Jonathan Maas' The Dog That Laid Eggs was published in January 2016.
Information about Jonathan Maas:
Jonathan Maas is a writer living in Los Angeles. He has written four books: City of Gods: Hellenica, Spanners: The Fountain of Youth, Flare, and The Dog That Laid Eggs, each one of which has cover illustration by the extraordinarily talented Manthos Lappas. Jonathan Maas has also directed an independent movie, Spanners, which is the prequel to the book.
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Information about The Dog That Laid Eggs:
SOMETHING STRANGE IS HAPPENING IN BUFKIN COUNTY
Hitch saw his dog Salem's golden frame collapsed and quivering on the ground, and he knew something was wrong. She'd been fine the day before, swimming in the creek just as careless as a dog swimming in a creek should be, but Salem was now moaning, fussing and generally acting as if a cat had just been elected president.
Hitch knelt down in front of his dog and felt her fur, which was a little mangy. He also noticed how swollen Salem's belly was. The ol' girl's giving birth! He thought. And her unborn offspring's roughly the size and shape of a gigantic egg!
WHAT WILL HAPPEN WHEN IT HATCHES?
If you think this is the end of the tale, then you don't know Bufkin County. Come along with young Hitch, Constable Buford Bumford and Jethro as they discover that their dog Salem is going to launch something that will turn their lives upside down, and change the world in ways that no one could ever imagine.
A REVIEW OF JONATHAN MAAS' THE DOG THAT LAID EGGS
Jonathan Maas is one of the most intriguing independent authors to emerge during the recent years, because he writes versatile stories that blend many elements and range from fantasy to science fiction. He has his own writing style and he has an ability to surprise his readers by using familiar themes and writing about them in an unexpected way. Because I enjoyed reading his previous works, I was eager to take a look at this novel.
The Dog That Laid Eggs was a positive surprise for me, because it turned out to be an entertaining and original modern fantasy novel with an emphasis on entertainment. It's a novel that is not to be taken seriously, because it's pure entertainment. It's much lighter entertainment than the author's other works and it offers good laughs to those who enjoy reading humorous and slightly twisted fantasy fiction.
The Dog That Laid Eggs boldly differs from other fantasy novels by being more humorous and inventive than them. It's a delightfully quirky and hilarious glimpse into a community that suddenly has to face an unexpected threat in the form of supernatural creatures and monsters.
If you're fed up with formulaic modern fantasy and urban fantasy, you will most likely enjoy reading The Dog That Laid Eggs, because it will surprise you. The author blends modern fantasy, urban fantasy, rural atmosphere, humorous storytelling, monsters and a few horror and science fiction elements in an entertaining and amusing way.
One of the best things about The Dog That Laid Eggs is that it feels fresh when compared to other fantasy novels. It's unlike any other modern fantasy novel I've read recently, because the author approaches fantasy elements from a new and humorous angle.
Here's a bit of information about the story:
- The events take place in Bufkin County.
- In the beginning, Hitch Tull sees his dog Salem give birth to a big egg. Soon Salem lays a gigantic egg and the residents of Bufkin County prepare themselves for its hatching. Nobody knows what will come out of the egg, but after a while people find out that the egg contains a cyclops.
- Soon the residents of Bufkin County realise that the birth of a cyclops was only just the beginning of their problems, because they have to deal with something much worse that will change everything...
This is the beginning of an amusing story that gradually grows into a fascinating battle between good and evil.
The characterisation is interesting, because the author has created a diverse cast of quirky characters that are fascinatingly strange in their own ways and have their own views about the happenings. The author gradually reveals new sides of some of the characters as they experience strange things and try to deal with the changes in their lives.
Here are a few words about the characters:
- Hitch Tull is a young boy whose dog, Salem, gives birth to eggs. Hitch misses his mother, but is sure that she will someday return to Bufkin County to do something important. He is unlike his relatives and is much smarter than his father.
- Jethro, Hitch's father, is a man who has a few problems with his wife, Vera-Lee. He is not a very smart man, but he gets by as well as he can.
- Vera-Lee is Jethro's wife. She leaves her family, because she is a bit fed up with her life and wants to follow her heart.
- Constable Bumford is a police officer who does his best to make sense of the happenings.
- Shiloh Brownhart is a salesman of questionable reputation. He has had a few problems with the law.
- Hitch's dog, Salem, is an important character, because her eggs start the chain of strange happenings in Bufkin County. She has an interesting bond with her offspring.
This novel has plenty of funny, ironic and sarcastic humour, because Jonathan Maas delivers humour throughout the story. For example, the conversation with Jethro and his wife at the beginning of the story is wonderfully humorous and contains a nod towards the TV show 'Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman'. I'm sure that readers will also be delighted to read about what Dr. Pubblish O. Parrish has invented and how he acts around other people.
I enjoyed reading about what happened to Vera-Lee after she left her family. Her letters were funny and made me chuckle a lot, because the author had a good and sharp sense of humour. He wrote well about what Vera-Lee did and how her life changed, because she became interested in weight-lifting.
It's great that Jonathan Maas manages to demonstrate how eccentric scientists can be and what they may do when they're asked to solve problems. Dr. Parrish is quite an interesting character, because he seems to be more interested in collecting data than actually solving problems. He's interested in academical achievements and fame, but he is also capable of helping others.
The author writes humorously about life in the countryside and pays attention to simple-minded people and their lives. He wonderfully highlights the quirkiness and down-to-earth kind of way of life of the residents of Bufkin County.
One of the things that I like about this novel is that the author uses clever and funny names in an excellent way. Because I enjoy reading humorous and satirical stories in which names are twisted into clever forms, I immediately liked the author's way of using names and naming his characters. For example, the story features such characters as Reverend Darkcloak and the candy maker Hercule 'Tappetou' Dia-Bêtes.
The green-eyed man that people see in their dreams is an intriguing addition to the story, because it creates a mysterious and dream-like atmosphere. The green-eyed man offers advice and warns people of what is about to happen. He affects everyone who dreams of him.
It was fun to read about the blood-thirsty squirrels. They're a fascinating combination of pure evil and charming cuteness. It's nice that the author has blended scary and cute elements, because it works well and adds style to the story.
It was interesting for me to read about the different types of cyclops and how they procreated. The author has clearly spent a lot of time on creating his own vision of how cyclops are born and how they protect their young after their hatching, because his descriptions of the cyclops are intriguing. I'm sure that readers will enjoy reading about the cyclops and what kind of life cycles they have.
Reading about how people reacted to problems and difficult situations was also interesting, because they had different views about things. The author writes well about how the people deal with the cyclops and what takes place afterwards. Reading about how the resident of Bufkin County had to deal with the evil presence was fascinating for me, because the author wrote a bit differently about good and evil. There was an interesting link between the cyclops and the evil presence.
The chapter in which Jethro and Vera-Lee are on their second honeymoon is wonderfully humorous and weird. It was fun to read about how Jethro tried to make his marriage work and followed advice given by his therapist. I won't write any spoilers about the happenings, but I can mention that Jethro and Vera-Lee's visit to the snake farm was something extraordinary.
The cover image by Manthos Lappas is beautiful. It emphasises the strangeness of the beings and monsters that suddenly appear in Bufkin County. This novel also contains an interesting image featuring blood-thirsty squirrels created by the author himself (this image is called "The Flying Squirrels of Nosferatu").
Before I write the final words of this review, I'll mention that the ending suggests that a sequel will be forthcoming in the near future. This is nice, because it'll be fun to read what happens next.
I give this novel strong four stars (on the scale from one to five stars) for its entertainment values, because it's a fun read. I enjoyed it and can recommend it to readers who enjoy entertaining and humorous novels.
Jonathan Maas' The Dog That Laid Eggs is an entertaining fantasy novel, because the author combines different elements and entertains his readers with quirky scenes. If you want to read something totally different and want humorous entertainment from your fantasy fiction, you should take a look at this novel.
Good and intriguing entertainment!