Sirius

By: Olaf Stapledon

Narrated by: Nigel Carrington

Length: 8 hrs and 38 mins

Publisher's Summary

Sirius is Thomas Trelone's great experiment - a huge, handsome dog with the brain and intelligence of a human being. Raised and educated in Trelone's own family alongside Plaxy, his youngest daughter, Sirius is a truly remarkable and gifted creature. His relationship with the Trelones, particularly with Plaxy, is deep and close, and his inquiring mind ranges across the spectrum of human knowledge and experience. But Sirius isn't human and the conflicts and inner turmoil that torture him cannot be resolved.

©1944 Olaf Stapledon (P)2012 Audible Ltd

For animal lovers, seekers, and psychologists

This book is going to stick with me for a while. I literally just finished it about 30 seconds ago and I don't think I'm ready to talk about it intelligently, but here are some bullet points to flesh out later. Maybe I'll just leave them here as reader questions for others. My gut reaction says that this is a damn, fine book and I would recommend it to anyone.

• It makes obvious references to Adam and his Creator in the same way Frankenstein does, which invites the comparison. How are the two books alike/different?

• Sirius talks a lot about the Spirit and search both scientific and mystical sources for truth. Eventually he forms some kind of in-between truth (much like he is an in-between creature) of the Spirit. What did I make of that as a reader? How does it relate to wordless song/singing, as featured in key moments of the story?

• This book wasn't always gripping as a story. It never felt unfocused, to me, but the style of it seemed less concerned with events and more concerned with a kind of seeking for truth. Will I agree with this assessment later? Does this focus/structure somehow make it harder to read?

• War looms over this tale. It seems crucial to me in some way, but I can't quite put a finger on it other than to say that it forces the characters to separate at times. But how does war affect the story's themes? What other big abstracts come into play (e.g. Religion, Love, the Wild) as forces that drive us?

• There is both sadness and strangeness in this story. Where and how did it break my heart? Where and how did it make me feel uncomfortable?

Unusual, yet compelling.

Intriguing story about a scientific and experimental dog which was bred to have extreme human-like thinking capabilities. The experiment exceeds expectations and the dog, named Sirius, has also achieved human personality traits. One might say, in fact, he is a missing link between dog and human, while he is still in dog form. The narrator did a fine job, and brought much of his gift to the story. I found myself liking Sirius, and he became my friend much as he was to some of the other characters in this book.

Canine copy of Frankenstein

I normally enjoy Olaf Stapleton's books, but this is a Canine version of the Frankenstein book, cleverly crafted for "modern" (WW2) timez.

Words at the surface,

While there is what could be said, words at the surface, that wouldn't be able to justify or perhaps a note on a state of 'a' nature and just how it'll never really mean the same to everyone despite the same viewpoint being expressed.

I would genuinely think that it would be wise to understand ones reaction to the story as the point, and of ones self ..... that is if one cares to know.

amazingly boring

it struggles to tell a tale about humans outside of a human perspective but the problem is that it waxes philosophical the whole time it scroungers together a love story at the end and even then it's just a really really boring interpretation of one

Man Vs dog

a very interesting story, mostly concerning relationships between animals and people. a some-what sad tale. Illustrating human beings poor record on animal empathy. certainly not a happy dog tale where fido saves the day. this story gets pretty dark at time as we follow the narrator through the human animal relationships this unfortunate critter has to bear
wortrh a credit worthy listen. Keep the tissues close

A complex and bizarre, but moving, story

I love Stapledon, but this was my time encountering one of his more focused stories, with characters rather than, say, the entire universe.

I just finished my second time listening to Sirius, having meant to just read it this time as it would be quicker. Nigel Carrington's reading brings such feeling to such a complex and bizarre story, though, that the audiobook seemed worth multiple listens.

Pulls on the heart strings

One for those that like dogs! Set in a time leading up to WW2, it feels like a period drama with a large dash of Mary Shelly about it. Not too original, nonetheless a very enjoyable listen.