(2005) Joy Ward, Trafford, £11.00, Can$18.95, Euro 15.65, trdpbk, 194 pp, ISBN 1-412-05675-6
An alien force takes the form of dogs (cf. Phase 4 to cite but one) and then proceeds to affect human evolution (cf. Clarke and Brin's 'uplift' to cite but two). These dogs are still with us today as humanity despoils the planet and induces global warming. The dogs know but there is little they can do. Set largely in the future Haint is a canine companion to one human whose life, like everyone else's, is affected by the warming.
Haint will delight dog owners especially those into science fiction and fantasy and as such it has a potentially large market. It will also appeal to many young readers of SF. More seasoned SF readers may, though, find the science fiction a little limiting in that the exploration of the tropes Ward includes have, as I have alluded to earlier, been done to greater depth a number of times elsewhere. However even pinnacles, such as the heights of SF, need sound surrounding foothills and Haint could easily be one of these.
Jonathan Cowie
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