Dog Blood Review

TITLE Dog Blood (Hater #2)
AUTHOR David Moody
PUBLICATION 2010 by Thomas Dunne Books
READ September 17 to 18, 2012
SOURCE Purchased

The world has suffered a catastrophe of unknown cause, dividing humankind into two: the Haters and the Unchanged. Each group believes the other to be the enemy; each group is fighting for survival. Only by working together can the enemy – whoever that enemy is – be defeated. There are no other choices. Danny McCoyne has managed to break free, and after days of indiscriminate fighting and killing, he is determined to make his way home, to recalim the only thing of any value to him in this strange new world: his daughter Ellis. Unlike his wife and son, Ellis is like him, and he knows, in his heart of hearts, that she is not dead. His dearest wish is for Ellis to be fighting for the world at his side – but Danny soon discovers his daughter is worth far more than just another fighting body. Others like him have discovered that children are absolutely vital to the cause. They are strong, small, fast, and they have no inhibitions. They are pure Haters...

After being blown away by Hater I was quick to run out and buy the remaining books in the series, Dog Blood and Them or Us. Hater had the perfect build up, and I was right there with the McCoyne's as the world went to hell. In Dog Blood we are once again treated to alternating perspectives, but here we have, of course, Danny's perspective and we alternate between that and a third person narration following an unchanged named Mark around as he tries to survive in a changed world. While this one was definitely less exciting than its predecessor, it was a worthy follow up in the intensely strong world building.

I loved how the two stories presented in Dog Blood intertwined throughout the novel and we got to see the characters tales blend together a bit. Danny's story is intense as he charges through, trying to find his daughter Ellis, who he knows is like him but was taken away by her mother. I was worried in the beginning that the novel would be a dragged out journey as he works his way to his daughter but the roadblocks he encounters really served to make it an interesting journey. This one gets a bit more political as the changed plan an uprising and a way to infiltrate the unchanged. I do feel that the first page of the novel stating that it doesn't matter why or how the change occurred was a cop-out and I really hope that those answers are still coming. I mean you can't have this happening to people and the world falling apart at the seams and not tell the reader what made it all happen. I don't care if it's a disease that comes from the saliva of bunnies, I just want some sort of reason.

Once again we are left with an intriguing set up for the final installment in the series. I am dying to see more of the changed children and just what they are capable of (even though I am certain it will not be pretty.) What sets this series apart for me is really brought to light in this second installment; the changed have a method to their madness. They are intelligent and have the ability to be organized & reign in their desire to the point that they come across as calculated in their actions at times. This is a frightening concept, and it's what keeps me hungrily turning the pages. I have no idea what the outcome of this series could be, there are so many directions it could go in so I can't wait to dig into Them or Us.