Dogs and Monsters

By: Mark Haddon

Narrated by: Rachel Bavidge, Steve John Shepherd, Christina Cole, Robert Bathurst

Brought to you by Penguin.

The bestselling author of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time weaves ancient fables into fresh, unexpected forms and forges new unforgettable legends.

The myth of the Minotaur in his labyrinth is turned into a wrenching parable of maternal love – and of the monstrosities of patriarchy.

The lover of a goddess, Tithonus, is gifted eternal life but without eternal youth.

Actaeon, changed into a stag after glimpsing the naked Diana and torn to pieces by his hunting dogs, becomes a visceral metaphor about how humans use and misuse animals.

From genetic engineering to the eternal complications of family, Haddon showcases how we are subject to the same elemental forces that obsessed the Greeks, as he reimagines stories from Laika the Soviet space dog on her fateful orbit to St Anthony wrestling with loneliness in the desert.

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

'A marvel of a collection' Kaliane Bradley, author of The Ministry of Time
‘A consummate storyteller’ New York Times

©2024 Mark Haddon (P)2024 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

'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'

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

'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'

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

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

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

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

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

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

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