The Dust of 100 Dogs (Paperback)

by A.S. King (Author)
Key Phrases: quiz bowl, army shovel, Vera Cruz, Fred Livingstone, Hollow Ford (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal
Grade 9 Up—Pirates, reincarnation, dogs, teenage angst, a romance that spans the centuries, magic, treasure—all are wrapped up inside a fun Goth cover that belies the very adult story within. Emer Morrisey, the youthful scourge of the South Seas in the 17th century, has lived through 100 lifetimes as a dog, and now shares the body of 20th-century teen Saffron Adams. Along with fantasies about torturing and murdering most everyone around her, Saffron's sole ambition is to escape her pathetic family and find the treasure she knows lies buried somewhere in Jamaica. The book is not for the faint of heart or stomach, with painful scenes of animal and human abuse, attempted rape, battles, and murder. Particularly difficult is the character of Fred Livingston, the reincarnation of the French captain who killed Emer's lover, and who is quite obviously crazy. His very disturbed mental state is shown through his truly evil actions toward his dog and the voices that taunt him day and night. There will be teens who find Emer/Saffron's story much to their taste, but this is definitely not a book for a wide audience.—Mara Alpert, Los Angeles Public Library
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From Booklist
Saffron Adams is a typical teenager, longing to escape her dreadful family and upbringing into a sunnier future. What sets her apart, however, is that she actually has the means to such a future via the buried treasure she left on an island 300 years prior. As Emer Morrisey, she was the scourge of the Caribbean but was then cursed to live the life of 100 dogs. Interludes explore what she learned during her dog lives until she is reborn, memories intact, as a present-day girl. The dual stories of Emer and Saffron progress in parallel, but as the pirate tale gains momentum, the modern strand meanders; readers will likely flash through Saffron’s teenage doldrums to return to Emer’s vainglorious exploits. But don’t mistake this for a romanticized romp on the high seas; the sex is occasionally graphic and disturbing, and the violence is particularly gruesome. Readers will be frustrated by a few plot holes and contrivances, but for the most part this is an undeniably original book that overreaches, yes, but only as a byproduct of its ambition. Grades 10-12. --Ian Chipman

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Product Details

• Reading level: Young Adult
  
• Paperback: 336 pages
• Publisher: Flux (January 13, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0738714267
• ISBN-13: 978-0738714264
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 5.2 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars See all reviews (29 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #52,306 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars D100D video review (ie: This book is packed with pirate goodness), April 25, 2009

By	Jackson Pearce (Atlanta, GA United States) - See all my reviews

Length:: 2:24 Mins

My first book comes out August 25, 2009! Check it out: As You Wish

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This one is just really, really great., January 14, 2009

By	Steph "www.reviewerx.blogspot.com" (Blogger Land) - See all my reviews

The Dust of 100 Dogs isn't really a young adult novel. I'm not quite sure what age group it belongs to, actually. It's for the most part narrated by a teenager, sure, but said teenager is only a teenager on a technicality. She's been alive for over 300 years, first as a human named Emer, then as 100 dogs, then as Emer's second-coming, Saffron. Emer surpassed her adolescent years, but she never really grew and appreciated her adulthood. Saffron is still a teenager when the story takes place. Still, all her years as a dog gave her a keen insight on human nature. Really, there's no easy answer where this book is concerned, and hopefully--as Leila Roy said--it will be one more step in blurring the line between YA and adult.

Now, how do I begin this? I agree with both other reviews I've read. This is a peculiar book and it stands out from whatever else you were or have been reading. I'd say it takes awhile to grow on you, too. Because it's such an unorthodox approach to the YA I'm used to--which as I've said before, this is most assuredly not, but I didn't know that--I didn't know how to react to it at first. I thought it was exceptional, whatever it was, but how do I review this? So, if you plan to read it, get that notion out of your head. It only limits this book's potential. Once it dawned to me this is genre-bending, it escalated from exceptional to superb. Aside from its own literary merit, this book's got that genre-bending thing going for it. That's awesome, y'all.

This book has three recurring storylines: Emer's youth in Ireland, her travails in the name of true love, and her coming to be a pirate; Saffron's voyage to Jamaica to unearth the treasure she buried there three centuries prior; and Fred Livingstone's life in Jamaica. They're all connected, the first two in obvious manners, Fred's in a way you'll only understand reading the book. There are also nine dog facts thrown in, which depict dog psychology. An interesting bit about these Dog Facts is that you can apply many of them to humans, too. It's a unique parallel.

This is an odd mix of contemporary and historical without time-travel. (I keep telling you guys that this book breaks all the rules. It's true, see?) The historical locales are well-drawn, and since part of it takes place in Ireland, you get to see a bit of A.S. King's life experience. (She lived on an Irish self-sufficient farm for over a decade.) The wide array of settings in here--the US, Ireland, and pirate locales--are well-realized, at any rate.

And now for my favorite part in any book: characters. The dynamics here--Emer/Saffron's reincarnations, Saffron's dysfunctional family, and certain aspects of Fred's life--make for a very extensive amount of discussion questions. Like Jen Robinson said:

What would it be like to live as a child, with knowledge that you weren't supposed to have? How frustrating would it be to be the sole hope of your downtrodden family, when that hope conflicted with what you wanted from life? If you were reincarnated, and remembered everything, how would you ever separate your current self from your past selves? Or would you need to?

Moreover, I'd be interested in hearing more about Fred Livingstone and the arrangement he has with his assistant. Now that I've finally reviewed this I'll be able to talk to the author more about it; it's curious-making.

And finally, the writing and storytelling: A.S. King is incredibly talented. That's all I'm saying on that subject. (Okay, okay, and also, Saffron's wry voice = LOVE.)

I had built up my idea of this book in my mind and it did worry me it wouldn't meet my expectations. Know what? It didn't. It was something else altogether, and while incomparable to what I was expecting (I am telling you, you don't know what this book will be like), it pleased me. It's well-rounded, cultural, and depicts the world beyond. And aside from that, like I mentioned above, there are a lot of external things going for it. I expect big things from this one. Wait for it.

Recommended.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A fantastic read--couldn't put it down!, March 10, 2009

By	Robin Brande "Author of EVOLUTION, ME, AND OT... - See all my reviews

I just finished reading this book about five minutes ago, and I have to tell somebody: IT'S INCREDIBLE! So imaginative, so clever and exciting and fun and absorbing--I had to put aside my own work for the past two days so I could just keep reading and reading. And then by the end I wished it weren't over!

This is a masterfully-told tale of a modern girl too smart for herself and everyone around her, and of the brave, resourceful young woman she once was in a past life. If that alone doesn't grab you, the fact that we learn proper dog care and training throughout the book--from the dogs' point of view--should be the clincher.

Hate to say more because it might give away too much, but rest assured that this is a fantastic read, and one that you'll be recommending to everyone you can think of. Ahh, such a satisfying book!