Kazan

A wolf/dog's life, personal and exciting

(3.5 stars)

kerriganm

This starts out as a story involving a dog, but soon becomes a dog's story. Actually, Kazan is a dog/wolf hybrid and is a sled dog by vocation. After suffering abuses from various masters, he strikes out on his own and begins to live as the wolf within him would wish. There is no hokey narration by the dog or other clever contrivance, it is simply an intimate story of a wolf/dog learning to survive and thrive without humans. He hones his hunting skills, navigates relationships with other wolves, finds a mate, has pups, half-burns, half-drowns, fights and hunts and fights and hunts and fights... And every now and then feels the seduction of a dog's easy life. Memories of being petted, lying by the warm fire, being sure of his next meal, and not least the strong, loving bond that can exist between dogs and their humans all serve to tempt him away from his mate and his wolf's life. Then again, memories of being beaten and mistreated only make his determination to live independently from humans the more firm. <P>The scenes involving interactions between the wolf couple and other animals are exciting and immediate, with a ring of well-researched truth about them. Otters, beavers, bears and others all have their own agendas, clearly described by the author. When these clash, it can be funny or it can be tragic. Each animal has its own history, its own personality that has been shaped by its past, memories, fears and desires. We are shown not, for instance, an altercation between a wolf and an otter, but a struggle between this particular anxious, vengeful, aggressive wolf and that exact blithe, self-satisfied, destructive, chaotically mischievous otter. <P>There are painstaking details to render scenes more layered and convincing. But that comes with what might be considered a down side. Which leads me to: ! CONTENT WARNING: LOTS OF BLOOD AND VIOLENCE AND ANIMAL ABUSE ! We are presented with dog owners- particularly dog-sledders- who habitually beat their dogs, who do so not for a single blow or two but for a extended period of time, and who do so with little or no provocation. Their behavior doesn't seem abhorrent to those around them, which I found almost as upsetting as the beatings. Our wolf friends must, of course, hunt for their food and also fight other animals if their food, nest or litter of pups are threatened. From these scenes we are not spared the grotesque details of every spurt of blood, every snapped bone, and every bit of torn and tattered flesh. Sometimes I had to take a break for a few days to get the violence out of my mind. <P>I have one serious complaint of the author, and it seems to me to work against every technique he used to ensure the realism of his work. He tells us what our dog hybrid hero sees, what he senses, what he hears- but he scarcely mentions the sense of smell! Dogs' strongest sense is their sense of smell. They can smell tiny traces of a scent from amazing distances! Smell is a huge part of how they interact with the world. When I come home, my dog immediately smells my legs to find out where I've been, what I've been doing, and what other dogs I happened to meet. It just seems crazy that our dog/wolf views his newborn pups as foreign- of course they would smell familiarly of his mate! And he wouldn't rely on his eyes to recognize people- he would capture their scent before ever he could see their faces. This surprising flaw brings me up short too often for me to suspend my disbelief entirely. <P>Still, this is a suspenseful tale written in a style of pragmatic realism. The animal characters are never romanticized or idealized, but are complex and compelling, as animals can be (more so than the humans in this story, in fact) and there is plenty of edge-of-your-seat action.

Kazan is a Keeper

(5 stars)

Rachel Knott

My uncle had an Alaskan Malamute named Kazan and I wonder if he got the idea after reading this book. I greatly enjoy all of Curwood's books that have animals as the main characters. His descriptions of the wilderness make me feel as if I were there. The trials and tribulations that Kazan goes through kept me interested, hoping for a good outcome. I wasn't disappointed.

(5 stars)

Lisa Chicola

It takes a special talent to write a book from the perspective of an animal in the roll of main character. Very good story. Hard to take the abuse of dogs or people. Well read. Thanks to all.

love it

(5 stars)

Chicy

kazan is a very good book thanks to the reader, l like it though it was hard at first with all the blood shed .The reader's voice is perfectly suited for the book.

Kazan

(5 stars)

TheBookworm

Totally agree with the previous reviewer! Leonard Wilson does a bang-up job of storytelling. Good sound quality too. I'll be downloading more by this narrator soon. Thanks Leonard. More please. TheBookworm, Manchester, UK

Good Book

(5 stars)

Awsome Book Lover

Very emotional. If you don't like books that have animals/humans killed then you shouldn't read this book. Other than that it is very good. Very exciting too.

great book!

(5 stars)

A LibriVox Listener

Listening to this book was an emotional roller-coaster. It was written so well and the reader did a great job bringing the book to life.

love this story very easy

(5 stars)

A LibriVox Listener

fabulous reader as always. A story that the whole family and everyone would like to hear.