Taking inspiration from the 1986 Chernobyl disaster, esteemed author Anthony McGowan takes a fresh angle by telling the story of the dogs in the surrounding woodlands, who were also affected by that infamous incident.
Abandoned by their owners, who had to evacuate when the Chernobyl disaster struck, puppies Misha and Bratan are growing up in the snowy tangled forest in the shadows of the decrepit nuclear power plant and surviving day by day in a confusingly shattered world, always living on edge. The two young dogs find their lives infused with more danger when the pack of yellow-eyed wolves begin seeking them out, forcing Misha and Bratan to, for the first time, escape into the world outside their forest in order to survive the unknown.
The writing is evocative and sensitive, conjuring up imagery of tantalising pleasures to the reader. The book is an immensely satisfying and compelling read, with danger and trouble gripping the reader all the way through as tension flows in waves, and then climbs and climbs.
McGowan’s work is reminiscent of The One and Only Ivan or The War that Saved My Life, two books which are poetic, lyrical, heartfelt, and truly exciting, playing on all senses and encouraging the reader to let the story fully envelop them.
Ideal for the upper primary school aged-readers, Dogs of the Deadlands is an extraordinary tale and is highly recommended.
Reviewed by Brenton Cullen
Age Guide 10+
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Anthony McGowan was born in Manchester in 1965, and went to school in Leeds. He has an M.Phil in philosophy and a PhD on the history of the concept of beauty. In the past he has worked as a nightclub bouncer, civil servant, and Open University tutor in philosophy. He now lives in London and is married to the fashion designer and LSE academic, Rebecca Campbell. They have two children, and a dog, Monty, who has featured in two of his books: The Art of Failing (2017) and How to Teach Philosophy to Your Dog (2019).
His debut novel was an adult thriller, Stag Hunt, published to wide critical acclaim. A sequel, Mortal Coil, came out in 2005. In the same year, Hellbent, which was his first novel for teenagers, was described by The Times as ‘a brilliantly nauseating thriller’. It was picked by Anthony Horowitz as his book of the year in the Daily Telegraph. A second young-adult book, Henry Tumour, was published in April 2006. According to The Guardian, ‘Henry Tumour is a boisterous, anarchic, frequently vulgar comedy about a boy with a brain tumour. It is very, very funny. It is also a wise, sensitive and questioning novel about the opposing forces that make us what we are.’ Henry Tumour won the 2006 Booktrust Teenage prize, the 2007 Catalyst Award, and was shortlisted for several major awards.The Knife That Killed Me, was published in 2008 and has proved both highly controversial and topical. It deals in a hard-hitting, intensely realised way with the problems of knife crime and youth violence. Of it, Meg Rosoff (2007 Carnegie Prize winner) has written, ‘Every writer hates to hear the words “stunning new talent” applied to someone else, but in the case of Anthony McGowan nothing else will do.’ The novel was filmed and released in July 2014.
His other YA titles include Hello Darkness and the Brock/Pike/Rook/Lark quartet. Rook was shortlisted for the CILIP Carnegie medal in 2018.
The Art of Failing is a humorous account of the writer’s life. How to Teach Philosophy to Your Dog, an introduction to philosophy, was published in 2019.
He has also written feature articles for The Sunday Telegraph, The Guardian, The Times and the Evening Standard, on subjects ranging from the nightmare of being a relative failure married to a superwoman, to travel, and the dangers of hunting rats with a crossbow.
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