Dogs and Monsters

Praise for Mark Haddon’s short stories: ‘He is a master of the short form’ i paper ‘The real redemption in these superbly gripping stories comes from their canny human detail, and the vivid, unsettling clarity they bring to our brief lives’

Sunday Times

'A marvel of a collection - suffused with curiosity, humanity and mystery, bold in its scope and virtuoso in its telling. Mark Haddon makes stories matter'

Kaliane Bradley

'In sentences as precisely cut as paper sculptures, Mark Haddon fits ancient myth to the cruelties and wonders of the present'

Francis Spufford

I’m looking forward to this – Haddon is reliably excellent

New Scientist

'Timeless spins on classic Greek myths . . . [Haddon] seems to be toying with the essence of storytelling, the way that it has persevered and sustained itself through the ages . . . The times may change but the stories remain the same in this ambitious, eclectic collection'

Kirkus

These delicately worked and impressively patient stories show us what other visions might reveal themselves when we are not in too much of a hurry to get to the end

Observer

A gripping exploration of narratives and those who control them…The tight prose and descriptive range are remarkable… There isn’t much room for redemption in this wise, immersive book: but… with a faithful mutt by your side, you’ll (usually) be all right in the end

Spectator

Breathing new life into myths, Haddon heads into the labyrinth in this impressive collection which tackles transformation and transmutation

Daily Mail

Compelling… Haddon’s writing, [is] always rock solid and frequently luminous… All [the stories] are complex, surprising, evocative and richly entertaining

Guardian

Haddon follows his imagination from the human into the animal realm and beyond, into the divine… [in these] supple and emotionally involving tales

Times Literary Supplement

Eight engrossing, inventive retellings of myths… Dogs feature throughout, and it is humans who are the monsters. Highly recommended

Mail on Sunday