search for the dogs that even involves the military.

The book is masterfully written, and the story is truly gut-wrenching. It elicits a great deal of sympathy for the dogs and, of course, for the other animals still trapped in the research lab, who are victims of vivisection – unwarranted testing that holds little importance to society and shows a lack of consideration for the animals involved.

As people panic and fear spreads, thinking the dogs are infected, the book also showcases man's cruelty to other living beings and even to other humans. It even demonstrates how one can have a change of heart. The book offers much more than the movie, with a quite different ending that is well worth the read.

Also, as a side note, it is disturbing to think that there are still many animal experiments being conducted today that are very similar to the ones described in the book. These experiments often have little significance to humans and show no regard for the animals at all.

Richard Adams is truly a master storyteller, as those who have read Watership Down are well aware.

The Plague Dogs is an outstanding tale that encompasses adventure, loss, redemption, and hope. Adams has the remarkable ability to tell a story about talking dogs without making it seem silly or cartoonish. In fact, he manages to create a narrative of supreme dignity and beauty.

The theme is crystal clear - man has forgotten his divinely appointed responsibility of good stewardship and instead enslaves and mistreats animals for his own purposes. When man realizes the true purpose of the animal kingdom, he becomes more human. However, when he cruelly misuses an animal, he becomes inhuman.

The story of the dogs' survival in the wild is utterly captivating. The character of the tod (fox) is exquisitely crafted. The final 100 pages are a thrilling race against time, keeping this reader on the edge of their seat, flipping the pages with white-knuckle suspense. And the ending is sheer genius. "Oh, Snit's a good dog! Come to that, Rowf's a good dog, too."

It leaves a lasting impression and makes one reflect on the relationship between humans and animals.

Can we draw direct equivalents between the Western Canon and a furry one? There's some merit in exploring this. For instance, Richard Bach's Jonathan Livingston Seagull could be seen as the furry New Testament, with its numerous references to Jesus. Continuing this line of thought, Watership Down might be the furry Old Testament, as it revitalized the concept of talking animals in serious literature, perhaps the first since Orwell's Animal Farm. But what about Adam's The Plague Dogs? Despite the author considering it his best work, it never achieved the same level of popularity as Watership Down. Scholar Anja Höing argues that this is because it doesn't invite the reader into a beautiful secondary world of talking animals like most others, but rather exposes the injustices and cruelties animals face in an anthropocentric world.

Since Adams calls it his magnus opus, it's worth closer examination to spread awareness of its genius. Everything has its roots, and if we trace them, it can form a beautiful family tree. Just as there couldn't have been Watership Down without Animal Farm, there probably couldn't have been The Plague Dogs without Mrs Brisby and the Rats of NIMH, which came out six years earlier. While they can't be directly compared, the movie adaptation of NIMH had a different theme than the book. In the book, Mrs Brisby is often saved by Justin the rat and isn't involved in the story's resolution. Interestingly, Justin is also a source of inspiration for many new furries. The Plague Dogs has higher goals than teaching kids to read, like NIMH.

Both books are about animals escaping from scientific experiments, but with different audiences. They also share an ambiguous open ending. In NIMH's book, Justin disappears, and the author died before confirming his fate. In The Plague Dogs, the dogs' adventure contrasts with the human world, highlighting the real vs. the ideal. The novel references the Platonic Ideal, suggesting that animals should have a chance to approximate their ideal selves and that we should help them do so while also ensuring our own survival and happiness. This review draws on conclusions by Anja Höing and David Collado Rodriguez.