Dogs of War by Adrian Tchaikovsky

Mild Spoilers:

   

    

     In H.G. Wells, The Island of Doctor Moreau, the main character, Edward Prendick, uncovers the horrific experiments of Dr. Moreau who was trying to uplift animals using vivisection. After a disaster on the island, Prendick is stranded for 10 months with Dr. Moreau's beast people, whose animal natures slowly resurface while they lose their humanity. Amid this, Edward finds a loyal and protective friend in the Dog man whose canine instinct drives him to serve his human master. What if scientists in the future could exploit this canine instinct for loyalty for the cause of evil? What if scientists created beast men as weapons of war?  The 2017 dystopian novel Dogs of War by Adrian Tchaikovsky explores this issue with updated science using genetics and cybernetics and how this would impact future human evolution. 

    In the near future, scientists have turned away from AI robots and have turned towards uplifting and augmenting living beings calling them Bioforms. They augment mammals, lizards, and even insects, turning them into humanoid super soldiers that can be controlled by humans. Dog and bears would be given super strength and human intelligence, weapons, and the ability to communicate cybernetically using biofeedback chips in their brains. Lizards would be given sniper capabilities and insects would communicate using a hive mind. The animals' base instincts, like a dog's loyalty, would be used to the human owner's advantage.

    Dogs of War centers on the Canine Bioform, Rex, the leader of his Bioform crew, owned by a mercenary to attack civilians in Mexico. Their owner, Murray, is using his crew to kill any evidence that his allies were using illegal chemical weapons, commanding them to do unspeakable things to innocent villagers. Rex doesn't think about the moral implications of what his master has commanded him to do. He only knows that he wants to be a good dog, loyal to his master. Even after he slowly gains sentience and independence from the cybernetic control of his master, he struggles to overcome his canine instinct to be a good dog, even when his master is accused of war crimes and Rex's individual rights are being debated. 

    All through the questions of what sentient life is, the rights of a new sentient being, and the ethics of uplifting animals comes the more disturbing question of what happens when scientists use Bioform technology in humans. It explores what happens when evil men use this technology to exploit humans. Imagine giving a human the canine instinct of being a good, loyal dog for your master? What about using the bee's hive mind to create a super spy network? Eventually, the story evolves into being about The Singularity and the end of humanity as we know it. 

    All of these deep questions are easily digested through the character arc of Rex. His story is emotionally impactful, a character to cheer for. Through all of his challenges, he only wants to be a good dog. You have to read it for yourself to see if he achieved his goal. 

      The novel surprisingly had an impact on me. While I was reading it, my son asked me about getting a dog and we began looking for dogs for sale. As we were searching through different websites, my son said that he felt bad about buying a dog. He said it felt like slavery. When I told him that only applies to beings that are sapient, I paused and thought about this book. The book makes me think about the differences between animals and humans. Is it just biology or is it something more spiritual? Should we like Edward Prendick in The Island of Doctor Moreau conclude that what makes humans different is that we can look to the heavens and be inspired?  Or is it our future to uplift life to travel the stars at our side?  

 

     I didn't think I would enjoy this book. I am not a huge fan of military science fiction, and I thought it would only be about Rex's newly sentient Bioform crews battles to protect the innocents they once attacked. I was surprised when it went more into the ethical debate of uplifting life forms and what it would mean for our future. Tchaikovsky writes in a fast-paced, character focused way that makes it easy for anyone to read and enjoy. I understand now why he is popular among science fiction fans. I highly recommend this book.