Customer Reviews

The Gamekeeper's Night Dog (Gamekeeper Series, Book 1)

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

Many of the reviewers made a point which I will endorse. The author is not a polished author of many years experience so his product is rough. The imaginative bits however are great. Who could imagine using trained dogs to attack infantry and artillery regiments in WWI? He is weak in some areas and strong in others. At least it requires more imagination and creativity than a bard, halfling, thief etc off to save the world or princess by acquiring a magical object. Well done! A good first effort.

Does any of this sound familiar? Britain, the world's only superpower invades the Boer Republics in South Africa, not because they pose a threat to the global hegemon, but rather under the banner of democratic reform. Most of the world's other great powers castigate Britain and claim that she is only interested in South Africa's mineral wealth. Only a few trusted allies stick by her side. Britain wins a conventional war only to be caught flat-footed by an unexpected and bloody guerilla war that lasts for years. This is what happened in the pages of history. In Night Dog the Boer War is very different. I won't give away plot lines, but suffice it to say that the differences are relevant to America's current quagmire in Iraq. Night Dog is a real page turner. I see in some of the other reviews that a couple militant atheists are offended by references to God. Out of 490 pages there are about two that are overtly religious. If this sort of thing offends you, simply skim through these two pages. The book is worth it.

This was a sleeper as I only picked up the book because of my love of history, love of England, and love of alternate history in fiction. I was also ignorant of the influence of war dogs in English history and equally so of the Boer Wars. This meant having to check facts on the net to be sure Dave Putnam wasn't putting me on. He was a bit, but it is still one of the best alternate histories I have read to date and I have been reading them for 55 years and using them in my classrooms as a teacher. I particularly like the spiritual aspects, the references to the Christian religion in a positive way, something too many authors of science fiction seem to avoid. The novel is informative and interesting and the characters, both real and fictional, are well done. Great characterizations of Victoria, Cecil Rhodes, Winston Churchill as a very young man, Sir Arthur Canon Doyle, and many others. If the next two are as good I will never be content with Harry Turtledove again, not that he hasn't already slipped in my estimation. Thank you Mr. Putnam for your vision and your ability to share it with your readers.

Well it wasn't my favorite book, but I did enjoy it. Some reviewers stated that it wasn't well written and that it wasn't alternate history. I have read poorly published books before and this was not one of them. The dialogue was good, and did not stumble (I felt), granted it wasn't a pullizer, but it wasn't trash either. And yes it was Alt. History I don't know how it could have been anything but. Course the develpment of WWI technology in last decade of the 19th cent. Machine guns, yeah, but airplanes, in 1894, that are 10 years more advanced than what the Wright Bro. flew in 1902, eventhough they had divine intervention. So military tech. progressed a little too quickly in this book. The most interesting aspect of this novel was the war dogs. Granted they'd have had more of a place in the Boer War than WWI, as an offensive force, but still Putnam makes them out to be a force to reckoned with.

After reading this book two words jump to mind: realistic and barbaric. I'm afraid that some of the negative reviewers aren't ready to be immersed into the warlike Britain of the Victorian era. Bull baits are described in graphic detail and extolled, offending modern animal rights advocates. Ruthless real politik foriegn policy is jammed down the world's collective throat, upsetting the tender sensibilities of today's multilateralist liberals. I really enjoyed the Gamekeeper because I let it take me back to another place and time. You'll like it too, if you're not squeamish and ready to take the journey.

If you are an "alternate history" afficianado, don't miss this excellent new book. It is creative, but also very readable and credible. Marvelous use is made throughout of several canine species, but you don't need to be a dog enthusiast to enjoy it.

"Night Dog" is based on quite plausible shifts in the geopolitical, technological, and economic developments which characterized the seminal period between the late Victorian 1800s in England, the Boer War, and the outbreak of World War I. This was an era that in turn cast long shadows over the rest of the 20th Century. This novel features splendid adaptations of well-known historical figures and groups - including an aging Queen Victoria and a youthful Winston Churchill; industrial pioneers such as Hiram Maxim, Henry Ford, and Germany's Herr Daimler (founder of Mercedes/Benz); plus the famous Zulu nation of Africa - which is cast in a truly unique role.

Comparatively, Putnam's writing style attractively combines Harry Turtledove's depth and Harry Harrison's pace, with an intriguing bit of religious mysticism blended in.

This is the first book in a trilogy. I'm looking forward eagerly to reading the ensuing volumes.

I just finished reading my copy. I feel this is a very well written novel. It was entertaining, while still sticking closely to historical events of the time. The character development was very good, you really have a sense of being there while the events are unfolding. Mr. Putnam, keep up the good work.
Greg Souza
PS I hope there will be a sequel!

The Gamekeeper's Night Dog is a combination of a Jack London novel with an alternate history/military narrative a la Harry Turtledove. Dave Putnam takes us to the last decade of the 19th century and inside a Britain preparing to fight a war in South Africa. Through cajolery and sheer determination, engaging characters like the cantankerous Fred Greystone provide the British Army with packs of fearsome war dogs before the fighting begins. Anyone that has chaffed under the restrictions of a stifling bureaucracy will cheer Greystone's mission of returning his native land to the freedom and earthiness of an earlier time. Battle sequences with highly trained bulldogs are well crafted, realistic, and chilling; yet the reader is transported into an alternate time and place, an alternate history that could have been: if only. Whether you are a history buff and are familiar with the outcome of the Boer War, or a dog lover that enjoys an action packed military novel, this story line will prove engaging and entertaining.

Working dog lovers-enthusiasts and historical buffs will love this book. If you enjoy the History channel (especially the shows on WWI & WWII) you will love this book! Dave does a great job of blending historical facts with great fiction to produce a book that keeps you guessing to what is going to happen next. Somehow you become entranced in the rewriting of history and Dave's descriptive ability makes you think you are living this story. Can't wait to get my hands on the next book!

This book may very well contain the finest last 300 pages in the history of writing, but unless you have a tremendous ability to set aside the absurd you may never see them. While the premise of a military using specially trained dogs in conjunction with infantry troopers is fascinating, the ham-handed dialog, horrible non-sequitors and amateurish prose make getting to the meat of the story very difficult indeed.

Early on, you are introduced to Banner, the titular Gamekeeper who through turns of fate set in motion by Satan (yup...Satan) ends up rescuing the last, full blooded bulldog in all of England-Lockjaw. Early on, Banner realizes that Lockjaw is something special...not only is he a brute that has to have his taste of 'man blood', but he understands spoken English (beyond sit,stay,heel,etc) and has reasoning skills beyond most middle managers. To backup his views of Lockjaws special nature, Banner is visited by god in a dream...not necessarily the god you're used to mind, but the black hole at the center of the galaxy who has special 'feelings' for mankind and is really the god that every religion has every followed. This 'god' tells Banner that the bulldog is special and that Satan has been trying to destroy all bulldogs so that god's gift to man is lost. He also tells Banner that the bulldog is critical to changing history or Britain will be forced to fight war after war in the coming century--starting with the Boer war in South Africa. Banner is fed a stream of vignettes of various battles and events that follow the history we're familiar with--although at some point, Britain's future history and that of the US begins to jumble together into a hodgepodge. Banner and his new wife and her grandfather (Lockjaws breeder) begin their god given task of saving the bulldogs and Britain.

If anything positive can be said of this book, it is that the author shares his love of the bulldog breed with his readers. The author obviously has a great affinity for the breed that shows throughout the book.

Gamekeeper's Night Dog is published by Bulldog Press and I'm sad to say that the quality of the book and it's writing are probably at a second tier publisher because none of the larger publishers would want it. Your book buying money will be better spent reading almost any Turtledove, S.M Stirling or any of the other first rate alternate history authors who don't have to stoop to a blackhole being god and similar literary shortcuts for their history changing impetus.