Dogs of the Deadlands

"Every so often a story comes along that makes you its prey, takes you in its jaws, shakes you — and you have no option but to go limp and submit... This wonderful novel deserves to receive the literary equivalent of the starlight barking to ensure it’s read by all."

‘The animal portion of the story is the dominant one, and along with being full of vivid naturalistic details about food and setting, it lays out rich webs of nonanthropomorphic but recognizable family and pack dynamics, emotional attachments, and differences in character among wolves, dogs, and hybrids… A multilayered tale of loss and renewal with elements both topical and universal.’

‘Beautifully written and emotionally devastating.’

‘This book! It broke my heart and then splintered it back together again. Full of hope and love and wildness. Can’t even describe the plot but it has dogs and wolves and it’s set in the aftermath of Chernobyl. It’s just MAGNIFICENT. Imagine Watership Down meets The Animals of Farthing Wood but fiercer.’

‘Steeped in Richard Adams’ Plague Dogs and Watership Down, yet wearing all the hallmarks of Barry Hines at his finest, Dogs of the Deadlands is a wonderful thing. It moved me and stayed with me for an awfully long time.’

‘I was completely blown away by this brilliant, beautiful story. I was propelled back to reading Watership Down as an eight year old – this gave me that same feeling of having been indelibly changed by a story. It's a rare and special thing for a book to do.’

‘Raw, unflinching, and blisteringly well written, Dogs of the Deadlands is already certain to be one of my books of the year! Just WOW.’

‘Dogs of the Deadlands is extraordinary – exciting, brutal, heartbreaking, it carries you along with every howl, every bite and every moment of joy. Wonderful!’

‘This is a powerful novel about how people’s lives can change in an instant, and how the animals affected by human disaster learn to survive… a tense, thought-provoking drama whose descriptions of animal life are reminiscent of Watership Down. Rock the Boat is publishing a sumptuous hardback edition.’

‘Loved Dogs of the Deadlands – swept along by the story – powerful telling of dogs’ survival in the wilds against the backdrop of Chernobyl and the spaces humans left behind.’

‘The dogs’ behaviour is convincingly authentic… A phenomenal story of survival despite, and because of, the desolation of a modern nuclear fallout.’