Fifteen Dogs begins with a bet between the gods Hermes and Apollo about whether animals granted human intelligence would be as miserable as humans are. They grant intelligence to 15 dogs in a veterinary clinic is modern Toronto. The story follows the group and their disparate responses to increased intelligence.
Interesting idea, and the initial setup is concise and entertaining. However, I didn't feel like any of the dogs' stories shed light on what it means to be human or canine. The best parts were when the dogs' native character came through, such as when they interpret human behavior in terms of dominance or can't resist an alluring smell -- in other words, the things they would think even if they didn't have human intelligence.
Like the similarly canine-themed Lives of the Monster Dogs, Fifteen Dogs "sets itself up as an allegory but doesn't have anything new to say."
Interesting idea, and the initial setup is concise and entertaining. However, I didn't feel like any of the dogs' stories shed light on what it means to be human or canine. The best parts were when the dogs' native character came through, such as when they interpret human behavior in terms of dominance or can't resist an alluring smell -- in other words, the things they would think even if they didn't have human intelligence.
Like the similarly canine-themed Lives of the Monster Dogs, Fifteen Dogs "sets itself up as an allegory but doesn't have anything new to say."
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