I was also curious about the death of one of the main secondary characters during the big fight at the conclusion of the novel. It seemed sudden and not really to be part of the main plot. To build up hope for that character to change and then remove him seemed unnecessary.
That said, Dogs is still a quick, fun read in the spirit of The Andromeda Strain and definitely worth reading. If you want a better Nancy Kress novel, I strongly suggest reading Beggars in Spain. Check out her website for her biography and current projects.
Nancy Kress was kind enough to answer a few questions for me via an e-mail interview.
Q: It's quite obvious that you are a dog lover from the way you handled the dog owners in Dogs. And you, like one of your main characters, Tessa, have a toy poodle which figures prominently in your life. Was it difficult to approach the crisis in the book from the perspective of a dog lover as well as someone wanting to take a more hard-nosed avian flu approach?
A: Actually it was not difficult to kill off all those dogs, no (although you notice that I did not kill off Tessa's toy poodle). I guess that means I'm either calloused or able to remember that — ahem! — these dogs are imaginary. However, I will say that I was flabbergasted at how much other people minded this idea. Three different publishers — count 'em, three — turned down the book because "the content would offend dog lovers too much." And my cousin Sue, who has three dogs she loves passionately, won't read the book at all.
Q: As a follow-up question, how does Cosette (under the pseudonym Minette) feel about being written into a biological threat-themed thriller? And has she accompanied you to Europe while you're teaching in Leipzig? (Kress accepted the Picador Guest Lectureship at the University of Leipzig in Germany. She'll be there from mid-October 2008 to mid-January 2009, teaching both SF and creative writing.)
A: Cosette, although very smart, is illiterate. I've tried to remedy this, but she has simply refused to learn to read (also to roll over and to stop barking frantically at the pug down the street, Sadie). A willful beast. No, she is not in Germany with me. She's staying with a friend, which she loves to do because he takes her to McDonald's for a hamburger.
The full interview will be available in a separate article. Stay tuned for details.
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1 - Brian Fitzpatrick
The rest of the interview with Nancy Kress can be found at my personal blog - the Lair of the Green Knight. Check it out to see what else Nancy Kress had to say!