Saturday, October 6, 2007

Arthur C. Clarke's "Dog Star" aka "Moondog": A man feels guilty after preferring career to dog

This is primarily a dog story - joys of owning one. sf content is peripheral. I found it very readable, even though I have never had a dog.

Story summary.
Narrator works at some astronomical observatory. He had found the little she-dog Laika abandoned, & cared for & kept her. They grow very close. Once she even saved his life during an earthquake.

When time came to take new job at an observatory on Luner Farside, option to take her simply did not exist. He left her with a colleague. And she died heartbroken within a month of his leaving.

Now, 5 years later, in the aftermath of a moonquake, he is remembering her & feeling sad.

Fact sheet.
"Dog Star", short story, review
First published: Galaxy, April 1962, as "Moondog"
Rating: B

See also.

  1. Robert Reed's "Roxie": Another primarily a dog story. But I find Clarke's version far more interesting.
  2. Eric Frank Russell's "Allamagoosa": A hilarious story where dog plays a crucial role.
This story is included in following collections.
  1. "The Collected Stories of Arthur C Clarke"
  2. "More Than One Universe"

2 comments:

ulovemegod said...

Thanks you are awesome!!!!!

Anonymous said...

In 'Collected Stories..." this story is introduced with this note:
"I can no longer bear to read this story, now that Laika sleeps forever in the garden of the home we once shared."

Clarke actually had a dog with this name?