Dogsbody

Dogsbody, by Diana Wynne Jones, is one of those sad/happy stories. Or maybe it’s a happy/sad story. Either way, it’s a story worth reading, and I don’t even generally like happy/sad or sad/happy stories. But this one is worth it. The dog star, Sirius, is accused of murdering a fellow star and doing it with a mysterious object called the Zoi, which makes the crime even worse. Because during the act of the crime, the Zoi got lost, and that could be catastrophic to all the stars and their spheres and their planets, including earth. Sirius’s punishment for his “crime” is to be banished to earth to live and die as a dog (appropriately ironic for a dog star). Unless he is able to find the Zoi before he meets a dog’s death. Will Kathleen, the young girl who adopts puppy-Sirius, help him or prevent him from finding the Zoi in time? The clock is ticking, keeping the reader turning the pages to learn what Sirius’s ultimate fate will be.As I said, I don’t generally like happy/sad or sad/happy stories. But I like Dogsbody so much that I’ve read it not just once, but multiple times. Diana Wynne Jones’s books are not only keepers, they’re books to be read again and again. (Maybe Dogsbody is a sad/happy/sad/wait-for-it-happy story? You can decide for yourself. But I think I’m going to choose that last one.)

Dogsbody by Diana Wynne Jones was an absolute page-turner. I was completely immersed within the first few pages of the book. It's certainly a unique concept: the book begins with the star Sirius on trial for a crime he claims he didn't commit. Found guilty, he is sentenced to life in a single solar system, where he will have the opportunity to put things right. If he succeeds, he will be restored to his astral position; if he doesn't, he will live out his alloted lifespan and die. The fates having a sense of humor, he's born on Earth as a dog. And the story presents a dog's view of life masterfully. The book was written in 1975, but is timeless--the humans characters could as easily move through this century as the last. There's an underdog appeal in the story of Kathleen, the human who champions and cares for Sirius as he grows. The daughter of an IRA terrorist, she is the unwanted/misused ward of her English relatives. Readers will likely care for this girl as much as the protagonist. I've read several of the author's books before, most recently _Howl's Moving Castle_, and find that this book, like that, is appropriate for young adult readers without being dumbed down or prettied up for them. I finished it in a day, and immediately set it into the "to read" pile of my 9-year-old son.

This British author has created another hit. This book is multi-layered and very interesting. It is a science fiction/fantasy type story but weaves in a lot of psychological elements and mystery. But, at the heart of it, it is a story about an orphan girl and her dog. Only the dog is actually a demi God-like star being who has been squished into a dog's body. He has to solve a mystery before his time on earth is up or he will fade into oblivion.***Spoiler alert***I have warned you. So here are my concerns: there are two characters that are very cruel to animals. At the beginning of the book a very cruel person tries to drown a bag of puppies in a river. We learn later much later that all puppies escape. Also, the adoptive mother figure in the story is emotionally and sometimes physically abusive. It's a strange thing to wave into a sci-fi story but it does work. I would not change a thing about this book, but I just wanted to warn any parents out there about the content. I would recommend this book to much older children because of this.

Read this book first in middle school and have re-read it several times over the years. A great science fiction, dog lovers go-to book!

The story is absolutely fascinating. I first read this only a few years ago (around maybe age 20), and even though it's a children's book I still loved it. I was VERY excited to see this reprint, as I wasn't able to buy the book before since it wasn't being printed.Definitely pick this up if you like animal books. But it's not JUST an animal book either. Foremost it is a story of friendship. It's really touching, and even bittersweet. And the fantasy elements give it a more magical feeling. Diana Wynne Jones's way of telling fantasy stories is absolutely wonderful (check out her other books as well! Especially the Howl's Moving Castle trilogy).I love the added introduction by Niel Gaiman. I haven't read many of his books but I know he was a friend of Jones's. A worthy introduction of such a great book.Some other reviewers said the (kindle) price is ridiculous and I agree. It's virtually the same price as the paperback, so just get the paperback! Trust me, it's worth it. (And the paperback price is fair, I think)

One of my favorite books, I read it as a teenager and loved it. I bought it for my fiance to read and they loved it too. The paperback isn't always the most satisfying but it does the job

A beautiful book which combines knowledge of the firmament and knowledge of the bond between humans and animals. Sirius, the dog star, is tried, found guilty of murder, and sentenced to life on Earth, as a dog.Diana Wynne Jones blends the worlds of the celestial and the mundane masterfully. We see the world through the eyes of Sirius/Leo as the dog comes to be known. We feel his frustration when he catches only glimpses of memory. And we feel his pain at the inevitable outcome of the story.

It's strange, the things that we can remember so well, and in what detail, even some 30 years later. I read "Dogsbody" when I was a youngster. When I finally moved away from home, I didn't have room for all of my books-most of which ended up in my parent's attic. Alas, I fear my copy of "Dogsbody" was most likely discarded during a parental cleaning of the attic. However, I loved this book so much, I find that I actually memorized many of even the smaller details to my memory, and was just now going over them in my mind. I feared that "Dogsbody" might be out of print, and am delighted to find this is not so. Here I am, in my 40's and I am about to go and order a copy of this delightful tale from Amazon!

I loved this book as a child in the 80s and borrowed it from the library over and over. I recently decided to revisit and found it to be just as delightful, haunting, and strange as I'd (somewhat vaguely) remembered. This book deals with gritty topics like animal and child abuse and racism but this is all with the victims as protagonists and a (relatively) happy ending. I know a great deal of it went over my head as a ten year old but that didn't stop me from enjoying a really beautifully written tale then, and as an adult I appreciate it even more.

Only recently did I start reading Diana Wynne Jones' work. For some unknown reason I missed out on reading her books when younger; which is a shame as I think I would have enjoyed them then just as much as I do now.Dogsbody is not a book I chose by browsing. The decision to buy it was because John Scalzi, the science-fiction writer, wrote about it on his blog (where he posted the sad news that Diana Wynne Jones had passed away on 26th March 2011). I'm very glad Mr. Scalzi did mention Dogsbody because it is a wonderful book. It is not without some flaws. This might well be because it's one of her earlier published books.The opening scene has an influence of Greek mythology. The galactic stars are holding a court case for one of their number, Sirius, the Dog Star. All the stars, and planetary bodies, have their own characters in this story. Sirius is hot tempered and, seemingly, quite violent in temperament.Being thrown into the midst of this galactic scale of justice is also a little confusing at first. It's difficult to get to grips with what sort of beings these are. In terms of characterisation it reminded me strongly of Italo Calvino's Cosmicomics.Sirius receives an archaic punishment by being re-born, in an instant, as a puppy on Earth. His task is to find an extremely powerful object called a Zoi, if he fails he will live and die as an earthly creature. The idea of what a Zoi is appears a bit vague. I wasn't entirely sure whether it was a mechanism, sentient being or both.The scenes from Sirius' early life are rather bleak. Sirius has some luck though and he finds his way to Kathleen, a young girl who very much wants to protect him. With the introduction of Kathleen, and the family she lives with, the story takes more of a turn to fairytale structure. The Duffield family has those recognisable characters of wicked stepmother, kind but disinterested father, bullying elder brother and the younger, more sensitive son. Some of the characters are hard to get a grip on though. Why is Mrs Duffield so unrelentingly bad? What it is that motivates her extreme anger in all aspects? This remains a mystery to me. The brothers and the father have more variety in their reactions over time. You can see the writer's emerging love of playing with stereotypes and fantasy tropes.Kathleen can also prove problematic. She is hopelessly oppressed and lonely until Sirius arrives in her life. Sympathetic as her character is; she can appear a bit too perfect in her passiveness until towards the end of the book. There are many interesting elements here though. As another reviewer mentions; the period setting of the book does include mentions of the Troubles (the long period of warfare in Northern Ireland). References to Kathleen's father are subtly and intelligently written. It is never made clear exactly what he has done or whether he is linked to either side of the paramilitary organisations that flourished then. The level of casual racism and bullying towards Kathleen (and Irish people in general) is a realistic and unsettling touch.Sirius' story is truly charming though. The scenes of his domestic life as a dog, how he deals with the family cats, which is one of my favourite things in the whole book, how he learns about the wider world are so absorbing and humorous to read. Without giving spoilers, I also loved how DWJ decided to end the book. It could have so easily slipped into a standard fairytale ending in the hands of a lesser writer.One final point for the HarperCollins 2010 paperback edition; the Tim Stevens' drawing used for each chapter heading is definitely not the best of his work. This might be down to poor print reproduction but it took until the end of the book to roughly guess what on earth the black, blobby drawing was of and I'm not entirely sure even now.

I ordered this book with its flashy cover and the minute it arrived I realized I'd read it before - so I read it again! It's lovely story in which Sirius, the Dog Star, who is a kind of cosmic nutter is exiled to earth in a dog's body forbidden to return until he locates a crucial magical object. His salvation comes by being adopted by a lonely girl whose own life being cared for by uncaring relatives is miserable. Together they learn about love and trust and meet the people human, canine and feline who can help Sirius return to his proper life in the heavens. It's a terrific book for readers from year and beyond and adults like me who will always miss the wonderful Wynne Jones.

This is one of my favourite Diana Wynne Jones books. She captures the 'dogginess' of a dog very well, but combines it with a more human intelligence which shapes the story. There is a genuine sense of menace and tension, some lovely comic moments, a few plot twists and turns and some excellent characterisation - all typical Wynne Jones features. As always, she portrays cats very realistically and effectively.It does take a willing suspension of disbelief to accept that Sirius, the dog star, is a sentient being who is sent to earth in the form of a dog as a punishment. However, I liked the use of the horned god and the 'ghost' dogs.

I was probably about 9 years old when I first read "Dogsbody" and, at the age of 33, I'm re-reading it for the umpteenth time and ejoying it just as much as ever. It's gripping, imaginative, full of wonderful characters and centres around the beautiful Sirius, a star that I've always loved since my mother first pointed him out to me. I defy anyone not be completely enthralled by this wonderful novel and if you think that maybe your kids are a little too young to manage it (I'm about to give a copy to a precocious 8 year old whom I'm sure will love it) then read it to them. I promise you'll enjoy the experience as much as they do. And if you don't have kids, just read it for yourself and before long you'll find yourself completely immersed in the adventures of the hapless dog star in puppy form. And the chances are, every time you look up at Sirius's green hue in the night sky, you'll remember this fabulous book that's dedicated to him.