The Dogs of Kaloon

Carl L. Galey

Average Rating 8/10 (1 Review)

This book is a cross between Watership Down and The Planet of the Apes.

What if ‘man’s best friend’ ruled the earth? What if man had finally committed the ultimate blunder by manufacturing a weapon potent enough to wipe the human race off of the face of the earth, while not affecting the plant or animal life? Then, what if the domesticated canine, by sheer yearning for the return of his ‘Man-God’, had sped up the evolutionary process to the point of evolving into a ‘half-man?’ Tucker Charley has returned from the Great Chicago Cat Wars to find that his puphood home has been corrupted by an unscrupulous sheriff who profits from the illegal manufacture, and sale, of the drug ‘catnip.’

After seeking, and being elected to the office himself, Tucker and Bull Turner, his chief deputy, embark on the task of ridding the county of the drug ring. In the process, he has to do battle with a renegade cat-gang hired by the ex-sheriff to assassinate him and one of the beautiful Farnsworth sisters. Then, after eliminating what appears to be all of the crises in his life, a startling new development surfaces... man reappears!

Review by Molly Martin (100208) Rating (8/10)

Review by Molly Martin
Rating 8/10
The narrative opens in Kaloon, Illinois, located in the former nation of the United States of America on the North American Continent, as Tucker Charley rescues a moth snared in the web of a spider. The Shepherd/Boxer mix has a tender heart. It is Election Day, a victory party is planned and Tucker Charley just may be the next sheriff. Tucker’s fiancée Maggie is positive Tucker will be elected, Tucker realizes the incumbent has long had an iron grip on the position and will not go down without a fight.

When Tucker returns to his childhood home from the Great Chicago Cat Wars he discovers an unprincipled sheriff has been profiting from the illegitimate production and sale of the drug catnip. It is then that Tucker knows he has to try to take the office away fro Sergeant Spot and rid the area of his unsavoury influence.

It is after winning the position of sheriff that Tucker and his deputy, Bull Turner set in motion the task of ridding the county of the drug ring.

By four o’clock on Election Day Sergeant Spot found himself in the uncomfortable position of having to ready himself to vacate the office he had held for so long. He had so many loose and illegal ends to tie up that it would be all he could do to cover up the dishonesty of his corrupt stranglehold upon Coles County, Illinois. Spot faces more trouble when his trusted cohort, Frankie Logan turns out to be less than sympathetic to his plight.

Frankie Logan wants a split of the money Spot has been skimming and hiding in his office safe. Thirty two hundred sacks of grade A catnip may be just what Spot needs to turn Tucker’s election and Frankie’s greed to his favour. Moving the tale along assassins, led by a determined Siamese appear, dogs begin to drop from gun fire, Sheena Farnsworth, one of the town’s most revered citizens is shot, Frankie is dead and buried out in the woods and Tucker has a mystery to solve.

Tucker has his work cut out for him in trying to unravel the tangle of deceit, lies and murder. He must do battle with the renegade cat gang hired by Spot to eliminate him along with Sheena Farnsworth. To top off everything else Tucker in the weeks and years to come; after Tucker has done away with what seems to be all of the calamities in his life a staggering new development appears. Tucker’s young son Tucker Jr makes a startling discovery while playing in the tree house out behind the home housing Tucker Charley, his wife Maggie and their growing family.

Story teller Carl Galey has crafted an intriguing tale centred on a land in which mankind has finally produced a weapon of astounding magnitude. The weapon wiped out humans but left other creatures alive to change and evolve. In the society which came to be the dominant creatures were upright half-man beings with hands, able to walk and talk as had the humans they were devoted to so long ago. The dogs of Kaloon do not much resemble the dogs we recognize today.

On the pages of The Dogs of Kaloon is presented an absorbing glimpse into what might be one day should humans continue their destructive course. Present in the tale is deceit, treachery and dishonesty... all some of the baser of the human instincts along with the more admirable attributes of compassion, gentleness and kindness. Writer Galey has captured some of the worst and the finest of human nature, and has settled them in a society made up of creatures that have their own notions of right and wrong, good and evil.

The Dogs of Kaloon is a sure to please work for middle grades, high school readers and adults who enjoy Sci/Fi/Fantasy. The tale moves along at a steady pace, is peopled with believable creatures who behave in realistic fashion and is written in easy going readable prose. Dialogue is appealing, fits the situations presented and serves to keep the reader turning the page. Reader attention is caught and held from the opening lines right down to the last paragraphs as we stand with Maggie and scan the horizon.

Enjoyed the read, happy to recommend.
Molly Martin (10th February 2008)