W. Bruce Cameron

I resisted this for a long time since I can't handle books where dogs or other animals die. A friend told me that yes, this happens, but it's different and it's worth it so I plunged in. I loved it. Told from a dog's perspective over several lives as the dog wonders why he/she keeps coming back. Really, how can anyone know what goes in a dog's head but to me, this seemed like what a dog would think. I liked how the dog read people, figured out all the confusing commands given to him and his show more commentary on cats and horses. If you love dogs, you will love book. show less

The Dog Master by W. Bruce Cameron is a encompassing epic that totally swept me up in the story. Set in the Paleolithic era the reader is gifted with three storylines that eventually converge. This is the story of the first man who thought to tame a wolf and how that taming came about.

A she-wolf is about to give birth and has seen her mate killed and herself badly injured by a lion, a young man takes steps to keep her and her litter alive. He in turn has been banished by his tribe, who are show more called the Kindred, as he is thought to have brought a curse upon them. His efforts with the wolf has been helped by another tribe called the Wolfen who worship wolves and have been making meat tributes to this dominant female so she is semi-accepting of having a human help her.

The story involves both tribes and the wolves as they all struggle to survive in a difficult world and this constant struggle made for an involving and gripping read. The author captures the hesitant at first but then unbreakable bond that man and dog can share and, as in all good epics, there is adventure, romance, and human relationships that make this story jump off the pages. No one really knows how the first wolf left the wild to take a place beside man, but I would like to believe this story comes close. The Dog Master was the perfect story for me right now, a great adventure read that expanded my horizons at a time when I am mostly housebound and for that it get’s my highest rating. show less

I'm embarrassed by the fact that I liked this book as much as I did. While the author approaches his mission in a way I find singular, and does a number of neat little narrative tricks, I don't find him to me a masterful stylist. Irrespective, though, I'm struck by the fact that I just wanted to keep reading, and was sad when the book was over. Intellectually, I keep thinking things like, "the dog-protagonist's progression thorough his lives was trite and predictable," and "the author was show more unabashedly manipulative and trite," and even, "my boyfriend, who has amazing taste in books, would call this the worst sort of sentimental drivel." But the sad fact of the thing is this: I couldn't put it down. I know -- I KNOW -- that I was being manipulated, my love for my dogs and my complex feelings about losing animals that have been so important in my life were being shamelessly exploited. And yet, somehow, these facts that usually cause an involuntary sneer (that most unattractive of facial expressions) to slink across my face and slouch around while I indulge in a little mini-rant, these appalling facts didn't stop me from being hopelessly absorbed and feeling exactly what the author wanted me to feel. I am a pop-culture puppet. Alas. show less

I dread books or movies in which the dog dies. Why do they have to have the dog die? Let a human die, even the hero, but not the dog ferchrissake! And in this book, the dog dies . . . over and over.

It’s hard not to be a little schmaltzy talking about this book. If you’ve ever loved a dog, this will get you.

It's a kind of autobiography of a dog, through several lives, each teaching him (or her, through reincarnations) more about how to be a dog, what the purpose of a dog’s life is. Each show more life is a step along the way, and the dog remembers what he/she learns in each life to become a better dog and understand a "dog’s purpose" better.

Dogs live our lives, and the purpose he/she finds is completely bound up with us. But they don’t completely understand us. They live in a world that is never completely comprehensible — as our author dog says here, what motivates the actions of humans is always confusing. Why does everybody leave the house in the morning? Why don’t they stay and give me dog biscuits? But even if they can’t see the point of so much of it, they are fully along for the ride, no matter what.

It’s mainly an emotional journey, for us and for the dog. Dogs are intimately attuned to our feelings, they try to respond to our emotions in ways that are true to the bond we share with them. Since they don’t fully understand us, that can’t be easy. But even without fully understanding us, they sometimes see us better and more transparently than anyone sees us.

Schmaltzy as it might be, this is a good book. It’ll take you through our protagonist dog’s emotions and trials, and you’ll learn something about yourself (and your dog) along the way. You may appreciate your dog even more than you do now. show less