I've not read much Harlan Ellison over the years, though I've enough of a soft spot for "I have no mouth..." that I've re-read it a dozen times, and I have vague memories of reading Jeffty Is Five and Repent, Harlequin! in a collection a very long time ago. However, given his unfortunate recent death, I decided it was finally time to commit to one I've always meant to read, "A Boy and His Dog".
The story is set after World Wars III and IV, in a post-apocalypse society that focused genetic and biological advancement, rather than the space race. Humanity have modified dogs to be more intelligent, telepathic and able to work with humans following precise orders. Vic is Blood's human, and Blood has been slowly teaching him to read and hunt, in order to keep Blood supplied with food.
The dogs have been modified to ensure they can't hunt alone, requiring a close bond with the necessary human and preventing a rebellious uprising. Looks like this society read up on a little SF before they started. As payment for helping him find food, Blood works to keep Vic alive as a "solo", a person separate from the "roverpak" gangs. He also ensures that Vic can find a woman when he wants one, in order to satisfy his sexual urges. It's a fractured world, with the majority of women killed off in the great bombings of World War IV, while the men were out fighting.
This background leads into Vic's mad desire for a woman, which begins the story when Blood once again sniffs one out.
It's a brutal tale. The world Vic and Blood live in is a harsh one, with violence frequent and misery for everybody. The action is viciously written, short and snappy, with a visceral punch in the guts with each shot. Vic's encounters with various people and how badly they all treat other treads the line between horror and survival, and Ellison's glee at digging through guts is tempered by the overall feel of a world falling apart.
It also has the odd lightness of the "downunder", massive vault cities that have been built by nostalgia junkies, attempting to re-capture some of the niceness of their childhoods prior to all the world wars. They have a sort of 1950s vibe. Yep, there's something of a Fallout feel here. The tone shift between the two environments only enhances Vic's character as a cynical bastard, and even if you can't like him, you have to be vaguely impressed. His dialogue and inner monologue has just the right hint of crazy.
And it's a bitch of an ending.
I happened to pick up the version with Ellison's epilogue discussing the last day he had with his own dog. I can both recommend and not recommend this. It's actually more touching of a story than ABAHD itself, but might make any dog owners cry. Read at your peril.
Tagged: Book Science fiction Grimdark Novella Print