Natasha Taranova is a young girl in Pripyat, Ukraine (back when it was part of the Soviet Union). She receives a perfect and lovely white puppy for her seventh birthday, whom she names Zoya. Natasha is absolutely smitten and overjoyed with her new best friend. But then Reactor Number 4 of the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant exploded. All families within the 2600-square km exclusion zone had to evacuate and leave their pets behind. Thus, Natasha and Zoya must begin their separate journeys. Dogs of the Deadlands by Anthony McGowan is the heartfelt yet terrifying story of how those animals had to fight for survival amongst their much larger and wilder counterparts. Dog owners won’t be able to look at their fur babies the same way again.

Zoya’s journey continues in the wild. She has to learn how to be wild, how to hunt and kill prey for food. Not to mention eventually care for and teach her pups, Misha and Bratan. Bratan’s hind legs do not work, so he often slows the pack. From early on, Misha is the primary animal character and readers experience the unforgiving events through his point of view. We see him grow up and fight for his own survival, as well as his brother’s. But as with any survival story, the brothers encounter danger at nearly every turn. They eventually meet another group of formerly-domesticated dogs, who welcome them into their pack. Yet the fight for survival continues as a pack of wolves are nearby and waiting for their opportunity to strike.

Dogs of the Deadlands doesn’t forget about Natasha. Her story is weaved along with Misha’s, and readers watch her grow up too. She becomes a studious and serious pupil, mostly keeping to herself. This is a personality trait that follows her through her adolescence and adult years. But the real action is with Misha’s story, so that’s what most of the novel focuses on. While I enjoyed catching up with Natasha every now and then, I couldn’t wait to get back to Misha and his pack to see if they would be okay. Being a sucker for dogs, I was rooting for them.

McGowan’s ambition to write a realistic survival story about dogs in Chernobyl paid off. Writing a story with animals as main characters, with the only dialogue coming from human characters, and having it be just as heartfelt, engaging, and anxiety-inducing as if it were humans is no easy feat. Yet McGowan pulls it off. He conveys different personalities from these animals, and I could easily distinguish them from one another, despite them not speaking any words. 

I don’t have much criticism for this one. Some readers may want more Chernobyl action, but ultimately this is a story from the dogs’ point of view. The disaster is only mentioned at the beginning, while the remainder of Dogs of the Deadlands focuses on the aftermath, and the unsettling feeling whenever a character approaches the “Red Forest.” Furthermore, it was hard to follow the different timelines, following species with different lifespans, and flashbacks sprinkled in at times. Nevertheless, McGowan made these choices for a reason, which is ultimately revealed later on. 

Anthony McGowan joins us for a Cantina Conversation where he talks about the research involved, his experiences as a writer, and what’s next for him. Keep an ear out for an upcoming episode of The Nerd Cantina Show podcast and preorder Dogs of the Deadlands, available September 13.