Sergeant Chip and Other Novellas

Man, so they say, is a dog’s best friend. . . or something. However the world works, here’s a collection of three outstanding novellas which should be a must-read in their own right, or as a sample of an author’s talent. Bradley Denton may not be prolific or perhaps the best known of authors, but he sure can write well — even when he’s writing about a war from a dog’s point of view. Normally, these are stories we avoid like the plague. Some cutesy pet does heroic things like Lassie used to do and saves the world! Well, “Sergeant Chip” (nominated for the Hugo Award) is a terrific and unsentimental story about a dog and his man who get sent to fight overseas. Read it or miss out!

“Blackburn and the Blade” (nominated for the International Horror Guild Award) is a wonderful visit with an established character who comes into a small town to pick up some funds before moving on. This would normally be trouble-free but, this time, people get in the way. And “The Adakian Eagle” (nominated for the Edgar) has Dashiell Hammett investigate a crime during World War II. He’s in the army and running a newspaper for the troops on an island liberated from the Japanese. Life sure was tough in those days.