(from my blog http://randoymwords.blogspot.com/)This was a fluffy thing about a modern Flash Gordon type who gets kidnapped into space along with a random dog. Now, I've read a lot of Alan Dean Foster, but most of those books have been movie or TV adaptations. It's something that he's very good at, fleshing out characters without deviating too much from a script. Without that script, he's a bit of a Terry Pratchett style humorist, with the same inclination to pose light moral situations. Here, it's all about not judging alien lifeforms by the way the look, but by how they fill in slots on the team, because we're all in the same gang, et al. His writing style on this is very thesaurus heavy, utilizing as many long words as possible to fill up the pages. That's not really a complaint, but it was a surprising change in tone compared to his earlier novels. I was, however, really annoyed by the dog character, who comes off as a refugee from a muppet movie. His intelligence has been artificially enhanced by the aliens, which gives him the ability to talk, but also gives him the ability to know about human concepts such as expressways and restaurants, which a dog wouldn't have experienced. I'm sure it's all in the name of comedy, but it comes off as irritating and stretches the fourth wall too much. I guess this is the sort of thing that people read on their long commutes. There's no real point to it unless you want obvious ideas of heroism and companionship confirmed for you. It has some funny moments, but not enough for me to recommend this outright. There are other books to read.
Marcus Walker, a hot-shot commodities trader gets abducted by aliens while on a solo camping trip in the Sierra Nevadas. He is eventually paired with snarky canine abducted from a Chicago alley, whom he calls George... the dog is able to speak, due to brain enhancement and implant technology of the abducting aliens. While in captivity aboard a giant alien ship, man and dog encounter all sorts of strange oxygen-breathing aliens in a wild animal park setting and learn this menagerie will eventually be sold to collectors throughout the galaxy. Clearly an escape attempt is required.This is a fun, quick read—although the writing is somewhat verbose and stilted enough to ruin some good jokes. Chances are you will be disappointed if you are expecting another ‘Hitchhikers Guide.’ It has nowhere near the speed or of inventiveness of ideas. (If you want laugh-out-loud funny try a couple of John Scalzis humorous novels.)This is the first book of a Trilogy. While not brilliant satire or action packed adventure, it’s still a solid enjoyable read—as long as your expectations are set kinda low.
Do You like book Lost And Found (2005)?
Alien abductions, a talking dog with increased intelligence, sassy aliens, and space travel all told with such delectable, delicious words and wordplay. What's not to like? I laugh at more parts in the book than I can remember. Completely entertaining and had me wanting more at every turn of the page.Human Marcus Walker is abducted by aliens with the intent of being sold for profit. On the alien ship, among all the other aliens, he finds himself a Terran companion. The problem is; the other Terran is a dog. The good news; the dog, can talk and has increased intelligence.Marcus Walker, along with George, the talking dog, find allies on the alien ship and with their help, they set on a mission to escape captivity.If you are dog-lover, science fiction fan, and into aliens, this is a no- brainer. You will enjoy this book. It's funny, an easy read, and just plain cute.
—John
A commodity trader gets abducted by aliens intent on selling him to the highest bidder as a pet. Having to come to terms with not being the smartest species in the universe, far from home, in desperate straits, and coping with a variety of aliens in the same situation as you? You'd think it would be trite, but Alan Dean Foster does it again with making the ordinary and tired plot line come alive with characters who grow, change, and adapt in ways that makes them admirable and interesting.Loved it, and am going to search out the sequel(s).
—Marya Kowal
This book just didn't really do much for me. I didn't particularly care about or much like the characters (not that I especially disliked them either). The plot was pretty bland. It's mostly just this guy being trapped in a cage. The one thing that would have made this scenario interesting, I think, would have been to really get a feel for who more of the other aliens were, but aside from the two main aliens that Mark eventually meets, most of the aliens are glossed over with very little description (aside from a bit of physical description which was very hard to picture). And the author's over-use (and sometimes misuse) of "big" words just come off as him wanting to sound educated and intelligent rather than because those words were just precisely the right word at the time, and it gets very annoying. So, yeah, I don't plan to continue this series. And the writing style in this book was enough to dissuade me from reading any more from this author.
—Reanne
