The Left Hand of Dog

This was super weird but in a really fun way. This is a book that knows exactly what it is and who its audience is. It was wild and crazy and weird in place but as long as you just strap in and enjoy the ride you will love this. This is such a fun ride as long as you know what you are getting into so strap in and enjoy the ride!

This was exactly the book I needed right now. The type I could get completely caught up in. When I say I love Sci-Fi as a genre, this is the kind of Sci-Fi I mean. Why would I read about intergalactic space wars (but no issues if that is what you love), when I could read about a rag tag group of kidnapped aliens – and one human and her dog – as they become allies and then unlikely friends in their bid to escape? Good question methinks! (In a similar vein, I do much prefer Doctor Who over Star Wars – but I digress.)

It didn’t take me long to realise I would absolutely love this novel. Within the first chapter Lem, and her dog Spock get abducted by aliens, and from there things just kept getting stranger and stranger. Wonderfully so, which I loved! Every alien Lem meets is a vibrant and individual character who has been beautifully imagined and brought to life on the page. Especially with the AI implanted in Lem’s watch to help translate, which is kept on figurative mode – which means that rather than stating an exact translation which in a lot of cases would make little sense without context, the watch finds the closest point of reference in Lem’s subconscious and uses that as the translation. At first this led to some rather confusing dialogue between the different species, but as I read further and I became familiar with the ‘translations’ and speaking patterns for each character I found them more charming than confusing. My favourite had to be the AI speaking for Spock, Lem’s dog, Spock’s dialogue, while only comprising for 2-4 word phrases, they felt accurate, and were very amusing.

The story as a whole was such a fun read. Lem’s initial confusion at the whole, almost ridiculous, situation was comically narrated and had me grinning and sometimes laughing with her reactions to certain events. Throughout the story there was also a wonderful collection of references to other Sci-Fi greats – though I am sure I didn’t pick them all, I definitely got quite a few (especially the Doctor Who ones). These were beautifully and naturally threaded throughout the text both in AI translated dialogue and in Lem’s own thoughts. I am sure I will find any I missed in my reread of this wonderful tale.

While this was a fun and at places a rather farfetched story, with friendship, humour, and banter at the forefront, this novel also touches on the complex questions of gender, sexuality, identity, family, and home in a meaningful and insightful way. I love it when an author can create such positive messages in genre fiction like this. It just makes me love this story and its characters even more. I highly recommend this read for lovers of fun, exciting, and at times beautifully strange Sci-Fi at it’s best.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher BooksGoSocial who sent me this free eARC (eAdvanced Reader Copy) in exchange for an honest review. This title was published 17th August 2021.

This was a fun read!
The story felt ridiculous and over the top but in the best way and I loved how themes like friendship and the meaning of home were integrated into it. I think I missed quite a few references to other media but I think it would be even more enjoyable to people who have more knowledge of sci-fi „classics“ thank me. I would definitely recommend the book if you‘re looking for something to escape reality.

I read the synopsis and I thought “I NEED to read this. Like, right know”. So I did. It was an excellent choice.

Lem and her beautiful dog, Spock, are spending a few days hiking when suddenly they are kidnapped by aliens. They don’t understand what the hell is going on, but they decide to join forces with the other prisoners in order to escape their captors and return home.

The characters are the highlight of the book. Lem (who is nonbinary and uses she/her pronouns) is a great protagonist. She’s as clueless as the reader about the world, the other species, and the situation she sees herself in. But she’s not willing to give up until she gets herself and Spock back home. The secondary characters are also amazing. Spock is so loyal and cute and the perfect companion for Lem. Bexley is energetic, cheerful and smart. And it’s lovely to see a friendship developing between her and Lem. I also enjoyed reading about BB and Aurora, I want to know more about them. Henry, on the other hand, is pretty annoying. I get where she comes from, but I love Lem and I hated seeing Henry being so rude to her.

Another interesting aspect of the book is the culture shock Lem is experiencing. There is a very diverse group of characters, they come from all around the galaxies, they are all from different species. They’re able to communicate because they have universal translators, an advanced AI system, but there are some things that they simply cannot understand about each other. The way they express emotions, the use of clothes (or lack of it), their concepts of gender and sex and pronouns. Humans tend to think that our patriarchal, classist, binary system is the only way to be, to exist in this world, and this book questions that in every page.

The plot is fun, you know there is a mystery to be solved and some adventures to be had, and the pacing is very good. But some aspects were not very convincing. The revelation towards the end was predictable, but part of it wasn’t believable. Everything could have been solved in a very different way, without so many unnecessary complications.

Also, I would like to add that the book has a lot of pop culture references, especially to sci-fi books and movies. I didn’t get any of them. Sci-fi is not a genre I read much of, so I was kind of clueless. Most of the humor comes from these references, but beyond that, it didn’t affect much my reading experience.

Overall, I had a really good time reading The Left Hand of Dog and I highly recommend it. I enjoyed the plot and the characters, and the ending is satisfying but open enough to leave me wanting more.

Quirky perfectly sums up this book. Nods to my favorite Sci fi characters abound. Lem is a very likeable main character who questions what is going on around her while also managing to make friends with a motley bunch of aliens who were all kidnapped on the spaceship teapot.

When her dog is abducted by intergalactic bounty hunters for a crime she didn’t commit, Lem is taken along for the ride. She’d been making an effort to be more adventurous but waking up squashed into what felt like a coffin with a full-grown German Shepherd on the Starship Teapot was really taking it too far. Lem and Spock’s only hope is to join forces with a disparate group of fellow detainees and escape their ridiculously cute jailers. Can Lem and her new friends find a way to clear their names and get back home?

I really enjoyed this short, daft, and heartfelt sci-fi. On the surface it doesn’t require much heavy lifting from the reader and can be read just as an episode of welcome relief from all the stress and ills of reality. You can go deeper if you like, as the novel addresses subjects such as gender identification, self-worth, and the importance of honest relationships, but it’s not a preachy story by any means. This is to be the first of the Starship Teapot series and given the richness of the characters introduced in these mere 150-odd pages, I’m already looking forward to the next novel.

Just a heads-up – you may want a pen and paper by your side when you read this, to note down all the sci-fi film, TV, and videogame references (I found 14 shows/films/games, plus a possible nod to Teletubbies). Just in case the author is considering it, a list at the end of each book would be a nice touch.

I received an advance reading copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher BooksGoSocial who sent me this free advanced copy in exchange for an unbiased and honest review.

'The Left Hand of Dog as its name might suggest is a totally whimsical and surreal space adventure, packed full of sci-fi references, wit and a mix of eccentric characters. Its lightness is refreshing and most welcome, as many books of the same genre can oftentimes be overtly serious, dense, and packed full of technical jargon that shuts one out of the immersion. This is something you have to strap yourself into and go along for the ride. Trust me, it's one you'll remember!