Customer Reviews

Fluke

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I read this years ago and it was very good and made into a film that is not all that bad. Basically the premise is that a family man dies and is reincarnated as a dog, returns to his family and tries to help reveal his killer to them. It is fairly formula stuff but the fact that the dog's perspective is written so well coupled with a story that is a little more adult than your average fantasy novel, almost horror, makes it compelling adult fairy-tale reading. I recommend it because it is very original, unusual and actually one of the better books from this British author who deserves to be discovered a little more in the west. It is good writing. I also recommend Creed.

It took too long for Fluke to drop by again. You see, having read the book at a young age and soon forgetting the title and the author's name, it took me several years recently to discover the book's identity and obtain it again. Having acquired the book once more it did not take me long to notice that I had read another book by James Herbert, called The Fog, only a couple of years ago.

Fluke is the wrenching tale of a mutt, lonesome and confused, who has the odd feeling that he had once lived as a man. We travel with him, and as him, and see a typically well-meaning, but unwanted puppy, through a tough and hungry existence without a home. We hear what he hears, see what he sees and experience what he feels. He is everything a dog would be, kind, endearing, intelligent, loyal and hungry. Fluke is on a mission and will stop at nothing - OK, except for shelter, food and a good home or two - until he reaches his destination.

Were it not so grim, Fluke would be considered a great book for children. As is, the progressive mind can only feel for the abandoned, misunderstood and mistreated creature and his sad tale concerning the cycle of life and death.

Being a huge James Herbert fan, relishing in his tales of brutal horror, drawn into his colourful (albeit sometimes over-indulging) absorptions of scenery, this was definitely a "fluke" of a find.

Discovering this hidden gem in an old bookstore while looking for a copy of "Once...", I thought "James Herbert, hmm. A horror/thriller written in a dog's (or possibly a man's?) perspective? I must get this." And so I did.

Within the first 2 pages I was instantly drawn into this beautiful story. Everything is here - death, life, lost love... and the insatiable desire to "right the wrongs" (or wrong the rights).

This is an intensely moving story. If a dog wrote a book, this is it, and many times throughout one would have to wonder WHO wrote it! Sharing my household with animals and dogs my entire life, there have been many times in which I thought "what would you like to say, to express in human terms?" Oh how this book does it...

This is a quick read (just over 200 pages), even though I wish it could have lasted 700+. The instances and situations Fluke gets caught up in are just too engrossing and hilarious for me to quickly sum up on an online review. So, I've decided to re-publish this review by Damien Kane (care of damienkane.com)... he did what I wanted to do.

***Monday, 7 April 2008
Book Review: Fluke by James Herbert (1977)

Horror is as varied as it is interesting. James Herbert was one of my favourite writers over a decade ago (Rats, The Dark, Shrine, The Fog) but Fluke isn't one of them. It's written by a master of horror, and that's what I expected when I first picked the book up, but it wasn't what I got.

Instead, what I did get, was an eloquently plotted book about a man who dies and is re-incarnated as a dog. The first three or four chapters contains no verbal interaction which was interesting, because I was so engrossed in the story, I never realised until the second time I read it!

It's difficult to write this review without spoilers. I want to tell you everything. It's one of my favourite reads, and for good reason. It was later turned into a movie in 1995 (see IMDB here). I haven't had the opportunity to watch it but I still trawl the video shops looking for it.

The basic storyline is that the reincarnated dog (Fluke by name, fluke by nature) gradually starts to remember his previous life as a man, fragmentary memories trying to push themselves to the surface from being repressed. There's an instinct deep inside that he can't get; a diamond of knowledge that Fluke, no matter how hard he tries, can't reach. His instincts tells him that it is important to know what it is.

It sounds like a simple storyline, but the feelings that Fluke has of his milieu is insightful. There are scenes where Fluke, instead of trying to dig up antiquated feelings of his past, stop and thinks about what's happening a that moment: about the things he sees and smells, and feels, and the relationships he has encountered, both animal and people. I felt these to be breakthroughs in the novel as the man-turned-dog starts to come to terms with who he is, and the end of the novel indeed gives us that impression.

Some of the characters are very memorable, my favourite being Rumbo, the junkyard dog who takes Fluke under his paw, so to speak, showing him the ropes of the doggy-dog world. I found a number of underlying themes and feelings in this novel, from friendship to self-acceptance to name just two. The maturity of storytelling makes Fluke one of my favourite novels. It is rich in content and character, has a unique resonance, and of course, the bold perspective of being a dog.

Overall, Fluke was a surprising read by a horror writer, read by a horror reader. It injects a scope and gravity that despite not being in control, we should strive for what we want to achieve, regardless of what God did or did not give us. You'll be hard pressed to find similar novels with as much character development, and if like me you enjoy good prose and solid reads, this is a book you'll be keeping for a very long time.

RATING: 5 OUT OF 5***

However, I HAVE seen the movie - but only after reading the book. I urge one not to watch it first and only if you really, REALLY want to see an adaptation - I wasn't impressed.

Why'd I mention "Once..."? Because Rumbo makes a comeback.

Finally, this book is such a classic that I buy every copy I can find and give it to friends. If you're considering buying it for yourself, by all means buy the hardcover!

Totally, forever enduring. SIX stars!

I was staying at my dad's house one summer and my step mother was annoying me so I went riffling through her boxes of books and came across this....I started to read and was hooked! That was 20 years ago and it's a book I remember from time to time as it moved me and changed my outlook on dogs. It came to mind again recently when I brought home a new puppy...does this puppy have a human soul? James Herbert is a master story teller, this book would have to be his best, it takes you to a new world in the eyes of a dog and you will never be the same after it. I can't say anymore, you just have to read it to realise for yourself what a truly fantastic, original story it is. It is a book to be passed down to your children....

For some reason this one never appealed to me as much as the usual JH horror stuff, like 'The Rats', 'The Dark' etc. However I was pleasantly surprised. Not your standard horror book but certainly delves into life and death, a topic which fascinates most of us.

The story is told in the first person (or should that be the first dog?) and the author conveys being a dog brilliantly.

We learn how 'Fluke' as he is eventually known feels different from other dogs and we follow his journey as he seeks to find out the truth.

Wonderfully written and beautifully described...with just the right amount of poignant moments...especially the end.

Now I'm 26 years old. the first time i read this book was when i was 23, and three years after i have read this book two more times! maybe i am a child at heart, but this book was an easy read but also very stimulating and gripping that i could read this book for hours. if you are a dog lover, you will love this book, with a twist of horror and yet the typical life you would expect a mongrol to live, its fascinating to imagine that kind of life, and if your a james herbert fan, your know that he always puts a sexy sceneary in every book he writes, so theres something for all. you just have to read this book! sad and funny, it is.

I got this book because of a special offer that came across my Kindle to get a "horror" story for $1. As I was glancing through the list of offerings, Fluke jumped out at me. I can only remember reading one other book with a dog as narrator, Garth Stein's "The Art of Racing in the Rain" which I loved.

Unlike that book, Fluke is not a tearjerker, neither is it a horror story. It does have an element of a traditional mystery but that seems to be an underlying theme which doesn't come to the forefront until the end of the book. Instead, I found it to be more philosophical and a very profound statement on the cycle of life and death. The first person narration through a dog's eyes comes across as realistic and natural.

The story moves quickly and is so well written. I think it will appeal to dog lovers as well as those who think reincarnation is plausible. Of course, it may also appeal to those who dislike dogs and for those people, I guess it may indeed be classified as a horror story ;

this book was excellent reading and condition. highly reccommend reading the author is one the best around.

For some reason this one never appealed to me as much as the usual JH horror stuff, like 'The Rats', 'The Dark' etc. However I was pleasantly surprised. Not your standard horror book but certainly delves into life and death, a topic which fascinates most of us.

The story is told in the first person (or should that be the first dog?) and the author conveys being a dog brilliantly.

We learn how 'Fluke' as he is eventually known feels different from other dogs and we follow his journey as he seeks to find out the truth.

Wonderfully written and beautifully described...with just the right amount of poignant moments...especially the end.