Official Review: The Non-Random Dog by Mark W. Bonnett

[samuyama]

[Following is the official OnlineBookClub.org review of "The Non-Random Dog" by Mark W. Bonnett.]

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The Non-Random Dog by Mark Bonnett is a science fiction novel that follows the crew of a civilian cargo ship on what seems to be one of their many adventures and shenanigans through the universe of the Cynos Union. John Green is the captain of the Diomedes, a beat up looking cargo ship that is much more than meets the eye. One of his crew finds a stray dog while restocking supplies on a nearby planet and, in an attempt to return it to its’ owner, discovers it belongs on an entirely different planet! The crew decides to take the dog on as a temporary passenger until they are able to return it to its’ owner. Little do they know what such a small decisions will have in store for them.

Although this book is chronologically supposed to follow Bonnett’s Messiah’s Shard, I didn’t feel lost while reading it as an independent book. Bonnett’s got a sharp wit that had me chuckling throughout the book. The story progressed a little too quickly for me to get a handle on all the character’s names in the beginning, but I got it eventually.

As far as the characters go, Bonnett does a great job creating the personality of each person in the short span of the book (9 chapters). I definitely found myself rooting for the protagonists through their victories and struggles.

Bonnett creates an interesting universe, but some of the technical sci-fi jargon went over my head at times (perhaps just me not being a die-hard sci-fi fan). Bonnett’s humor came out in some of the ways breakthrough science was incorporated into everyday life. Imagine a machine that causes whatever’s in it to freeze in time (imagine the implications!). Now, imagine that machine being used as a replacement for refrigerators.

I rate this book 3 out of 4 stars. In a nutshell, I enjoyed the 3-4 hours it took me to read it and was satisfied with the closure the author brought, but I didn’t find myself wanting more by the end of it. A comparison would be reading an entertaining article in a magazine, but being okay if you never read the next installment. Bonnett shares an entertaining account from a world that’s all his own and doesn’t feel like a rip-off of others’ ideas. If you’re looking for a light-hearted read and enjoy delving into another person’s creative sci-fi universe then this is a good book for you

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-- 20 Jun 2014, 15:00 --

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