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Dogs and Monsters

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Dogs and Monsters

By: Mark Haddon
Narrated by: Rachel Bavidge, Steve John Shepherd, Christina Cole, Robert Bathurst
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About this listen

Brought to you by Penguin.

The bestselling author of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time weaves ancient fables into fresh, unexpected forms and forges new unforgettable legends.

The myth of the Minotaur in his labyrinth is turned into a wrenching parable of maternal love – and of the monstrosities of patriarchy.

The lover of a goddess, Tithonus, is gifted eternal life but without eternal youth.

Actaeon, changed into a stag after glimpsing the naked Diana and torn to pieces by his hunting dogs, becomes a visceral metaphor about how humans use and misuse animals.

From genetic engineering to the eternal complications of family, Haddon showcases how we are subject to the same elemental forces that obsessed the Greeks, as he reimagines stories from Laika the Soviet space dog on her fateful orbit to St Anthony wrestling with loneliness in the desert.

'In sentences as precisely cut as paper sculptures, Mark Haddon fits ancient myth to the cruelties and wonders of the present' Francis Spufford, author of Cahokia Jazz

'A marvel of a collection' Kaliane Bradley, author of The Ministry of Time
‘A consummate storyteller’ New York Times

©2024 Mark Haddon (P)2024 Penguin Audio

 Anthologies & Short Stories Fantasy Genre Fiction Literary Fiction Short Stories Mythology

Critic reviews

'A marvel of a collection - suffused with curiosity, humanity and mystery, bold in its scope and virtuoso in its telling. Mark Haddon makes stories matter'
'In sentences as precisely cut as paper sculptures, Mark Haddon fits ancient myth to the cruelties and wonders of the present'
'Timeless spins on classic Greek myths . . . [Haddon] seems to be toying with the essence of storytelling, the way that it has persevered and sustained itself through the ages . . . The times may change but the stories remain the same in this ambitious, eclectic collection'
I’m looking forward to this – Haddon is reliably excellent
These delicately worked and impressively patient stories show us what other visions might reveal themselves when we are not in too much of a hurry to get to the end
A gripping exploration of narratives and those who control them…The tight prose and descriptive range are remarkable… There isn’t much room for redemption in this wise, immersive book: but… with a faithful mutt by your side, you’ll (usually) be all right in the end
Breathing new life into myths, Haddon heads into the labyrinth in this impressive collection which tackles transformation and transmutation
Compelling… Haddon’s writing, [is] always rock solid and frequently luminous… All [the stories] are complex, surprising, evocative and richly entertaining
Haddon follows his imagination from the human into the animal realm and beyond, into the divine… [in these] supple and emotionally involving tales
Eight engrossing, inventive retellings of myths… Dogs feature throughout, and it is humans who are the monsters. Highly recommended
All stars
Most relevant
After 'The Pier Falls' I desperately wanted a second Haddon story collection for years. Now 'Dogs and Monsters' satisfies my hunger for fine short prose. It's fortunately less sci-fiish than his previous one and sometimes I had to revisit my mythological knowledge, but the language is oh so sweet, the stories so patiently crafted. All of them gives you something extra in wisdom and meditation. 'The Mother's Story' is the most thought-provoking rewriting of a classic fable I ever read, but my favourite in this volume is 'My Old School', an upside-down bully fragment with a specific moral. Never a weak line, never a lazy sentence in the whole book, thanks, thanks, thanks!

Thank God it's Haddon

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These stories have heft, they feel like they’ve existed forever, and the author has just found them and lifted them up. Heavy, round, lovely. Unlike literature of now. Loved it.

Like old stories

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great writing and excellent narration.variety in storylines . just the right length too .very enjoyable

great writing and excellent narration.varietyin storylines

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