Book Review: An Oath of Dogs by Wendy N. Wagner
Kate Standish (she prefers “Standish”) is looking forward to her new job as a communications technician on the colony world of Huginn. After the traumatic accident, open space is no longer a place she feels comfortable in, and the frequent cloud cover will help her agoraphobia. Standish’s first hint that something’s wrong is when the locals react negatively to her dog Hattie. Admittedly, even in the future not everyone understands the function of emotional support animals, but these folks seem to fear the fluffy canine.
It turns out there’s a pack of feral dogs in the Canaan Lake area that exhibit unusual intelligence, and some troubling un-dog-like behavior, while still acting like feral dogs in other unsettling ways. Among other things, they eat human corpses.
Which is likely what happened to Duncan Chambers, who was supposed to be Standish’s boss. He disappeared somewhere in the forest while she was in transit, couldn’t be found, and has been given up for dead. Humans, as of yet, are not able to last that long in the forests of Huginn without life support.
The only person who seems unconvinced that Chambers met with an accident is Dr. Peter Bajowski, Chambers’ ex-lover and a biologist working for Songheuser, the lumber company that owns the majority of Canaan Lake. He has his own problems trying to figure out the ecology of the planet before it’s completely changed by logging and Earth imports, while the company wants him to concentrate on making the logging more efficient.
Canaan Lake may be a company town, but that doesn’t mean everyone there is happy with Songheuser. Ecoterrorists have infiltrated the population and are turning murderous. Plus, the colony of Believers, who have created an agricultural center in the area, sometimes have their customs clash with the company’s greed. And everyone’s harboring secrets, some dark indeed.
Then Standish discovers evidence that Chambers was on to some shady goings-on involving an off-limits part of the forest. Will she survive long enough to learn the truth?
Good: I liked Standish and Hattie, and the portrayal of service animals seems on-target. The various subplots mesh together well. There’s some interesting use of ecological thinking.
Less good: The explanation of some of the weird goings-on smacks more of magical realism than science fiction. Some of the characters come across a little stereotypical.
Content note: There’s some disturbing material as part of the backstory, but discussing it would be spoilers. Proceed cautiously, or consult a spoiler site.
Overall, an intriguing story that doesn’t need a sequel. Recommended to science fiction fans who are okay with a little magical realism stuck in.
