The Left Hand of Dog

narrated by Kay Eluvian

English language

(1 review)

Escaping intergalactic kidnappers has never been quite so ridiculous.

When Lem and her faithful dog, Spock, retreat from the city for a few days of hiking in Algonquin Park, the last thing they expect is to be kidnapped by aliens. No, scratch that. The last thing they expect is to be kidnapped by a bunch of strangely adorable intergalactic bounty hunters aboard a ship called the Teapot.

After Lem falls in with an unlikely group of allies – including a talking horse, a sarcastic robot, an overly anxious giant parrot, and a cloud of sentient glitter gas – the gang must devise a cunning plan to escape their captors and make it back home safely.

But things won’t be as easy as they first seem. Lost in deep space and running out of fuel, this chaotic crew are faced with the daunting task of navigating an alien planet, breaking into …

Escaping intergalactic kidnappers has never been quite so ridiculous.

When Lem and her faithful dog, Spock, retreat from the city for a few days of hiking in Algonquin Park, the last thing they expect is to be kidnapped by aliens. No, scratch that. The last thing they expect is to be kidnapped by a bunch of strangely adorable intergalactic bounty hunters aboard a ship called the Teapot.

After Lem falls in with an unlikely group of allies – including a talking horse, a sarcastic robot, an overly anxious giant parrot, and a cloud of sentient glitter gas – the gang must devise a cunning plan to escape their captors and make it back home safely.

But things won’t be as easy as they first seem. Lost in deep space and running out of fuel, this chaotic crew are faced with the daunting task of navigating an alien planet, breaking into a space station, and discovering the real reason they’re all there…

Packed with preposterous scenarios, quirky characters, and oodles of humour, The Left Hand of Dog tackles complex subjects such as gender, the need to belong, and the importance of honest communication. Perfect for fans of Charlie Jane Anders’ Victories Greater than Death – especially ones who enjoy endless references to Red Dwarf, Star Trek, and Doctor Who. This book will show you that the universe is a very strange place indeed.

2 editions

Elena. reviewed The Left Hand of Dog by Si Clarke (Starship Teapot, #1)

You had me at Spock's Brain

4 stars

You actually had me way before that, but that wouldn't have made for a good headline. This is a fun, queer, and very silly science-fiction story with aliens in space about being who you are and about found family. It's so beautiful and funny and fluffy and glittery. No romance, no space battles, just pure rainbowy adventure and friendship. I like how the communication works - or doesn't work in a lot of instances. It's making me think about language and concepts and frames of references. It could be something to spend some time with and dive deeper into. It's a fascinating topic. Speaking of references, there are a lot of Star Trek ones, and probably of other works as well, but I am not familiar enough with those to understand them. I loved them! I am a big Trekkie, so of course I do.

Looking forward to the next …

You actually had me way before that, but that wouldn't have made for a good headline. This is a fun, queer, and very silly science-fiction story with aliens in space about being who you are and about found family. It's so beautiful and funny and fluffy and glittery. No romance, no space battles, just pure rainbowy adventure and friendship. I like how the communication works - or doesn't work in a lot of instances. It's making me think about language and concepts and frames of references. It could be something to spend some time with and dive deeper into. It's a fascinating topic. Speaking of references, there are a lot of Star Trek ones, and probably of other works as well, but I am not familiar enough with those to understand them. I loved them! I am a big Trekkie, so of course I do.

Looking forward to the next book now.

#ScienceFiction #SciFi #StarshipTeapot

The audiobook came with the short story "Jurassic Dark", which is a ghost story like adventure in the, well, dark. I may or may not review it later.