Home › Fiction › Dogs of War

Dogs of War

by Adrian Tchaikovsky

A weapon learning what it means to be a dog

Regular price $17.09 USD
Regular price $28.49 USD Sale price $17.09 USD
Save 40%

Paperback New

Delivery to your door
In stock·Dispatches in 1–2 business days
Standard shipping* from $4.35
Standard shipping transit* 5–8 business days after dispatch

Faster options are available.

Rates and delivery estimates depend on your destination and item quantity. Estimates are informational only; the final shipping method and rate are selected at checkout.

Secure checkout
American Express Apple Pay DiscoverGoogle Pay Mastercard PayPalVisa
30-day eligible returns Returns & refunds policy

Awards & Recognition

  • Author recognition

    Arthur C. Clark Award-winning author

    Described in the supplied metadata as an award-winning author.

AlbakiReads Editorial

A weapon learning what it means to be a dog

Rex is a genetically engineered assault dog built for combat, serving alongside Dragon, Honey and Bees in the lawless anarchy of Campeche, Mexico. His understanding of himself is bound to obedience: he believes being good means doing what his Master commands. When that Master faces trial as a war criminal, the story’s central questions widen from battlefield orders to the status of the Bioforms themselves—whether engineered weapons can hold rights, and whether they have a right to exist. The science-fiction premise brings questions of responsibility and personhood into focus through Rex’s position as both a weapon and a being seeking a place in the world.

Good fit for readers who enjoy

  • Science-fiction readers interested in genetic engineering and bio-engineered beings.
  • Readers drawn to stories that examine obedience, personhood and the rights of artificial or engineered life.

Themes

Genetic engineeringObedience and agencyPersonhood and rightsResponsibility in warfare

Based on publisher information and book metadata.

Book overview

A bio-engineered dog fights for its life and its right to life. From the Arthur C. Clark Award-winning author of CHILDREN OF TIME.

My name is Rex. I am a good dog.

Rex is also seven foot tall at the shoulder, bulletproof, bristling with heavy calibre weaponry and his voice resonates with subsonics especially designed to instil fear. With Dragon, Honey and Bees, he's part of a Multiform Assault Pack operating in the lawless anarchy of Campeche, Mexico. A genetically engineered Bioform, he's a deadly weapon in a dirty war. All he wants to be is a Good Dog. And to do that he must do exactly what Master says and Master says he's got to kill a lot of enemies.

But who, exactly, are the enemies? What happens when Master is tried as a war criminal? What rights does the Geneva Convention grant weapons? Do Rex and his fellow Bioforms even have a right to exist?

And what happens when Rex slips his leash?

'Detailed and clever worldbuilding... Tchaikovsky pulls off an impressive feat in making Rex's character evolution genuinely moving. Readers will be wowed' Publishers Weekly

Shipping & returnsShipping options, delivery timing, and our return policy.

In-stock items normally dispatch within 1–2 business days. The ZIP-code estimator on this page is informational only; the final shipping method, price, and availability are confirmed at checkout for your full order.

For the initial delivery estimate we use these transit windows after dispatch: Standard 5–8 business days, Expedited 2–4 business days, and Priority 1–2 business days. Holiday delays are not included.

Eligible items can be returned within 30 days in accordance with our return policy.

Customer reviews