The Little Dog by Leslie W P Garland
Publisher: Self-Published
Genre: Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Suspense/Mystery, Paranormal, Contemporary, Historical
Length: Short Story (91 pages)
Rating: 5 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

The Little Dog: A story of good and evil, and retribution.

“And I saw an angel standing in the sun”

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They say that paying attention to how an individual treats animals is a great way to know what their character is really like. After reading this story, I’d be inclined to agree with this test.

The fantasy elements didn’t show up immediately. Once the first few hints of them did appear, I was mesmerized by how subtle and open to interpretation they were. While this isn’t the kind of writing style I’d typically expect to find in this genre, I absolutely loved it for this particular storyline. The ambiguity blended in in perfectly with the narrator’s young and innocent outlook on life.

Mr. Garland’s eloquent descriptions of the daily lives of foresters lured me into the plot immediately. He touched on everything from the proper way to cut down a tree in order to preserve as much of the wood as possible to the narrator’s mixed feelings about the gangly teenagers who worked at the ferry. There were so many moments like these that were captured in perfect detail that I felt as though I, too, had spent decades doing this job.

The little dog that Bill found on the side of the road was originally my biggest reason for wanting to read this book. I was eager to know why he was wandering around alone in the middle of nowhere and what would happen to him next. While I can’t say much about this part of the plot without giving away spoilers, I will say that it exceeded every expectation I had for it. The dog was even more intriguing than I thought he’d be, and I was quite pleased with how the author incorporated him and his backstory into what otherwise appeared to be a completely mundane workweek.

There was quite a bit of philosophical musing in this tale about why some people choose to make horrible choices in life and what the difference is between someone who makes one bad decision and someone who is objectively an awful human being. These passages turned out to be my favourite parts of the storyline other than the scenes that focused on the dog. Not only did they fit Bill’s gentle, contemplative personality perfectly, they gave me some food for thought as well!

The Little Dog is one of the best books I’ve read so far in 2016. I’d heartily recommend it to anyone who adores fantasy stories that ask the audience to think critically about what they’ve just read.