Blurb:
WARDOGS ARE BORN TO DIE.
In the final days of the Demon Empire a lone wardog goes in search of the answer to the only question she cares about: Who murdered her mate?
Utterly unqualified to solve a mystery, Dogged Determination has but one advantage: She never, ever gives up.
From the heart of a massive empire to the deepest foreboding jungles, Dogged is an unstoppable force of will.
Review:
SFF Insiders is here to provide you with our official rating for the finalist book, Dogged by Michael R. Fletcher! Check out what our SPFBO judging team had to say below.
Amanda
Dogged Determination (names go hard in this story) is one special wardog. As a feared and ruthless beast in the empire, she's happy to do the Emperor’s bidding with unwavering loyalty. Unafraid to die in battle, Dogged lives to fight. But when a freak accident kills her mate, Dogged asks a question that sends her on a quest, of which it's unraveling could very well be hers.
Though I struggled not to call her a good girl throughout the book, as one should not, I really did love Dogged. Her discovery process, her goldfish tendencies, her confusion over why people valued seemingly invaluable things, and her love of people food all scratched a part of my brain that was delightful. In my opinion, Fletcher balanced all the characteristics we love about man's best friend with a militant, grieving, being. I loved Dogged's perspective of people (she better stop talking about people pups before my eyes get misty), and it was a great device to run commentary on human behavior. It also told us a lot about those we interacted with in the story as well. Fletcher leaned into Dogged's trusted senses rather than just processing observation. She could know who was “wrong” and “right”, and then judge actions later. Smells, body language, and sounds all played a huge role in how Dogged saw the world, it was a visceral experience. Though we're in her head, those around her were a pretty compelling lot, and all in all the characterizations were my favorite part of the story.
The world they live in is dark and hard, and often juxtaposes the comedy of Dogged’s thinking, despite the fact that her breed is a part of that darkness. With demons, sorcerers, necromancers and wizards, we get a rich and magical political system I would like (and may have preferred) to explore more outside of Dogged's perspective. Even though I think I missed a little atmosphere in the world building, it really felt genuine to her and for that I can't complain.
Dogged's slow intellectual development was well written and the in-world mechanisms put in place for her to overcome were a treat. The use of her past conversations with her mate accompanied her more practical thinking well, though I will say, with her distractible nature it felt convenient she could remember such details she thought were meaningless. But, hey, it worked. In the end though, the mysteries uncovered, the pack made along the way, and that ending made for a beautiful story.
The inner monologue prose was simple yet stunning. Fletcher knew his character to an amazing degree and framed a world through an unlikely perspective while leaving us room to make our own leaps and assumptions. Brilliance was found in the smallest places with this story, and I can't help but applaud the writing, not just for prose but for the architectural planning behind it.
All in all, Dogged was a worth read with a unique perspective I would absolutely recommend the read.
Jon
Where to begin with this novel? Unlike pretty much everyone else in this competition, I've read one of Michael Fletcher's other books before. And that one, that one was an experience that is hard to put into words. Because what he did in "Ghosts of Tomorrow" was take an idea, looked at how extreme and out there another book was with a similar premise (Altered Carbon by Richard K. Morgan) and decided to break beyond that into territory that was even more morally questionable than a former soldier with a mind in some jailed guys body causing havoc because he was asked to investigate another guys death. Like... shove the mind of a child into an android and then have that android go murder hobo territory.
Needless to say. I was expecting some kind of wild ride ending in a sort of happy end. Did I get that? Yes. Was I expecting everything that happened? No. Not at all. Mostly due to the fact that, like "Ghosts of Tomorrow", the premise is wild, the results and where things were going, unhinged.
In order to explain that, we have to look at the narrator of the story, Dogged Determination. She is a wardog bred and raised to kill anyone who the demon emperor wants dead. Part of a legion of shock troops sent to bring freedom, nay, peace, to those who would resist him after he portals into their world. From her point of view, the world is simple. She loves her mate, the emperor and the dog trainer. If you have a dog, she is what you would imagine your dog would be thinking about if it was a killing machine with access to swords, spears and armor. Is it aggravating to read? From time to time, yes, it feels so simplistic and lacking nuance sometimes but then a page or two later hits you with a philosophical question so bluntly you dismiss the simplistic and lacking nuance structure of what is essentially a running diary entry into the mind of a creature slowly learning that all things are connected somehow and things are more complicated than the base necessities of life.
Her point of view provides the main dilemna of "Dogged". How much can you learn, while also being a creature with barely any semblance of reflecting on the past or being able to plan ahead more than a step in the future, about a plot that requires a cork board, red string and enough coffee to start hallucinating imaginary figures where there are none? Is it fun to read, yes, once you get used to the PoV? There are moments of laughter, moments of sadness, and moments of absolute chaos that leave you sitting there wondering where and how things got to that point.
Lastly, the world building. Dogged Determination lives on the same plane as the demon emperor, who conquers other planes for resources and even more man power. Multi dimensional and multi realm theory are the bread and butter of the magicians on this plane. Some conflict exists there, but it is beyond the worry of Dogged. Oceans, forests, islands, jungles exist, as well as dragons and dead gods and more. It meshes together well and even if it may seem a bit jumbled together from time to time, it still works because the story is from the perspective of a sentient dog.
The only issue I'd have with "Dogged" is that I want book two now. Seriously though, the issue I have with it is that it is similar in absolute shikanery as "Ghosts of Tomorrow" and probably other works of Michael Fletcher (still need to read them). If you are going into this book blind without having read any of his other books and have no idea what is about to come your way, this novel will probably feel offputting at first and only slowly will it grow on you.
All in all, if you are a fan of detective novels, are not afraid of being told viscerally about murder and death, alongside an appreciation of fantasy multidimensionalism, "Dogged" is for you.
Grady
‘Wardogs are born to die.’ In “Dogged” we’re brought a refreshingly original, non-human driven quest to chew on. The development of our central Wardog, Dogged Determination, is top-tier. She follows her nose to unravel the mystery of her mate’s death to outstanding effect. It’s a vehicle to not only serve the larger, empire-wide, plot, but it also effectively guides the reader as we join Dogged to find ourselves discovering her complicated wider world for the first time.
Moving at a brisk pace, we search with Dogged to discover why the empire’s magical portals suddenly ceased in such a violent and tragic fashion. Beautifully written with a sparseness that fits the voice, it’s as evocative as it is wryly comical, befitting our central character perfectly. The savage simplicity of Dogged is pure fun. How she convinced the ship captain to board his vessel was both hilarious and shocking; then later when navigating the intestines of a God, as if reading my mind, she wondered how this is even happening from a pure logistical point of view. The tightly aligned pairing between writing and characterization formed an incredibly strong backbone for the story.
From that backbone, we see a branching world: the seemingly undefeatable empire teeters on the edge, plots are uncovered and survived, and different relationships form, blossom, then end. Different threads weave and unravel on the page, but they stay at a distance nearly in the background. It leaves us to admire what remains of the subtle tapestry unveiling beneath the surface while we stay focused on the meaty snack that is Dogged and her perspectives in the fore. The human characters aren’t given prominence, and this decentering fits the primary conflict as it sprawls beyond any single species. Yet the humans we do connect with, nonetheless became pack, bonded by danger, love, and sacrifice. This story has a lot to say.
Despite the unexpected depth and tenderness, it all ends rather abruptly and simply, though not without giving us a grounded and mostly satisfying conclusion to our character arcs. If there’s one nit, it’s that these resolutions are more cerebral than felt. For a story oozing with feeling, when we reach the end it can be almost confusing from a plot perspective, but by considering the characters firstly and foremostly, it fits nicely and you may say like me, “oh that makes sense.” Life can be like that too, where you’re left to make of it what you will rather than having your hand held all the way through, and I do respect that choice.
Learning how “Dogged” is part of a larger fantasy world has me excited to explore more of Fletcher's work. He’s shown both the ability to craft a tight and propulsive story, while also writing on heavy themes with care and poignancy. The characters are as bittersweet as we are, and the stories we tell ourselves and are told of us, must not always go to plan. After all, as it’s said, Wardogs are born to die.
Khan
What happens when a creature bred for war and destined to die is suddenly faced with discovering what it truly means to live?
Michael R. Fletcher’s Dogged was a surprisingly heartfelt and thoroughly entertaining experience that offered far more than I initially expected. Having listened to the audiobook, I found myself completely immersed in the journey of Dogged Determination, a wardog whose unwavering loyalty and pursuit of answers gradually lead her towards a much deeper understanding of grief, friendship and what it means to have a purpose beyond duty.
Set during the final days of the Demon Empire, the story follows Dogged, a wardog bred for one purpose: to fight and die in service of the Emperor. However, when a portal unexpectedly closes, resulting in the death of her mate, she embarks on a journey to uncover who was responsible and why. What initially appears to be a straightforward investigation soon becomes something far more personal, challenging everything Dogged has ever understood about herself and the world around her.
One of the aspects I particularly enjoyed was Fletcher’s decision to tell the story through Dogged’s perspective. Having been conditioned to believe that loyalty, obedience and death in battle are simply part of her existence, she struggles to comprehend anything beyond those expectations. Fletcher captures this wonderfully, especially through her innocence and rather unusual interpretation of the world. There were numerous moments where I found myself amused by her understanding of certain conversations and situations, particularly when their significance was obvious to everyone except Dogged herself. These interactions provided some much-needed humour within an otherwise dark and violent world, while making her an incredibly endearing character to follow. Yet beneath this innocence lies a character struggling to make sense of emotions she has never truly been equipped to understand.
What resonated with me most was the way Fletcher explored grief and the difficulties of navigating loss. Despite having spent her entire life accepting death as an inevitable consequence of war, losing someone personally forces Dogged to confront feelings that cannot simply be explained through duty or obedience. Watching her attempt to process these emotions was particularly compelling, as it revealed a vulnerability that made her experiences feel remarkably human.
This emotional journey also ties beautifully into the novel’s exploration of freedom and identity. For someone who has never questioned her purpose, the possibility of living beyond the Emperor’s service is an unfamiliar and often confusing concept. As Dogged encounters new experiences and perspectives, she gradually begins to question what it means to make her own choices rather than simply follow orders. I particularly enjoyed how this development unfolded naturally through her interactions with others, rather than through any sudden transformation in her character.
These interactions also give rise to another of the novel’s strongest elements: the friendships Dogged forms along the way. Some emerge from the most unlikely circumstances, yet gradually develop into bonds that resemble a family. I loved how these relationships challenged her understanding of loyalty, showing that companionship and belonging can exist beyond shared duty or obligation. There was something genuinely heartwarming about watching a character who had known little beyond war begin to discover the value of these connections.
The audiobook narration further enhanced my enjoyment, bringing the characters and their personalities to life while capturing both the humour of Dogged’s unusual perspective and the emotional weight of her experiences.
Ultimately, Dogged is far more than a dark fantasy murder mystery. It is a story about loss, friendship and discovering that life can hold meaning beyond the purpose imposed upon you. What stayed with me most wasn’t necessarily the mystery itself, but the journey of a character slowly learning that there is more to existence than fighting, following orders and dying in battle. A wonderfully unique and surprisingly moving adventure that I thoroughly enjoyed.
Kristen
“Wardogs are born to die.”
Dogged Determination, a hulking wardog in service to the Demon Emperor, must solve an unexpected murder mystery. A mystery that resulted in the closing of a magical portal, ultimately ending her mate’s life as he was passing through. Armed with little more than her knowledge of killing, battle, and bloodshed, Dogged sets out across the land to discover who is responsible. And potentially tear a few heads off along the way.
Dogged by Michael R. Fletcher is a novel with a surprising amount of heart, self-discovery, and the kind of dry humor one might expect from a creature experiencing a much wilder world for the first time. Told from the perspective of Dogged Determination herself, we readers are given an intimate look into her thought process, almost childlike worldview, and the rather narrow understanding of life that comes from being bred for a single purpose. That purpose? To live and die in war.
Dogged knows what she is. She knows what she was made for, what is expected of her, and has a general idea of how to accomplish the task set before her. Violence is a language she understands fluently, and problems are generally best solved with tearing a limb or two off a torso. But murder mysteries, clues, complicated politics, and the messiness of human behavior? Those are entirely different beasts.
As Dogged sets out to unravel the clues surrounding the collapse of the demon portal, she finds herself navigating a world that demands far more of her than simply following orders or crushing her Emperor’s enemies. Along the way, she encounters a few unlikely human allies that are honestly secondary characters in relation to our beloved wardog. However, the resulting interactions between them are a highlight of the novel. Much of the humor comes from this clash of personalities. Dogged approaches the world with a blunt practicality that is both endearing and hilarious. Where a human might over analyze a difficult decision, Dogged is more likely to consider the most direct and efficient solution, regardless of how socially acceptable it might be.
The murder mystery provides a compelling reason to push Dogged into unfamiliar territory, while the relationships she builds along the way give the story much of its emotional weight. Watching a creature designed for destruction attempt to understand the subtleties of trust, companionship, and grief gives the novel a surprising amount of warmth. Dogged may be a wardog, but she is far more than a walking weapon. Discovering this alongside her was some of my most favorite moments throughout the book.
Ultimately, Dogged balances fantasy, mystery, and humor while maintaining a true character-driven story. From the first page to the last, I was enraptured with this tale. If you enjoy fantasy protagonists who are a little rough around the edges and stories about discovering there is more to life than the purpose you were created to serve, Dogged is for you. I can’t wait for Fletcher's sequel to this novel and will be checking it out the moment it releases.
SFF Insiders Rating: 8.2/10
