Status
Available
Call number
Genres
Publication
Firebird (2012), Edition: Reprint, 288 pages
Description
Sirius the dog star, is reborn on earth as a puppy with a mission to search for the lost Zoi, the murder weapon of the stars.
User reviews
LibraryThing member beserene
This isn't going to be a review... really, it's more of a babbling adoration, because I cannot even express how much I loved this book. Having read 'Howl's Moving Castle' and other bits of Jones' impressive body of work, I knew she was an extraordinary writer, one you could go back to again and
The story is otherworldly and original, though it does flirt with the generally familiar tropes of fantasy enough for comfort. Sirius, the dogstar, is convicted of murder and sentenced to life as an earthbound being -- a dog. The first part of this book is taken up, in beautiful and precious ways, with Sirius figuring out just how to be a dog. But he also has hope that his sentence will end better than it began -- he is looking for something, a powerful and dangerous thing, and if he finds it he may be able to return to the heavens where he belongs.
His search is a part of the plot, of course, but so is the development of his relationship with his owner, an extraordinary girl to whom the world has been and continues to be unkind. This is really the core of the story; the way the almost-dog and the girl bond is familiar to anyone who has ever truly loved and been loved by a dog; it is a miraculous relationship, both joyous and melancholy, though of course in this fantasy novel it runs into some unusual challenges.
The pacing of the story, the growth of love and the strain on those relationships, the search -- all of this is pitch perfect. But the end of the book leaves you feeling both heartbroken and transcendent. It is pure, perfect magic. I will not spoil it for you, but I will tell you that I wept and now just looking at the cover raises up a wave of emotion. This is a book about a girl and her dog, and the most powerful things in the universe, which are not always what you might think. This is a story that is immense and distant, yet also small and personal, mythic and yet so real. I think it may be one of the most wonderful books I've ever read. And it is one that you should read too.
Show More
again and still find wonder waiting in her stories. But I had, until last night, never read 'Dogsbody'. I had not even heard of it until I picked up the recent Firebird reissue. And I really, really wish I had. I wish I had known of this book years ago. I wish it and I were by now old friends. Because it is that good.The story is otherworldly and original, though it does flirt with the generally familiar tropes of fantasy enough for comfort. Sirius, the dogstar, is convicted of murder and sentenced to life as an earthbound being -- a dog. The first part of this book is taken up, in beautiful and precious ways, with Sirius figuring out just how to be a dog. But he also has hope that his sentence will end better than it began -- he is looking for something, a powerful and dangerous thing, and if he finds it he may be able to return to the heavens where he belongs.
His search is a part of the plot, of course, but so is the development of his relationship with his owner, an extraordinary girl to whom the world has been and continues to be unkind. This is really the core of the story; the way the almost-dog and the girl bond is familiar to anyone who has ever truly loved and been loved by a dog; it is a miraculous relationship, both joyous and melancholy, though of course in this fantasy novel it runs into some unusual challenges.
The pacing of the story, the growth of love and the strain on those relationships, the search -- all of this is pitch perfect. But the end of the book leaves you feeling both heartbroken and transcendent. It is pure, perfect magic. I will not spoil it for you, but I will tell you that I wept and now just looking at the cover raises up a wave of emotion. This is a book about a girl and her dog, and the most powerful things in the universe, which are not always what you might think. This is a story that is immense and distant, yet also small and personal, mythic and yet so real. I think it may be one of the most wonderful books I've ever read. And it is one that you should read too.
Show Less
LibraryThing member souloftherose
Sirius, the denizen of the Dog Star, is wrongly convicted of murdering another denizen and as a punishment is sent to Earth where he is 'reborn' as a puppy and given the life-span of that dog to clear his name.
On Earth he's adopted by a young girl called Kathleen. DWJ does a fantastic job of
A great children's/YA book and I enjoyed it much more than the more well known Howl's Moving Castle. In typical DWJ fashion, the ending was.. unexpected. And made me cry.
I'm torn between 4.5 and 5 stars but thinking about it again has made me bump it up to 5 stars. Highly recommended but why is this book not more well known?
On Earth he's adopted by a young girl called Kathleen. DWJ does a fantastic job of
Show More
showing us the world from a puppy's point of view and there were some laugh out loud moments as well as lots of cute ones (the personifications of the different dogs were hilariously accurate). But the book also deals with some more serious issues just as well, Kathleen is Irish and living with her aunt and uncle in England during The Troubles. Her aunt resents her and in exchange for being allowed to keep Sirius the puppy, Kathleen has to do all the housework which makes her tired for school and and easy target for some Irish jibes from her schoolmates. A great children's/YA book and I enjoyed it much more than the more well known Howl's Moving Castle. In typical DWJ fashion, the ending was.. unexpected. And made me cry.
I'm torn between 4.5 and 5 stars but thinking about it again has made me bump it up to 5 stars. Highly recommended but why is this book not more well known?
Show Less
LibraryThing member bell7
The luminary Sirius has been accused of using a Zoi to kill another star. He knows he didn't do it, but he'd flown into a rage and couldn't really remember the details. He is convicted and given the sentence of being sent to find the Zoi. But he is sent as a dog, and he only has that dog's lifetime
I love Diana Wynne Jones's stories because they always promise something fresh in the midst of a genre (and I read a lot of fantasy) that can be very cliche. Dogsbody is one of her older books, but it is no exception to this. Though the narration is third-person, we see through Sirius's point of view as he navigates earth as a dog. He definitely has a dog's nature, and has to work to find the memories of who he is and what he needs to do. The people he meets, helpful and otherwise, are well fleshed out. The story is one that I could see children growing up getting even more understanding and appreciation for the details as they grow older, so I could see this being a good family read-aloud.
Show More
in which to find the Zoi and clear his name.I love Diana Wynne Jones's stories because they always promise something fresh in the midst of a genre (and I read a lot of fantasy) that can be very cliche. Dogsbody is one of her older books, but it is no exception to this. Though the narration is third-person, we see through Sirius's point of view as he navigates earth as a dog. He definitely has a dog's nature, and has to work to find the memories of who he is and what he needs to do. The people he meets, helpful and otherwise, are well fleshed out. The story is one that I could see children growing up getting even more understanding and appreciation for the details as they grow older, so I could see this being a good family read-aloud.
Show Less
LibraryThing member Citizenjoyce
Dogsbody reads like a Greek myth. It personifies stars and planets, giving them the same vengeful and even romantic notions found in real myths, there's also an antlered god reminiscent of pagan religions and a zoi which appears to be an object of pure Force right out of Star Wars.
Sirius, a green
When Sirius gets to earth he constantly has to balance his green active, angry, impulsive star energy with his earthly dog tendencies toward patience, love, hunger and joy.
The story is compelling, the characters are stereotypes, as befits a myth: the father who, like the fathers in many stories, is a fine man but oblivious to anything that doesn't effect him directly, the mother is pretty Cruella Deville, and the little girl is the pure virgin out of any unicorn story. The ending is appropriate for both myth and story.
I'd recommend the book for anyone preteen to adult who loves dogs and wants to acquaint themselves with myth.
Sirius, a green
Show More
luminary, is on trial accused of losing control in a fit of anger, killing another luminary and losing a zoi on earth. Having been found guilty he's sentenced to the life of a (literal) dog on earth. If he finds the zoi he can return to his star, if not he will live only as long as a dog's body lives. When Sirius gets to earth he constantly has to balance his green active, angry, impulsive star energy with his earthly dog tendencies toward patience, love, hunger and joy.
The story is compelling, the characters are stereotypes, as befits a myth: the father who, like the fathers in many stories, is a fine man but oblivious to anything that doesn't effect him directly, the mother is pretty Cruella Deville, and the little girl is the pure virgin out of any unicorn story. The ending is appropriate for both myth and story.
I'd recommend the book for anyone preteen to adult who loves dogs and wants to acquaint themselves with myth.
Show Less
LibraryThing member jennorthcoast
This book is wonderful, a story about a dog who is found guilty of a crime he did not commit, and must solve a mystery to prove his innocence—and save Earth in the process. But wait—did I say “a dog” must do all this? Perhaps he is more than that. This is classic DWJ: people may not be what
Show More
they seem; the ending is bittersweet (get your hankie out); bits of fantasy, science fiction and myth are interwoven in the plot; and you will find yourself, on the last page, skimming the book again to understand the clues that she so cleverly inserts. If you love dogs, you will love this book. If you love cats, you will love this book, too. Show Less
LibraryThing member schinders
my other favorite dwj, read it a hundred times.
LibraryThing member Sorrel
Dogsbody was an adequate, but not an enthralling read. A mistreated stepchild takes in a stray dog that is actually a disgraced extraterrestrial bigwig with a mission. (It’s not tongue in cheek.)
LibraryThing member comixminx
A re-read that I haven't re-read for a while; was surprised to feel a genuine lump in my throat and tear in my eye as I got to the denouement. Sob!
LibraryThing member raizel
Sirius, a luminary, is sentenced to exist in a dog's body. He only gradually realizes who he really is. I was reminded of A.E. Van Vogt's story in Away and Beyond about a super-intelligent alien who becomes like a human before being ultimately returned to his usual self. The ending is surprising
Show More
and wistful. Show Less
LibraryThing member Safia
I read this book at first when I was nine years old and ten years later, I still really enjoyed it - it's my first ever favourite book as a child and it still hold my heart.
LibraryThing member -sunny-
I read this book years ago, after I found it at a rummage sale. I can't remember for sure, but I think I must have read it twice. Considering how terrible my memory is, I'm amazed that I not only remember having read this book, but have actually retained an impression of the plot, characters, and
Show More
quite a few details. I remember it as being a great book, and it really must have been, if I remember it from way back in what must have been elementary school. I really ought to reread this. Show Less
LibraryThing member AltheaAnn
I liked the last Diana Wynne Jones books I read so much that I was eager to pick this one up, especially since it had won some award or other (checking...) OK, it was an ALA Notable Book and "Commended" by the Carnegie Medal. Fine. However, unlike many of Wynne Jones' stories, I felt that this was
The story is that Sirius, the Dog Star, is condemned by a court of his fellow luminaries for an alleged crime, and is sentenced to live out his life in the body of a dog, here on earth. He's born into the form of a puppy which gets adopted by a young Irish girl, Kathleen, and becomes torn between helping her in her bad home situation and remembering/trying to accomplish the quest that has been assigned to him on earth, to find a lost object of power and redeem himself in the view of his peers.
As I said, it's very effective in recreating the thought processes of a dog, but the story wasn't really complex or sophisticated enough to find satisfying, for me.
Show More
definitely a ‘kids' book.. I would recommend that any small child who has a dog read it for the insights into how a pet dog thinks. But I didn't really get into it that much.The story is that Sirius, the Dog Star, is condemned by a court of his fellow luminaries for an alleged crime, and is sentenced to live out his life in the body of a dog, here on earth. He's born into the form of a puppy which gets adopted by a young Irish girl, Kathleen, and becomes torn between helping her in her bad home situation and remembering/trying to accomplish the quest that has been assigned to him on earth, to find a lost object of power and redeem himself in the view of his peers.
As I said, it's very effective in recreating the thought processes of a dog, but the story wasn't really complex or sophisticated enough to find satisfying, for me.
Show Less
LibraryThing member -sunny-
I read this book years ago, after I found it at a rummage sale. I can't remember for sure, but I think I must have read it twice. Considering how terrible my memory is, I'm amazed that I not only remember having read this book, but have actually retained an impression of the plot, characters, and
Show More
quite a few details. I remember it as being a great book, and it really must have been, if I remember it from way back in what must have been elementary school. I really ought to reread this. Show Less
LibraryThing member devafagan
Finished my re-read, and I think I love it even more now than I did as a kid. Possibly this is because I have a dog I love very much now myself!
I love this book for so many reasons, but I think most of all it's a book I love because of how strongly it makes me feel. It seems to somehow distill some
I love this book for so many reasons, but I think most of all it's a book I love because of how strongly it makes me feel. It seems to somehow distill some
Show More
essence of what it is to live-- sorrow, pain, humor, love, longing, sacrifice, devotion, joy-- and socks me right in the chest with that emotion. Show Less
LibraryThing member Cheryl_in_CC_NV
Interesting how the first chapter includes what would normally be prologue material. Other than that, the story starts out sort of cute and simple, but then gets a bit weirder, more metaphysical. It's never difficult, though - I have no idea why, in my library, it's YA instead of Juvenile.
Show More
(Although I suppose it's possible that I missed something, because I did read the whole thing in one evening.) Show Less
LibraryThing member SandyAMcPherson
Great story with a young girl and a puppy; does not descend into maudlin cuteness. Charmingly interwoven with the mythical Wild Hunt led by Herne. Constellations come alive as gods (Sirius) in modern Britain, during the time of IRA unrest.
LibraryThing member ChrisRiesbeck
I've never been fond of the movies where a human trapped in a dog's body. Changing this to be Sirius, a stellar being AKA Effulgent, sentenced to be a dog by a nebulous (couldn't resist but it fits) court of stellar beings only made the setup even worse. But as usual, the strength of Jones'
Recommended
Show More
characters, attention to background, and pacing make it this worth reading, despite the framework. Recommended
Show Less
LibraryThing member wunder
This is a book that just doesn't bother with genre boundaries. It starts with five pages of scienc-y fiction/fantasy, then becomes a straight up animal-centered story (mostly), but later include some Celtic myth, and the whole time we have a topical story of an Irish foster child in England. Her
Oh, and it all works.
I won't even try to give this a star rating (even though some characters are stars), because it will hit everyone differently. Give it a try.
Show More
father is imprisoned for political violence, and the book was published in 1975, during The Troubles.Oh, and it all works.
I won't even try to give this a star rating (even though some characters are stars), because it will hit everyone differently. Give it a try.
Show Less
LibraryThing member rwilliab
Quite enjoyable though a little young for my taste especially compared to Wynne-Jones' other YA novels. Interesting premise but ultimately overshadowed by the adventures of a celestial being stuck in a dog's form.
LibraryThing member AmphipodGirl
I think this is my favorite DWJ book yet. The being who occupies Sirius, the Dog Star, wrongly convicted of a crime, is incarnated as a puppy on Earth and has only the dog's lifespan to clear his name. The spirits that inhabit the stars and planets are a new notion in fantasy (at least to me) and
Show More
transcendantly wonderful. The pup's/dog's eye view of life is very well done. I haven't been so captured by a book in some time. Show Less
LibraryThing member Treebeard_404
Curious mix of different fantasy genres. Touching, nonetheless.
Awards
Yoto Carnegie Medal for Writing (Nominee — 1975)
Best Fiction for Young Adults (Selection)
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
1975
Physical description
288 p.; 8.25 inches
ISBN
9780142420133